Selma Payne's POV:
Aldrich hugged me tightly. He looked like he wanted to melt me into his bones and blood.
We fell into a sea of daisies, hand in hand, head to head, like newborn wolf cubs taking warmth from each other.
"Flowers in winter. This is amazing." I picked up a petal. "Actually, sorcery isn't completely useless, is it? At the very least, it allows one to feel the warmth of spring in the harsh winter."
Aldrich plucked a purple daisy and put it on my ear, gently saying, "That's right. How can there be so many good and bad things in the world? Unfortunately, there are only a few evil witches and wizards, just like the dead leaves in the stream.
"However, these rare dead leaves are the most eye-catching, so much so that when people mention streams, they think of dead leaves, and no one cares about the clear water and fresh fish."
I thought of Dorothy, that silent but kind and determined girl.
