Luna Queen's Fury

6 Formidable

Jude holds the diary open towards them. The pages are covered in detailed drawings of all sorts of moonflowers, subtly different with notes scribbled between them. "Can any of these be used as a substitute? The note Jess wrote says they're all here," Jude asks.

Tilly purses her lips but reluctantly looks over the page, already shaking her head. "This is the only one that will work, but he killed it," she grumbles, pointing to the lower corner and sparing Percival a pointed look.

"It's not dead," Ethan mumbles, taking the book from Jude.

"It's okay Highness, I meant well but know that my ignorance killed it," Percival offers with a weak smile.

"No," Ethan says, shaking his head more forcefully. "There were these pots where the plants looked mostly dead, just a little green left on the stem..."

Tilly stops fussing with her herbs and focuses on Ethan as he recounts. "Go on son," she urges. "You're sure it's this one? Vitalis?" She taps her withered finger on the image, but keeps her gaze on him.

"Yeah. Jess said there were only two stumps with any green... She showed me how to clean them up and what to look for..." he trails off. "When they leafed out, she figured out it was this one, said it was the only one with pointed leaves like that."

The room is silent as everyone hangs on every word Ethan says.

"Show me!"

Ethan nods and leads the way with the rest of us in tow, leaving Ben and Doc behind with Jess.

He makes quick work of the way to Charlotte's greenhouse and pauses at the door for Percival to open it. The sight inside leaves me slack jawed and awe struck.

The heavily pruned plants have rebounded with new life. Everywhere I look, fresh green shoots and flowers abound. The sweet scent of citrus blossoms hangs in the air, mixing with the smell of damp earth.

In my distraction, Percival has gone to the far end and is holding a potted plant by the time we catch up. He mumbles something to the plant, on the verge of tears.

"Percival?" I call, approaching him slowly like I would a wounded animal.

"I'm a fool," he mumbles. "I thought she came to destroy but she put it all back together..."

Slowly, he lifts his watery gaze to mine and I see the light of understanding shining in them.

"I yelled at her... She brought this place back to life and I thanked her by yelling at her... in front of everyone..." The gravity of the situation seems to hit the man all at once.

"Give me that!" Tilly snaps as she snatches the plant from him before setting it down on the coffee table for a better look.

"Sure looks like vitalis to me," Gord offers, leaning in for a closer look.

"That it does," she muses. "Though it's seen better days... looks like the Queen got to them in the nick of time."

"Them?" I question, eyeing the scraggly plant.

"Them," she stresses, gesturing to the plant like it should be obvious.

"Highness, moonflowers are social plants, they must grow at least two in a pot, otherwise they wither and die," Gord explains.

"I've never heard of a social plant before," I confess.

"I didn't know," Percival gasps. "They'd outgrown their pot and I tried to give them more space..."

Tilly turns to the old advisor once more and lets out a long sigh. "We'll deal with you later, but we have more pressing matters."

"Now can you save her?" Ethan asks, eyes locked and pleading.