The Tea Sorcerer
The Meeting
Garfield Logan was not familiar with these parts of the woods, and that made him unquestionably nervous. He was happy and content in other parts of the forest, and had never once been lost. But these woods were different, and they didn't hold onto the conventional wisdoms that the newer trees entertained. No, here the trees were old and wild with age, as if they had been born from a more primeval time and strange things roamed the earth without fear from those pesky humans. It felt like the trees moved around him, turning to look as he stumbled down the path without real guidance or help. At one point he turned around and he could have sworn the trees snapped back into their places, as if pretending that they hadn't been watching him.
Another shadow fell over his head and he glanced up into the dark green canopy above him, trying to see what had made the disturbance. The sun was unable to breach all layers of the forest, and down on the path, light only came in sporadic hits when the wind blew the branches and a few rays of sunshine leaked in. He stopped in the middle of a twisted path and looked around, feeling a shiver of fear work its way down his spine.
Why in the world did he agree to come here?
A raven called out above him and he jumped, immediately moving to pull his scarf tighter around his neck and face. It was a knee-jerk reaction to hide behind the comfort of his aged clothes when something startled him; he had been conditioned to believe that his cursed appearance was usually the cause of fear and hatred.
"Metrion likes you."
The voice moved around him like smoke, curling through his senses until he was forced to turn around to confront the person behind him.
The voice belonged to - what he assumed was - a woman. She was rather short and a little hunched like an elderly lady as she moved down the path. Wrapped around her was a heavy-looking, blue velvet cloak that covered her face in shadows and was slightly stained and threadbare in certain spots. Her shadowed face turned to him, and although Garfield could not see her eyes, he knew they were burning into him with unspoken questions. He pulled his scarf tighter around his face, hoping she couldn't hear his frantically pounding heart.
"I'm good with animals," he stuttered, looking down at his feet as he shuffled. "They like me."
"Metrion likes no one." Her voice seemed more of a warning than a statement, but no threat had actually been made. She simply stood there, her hands holding onto a small, dripping package wrapped in brown paper.
The scent of raw meat filled Garfield's senses and he nearly gagged with disgust. A different raven called out above them, floating down to rest on the same branch as Metrion.
"Zinthos. Good morrow."
Zinthos called out again, turning its head to look at the package in the woman's hand.
"Yes, I brought you both a treat." She chuckled, and it sounded like broken bells trying to ring for a funeral dirge, sending another wave of shivers down Garfield's spine.
"I'm Garfield Logan." His introduction sounded jerky and awkward to his own ears, as if he didn't know how to fit it into the nonexistent conversation.
"I don't recall asking." She pushed past him on the path, the ravens followed behind her as she moved. Ah, those were her pets.
Garfield chased after her, suddenly panicked that he might lose the only other soul he'd seen in a half day. This woman had to know where he could find what he was looking for; she obviously lived around here. "I'm looking for the tea sorcerer, I'm told she lives here in these woods."
"You are correctly informed in that aspect, Garfield Logan." She came to a dead stop in the middle of he path and whipped around to face him. Her hood never moved from her head, but her cloak spun out around her like the deepest blue ripples in a lake at midnight. It was a fascinating movement and it sent his head reeling in surprise.
"I… I need to find her." He stumbled over his words as she continued to stare at him, gaze unrelenting.
"Whatever for?" The woman seemed almost genuinely curious, her lips pursing slightly. Above her the ravens stared down at him, tilting their heads this way and that, as if trying to listen to the conversation. "She rarely helps those that ask for it."
"I have to try." He felt something bitter and sour bubble up into his chest before he could stop it, and tears pricked his eyes in response. It had been an unexpectedly arduous journey into these woods, and he couldn't return to Tara without something to show for it. At least some kind of hope for her. "I… I don't want my friend to die."
"People die everyday." She turned back around, walking down the path with more conviction in her step. It was like she was trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. "It is a fact of life that people will die, and trying to stop the course of nature is nigh impossible."
"She's my friend." His plea sounded weak to his own ears as he stumbled down the small path.
He stared down at her feet in confusion. The stranger's steps were sure and even on the ground, even though it pitched and rolled underneath her feet. She seemed to know precisely where to step and be safe, as if she had walked this way many times before.
"Friends die, Garfield Logan." She took a sharp right turn, leading them off the path and through thick underbrush.
Garfield followed her, not entirely sure why but knowing that something about her was important. He pushed through the thick plants that seemed to swarm his legs and feet, desperation sinking into his stomach. He had tried everything he could to save her, this was his last hope. "I won't sit by and do nothing! I refuse to! I will dowhatever it takes to save her. I need to find the tea sorcerer."
The woman paused and looked over her shoulder at him, face still hidden in shadows. Above her Metrion and Zinthos called out, their cries ominous in the darkness of the forest. Garfield swallowed hard and took a step back, but the strange woman immediately filled that space with her body. A long stretch of silence slid by like a python ready to strike.
"Well, then…" Her voice was a bit softer now, and not so cold. "I suppose you've come to the right place, Garfield Logan." She pushed her hood down, revealing a rather attractive face set with dark eyes and framed with blue-black hair. "My name is Raven, and I am the tea sorcerer."