The Herbwitch's Apprentice Ireen Chau (best life changing books txt) 📖

could say anything. Taking a deep breath, I walked forward in the dark, the gravel crunching underneath my thin slippers. This time I was not afraid.

A few minutes later, the rectangular sliver of daylight appeared before me. I reached out. My hand met something cold and spongey, and then the darkness melted away. Instead of overlooking the village from a distance, I found myself in the middle of a field of farmland. Witches hacked the dirt with hoes and pulled up beets by their purple and green stalks. No one seemed alarmed at my sudden appearance.

“Looking for anything, dearie?”

I started at the croaky voice. A positively ancient witch squatted a few paces behind me with a basket full of bell peppers. He had an impressively long beard, snowy white and adorned with a tangle of chains and beads that nearly concealed his toothless grin.

“Er, I’m actually looking for a person,” I said.

“You’ve come to the right place,” the witch said.

“I have?”

“Of course. When you want something urgently enough, the passageway will lead you to it,” he said with a wink.

I spun around. This clearly was not where Lana lived. Perhaps she was somewhere here?

“I should get going,” I said.

“Very well. But you should take your ration of produce before everything is gone.”

I began to shake my head until I caught a glimpse of my own face in a puddle on the ground.

My eyes were purple.

I leaned in. A glimmer of something flitted over my cheeks. My freckles had turned gold.

The old witch gave me a strange look as I rubbed my face. “I-is this puddle enchanted?” I asked.

“Well, technically everything here is enchanted—”

A stiff figure emerged from behind a stalk of corn, hair streaked with gray. Lana.

“Sorry, I have to go!” I said to the witch before darting off. I thought I heard him grumble something about “witches these days” but wind rushed through my ears as I weaved through the rows of vegetables.

“Lana!”

She did not turn around. My view of her was obstructed by the heads of several people walking about. I dodged a few swinging baskets.

“Lana! La—Oof!”

Someone crashed into my shins, nearly toppling me over. Pain shot up my knee. I barely bit back a curse. After regaining my balance, I looked down at the person I had run into. It was a little witch girl, hardly more than twelve. She stared at me, her silver eyes a glaring contrast to her midnight skin.

“I’m sorry,” I panted. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, but continued to stare. “I’ve never seen you here before,” she said. “Are you new?”

“I’m sure you haven’t seen loads of people here,” I said. I didn’t have time for small talk. Lana’s head was getting further and further away. I rushed forward again, limping.

“No. I’ve seen everyone here. And I remember them too.”

I glanced down. The little witch had followed. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it.

“Alright. I am new. What of it?” I said.

“There’s never anyone new.”

“Shouldn’t you be with your parents or something? Before you get lost?” I said, narrowly avoiding another collision with a young witch.

“I never get lost.”

“You’re awfully sure of yourself for someone so young.”

“I’m Elowyn. What’s your name?”

I exhaled loudly. Lana had disappeared. “I’m Amarante. And also lost,” I muttered. How was I supposed to find my way back now?

Elowyn tilted her head. “You have purple eyes. My sister said she had a friend with purple eyes once,” she said.

I heaved a sigh. “Elowyn, was it?”

She nodded.

“Do you by any chance know someone called Lana?”

She nodded again.

A feeble ray of hope shone down on my situation. I felt foolish asking such a young child, but she was my only option at the moment.

“And do you know where she lives? Can you take me to her?”

Elowyn nodded yet again.

I nearly melted with relief. “Great. Which way do we go?”

Instead of pointing to a direction, Elowyn merely stretched out her hand. “Take my hand,” she said.

“Er...alright.” I took her hand.

Then, my stomach dropped to the ground and the field twisted away. In a blink of an eye, I was standing before the door to Lana’s hut. I stumbled back.

“W-what happened?”

“We transported from one place to another.”

Elowyn blinked up at me. I realized I was still clutching her hand and let go.

“How did you do that?”

“I’m a charmwitch,” she said simply. “Didn’t you know?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Elowyn, seeing that I had nothing to say, shrugged. “Well, you’re welcome. I’ll see you around?”

I nodded and she skipped off without another word.

When I regained my senses, a figure was walking uphill towards me. It was Lana. Miriam’s warning came back to me. I had to have a death wish to come back to Lana’s cottage uninvited.

“Lana,” I managed to say as she approached.

If she was surprised to see me, she didn’t show it. A basket hung from the crook of her elbow, filled to the brim with glass containers and sprigs of herbs. She hardly spared me a glance.

“What did I tell you last time, Miriam?” she said. “This girl and her nannies are not welcome here.”

Lana slipped into the cottage and slammed the door. A purple glow surrounded the handle, but I twisted it and entered.

“Miriam isn’t here. It’s just me,” I said.

Lana set down her basket on a counter, her expression a mix of irritation and surprise. “That enchantment took me weeks,” she muttered. She briskly removed the contents of the basket, glass clinking as it hit the wooden surface. “What is it you want, girl?” she asked. “I already told you I do not take custom orders from humans.”

I bit my lip, cowed by her dismissive tone. “But I’m not,” I said. “Not really.” I let my bag fall to the floor with a thump. The silver bells of my bracelet jingled as I did this. Lana stiffened and turned, eyes flickering to the bag and then my bracelet.

“Look, I think I really do have magic,” I said. “Last