Page 5

Ryburn

Purple Oak was more impressive and vibrant than I'd expected it to be, even if they didn't have dryads to care for their plants and crops. The people and animals who lived here looked happy and well-fed, and there was a carefree feel in the air that I imagined was probably something to do with the infirmary run by the tea witches. Having the ability to heal injuries and sickness likely meant that people didn't spend their time worrying about what would happen if they broke their leg.

Or slipped on ice and threw their shoulder out. Mine twinged in response to my thoughts, or maybe I was just made aware of the pain because I was thinking about it. The latter was more likely. We had healers at Grower's Cove, but they were limited to non-magical methods for the most part, and the one I'd seen had simply told me not to use my shoulder much. As if I had any choice in that.

There was no doubt in my mind that healing was something Grower's Cove could benefit from if we could get an alliance set up.

A small black cat appeared in front of me, making me jump. It had a curious expression on its face, as if it was equally surprised to find me in its way. That was another thing that was so different, there were so many animals around. Not little birds and reptiles like back home, but domestic pets, familiars, and livestock. It was nice, even if unexpected.

The cat meowed and raked her sharp claws down my leg. It stung surprisingly much, and I jolted back, trying to shake the little creature away.

Jasmine bent down and pulled the cat off me. "Stitch, that's not very nice," she chided the animal, but it wasn't harsh.

"Is that your cat?"

"No, it belongs to a friend. I think. No, it could just be a stray cat." She tickled the cat between its ears which made it purr, like it hadn't just drawn blood. She looked up at me and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the way her large brown eyes drew me in.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, getting to her feet.

I cleared my throat. "I'm fine."

"I can take you to the infirmary if you want," she said. "Maybe my brother is free."

"Would you not heal me yourself?" The question slipped out without me thinking about it.

She wet her lips, drawing my attention there without meaning to. I squashed down all feelings of attraction towards the woman in front of me. We were supposed to be working on the alliance, not thinking about other things.

"Healing isn't my forté," she responded. "My brother is the medical prodigy in the family."

"I thought he was the one trying to grow tea?"

"Oh, that's my younger brother," she responded. "Brew is my older brother. Well, Rooibos, but everyone calls him Brew."

"For Brewster?"

"Yes."

"So, two brothers?" I asked.

"And a sister. Cami is Earl's twin. Chamomile, but don't call her that."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're all named after tea."

"It's a Brewster family tradition. Though Uncle Ceylon was overruled by his wife when it came to my cousins' names."

I chuckled. "Fair enough. I do know a dryad called Dandelion."

"Are they a dandelion dryad?"

"No, but I think their parents hoped they would be."

She laughed, a wonderful sound that filled the air around us. "That's unfortunate."

The cat brushed itself against my legs, seeming to demand more scratches. I leaned down to give it a couple of pets. Either I did it wrong, or it decided that it had enough of me and disappeared off into the night.

"You'll either wake up with her on your pillow, or you'll never see her again," Jasmine joked.

I looked after the cat. "So I should keep my window closed?"

"It's winter, you probably should anyway," she pointed out. "But there's always a risk of cats climbing in through your window here."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I used to want to be a cat ward when I was little," she said, looking off in the direction the cat disappeared. "Before I realised how magic works."

"I can't say I ever thought about it," I admitted.

She gestured for us to continue walking, which I assumed meant she was far from done with our tour. I was glad of that, and the fact that Ford had left us alone. As much as I knew it was foolish to think about Jasmine that way, if we were back home, I'd be working up the courage to ask her for a forest stroll or dinner. Considering the job I had to do, asking her for something like that would be an absolute mistake.

"So you never wanted to be anything other than a dryad?" she asked me.

"Not really. But I suspect growing up in Grower's Cove was different. Most of the people I know are dryads or nymphs. It isn't like here."

She nodded. "There's always been a mix of magic here."

"How did that come about? I've heard that a lot of villages are mostly one thing, but you seem to have a bit of everything here."

"We're an hour or so ride from the sea, which I think helps. But it's mostly because the areas grew into one another. The Millers are connected to their stream, so settled there. The Fields' farm, and Brewster Manor, have been in our families for generations. The village kind of grew from there, becoming something bigger." She shrugged as if it wasn't important. And I guessed in some ways it wasn't.

"So that's why you're the Four Families?" I checked. "I don't really know what that's about." She led me down a path which bordered a field of sheep.

"Oh, I didn't realise you didn't know. So the Four Families are the ones in charge of running the village, they're the four estates that grew together. So us Brewsters, the Fields, the Millers, and then the Steepers, they're also tea witches. We each have our own specialities and influence, which keeps everything balanced and everything running smoother." She fiddled with the sleeve of her jacket. "Katie is a Fields, they're wards who tend to the biggest farm in the area. They mostly tend to their flock of sheep."

"So she's a sheep ward?" I checked.

"Oh, no. She's a dog ward. You've seen her familiar with her. Her brother is an owl ward, but their grandfather is a sheep ward. I'm honestly not really sure how it works."

"Me neither," I admitted. I'd not really spent much time around any wards. Or tea witches for that matter.

"I'm a Brewster. We're tea witches and have a lot to do with the infirmary."

I chuckled. "Meaning, you own it."

"No, no, no. The infirmary is run jointly by us and the Steepers, also tea witches. So we don't own it, we co-own it," Jasmine said with a guilty expression on her face.

"No wonder this place is called an oasis with so many tea witches."

"Oh, we can't take all of the credit," she said quickly. "It's everyone working together that makes Purple Oak so wonderful. I wouldn't want to be without any of the wards, nymphs, or other people who live here."

That was a fascinating statement coming from her. I liked that she was able to see the value in others, especially as it was something so often forgotten. There were a subset of dryads and nymphs who wanted nothing to do with other types of magical beings. I'd often found the line of thought to be deeply flawed, and thankfully, the Council was open to working with others.

"So, yes. It's not just the infirmary and the tea witches, it's the farms and the wards, the power and the electric mages, the nymphs and the mill..."

"The mill?" I perked up. That was something we didn't have at Grower's Cove, but there'd been some talk about building one, it just never got done because no one actually knew where to start. A lot of the older people didn't think it was necessary and called it a way of dishonouring the plants that sustained us. I thought it was an outdated point of view. "Wind or water?"

"Water. We'll pass the main mill in a bit. It's an old building that has belonged to the Millers since before the settlement became a thing."

That was information to file away for later. If we could leverage our alliance with Purple Oak Oasis to advance our own settlement, that would be even better than getting supplies and resources. There was nothing more important than being self-sufficient, something I had a feeling Jasmine understood, given her request for advice about their tea garden. It was the missing piece of the puzzle for them to become a truly powerful village. Maybe even grow into a town.

Jasmine looked at me, her brown eyes wide but shrewd. There were some obvious brains behind them. "So what's Grower's Cove like? You have a council, correct? But you're not on it?"

"No, my brother is on the Council. I'm representing him."

"Why didn't he or someone from the council come personally?"

I didn't answer right away, unsure how much I could share about the current clash of powers back home. It was probably better not to let them know there was some friction, so I just opted for a neutral diplomatic answer.

"Since he named me as his representative, I have the power to make decisions in his name, so it's the same thing."

"Hmmhmm," Jasmine said, clearly not entirely convinced.

She was very switched on, it wouldn't be this easy to pull the wool over her eyes. What a woman. If only we weren't tasked with this treaty, maybe I could pursue her.

Instead, I was going to have to make awkward demands for the sake of Grower's Cove.