Chapter 32

**Merianna**

"Neliaaaa!" I yelled at the top of my lungs within the garden structure behind the castle. 

Said structure was at the far side of the normal herb garden that slinked around the back of the castle, where an ancient Sylvan tree stood proudly, with a wooden house-like building wrapped around it. Noch so affectionately called the structure, the plant house, Nelia and the Ga's in turn have lovingly called it the Green Tree House. Green tree house indeed...

Every possible nook and cranny of the big wood and glass structure was filled to the brim with overflowing amounts of greenery, flowering plants, snapping plants, purple plants, blue plants, red plants, plants that follow your movements like you were a snack... and much more.

The structure was about the size of the Order's Library and had about three floors that spanned from the ground around the tree up to where it's branches flared out to leaf bearing twigs. The floors themselves were constructed from Sylvan wood to ensure longetivity. There were two main areas within the structure where someone could mount the spiralling wooden steps to continue to the upper floors.

The upper floors did not completely close off at each wall as a normal ceiling would. What made this structure uniquely beautiful to me, was that the ceiling sections of each floor, didn't connect all the way around to the surrounding walls. There were numerous sections where you could either stand at the bottom and look straight up or look down from the top and be able to see either end. which allowed hanging room for some of the rarer medicinal vines and some of the taller tree-type herbs. Which was also how I was able to spot Nelia's head popping over the second floor's railing to peer down at me.

"Meri!" She greeted with a happy wave.

"Guess what!" I yelled back up at her.

"What?!" She yelled back.

I pulled out the parchment and waved it around above my head. "I have my first Bounty!"

Nelia squealed, and before I knew it her head disappeared and pattering footsteps came rushing down the stairs in my direction. I laughed when she tackled me and started jumping in excitement.

"Your first bounty! I'm so happy for you! This is so exciting!" She rambled on.

It was always fun to tell Nelia about these interesting and exciting kinds of things. She never failed to disappoint in the excitement department.

"I need your help before I go on the bounty tomorrow morning." I wheezed out.

She stopped jiggling and held me firmly at arm's length as she looked me in the eyes. "What do you need help with?" She asked seriously.

I smiled at her sudden change of attitude.

Holding up the parchment for her to see I explained. "The bounty is to gather this particular rare herb. I have no idea what it looks like or in which areas it grows. Noch is going to send me directly to an area where it grows in abundance apparently." I said pointing to the name of the herb on the parchment.

She took the parchment from my hands, turned on her heel and in one fluid movement started walking away from me. I stared dumbly after her for a second before suddenly realising what she was doing and ran after her quick footsteps.

"What does this herb do anyway?" I asked her as she continued to scan the parchment with her free hand on the tip of her chin as she thought deeply.

Without missing a beat or her footing, she weaved down small cluttered pathways without lifting her head once. "The Ladsney is a very handy plant to have around actually. It can be used for many things. Everything from strengthening potions and summoning various creatures to encouraging rapid healing. We mostly use it for the Spells and Healing bit of course. We often find Arasule trying to pilfer some of our plants here for her potions. The Ga's always catch her though." Nelia said with a slightly evil sounding giggle.

I gave her a sideways look and raised my eyebrows. "Nelia, I never thought you to be sadistic."

Her head snapped up to me. Then she looked forward with a frown as if trying to find within herself what I was just pointing out now. Her eyes widened and she turned back to me. "Oh my... Is it sadistic for me to wish that I can see the Ga's take out their righteous retribution on Arasule every time they catch her in here?"

I cringed slightly and put my thumb and forefinger a slight distance away from each other. "Just a little." I confirmed.

She gasped and started turning crimson from her neck up to her face.

I patted her lightly on the back in reasurance. "Don't worry sister mine. Your sadistic secret is safe with me." I said with a leering grin.

She gave me a withering look and I just started laughing. "What?! We are twins after all!"

"Strangely enough with you being the older one by a few minutes." She grumbled, but smiled none the less.

"I think it might have been because I shoved you out of my way during birth. You were too gentle and docile even before we came out of the womb." I teased.

"So that is why I always feel like I have a headache whenever I am around you!"

There was a small silence after that. "I have no reply to that."

Nelia smiled victoriously and we laughed.

"Here it is!" She said with a smile as she bent down to a strange looking grey plant with fat round leaves and vibrant red flowers that looked small and delicate.

"So which parts of the plant am I supposed to harvest?" I asked as I hunkered down and studied it closely. It was so strange looking that I doubted I would be able to miss it in the forests. Come to think of it, it looked like it could spout a ghust of poison powder in my face if I got too close.

"All of the parts above the ground can be used in one way or another. The roots are mostly poisonous." She checked the parchment that was still clutched in her hand. "And it's not listed here so you only have to focus on the leaves and flowers."

She handed me the parchment back and unexpectedly shoved her finger into my face. "Do not pick apart the entire plant!" She said vehemently. "Only take a few leaves and flowers from one and then move on to the next. Don't become a plant murderer. Especially with the rare ones!" She said tapping said finger that was still in my face to my nose.

It was something that our father used to do when he was trying to teach us which plants were for what. I always messed up of course because my interests were always somewhere else.

"Yes, yes. I'll make sure to keep the plant alive. Have no fear." I muttered as I waved her off.

She made a noise in the back of her throat that conveyed that she doubted my statement. Then she handed me a burlap bag that had a faint buzz of energy coming off from it. I raised my eyebrow at her as I held it in my hands.

"It will keep the herbs fresh until you can get them to the customer." She declared with a smile.

I raised an eyebrow. "That's surprisingly handy." I commented with surprise. Then I noticed the energy that came off of it as I felt out the spells. "Don't tell me..." I looked at my sister's smiling face, "That this was made by Noch."

"Well... yes, it was." She said haltingly. "I know how you feel about Noch! Don't throw that bag away just because of that! That's my only one and it's VERY handy! I wouldn't want to have to go and beg him for another one!" She blabbed in a rush.

"Please don't let the bag get ripped or lost!" She practically begged. I blinked at her in surprise.

"W-why?" I asked faintly. Still in too much shock at her vehemence to properly process sentences.

She paled. "He asks for the most outrageous tasks in payment. You know I'm not a very strong person, nor very violent. I can't defend myself to save my life! I'm a healer! The things he asks for in return... Meri!" She said my name with vehemence. "Don't. Lose. The bag."

At this stage, I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to know what Noch had made my poor sister live through in order for him to make this bag for her. Frankly, I wasn't even surprised about Nelia's conviction. Noch could be a bloody sadistic demon of a monster himself when he wanted to be.

"Okay, I won't. I promise." I said cautiously. I was half afraid that she was going to attack me if I didn't promise.

She relaxed but kept her sharp gaze on me. "You better keep to that promise!"

"I will! I will!"

"Good!" She smiled. "Just be careful when you go looking for the herb though. They tend to grow mostly in places with bad energy."

"Really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded vigorously. "And you know what usually tends to pop up in places with bad energy. Don't let anything get the better of you!"

"I won't go unarmed then." I declared with a salute.