Vortigern's Garden

the long version

In the Glade, a town tucked away within a wall of unending blackberry thorns, people receive the magic ability to grow and wither plants at will. A plucky teenager by the name of Niss is gifted with the talent to grow untold amounts of flowers at the flick of her wrist — something unprecedented within her community. But instead of being praised, Niss is sent to live at the edge of town to be mentored by a mannerless, brash man named Vortigern, who is as weedy as the plants he creates. And when her flowers begin to die off, and the town she loves begins to exile her further, Vortigern has to slip Niss the barbed truth: she’s more deadly than she imagined. Through trial and error, Niss and Vortigern find a way to coexist with both one another and the town that hates them. Yet, as Niss’s uncontrollable powers continue to strengthen, the idea that tragedy lies just around the corner is planted firmly in everyone’s heads. If she slips up, does she become one with the thorns? Or do the thorns become one with her?