Page 53 of The Noldrin Witch

Elise followed the woman whom she regarded with the fondness of a fairy godmother. From afar, she spotted Fabian directing a group around a potion table. She nodded in acknowledgment, and the man did the same, though not without some grumbling she could hear even from a distance.

Susanne took her to the gardens, and soon they stood before an immense enclosed herb terrace filled with hundreds of plants. The place was so beautiful that even its ceiling was lined with greenery and flowers.

“This is the herbarium, my dear.” Susanne swept her gaze around the many beds of plants. The place was filled with so much color and fragrance that Elise felt a measure of peace.

“I made special notes for you to pick sprigs, bundles, and leaves of all the plants,” the fairy continued with a hesitant look, handing Elise a hefty bunch of papers. “I know it’s perhaps too much to ask, but worry not, you’ll have plenty of time to complete it.”

Elise took the notes from the fairy and nodded. There were baskets on the far side of the herbarium, and she figured the rest would be easier.

“If you have any questions, come to the workshop and ask for me or Fabian. He already knows about your task,” Susanne said as she left Elise to her new duties.

Outdoors, as Elise liked to be whenever possible, she felt things could not have gone better. The task was simple enough that she relaxed enough to enjoy the breeze. She set the thick bunch of paper on the wooden table while Bruno settled himself among some vines by the ceiling.

She picked up a basket and started her labor, feeling that the effects of the Dutiful Maid Potion had already faded.

Elise took every sprig carefully and arranged each herb in the basket with the utmost delicacy. After collecting a total of twenty out of the five hundred herbs required, she set off toward the workshop to make certain this was what they were expecting.

The chamber was now in an even greater state of disarray than before. By Elise’s account, it had not even been half an hour since her arrival, but things already seemed volatile in there. She looked for Susanne but found only Fabian. With some hesitation, she approached the man, noticing immediately that he was still wearing the same outrageous red leggings from the day before.

“Morning,” she said.

Fabian turned to her with a frown. “Did you finish already?”

“I came to see if this is how you expect the herbs to be collected.”

He gave the basket a quick glance, then swallowed. Elise was certain she had done well, for the contents of the basket appeared to her no less beautiful than tiny bouquets of flowers. She had even cut ribbons she found by the table to give the whole thing a finished presentation.

But the pride in her work soon faded when the man took the basket from her and mumbled, “Next time, don’t come back until you’ve finished collecting them all. I don’t have time to inspect little bits of work.”

“But—”

“But nothing,” Fabian muttered. “Do as I say.”

Elise gave a weary nod. A small worry filled her momentarily at the thought that she had to finish everything that very day. It was not the impression Susanne had given her, but she did not protest.

She went back with a sigh. But just as she reached the exit, something gave her a little hope. She saw Susanne return through another door and approach the basket that contained all the herbs she had collected. The old fairy wore an expression of satisfaction that told Elise enough. Fabian stood at her side, seemingly complaining, but Susanne appeared perfectly at ease all the same.

Elise suspected there was no way to get on Fabian’s good side. Nonetheless, she set herself to accomplish the impossible. After all, she had a little magical aid.

*****

“By dusting and fetching, allow me to do my serving,” Elise whispered to herself as she entered the herbarium.

Her hands lifted as if in readiness, her back straightened at once, and with a single glance at the many beds of herbs, she could spot each one with remarkable clarity.

Elise felt an energy from another world fill her as her hands shook. She went to the table where the instructions had been laid and set to work immediately.

After grabbing a small pruning knife for the most stubborn stems, she began cutting, arranging, and tying bunches. One page of the plant list, then another, then another.

The first hundred plants were collected at a demonic speed. Her hands seemed eager to continue their duty. She could think of neither food nor drink, nor even of rest. Exhaustion was wearing on her, but she pressed on, page after page, until only a few remained.

The air was warming, and among birdsong and the occasional croak from Bruno, the many sheets of parchment flew by around the herbarium. She could only tell the passing of time by the growing warmth, but not even the beads of sweat forming on her forehead prevented her from continuing her work.

Ten baskets were needed to hold all the blessed items Susanne had asked her to gather. By the time she had finished, the entire place looked a shade less green. She cleaned her tools, feeling as exhausted as though she had sprinted across the whole kingdom. By then, her knees were trembling. She had murmured the chant two more times during her labors, and now, with the effects fading, she felt as though she had gone to war with the herbarium and lost.

Despite the exhaustion, however, a feeling of satisfaction began to tug at her lips. There was no way in heaven Fabian would have anything to complain about after this miraculous performance. Not even she could fully believe her hands alone had been capable of collecting and arranging so many plants in the span of a few hours.

Wanting to calm some of her frayed nerves before facing the fairies, she sat in an old chair nearby. The seat was a square wooden thing built from thick planks. One of the boards was missing, leaving a gap and several exposed nails that invited caution more than rest. Nonetheless, Elise sat on it as though it were no less than a cushioned throne.