Chapter One

Under the dark dome of the vines, Rose could see the mess the market had become. Unconscious bodies lay scattered about. Insidious tendrils sank into the skin of prone victims. Booths were crushed under the weight of poisonous plant-life. A thin, ghoulish, smoke hovered around the Knight’s feet. In all their battles with the Night Blossom, Rose had never seen them take over so quickly and decisively. Whoever controlled these vines was a new, dangerous villain that the girls had yet to encounter. “Whatever monster is doing this, I demand you come out right now,” Rose shouted over the market square.

“Oh, a monster, am I?” a cool, husky voice carried back to her.

Rose’s stomach swooped. The voice sent shivers down her spine. “Only a monster from the Night Blossom would attack a market full of innocent people,” she declared.

The vines parted to let their enemy emerge from the swirling depths. A tall, lean figure strode confidently from the darkness. Dark clothes clung, almost indecently, to muscles. A deep neckline dipped almost to his belly-button, proudly showing off toned abs and a strong chest. Vibrant purple scars curled along the lines of his pecs, almost framing them. He was nothing like the creatures the Night Blossom had thrown at them before. He was so… enticing.

Then their eyes met and her blood went cold.

Rose stared at the hairbrush in her hand. Short strands of dark purple hair contrasted against her long pink strands caught in the teeth. She would have to clean it soon. One more thing to add to her ever growing to-do list. Her grip tightened, white knuckled, prepared to hurl it across her room. All at once, her strength left her and she sank to the floor beside her bed.

“Are you still thinking about Snapdragon?” Cotton, a tiny one-horned rabbit, piped up from somewhere above her.

“Of course I am!” Rose retorted. “The group is–we’re down a Knight and it’s all my fault!” Cotton thumped the bed with his foot. He scoffed, “hardly your fault. I’ve always thought that Snapdragon didn’t have it cut out to be a knight. I’ll even bet the Night Blossom got–”

“Yes, yes, you’re all-knowing and powerful,” she interrupted, waspish. She turned her head to bury her face in the thick duvet cover that hung from her bed. “I still lost a friend.”

Two years ago, Rose’s completely normal, college life was completely upended when a talking rabbit landed on her head. From that moment, her days had become a whirlwind of magic and monsters. Instead of cramming for midterms, she was learning as much as she could about her latent powers, the kingdom she would one day inherit and the monsters from The Night Blossom that threatened to destroy it. She never would have made it this far without her Knights, the guardians sworn to protect her and defend The Garden. They weren’t just guardians, they were her best friends. Then, without warning, her strongest protector and closest confidant, Snapdragon, had left. There had been no warning, no word. Snapdragon was there one second and gone the next.

A month had passed since then and Rose hadn’t been able to do anything but anxiously wonder what had happened. Snapdragon had been there from the beginning, the first Knight she had found after being declared a Princess. They had spent nearly every day together since. Their moments together were turned over and over in her mind, picked apart in an attempt to uncover any reason for why Snapdragon would vanish. She had never thought it was possible to be so close to one person, to need, to miss someone so much. Daily, she found some piece that Snapdragon had left behind, had abandoned.

Rose sniffled, nose full of her laundry detergent and eyes full of tears. She didn’t know what happened. She had thought everyone was happy, excited to be one of her Knights. She was wrong and now one of her best friends was missing. How was she supposed to rule an entire kingdom if she couldn’t even keep a group of five people happy? A tiny paw patted the top of her head.

“It’s all right, Princess,” Cotton murmured, “I’m still here.”

“I know,” Rose mumbled.

The flip-phone on Rose’s nightstand buzzed to life. A grainy pop song that Rose had recorded off of the radio filtered frantically from the phone’s speakers. Someone had sent her a message, a lot of messages. Alarmed, Rose sprang up to grab the phone. The thick bundle of charms that dangled from her phone whipped around dangerously. Cotton dodged to the side to avoid being struck by them. She snapped the phone open.

‘Grl!!’ One message read. A string of nonsense letters, numbers and shocked emoticons followed the statement. Cami’s message was followed closely with one from Heidi. Much more coherent, she said, ‘We’re at the night market. Come quick.’

A final grainy photo, sent from Bella, showed what looked like people fleeing and terrible black vines shooting through the air. Rose could not help but search the terrified faces for Snapdragon, desperate for any hint of her missing Knight. No one stood out to her but that didn’t make the situation any less urgent. She fired a quick message back. She was on her way.

“No time to cry, Cotton, we have to go!” She announced, already running for the door. Cotton leapt off the bed, bounding after her.

Between her bedroom and front door, Rose West, the college student, vanished. In her place, Princess Rose, guardian and heir to The Garden, leapt onto the street. Her loose, comfortable hoodie melted into a pink bodice that cupped her ample chest, petaled, fluffy skirt bloomed around her waist and tight boots that hugged her thighs. A capelet, pinned at her throat with her kingdom’s emblem, protected her shoulders from the cool evening air.

“Cotton, wings up!” She called.

Without losing stride, she tossed her wand ahead of her. It twirled and, in a burst of pink smoke, expanded into a large shield. She leapt onto the solid surface. Cotton took two quick, bounding leaps to land on the shield between her feet. The shield shot forward, racing through the neighborhood streets. The villains of the Night Blossom craved energy and sought crowded places that crackled with it. A night market, packed with young, excited people was a perfect place for them to eat. If Rose didn’t reach the market in time–she shook the images out of her head.

The night market was a familiar haunt for Rose. Memories of all the times she had spent there with Snapdragon ate at her—the food they had shared, curious trinkets they had pointed out or giggled over. Rose had been so close to Snapdragon, far closer than any of the other knights. She had always wished so she could be brave enough to take them from friends to something more.

Thick black vines met her before the market did. Curled over the street, up walls and crushing market stalls, the plants were determined to choke the life out of everything they touched. A quickly-closing gap between the vines was Rose’s only entrance into the market.

“We’re not going to fit!” Cotton squawked.

Rose ignored him. She ducked tight against her shield and burst through the gap. Thorns snagged at her arms and hair as she flew through the opening. The shield caught, pitched forward. She and Cotton fell gracelessly into the market.

“Princess!” The Knights called to her.

Camellia, her yellow Knight’s uniform a bright spot in the encroaching darkness, rushed to her side first.. She caught Rose’s arm, helped her to her feet. Her eyes were wide and her hands were shaking. She did not seem to be injured. Behind Camellia Hydrangea towered over them both, her dark blue armor flashed in the weak evening light. Her mouth was set into a grim line. Next to her, Bell faced the market square. Her hand hovered near the thorny whip pinned on her hip. Her large green eyes searched for any sign of attack.

On her feet, Rose could really take in the scene. It was a disastrous mess of life interrupted. Food, trash and shopping bags were strewn about. Unconscious bodies lay just as haphazardly, toys thrown aside by a bored child. Their faces were contorted in fear and pain. Insidious tendrils sank into the skin of prone victims to siphon vital energy from them. Booths were crushed under the weight of poisonous plant-life. A thin, ghoulish, smoke hovered around their feet. In all their battles with the Night Blossom, Rose had never seen them take over so quickly and decisively.

Whoever controlled these vines was a new, dangerous villain that the girls had yet to encounter. The thought sent a nervous chill through Rose. The other Knights stood in a protective semi-circle around her. There was a gap between Bell and Hydrangea that belonged to Snapdragon. The sting of an incomplete group welled inside Rose once more.

“Cami, have you seen Snapdragon here?” Rose asked, her gloved hand tight over Camellia’s. She had not seen her missing Knight among the victims.

Camellia shook her head. Rose’s heart leapt in both relief and fear. If Snapdragon wasn’t among the sleeping bodies, either the Night Blossom had already consumed the body or Snapdragon was home safe. Both ideas made Rose’s heart ache. Rose could not let herself dwell any longer. She stepped in front of her Knights, shield raised.

“Whatever monster is doing this, I demand you come out right now,” she shouted over the market square.

“Oh, a monster, am I?” A cool, husky voice carried back to her.

Rose’s stomach swooped. The voice sent shivers down her spine. She quickly shoved the feeling down and away.

“Only a monster from the Night Blossom would attack a market full of innocent people,” she declared.

The vines parted to let their commander emerge from the swirling depths. A tall, lean figure strode confidently from the darkness. Dark clothes clung, almost indecently, to muscles. A deep neckline dipped practically to his belly-button, proudly showing off toned abs and a strong chest. Vibrant purple scars curled along the lines of his pecs, lovingly framing them. Her eyes traced the long claws that encased his right hand. She swallowed at the sight of them. He was nothing like the creatures the Night Blossom had thrown at them before. He was so… enticing.

Then their eyes met, and her blood went cold. It was the unmistakable vibrant pink of Snapdragon’s.

“Snapdragon?” She breathed, hardly able to believe it.

“No,” he hissed, “I am Foxglove now.”

Hundreds of questions had flooded her all at once. She couldn’t decide which one she needed answered first. Her tongue was stuck, frozen. What had happened since Snapdragon had vanished? How was it possible for one person to look so good? She lifted her hand--

“Rose!” Hydrangea barked.

Rose blinked. She had taken another step forward, toward Foxglove, toward that familiar gaze.

To Be Continued…