Chapter 1

Katie

One thing that never changed no matter the season was how beautiful the farmlands were. I breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the crisp smell of winter. There was something wonderful about the way the frozen grass scrunched under my boots or how I could pretend I was smoking a pipe by blowing out air. Not that I'd ever tried it, but it had been one of the games we played as children in an attempt to imitate the old men who sat and played dominoes outside the taverns in summer.

A flash of black and white raced past me and up ahead and a smile came to my face at the sight of my dog, just as it always did. He was bursting with energy and eager to patrol the farm's lands with me so that we could fix any problems that arose with the workers before they became too big to handle.

He found an interesting hole to stick his snout in and tried to dig in the frozen ground, to no avail. His paws moved frantically and his tail was on alert, almost as if he expected the soil to start moving just because he wanted to.

"Banjo! Leave it!" I shouted, chuckling when he came racing back to me. He danced around my ankles and darted away again, snapping at the air as if he were catching an imaginary ball.

"I would throw one if I had one," I said. I could pretend to throw one, but that trick hadn't worked on him since he was a puppy.

He barked at nothing and ran ahead. Maybe he was telling me that I needed to bring a ball with me tomorrow. He could be quite a demanding creature when he wanted to be.

His tail bounced up and down as he made his way along the familiar path. He knew exactly where he was going, and his confidence showed. No doubt he was used to our daily patrol from our farmhouse down to the Brewster Hall where the tea witches lived, and back.

Without missing a beat, he jumped over the stone wall that used to separate our lands and I followed instead of using the gate. An old habit that I hadn't got rid of. It wasn't exactly appropriate for a proper lady but I never claimed to be one, even if I was from one of the most important families in Purple Oak. Out here, nobody cared anyway.

The edge of the ward settlement came into sight and Banjo ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards a group of dogs loitering around the entrance. Their happy barking filled the morning air and while I was sure some people were cursing the ruckus, there was nothing I loved more.

I reached the dogs and went around them all, giving each of them a good morning scratch. They all responded well, as they should. Even if I had a familiar already, they'd be able to sense that I was a dog ward, and had the ability to form that connection with them.

Banjo pressed himself against my legs, like he wanted to make it clear to the others that he was my familiar, and I was his ward. Affection for him surged through me.

I crouched down to give him a kiss on the top of his head. "You're a good boy," I told him.

His tail thumbed enthusiastically against the ground.

Laughter came from up ahead and I looked up in time to see my brother appear from the opposite direction. I got to my feet and flashed him a smile. It wasn't chance that we finished our rounds at the same time, it was something that had been measured and calculated numerous times over the years to ensure it was a fair amount of work.

"There's been an extension to the fields over by the tea plantation," Oliver called, gesturing towards the east. "I had to make a detour of seventy steps so our new meeting spot should be right about here." He came to a stop not far from me, but a little too far for us to have a proper conversation.

Was it petty to make me walk thirty-five more steps? Most definitely, but fair was fair. I crossed the last bit of distance and committed the new middle to mind.

He came to a halt. “Anything of note on your rounds?”

"There’s a fence near the chicken coop that needs fixing, and Naida Miller said that there was a hard frost coming, so we should be wary of that tomorrow," I responded, glad I'd run into the nymph and that she'd thought to tell me. "Apart from that, it’s the same as every day. You?"

"All good on my side too. Not sure what the point of patrolling is anymore. It’s not like there are people trying to poach our animals or steal our things."

I shrugged. “I don’t mind the walk. It’s a good way to start the day and Banjo needs the exercise.”

“I suppose.” He stretched his shoulders and pulled the sleeves of his coat back, revealing the multitude of red scratches on his forearms.

I nodded towards them. "Those look new."

He sighed. "I did a training session with Howie yesterday."

"Why don't you wear a glove when you handle your owl?"

"Because I shouldn't have to. He needs to learn not to hurt me," Oliver said stubbornly. He held out his hands to fuss Banjo. "Aww, if only Howie could be as sweet as you, Mister Strings. Yes, I wish my familiar was this cuddly as you. Yes, I wish."

As cute as it was that my brother and my dog got on, it wasn't enough to distract me from the scratches on his arms. "Did you get it checked out?"

"I'm not going to bother the infirmary for some scratches. They're busy enough," he responded.

"And you'll be even more of a bother if you get an infection." I pushed him in the direction of the infirmary. "Come on, I'll go with you."

"You remember that I'm the older brother, right?"

"Yes, and if I appeared on our rounds with scratches all over me, you'd have insisted on me going to the infirmary too," I pointed out.

Oliver groaned. "Fine, fine. I suppose they are a little itchy. Howie’s talons are so sharp."

I patted the top of his head, something that wasn’t as easy to do as when we were younger. “There, there.”

He smiled. “I’m the one who should be doing that to you.”

“I’m not hurt.”

“But I’m your older brother. It’s my job to look after you, not the other way around.”

I nudged his side with my elbow. “Don’t be patronising. I’m the one who has been looking after you all this time.”

He rolled his eyes, but I could see that he didn't fully mean it. Things became different for us the moment our parents died, and we'd been close ever since, even if Oliver tried to deny it sometimes.

The two of us set off in the direction of the infirmary with Banjo bouncing along beside us, no doubt thinking of all the scratches he was going to get once we were there.