The Tea Dragon Tapestry

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FOR

Frank, Jane
& Michael

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY

Katie O’Neill

LETTERED BY EDITED BY DESIGNED BY

Crank! Ari Yarwood Kate Z. Stone

AN ONI PRESS PUBLICATION

PUBLISHED BY ONI-LION FORGE PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC

James Lucas Jones, president & publisher
Sarah Gaydos, editor in chief

Charlie Chu, e.v.p. of creative & business development
Brad Rooks, director of operations

Amber O’Neill, special projects manager
Harris Fish, events manager

Margot Wood, director of marketing & sales
Devin Funches, sales & marketing manager

Katie Sainz, marketing manager
Tara Lehmann, marketing & publicity associate

Troy Look, director of design & production
Kate Z. Stone, senior graphic designer
Sonja Synak, graphic designer
Hilary Thompson, graphic designer

Sarah Rockwell, junior graphic designer
Angie Knowles, digital prepress lead

Vincent Kukua, digital prepress technician
Jasmine Amiri, senior editor
Shawna Gore, senior editor

Amanda Meadows, senior editor
Robert Meyers, senior editor, licensing

Grace Bornhoft, editor
Zack Soto, editor

Chris Cerasi, editorial coordinator
Steve Ellis, vice president of games

Ben Eisner, game developer
Michelle Nguyen, executive assistant

Jung Lee, logistics coordinator

Joe Nozemack, publisher emeritus

onipress.com lionforge.com

d c f @onipress d c f @lionforge

ktoneill.com

d @strangelykatie

First Edition: September 2020

ISBN 978-1-62010-774-4
eISBN 978-1-62010-795-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020934137

THE TEA DRAGON TAPESTRY, September 2020. Published by Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC. 1319 SE
Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite 240, Portland, OR 97214. The Tea Dragon Tapestry is ™ & © 2020 Katie O’Neill.

All rights reserved. Oni Press logo and icon ™ & © 2020 Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC. Oni Press logo
and icon artwork created by Keith A. Wood. The events, institutions, and characters presented in this book are
fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No portion of this publication

may be reproduced, by any means, without the express written permission of the copyright holders.

Printed in South Korea through Four Colour Print Group, Louisville, KY.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chapter One



Okay,
Brick, lower the

temperature!

7

Great!

Good job,
Brick! We’ll finish

the rest of it
tomorrow.

8

Maybe the
fire is a bit

scary…
But don’t

worry, Ginseng,
Brick is a coal
sprite! He protects
everyone in the

forge.

Is Ginseng still
not interested in

blacksmithing?

9

You
need some tea!

You’ve been
practising for
such long hours

lately.

Thanks
for the
reminder!

| know
|’ve been preoccupied.
|’m just getting more and
more nervous about
impressing this master

smith.

10

You’ll be Yeah, |’m
fine. After all, sure he
he’s the one who but he’s
wrote to you and will.
sorta, like, a
your Mama,
right? legend! So

To ask if he’ll want to
you wanted to be
tested to be his see something

apprentice? amazing for him to

consider actually

teaching

me.

By the way,
|’ve almost finished that
bell you wanted to wake

Chamomile up for
mealtimes.

It’s
really fun!
|’ve never
made one

before.

11

Thank you, | get
Greta! that.

Just in
time, too. He
gets even more

lazy in the
winter.

12

Thank
you for tidying

up the store,
Minette.

13

By the way, From my
there was a parcel family?
delivered to you--
Erik collected it from In a
sense. It’s
the post office
just now. on the
table.

It’s from the
monastery!

14

It’s very
detailed. Were
you working on
this as part of
your discipline

training?

No,
this was
for fun.

This is
the Ancestor, who
loves and protects my
people. All our daily
rituals and prayers
were dedicated to

them.

It’s been a
long time since they
have appeared in this

form, but | felt
them a few times
when | was in the

monastery.

15

You felt | can’t Does this
them? remember it tapestry bring
clearly, but | back memories

know the for you?
feeling.
Only
At times glimpses.
when | was sad
or lonely, suddenly But it
| knew someone also reminds me
was walking just a of something |
few paces behind
me, pushing me lost….

forwards.

But
when |
turned to look,
no one was
there.

16

What was Not that
Chamomile like different from now, but
when you first | can tell he’s much happier.
started looking He’d been without an owner
for a while, but he just
after him?
seemed to sleep and
sleep…

| think
that’s how he
coped with his

sadness.

17

Hesekiel…
is it normal for
a Tea Dragon to go
this long without
growing back any

tea leaves?

It’s been
over a year since
| started looking after
Ginseng, and | feel like
she hasn’t gotten

any closer to
regrowing her

leaves.

| know it is Every
Dragon is different,
hard to witness.
too. And Ginseng
But Tea Dragons have Dragons are known You’re
doing a great job,
an extremely strong to be very Grets. Just keep at
loyal. it, it’s okay for it
bond to their
to take some
caregivers. When time.

they shed their

tea leaves after their

passing, it is an expression

of shock and grief, as well

as their private way of

mourning that

person.

18

You aren’t
closing up shop
before a weary
traveller can get
his refreshment,

are you?

19

Greetings.
My goodness,
you two really
did retire to
the country.

Kleitos!

| would
think you’d be at
home in a bit of

pasture!

If you two There
are going to start are a lot of
sparring, please do breakables in
so outside of the
here.
shop.

20

Don’t Your It’s
worry, | haven’t blades saved our good to see
brought any new lives countless you again, friend.
swords for you to But what brings
times. you out this
test out.
way?

This.

| sent Yes, and | have
you that come to find the
months young smith you
mentioned who
ago!
made it.

21

You aren’t That is
finally thinking of wonderful news!
taking an apprentice You will find the
smith who made
again? It’s been that an excellent
decades!
candidate.

We shall see.
| have come here

to offer a test,
at least.

You must
be exhausted,
though. Please sit
and | will brew

some tea.

Thank you.
Your hospitality

is as fine as
ever.

22

Why
on earth do
you still keep these
ridiculous stuck-up

Dragons?

You
would know
if you had

one.

23



Chapter Two



Drat, we’re halfway Minette, would
through autumn and | you mind heading out
still haven’t gathered any
and picking some
wild rosemary… for me?

27

Of
course!

28

29

30

31

Is anyone
there?

32

33

Mama,
come and tell
me what you

think of
this!

| apologise The
for intruding. heat is a
Master Fraida little high for
told me to see this sort of

myself in. work.

34

My name, Yes!
as you probably Definitely!
know, is Kleitos. | am
the one who wrote
to you seeking an

apprentice.

Are you still
interested?

Good. My | will need
test is very to head back to my
forge when the first snows
simple. fall. If you are successful,
you will accompany me
| will and begin your study
inspect one item--
it may be any object you there.
choose. My decision will
be made from that …| understand.

alone.

35

It is an
honour to have you
standing in my forge,

Master Kleitos.

The honour is mine entirely.
Your work is renowned,
Master Fraida.

As is
yours.

| must admit,
the forge is
smaller than |

expected.

36

| have always
preferred forges that
feel like a kitchen--the two
are similar, do you not think?
| always wanted this to be a
place where Greta felt
comfortable and happy

when she was
very small.

| did!
| used to sit
in a box and
watch, like
Ginseng does

now.

Let us go inside--
we have some of
your work on our
mantlepiece, Kleitos.
|’m sure you’ll be
interested in seeing
some old pieces

again.

Indeed, | am
much more interested
in seeing an example

of your famous
magical engraved

armour.

37

You never | simply
told me you were make objects,
and then let them
famous, Mama! go out into the
Kleitos knew all
world.
about you.
What
value may become
attached to them is
not of importance
to me, though it is
certainly nice to hear
about it from time

to time.

38

| was so To keep
surprised to get blacksmith-made
that letter from objects in the world,
Kleitos… but the | want to learn as
longer | think about many different skills
as possible, and Kleitos
it, the more | has gathered them
want to train over his whole

with him. lifetime…

Have you If he were
decided what to pass them to me,
to make for | could pass them on
too, someday! | want
the test? to know how to make

all the different
objects that people

need.

Not yet.
There are more
of your pieces up in
the attic, aren’t

there?
Can

Minette and |
go up sometime

and have a
look?

Of
course you

may.

39

Ancestor…. Oh, Cham,
it’s times like
this | wish | But |
could go home don’t know
how to fill the
and have shape they expect
my parents to see anymore,
and it scares me
comfort
a little.
me….
You’ll
meet them

someday….

40

Let’s
have some of
that honey and

lemon that
Mama sent

us!

41

42

|’m
here! Wait

for me!

Please,
|’m here--
43

44

Chapter Three



Wow, your
Mama is so

talented!

| knew
that she makes
armour plating for
lots of different
body types, but |
never realised how
famous she was

for it.

47

| would
wear this.

You’d
look great

in it!

But for
some reason armour
and swords have never
appealed to me… |’m not
sure what else to make that
would impress Kleitos,

though.

Jewelry?

That’s
what |’m
thinking!
Maybe a

tiara….

You okay, Just
Min? You look strange dreams
lately. | should drink
kinda worn more chamomile tea
out.
before bed.

48