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5

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It was cold in Essie’s home. There was no soft crackle of the fireplace, nor the sounds of scraping sigils on parchment. The top of Rylir’s head and his nose barely poked out from the top of the covers, exposed to the chilly air. He curled beneath the furs on his bed and pulled his head under to the warmth he had generated while he slept.

The bliss of warmth and sleep could not last sadly.

Rylir wasn’t sure what he was expecting. He knew Essie was literal. He knew she was straightforward and candid in response and directive. Still, he hoped that she was overexaggerating when she said they would be harvesting at first sun’s light.

He received a tap on his side while he dared to barely stir from his slumber. The tap was meant to rouse him from dreams and thoughts beyond his comfort within the furs. The second wake-up call came when Essie pulled the top cover off of him entirely.

The frigid air poured over him like an icy rain. Instinctually, he coiled in on himself, and her immediate response was, “You received fair warning and you will be warm in my hood. The sooner you relocate there, the sooner you will be reunited with your blanket.”

Rylir, body shivering more violently with each passing second, squinted and, through his blurry vision, saw the tips of Essie’s fingers come into focus; a sight that made him involuntarily shiver and clumsily fumble his way backward away from her. One too many times when he was living on his own did he find himself among gigantic beasts or thugs ready to drive him out in an instant. The blurry visage of a person ready to do him harm and the size of Essie’s fingers were eerily similar.

Rylir felt his cheeks immediately start to burn scarlet from embarrassment at his reaction. Though what had happened was a knee jerk reaction which he had trained to be instinctual, Rylir didn’t mean to shy away from Essie, who had never hurt him. He had a moment of fear that he might have hurt her feelings or that he might have upset her.

Digging the heal of his hand into the corners of his eyes to rid them of the early morning blur, Rylir looked up into Essie’s eyes, ready to apologize profusely for his behavior.

Essie, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by his reaction. Rather than chastise him, Essie simply kept her hand stationary, expecting him to climb on so they could proceed with the morning herb harvest. She already had her hood over her head and, right by her neck, he could see that she already secured his blanket into a makeshift pocket.

Rylir collected himself before forcing his body to his feet, heart now quaking in his chest because of what he knew he needed to do and what she was silently asking of him.

Rylir never had a reason for distracting Essie and her level of care when she held him. It was not even her that made him uneasy; rather, it was the experience of being held as a whole. Seeing the lines and grooves that constructed her fingerprint served as a stark reminder of how her size compared to his size. Something so unnoticeable on his own hand was pronounced on hers so clearly.

Just beneath those lines was a warm, present pulse. While the warmth in the cold was welcome, it was the subtle thrum that brought about his unease. Why, he wasn’t entirely sure; however, it was present all the same.

Regardless of what he felt, one thing was certain – there was no escaping his chores for the day.

Despite his discomfort, he knew Essie would have an earful to say if he tried to back out today, and she was right in a way. He wouldn’t need to do anything but pay attention to her lessons. She would be the one traversing the mountainside and harvesting the herbs.

It was decided.

Rylir stepped onto the tips of Essie’s fingers, balancing carefully on the uneven surface, before kneeling in her palm and bracing himself with her thumb. He nodded, signaling he was ready, and Essie smoothly shifted her hand from the shelf to her shoulder just inside her hood. Rylir grasped the furs and clambered into the makeshift pocket, grateful there was a hint of warmth from where he was sleeping. Essie kept her hand completely stationary until Rylir was completely situated.

“We will only be out for a short time,” reassured Essie as she walked briskly out into the frigid morning air. She secured the door and cast her eyes onto the terrain around them. While Rylir had an aversion to the cold, there was something fascinating about it to the giant sorceress. Perhaps it was the way every exhalation slipped from her lips like a puff of smoke. Maybe it was the intricacies of every flake of snow being unique yet blending with all of the others simultaneously.

Whatever the reason, Essie allowed herself to take a moment and breathe in the shards of air. She held her breath and closed her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The sounds of the solitary mountainside forest were intoxicating. The sound of pillows of snow being knocked free from trees and landing on the ground with a soft whooshing sound occurred spontaneously. There were small chirps and skittering sounds of small rodents by the roots of these trees.

Peace.

Serenity.

The solitude of the mountainside.

She raised her fingers and exhaled her held breath, whispering her incantation as though it were a precious secret.

“Volmusca.”

With that, Essie opened her eyes and, as though she were gliding on air, took three steps before shifting into a steady sprint down the cliff faces.

Exhilaration stole her senses as she darted from rock cluster to rock cluster, skidding past trees, yet leaving no trace behind her. Her spell made sure of that. There was a gap between two rocks ahead, a distance which the wizard easily cleared, before redirecting to the stream. She skidded to a stop before crouching in the snow.

“Mutatio niv,” she said, and the fur on her cloak and on Rylir’s blanket shifted from the greys and browns to a smattering of soft whites which blended with the surrounding snow. Ice shard like eyes scanning the undergrowth by the stream, Essie let a pleased smirk tug at the corners of her lips.

There, by the banks, were the horsetails; and, as fortune would have it, just a little further down the way were some bright evergreen juniper trees were nestled. Feeling pleased, Essie approached the edge of the stream as she reached up and nudged the bundle by her neck. There was a sharp jolt before some fumbling movement. Essie guessed, based on the way he moved, Rylir had started drifting off again.

“Awake?” she asked as she crouched and began harvesting the horsetails.

“Yes. I’m awake,” said Rylir, clearly stifling a yawn. He pushed himself forward to poke his head out from the bundle of furs. “So… um… what is it that you’re doing?”

“Harvesting equisetum arvense, also called horsetails. Do you remember its uses?” she asked. Rylir smiled to himself looked up at Essie, only able to catch her side profile. “Your silence is confirmation, but I’ll remind you. It stops bleeding and helps with internal issues such as ulcers and other wounds. Harvesting is simple. We will just need to dry out the stems and the main bit here before use.”

“Right,” replied Rylir. He watched as Essie quickly gathered the horsetail before stepping over to the juniper and pulling a few of the branches free. Without another word, she turned, muttered the same phrase as before, and began her ascent up the mountain, which Rylir thought was odd. She didn’t stop to tell him what the juniper was for. She didn’t even ask if he knew what it was.

And it wasn’t like her to forget.

When they made it back to Essie’s home, she set him to work on pulling the berries free from the branches while she hung the horsetails. Once the berries were free, Essie collected the berries, ground them with a mortar and pestle, and then added more water to the paste before placing it into a small pot and setting it near the fire to boil. The lid of the pot was hooked up to a small tube which dripped into another bowl.

All the while, Essie was quiet, and Rylir noticed. Essie could go days without speaking, but there was something charged in the air as she worked. Finally letting the curiosity get the better of him, he waited until Essie set the bowl outside in the snow before getting her attention.

“Hey, Essie. Do you mind if I ask you what you harvested the juniper for?” asked Rylir. Essie sat down at the desk where Rylir was standing and set down her pieces of parchment to begin inscribing sigils again.

“Not at all. Juniper is effective for an upset stomach, indigestion, bloating, and loss of appetite. Juniper oil, which is what is cooling outside, is used to create a calming effect, and it can be used to purify the air. It is also said to help make sleep more effective, and some folk lore says it prevents nightmares and other bad dreams. They say you are supposed to put a little on your pillow every night,” stated Essie as she reached over Rylir to retrieve her writing utensils.

“Oh? Do you have bad dreams often?” asked Rylir, genuinely curious about Essie’s response, but she just shook her head.

“I don’t dream. Haven’t in years, if I did at all,” she stated calmly. Rylir turned his head to the side as he tried to put the pieces together.

“Wait, you… don’t dream? Doesn’t everyone dream?” he asked as he walked across the desk to stand on the pieces of scribbled on parchment to stare at the dried ink.

“I suppose, but I’m not one of them,” said Essie.

“Then… what did you get the juniper for? Isn’t that what you put on your pillow every night?” asked Rylir, feeling more confused than ever. He’d heard her muttering in her sleep before. Wasn’t that an indication of dreaming?

And…

Based on Essie’s expression…

She was confused too…

Why did she put juniper oil on her pillow every night. It was calming and soothing. She did enjoy the smell.

Wasn’t that the reason?

Rylir watched in horror as Essie’s hand began shaking violently as she held her writing implement. She had a distant look in her eyes, like she perceived something he could not see. For a moment, he feared he made her angry with his questions, but one look into her features told a different story.

She looked worried – scared even. The tremor shifted from just her hand to her shoulders. What was happening? What was going on? Was she okay?

“Essie? Essie!” Rylir wasn’t sure what to do. What could he do? At his size, he could hardly snap her out of her trance, but he had to try.

Nerves on edge, he walked cautiously over to the hand that held her writing tool. He didn’t want to startle her and get injured, but it was the only part of her that was on the desk. Heart pounding, he stepped up to her hand and gave her thumb a nudge.

“Essie!” he shouted. “Snap out of it!” It wasn’t working. He needed to do something more drastic. With all the strength he had, he forced himself between her writing tool and her hand, shoving until it clattered onto the desk. His immediate sense of accomplishment was instantly overwritten by panic as Essie’s fingers snapped around him, completely engulfing his frame. Only his right arm was free, draped over the crook of where her thumb met her hand.

Her eyes widened and looked at him with a momentarily wild expression.

Heart pounding and body completely rigid, Rylir breathed a sigh of relief when Essie’s fingers relaxed. Her grip wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it was enough to get his blood pumping.

“I… I apologize. I don’t know what came over me,” said Essie apologetically. Rylir shook his head and stepped away hesitantly, giving her palm a couple of reassuring pats.

“It’s okay. Are… you alright? You started shaking.”

“Did I?” Essie asked, tone slightly dazed.

“Yeah. Are… you sure you’re okay?” asked Rylir. Essie nodded dismissively.

“Yes, I am alright,” she said before clearing her throat awkwardly. “Just distracted. To answer your question, I enjoy the smell of Juniper. Now, if you don’t mind I have some notes I want to take.”

Rylir, confused, tucked this peculiar interaction away for another day. Something was different about what Essie said and how she said it. She had never lied to him before, but Rylir knew enough about her tone to know that putting juniper oil on her pillow wasn’t the only reason she did it.

But that was just it…

Essie didn’t know why she did it… did she?