Violet's Arc

Chapter 5 of 10

Violet reached the small wooden tea house just as dusk settled. Warm light glowed from its windows, and a trail cook waved her around back. He saw the basket, the wilting petals, and asked no questions. "Use the hearth," he said. "It's hot and ready." She knelt by the stone hearth. The pot bubbled over a low fire. Violet dropped her humming petals into the water with a handful of mountain violets she had saved. Steam curled up in soft spirals. She counted the seconds, careful, exact. She poured the brew into a delicate cup and lifted it close. The first sip was bright. It was alive. But something was missing. A sweetness. A small, round note that should have closed the taste and did not. Violet set the cup down on the hearth stone. The tea was good. It was not finished. She knew the answer now: she needed honey, and not just any honey. She needed the kind only the grape-striped bees could give.