ardens, a heavy-duty field kit slung over her shoulder. The formal agreement with the city council had been signed, the initial friction with Liam Thor

by a utility vehicle bearing the city parks department logo. A subtle relief washed over her; at least she wouldn't have to endure his philosophical me

from her kit, its blade glinting, and began to carefully, methodically clear a narrow passage. Every cut was precise, deliberate. Sh

amp earth and decaying leaves, a powerful, primeval perfume. She noted the massive strangler figs, their aerial roots like ancient serpents wrapped around host trees, s

to crumbling walls, the gnarled trunks of trees that must have stood for centuries. She took samples, photographed obscure fungi,

nishing, confirming the whispers she'd heard about the gardens. She spotted a species of orchid she thought extinct in Nigeria, its purple petals unfurling

... thwack... thwack... not far off. It wasn't

nyone else here, especially not with an axe. This was a botanical survey, not a logging operati

ded axe. He wasn't cutting down ancient trees, though. He was clearing away a dense thicket of aggressive, invasive weeds – devil's ivy and water hyacinth that had clearly been in

he'd observed in the conference room was gone, replaced by a rugged intensity. His hair was damp, clinging to his forehead, and a sheen of sweat made his skin glea

eath. He must have sensed her presence because he slowly tur

from exertion. There was no surprise, no awkwa

her internal surprise. "I wasn't aware you were already on site. I th

wn back. Needed to... feel the ground. And these invasive species won't clear themselves." He gestured with the axe towards t

putting in the physical work, addressing a core problem. "Indeed," she conceded. "Tho

"you have to make a bold cut to allow for new growth. This p

fundamentally different. Elara looked at the cleared patch, then at the axe in his hand, then back to the formidable expanse of untamed wilderness around them.