Mageling: A Slice of Life Progression Fantasy (Millennial Mage Book 1) by J. L. Mullins

Author:J. L. Mullins [Mullins, J. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0BX4KLJPZ
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter: 21

Berries and Jerky

When lunch was ready, Tala was very excited. Research, as it turned out, was exhausting work.

She tucked her borrowed book, along with her own notebook, into her satchel, made sure her hat was secure, and went to meet the chuckwagon worker on his way to her.

It was Brand.

“Hello, Brand. How is the day treating you?”

He smiled hesitantly. “Well, Mistress.” He offered her the cloth-wrapped pasty.

“Anything special in today’s meal?” She could already see the power flickering within the meat, inside the pasty.

He started to shake his head, then stopped, sighed, and nodded. He glanced around, ensuring that no one was within easy listening distance. “Another portion of the blade-wing, Mistress. The remainder is being made into jerky.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh? Would it be reasonable for me to ask for some?”

He looked mildly uncomfortable, even as he fell into step beside her. “We do try to keep it for the guards as its benefits to them are more…” He cleared his throat, then continued in a rush. “They need the help more than Mages generally do.”

She nodded. “That’s fair, I suppose. If you have any extra or are willing to part with some, let me know. Yeah?”

Brand stopped walking, and Tala came to a stop herself, a step or two later. They’d been walking off to one side, so their lack of movement didn’t affect anyone else’s progress forward.

Tala turned back towards him, head tilted in question. “Brand?”

“You… You aren’t going to demand any?” He seemed completely unsure of himself, once again.

“Why would I do that?”

He began walking again, and Tala fell into step once he caught up.

They walked in silence for long enough that Tala decided to begin eating her lunch.

It was delicious and filling. Coupled with the walk, it was exactly what she’d needed.

“This is great! Thank you, Brand.”

He nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything.

Finally, Tala decided to change the subject. “I want your thoughts on something.” She licked the remnants off her fingers. “Are arcanous berries usually safe to eat? I haven’t had a chance to hunt down that information in your book.”

Brand shrugged. “About as often as mundane berries. Though, truth be told, even most arcanous plants don’t spend any power on their berries.” He frowned. “Why? Did you find some?”

“Harvested, but yes.”

He was nodding. “Saw a bit of magic and snatched the berries? Might be interesting to see what you found.”

She grunted. “They’re from an ending tree.”

Brand turned to her, eyes wide and mouth open. “What?”

“They are from the ending tree we circumnavigated an hour or so ago.” She cocked her head to one side again. “Why?”

“You must be pulling my leg. Everyone knows about ending trees.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I know that in our ancient past they were used for creating fertilizers, disposing of waste, and… other things before we moved into the cities.”

He shook his head. “Haven’t you heard the stories of ancient warriors shrugging off blows in battles and taking on arcanous beasts barehanded?” He cocked an eyebrow at her, clearly referencing her own escapade.

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