"I'll be back before our trip, don't worry. It's still a month before spring really gets here."

Leander darted in and gave her a firm hug, then stepped back in his "cultivators must journey out and face the world" pose. The others followed suit, each wishing her well. It was overkill. It's not like she was exploring somewhere no one lived. A week out, a few days there, a week back. All over good roads. Plus a few days of wiggle room if winter decided it wanted to make a last stand against the encroachment of spring.

And the Coven at Indell were their friends. Last fall a handful of the younger members had come to visit and learn from the sect. There was no need to get emotional about it. Even if it was one of the first times she'd be going out alone. Well, not alone. She was never alone with Flint. Her favorite lemur was wrapped in his winter coat and settled on top of her pack. It was lined with the softest, warmest wool she could find and had taken her all summer to make. Mrs. Rada had helped her get things just right. He hated winter, but also refused to let her go off without him. At least he let her give him some layers.

"Have everything?" Laurel asked when Rebecca got to the end of the line.

"Yup. Extra trail rations from Esther and the invitations and letters you have for the Coven."

"Good. Remember to have fun too, yeah?" She got a wink and then the sectmaster was off to the next task.

After one more round of goodbyes, she was finally able to hit the road. Her pack felt light. Or she'd gotten that much stronger since the first time she was forced to wear one. The staff in her hand hummed with mana as she cycled through it. After years of practice, she had upgraded from her training staff to one made from a branch she'd taken from a spiritual tree. It responded to her mana like it was part of her. Now, if she concentrated, a vine of wild-aspected mana would shoot out of the end towards whatever she was fighting. It wasn't the best technique but she was proud of it. Especially since it meant she was now able to make the trek to Indell alone, trusted that she could either avoid or fight off any spirit beasts she ran into.

By the time she'd hit the fields surrounding the city, she was moving at a comfortable jog, one she could keep up all day, and faster than her best speed as a mortal. The landscape she passed through was dreary, but Rebecca didn't mind. She could feel life all around, waiting to burst through once the heat and sun were enough to sustain it. The further she ran, the better she felt. A knot of tension that lived between her shoulders relaxed as the acrid scents of industry gave way to the crisp, untainted air.

It hadn't gotten better. The itch at the back of her mind when she was wandering the city, telling her it was not where she belonged, not anymore.

Laurel was convinced she'd find a way around it. The Sectmaster insisted it was a matter of balance, that if she found a way to connect to her mana within the city, then the discomfort would go away.

Nothing had worked so far. Gardening was fine, but it was too orderly, too cultivated. It was the opposite of the wild. It didn't help that she was bad at it. The second time she had let a plant die instead of try and baby it back to health, Mr. Mercer had very politely suggested it wasn't a good fit.

Meditating in the parks was fine, but the same problem came up. And there were always so many people around. How could she relax and connect with nature when everyone was rushing past, talking, laughing, trampling the ground in whatever game she was playing.

The other line of suggestions from Laurel and Martin had gotten more insistent when hanging out around plants didn't work. Life in a city was just as wild as out in nature, they both insisted. Survival and competition, triumph and tragedy, were all bound up in the same unending cycles she had first glimpsed in the jungle. They encouraged her to go out, wander the Flats and the ballrooms, and watch how the same stories played out in both at the same time.

She… hadn't really tried that yet. It felt grimy. Like something her father would do if he was planning to run a con. Besides, the rest of her cultivation was nature-based. The solution to her problems would be as well.

Most of the second day passed in a blur as she managed a moving meditation. With each step she breathed in the nature that was all around her. Those animals and plants that braved winter's wrath to defend their existence, and those that slept, in caves or within the earth, biding their time and ready to spring forth. Clouds covered the sky, leaving her in a world blanketed in gray. But any snow held off and her journey was unhindered.

The third day was boring enough she started daydreaming about movement techniques. Laurel could fly. Martin could do a weird thing where he moved the earth beneath him faster than he could move otherwise. And all she could do was run. They gave it a name, the travel slump, which both claimed was a long-standing problem amongst cultivators. You got strong enough that it wasn't worth it to ride in a carriage. But not strong enough to actually make travel easy.

Rebecca and her friends had discussed it at length and determined their sect officers had colluded to make it up as a motivation tactic. It wouldn't be the first time they withheld some information in order to inspire their students to discover answers themselves. So despite assurances that movement techniques beyond reinforcing their bodies were out of reach until the adept stage, everyone was trying to develop one anyway.

The only person with any luck was Leander, who'd managed to hover for a short moment. Though he confessed it was really more that he'd shoved so much air towards the ground at once that the blowback tossed him upwards. It was still something.

She stewed on the unfairness while she ran. Then even that got boring and she switched to talking to Flint for the afternoon. There was no denying anymore that he was smart. He could understand her, even if he couldn't talk back yet. He nestled in his spot on top of her pack, chattering in her ear while they ran.

At least the foothills and the mountain broke up the journey. It almost made up for the Coven being so hard to get to. Almost. She was sweaty and tired by the time she finally made it to the gates and stumbled into the compound an hour or so before sunset.

After a hearty dinner and conversation, she was led to a comfortable room, where she and Flint settled in to sleep, secure in the knowledge she would not have to spend the following day running.

********

Madam Valerie, the imposing woman in charge of the Coven while Sabrina finished her tenure as Guild Head, read the letter from Laurel without a strand of emotion showing on her face.

"A tournament. I see. Tell me young lady, why should we participate in such a thing? There is more to life than combat, as much as we have all been drawn into the violence these past years."

Rebecca was off kilter. She hadn't realized her job was to convince the Indell witches to participate, that was supposed to be a given.She was mostly just here to visit some friends.

"Umm, no combat is not the only thing. But it is important. Like you say, we all have to fight nowadays. So we should learn to do it well?" She trailed up at the end like it was a question.

"As good an answer as any." Madame Valerie finally cracked a smile, and it transformed her from a frightening matriarch into a lovable grandmother figure. "Enjoy the Coven my dear. I believe Louisa and Collette were planning to do some winter foraging, I'm sure they would love your company."

She was out of the building like a shot, only stopping to bundle up Flint and grab a bag to carry back anything they found. The twins were loitering at the entrance to the compound, and perked up when they heard her shout, waving her over. Both were bundled up in gray coats, making them difficult to tell apart. Only the long braid peeking out of Louisa's hood gave the necessary clue. After a round of hugs they set out.

"How have you been since our visit?" Colette asked.

"Same old same old."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Winter by the seaside. I imagine it's beautiful." Louisa sighed at her imagined vision of what it would be like.

"I guess. It's harder to get out, so the itching gets worse."

"Oh, I'm sorry Rebecca, I didn't even think."

"It's fine. My own problem. But hey, we had a beast wave where a giant bird came to attack."

Both of the other girls gasped before pressing her for details.

"Was it horrible?"

"Was everyone okay?"

"How did you drive it off?"

"We didn't. Laurel made friends with it. It's going to hang out on a mountaintop. Not too far from here, actually. It was kind of an anticlimax."

"Rebecca!" Colette exclaimed. "Don't say that. Or next time it will be worse."

Louisa nodded in agreement with her sister. "It's true. Tempting fate is worse for those that have opened their spirit."

Rebecca chose not to comment. She'd never found fate had a fair hand, whether she lived as a mortal or cultivator.

Colette led them down a narrow path, the snow packed down into hard-packed ice, from a winter of frequent use. She pulled out a bag of dirt and added to the layer that had been sprinkled by the last person through, giving their snow boots something to grip onto.

Rebecca spread her senses throughout the pine forest surrounding them. Where she was hemmed in when walking around Verilia, out here, she could stretch farther than ever. Meters and meters on either side of the trail, she could feel the essence of the forest. And the mana.

Without deep mana flows of a City to draw from, Indell had been founded in an area with a higher concentration of magical plants. Generations of careful tending had turned the forest into a wonderland. Her breath misted in front of her face as she huffed in exasperation at yet another grove filled with useful plants. Vivid blue vines crawled their way up the trunks of the sheltering pines.

"Ice Trumpet vines," Louisa said.

"Ice for the mana, or because it's blue?"

The twins looked at each other, debating with each other. They claimed they couldn't tell what the other was thinking, but Rebecca had her reservations.

"Both?" Colette said.

The three giggled as they continued onward. They reached past the areas tended like gardens, and entered the truly wild forest. Each breath was a balm to her soul. Good friends, Flint on her shoulder, exploring somewhere she'd never been.

Almost five years now, since she'd started cultivating. Stringy and frightened, it was a last resort when she had nowhere else to turn. There had been no dream of greatness, no plan beyond survival. But if she could go back and give her teenage self the safety to think about what she wanted, it would have looked something like this.

They found a scattering of magical plants, and marked the locations on a map for the Coven to come back later or try and grow intentionally. She took only a few items for herself. Annette's lectures on appropriate guest etiquette had been very clear on the subject.

But the green bud in her hand was something she couldn't pass up. Rebecca didn't have any clue what it was, but it made her spirit sing in anticipation.

Their trip back to the compound was filled with the stories of the Coven and how they'd spent the winter.

"It was close. Mistress Beatrix is always so exacting before she lets anyone start with potions. And the new recipe, actually it's adapted from something we got from the sect you know? Anyway, the new recipe, it's an entirely new process. I didn't think she'd let me do it. But she did. Almost overboiled it twice, and the cooling went too fast.

"But did it work?" Rebecca was surprised at how enthralled she was at Colette's description. Her one and only time dabbling with alchemy had started as an attempt at a potion to soothe spiritual strain, and ended as a 'credible poison' according to Martin. Rebecca stuck to tea, now.

"It did! Mostly. The ingredients are obviously almost all different since we're not even on the same continent as whoever came up with it. But you could feel it as the mana dissolved and absorbed into muscles. I could have cracked a whole boulder in half, I swear."

"That's incredible. You should make some for the beast waves."

"That's the plan," Colette confided. "We already have an order in from the army. But we aren't sure how long they'll be shelf-stable so some of it has to be last minute."

Flint took that moment to jump off Rebecca's shoulder and scamper up the nearest tree.

"Flint? We're going back, come on."

Some chattering came back but no lemur. The three of them were left staring at each other, shifting from foot to foot to keep from getting too chilled. The branches were too thick to follow her spirit bond, so it was another shock when he dropped back down on her shoulders.

In his small hands, like a tiny version of her own, was clenched a pinecone. Entirely normal, except it looked to be made of solid bronze. Like a statue, with each scale picked out in perfect detail. Only most sculptors didn't leave their work hidden in the wilderness.

"What have you got there, little one?" Lousia leaned in and scanned the pinecone, prompting Rebecca and Colette to do the same.

"It's packed with mana, but it feels off somehow," Rebecca said.

"No, it's normal," Louisa said, her voice quiet as she nodded to herself. "That's how the seeds feel for the annuals."

"What is it then?"

"No idea," Louisa said. Her voice was so confident Rebecca almost mistook her response for an answer.

Flint leaned out, offering the pinecone to Louisa, who accepted with all due pomp.

"Thank you very much, little one. The Coven will treasure this."

Their find was the main event at dinner that evening. Of course Flint, as the discoverer, was the guest of honor; the pinecone on a little cushion up by Madame Valerie for everyone to admire. It was moved to a spot on the mantle in the Coven's great room, to wait for planting later that spring.

As the Coven clumped into smaller groups, a pang of homesickness shot through Rebecca. Her own sect would be in the same configuration right about now. Taking advantage of free time to play games, read, cultivate, or just exist amongst friends and family. Which was absurd. She'd been gone for a week, not a decade. She shook it off and went to play a game of sharks with the twins.

That evening was the best sleep she'd gotten in months. The rest of her visit passed in the same blur. She practiced potionmaking with the twins and their teacher, confirming she was 'entirely devoid of natural talent'. There were hikes and foraging trips, games and lessons, and one day spent shopping in the village at the base of the mountain. She was even asked to work with one of the newer members on her cultivation. Rebecca's pride had been shining through her face for everyone to see in the hours since.

For her final evening, the Coven treated her to a winter feast. Roasted venison, potatoes cooked in rendered duck fat, and vegetables a small preserving chest had kept in the peak of freshness. All serve with a rich red wine giving the whole evening a cozy glow. Even Flint was treated to the celebration, with fruit, kept sweet and fresh by the same simple magic.

Rebecca was sat right by Madame Valerie and the twins, as another gesture of respect. Annette would be proud when she told her all about it.

"We're so glad you could come visit us, dear." Valerie said.

"Yes!" Louisa was enjoying the wine more than the rest of them. "It's been the best! You have such a good feel for the forest."

"Yeah, I'm glad I got a chance. I have some other stuff planned I have to be back for, or I'd stay longer."

"About that. Girls, it looks like everyone's finished, why don't you herd everyone to cleanup and head towards the other room."

Both of her friends beamed and leaned in for tight hugs.

"Take your time and really think about it," Colette whispered into her ear.

Then they followed instructions and got everyone moving. Plates were cleared away and those on dish duty filed into the kitchen, while everyone else went to join their free time.

"Now then, let's talk."

"About what?" She was still staring at the carved wooden doorframe leading to the great room, trying to figure out what exactly Colette had been talking about.

"Your future, dear."

"My future?" she squeaked.

"Yes. Oh sit up child, I'm not going to eat you."

Rebecca realized she had been hunching over and followed instructions. She shook out her shoulders and took a large gulp of wine. "Right, of course, please continue."

"You fit."

"I fit? I fit what?"

"Here in Indell, it's clear you just fit. The Coven likes you, the forest likes you. And you like it, that much is clear. Even your companion, for all he's from a world away, has carved himself a space here."

"I don't understand."

"No, it's clear you don't. I hope whoever taught you not to value yourself is out of your life."

"They are. Everything about my life is better these days. But I still don't understand. I mean I agree, the visit has been great. Especially meeting the rest of the Coven members."

As if to prove her point, shrieks of laughter filled the adjoining room. A pillow came flying through the door, with one of the youngest members– Jorell or Jolene or something like that— following to snatch it up and dart back inside.

"How would you feel about making things more permanent?"

"But I live in Verilia."

Valerie sighed. "How much of that wine have you had, child? I'll make this as clear as I can. I'm offering you a place here, if you would like to join the Coven as a member. You have the talent, and you have the temperament."

"But I'm part of the Eternal Archive. I, I can't just leave."

The normally stony expression on Madame Valerie's face softened at her words. Everything was spinning. Live here? Leave the sect? She couldn't. Could she? It was all too much.

"I – I – I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to decide right now, dear. But think about it. You are uncomfortable in Verilia. The nature there has long been tamed."

On that ominous note, Valerie left, not into the crowd of the rest of the Coven but down the hall to her office. Her absence served as some sort of signal, because the twins burst back into the room and over to where Rebecca was sitting, stunned.

"So? I wanted her to let us be the ones to talk to you, but she wouldn't let us. Amazing, right?" Colette was barely breathing between each sentence.

"It's flattering," Rebecca said.

"Promise me you'll consider it. You've been so happy the last few days."

"I will." If there was anything she could promise it was that. She suspected she would be doing very little else over the next few days.

The run back to the sect was, in a word, frustrating. Her friends were trying to be kind, and there was a nugget of truth in their reasoning. She didn't like Verilia. Even if it didn't hold some bad memories, being around so much civilization was uncomfortable. The further her cultivation progressed along the road to adept, the more pronounced the effect was. It was the site of her worst memories, and some of her best as well. Where she'd learned magic, where she'd made friends and learned about how much of the world was open to her.

Every step down the slush-covered road she went back and forth. Ducking under branches and over every hill, it was like she was splitting down the middle. Life at the Coven would be easy. But was an easy life what she was after? Did anyone start cultivating who was looking for something simple?

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