Shay ambled along the weathered, stylized paintings ringing the bottom of the room. Each temple made their own paints, and Eva’s paint agreed very well with blessed clay. Cyprus noted the offerings beside Mistress Leroy’s—a shed snake skin, a bunch of radishes, a turquoise ring, half a petrified apple.

“Hey, Cyprus?” Shay hunched, intent on something near the floor. “When was Serafina built?”

“Maybe a sexor ago,” Cyprus said. “Why?”

“Because I think we can prove the Guardians were here.”

“What?” Cyprus came over to Shay. “And keep your voice down.”

Shay pointed. “See? Down here. It’s the seeds.”

Cyprus touched the remnants of the decal. He could make out very faint impressions of white trees, their leafless branches enclosing blue-green globes. Silver-dabbed snakes cradled them, eyes set from trimmed malachite.

–Elyan White, “Lost and Found”

Whoops. A bit behind on updating, but writing still goes well.