Chapter 230: Choosing A Seed
Ashlynn and Amahle spent several hours with the old, worn book that described the covens of Ashlynn’s predecessors. The more she read, the more certain trends began to emerge.
"Oak seems like the most common choice," Ashlynn said as she leafed through her notes. Outside the window, insects droned with a high-pitched buzzing that made it hard to concentrate the way she was accustomed to in the quiet studies behind solid stone castle walls, but taking notes and keeping herself organized as they worked through the records helped her to stay on track even when the increasing heat and incessant droning conspired to sap her focus.
"Virtually every Mother of Trees has given birth to an Oak Witch at some point," Ashlynn said, looking at the tick marks she’d made on the page to note how often this particular tree had come up. "And it seems like those witches wield considerable strength."
"The Oak brings elements of physical might, resilience, endurance, protection, and other elements that make it an excellent source of strength for witches who will face grave trials and battle strong enemies," Amahle agreed. It also helped that no matter where a person was, there were different types of oak trees that were native to the area, making it a familiar tree to witches the world over.
"If I’d been the Mother of Trees, I might have considered Oak for Jacques," she added. After all, she’d chosen the Sandbox tree for Jacques because of his physical capabilities and intensity. The physical might and considerable toughness of the Oak tree would have suited him almost as well. In the end, however, she was the Mother of Thorns, not the Mother of Trees, and seeing how Jacques had grown along with the Sandbox Tree, she couldn’t help but feel that this was the best choice for the prickly witch from the Ancient Clan, even if she had been the Mother of Trees.
"But little sister," Amahle said, raising an eyebrow at Ashlynn as she sipped her tea. "While the Oak is strong and mighty, do you truly believe it’s a tree that suits little Heila? She’s not the sort who’s lookin’ for trouble to stand in the way of is she?"
"No, not at all," Ashlynn said, shaking her head. "I know that Heila wants to become someone who can protect me, but as far as I’m concerned, she doesn’t need to transform herself into a warrior to accomplish that."
"She’s a gentle person," Ashlynn said, looking out the window at the soft light filtering through the thick canopy and dense fog of the Briar. For a place that was filled with so many thorns, it had its softness as well and it was that softness that Ashlynn thought suited Heila best.
"She’s filled with care and concern for others. She, she’s been very good to me and I’ve come to rely on her quite a bit," she said with a bit of embarrassment. Heila had given her so much, yet it felt like she hadn’t done nearly enough to repay the horned woman’s kindness and dedication.
"You pulled aside the Black Locust," Amahle said, tapping a sheet of paper with one of her spider-like limbs, pulling Ashlynn’s focus back before her mind wandered too far. Over the past few hours, the older witch had come to appreciate Ashlynn’s methodical approach to things, as well as her persistence in working through the oppressive heat and humidity as the day dragged on.
While Ashlynn had been reading, she immediately rejected several possibilities, but whenever she encountered something that held the slightest chance of being a good fit, she pulled it aside to discuss it with her big sister. The pen in her hand moved with smooth, even strokes trained from many years under the supervision of her family’s tutors and her skills at organizing her thoughts and information showed as she prepared each idea to discuss with Amahle
Not all of Ashlynn’s ideas had been good ones, and Amahle found herself filling in gaps or contradicting assumptions as they went, but this was precisely why her little sister needed a teacher. Without guidance, there were too many places that she could wander astray.