Afternoon classes started in half an hour, so Lexi decided to learn a little about herbalism.

She headed back towards the library. It was quiet. Most townspeople were still working at this time, so barely anyone was there. As she scanned the shelves, Lexi saw three other kids crowding around a fairy tale book together, an older child reading a novel in the corner, and two people scribbling down circles at a table. Is that Nun Lena and Priestess Frea?

Eventually, Lexi found two books with plants on their spines. They might be herbalism books.

She stood on her tiptoes and stretched towards the books. She swiped at their covers, but her fingertips just brushed over. They were out of reach.

Lexi backed down to look for a stool when an arm reached out. She watched as it snatched the books.

“Hi. Lexi, right?” When she looked at the voice, Lexi saw a human with dirty blonde hair in a messy bun. It was Nun Lena.

She passed the books to Lexi. “Here you go.”

“Oh.” Lexi fiddled with the books. her eyes darted around. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Lena glanced at the covers and started searching through the bookshelves.

“Hmm.” She grabbed two more books off the shelf. “Since you’re starting herbalism classes, these would probably be better.”

“Ah, thanks,” stammered Lexi. She took the books, and her body shrunk down.

Lena watched as Lexi tried to hide herself. “Well. If you ever need help, you can come find me. Don’t worry or be shy. Okay?”

“Okay,”

Lena patted her shoulder and walked away. Lexi rushed towards the other direction, clutching four books and her journal. The conversation made her stomach squirm. She wasn’t particularly close with Lena, but June had told stories.

Lena was the main magic instructor, and she was a stern teacher. But more importantly, she was a researcher. Many of the children were afraid of her punishments, research, and experiments. Lexi heard that someone had been turned into a frog once.

After leaving the non-fiction section, Lexi found a table in the corner of the library and huddled down. She took a deep breath. Hopefully, no one comes here.

Lexi opened one of the herbalism books… ? What is this?

She flipped through a few pages but couldn’t understand anything. The pages were blocks of text, and they made her head spin. So she quickly closed that book and opened the next.

It wasn’t any better. She couldn’t understand half the words on the page. What are bitters?

Lexi groaned and eyed the books Lena recommended. They had plain covers that looked like they were about to fall apart. She stared at them for a few seconds before opening one. What could be worse than not understanding anything?

A Field Guide to Herbs by Renee Lamina. It was more of a journal than a book. Each herb was hand-drawn with its descriptions and details underneath. The author also wrote short stories on the side, and they were pretty interesting. She had found a moonlight lily in the Cobalt Mountains. A traveling companion got lost, rolled down the mountain, and landed in a field of moonlight lilies. She described it as an ocean in the sky with waves washing over the stars. I wanna see that.

Lexi was entranced by the journal’s illustrations and stories. She wanted to sit and read the rest but couldn’t. Lessons started soon, and she couldn’t be late for her first one.

She grabbed the books and walked to the librarian’s desk. Priestess Frea was on duty. She set the four books on the desk.

“Umm… can I return these books,” she pointed towards the first two books she picked up, “and check out the rest?”

“Of course. They’re due next week.” Priestess Frea stamped the other two and returned them.

“Thank you.” Lexi hesitated, contemplating her next words. ”And could you also thank Nun Lena for me?”

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Priestess Frea nodded. Lexi grabbed the rest of her stuff and headed towards the class.

Of all the members of the church, Lexi was closest to Nun Fauna and Nun Rose. They were the ones responsible for taking care of her when she was in the medical room, so she felt more comfortable around them.

Nun Fauna was the harpy who found her. She specialized in archery and used wind elemental magic, both of which Lexi was interested in. However, the church recommended that children be at least thirteen before learning magic. Nun Rose managed the church and taught herbalism. Lexi’s fascination in the subject stemmed from watching her make medicine and potions.

When she entered the room, Lexi saw two young children and Nun Rose. She didn’t know either of the children, so they probably both belonged to the local town. One of them was a male reptilian, the other a female with cat ears—a lykoi. The three of them sat on the front bench.

The bell rang, and Rose clapped her hands. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get started.”

“Herbalism is the use of herbs and plants to create medicine.” Rose pulled out a variety of plants from her bag and presented them to the kids. “There are many plants that have medicinal properties. These plants can combine to enhance their properties or create new medicines.”

On the blackboard, Rose listed different types of medicines: pills, salves, tablets, liquids, etc. “It’s a herbalist’s job to understand the different properties and how to combine them.”

Then, she took out a journal and flipped through some pages. “This is my herbal journal.”

“Before today’s class, I gave everyone a journal. I recommend everyone keep one to record information.” Lexi hugged her journal close to her chest. So that’s what this was for.

“You might feel that this is unnecessary, but they help you remember and track knowledge. Many plants look similar, so people sometimes mistake them.” The reptilian and lykoi nodded to her explanation.

“For example, croca rose and violet histrum.”

“This is a violet histrum. It's a flower used for soothing burns.” Rose reached into her bag to grab a plant.

Then, she turned to the croca rose page. “And it looks similar to the croca rose. But, the croca rose is a highly toxic plant.”

The lykoi’s hand shot up. She quickly asked, “Why did you record a toxic plant?”

“That’s a good question,” acknowledged Rose.

“Although the croca rose is toxic by itself, it can neutralize other poisons.” The other students started scribbling in their journals. ”The poison of a crusta lily and the croca rose cancel each other out. When combining herbs, non-toxic plants can create poison, and toxic ones can create cures.”

“Herbalists need to track the properties of all herbs.” Rose pointed towards the details of the croca rose. “So that we can solve any and all problems.”

“Our lessons will focus on the non-magical properties of herbs. But remember that you can use mana when creating medicines. That process is very similar to potion making.”

Rose drew on the blackboard. “For today’s lesson, I’ll introduce you to some common Salix herbs.”

------

“These herbs look like weeds, so people often overlook them.”

The bell rang again, signifying the end of class.

“That’s time. We’ll end today’s lessons there. Our next lesson will be on Wednesday, same time. Have a good evening, dears.”

As class ended, the two other children walked out of the room together. Nun Rose was gathering her items when Lexi approached her.

“Nun Rose, can I take another look at your journal?” Her eyes were full of anticipation.

Rose softly smiled and patted her head before passing the journal. “I need to organize my herbs, so you can look at it for a few minutes, dear.”

“Thank you!” Lexi brought the journal to a table and opened it. Rose looked over and saw Lexi reading. Her arm propped up her head as her eyes focused on the book. Her hand fiddled with the edge of the page as her eyes darted from side to side. Rose watched for a few moments before sorting the plants.

After she finished, Lexi returned the journal to Rose. Then, she gathered her books and skipped toward the common hall. She opened the field guide and continued reading.

As Lexi delved deeper and deeper into the book, she became more fidgety. Every page was detailed and informative but also felt alive and jumping with personality. Every story she read felt personal, helping her understand more about the herbs’ location, uses, and appearances. I want a herb journal like this one.

She read a few more entries before opening the other book Nun Lena recommended: a recipe book. Unlike the field guide, this one focused on the creation of medicine and the combination of herbs. As she flipped through the pages, Lexi found color markers on every page. The author had grouped them by effects and sorted by strength.

After glancing at a few more pages, Lexi placed the book down and stared at it. The information was useful—no, vital. But… it felt like a simpler version of the other books she had pulled down. Distracted, Lexi turned her attention towards the field guide. She wondered how she could combine the recipes and field guide.

While Lexi was in a trance, Saxa walked over and poked her arm. “Watcha doing?”

“Ah.” Lexi jumped from the touch. “I was looking at some herbal books.”

“Ooh. Is there anything interesting?”

“The other one was kinda boring, but this one has stories.” Lexi reached out and opened the field guide. “Did you know that cattails are commonly used in Ungo dishes? Apparently, they taste nutty.”

“Hmm. Should we go pick some and try?”

“Yeah! We can ask Nun Rose to help us make something.”

“Mhm. Let’s grab some when we go tomorrow.”

Lexi nodded and then flipped through the book. “Since we have time before dinner, do you wanna read these entries with me? They’re records about the author’s adventures.”

“Sure.” The two buried their heads into the book. As they delved into the stories, Saxa exclaimed, “Wow. I would love to see some of these places.”