Chapter 2: The Manor

Sielyth used all of her energy to will her feet to move from out of the shade and down the path to her grandmother’s manor. Shaking off the conversation with Rowan, she focused on her goal. Gran must have left some more letters for me at the house, I just need to get there. I could really use some guidance, thought Sielyth.

On her way up the path she inspected the land. Many bushes had overgrown and what used to be her Gran’s magical herb garden was a jumble of spiny vines. Tiny purple flowers and green herbs could be seen struggling under thick twisted vines, blocked from the sunlight. This land was Gran’s pride and joy, she thought mournfully, I should have been here sooner to take care of it. But I’m here now, I need to restore this land and make sure her legacy continues.

With renewed determination she continued down the path. The side of Gran’s manor is visible and she can see some vines trying to climb up the side and claim it as well. But overall the manor looked the same as it had many years ago. Sielyth recalled some of her favorite memories from her childhood growing up in the manor. She remembered sitting on the front porch with her Gran, enjoying the warm summer breeze and drinking a glass of sweet sunfruit juice. The days that she spent with her Gran working in her garden, picking out new herbs to use in potions and salves, were some of her favorite days.

“What is this one? What does it do?” she asked her Gran about a small herb with oval green leaves and a bright yellow stem.

“It is an Ovuny herb. We can boil it with Cinder tree bark to make a potion that heals burns quickly,” replied her Gran.

Gran had a vast knowledge of all botany and especially herbs. She noticed a small Ovuny herb with a bent stem and wilted leaves. Sielyth watched in awe as Gran placed her hand over the stem and whispered under her breath. Green light flowed from her hand and restored the herb. No longer wilted, the little herb stood as straight as the others, ready to mature to a full grown plant in a week or so.

“How did you do that?” Sielyth asked with wide eyes. She’d only seen her grandmother use Light magic in the past, but this looked different.

“It is called Nature magic. When you take care of the land and learn to feel its energy, you can communicate with nature and transfer energy back and forth,” Gran explained.

Sielyth was too young to realize she should’ve asked more questions and learned all there was to know about Nature magic. She had only just begun learning Light magic in primary school and prioritized that. She thought she’d have time to learn more from Gran later.

Her last thoughts snapped her back into the present. She was standing in front of the manor door now. Taking in the old wooden door, she saw the same purple paint that had been there for many years. It had a few chips here and there but overall still looked beautiful. The golden handle was somehow still shiny and inviting. As she placed her hand on it she took a deep breath and got ready to enter her childhood home.

Her eyes took in many things at once, as did her other senses. She smelled the familiar smell of dried herbs and cinnamon. The living room to her left was filled with many cozy places to sit and a coffee table with many books still scattered on it. Pictures of Gran and herself covered most of the walls and in between the tall windows facing the glade was an antique grandfather clock. On her right was the kitchen with space to heat a large cauldron over the fire and plenty of storage cabinets to store herbs, dried fruits, and other ingredients for potions and salves.

Sielyth walked up the entrance stairs and passed her childhood room, she was sure it would look exactly as she left it so she waited to go in. She was anxious to see her Gran’s room and get a glimpse into her last few moments. She wanted something to hold on to. Ready to be in the room and smell her grandmother’s signature scent of vanilla and cinnamon, she reached her slender hand for the door knob and turned.

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“What? It’s locked,” she whispered in shock. Who locked it? Where is the key?

Sielyth started thinking about where Gran would leave a key, if she was the one who locked the room. In a special box? Or maybe with her gardening tools?

She started her hunt for the key downstairs in the kitchen looking through all of the cabinets. She opened boxes of teas and cans of dried herbs but did not find anything unusual there. She stepped outside and around the manor to the shed where her grandmother kept her tools. The gray wooden shed had a sturdy green door with a sun painted on it. It made her smile when she saw it. I could find Gran in this shed more often than the manor on sunny days like this, she thought. Sielyth truly believed that she would find the key there amongst her Gran’s favorite lilac colored work gloves and silver watering can. As she looked under every tool and bag of seeds, her confidence waned.

Feeling a bit unsure of what to do next, she made her way back to the manor and sat in the living room. She looked around the familiar room and eyed the knick knacks on the hanging shelves. Little fairy figurines that her grandmother collected over the years smiled back at her. Sielyth remembered all of the times she would rearrange the little figures whenever she was bored. Her favorite was the fairy with short brown hair and pink curly wings. Gran was always happy to let me play with them because at least it kept them dust free, she thought with a smile.

Her gaze settled finally on the books scattered along the coffee table. There were a few novels mixed in with books on different botany subjects. Journey to Olandia, Encyclopedia of Summer Vegetables, Ten Key Strategies for a Thriving Garden. The last title she saw made her think. No, that would be too obvious Gran. But then again, her grandmother was always pretty straight forward with her. She picked up the book and immediately upon opening it a slender, silver key fell into her lap. Sielyth rolled her eyes and smiled over her Gran’s easy hiding spot as she walked back up the mahogany stairs to the former high priestess’s room.

A strange sense of peace came over her as she entered the familiar grand master bedroom. The room was decorated in many hues of purple, her Gran’s favorite color. There was a deep cherry canopy bed centered on the left wall. Near the large windows straight ahead, her Gran had set up a little sitting area with a reading nook. And on the right side of the room was her closet, vanity, and desk. Her desk was neat and clear besides one piece of paper addressed to Sielyth. She sat down to read Gran's elegant handwriting.

“Dear Sielyth,

If you’re reading this, it means you decided to come home. I’m so sorry that I am not there to welcome you, but know that it was always my desire to see you here on our ancestral land. I advise you to take great care of the land and you may find that it will take care of you too. Get to know my garden. Feel the energy of the plants around the manor. I have left many books that will help you grow and forage many things you could find useful to make potions. My skills in Nature magic grew alongside my garden. You may find that you have the same innate talent for it as I did.

As for the town, I am sure they were quick to fill my position of high priestess. There have been many strange shifts in the town dynamic lately, proceed with caution. If it is your desire to be high priestess someday then you will want the town’s people on your side, but be careful who you trust. Not everyone is as they seem. I wish I could’ve stayed around long enough to help you sort everything out, but I have all the faith in you.

Eternal love,

Your Gran”

Sielyth had somehow made it to the large bed while she finished reading the letter. Nestled in the large purple pillows, she clutched the paper to her chest as her mind spun. Part of her felt hopeful and happy that her Gran had faith in her potential for Nature magic, but most of her felt uneasy over what she mentioned about the townspeople. I wish I would’ve known sooner that you were going through this Gran, she thought.

As she made a plan of the places in town she would stop by this week and the people she would speak to, the fatigue from her journey settled over her and Sielyth drifted to sleep.