Botany

Chapter 9: Botany

Shaela

I stepped out of the carriage ahead of my guest and extended my hand for her to take it. Our gloves met as I helped Silva of the Mistborn Witches down from the carriage. “Welcome to the MacCrow estate.” My hand guided our eyes out to my family home. The manor was longer than it was deep, with two wings that made sharp right angles that hid its true size. We moved towards the entrance way, across the old cobblestone driveway, tufts of grass and clumps of moss peeking out from the space between the stones. Despite being half a head shorter than me, Shaela’s wide gait kept pace with my own. Stopping just before the doors, they swung open and we were greeted by two servants who flanked either side of the door.

“Welcome home, Miss MacCrow. And welcome, honored guests,” they called out in unison.

Shaela bowed her head in acknowledgement, “Thank you.”

“This is Silva, representative of the Mistborn Witches.” I was met with two bows and turned to Silva. “We have some time before my parents will be ready for dinner. Would you like to see your lodgings now, or shall I give you a tour of the estate grounds?”

I hadn’t been particularly observant when I first met Silva. My mind was focused on ensuring today’s events went smoothly. The size of the crowds that followed us up until the noble districts, the fact that word had gotten out to such an extent to have drawn them, and what my parents might do during dinner, had totally occupied my mind as I attempted small talk during our ride. Now, with a moment to breathe, I took a good look at my guest. She was covered head to toe in black garments. Her black woven hat and black satin veil hid all but her eyes and hair. Her hair was black save for a few grey hairs that stitched themselves through a massive braid. A heavy black travelling cloak, which notably had slits down either side for her arms to peak out. With only her sleeves to go off, she wore a quilted coat underneath. Peeking from the lightly dusted hem of the cloak were practical black-dyed boots, whose toes had been polished recently, but which still had small spatterings of dirt clinging to their soles.

Silva adjusted her cloak, which had bunched in strange places after being seated for so long. “Why don’t we tour the grounds while I’m still in my travel attire?” Her voice was nasally and came from the back of her throat, which in combination with the few grey hairs and her stoic demeanor, made it difficult to place how old my guest was.

“Right this way.” I passed under the twin stairs once again, retracing the steps that led me to my parents, to the letter being sent, to Silva, the Mistborn witch, being not but a step behind me.

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It took a little time to adjust to the sun as we exited the more dimly lit manor. It was early afternoon, and the sun had only shifted just past its zenith in the sky, and while the clouds diffused its rays, Ludenbruh’s altitude meant we bore the brunt of the sun’s strength, a blessing for most of the year. I stopped on our patio, watching as Silva paid a cursory glance to the table settings and outstretched lawn. “My family and I often enjoy picnics or brunches outside, weather permitting.” As I spoke, a stiff wind battered against my body, chilling my face.

“The winds are quite frigid up here. Does the weather always favor clouds and the cold?” Silva seemed unfazed, her heavy cloak and face covering protecting her more than my uniform did me. She stood unmoving, not even twitching, when another burst of wind graced us. Just surveying her surroundings and carefully listening to my every word. It put me on edge.

“We’re coming out of a fairly cold winter,” I replied, ensuring an even measure in my tone, “the clouds clear up after the summer rains.” Silva nodded in acknowledgement. I cleared my throat and stepped out onto the intricate brickwork that made up the paths that lay throughout the estate grounds. Now several lengths ahead of Silva, I pointed to the second-floor windows of the manor, towards the end of the wing, “Your room will be thereabouts. Mine is at the end of the wing.” Silva followed my finger as I moved it to the next point of interest. “Dinner will be held in the great hall,” I pointed at the large windows that extended along the opposite wing from our rooms.

Silva’s eyes traced the entire shape of my home, examining every window. She eventually moved out to meet me partially down the lawn, “I see, and for laundry and bathing?”

We began walking towards the garden, this time keeping pace with each other. “You’ll have an attached bath. As for laundry, our staff can take care of it for you.”

“I prefer to do it myself.”

“Very well,” I tried to hide the confusion in my voice, “I’ll be sure to include that on our tour of the manor when we return.”

We continued into the garden, and Silva’s pace quickened. She moved from flower bed to flower bed, from hedge to hedge, from tree to tree, each time asking the same questions. “What species is this? Where do you cultivate them? Are they native? Which are edible? Which are used in tea? I did my best to answer them all. We had tulips from down south, thistle from up north, apples from the neighboring islands, pumpkins from our own vineyards, roses from this very island, et cetera.

Silva paused, maybe a quarter of the way through the garden. “Does the military of Prydannia employ botanists? You’ve quite a wealth of knowledge on the subject.”

I blushed, “My great-grandfather started the garden when we first moved to the noble quarters. I would help him and my grandmother with tending to the plants when I was younger.”

Silva seemed intrigued, rising from her squatted position in front of some orchids to meet me at eye level. “So you didn’t always live in Ludenbruh?”

“My family had a barony at one point, close by and to the north. But at some point, the King wanted to move most of the noble houses here.”

“King Drakhen III?”

“His predecessor, King Drakhen II. He led a series of reforms in an attempt to reduce bureaucratic strain on the kingdom, particularly the fringe islands. Its impact varied. Our house gained a lot from it, but those in the Midlands. The stress it caused may have contributed to the Six Moon War.”

Silva returned her attention to the plants around her and closed her eyes for a few minutes before continuing our conversation. “Who tends to the garden now?”

“I do when I have time, though, that's less and less often.” My uniform seemed to communicate reason enough, “Otherwise, we’ve hired groundskeepers to our staff.”

Silva removed a glove, revealing a weathered, worked hand. She lightly touched the orchid in front of her, taking in its scent. I had my hands clasped behind my back and rubbed over my own calluses through my gloves without thought. She stood again and began to explore the garden. “You and your staff have done well, Lieutenant.” Her voice, which had been flat and disinterested, changed. Was she... teasing me?

I followed her winding pathway, letting her pause to take in different sections of the garden, watching as she explored trees and shrubs with her bare hands, continuing to answer those same questions. All the while, the sun crept lower and lower in the sky, until afternoon had turned to evening, and it was time to make our way back inside for dinner. Part of the way along the return trip, Silva stopped in her tracks and sharply turned out gazing into the horizon. The sunset ignited the somewhat diminished clouds in pinks, oranges, and reds.

“It has been some time since I've seen a sunset like this.” Silva’s eyes were glued to the scene.

“Tomorrow we can get an even better view,” I promised, having planned to take her on an airship tour of the island. She cocked her head up, and I instinctively turned to check what she had noticed. The sun had fallen low enough that the moon could be seen, hanging in a blue-purple band of sky that was expanding as the sun receded. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a sunset like this.” My eyes drifted down from the moon, away from the sun, to Silva, who was lost in the sky above us. Her eyes glimmered from the blending lights of the sun and moon, and for a moment, I too was lost in the skies, only for a servant to approach and inform us it was time to prepare for dinner.

“Thank you,” we said in slightly off unison, and then we made our way inside, skipping most of the tour of the manor so we could both freshen up.