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Ryburn

The air was crisp as I made my way through the abundant hills of Grower's Cove. The grass and flowers bloomed even though it was the tail-end of winter. That was the power of dryads, something I often took for granted as an oak dryad myself, but now that I was leaving, I was starting to appreciate it more.

I'd never had a reason to leave my home before, and even though my mission to Purple Oak Oasis wasn't meant to be a long one, I could feel the worry seeping into every part of me, right down to my fingertips.

A handful of old strong oak trees rose from the top of the hill, looking down on the surrounding landscape with all of the majesty that they were owed. And one of them was my family tree, the one that three generations of my family had been bonded to as their home tree.

It was easy to spot Adair tending to the tree, a daily ritual that was part of being a dryad, and that my older brother took extremely seriously. Even when he'd caught the flu a few years back, he'd insisted on coming out here every day, even when I'd told him that I was more than capable of taking on the duty. Sometimes, it felt like he took his responsibility as the elder sibling a little too seriously.

I cleared my throat as I approached and Adair turned, waving me over to look at something on the tree. "Ryburn, have a look at this. Is this growth on our tree new?"

I crouched down to examine the base of the oak and ran my fingers over the bark. It didn't feel familiar, but that didn't mean anything and I couldn't really say with any certainty one way or another. "Could be new,"

"I'll keep an eye on it," my brother said with a firm nod. "Are you all ready for your upcoming trip?" He stood up and brushed off his coat even though there was nothing on it.

"As ready as I can be. I've got my bags packed. I've got the tent, blankets, and provisions. Umm..." My mind went blank even though I'd gone over everything I was going to need for my trip to Purple Oak several times over the past couple of days.

"Tinder?" Adair checked, his tone making it clear that he'd already thought all of this through. No one could accuse him of ever being underprepared. It was one of the reasons he was a member of the ruling council despite only being twenty-seven.

"Yes, and tools to start a fire," I assured him.

"Good. Gifts for the ruling families of Purple Oak?"

I nodded, biting back the nerves rising up within me. "A box of tea, and some winter pears. I got them all wrapped up so they won't bruise. I also looked at the map and route again, just to make sure we won't get lost." It wasn't a long journey, just a few days, but there was still a part of me that worried about that eventuality. It would look very bad for Grower's Cove if we showed up late because we'd gotten lost.

"Sensible," Adair responded, and from his tone, I suspected that he meant it.

"I just want to make sure everything goes as the Council planned it. So much is resting upon establishing this trade treaty. I don't know why you didn't choose someone else to head this delegation."

"Because I trust you and I can't go myself, I need to be here to keep an eye on things. Hazel is due any day, and I can't miss the birth of our child."

"Of course not," I agree.

"And you know how Mother Nature and her followers can be, someone needs to keep an eye on them too."

I nodded. I was very aware of how quickly things could change around here. While trees and nature took a while to adapt to new circumstances, the minds of people were much more fickle. And Mother Nature had a bit of a reputation for being able to sway her followers into doing her bidding.

"I'm just worried I'll mess this up," I confessed to my older brother.

"I understand. But I think you'll be the right person for the job," he assured me. "We're in a strong position. The tea witches need the tea, and if we're to listen to our scouts, a lot of their village relies on the infirmary in order to keep running. I have no doubt that they'll be amenable to our demands."

"Mmm." I tried to let his words sink in, but there were still so many things to worry about. "It's not the terms I'm worried about. It's me. What if we get lost on the way? What if they're insulted that I'm not an actual member of the ruling council?"

"Breathe," Adair ordered firmly. "Ground yourself." He pointed to the oak tree as if he thought I needed a reminder of how to do that.

I nodded and placed my hand on the same spot on the oak tree that I always did. I winced as an ache in my shoulder reminded me that it still wasn't healed after I slipped on some ice a couple of weeks ago. I bit through the pain and focused on my connection to the tree instead. A rush of power flowed through me, soothing some of the aches and eroding the stress. It was invigorating and made the tips of my extremities tingle. There was nothing like getting a boost from my home tree.

I took a deep breath and let the tree's powers mingle with my own. Magic swirled within me, growing in strength as I fed what I created into the tree. On a quiet day, it would have been possible to hear the wood groaning in response, but there was too much wind for that to be the case today, so I just had to imagine it instead.

I broke the connection and took a step back, feeling a little more centred than I had before.

"Better?" Adair checked, though he likely knew the answer.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good." He placed his hands on my shoulders. "I know you're going to do this well. Trust your gut, take your time, and stand your ground. Everything will be fine."

I really hoped he was right because a lot was relying on this mission being successful. The prosperity and future of Grower's Cove was in my hands.

Adair let go and took a step back. "Are your companions ready too?"

"I was on my way to check on them."

"I'll go with you. Not because I don't trust you, but because you chose some..." he paused, taking his time to search for the right words. "Interesting companions."

I instantly knew he was talking about my best friend. Everyone always thought Ford was a bit strange and antisocial, but that wasn't the real him. Once someone got past the first few meetings, he'd prove himself to be steadfast and loyal, if a little bit obsessed with his apple trees.

"I trust my companions," I said firmly.

Adair nodded. "Good, that's all I need to hear. You'll need people you can rely on for this journey, people who will speak the truth with you."

"Ford definitely will do that," I said, smiling when I thought about my blunt best friend. He never sugarcoated anything and it was one of the things I appreciated most about him. And why I needed him on this mission. It would be good to have someone who could truly tell me what they thought, as opposed to what they thought I wanted to hear.

"Excellent. Then I wish you a good journey, brother. And I look forward to your return, hopefully with a trade treaty in place."

"No pressure, then," I joked, hoping to lift some of the weight landing on my shoulders.

"None at all," Adair responded. "And maybe there’ll be a new addition to the family to welcome you back."

"That would be quite the homecoming." I smiled at my brother. I knew how excited he was to become a father, but I had to imagine that he was nervous too. No doubt that was why he'd asked me to take this on for him, if he could trust me to see through the treaty, then he could focus on his wife.

I just hoped I was going to live up to his expectations.