Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“Why didn’t you call me? Fenja trained me, Gesina. I might not be the best, but I’m better than nothing.”
For some reason, that made Gesina smile. She gave a little shake of her head. “You’re every bit as good as Fenja, but you’re worse when it comes to taking compensation.”
Silke’s heart quickened. “I charge too much? You never said anything to me, Gesina. I would have been happy to take less.”
“You do an exchange just as Fenja does, for our products, but you have them delivered to various homes—not yours. You never actually receive payment.”
“Is that what you think?” Silke frowned at her. “Those families really need help at times, Gesina. I don’t can the way you do. You have fresh vegetables all year round. Food is the most important, sometimes more important than money. If either one of us gave them money, they’d pay other bills and go without eating. Times have been very hard for a few of the older villagers. I appreciate your always giving me fresh vegetables and canned food because so many need it.”
“I had no idea,” Gesina said. “We often have too many vegetables for us to eat. I would be happy to help. But that still doesn’t give you compensation for your work. You have bills like everyone else.”
“Fenja and I do fine. Come to the house this evening around seven. The tour should be over, and you and Milan will have eaten. If you prefer, I could drop by your house.” She made the offer, but she didn’t want to go out to their farm. It wasn’t a long distance away, but she needed to consult with Tora about how best to try to remove the demon from Raik. That problem needed to be resolved before they could bring him out of his induced sleep. She worried the demon would find a way to do more damage to Raik if they didn’t get the creature out of him quickly.
The problem was enormous. She was certain the serpent had been designed to continue evolving. She didn’t know if the original was the only one made that way or if its offspring would have the same traits. It hadn’t seemed like they did, but they were extremely young. It could be that they also evolved the longer they were alive.
“Milan and I will come to your house,” Gesina said. “Thank you for agreeing to do the tour. One of the things the head of the group especially asked about was the medicinal plants. Your garden contains the most of any of our gardens.”
A small frisson of awareness crept down her spine. A faint alarm fluttered in her belly. “This tour group specifically asked about medicinal plants?”
“They’re very interested in all the types of plants in this area,” Gesina confirmed. “Even poisonous plants. I told them we had a couple of experts who could talk to them.”
“Not me.” Silke was firm.
Gesina laughed. “I knew you’d say ‘absolutely not’ so I didn’t mention you. I know your dislike of lecturing. I wouldn’t do that to you. And you’re the busiest person I know. I asked both Ethel and Bart Terpstra to give the lecture to them. They love talking about local plants.”
Silke couldn’t help the feeling of relief. Ethel and Bart were great friends of Fenja. Silke had known them all her life. They could gossip with the best of them, but never about anything important. They kept private lives private. Bart was on the council of elders. He was one who firmly believed the villagers should always be prepared to protect themselves against Lilith. They believed that the stories handed down from generation to generation were more than just stories.
If anyone questioned them about Silke or Fenja, they would politely stonewall them. In fact, they would be very suspicious of anyone asking questions about the two healers. No one ever mentioned Tora to outsiders. If tourists caught a glimpse of her at night, they thought she was an outsider, a tourist wandering through the ancient town. She would quickly disappear and fade from their memories.
“Thanks for keeping me out of it,” Silke said. “And you’re right, Ethel and Bart love talking about the local flowers, plants and trees.”
“They have so much knowledge to share,” Gesina said. She laid her palm over her womb, where her baby was hopefully growing and healthy. “I try to talk to them a couple of times a week. I learn so much. Milan has a good relationship with Bart. They go fishing together at times. I usually take Ethel to lunch. I really enjoy her company.”
Milan came from a large family. His parents were still alive and thriving. He had a brother and sister and several cousins. Gesina, like Silke, had lost her mother early. Her father had died when she was seventeen. She had no grandparents. Milan’s family loved her and accepted her with open arms. Silke could hear the note of longing in her voice. She would have liked to have had grandparents, family on her side to share her child with.