Page 37 of One Merciful Moment

Ashley looked at the strained plants. Her heart pounded. The garden wasn't just food. It was her key to stabilizing Everstill, opening the veil, and getting home.

And the men's chance to stay alive.

Boone's presence behind her was the only thing keeping her from crying. Copper's words were personal attacks. It was too much pressure.

The veil had pulled her in for a reason.

And now Everstill was demanding she prove her worth.

Chapter 22

Ashley

––––––––

Ashley stayed in the garden long after the men drifted away, though she could still feel their worry lingering in the still air. Boone hadn't gone far. She sensed him pacing on the street, giving her space, but staying close enough to step in if she needed him. Copper remained at the edge of the garden, arms folded, watching her with that unreadable expression she was growing to hate.

She knelt, touching the strained leaves with careful, searching fingers. The plants felt... scared.

She knew that shouldn't be possible, yet the sensation clung to her. They weren't failing from neglect or a mistake. They were reacting to something deeper.

"I don't understand what Everstill wants from me." She didn't look up. "None of this makes sense."

Copper stepped closer. "The veil pulled you in for a reason. It doesn't bring people here without purpose."

Ashley squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to calm her temper. "You keep saying that. But I don't know what that purpose is."

"Everstill needs stability." Copper crouched beside her. "It needs someone who can calm the land when the men can't."

She shook her head. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can." He gestured to the garden. "Everstill reacts to emotion. To fear. To conflict. The men are unsettled. Boone is unsettled. And you..." He paused, studying her face. "You're torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay."

"What does that have to do with the plants?"

"Everything." He scooped up a handful of dirt and let it fall between his fingers. "Everstill mirrors the people who are tethered to it."

"Tethered?"

He pointed toward town. "The veil chose the men. It chose you because you can stabilize Everstill. You calm the men, and you calm the land. You make things grow. You make Boone happy. Since you arrived, all the men have regained part of their emotions. That's why tempers are showing up in our meetings. You being here is making them think, and that upsets the veil." He inhaled. "Boone is troubled, and that's not helping stabilize anything. That's not why this place was made."

Copper groaned as he straightened and walked away.

He was blaming her for all the problems in Everstill. It wasn't her fault. She didn't even want to be here.

Overwhelmed, she shouted, "What do I do?"

"It wants you to stop fighting it." He stopped, clasped his hands behind his back, and peered over his shoulder at her. "You're resisting your role here and your connection to Boone. You're resisting Everstill. The garden feels that conflict. The veil knows. If you don't stabilize yourself and Boone, the garden will continue to fail."

Ashley's voice was barely a whisper. "And if the garden fails..."

"The veil destabilizes," Copper said. "It won't open."

She pressed her hand to her chest, panic rising. "Copper... I don't want to hurt Everstill. I don't want to stop the veil from opening."

"Then fix the garden." He lifted an eyebrow. "To do that, you need to fix yourself."

Tears stung her eyes. "I don't know how."