Wraithwood Botanist

I spent about twenty minutes with my parents, but by that point, I had to stop because thousands of harvesters had stacked up, waiting for me to speak, preparing to take my rules seriously this year.

I planned to address them—I just wish that I had my wings to do it.

Kira had taken the form of a tree right outside of the Bramble a couple of miles away. Anyone who saw her wouldn't dare to get close. The Bramble wasn't a joke, and no one got near it, opting to move at least a quarter mile north before moving east or west. My secret was safe—

—but it left me wingless.

I was salty about it, to say the least.

Regardless, I jumped onto one of the torok ribs to address the crowd. It seemed daunting to address a mile-long line of harvesters, but a glowing green sigil appeared in front of my face, and when I eeked in surprise, the sound carried for a mile. I cupped my mouth, and the harvesters roiled with laughter.

I blushed and then spoke to the best of my ability.

"Ummm…. I'm not good at speaking, so I'll keep this brief. Last year, I wrote some basic rules on a board. Thou shalt not murder, rape, raze, or pillage and all that. They're pretty common sense, so I didn't care if people read them. This year, it doesn't matter either. Be decent. Don't steal or scheme or hurt each other, and you best not sling around fire magic unless you can put it out. Pretty simple, yeah?"

No one answered me, but there were enough nervous shifts and whispers to convince me they got it.

"Good. 'Cause if you don't follow the rules, Kline will collect. And if you didn't notice him beside me, you're screwed."

Kline materialized in his panther form on another torok rib, causing an instant panic. Many had searched for him with Mana and Soul Sight but failed. It was a damning reminder that—at some point—upper-level active camouflage was genuinely invisible to weaker opponents.

"And a word to anyone planning to hunt my little warrior," I said. "You better be a troop of legacies because he was the one that killed…" I pointed down. "These peak thirds. So unless you can kill… that, you're just gonna be reward food. And that's welcome. 'Cause he could always use another diamond."

The legacies smirked; the others looked away. It was awkward.

"That's all. Now, unless you're trading or got a permit, get the hell out of the Mouth. You're taking up my family time."

With those words, Kline's body disappeared, and the harvesters nervously filed into the forest with him.

As I waited for them to pass, Reasan approached me. I knew it was him immediately. The man was like Hadrian and Kalas, someone who was dripping with magical pressure, but he also walked like a king, causing the crowd to separate naturally to let him through.

"You Reasan?" I asked.

"I am," he said dryly.

I smiled wryly at his disapproving tone that indicated I was rude.

"Forgive my lack of etiquette," I said. "I haven't spent five minutes in the civilized world. And I'm kind of a wild child anyway. So let's just… talk. Is that okay?"

This seemed to satisfy him because he nudged his head, and workers riding flat, long-tusked creatures unloaded chests and placed them before me. Once opened, they exposed a small ward, a black cloak, a chest with stacks of array tiles, and a bundle of what I could only guess was portable furniture.

Then he nudged his head and I saw palettes of magical building supplies, proving that the only thing that Heath and Roe Enterprises could get me were alchemic staples and spices.

It was a power flex.

"I'm here today to apologize on behalf of my son," Reasan said. He nudged his head again, and my heart stopped cold. Kal was standing there, hidden behind two guards. I slightly panicked but calmed when I realized the teen wasn't blinking. He was a vegetable, as I was already informed—an eejit farm worker from the House of the Scorpion.

"We're a business family," Reasan continued as he gazed upon his son. "While we, like all legacies, are known for our ruthlessness, we do so for business purposes only. There is no place in our family for sadism, so the reports of my son's behavior have shocked me."

"Are you seriously saying you didn't know?" Surprised as I was, I couldn't help but scoff at the bold claim—but he didn't back down.

"Correct. I haven't heard from my son in years."

My eyes widened.

"I understand your world's culture is different from ours," he said, "and legacy culture is more distinct still. In our culture, the heads do not see or support our children until their deeds capture our attention."

"Why not?"

"Because if they cannot become great with the family's name and resources alone…" He narrowed his eyes on his son. "They're useless."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The difference between our cultures was too stark. It felt cruel and it didn't surprise me that Kal ended up so twisted, but at the same time, Felio was one of these people.

I glanced at Brexton and Hadrian as well, watching them engage with others.

"What about them?" I asked. "Do they know their parents?"

"Of course," Reasan said. "Those two are true heirs—scions. Brexton has already succeeded his uncle, and Hadrian controls the Dante's enforcement division. Both have earned the blessing of their families' god."

I studied the two with newfound respect.

"By contrast…" Reasan's voice curled in disgust as he looked at his son. "My son did nothing to warrant my attention, let alone attract our god."

I frowned. "Then… Why did you spend your requests on him?"

"Because the gods are active," he answered. "Romulan, Alendrias—Elana. You three have the blessings of ninth and tenth evolution gods. The entire multiverse is watching, so we had to represent our god—but Kal… humiliated her instead. It's unforgivable."

I pursed my lips and took a deep breath. "Well… I believe you. As for… this…" I glanced at the goods. Then, I turned to Aiden, who was hugging Kael.

He caught sight of me and pointed to his chest.

I nodded.

"Oh," Aiden said. "Ummm… I have no idea what you just said, and I like it that way. But if you're asking if I still hate business and love animals …." He gave me the thumbs up and led the lurvine away, clearly indicating that he stood near me to approve my business arrangement.

It was… interesting.

I watched him leave slowly, then turned back to Reasan. "Aiden hates the idea of breaking up his monopoly," I said sarcastically.

Reasan's face stiffened.

"But this is about practicality," I said. "To be honest, I don't even care if you raised Kal to be a sadist. What I want is… a very light, conditional… reasonable soul pact that you won't fuck me over the first chance you get."

In an aggressive shift, his nervous face snapped into a hostile glare.

"Hey, this is your call," I said. "I have a nearly endless supply of high-quality resources that only I can get. If we patch this up, you'll be rich. If not, it'll be war. But… I'm not looking to get one over on you. This pact… it'll work both ways, and it'll contain safeguards and kill switches. It's not for business—I just want to make sure you're not going to harm me or the people I care about over some petty business shit. I don't think that's too much to ask."

Reasan's eyes drifted off in thought, and he said:

"Speak to your Oracle to word it in the way you desire and we will negotiate. I only deal in concretes."

"That's fair."

"Until then…" he said. His guards brought a tiny treasure chest to me. "Please accept this gift as a personal apology for my son's behavior."

They opened it, exposing an aquamarine necklace. My Guide instantly popped up with a text window.

-

Name: Pendant of Reflection

Grade: Diamond

Description: In a sign of absolute sincerity, Reasan Melhan has presented you with a timeless treasure from the upper domains that he should have given his useless son. The Pendant of Reflection is an enchanted stone that automatically releases a pressure barrier that blocks any projectile that moves toward you above a certain speed. It must be charged but can block spores and attacks up to Fifth Evolution if it has enough mana. This treasure was worn by Reasan for centuries, so you should probably be genuinely surprised and grateful. Unless, of course, you want to be a total bitch.

-

My eyes trembled, and when I looked up at Reasan, he sighed and nodded.

I swallowed and nodded back. "Thank you."

It seemed that was all he was searching for because before I could offer him anything in return, he left without saying goodbye, disappearing into the crowd as the guards offered it to me.

Brexton let out a long, sharp whistle once Reasan walked away.

"Got yourself a treasure from a head. Pretty much puts that into perspective. Anywho… I hope you like my gift, too." He stuffed his hands in his jacket's pockets and turned on his heel.

"What gift?" I called out.

"Oh, you'll see," he said strangely. "You seriously can't miss it."

I didn't know what he meant, and I didn't want to find out, but there was still a full harvest ahead, so I pushed it aside and waited for the crowd to thin. Then, I returned to our camp, which I had already set up before the harvesters arrived, and set to work dealing with family representatives.

It quickly got hectic.

I tried to have conversations with my parents, but the legacy and middle families were determined to be the first to bring me gifts and kiss ass. So I spent three hours stacking up gifts like Christmas presents and networking with people.

And I was grateful for it.

It kept my mind occupied, away from certain realities I wanted to avoid, like what my parents would think of their daughter killing large beasts and promising death to her enemies. But I couldn't avoid it forever.

"God. Seems our little girl's a businesswoman," Dad mused to my mother. "Careful what you wish for, right?"

"Doug!" She slapped his shoulder.

"Alright, alright…" he said playfully, covering his head. "She's a queen. I got it. Our princess became a queen. You don't have to make a big deal of it."

Mom's lips puckered into an involuntary smile, and Tyler frowned, folding his arms as he gazed at the loot pile, which included about twelve pallets, mostly containing the homebuilding and alchemic staples that Aiden brought me, but also weapons and tomes and history books and elixirs and all sorts of things I would have to research later.

"Certainly feels that way, doesn't it," Tyler said bitterly.

"Don't be jealous," Mom said. "It's an ugly trait."

"Yeah, but it's really hard not to be, isn't it?" He glanced at her and me and then the goods. "Besides, it's okay to feel proud and inferior at the same time, right?" He smiled ruefully, and I walked up behind him and hugged him around the stomach.

"Hey!" he yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you with me, obviously."

"The hell you will!" Mom interjected.

"Not this year…" I said, turning to her. "But next year… maybe?"

Mom was shocked that I was being serious, but Dad was different. He raised an eyebrow and lowered the other one like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, an impression he spent years perfecting for no reason at all. Then he looked into the forest and back, and I ended up giggling.

"Here?" he asked, making me giggle harder.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Yeah. It's pretty safe where I live. In fact… I was hoping to show it to you."

Mom's face paled, so I quickly said, "Of course you could say no! I just thought… Know what? Forget it. It was stupid to suggest it."

"Wait…" Dad said, lifting his hands. "You're being serious?" He looked into the forest. "I thought… isn't this forest like… deadly?"

"It is." I nodded and pulled off my backpack, reaching inside and grabbing a handful of multi-colored vials. "But I have cleansers, healers, boosters, anti-venoms… I'm like a drug dealer. And besides, look at my companions."

I patted Sina, who was lying behind me, silently protecting me from myself, I was sure. Then, I pointed at the other lurvine, who loomed in the distance like mythical ghosts, fur flickering orange by firelight as they pawed at… bunnies and dogs and cats and snakes and even an uncaged cockatiel. For the first time, I realized that Aiden brought his goddamn pets to Areswood Forest, and I was having trouble processing it.

"Well, there's that," Dad said strangely, not seeming to notice.

"Plus… not to brag," I said, "but I'm kinda strong." I flexed my bicep, which was actually surprisingly refined. Mom scoffed and laughed and covered her mouth, a weird combination that communicated the way her exasperation and nervousness clashed with her amusement and surprise.

"But seriously," I said as I turned to the torok skeletons. "I killed one of those things. Kline killed another. And that was only four months in. I'm pretty sure we could take anyone except Hadrian… Brexton and the big guns at this point. And the area I'm in is pretty safe."

Mom's conflicted face hardened a bit, and she said: "Mira."

I suppressed the knot in my throat. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure… you're okay?"

I smiled thinly and got up and set up some wood in a firepit, then struck my magnesium flint onto some dead leaves.

"I suppose that's relative, isn't it?" I asked softly. "If you ask these people, I'm doing great. If you ask the Oracle or the gods, I'm a prodigy. But if you're asking me if I'm… okay… by our world's standards… probably not? I'm not normal. Kline's actually out there killing offenders right now; that's not a bluff. And I don't feel much of anything about it, 'cause after a thousand things've tried to eat me… it just seems… necessary."

Mom shifted uncomfortably and sat beside the fire as the embers kindled and smoked.

"That said," I added. "I have a friend, and we like talking about plants. I go on hikes and… Oh, and I have a large bath that heats and cleans itself and an alchemy station with hundreds of places to store plants, and this year, I'm planting a garden. I think you'd love it. It's like staying in Breckenridge during the winter… well, without the skiing. You don't want to go outside. Oh, and I also have…"

I felt my chest starting to cool, warning me against getting carried away with what I said.

"Look… I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's actually really nice to live here now. And while my outlooks have changed, who I am hasn't. So yeah… I'm being dead serious when I say that I want Tyler to stay for a year. I wouldn't say that if I didn't think that I could protect him. And if you saw where I lived, you'd understand."

Mom took deep breaths, and Dad shrugged and shook his head and shoulders helplessly.

"Well… she's here, right?" he said to my mother. "Got her face all dolled up, and she's clean and uninjured. And Tyler…"

"I know…" Mom hissed. "But…" She nudged her head to the forest, where we periodically heard booms and cracks and saw rugged men walk in with mean mugs. "It's stupid. Everyone dies here except Mira. That's why she's famous. It's bad enough she's living here. But…" She glanced at me and away. "I just… care, okay? I can't bear to lose them."

I sat down and hugged her, and she hugged me back as she wept slightly.

Doug turned to me. "We got the Dantes, right? They can go?"

"Well, they have to if you do," I said. "But they have to sign a soul pact. 'Cause I don't want people ransacking my home next harvest. But they already know about it, and it's actually in their favor. So… yeah. I think so."

He looked at Mom. "Then shouldn't we? Just to… check out where our daughter's living?"

Tyler walked up with eager eyes, pressuring her with a steely eagle glare, and Dad sighed and shrugged.

She swallowed back tears and nodded. "Okay."

I sighed a great breath of relief. Kline and I had split harvest duties. He was the protector while I handled the business and relationships, which I would solidify the next day, and to bring people back to our camp. I was just glad I was upholding my end of the promise.

If only Felio would come, too, it would be perfect.