Page 25 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
CHAPTER 11
I Loved the Tea in Valaria
Gerda
The sun rose early, butIdid not.
I wasusuallya morning person. My day started by enjoying a nice long bath with the sunrise, after which I’d make breakfast and a cup of tea. Then, I’d pop out to a few bridges before coming in for lunch. My [Oracle] abilities were brutal and taxing, soifI checked in on anyone, it was after noon. That way, I could have an hour-long nap to recover from the headache.
I spent my days defending bridges, exploring the Dark Enchanted Forest for loot, looking for more bridges, or just relaxing at home. After dinner, I’d turn in for the night and read a few chapters of my book before going to sleep early.
Yesterday, I hadnotgone to sleep early. Instead, I’d stayed up for hours replaying my meeting with Julian over and over again in my mind.
Now, it was roughly the time I wassupposedto be meeting Henrietta and Brownie for breakfast, so I rolled out of bed and threw on a sundress before heading down. I tied back my braids while I was in the elevator and promised myself that I would properly wash and rebraid my hair before the Masquerade.
“Gerda!” Lady Amaryllis, Saintess of Lithnilheim, was sitting at the table with a cup of mint tea and a buttered huckleberry scone. Lithnilheim was the name of the spirit of the Dark Enchanted Forest ruled by King Keith and Queen Henrietta, and shortened to Nilheim by everyone but the Hollow elves.
The elves had lived in the forest for as long as the forest had existed. They barely acknowledged the Dark Lord and mostly stuck to their city. The fact that Lady Amy was hereat allwas nothing short of a miracle—one brought about by the black grimalcat sitting on the elf’s lap.
“Good morning.” Slake Drakeford, Adventurer Extraordinaire and legendary grimalcat, blinked at me slowly. He was black all over, from his tiny beanie catpaws to his bat wings, with the exception of two green horns on his head and matching green eyes.
“It’s good to see you both.” I smiled warmly at the pair. Amy was as green as I was, but her hair was brown and done up in intricate elven braids as befitting her station. Both of our ears were long and pointed, though hers pointed outward while mine hugged closer to my hair.
“I’m sure it is,” Slake replied. He hopped down and wandered toward the door. When he arrived at the entrance, he sat just out of sight for anyone coming inside and waited.
I wasn’t one to bother a grimalcat—they had a habit of swift and brutal vengeance to all who annoyed them—so I nodded politely and turned back to Lady Amy. “What are your plans for the day?”
“I haveno idea,” she said excitedly. “I thought I was going to be trapped in the palace all week waiting for the Continental Council, but they had an emergency meeting yesterday and decided to slip me in too, so now I’m free for the rest of the festival!”
“What was the verdict?” I asked.
I’d been there when the molten ash vane poisoner from the Hollow had been caught red-handed, a young girl who’d just taken over the business from her grandmother and had had no idea she was breaking international law by making banned poisons that melted people from the inside out. The recipe had been in her family’s notebook, so she’d happily made and added it to her regular shipments.
The other countries weren’t like the Dark Enchanted Forest. WhereIlived, if I needed an invisibility potion, I could just stumble around the woods until I came upon a Juliper flower or an old woman handing out quests with an invisibility potion as the reward.
For the rest of the continent, black-market dealers received batches of potions and poisons—illegal or otherwise—and handled their sale and distribution.
“Slake spoke on Mia’s behalf, and as soon as they found out she wasn’t working with the Blackfog spies, the council pretty much lost interest.” Amy forked off a piece of her scone and ate it, humming happily. “King Keith is dealing with the aftermath, and I’ll be visiting the Black Fortress when this is all done to talk about reparations.”
I shuddered almost imperceptibly, remembering the last timeI’dbeen summoned to the Black Fortress. My discomfort must’ve shown on my face, because Amy eyed me nervously.
“What?” she asked.
“It’s nothing.” I waved off her concern. “Just remembering the time I got audited … twice.”
Lady Amy nodded knowingly. “Because of your bridges?”
“Because of my bridges.” I put a few pieces of flying pork bacon and a cheese roll on a plate, then poured myself a cup of black tea with a splash of milk. Joining her at the table, I took a sip of tea first, relishing in the hot beverage. It was an earthy blend, with slightly oversteeped leaves. There was a nice hint of citrus in the brew as well.
A standard Pixie Prim blend.
Unlike where I came from, there were a lot more varieties of tea here. Of course, they weren’t distinguished by Ceylon or Assam or Darjeeling or Keemun, like the flavors I was used to back home. The tea here was unique to the region it was grown in. I missed a nice orange pekoe, but this was a close substitute.
Ilovedthe tea in Valaria.
There were still the same harvesting times; the first flush of the season happened in March and April, the second in May to June, the third in July to August, and the last in September to October. A few magical variants bloomed only once, over the winter, in a fifth flush. Winter tea was delicious, though it quickly lost its potency after the frosts melted, and any serious tea lover would have to wait until the snow fell again to drink it.
Behind me, I could hear Rufus and Brownie coming down the hallway. They were busy planning their day. “I think you’re right and we can slip away for the tourney,” Rufus spoke, appearing in the doorway. “When is your cousin competing?”
