A Dangerous Destiny: The Pure One Book I

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Hello readers. So...I have made a change in chapter order. I have had a few requests for a Karina chapter, and this was actually the next chapter in the last draft. Decided to keep it in this spot. So the new character I said you will meet might not come for 2 chapters now. Anyhoo...Karina. You haven't heard from her in awhile. Lets check in;-)

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Karina

She was late. Behind on the task list she had promised to complete before Manna returned. Karina never did quite manage to get her chores done on time. Usually her negligence was slight. A few herbs not yet collected, a passage of Manna's remedy book not yet read, Her teacher's watchful eye was enough incentive to keep Karina from falling too far behind. She knew how much she owed the sacred woman. 

Manna had done so much for her, keeping her fed and clothed, teaching and raising Karina as if she had been Manna's own child. But of course she was not Manna's daughter. The Elder Nita had taken her in out of charity. Out of respect for Karina's dead mother. Karina knew she could never truly repay that debt. The only thing she could do was to treat her teacher with respect and work to please her. But somehow, Karina knew she always fell short.

She was not as carful as she should have been, making silly mistakes in preparing herbs for Manna's patients or adding too much salt to their meal, forcing Manna to rush in and do her best to repair the damage done. And Karina was not as patient, ruining nearly complete brews by stoking the fire too high in an effort to make them cook faster, knocking over Manna's important jars and bottles as she dusted haphazardly in an effort complete her chores quickly so that she might escapee outside to find Aiden and his friends. Manna was understanding. She never scolded her too harshly though Karina knew she had every right to do so. She was so far from the perfect student. When Fiona and Mina came to visit that fact was only highlighted.

Karina saw how The Nita's charge behaved. Mina's back was always straight, her demeanor always calm. A born ruler. It was not hard to see why Fiona had chosen Mina as her successor. In any task set to the two girls, it was Mina who always seemed flawless in her execution. When they carried water from the well, Mina never spilt a drop. When they were ordered to chop herbs, Mina's movements were sharp and precise. 

Karina admired the older girl, though perhaps with a bit of jealousy, if she was being honest. She wished she could be more like her. Mina never seemed to evoke harsh rebuke from Manna or Nita Fiona. She never made a single mistake. Mina was the student that Manna deserved. Though Karina always tried to do her best, she knew her best was not enough. Her current hurried trip into town proved that.

Manna had been gone for nearly a week, called away on an emergency to aide a midwife in a neighboring town. But Karina knew she was set to return any day now. She wasn't prepared. Without Manna's presence, it had been too easy to daydream, to spend just a bit too much time in the woods exploring, or sparing with Aiden. Now Karina found herself scrambling to finish the tasks her teacher had left, hoping desperately that she might not disappoint Manna when she arrived home.

As Karina headed into Gregorn with a delivery she ought to have finished two days ago, she was filled with remorse for the time she had squandered unwisely. Watching the late day sun move ever more West Karina kept her steps jut short of a run. She had to return home before dark so that she still might gather their small flock of chickens back in their pen and haul enough water from the well to fill the now dwindling supply in the barrel by the stove. As she walked, Karina remembered that she had promised to finish reading and translating a small journal written in old Senmin script. She had barely started before one distraction or another had caused her to leave the book unfinished. Over the last few days she had completely forgotten. Manna would certainly ask her about it when she came home. The old women never seemed to forget anything. Karina's heart sank.