Violet's Arc

Chapter 9 of 10

Violet capped her pen and stepped to the window. Outside, a stranger had set up a small pavilion at the edge of her path. A polished kettle gleamed on a tray. Two painted cups waited beside a steaming strainer bowl. The tea inspector had arrived early. She drew a slow breath and slipped out the back. The lilac hedge swayed, and behind it the woven hive hung quiet and full. She reached past the blossoms, lifted the small pot tucked against the trunk, and pressed it to her chest. One more pour. One more chance to finish adjustment eighteen. Back at her counter, she stirred the honey into the cooled petal brew. The color deepened. She poured a careful measure into a clean flask and carried it out to the pavilion. The inspector lifted the cup, sniffed, sipped, and held the taste a long moment. He set the cup down and nodded once. "Cleared for tasting rounds," he said. "You move to the public table tomorrow." Violet bowed her head. The honey had bought her the pass. But the bitterness inside her had not lifted, and tomorrow her tea would be poured for strangers who could taste her, too.