Page 2 of The Tea Witch's Promise

"You remember that I'm the older brother, right?"

"Yes, and if I appeared on our rounds with scratches all over me, you'd have insisted on me going to the infirmary too," I pointed out.

Oliver groaned. "Fine, fine. I suppose they are a little itchy. Howie’s talons are so sharp."

I patted the top of his head, something that wasn’t as easy to do as when we were younger. “There, there.”

He smiled. “I’m the one who should be doing that to you.”

“I’m not hurt.”

“But I’m your older brother. It’s my job to look after you, not the other way around.”

I nudged his side with my elbow. “Don’t be patronising. I’m the one who has been looking after you all this time.”

He rolled his eyes, but I could see that he didn't fully mean it. Things became different for us the moment our parents died, and we'd been close ever since, even if Oliver tried to deny it sometimes.

The two of us set off in the direction of the infirmary with Banjo bouncing along beside us, no doubt thinking of all the scratches he was going to get once we were there.

Chapter2

Katie

The chatterof voices rose from within the infirmary, along with the smell of cleansing herbs and whatever else they used to clean the medical building. Amongst it all was the scent of freshly steeped tea, one that I knew would hold the key to making sure Oliver's scratches healed right.

Banjo stuck close to me without needing a verbal command as we walked into the waiting area, unlike Oliver who was mindlessly touching everything he passed.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. "I just disinfected everything."

I turned around although I knew exactly who that voice belonged to. Slightly coarse, loud, and with a permanent hint of amusement, I'd recognise Brew's annoyingly charming voice anywhere.

As expected, he was standing in the doorframe, filling it with his broad shoulders. His auburn curls weren't long, but they were unruly, which made it hard to take him seriously. "Hello, Fields."

Banjo darted towards Brew and jumped up, his paws urgently trying to get to the man he knew would fuss him. Brew laughed and conjured a small treat from his pocket. Without missing a beat, Banjo sat down obediently and fixed his big begging eyes on the tea witch. He whined and his tail wagged so fast that it was a blur.

I rolled my eyes. No wonder Banjo always loved seeing him.

"Good boy. Give me five." Brew high-fived my familiar and surrendered the treat. "You're my favourite dog, did you know that?"

"I bet you say that to all the familiars," I responded.

He looked up and grinned. "Don't you know it, Katheryn Fields."

"Your charm is going to get you into trouble one day, Rooibos Brewster," I responded, throwing his own full name back at him.

"So long as it can get me out of it again," he said. "So, what brings you here? Girl trouble? Boy trouble? Or are you just here to see my handsome face?"

"Owl trouble," I said, pointing at my brother.

"It's nothing, just a couple of scratches. Katie is making a mountain out of a molehill," Oliver said.

I tried not to sigh. He could be such a baby when it was just the two of us, but in front of his best friend, he had to put on a tough act.

Brew clicked his tongue, his face suddenly getting a lot more serious. "Show me."

With a reluctant sigh, Oliver pushed his sleeves up. "Just throw some disinfectant on me and I'll stop taking up your time."

"It's fine, it's quiet at the moment." Brew examined the cuts. "I think a little bit of magic should fix you right up."