The Magician's Witch

Shelter in the Mountains

There was a vote as to whether pressing on towards the Caspian Sea and onward to Azerbaijan was the move to make, or if staying put in the Alborz Mountains was the better option. The majority decided that staying put was the way to go, mostly out of concern for Eilis. Her emotional and physical health were in rough shape, and the others decided it would be best if she had a chance to recover before making their way to Mazandaran and beyond.

For the next three weeks, Eilis threw herself headfirst into any physical work her companions would allow her to participate in. The more tired she was at the end of the day, the less she dreamed...the less time she had to think about Erik and his impending demise. She kept a glimmer of hope alive, just in case, by some miracle, he managed to escape his captors...but with each passing day, that glimmer grew dimmer.

She didn't scry for Erik again, not wanting to know what state she would find him in if she did so. It was part of her self-preservation—she didn't want to know how bad it was. If she did know, there was a good chance that she would become unhinged. Even pregnant, she was not altogether unsure that she wouldn't grab her broom and fly at warp speed back to Tehran and firebomb the whole palace once news of Erik's death reached her. She was tempted to do so now, save for the one speck of hope that kept her grounded both literally and figuratively.

A couple days after their dramatic arrival to this shack in the woods, Eilis set up a protection spell around the outer perimeter of their shelter. The spell would shield them from being seen from the road and muffle any telltale signs of life coming from their ramshackle homestead.

She also decided to focus her attention on building a garden. It was enough physical labor to tire out her limbs and keep her mind occupied while not risking the health of her unborn child. Over the next few days, Eilis worked on establishing the location for the garden. She scoped out the ideal spot, observing what side of the cottage received the most sun, and for how long. She selected an area that was still relatively flat, several yards away from the house, and then marked a square with four rocks she found. She scratched out the boundaries of the garden using the spade, cutting a discernable edge around the area.

In the days that followed, she also determined which plants would grow best in different areas of the garden depending on sun exposure and wind direction.

The next day after the borders of the garden were finished, Eilis used the rake to score the area, pulling up grass, roots, and rocks as she worked.

Laleh came out to check on Eilis, still concerned that she was doing too much. "Should you be doing that," she asked nervously.

"I'm fine," Eilis insisted. "This isn't very taxing. I've helped my aunt maintain our garden at home for years. I know what I'm doing."

Laleh deliberated for a moment. "Do you want help?"

Eilis looked over her shoulder at her.

"If you want to follow me with the spade, that would be helpful. We need to pull out as many rocks and roots as we can, so we have ample material to work with. We need to mound the rows as well, so they keep the plants warmer during the season."

Laleh picked up the spade, eyeing it warily.

Eilis smirked, coming to Laleh's aid. "Here," she said gesturing to the shovel. Laleh laid the handle in her open hand.

Eilis showed her how to press down on the metal part of the spade in order to get leverage, then scoop out the soil and turn it over, the moist, dark earth exposed. Laleh followed her instructions, struggling at first, then falling into a rhythm.

They worked companionably together, one digging, one raking, working their way through from one end to the other. They stopped frequently at Laleh' insistence, taking breaks for water and rest.