“Sorry, yes. She taught me to love books. Not rooftops. I mean, I’m sure rooftops are nice. To walk on.” Ugh, what was she saying? “Would you like some jam?”
“Smooth,” Caz murmured.
“Actually . . .” Ulina began.
Eadie jumped in. “She saw my cherry tree. It’s spectacular. Completely covered in ripening fruit. I’ve revitalized the trees behind my house as well. They’re flourishing.”
Bryn nodded in agreement. “We’re here to buy more of your tree remedies.”
Behind her, Caz said, “Told you.”
“We don’t have any at the moment,” Kiela said. “With the storm and all, we haven’t had time . . .” She trailed off as their faces fell.
They came all this way,she thought. Dressed up nice for a visit. Climbed the cliff stairs. Bryn had probably closed her bakery to do this, or at least found a replacement to run it. She didn’t know what Ulina or Eadie had given up to come here today, but they both looked deflated. She felt as if she’d told eager partygoers there was no more cake.
“But I could make some,” Kiela said. “Caz could keep you company while you wait?” She glanced over her shoulder at the spider plant to see if he’d mind. Assembling the pine cones would be quicker with his help, but someone had to distract their visitors. “You could have some bread and jam, on the house, as an apology for the delay. We have both raspberry and blueberry.” She still had one of Bryn’s loaves. It was a reasonable offer, especially if they paid for the remedies.
All three of them perked up at that, and she felt a rush of relief.I said the right thing. Yay.Maybe she could handle being a shopkeeper after all.
“We’d be happy to help you, my dear,” Eadie said.
“Many hands make the work go faster,” Ulina said, wiggling her many fingers.
Uh-oh.If they helped, they’d witness her spellcasting. She had to say no. But how did she say no without sounding more suspicious?
On the other hand, should she say no?
If more islanders knew how to heal the trees, wouldn’t that be a good thing? She thought of the forest spirits and of the orchard. She’d never intended to keep knowledge from people, the way the emperor did. She’d just wanted to protect it, but if these three women would value the knowledge . . .Who am I to keep it from them?
Someone who doesn’t want to be transformed into anything unpleasant.
“Unless it’s a family recipe?” Bryn said, noticing her hesitation. “Caz, are you comfortable sharing it? I have plenty of secret family recipes that don’t leave my bakery.”
That was the perfect out.
But did Kiela want to take it? She glanced at Caz for his opinion, and he shook his tendrils—he didn’t know, and he was happy to leave it up to her.
In the beginning, she’d thought this would be safe enough: homespun remedies to help the people of Caltrey. She didn’t think anyone beyond the island would notice or care. But now there was a woman from the capital, probably a noblewoman, who’d seen plenty of magic close up . . . It was an entirely different kettle of fish.
Wasn’t it?
Maybe it wasn’t.
Could she trust these three women? She hadn’t known either Bryn or Eadie for long, though she liked them quite a bit, and Ulina she’d just met. They didn’t owe her anything. If they knew the full “remedy,” how would they react?
They’d given her no reason to distrust them—this was their home, and they just wanted to heal their trees. Both Eadie and Ulina were old enough to remember a time when homespun magic wasn’t illegal. The laws were a recent development, invented by those who wanted to consolidate power.And see where it got them.In truth, spellcasting had simply faded out of fashion and was forgotten—it wasn’t that most people believed it was wrong. Besides, it wasn’t as though she was trying to work major spellcraft. Just a little remedy.
Beyond them, in the green, Kiela saw a wisp of haze.
A cloud bear?
That decided her.
She wasn’t going to let a little fear keep her from doing what was right. A lot of fear . . . well, then, yes, maybe she’d reconsider. But all she had right now was a vague kind of unease. She had no way of knowing where Radane’s political leanings lay—she might not care what a few islanders and a plant did to a handful of trees, or she might be so grateful for her life that she didn’t want to stir up trouble. Besides which, they were a long way from the capital.
“If I teach you, you need to understand that it’s just a simple plant-family remedy,” Kiela said. She glanced at Caz, but he wasn’t contradicting her. She hoped this was the right decision. “Nothing more.”
All three women beamed at her. “Of course,” Bryn said. “We understand.”
