Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp: 24 Preparing the Fields

Following her to the plot of land that she'd spent some time preparing, she managed to create half an acre of space cleared of sand revealing more of the barren soil beneath. A few-foot-tall wall of neatly stacked stones encompassed the space to keep as much sand out of the plot as possible. There were trenches as deep as two feet that reached from one end of the plot to the other leaving paths in between them.

Nearby was the crate full of volcanic soil, which they would work together to open. Tessa then reached into the pack she carried and pulled out a pair of hand-shaped clay gauntlets that slid over her hands like stiff gloves. The palms of the gloves had her circles carved into them, standing next to the crate and facing the plot.

"Stand back for a moment." She warns Marlina as she sinks her hands into the soil, filling the engraved symbol, and then places her palms on top. Lifting her hands, the soil would follow her hands, then have it spill into a large pile at the end of a trench. Then kneeling at the edge, she'd dig her hands in and then push her hands outwards, the pile spreading and distributing itself throughout the entire trench.

Marlina gaped in awe, especially knowing that Tessa didn't wield an element yet shifted it as if it were natural. "Amazing, Miss Tessa! You're as skilled as any other Urushian I've seen."

Tessa looked at Marlina, placing her hand on the ground near the crate and the ground shifting it to move it to the next trench. "Figured out an element didn't choose me? What gave me away?"

Marlina then realized how she had misspoken, looking a little sheepish. "Sir Mordecai told me, along with how he doesn't have a gift."

There was a twitch to Tessa's brow from mentioning Mordecai. The next trench was filled with the same motions as before but with a hint of aggression. But she took in a breath to calm herself and ready another trench.

"Is that why you draw those circles and use those hands?"

"That's right." She filled one more trench before she slipped a hand out of the gauntlet and held out her hand to Marlina. "Can I see that seed of yours? You've said its flower is gigantic, right? I thought of planting it in the garden, but you said it was huge and you awoke from it, so it probably wouldn't have fit or harmed the vegetables. If it's what made you, maybe it can help you."

Marlina wasn't sure if it would work, but it was their only lead towards helping her. Letting the seed fall from her leg, Tessa picked it up and buried it near the end of the trench, taking some water from her canteen to sprinkle over it. "Hopefully with this soil, it'll grow fairly quickly." Taking a few drinks from her canteen, she fills the rest of the trenches with soil before resting on the crate. "I will say, using the circles takes a lot out of me." She points to an odd tool resting against one of the walls. It was a rectangular-shaped frame, made of metal, with large hekoska teeth attached to the bottom pointing to the ground. "While I rest, can you use that to poke deep and shift the ground every few steps? It'll help with water seepage."

Marlina nodded, eager to help, looped her arms through the frame, and carried it to the first trench. Placing the teeth into the soil, she shifted just the surface. Tessa was about to get up to help her when Marlina stepped onto the frame to force the teeth deeper, then took a hop to sink them to the base of the frame. Tessa smiled that she figured it out, she'd rest a little longer before she'd start following behind Marlina and planting seeds.

While Marlina was sent to the courtyard with two buckets dangling from a pole to collect water, Tessa sprinkled charcoal over the trenches to help the crops significantly. Once the water was brought back, Tessa drew a water scribe on one of the buckets using the water and tossed the water which would disperse like rainfall over half the field.

"How do those circles work if I may ask, Miss Tessa?"

"Always so curious, aren't you?" She says with a smile, picking up the second bucket. "When an Urushian has a bond to an element, it's almost like an extension of themselves through the life energy of the person and the element. The body is the physical catalyst that links the soul and the element." Soaking her fingers into the water for a few moments, he'd then draw a basic circle. "For Urushians, commanding that element is just as easy as moving an arm or a leg." On the inside of the circle, she'd make symbols. If one looked close enough, it would resemble rainfall. "For me, it's understanding the element in a more broken-down manner, knowing its limitations of how it shapes. Using the circle like a body, I give my energy to make the connection and infuse my will." Placing her hand onto the circle, it glows briefly before she tosses the bucket, and the water scatters and rains down onto the trenches. "That should do it for now." Tessa declares, wiping the sweat from her brow, her hands on her hips and impressed with their work. "With all of this, everything should grow in no time."

It's interesting to think that all those transactions are done almost instantaneously when any Urushian uses their element. And from what Marlina understands, Tessa can use all of the elements. If someone who can't bond to one element can do this, then any other Urushian, element or not, can do the same. But from what Marlina had witnessed in Urush, the segregated territories understand that one element isn't above the other and that the differences could cause chaos.

"If you can use any element, albeit not the same as other Urushians, why are you here? You could live anywhere in Urush and thrive within that community."

Tessa shakes her head as she places her hand on Marlina's shoulder. "Sadly, that's not the case. No gift means there's something wrong with you. To them, it means the Gods don't see you as worthy. They feel any association with us means forsaking their wishes, and children with us will make them unworthy of an element." Looking at the clay gauntlets resting on the crate, she'd trail her fingertips over the circle. "My circles are seen as imitation, or stealing what doesn't belong to me. That's why I was banished from Urush. Because I refused to believe that the Gods who have given us life, the land, and the means to make it and us thrive, would see any of us as less. At least here, I can use my skills to make a home for everyone."

Marlina smiles, placing her wrist onto Tessa's hand. "I'm grateful for yours and everyone else's hard work."

Tessa smiles in return. "Well, thank you, hun, it's nice to hear that." She then claps her hands together. "Now that it's warmer, I should head inside to start breakfast. We also have that section of the Chronicle to do about you to add with Elek's findings for the next issue. Mind giving me a hand for a little longer?"

"Not at all, Miss Tessa."