I followed her back to the cottage, through the tangled vines and thick roots. When we returned, Erria sat Elawynn onto the bed again, tucking her in. Elawynn lay under the blankets for a few minutes until she seemed to sleep.
The bedroom door opened abruptly. Mimi poked her head out of the doorway, looking at Erria.
“The girl will need more medicine,” she muttered, “Erria, you remember what lightwort looks like, right?”
Erria nodded.
“Go collect it, won’t you?”
“Of course, Mimi,” Erria said and stood up.
The door to Mimi’s bedroom shut again and Erria headed past me, towards the exit. She paused in the doorway and turned her head towards me.
“You’re coming, aren’t you?” she said.
I muttered a ‘yes’ and hurried towards her as she made her way down the few stairs in front of the cottage. I caught up to her. She didn’t slow her pace as she headed further into the forest, this time in a completely different direction.
“Do you know what lightwort looks like, Taylaron?” she asked politely.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Look for a small plant with elongated leaves, almost like grass, but thicker. The leaves should have a yellow band surrounding the edges.”
My eyes traced the ground around us. There were plants with rounded leaves, plants with tiny intricate leaves, but no elongated leaves so far.
“What should I do if I find one?” I asked.
“Show it to me, and I’ll help you identify it. Just to check that it’s correct.”
“Okay,” I said, and continued scanning the surroundings.
If someone had asked me how common plants with elongated leaves were, I would have told them that they were quite common. So how come there was not a single plant that matched this description anywhere to be seen as we spent minutes walking through the forest? The only elongated leaves on display belonged to grass, and, well, Erria did say that the leaves need to be thicker than that of grass, so I didn’t bother her with my misidentification.
“So,” I started, “what sorts of medicines does Mimi make?”
“Mostly potions, that sort of thing.” She continued looking around, not making eye contact.
“Do you always have to find ingredients for her? I would’ve thought that it would be easier to just buy them from a pharmacy.”
“Yeah, some ingredients can be bought, but a lot can’t,” she answered, “Her medicines are a bit more, well, experimental. Not all of her ingredients are seen as legitimate components for a medicine.”
I nodded, shifting my concentration to the ground below again. Round leaves, oval leaves, round leaves again.
“Oh!” exclaimed Erria.
I turned my head and looked at her. She’d already changed directions, heading off to a sharp left.
“It’s here,” she said, “have a look.”
And there it was, a tuft of slender leaves sprouting from the centre. I inspected a leaf, trying to etch it into my memory for future reference. It had an almost ribbed appearance with many veins running parallel to each other straight to the tip. The edges were indeed yellow, but almost shimmered golden whenever a sunray would hit.
“Why is it called lightwort?” I asked.
Erria carefully plucked a leaf close to its base.
“Well,” she said, inspecting it, “once a year it is meant to produce a beautiful golden flower. It almost looks as if it is alight, if the sun hits it in the correct way.”
I tried to imagine it, a flower of the same colouring as the shimmery yellow edges on the leaves. I would have to see it someday.
Erria carefully held three blades of lightwort in her hand, running a finger along one of the leaves. She looked up at me, gave a nod and turned back into the direction from which we came.
“This is definitely lightwort. We have to bring it to Mimi now.”
There was no hesitation in Erria’s steps as we headed back to the cottage, no stumbling, no tripping over the roots. I almost struggled to keep up.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said, “why do you collect novel ingredients for the medicines instead of the trusted ones?”
Erria frowned. “We tried the trusted medicines already. For years. None of them worked.”
I didn’t say anything. A moment passed in silence.
“Mimi had been a doctor for longer than even our parents had been alive, so I trust that she has some expertise. We’re simply out of other options.”
“I understand,” I said.
I decided not to ask any further questions, so we walked back in silence. With this pace, it wasn’t long until we were back at the cottage.
Erria handed Mimi the tuft of leaves. Mimi nodded, smiling. It was a little strange, but I felt almost proud that we’d gotten it correct, that Mimi was satisfied with our foraging, even though I understood that I’d done none of it. I’d simply followed Erria and let her do the job.
Mimi started preparing something with the ingredient that we’d brought her, and this time I decided not to watch, just in case. All I managed to witness is Elawynn being given the cup of medicine with our evening meal. This time, she didn’t grimace as she drank. It must have tasted more palatable, and I was glad.
It wasn’t long before Erria tucked Elawynn back into bed again. It was too early for either of us to sleep, so we sat on the front porch. The sun had set. Stars shimmered through the gaps in the canopy above.
I held a hot mug of herbal tea in my hands, letting my body absorb the warmth. Erria took a sip from her own mug.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been asking too many questions,” I said, “but is it okay if I ask another one?”
“What is it?” said Erria, in a perfectly polite tone again.
“I was just wondering, and you don’t have to answer – but why are you not with your parents?”
Erria took another sip from her mug before replying.
“There’s nothing wrong with our parents, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Oh,” I said, “that’s good.”
I brought the warm liquid to my mouth again, multiple theories and possibilities flashing through my mind. It wasn’t right to guess. If she didn’t want to tell me, that was her choice.
“Actually,” begun Erria again, “we’re here because Elawynn begged to go to school. Our parents refused, but she refused to let me go alone harder. So, she came.”
I looked into the stars. I hadn’t been in school for a year now, and I did miss learning. At my age, I could self-study in libraries to curb that craving, but Elawynn wouldn’t have that same opportunity. Still, I couldn’t imagine going to school in that condition.
“And are you two not in school anymore, then?” I asked.
“We technically are,” said Erria, “we’d just been taking trips here to visit Mimi whenever her symptoms would flare up. When she feels better, we will come back.”
The forest was quiet except for the occasional flutter of bats. I kept my eyes glued to the stars.
“I hope Elawynn can go to school again soon,” I said.
