Page 69 of An Arcane Education
My attempts to reason with myself about a potentially unknown mushroom species that might possibly be glowing and seems to be killing everything around it aren’t very convincing.
I reach forward and gently dig away some of the dirt at the base of the stems, then pull the mushrooms slowly while ensuring I get some of the white mycelium webbing through the dirt. It’ll be another piece of the puzzle that Alaric can examine.
As soon as I pull the mushrooms and the mycelium, I feel the moment the connection severs between them and the vast network of energy running beneath the ground. The intensity of the sensation strikes me, even without me intentionally using my magic.
I turn the mushrooms in my palm to examine them more closely, noting that the veils haven’t broken yet, which means Alaric will be able to make a spore print.
Carefully, I place the specimen in the jar and screw the lid on tight. Then I stand, slipping the jar back into my coat pocket and getting away from this foreboding place as quickly as possible.
The walk back seems to take longer than the walk in despite my quick pace, making my heart pound with worry. What if I’m getting lost?
Eventually, though, I reach the main clearing and sigh in relief.
When I make it back onto the campus pathways, I swing by the greenhouse hoping to find Alaric, but he’s not there, nor is he in his office.
I can hardly sleep that night, and when 5am hits, I rub my bleary eyes and get ready to start my day, hoping to find Alaric before my classes start.
The jar of mushrooms had sat in my desk drawer all night, and in the fitful moments of sleep I was able to get, I was plagued by nightmares of something dark and sinister that I couldn’t quite decipher.
When I find Alaric in his office half an hour before my 8am class is supposed to begin, I’m relieved and anxious in equal measure. When I knock, he looks up at me, and confusion crosses his expression.
“Miss Harver. How can I help you?”
I walk into the office, closing and locking the door behind me, and memories of our activities two nights ago on that very desk flood my mind.
But it’s no time to think about that right now.
I pull the jar from my coat pocket and set it on his desk with a soft clink.
His jaw drops. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Yes. I went back to find them.”
Gingerly, he lifts the jar and turns it in a slow circle. Then, realizing what I said, he turns his gaze back on me. “I told you not to go back there by yourself. It could be dangerous.”
I shrug. “I got you what you needed, and I lived to see another day. No harm, no foul.”
Alaric shakes his head in disbelief. “Well, thank you. I appreciate you getting these for me more than you know, but I don’t appreciate you risking your safety for them.”
I choose to ignore the second part of his statement. “You’re welcome. I managed to get some of the myceliumas well, and the veils aren’t broken yet as they haven’t fully matured, so you should be able to get a spore print.”
“This is… fantastic,” he breathes. Again, his mood seems to shift in an instant. “Did you tell anyone where you were going? Is there any chance someone could have seen you?”
“No. Nobody knew I was going out there, and nobody saw me.”
“Good. It’s imperative that you don’t mention this to anyone. Not your friends, not the other professors, no one. Do you understand?”
“Yes. But you owe me answers soon. When are you going to tell me what all of this is about?”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “Whenever I figure out what’s going on and am certain that you won’t be in any danger for knowing.”
“And when will that be?”
“I don’t know, Vivian. I know this is frustrating for you, but I need you to trust me for a little while longer. This—” he gestures to the jar “—will hopefully provide insight that brings me closer to an answer. And you have no idea how appreciative I am of what you’ve done for me.”
Despite my frustration, pride swells in my chest. After feeling like a screw-up this entire semester, knowing I’m able to potentially contribute something meaningful to whatever this top-secret research is makes me feel a little less useless. Maybe, if I’m able to speed up his research with this, he’ll be able to tell me the truth sooner.
“Just… be careful with whatever you’re doing,” I say. “Something about this feels off, and I don’t want you involved in anything dangerous.”
