When we exit into the gardens, a vast swathe of land stretches out with pathways that lead to smaller outdoor features, like a sunken garden of terraces that descend toward a pool. I move my head from side to side, not knowing which way to go until Cassiope suggests that we look at a statue of Gaia for inspiration.
She leads us through a series of tall hedges arranged in a maze, which a former king built in honor of his bride. In the middle of the arrangement is a round pool that takes up more floor space than my entire house and in the middle of that stands two statues back-to-back. The first is Uranus, the god of the sky, and the second is Gaia.
Emmera’s assistant interviews her about what happened during the last challenge and asks if she saw Ingrid or the other Guardians. We don’t learn anything new from what she says, so I place a foot to the edge of the pool and squint at the earth goddess’ intricate stonework.
Water pours from the cornucopia she holds to her chest, which contains apples, grapes, ears of corn, squashes, and delicate blades of wheat. Vines curl around her flowing locks, which provide a setting for berries and leaves and flowers.
If I were serious about winning this challenge and not just passing time until I could leave the palace, I would choose this work of art. I tilt my head to the side. Maybe I can leave the Harvester girls with the next best thing.
“Can either of you weave baskets?” I ask.
Vitelotte raises a shoulder. “I wasn’t the worst in Rural Craft classes.”
“I can,” says Emmera. When we both turn to the blonde girl, she raises a brow. “What? I come from a long line of hedge-layers.”
It’s rare to find a Harvester trained in anything except tending to plants and building soil, and I try to suppress my surprise at learning that Emmera maintains the borders that separate fields of different crops.
“Do you think you can make a cornucopia?” I ask.
She tilts her head to the side. “Out of what?”
I turn to Cassiope. “Can we use anything we find in the palace grounds for this challenge?”
“Within reason…” Her brows draw together. “What are you thinking?”
“The early Phanglorians focused on restoring the earth. They built this country out of destroyed grounds, and we’re still doing this with the soil builders and the expansion of the Great Wall.” Everyone gives me blank looks, but I continue. “How many statues of Gaia do you see where she’s holding a cornucopia?”
“About half of them,” replies Vitelotte.
“And in the other half, she’s pregnant with the earth,” adds Emmera.
I nod. “Her treasure isn’t a crown or a piece of art. It’s the land. And what do we do with that land?”
“We grow food.” Vitelotte turns to the assistant assigned to her. “Does the palace have an orchard or a vegetable garden?”
She nods. “It’s by the kitchens.”
I clap my hands together. “Emmera, can you find a willow tree and weave a cornucopia large enough to cradle in your arms?”
Emmera nods.
I turn to the other Harvester girl. “Lotte, can you collect as many different fruits and vegetables as you can find, including a pumpkin?”
“What will you do?” Emmera asks with a scowl.
“There’s another treasure we haven’t mentioned,” I say.
Her frown deepens. “What?”
“People,” I place a hand on my chest. If they broadcast this segment, someone out there will catch the significance in this movement. It won't lead to better treatment for Harvesters, but maybe they’ll see the vital contribution we make to Phangloria. “Gaia created the earth, but she entrusted it to us to maintain her treasure. What better than one of her modern custodians to hold the cornucopia?”
Vitelotte steps back and lowers her head, but Emmera raises her hand. “Me.”
My lips spread into a wide grin. “I was hoping you’d volunteer.”
I spend the next few hours walking around the palace gardens with Cassiope, gathering flowers, vines, and decorative stems. While I’m no Tussah Thymel, I often make adjustments to the Harvester uniforms and repurpose old clothing into deep pockets, bags, and holsters to help Dad and me hunt.
With a few scraps of fabric, I can fashion a garment of flowers for Emmera to present herself as Gaia. And best of all, I have a member of the House of Thymel as a makeup artist who has an eye for beauty.
We return to my room and lay out our spoils on the dining table. Georgette pulls up Emmera’s measurements from her tablet computer, and together, we create the structure of a dress from flesh-colored Elastosculpt and scraps of fabric. Forelle acts as our live model. She’s paler than Emmera, whose sun-kissed skin won’t get washed out by brighter colors, but they’re equally curvaceous.
Footage from the Lifestyle Channel plays on a wall screen. A few of the Noble girls borrow art from their family homes, which I recognize from our journey into the Oasis. They’re not as grand as I imagined and one of them lives in a house only twice the size of a Harvester’s.
Georgette explains that the Noble Echelon is more complex than the split between the Royals and everyone else. The first tier beneath the Royals is those closest related by blood to the current royal family. That includes Garrett, whose father is the brother of Prince Arias, and whoever else descended from the previous two kings. There are about fifty people in the first tier of the Noble Echelon.
Further down the hierarchy are those elected into power, such as the Chamber of Ministers and those related to the kings of previous generations. Ingrid Strab fits into that category because her mother descended from King Phallon and her father is the Minister of Integration. This level of the Echelon contains about a thousand people, and they are considered the second tier.
Georgette counts the third tier on her fingers. “That leaves four-thousand Nobles, who live in the Oasis. Not all of them get huge mansions, and some
