Root, Stem, and Flower

By Rowan Dillon

As her power grows, a grandmother must choose between her safety and her family.

In the arid landscapes of the Arizona Hopi Reservation, Nokomis Nicholas, a woman with a unique connection to the land, grapples with a difficult decision. Her granddaughter, Tansy, is in the care of her spiteful daughter-in-law, Yamka. As Komie's power over the land grows, she must decide whether to stay and protect Tansy or leave and search for a place where she truly belongs.

When a wise confidante offers her guidance, Komie is torn between the memories of her ancestral lands in Maine and her current responsibilities. After a heart-wrenching farewell, Komie boards a bus bound for the unknown, leaving behind a garden that responded to her call and the grandchild she loves.

Can she find her true place among the Unhidden, a community that welcomes and understands her unique abilities?
Root, Stem, and Flower is a prequel short story to the high-action contemporary fantasy trilogy, Guardians of the PHAE.

Dive into a gripping urban fantasy where the line between human and Unhidden blurs, and the struggle for acceptance could mean the difference between life and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Green Dragon Publishing
• Release date: Feb 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224837168

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GREEN DRAGON PUBLISHING

Copyright © 2023 Christy Nicholas writing as Rowan Dillon

Cover art © 2023 by Christy Nicholas

Internal design © 2023 by Christy Nicholas

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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take our land away and we die.

— Mary Brave Bird, Lakota

Hopi Reservation, Arizona

Nokomis Nicholas crouched, examining the leaves of her squash plant, her long, gray hair spilling around her. She frowned at their fragile texture. With a gentle touch, she checked the onions, corn, beans, and melons, and they all looked dry. Not an unusual problem on the Hopi reservation of Arizona, but Komie’s plants usually thrived regardless of drought. This summer had been drier than usual, and Komie’s strength waned over the dry season. This year, however, her power had grown stronger than ever, but she didn’t understand why.

When growing up on her ancestral lands in Maine, the power flowed through her hands into the earth like a raging river, full of verdant energy. Here, however, it trickled with grudging reluctance. Still, her power had grown even with this reluctant land.

Despite her weariness, the plants needed help. While closing her eyes and pulling in her will, she lay down on her stomach along the edge of the garden. The hard-packed dirt didn’t yield to her weight, but she