Chapter Thirty-Eight: The River

Silvia POV

Darius takes my hand and we leave the magical garden and Luka with his dreams.

We pass a short way through to the edges of the precisely planted forest. Darius plucks a gem-fruit from one of the low-hanging branches and hands it to me.

"Try it," he says.

I hesitate. I'm not sure fruit is supposed to glint at you. Ah well. I take a bite.

It's an explosion. Bubbles tickle my nose and gooey globs of sweetness come apart in my mouth. There's so much juice it spills out of my mouth and I have to laugh as I try to catch the sticky drops in my hands. The aftertaste is less sweet and more tangy, like lemon ice mixed with ginger. My heart is actually racing!

"What do you think?" asks Darius anxiously. "It's just that I've never really had anyone to show before."

"It is extraordinary!" I say, "Honestly, I could eat this all day. What in our Goddess's name is that?"

As we make our way out of the forest,