Chapter 6
The Hanging Gardens
Lady Meldred had always called them The Hanging Gardens, though only some of the flora were suspended above ground. Most meandered the dirt path in coordinated assault, arranged in some places by their vibrant colors, and in others, by their function. Only the Blackrook women who tended the ancestral garden knew the name of every floral resident; only the women knew every use.
As beautiful as they were, few visited the gardens on their visits to Longwood Rush. Most avoided the welcoming arched trellises, often with a light chill as they passed by. Some paused along their way, looking to the Guardians in brief, silent prayer. Others, still, told of the ghosts that swept down the paths in aimless pursuit of nothing.
She liked these stories. Encouraged them,
