Not many lamps lit the path across the lawns and gardens to the store. The shrouds of bamboo and small trees cast shadows everywhere. A breeze rustled the leaves, and my hands rubbed my arms for warmth. But when the wind ceased and the rustling persisted, I knew something was amiss. My footsteps halted, my ears alerted by the eerie ruffling sound and twigs snapping.

Something brushed against my ankle, and I jumped when it wrapped around it. I searched for the cause, reeling upon the discovery that it was a thick green vine writhing along the ground. I reached into my boot and pulled out the retractable ether core blade Tristan had given me.

Pushing down on the sapphire stone, the black blade sprung from the bolster. I cut through the vine and stepped back, only to have my wrist caught by another vine. I whipped my head in that direction, finding the vine attached to a plant with large striped green and white leaves. It was a plant I had not seen in the garden before, and it was moving as though possessed!

One of the leaves split in half, and thorns sprouted from the edges like a mass of snake fangs. It lunged forward, sinking the thorns in my shoulder.

I screamed as pain shot through my shoulder. My skin punctured, blood seeping through the sleeve of my dress. I swung my knife at the thorny leaf, cutting frantically to fend it off. The thorns retreated as the leaf was severed from its branch, but more leaves began to split, sprouting the razor-sharp thorns.

My heart sunk as I stumbled back from fright, and found myself looking at more plants that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. They all had long, winding vines that reached for me, and striped leaves that could easily spike me to death with those jaws.

I felt something at my ankle and reacted quickly, cutting through the vine. I had barely come back up to prepare for another attack when another wound itself around my throat, squeezing. My hand jerked, severing the vine, but I hadn't the time to breathe. Another one of those leaves pierced their thorns into my arm, causing me to scream in agony.

Both my left shoulder and arm stung and throbbed in such excruciating pain, it ceased my movements. And that is when another vine wrapped itself around my wrist—the one I used to hold the knife. I tugged against it, but any attempts to free myself inflamed the pain, and I could only groan in torment.

"Mavis!"

The voice was familiar, but I could not tell to whom it belonged. I was freed by I don't know what, and soon found myself staring into Julian's blue eyes.

"Julian? How did you get here so fast?"

His gaze was frantic, looking over my bleeding arm."We were nearby and heard you scream."

I heard slashing sounds, accompanied by voices I recognized.

"Where did these things come from? They weren't here before!" Lucia cried.

"Fraudster, are you alright?" Tristan called.

The entirety of the gardens was now surrounded by a forest of plant monsters, only held back by Tristan's ether core sword and Lucia's claws. Vines and thorny leaves were cut down, but more sprouted.

"These are ketterfin plants," Julian informed, shielding me behind his wide frame. "They are carnivorous, yes, but they shouldn't be moving this way—as though they have a mind."

"Well, they do and they're trying to feast on us!" Lucia snapped, using her claws to cut down some vines. "How did this happen, Julian?"

"I don't know!" he replied. "Ketterfin don't grow in a day. It would take a t least three months for them to mature!"

A familiar sense of dread curled around me as the answer came into focus. This was the fourth plague.

"Tristan!" I cried.

He turned to me with a knowing look. He understood the seriousness of the situation. Ether core had no effect on the plants, and the problem would not be solved by greftyr claws either.

Something tugged my hair, and I deftly swung my knife back, cutting through a vine. "They keep coming, and they'll keep coming until we find a permanent solution!"

I made my way to Tristan, dodging the snapping thorns and cutting through some. "Do you have a silver weapon on you?"

"Gun," he answered. "But I can't exactly waste my silver bullets here on a thousand cursed plants."

He swung his sword in front of me, sling through a plant that almost bit my face.

"Hey, fact finder!" he called to Julian. "Do these plants have a weak spot?"

Julian had unleashed his claws as well, putting them to good use against the carnivorous plants.

"Biologically speaking, a group of ketterfin form a family, born from one seed," Julian replied. "Destroy the seed, and they all die!"

"So we unearth the entire ground looking for one seed?"

"The seed is above ground, encased by roots! If you follow the vines, you find the roots, and if you find the roots, you find the seed!"

Tristan and I looked at each other.

"Have you fired a gun before?" he asked, already pulling out his pistol from the holster.

"No. not reall—"

"Watch and listen closely," he instructed, his grip on the barrel. "There's no safety, so hold it just like how I am. This is the trigger. Do not touch it until you've taken aim. Remember your archery and keep both eyes open. You're going to find the ketterfin seed, and you're going to shoot it."

My anxiety spiked to horrendous levels. "What! Why me?"

He fought against the plants with his sword as he answered, "The rest of us will cover you. You won't have to get hurt any more than you already are. We'll handle cutting them down, you focus on finding the seed. Lucia!"

"I heard you!" she called back. "Mavis, come!"

I turned just in time to witness Lucia transform fully into her beast. Her dress tore to shreds within seconds, and a big brown furry beast stood in her place, with a single line of silver fur running from her head, down her back. I was transfixed for a moment by hear beastly form, having forgotten she could do that.

Tristan nudged me in the side, pulling me out of my trance. Giving me the gun, he yelled, "Go!"

With one hand around the gun's barrel and the other grasping the knife, my body lurched forward after Lucia, despite the pain shooting through my left arm. Tristan's weapon felt heavy in my hand, the unfamiliar feel amassing tremors in my palm.

Would I be able to handle it?

No, I had to. All our lives depended on it.

The vines and stems extended along the ground in tangles. The slashing was futile because they re-grew from the stem within seconds. I steeled my nerves, choosing to trust Lucia and the rest. My eyes remained fixed on the ground as I followed the stems. The slashing and snapping continued around me, this time accompanied by Lucia's growls and snarls. A thorny leaf snapped in my direction and I stilled, but she was quick to sever it with her more powerful jaws.

I kept moving until finally, the green stems turned to dry brown roots. The roots all lead to a melon-sized mess of yarn. The seed must have been beneath all those coils.

Dropping the knife, I held onto the pistol with both hands, my finger caressing the trigger. I was wincing in pain, while my hands shook from fear, uncertainty and lack of muscle strength. I bit my bottom lip, willing myself to calm down and focus.

The first shot startled me, zipping past the ball of roots. The second hit the ball, clearing the roots. The third and fourth shots were a blur, for my eyes refused to stay open and I lost control of the weapon. At this point, my adrenaline had reached heights I never knew it could reach, and I was surprised to find my heart had not stopped from the surge of it all.

By the time I lowered the weapon and calmed down from my high, the ball of roots—and whatever was within—had all turned to black ash, scattering into the air.

I looked around, seeing that the monstrous plants were all turning to black ash and disintegrating.

"Well, that was loud."

At the sound of Lucia's voice, I turned to locate her. She had reverted back to her human form (aside from the ears, of course) and stood there wearing nothing but a smile.

"I can already hear everybody losing their minds," she said as she walked confidently towards me in all her nakedness. Her gaze swept past me, and her smile widened. "Hello, Tristan."

I whirled around. Tristan was indeed present, rooted to the spot as his eyes assessed Lucia's naked body.

At once, I sprung in front of her, shielding her from his view. "No, you can't be here!" I squeaked, blushing furiously.

Of all the times for him to make an entrance!

"Don't worry, Mavis sweetheart," Lucia cooed from behind me. "It's nothing he hasn't seen before."

I beg your pardon?

Tristan cleared his throat awkwardly.

Hold on. Had they...?

"It might be a problem if Julian finds me, so how about one of you fetches me a coat, yes?"

"Julian's gone to reassure our families about the gunshots. You'll wear his when he returns," Tristan contended, and his eyes found mine. His voice lowered. "But she is hurt."

He didn't need an invitation to approach us, slowly taking the pistol from my hand and tucking it into its holster. His eyes narrowed on my bloody arm and shoulder, the red fluid trickling down my fingertips to the ground.

He reached for my injured arm and I whimpered, hissing in pain.

"Damn it, Maewitch," he cursed softly, his face twisted as he analysed the extent of my injury.

Lucia stepped out from behind me to the side, her prying gaze on my arm. She clicked her tongue. "That looks excruciating."

Tristan made to look at her, but I was quicker. My fingers gripped his jaw and turned his head back to me. He blinked in surprise.

"Eyes on me, fiend," I demanded.

Beside us, Lucia chuckled and decided it was best to transform back to her beast form for now.

Good.

Tristan reached into his trousers pocket and pulled out a small pouch

I gasped when he poured the contents onto his palm. "Pixie dust!"

"I've taken to carrying it everywhere. Eventually, something like this would happen," he mumbled. Raising his hand so it hovered just above my shoulder, he asked me, "May I?"

I nodded, letting him peel down the sleeve of my dress while I tried not to squirm and groan from the pain. He blew some of the pixie dust onto my punctured skin, and the pain began to dissipate. He did the same to my arm, healing my completely. My skin was repaired seamlessly, even if the bloodstains remained.

I sighed, awash with relief. "Thank you."

He nodded, and opened his mouth to say something. I anticipated his words, but he closed his lips again.

Just when I thought he had decided against speaking, he said, "You did well."

I froze, taken by surprise and disbelief. Was the Devereux chap actually commending me for once?

Warmth bloomed in my chest. I hadn't realized how much I longed to hear praise from him until then. It was futile fighting against the smile on my lips.

That is, until he added, "You wasted three bullets, but it could have been worse."

My lips upturned, my eyes narrowing into a glare. A satisfied smirk crossed his face, rising within me an urge to slap it right off. Why was it always hot and cold with him? He was so frustrating!

Julian returned, instantly draping his coat over Lucia without any of us having to ask. To reassure the families, he made up a story about how I had been playing with Tristan's pistol and was startled by a squirrel.

He turned to me, his gaze softening at the sight of my bloody dress. His hand caressed my arm, holding gently. "Are you alright?"

I smiled, nodding. "I'm fine, Julian. Thankfully, Tristan had some pixie dust and patched me up."

"Pixie dust? But how? It is extraordinarily rare and only used by a few doctors in the direst of circumstances."

"I am just that extraordinary as well," Tristan supplied, scowling at Julian.

I looked between the two of them, noting the steady spike in tension.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can find those wasted bullets," I declared.

Lucia piped up, now in human form and dressed. "Oh, sweetheart? If you could locate my shredded dress as well, I'd be indebted."

"Of course."

LUCIA FAIRBURN

While the darling Mavis departed to rummage the lawns, my gaze flicked to Tristan. As expected, he eyed my brother as though he was unlucky to have survived the carnivorous plants...for his method of murdering him would be much worse.

My brother, ever so studious and open, met his glower with an irrefutable calm. From the way neither backed down, I hoped the time had finally come for confrontation. My insides tingled with glee at the prospect of it.

How fun.

Tristan spoke first. "I do not appreciate you getting handsy with her."

"I was merely concerned with her well-being."

He scoffed. "Right. And I am supposed to pretend that it was the case even before this incident? She is the woman I'm courting, Julian. It would do you good to desist from flirting with her."

How so very fun.

Julian hummed. "Puzzling that you would say that, since you're not actually courting her."

Tristan's eyes widened in amazement.

"I know that your relationship isn't an ordinary form of courtship, and that it isn't serious," Julian continued, his voice levelled and eyes piercing. "You two are simply unwilling participants putting up a front in front of everyone else."

And that was when Tristan shifted to me, his gaze accusing. "You told him?"

"I might have accidentally let it slip," I admitted, shrugging. "Oops."

"Accidentally?" he was nothing short of suspicious.

"Yes," I affirmed, not even bothering to hide my cheeky smile. "In the same way I told Mavis that Julian took something from you."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

I shook my head in mock pity. "Poor girl is beside herself with worry wondering what could be so important that it caused you to glare at him so spitefully." I lowered my voice, chuckling. "Little does she know."

Realisation dawned on him, and his eyes blazed with fury. "Why would you do that?" he growled.

"Is her speculation incorrect?" Julian chimed in, searching Tristan's face in an attempt to read him. "Or do you harbour affections for Mavis?"

He was taken aback by my brother's directness, while I counted on it. When he did not answer, Julian rephrased the question.

"Tristan, I'm asking if you're in love with Mavis."

Tristan's jaw clenched and he replied, "No."

"I see," Julian mused. "Then it would do you good to desist from acting like you are. You two are not a true couple, and this jealousy of yours is rather vexing."

"Even so," Tristan snapped. "To everybody else, we are a couple. Don't you think it looks a bit strange for you to hang on to her like sap? Giving her bloody flowers? It is not within your right, Julian."

"Perhaps." Julian tilted his head, thinking. "But at least I am honest about my feelings. Honest enough to admit to you that I do fancy Mavis. Indeed, to everybody else, you are a couple. But not to me. Your pretend courtship will come to an end sooner or later. I'm simply laying the groundwork for when that happens. You can calm yourself for now. You do not love her, so you have nothing to worry about."

I savoured the tension. Their conflict breathed life into me.

This strife wasn't just for my amusement, however. Tristan was stubborn, and I believed he needed a little incentive to jolt his senses. I saw the way he acted around Mavis—that all too loving dance and the look in his eyes when she was hurt. He definitely felt something.

Speaking of who, the sweet girl pranced back towards us, carrying pieces of my shredded dress.

"I found the dress, but only two bullets," she announced. "What did I miss?"

"Well." I smirked. "These two gentlemen were having a disagreement and nearly fighting about that important thing they both want."

"Oh." Mavis frowned, turning her attention to the boys, whose intense eye-contact had not been disrupted. "Are you sure you can't just share?"

"No!" Both Julian and Tristan exclaimed at her, with the latter seeming surprised by his own outburst.

I couldn't help it. I doubled over, cackling. I didn't know what was more amusing; Tristan's battle within himself, or Mavis' obliviousness to everything.

Author's chatter:

I haven't, by any means, fired a gun before. You can write down some tips to help improve that scene.

I kinda love Lucia. Such an instigator, omg.

Thank you for reading😊, and don't forget to vote⭐️!