Ridahne had a different story about Ravi’s Star. That wasn’t surprising. It was similar; a good person trying to keep others from being lost they way they were. That lead Darrin to believe that most of the stories across Astra regrading the guiding Star were similar. She knew she had next to know proof that was the case, but it made sense. It also made Darin wonder if there was actually not a Ravi, not the Overseer, but a Ravi from a long time ago that had formed the basis for the myths and legends. It didn’t seem likely that she would ever know the truth. Darin shifted her head until she was looking in the direction of The Tree. It was not one of the stories The Tree had chosen to share with her though she didn’t doubt that The Tree knew.

She looked back up at the sky, “You’re not a dog Ridahne.” She sighed, “Don’t even joke about something like that.” She waved vaguely at Ravi, “Ignore him. He thinks he’s being wise. Maybe he is being wise. He’s mostly just being annoying.”

Which probably meant he was being wise. Darin didn’t really care. All she knew was that she was enjoying herself. Even the bruises had been received. At least she was learning new things on this adventure. That meant even if she failed the trip itself wouldn’t be a waste. Darin supposed that was the best that could be hoped for. No, that wasn’t true. The best that could be hoped for was that she would figure out where The Seed was supposed to be planted. Lost in thought Darin started back to her feet. Her gaze had moved back towards The Tree. She started walking towards it. She wanted Ridahne to see truth. Maybe not the whole truth but part of it; in way that Ravi, the Overseer, could approve of. 

She told Ridahne, “Come on. I have something to show you.” She led the way towards The Tree only to stop at one of the signs in front of a field, “I know it’s dark, but I noticed it earlier. All of these signs have at least three different crops on it. Some have more. There aren’t three different crops in the field. Rather it’s this fields rotation. One of each of this is planted each year. See what happens is a plant will use all of a certain nutrient in the soil. So, if you plant wheat in the same field year after year eventually your wheat yield goes down. The same things for carrots and beans; basically any crop.” She started moving back towards The Tree, “They all take different nutrients. So, what you do, well what farmers do, what I did, was rotate the crops. One year I would plant wheat and then I would plant beans the next year. All the farms in the village and in Lively did it. It looks like The Farm does it too. It gives the ground a chance to rest and recover.”

They were almost at the line that marked the boundary of The Tree. Well, the part of The Tree that could be seen. Darin bent down to place her hand on the ground. The Roots of The Tree traveled under all of Astra. The Barrier that kept people from getting too far from the coast of Astra were The Roots. Darin wondered how many people knew that. Her guess was not many.

She slowly stood back up, “The same thing is happening in Astra.” She let out a long sigh, “You just can’t rotate trees.” She smiled at Ridahne, “Come on!” She held out a hand, “Come meet The Tree. It’s so proud of you for stopping that evil. You have nothing.” Darin’s voice rang with earnestness and truth, “Nothing to be afraid of.” She laughed and it sounded joyful, “So let’s go!”