Page 27 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

The cracks in her voice were tugging on my heartstrings, and I moved closer, deciding that extending some comfort wasn't crossing any lines. She was confiding in me, and I didn't want her to think I was unfeeling or uncaring about it. It sounded hard.

"I don't know your cousins very well, but it seems like they value and love you a lot. I don't think they would want you to be without love. People to love and things to love," I said carefully.

Lian looked heartbreakingly vulnerable. "They said that. I just don't know where to start."

"I have an idea," I said slowly. "I know a place you might like. It's a herb garden. Sort of. It's something you have to see, but it's quiet and close by. Maybe I could take you there?"

"I think I would like that."

"All right, then we'll go." My heart skipped a beat at the thought of getting to spend time alone with her away from the kitchen. But I should also make sure to not rush her, especially if she was going through something about her purpose in life and where it slotted in with that of her cousins. Maybe all I needed to do was show her the wonders of Purple Oak so that she felt like she could stay.

Chapter 15

Lian

I didn't know what to expect from the herb garden Pepper mentioned. Mostly because surely it was just a herb garden? I'd been to plenty of them in my life, and while some had been noteworthy thanks to the way they'd been laid out, or that they grew something interesting that I hadn't learned about before, they were mostly just herb gardens. They were useful, and full of even more useful things, but that was it.

Everything I expected was blown away when we came to the large enclosed garden, within which there were neat rows of patches of herbs, all neatly labelled and well maintained. The stone walls shut out the rest of the bustling village and created an oasis of greenery inside, giving it a calm and pleasant atmosphere that soothed my mind and almost made me want to spend all of my time here. But I knew that would be selfish and that I couldn't do it.

"Welcome to Purple Oak's herb garden," Pepper said, leading me in by hand. "This is where I get most of my herbs but there's all sorts. Don't ask me to name it all because I wouldn't know."

I laughed. "I don't need you to tell me what everything is," I assured her.

"I'm glad. But if you want to know, then I'm sure one of the gardeners who tends to it would tell you. Most of them are dryads, but not all."

"Did they come from Growe's Cove like the dryads who tend the tea garden?" I asked curiously.

She shook her head. "They're from dryad families who already lived in Purple Oak before that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Tea witches, wards, and dryads. That's a lot of different magic types living in one place."

"It's not all either," she responded as we walked through the garden. "There are empath mages, keepers, sound mages, a mer family who sometimes live here."

I nodded. "The Shipmans. We came here on their boat."

"Of course, I forgot. But yes, that's Purple Oak. It's home to anyone and everyone. We pride ourselves on being welcoming."

I turn to her with a small smile. "I think you're very welcoming."

She beamed at me in response.

Silence fell over us as we made our way deeper into the garden. It was wonderful, and everywhere I looked, it was like one of my herbology books had come to life. The plants looked just like the drawings but more vibrant. I couldn't believe this was hiding away here. It was a treasure trove of all things useful.

I darted towards a small green bush with a lot of leaves. It smelled so fresh and the leaves were so soft, I wanted to rub them on my face. "Sage!" Another plant grabbed my attention, one with long stems. "Purple chives! And they're flowering."

This was amazing. I fluttered through the plants, excited to see some that I had only read about. There were so many types of plants and bushes and herbs. I even spotted a pond where they were growing a variety of things that needed water.

Besides plants, the garden was teeming with all sorts of butterflies and bees, all making their way home and gorging themselves on the delicious pollen. I felt like I was one of them, dancing on the breeze and tasting the promise of freedom.

"I thought you'd like this place," Pepper said, looking at me with a soft smile.

"I do, this is extraordinary. This must take a lot of time and effort to keep," I said.

She nodded. "We take a lot of pride in the quality of our produce here," she said. "And that goes for the herbs too."

"I can tell when I eat them," I responded. "They always taste fresh. Sometimes when we've been travelling, there is only the ability to have dried herbs and they're not the same."

"They're not," she agreed. "I would always try fresh unless I had to. But I don't imagine they transport very easily when travelling long distances."