Chapter 231: The Right Reasons
"That’s not why you pulled the Yew tree aside, is it?"
Amahle’s words hung in the hot humid air like a gentle admonition. Ashlynn’s explanation hadn’t been a lie but it hadn’t been a complete truth either and her ’older sister’s words made it clear that her omission hadn’t gone unnoticed.
"No," Ashlynn admitted, sighing as she looked at the page. "There was another reason as well. The Yew Witch receives blessings of longevity. I, I’m going to live for hundreds of years alongside Mistress Nyrielle," she said heavily. "If I grant Heila the power of the Yew tree, then she’ll be able to accompany me for much, much longer."
"It’s good when you’re honest with yourself," Amahle said, standing up from the table and moving across the room to retrieve a fresh pitcher of chilled mint tea and a tray of ginger and molasses cookies.
"Have a cookie, hun, you’ve been at this for longer than you think," she said gently. "The heat is taking a toll on you and it’s starting to show. Slow down, refresh yourself and then we can keep going."
"How long has it been?" Ashlynn asked, glancing out the large, mesh-screened window. Time seemed distant in the heart of the Briar. In the Vale of Mists, the fog might linger for much of the day and rain clouds frequently obscured the sky but there was a distinct sense of the day growing brighter and dimmer.
In the Briar, the fog combined with the dense tree canopy to keep the place in a near eternal twilight during daylight hours. Lamps were lit even at mid-day and it was difficult to say how much time had passed since breakfast.
Once she sank her teeth into the moist, sweet, spiced cookie, however, she realized how empty her stomach felt. Clearly, they’d been at this longer than she realized. A second cookie quickly followed the first, along with more of the chilled mint tea before Ashlynn felt an ache she didn’t realize had begun to form behind her temples began to recede and the fog that had seeped into her mind started to clear.
"We’ll keep at this for another hour or two," Amahle said, taking a long drink of the chilled tea and adjusting herself on the seat next to Ashlynn until she felt comfortable. Despite her youthful appearance, there were limits to how long even she could sit in place at the table, pouring over tomes like she had returned to her days as an apprentice.