It’s #BookQW and ‘bliss’ is not our heroine’s feels.
More from Chapter 8:
Instead of dirt, a patch of water shimmered in the sunlight, fed by a silvery stream diverted from the nearby creek.
“Your pond seems to be there,” Beri said with a sigh.
“H-how?” But now Beri’s muddy clothing made sense. Did this break the rules?
Thinking furiously, Fern took off down the hill. Sir Humus’ rules stipulated that only she and Gran could do the planting. Eighty percent of new plants in any season had to be cultivated by them. The council forbade altering the landscape without prior approval. So what exactly had Beri—and Raven?—done?
Set out around the pond, just as she and Gran planned, were the wetland plants she’d grown and the few Gran had acquired elsewhere on the island. Drawing closer, she saw they weren’t planted—oh, thank goodness. Under each pot, the holes were dug, compost mixed in and extra heaped to the side of—she did a quick count—sixteen of them. An additional eight were lined up along the water’s edge to be planted in the pond.
Fern stopped among them, her heartbeats racing. The plants hadn’t been planted. The ditch was in the same place, but cleared. She rubbed a fist to her forehead. As long as they didn’t dig any new connections to the creek in the woods, we should be fine. She eyed Beri coming down the hill more slowly. He must know these rules, too, since he was apprenticed to Gran and Sir Humus. Preparing to plant didn’t count, did it?
Should she ask? Thank him? Or be blissfully ignorant?
Oh…to hell with it.
She strode to three bur marigolds, dropped to her knees and grabbed one. Beri came up behind her, but she didn’t look at him as she loosened the root ball, set the plant in the hole and scooped the loose soil around it with her bare hands. When she finished the three, he plopped down a bucket of water beside her. She watered them and began planting marsh St. John’s worts.
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And bliss is a sale, right? The Witch of the Meadows is part of Kobo’s Boxing Week sale and is .99 through 1/5/2021.
(Everywhere else, click here, but not on sale, sorry.)
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