Heart of Thorns - Nicolette Andrews

Chapter Four

Though he was doing his best to ignore them, he could feel eyes on the back of his neck. Ray sat back on his heels. Peering over his shoulder, he met the glower of Mr. Rockwell. A large man, arms as thick as tree trunks, with a barrel chest, a thick black beard and a large nose dominated his features. Beady black eyes shot accusations from his red face. Hands covered in callouses from working in the earth, tapped on beefy forearms as their owner stared down at Ray. I wonder if there's giant in his bloodline or maybe troll. Regular humans don't get this big and mean without a bit of that.

"Why, Mr. Rockwell, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ray said with an easy smile. He knew better than to jab at the head gardener, but humans were just too easy to provoke, and his job had so few perks.

"Mr. Thorn." Mr. Rockwell said his name like a curse, and maybe to him it was. "I expected you to be done with these plantings hours ago. You were supposed to be trimming the hedges on the west end."

Ray stood up. He came perhaps to Mr. Rockwell's chin, which was impressive because Ray was not a small man. He looked the taller man in the eye and said, "Was I?"

Mr. Rockwell's red face turned an alarming shade of violet. He sputtered some expletives that were not meant for polite company and opened and closed his fists a few times. A thread of patience was holding him back from taking a swing at Ray. It would only end badly for Mr. Rockwell, not that Ray would be the one to tell the brawny gardener that.

Ray sighed. "You humans are too fragile."

"What nonsense are you talking about now?" Mr. Rockwell seethed and spittle sprayed Ray's face. He wiped it away with a frown. Maybe I should let him throw a punch just so I have the justification to fight him.

If he were not in enough hot water already, he would have. He shook his head, despairing his lot in life. He locked his gaze on Mr. Rockwell's. "You said I could have the afternoon off. I've been working hard lately, and you thought I deserved a bit of relaxation." Few powers remained to Ray, and those that did were meant to keep him safe. That was not to say he did not use every chance he could to abuse said powers when it amused him.

The color drained from Mr. Rockwell's face, and his jaw went slack. "I did?" he said in a dreamy way.

"You did. Now why don't you go have a lie-down in the shed?" Ray suggested with a smile. He patted the large man on the shoulder. It felt like hitting a rock. Maybe he's part rock creature.

"Yeah, I need a bit of a rest." Mr. Rockwell yawned and stretched his arms overhead. He turned, glazed eyed, and trudged towards the shed a few feet away.

Ray watched him go with an indulgent smile like a parent might give their child. They really are too easy. He bent back down to return to his iris bed when he saw something run past. He stood up once more and surveyed the landscape. The gardens were large; the humans had cut into the forest hundreds of years ago, replacing the oak and ash that had made their homes here since the dawn of time with green lawns and rounded garden beds with domesticated flowers lined in color-coordinated rows. Though pretty, they lacked any real spark of life. They may as well have been clipped and arrange in the crystal vessels that the humans seemed to enjoy so much.

Ray's eyes roamed over the flower beds, the curving garden paths that twisted around square hedges and meandered through gates, then over to the vegetable garden, where rows of snap peas and tomatoes grew on vines. The white tomato flowers were bright against the rolling gray fog that limited his sight like a curtain cutting across the garden. Even his advanced sight could not see past it. Something was hiding from him in that fog, he knew. He intended to investigate when he felt someone approaching from behind.