She snapped a nearby blossom off its stem. “It is out of character for you. I mean, if Auric did something like this, I’d say, ‘Oh, just another Tuesday,’ but you ... I think this is the first time you’ve ever had magic blow up in your face like this.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I pulled an Auric.”
She laughed. “You did rather.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “It’s actually kind of pretty, now that it’s not trying to kill us.” She lay against his chest, staring up at the flowers, her fingers kneading into his chest through his tattered shirt.
Something stirred within him. “Yeah, it is.”
She made a move for his lips.
He paused. “Maybe I should clean this up—”
“Shh.” She touched his mouth with her fingertips. “The kids are with your sister, and we’re lying under a bower of lilacs. Don’t waste the moment with practicalities.”
Every muscle in his body melted. He embraced her, kissing her again and again. Surrounded by the fragrance of lilacs, he sank into the joys of Rill and all that they entailed.
Sometime later, he lay back, staring up at the flowers. He ran his fingers through Rill’s tangled blond hair as she rested her head against his chest.
She laughed quietly. “It’s funny. When I smell lilacs, I usually think of gardens or magic use ... from now on they are going to have a slightly different association.” She toyed with his ear.
“Yeah, me too.” He smiled.
She bit her bottom lip. “We do have to clean this up, though. I have an idea. There’s a gardening spell I came up with last year to help Mattias keep ahead of the hedge trimming. Let me give it a try.”
After swiftly reclaiming their garments, the couple stood. Rill inscribed a line of symbols onto one of Jericho’s paper quires. Magical energy raced across the formula, turning the paper to ash. A burst of tingling energy vibrated about them, and the lilac boughs shuddered. They reversed their paths, shrinking rather than growing, moving constantly backwards until all that remained was a small shrub sitting on a pile of dirt over the remnants of Rill’s ruined vanity table.
Jericho let out a long breath. “Well, I’m glad that worked. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining all this to Auric.”
“We’ll keep it between us.” She squeezed his hand.
The room was a little worse for wear. The furniture had been upended, but other than the vanity table, nothing had been destroyed.
Rill leaned into him. “I’m a little curious what gift you had come up with that Auric thought was so boring you had to compensate with this ridiculous display.”
His shoulders slumped. “Yeah, it’s ... well ... we still have a while until our anniversary.”
“I think we’ve already started celebrating early.” She winked at him.
He laughed. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
He led her to the workshop.
“It’s under here.” He approached the sheet that covered his cabinet and tugged it to the floor. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he waited for her reaction.
“Oh.” Rill stepped forward, hand outstretched. She pulled open one of the drawers. “It’s a sewing cabinet, isn’t it?” She smiled. “Look, you have little pegs for bobbins and a built-in pin cushion. That’s so clever.”
Relief coursed through him. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” She hugged him. “And you didn’t think this was enough?”
He shrugged. “Auric pointed out that it was practical and useful—but he said those were more ‘me’ words than ‘you’ words ... and he was right.”
She brushed her fingers through his dark hair. “They are you words, but I love you, so I love this.”
“There’s one final thing.” He went to the workbench and took up Auric’s carving spell. Pressing the outline of the foxes against the top of the cabinet with one hand, he activated the carving spell with the other. Energy burned away the fox shapes, leaving them engraved onto the wood itself.
“Oh! It looks just like Jaspyr.” Rill beamed at him. “Jericho, I love it. Not nearly as much as I love you, of course.”
He smiled and wrapped his arms about her. “Or I you.”
As they kissed, a scent of lilacs wafted around them. Jericho wondered if he’d ever be free of that smell, but at the same time he didn’t mind. No, if anything it would kick him in the rear whenever he doubted he was enough for Rill. Whether he was enough didn’t matter. His love for her was enough, and there was no magic that could change that.
The End
If you enjoyed this story, you may wish to check out the series as a whole.
ABOUT H. L. Burke
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
For information about H. L. Burke’s latest novels, to sign up for the author’s monthly newsletter, or to contact the writer, go to
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Also by H. L. Burke
For Middle Grade Readers
Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon
Cora and the Nurse Dragon
An Ordinary Knight
Beggar Magic
Coiled
Spice Bringer
The Heart of the Curiosity
The Nyssa Glass Steampunk Series:
Nyssa Glass and the Caper Crisis
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors
Nyssa Glass and the Juliet Dilemma
Nyssa Glass and the Cutpurse Kid
Nyssa Glass’s Clockwork Christmas
Nyssa Glass and the Electric Heart
The Elemental Realms Series
Book One: Lands of Ash
Book Two: Call of the Waters
The Dragon and the Scholar Saga (1-4)
A Fantasy Romance Series
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Debt
Dragon’s Rival
Dragon’s Bride
The Green Princess: A Fantasy Romance Trilogy
Book One: Flower
Book Two: Fallow
Book Three: Flourish
Ice and Fate Duology
Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice
Prince of Stars, Son of Fate
To Court a Queen
Spellsmith and Carver Series
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Rivalry
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Trial
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Reckoning
Fellowship of Fantasy Anthologies
Fantastic Creatures
Hall of Heroes
Mythical Doorways
Tales of Ever After
Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales
Match Cats: Three Tails of Love