Page 16

Ryburn

A light breeze brushed past me as I stood under our family oak tree, my hand pressed against the trunk. It was a cold day, but the winter sun shone brightly, illuminating the sprawling greenery of Grower's Cove surrounding the hill.

Calming magic pulsed through the tree and into me, but it wasn't enough to truly break through all of the thoughts I was having. I felt like I was at a tipping point where whatever decision I made would define something major about my life. The worst part was, I didn't even really have anything to decide on.

"Ryburn!" Adair's voice did break through my thoughts, and I pulled back from the tree, breaking the connection.

"Hey," I said.

He jogged the rest of the way up the hill and clapped me on the back. "I believe congratulations are in order. Purple Oak and Grower's Cove have come to an official arrangement."

I nodded weakly. "That's correct."

"And you got them to agree to help us build a water mill? That's far beyond what we expected."

"I saw an opportunity, and I know you and a couple of the other councillors have been pushing for something like this."

"It was well done," he said with a proud nod. "But if it went so well, why aren't you celebrating? It wouldn't have happened without you."

"I am celebrating."

Adair raised an eyebrow. "With our tree? I know I take my duties seriously, but even I know this isn't celebrating." He gave me a knowing look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ryburn."

I leaned against the tree, taking full advantage of the magic. "I promise, it's nothing."

"Remember just after I started dating Hazel when I thought I'd messed things up because I'd gotten her birthday wrong?" he asked.

I frowned, not entirely sure what he was getting at. "Yes?"

"I used the same nothing as you're using now."

"I don't remember that," I muttered, trying to think of what to tell him without revealing that I nearly messed up the whole thing.

"If you don't tell me, we can't figure out how to fix it," he said.

I laughed. "You sound like Mum."

"I'm a parent now, it unlocked something."

There was really no fighting this, he was going to find out sooner or later. It could even be that Ford was paying more attention than I thought and accidentally spilled the beans. "I'm really happy that the negotiations went well," I said slowly. "But I'm also a little sad because that means the Purple Oak delegation is leaving."

Adair clicked his tongue. "I'm not following."

"I've got a little thing for, umm, Jasmine," I confessed, preparing myself for a lecture about how inappropriate and unsensible that was.

Instead, Adair took me by surprise by chuckling. "The lead of the delegation?"

I nodded.

"Ha, finally. You found someone you liked. And what exactly is the problem?"

"That she's going back home. Weren't you listening?"

"It's not like she lives halfway around the world. Can't you spend time with her when you're over there?"

I screwed my eyes shut. "She said she doesn't want something sporadic."

"Sporadic? You could be there most of the month. Or all of it, if you wanted to be."

"What are you talking about?" I was trying to follow, but I was more confused than I wanted to be about what he was saying.

Adair plucked some dead leaves off the oak tree. "Well, someone will have to oversee the dryads going there to grow their tea. I figured you'd be the right man for the job. Didn't I tell you this?"

"No!"

He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, must be new-parent brain. But what do you think? It's a lot of responsibility, but I can't just ask anyone. I put you forward to the Council, and given how well the alliance mission went, they were more than willing to approve you for the position. You can say no, obviously, but the job is yours if you want it."

The possibilities bloomed within me, almost as fast as my spiralling thoughts. As much as I wanted to spend more time with Jasmine, it wasn't that simple, was it?

"What about my duties here?" I asked slowly.

"It'll be fine. We can get George to step up. He's not as good as you, but he'll do."

"What about the baby? Shouldn't I help out with him?"

He chuckled. "You can help when you're here. Maybe you'll come back once a week, or once a month, or just for the holidays. The choice is yours. You'll always have a home here, but if you decide you have a home in Purple Oak at some point, that's also all right."

"The tree..." I looked at the family oak tree.

"It's not an issue now, but if you decide you want to stay in Purple Oak, then we can harvest some acorns for you to grow your own. That's how it's supposed to work."

"But..."

"Do you want to go or not?" he interrupted, giving me a look that meant he knew my answer already.

I nodded. "I do. I liked Purple Oak, I think there's a lot we can learn from them."

"And the pretty girl lives there," Adair said with a childish tone as if he hadn't just become a father and we were teenagers again, dealing with the first blooms of attraction.

He also wasn't wrong. I would've still considered taking the job without Jasmine, but it certainly made having to be away from home much more appealing. I just hoped she saw it the same way and wasn't looking forward to getting rid of me.

"Then I'll be delighted to tell the Council that you're accepting the position. I know you're going to do a great job."

"Thanks."

"And if things go well with Jasmine, then I look forward to getting to know her properly. Maybe she can come to the baby's tree bonding ceremony."

"That's for family," I pointed out.

"And it's two years away," Adair responded. "So yes, if you're together, then she should come."

I nodded, a little overwhelmed by the thought. I liked Jasmine, and I certainly thought that what we had could potentially last, but it was something else to hear my brother say it. I guessed it made sense, he'd met her himself, and he knew that she was well respected in Purple Oak.

But none of that was why I liked her. Except that wasn't entirely true either. She was so dedicated to her village, and so intelligent with how she thought and considered things. That was the kind of person that anyone could respect, and it only made her more attractive to me.