Bazza'Jo

Chapter 9

"Little Ratherhams!" Nana Lalia called from the bottom of the staircase. "Come on, I've an errand for you."

"Errand?" Raina grumbled, opening one eye and squinting into the sun. She had been staying up late and sleeping in later for the last two days, unable to sleep during those hours she knew her Kreel friends were up and enjoying themselves without her. Better be a quick errand, she thought.

"Come then. Here!" Lalia handed Raina and Ibli each a large basket when Raina eventually dragged herself downstairs. "You're to take these out to your Aunt Julia. It's high time you had a proper visit! You take the field north of Mr. Campbell's and follow the trail to the outer woods."

"But..." Raina broke in, ducking to avoid the scarf her Nan was trying to wrap her in. Going to Septimus and Julia's cottage would take hours! And she'd probably have to really visit too. She had to meet Kal! "But Nana, I have plans! Why didn't you ask me first?"

"What? I didn't ask because this is your family and your friends can wait. Go on, you can tell your friends you'll be late on the way. Julia will be expecting you, you'd better not make her wait in this weather."

"But Nana..."

"Raina, for goodness sake, love, do something without a cursing fight! You love your Uncle and Aunt. Put off your own plans for a few cursing hours for us!"

That made Raina feel too guilty to say anything else. Grudgingly she led Ibli out of the house.

Just as Raina knew she wouldn't, Ibli didn't ask a thing when Raina failed stop by any of her friends' houses to reschedule. They walked in silence all the way to Septimus & Julia's. It was still early in the morning. Maybe I'll still have time to meet Kal, Raina thought. They arrived at the little cabin well before noon. The sunlight in this part of the woods tumbled through the thin canopy yellow and bright, giving the cottage a serene look. Raina, despite herself, was glad they'd come. Julia met them at the door with smiles, monster hugs, and some gushing as she peeked into the baskets Lalia had sent, squealing with delight at the little jars of Kreel spices pressed into thick pastes.

"I'm back here, girls!" came Septimus's booming voice from the hidden back room.  "Come on back!"

Pushing aside the cloth and entering the room, Raina & Ibli came face to face with the tools of their uncle's trade. The back room was bright and open, with cloth walls that sometimes flapped in the breeze and a ceiling made entirely of glass. Despite the lack of proper walls and insulation, the room was warm and humid. It was also filled to the glass rafters with Baz plants of all kinds, not one of which was familiar to Raina. Unlike the multicoloured diversity of Bazza'Jo crops, all these plants looked the same to her.Their uncle sat on a stool at a workbench in the middle of the room, holding a short green stalk in one hand and inspecting its muddy roots closely.

"Raina! Ibli!" He smiled at them over the plant-pot. "I'd hug you but I'm covered in mud. Shall I show you around, or would you rather watch your aunt mix spices?"

Raina was about to answer for them, when Ibli beat her to it.

"Oh! Show us your plants! - please?" Raina did a double take, squinting to be sure this animated creature was really her sister. The small girl had an intense look of joy in her usually abstracted face. "You have... so many..."

"I do indeed. And more every day. A good Bazza'Caster decides what he needs and then works at breeding the Baz. Casting, if you've the talent, is the simplest bit of the procedure. I suppose they don't teach that in your schools anymore!" He put the plant he was pruning back in its pot, and patted down the soil. "Casting and breeding- they are basically the same thing anyway."