“What a prick,” Hans agreed.
Besides, the last thing I needed was for Levi or Gidgeon to take a closer second look at me any time soon, lest any old memories stir up.
I had been having a damn good week, and I was simply not in the mood.
Chapter Twenty-One
Arken
I could feel my own excitement radiating off of my skin in waves. Aside from the entertainment of Laurel’s company, I rarely found myself looking forward to much of anything in my Bios lectures these days—but today was an exception.
Today, we were visiting the Irrosi Arboretum.
The fact that I had yet to discover this place on my own was a true testament to the sprawling expanse that was Sophrosyne, reminding me just howmassivethe city-state truly was—and how many secrets must be hidden behind its gleaming white walls. Because the Arboretum stood tall, located towards the very center of the Studium grounds, with a large, domed glass ceiling that glittered in the morning sun.
The building itself was a work of art, the intricate Irrosi architecture stunning to behold—but it was what it held within that truly took my breath away. The moment we stepped through the towering double doors inlaid with stained glass, I felt as though I had been transported to another realm—another plane of existence entirely.
High Scholar Larkin offered me a wry smile at my quick intake of breath, a hushed silence passing through the rest of our class as we were suddenly surrounded by a riot of color—vivid neons, soft pastels. It was darker inside than it had been outdoors, and yet the whole space was aglow, illuminated by natural phosphorescence. And while I had read about the towering mushroom forests of Irros, seeing it for myself was…
Fucking Hel, this was unreal.
Massive, spongey fungi sprouted up from the grounds, their stalks as wide and towering as the thickest of oaks in the Wyldwoods. Their caps were so broad and large that they could serve as the rooftop of a small cottage. Swirls of glimmering spores were drifting through the air like stardust, and for a moment I held my breath. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear faint clicks and cracks that were reminiscent of splintering glass.
For those first few moments, all I could do was stare in awe, mouth agape until Laurel let out a low whistle, nudging me with her elbow to get my attention.
“Psst.Arken. Beautiful bookwyrm alert.”
“Hmm?”
“Greetings, young Conduits!” An unfamiliar voice called out. “Please rest assured that it is perfectly safe to breathe freely without face coverings—these glowing spores of theAmacita Luxphariaare not toxic or harmful to humans in any way. The same cannot be said of it’s cousin, though, theAmacita Lunaeris—but that particular species is not kept here.”
A beautiful bookwyrm, indeed.
The man in question, currently waxing poetic on these Irossi native mushrooms, was a stunning specimen himself. He was tall and tan, beaming with a friendly grin that lit up his entire freckled face. His green eyes glittered with enthusiasm as he clapped High Scholar Larkin on the back with familiarity.
“It’s good to see you, Jude.”
“Students, I would like you to meet Scholar Thompson, the lead researcher here at the Arboretum,” Larkin said. “He has graciously offered to guide our tour today, so please utilize his expertise as the rare resource it is, and ask plenty of questions!”
“The real rare resource is whatever shampoo that man uses,” Laurel murmured under her breath. “Look at thathair.”
Ever the astute observer when it came to anyone remotely attractive, Laurel wasn’t wrong—the scholar’s hair was a deep chocolate brown, sleek as all Hel, and had to be longer than mine. Good gods.
“Oh, please,” Scholar Thompson replied to Larkin, cheeks flushing a bit. That made his freckles more pronounced, which was sort of adorable. “You flatter me. But hello there, students. You can call me Ezra, and I will be your guide this afternoon. As Scholar Larkin is well aware, I jump at any opportunity to discuss regional biomes. Irrosi horticulture, in particular, is a specialty of mine.”
As we proceeded through the first wing of the building, Scholar Larkin droned on about some of the basic details of the tropics of Irros. I focused on taking in the sights and sounds, though I occasionally pulled out my notebook to scribble down some of the more nuanced details as Ezra weighed in. I had to admit, the man knew his mushrooms.
“Watch your step!” A voice called overhead as we approached the second wing.
Wait. Overhead?
When I looked up, I almost yelped in surprise. One of the researchers—a Water Conduit, I realized—was floating above us, seated atop a massive bead of swirling liquid.
Holy Hel, you coulddothat with arcana? Literallylevitate?
“Don’t try this at home, folks,” he said, peering down at us with a grin. “Ready when you are, Addie!”
I watched on in quiet fascination as the Water Conduit began working in tandem with another researcher, the one he’d called Addie. She’d been standing a few feet away at the base of one of the largest mushrooms. As it turned out, Addie was a Fire Conduit—evidenced by the fact that she began tossing small bursts of Fire arcana overhead, sending them hurtling towards the gills of the massive mushroom canopy.