When Magenta finally swanned back to camp, Lux had a sketch of the farm ready and Twiggs had carved a good chunk of the new path. Lux had fully expected the others to wander off out of boredom, they’d done that before, but they surprised him by lingering, waiting around for Magenta to return.

  Magenta did not disappoint. The moment her feet touched down, she upended her pouch, rattling its contents onto the ground. “I got most things on the list, just missing a few of the seeds. I’ll head to another settlement tomorrow and find the rest.” She said it with a breeziness that didn’t fit the bags under her eyes.

  Lux stared at her, a little stunned. He’d half-expected her to throw a tantrum about running errands. “Thank you, Magenta, you did a great job.” The words tumbled out before he could catch them.

  “If you’re so happy, do you want to get married tomorrow?” Magenta’s black hair shimmered as she batted her lashes, the picture of dramatic romance.

  “No.” Lux shot her down flat, voice as hard as a dropped stone. He sincerely hoped this wasn’t the start of a daily routine.

  Magenta’s face collapsed into what Lux guessed was supposed to be heartbreak. “How can you be so cruel. I don’t think I can work anymore, my tragic heartache is just too much.” Then she strolled away, looking mighty pleased with her excuse.

  Lux turned his back on her melodrama and eyed the pile of supplies, frowning. He really needed his own pouch. How else was he supposed to keep track of all these things?

  Azura stood closest, so Lux handed the seeds over for him to pack away. “Can you stuff the seeds in your pouch and grab a set of farming tools?” he asked. Lux then handed out the rest of the tools to the group, distributing them into various bags with a satisfying thunk.

  Once everyone (except for Magenta, of course) was kitted out, they set off down the new path, following the trail Twiggs had started. When they caught up to him, the path was nearly finished, three quarters of the way there. Lux paused for a second, double checking that Twiggs wasn’t exhausted. Twiggs gave a thumbs up and they continued to the lake.

  Lux whipped out his sketch, comparing scribbled lines to the lay of the land. His memory hadn’t failed him this time, the area matched up, only a few small tweaks needed. He pointed out the stand of trees that needed clearing first.

  Rice. That was the plan. A good staple. But rice fields needed water, a lot of water. Lux could already see the extra work glinting on the horizon, but he could tackle irrigation with Twiggs. The others could focus on clearing.

  He wanted each field about an acre. Manageable. Smart. Sustainable, even. Lux plopped down on the ground, fussing with his sketch while he waited for Twiggs. The instant his backside hit grass, a sharp crack split the air, he jerked upright. A tree crashed to the ground, then another, and another in rapid succession.

  “Ho! This is quite fun!” Azura hollered, swinging an axe in a clean, impossible arc. Lux watched in disbelief as Azura neatly sheared a tree at the very base of the trunk.

  Had he really done that in one swing? Lux stared, then laughed. “Ha! Azura can mow down a forest at this rate!” He was still marvelling when Ruby sneered, “Think that’s impressive? Watch me!” A jet of fire snapped from Ruby’s palm, swallowing a tree in roaring flames. Black smoke coiled up, thick and fast.

  A burning branch dropped to the ground, and he snapped out of his trance. “Shit! Don’t set the place on fire! Put it out, quick!”

  But Ruby just planted her hands on her hips. “Human, this is faster than waving an axe. My fire is already spreading.” She gestured grandly at three more trees, now blazing away.

  The logic was there, but Lux groaned. “We need wood, Ruby! Burnt wood is useless for building!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Clearly, he had to keep a closer eye on these lunatics, or risk reducing the whole project to a smoking crater.

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “You should have said that at the start.” She flicked her fingers, and the fire guttered out so fast, that apart from the burnt bark, it was like she had never started it in the first place. Shock hit Lux, he hadn’t realised Ruby could stop flames with such precision.

  He had to snap out of his earth-habits. Magic existed here. It wasn’t just people, it was the environment, the rules, the logic of the world. If Lux wanted to get anything done, he needed to think differently.

  Before he could gather his thoughts, Violet bounded over, tossed Ruby her discarded axe, and said, “Come on, Fire Princess, let’s smack some trees.” She winked at Lux, her short blond hair flaring out as she dragged Ruby back to work.

  That left Lux momentarily dazed, but two more trees hit the dirt and jolted him back to reality. The women were matching Azura blow for blow, each swing felling a full-sized tree like it weighed nothing. Lux’s eyes widened. With power like this, the land would be cleared in no time.

  He forgot about the earlier fire mishap completely, swept up in the rhythm of work. Tree after tree toppled, the sound echoing like a heartbeat. He lost track of time. Only when Twiggs sat down next to him did he realise the day had shot past.

  “I’ve finished the path, a nice dirt trail all the way to the lake,” Twiggs said, satisfaction in every word.

  Lux looked over his shoulder. The path was perfect, wide enough for him to sprawl across and still have room to roll. “You’re really good at this, Twiggs.” He meant it, too. The path was raised, gently rounded for drainage, like something out of a manual.

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  Twiggs plucked up a blade of grass, twisting it between his fingers. “Didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but it was kind of fun. A lot better than being stuck in Silver City for weeks healing up. I think the others are enjoying themselves, too. City-building isn’t as bad as I thought.”

  It was true. Even Lux was having a good time. This wasn’t what he’d pictured when he’d arrived in Mystic Beau, but he liked it. Even better, he hadn’t had to fight a single monster.

  “If you liked building the path, you’ll like the next part even more.” Lux handed Twiggs his sketch, explaining how the irrigation channels and basins would work together.

  It wasn’t complicated, shallow ditches branching off slightly sloped channels, all leading down to sunken basins bordered by low earth walls. Gravity would do the rest.

  Twiggs studied the sketch. “Looks doable, but I’ve never built anything like this.”

  Lux almost confessed he hadn’t either, but thought better of it. If this flopped, he’d be humiliated when Silver came back, but he crushed the nerves. When would he ever get a chance like this again?

  He strode over to the trio clearing the field. Violet had just toppled the last tree from the patch earmarked for rice.

  “Lux, why didn’t you say chopping trees could be so fun!” Violet called, face shining with triumph. She turned to Azura. “I won! Hand it over!”

  Azura snorted. “In your dreams. I chopped down eighteen. You only got seventeen.”

  Ruby broke in, smirking. “Amateurs. I cut down twenty. Pay up.”

  Lux suddenly understood what made it so enjoyable, they’d turned it into a contest. A wide, unrestrained grin broke over his face. “What are you talking about? None of you have won yet! There’s still three more acres to go.”

  He whipped out his sketch, confidence swelling, and stabbed a finger at his plans. “You’ve only cleared this part.” He circled the rice field drawn on the page with an air of accusation.

  A spark lit in Violet’s eyes, and her lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Just you wait, I’ll be the winner!” She looked ready to bolt, but Lux threw up a hand to stall her escape. “Pause the competition!” He pointed dramatically at the fallen trees. “Please drag those off to the side. Twiggs and I need the way clear so we can start cultivating the field.”

  “Roger!” Violet snapped a sharp salute, grinning. “And don’t forget to brag to Silver about how much we helped!”

  For a split second, Lux had forgotten that all this was for the sake of their companion. “I won’t forget. I’ll make sure Silver hears about how great you all did.” The trio of lumberjacks flashed eager grins before diving back into their task, hoisting logs and branches with effortless power. Their strength was astonishing every time Lux witnessed it.

  Once the felled trees stood heaped in a neat, towering stack, Lux turned his attention to Twiggs. “Can you clear the pebbles and rocks first? I’ll start marking out channels and basins.” Twiggs nodded, calm as always, and together they got to work.

  By the time Lux finally halted, sweat dripping down his forehead, his arms and legs felt like lead. The sun blazed above him, and his stomach rumbled in protest. But before him stretched a field, perfectly marked ready to dig channels.

  Twiggs’ preparations had made everything go so smoothly, Lux barely had to point out the next area before Twiggs set the earth rippling and reshaping, carving channels and flattening ridges with his magic. In ten minutes, the whole section transformed..,

  The others hadn’t lazed around either, an imposing pile of trees now loomed by the path. If this pace kept up, tomorrow would see four fields ready to plant. Lux wiped his brow, feeling a flicker of pride, and wandered over to the lake to wash up.

  Lunch had already begun without him. After scrubbing his hands, Lux joined the group. Twiggs had a steak sizzling over the fire, when Lux dropped to the ground with a sigh, Twiggs expertly plucked the meat from the pan with tongs and set it on a plate. “Eat up,” he said.

  “Thanks.” Lux’s hunger roared, and he didn’t care if it was just another slab of meat. He stared hungrily at the steaming steak, impatience gnawing at him as he waited for it to cool.

  “Lux, we finished with the trees,” Violet piped up between bites. “What should we do next?”

  Lux dug in his pocket for the sketch and passed it to her. “See the channels on the drawing? We need to mark them on the ground with a hoe, so Twiggs can use his magic to follow the plan and dig shallow ditches for the water.” He patted the hoe he’d used to scratch out the routes earlier. With more hands, they could be done before sundown.

  Violet wrinkled her nose at the idea and handed the sketch to Twiggs. “Twiggy, can you handle it while you’re eating?” She pointed at the map, eyes glinting with mischief. Twiggs merely nodded, cheeks full.

  The ground trembled. Pebbles and small stones rattled and rolled to the edge of the field, gathering in tidy rows. Then, as if an invisible plough were dragging through the soil, shallow ditches unfurled, creating intricate channels exactly as Lux had drawn them.

  Lux stared, jaw slack. “Are you kidding me! I spent hours marking the channels in the last field! You could have just used the sketch all along?!”

  Their laughter echoed over the fields. Lux stabbed his steak with perhaps a bit too much force and chewed furiously. But his annoyance melted away as he watched the final field transform before his eyes.

  Farming in Mystic Beau was nothing like Earth. If people back home had access to this kind of magic, Lux was certain there’d be millions eager to become farmers overnight.

  Lux surveyed the crisscrossing channels with deep satisfaction. All that remained was to add little gates to block and release the water. Wooden blocks would do for now, Silver City could worry about upgrading the system later. His only challenge was finding blocks that would actually fit and stop the water.

  Scanning the group, Lux’s gaze snagged on Violet. She was absorbed in carving a wooden figurine, her hands sure and practiced with the knife. Lux’s mind lit up. “Violet, can you make wooden blocks to fit in the channels and control the water?” He sketched out his idea, and Violet nodded like she’d already been waiting for such a request.

  Violet wasted no time. Soon a tidy pile of wooden blocks sat ready for use. Lux was absolutely not about to do the installation by himself. He laid the sketch on the ground and delegated, instructing each person exactly where to wedge the blocks.

  When the last block was in place and the web of channels stood finished, Lux felt a deep, almost giddy pride. Now came the easy part, planting seeds and connecting the water to the lake. He’d intentionally kept the final trench from reaching the lake, so they wouldn’t flood the fields prematurely.

  “So what’s next?” Ruby’s question broke his focus. Lux looked up, and couldn’t help it, he began to laugh. Dirt smeared her elegant face, streaking her cheeks in dark stripes. “What? What’s so funny!” she demanded, and a sudden flame flickered threateningly in her palm.

  A chill shot through Lux. He’d almost forgotten how dangerous these companions could be. He’d slipped into treating them like old friends from home, but these weren’t humans. “Sorry, Ruby!” he apologised, hands raised.

  She didn’t put out the fire. ”Why were you laughing at me, human?” Ruby’s eyes narrowed, hot and sharp, and Lux swallowed hard.