Kaitlyn used a sheet of paper and left a note on her door stating her hut was closed for the day. She then headed out with a basket of bread on her arm and walked the mile or so to Javorora’s tree. The dryad was up in the branches, sticking a hand out a branch to remove brown and dry leaves.

“Javorora!” Kaitlyn called up, “Do you want to have some tea with me?”

“Oh yes!” the voice came from the tree and a slit appeared in the trunk. It was only about the size of her hand. Kaitlyn put her hand on it and found herself in Javorora’s homey space. There wasn’t a fire or obvious window, light filtered in however in a warm glow on the wooden table and two stools. Javorora stepped out through the wall and grinned.

“What’s the occassion?”

Kaitlyn pulled out the bread and said, “Master Garthis gave me some news yesterday.”

“Oh? Did your walk go well?” Javorora looked excited.

“Not really, I got to mid afternoon, but the pain still showed up,” Kaitlyn made a face. It had been so long since she had subjected herself to the pain of her curse, she had forgotten how awful it was. She looked at Javorora and said, “If that red unicorn had been helpful, it would have removed that part of the curse.”

Javorora nodded and asked, “So what did Master Garthis think?”

Kaitlyn sighed and said, “He thinks I need to leave my hut.”

Javorora stared for a long time, her face stricken. She then said, “You don’t sound happy about it.”

“I don’t know,” Kaitlyn admitted with a grunt of frustration. “I… I don’t wanna hurt, Javorora. It’s so awful. It isn’t like a bruise or a scrape or a little burn. It’s like my whole body is trying to rip apart in a thousand ways. I’m safe right now. But… oh Javorora, I wanna go home. If we can figure this out…. I can… I can go home.”

The tears that she thought she had finished with the day before came again. Javorora hugged her tightly and sobbed. For long minutes, the pair both wept.

“I know you miss your family,” Javorora said through her tears, “I’d miss you something terrible. You… I love having you here.”

“I don’t want to leave you or Hyacinth or Hyatham,” Kailtyn said, “You are my friends. You are… Gods Javorora, I think you know more about me than my momma now.”

“But I’m not your momma,” Javorora said, “and as much as I love you, I see you on the days you are sad Kaitlyn. I know how much you miss your own folk.”

“And I do, so much,” Kaitlyn said. “I also need to learn my magic, to control it and use it. The more I learn… I understand how dangerous magic can be and if I’m not using it on purpose, it can - I will use it. It’s one of the first books Master Garthis gave me. Once you unlock your magic to a certain point, you will subconsciously use it whether you mean to or not. And if you aren’t aware of what you’re doing, you will leak, and you will draw some of the magical creatures like the red caps… I can’t just go home and pretend nothing’s wrong.”

“And the curse,” Javorora said worryingly.

Kaitlyn groaned and said, “Which still doesn’t even make sense! How does pain have anything to do with knowing a unicorn?”

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask a unicorn,” Javorora said.

“Like I want to ever see one again,” Kaitlyn muttered darkly.

Javorora snorted and said, “They used to be very common in this forest you know. They aren’t any more.”

“What happened?” Kaitlyn asked.

“I think hunters are part of it,” Javorora said, “I don’t really know exactly. This forest isn’t exactly friendly to most non-magicals, so most humans hate it here.”

“What do you mean?” Kaitlyn looked up at her.

“Surely you felt it before all the bad stuff,” Javorora said, “Most humans say the forest feels dangerous.”

“No, I thought it was beautiful as soon as we entered it,” Kaitlyn said, “It always felt… warm and inviting to me.”

“Huh,” Javorora tilted her head to the side. “I have never met a human who didn’t hate it before. I wonder if that means anything.”

Kaitlyn leaned back and said, “Yet more than I need to ask Master Garthis. It would be nice not to have to store up all my questions and be able to just ask him…”

“Sounds like you might like the idea?” Javorora suggested.

She didn’t respond immediately, and Javorora reached over and said, “I want to give you something important. Wait here a minute.”

Javorora walked to the wall of the tree and walked into it, simply merging into her tree. Kaitlyn sat and wondered if the bond between Javorora and her tree was anything like her own with the house.

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When Javorora reappeared, she had something in her little arms, slightly smaller than her own head. It was wrapped in leaves and she placed it in Kaitlyn’s hands.

“This is my newest daughter,” Javorora said. Kaitlyn gasped and looked down at the object in her hands. It wasn’t an infant, but more like a giant seed. Javorora had shown her this seed before hanging from the tree. Javorora smirked and said, “She isn’t ready yet, but when she is born, I’d like you to help plant her roots.”

“I don’t understand, I thought young dryads had to go and find their tree,” Kaitlyn said.

“Yes, and when she is born, I am hoping she can bond to a tree in your home,” Javorora said. “She will wait some time before she’s ready.”

“I… thank you,” Kaitlyn said, gently cradling the seed in her hands. “I’m honored.”

Javorora grinned and said, “I should hope so, I started growing her before you arrived.”

Kaitlyn could never prepare herself when Javorora explained the life cycle of dryads. Based on her face, Javorora giggled and said, “We don’t grow quickly, but we grow strong. When you reach your home, plant her in the soil and she’ll be ready to be born.”

Javorora wrapped her arms around Kaitlyn’s middle in a tight hug and said, “You are… you are the best thing I ever saw in this forest and I want…I want to know you’re the most loved.”

When she got back to her house, Kaitlyn put Javorora’s daughter in a basket in her own room. She couldn’t help it, she bundled the seed in a blanket and set it on the dresser where it would be safe. She wasn’t ready to look at the responsibility Javorora had trusted her with.

She went out to the sitting room and found just two dwarves sitting at a table. Zizila was already bringing them bread and ale. Kaitlyn took her book outside and sat with her back against the wall of the house while she read. This particular tome was on mana veins and how they interacted with the world.

Like water, mana behaved differently in different places. It didn’t follow the same logic of the land around it, so a mountain may be a desert or an ocean of mana. The book suggested that the movement of mana directly impacted where sentient creatures gathered, seeking out mana pools and power sources either consciously or unconsciously.

Dwarves, humans, and dragons all used magic but rarely felt a strong need to either seek out mana reserves. Some like dryads, satyrs, and gnomes depended on mana and magic, but only in small doses and as long as there was a reasonable ambient amount either wouldn’t or couldn’t go looking for more. Then there were some creatures like unicorns, minotaurs, and red caps which were highly sensitive to the movements of magic and clearly sought out high, rich veins of magic.

Kaitlyn brought out a small map Master Garthis had given her of the forest. When he gave her this book, he also gave her the map and said, “I want you to see if you can experiment to determine if the book’s author is right or not.” When he had told her this, she hadn’t understood. Now she looked at the map in her hand and considered what it would take to map out the mana of the forest.

It would be a challenge. Both because of her own curse and the forest itself. With Fapallo beside her, she generally wouldn’t be in danger. It wasn’t a guarantee of safety however. She would need to plan her expeditions carefully as well as learning to map the mana in an area with any degree of accuracy.

Fapallo entered just then, his muzzle slightly red with blood. He whistled, “Brought deer for dinner.”

“Thank you,” Kaitlyn said, closing her book and standing.

Cilvic and Titami were already chatting with the dwarves. Right now, the tavern was fairly quiet. Kaitlyn followed Fapallo into the kitchen. Fapallo had already drained the blood and offal from the deer. Zizila took one look and flicked out a knife.

“I’ll work on dinner if you want,” Kaitlyn said.

“No,” Zizila said, “I have a stew already started. I want you to study your magic.”

Kaitlyn stopped in her tracks and stared. Fapallo hung the deer on a hook and Zizila jumped up, holding onto the leg it hung from to begin skinning it, climbing up it. Kaitlyn watched her work, considering what she had read about magical creatures being impacted by mana veins.

“Zizila, can I ask you some questions while you work?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Sure,” Zizila said, flashing her knife expertly across the deer’s hide.

“I know you lived near Master Garthis’s house, and brownies are sensitive to magic,” Kaitlyn began, “would you say the magic around his house is less or more than here?”

Zizila didn’t respond immediately, but then she said, “It’s different. The magic here grows more sometimes, but then is less. It’s less right now.”

Kaitlyn sat up. She said, “Wait, you said it’s less now?”

“Yeah,” Zizila said, “A few days ago it dropped so bad Titami had a terrible headache. I’m not as sensative as she is. In more ways than one. Clivic doesn’t notice as much, but Titami uses it in her weaving and appearently she pushed too hard to keep going without realizing the magic levels had been dropping.”

Kaitlyn tapped her finger to her lips and considered it. She then asked, “How much does it change?”

“Quite a bit,” Zizila replied, “But it isn’t something we can plan for either, because it isn’t like the seasons where you expect winter to be cold and summer hot. It is more like thunderstorms which come and go.”

“I wish we could have a thunderstorm now,” Clivic grumbled behind Kaitlyn, “this drought is getting bad.”

“The ogres still don’t have anything?” Zizila asked.

“Not a thing,” Clivic said, “in fact some of them have apparently taken off, three families headed for the mountains to join one of the tribes.”

“It’s that bad?” Zizila asked.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to have bread much longer,” the male brownie said, “not unless we start growing our own grains.”

“Is it really that bad?” Kaitlyn asked.

“It hasn’t rained more ‘en an hour in two months,” Clivic said, “apparently the ogres are hauling water up to their farms to try to get any crop at all this year.”

“I noticed it hadn’t rained,” Kaitlyn muttered, “but I didn’t realize it was getting so bad.”

“We aren’t having the same problems because of the well,” Clivic said, “it hasn’t dropped at all, it must be part of an underground source.”

“Good,” Kaitlyn said, “but we’re running out of wheat, right?”

“Right,” Zizila said. “We can stretch it out a bit, but if we keep selling bread like we have it will run out.”

“What if we used potatos?” Kaitlyn said, “Lord knows we always have plenty of them and we can grow plenty more.”

Zizilia frowned and said, “How do we make it flour?”

“We don’t,” Kaitlyn said. “When it was just me, I’d boil them, and then smash them up and they make a…. a paste. Add a little of the goat milk and butter and it makes a very delicious… paste. I don’t have a better word for the texture of it.”

“I can try,” Zizila sounded doubtful.

“Would you like me to show you what I did?” Kaitlyn offered.

“Please,” Clivic said, “I remember when the ogre brought the goat and you added the milk…. it was delicious!”

Kaitlyn grinned as she set to work. With the brownies, she hadn’t needed to cook as often. As much as she appreciated everything they provided, she enjoyed the simple work of boiling potatoes and making it into a simple meal. Zizila continued to look very skeptical until the spoon of mashed potatoes entered her mouth. She then looked in surprise at the pair.

“It’s…. smooth,” Zizila said, “I might be able to work this into some dough. It’s worth a try.”