The Sound Of Solitude - Keeper POV Bonus (Early Access) (Patreon)

The scent of the salve burned my nostrils more than the wounds burned my ankle, and if my creator had taught me anything of herbs that alone told me that it was a potent and high-quality medicine. It wasn't like the humans to come so far out to trade with others, and especially not with... whatever the blue woman was. Which I suppose means she must have made it herself. Impressive. But now I was in her debt. And for some reason that notion wasn’t upsetting. It gave me a reason to approach her. To visit her small home of wood.

While I healed, I kept my hands busy. Finally, I had a use for the ancient wood that had shed from the heart. Branches and branches of wood, ringed with wards of old that were finally retired to the forest floor. I collected every one. My creator found it exasperating, called me foolishly sentimental. I would argue that the job of a keeper is to keep things, regardless of their worldly value. The wood that flaked off from the heart still held mild protective properties. Nothing like the nearby knights wore with their clanking metal dripping from every limb - not nearly as powerful either. But there was something special, at least to me, about an item crafted from the wood of such a sacred place. Knowing the material has been infused with so much protection and history. It might not be able to blast away a hostile creature, but it would strengthen your body and mind. A gentle, inward magic. Not all spells needed to be flashy, although of course I add some flair for my audience while strengthening the wards. If she's going to stare so openly, I'm obligated to provide a show, no?

Whether or not such charms had any affect on strange blue women I hadn't a clue. And she almost certainly wouldn't understand the importance of the piece. That was okay, my own kind didn't always understand either.

I whittled and worked at the wood all day with my foot propped up on an adventurous root. The chunks weren't thick to begin with, so a small and intricate carving it would have to be. It needed to be a pendant, best to protect the heart. And there was one ingredient that I could pick out easily amongst the paste of ground herbs and oil. Comfrey flowers. A healing flower for a health-boosting pendant.

If my creator were here to see me carving a trinket out of heart wood… for a woman I had become infatuated with… of whose species I wasn’t even familiar…

I sighed and let my head fall back against the tree trunk with a soft bump.