《Evil is besides the point》


 Chapter 1 - Something stirs

    The Snow Lands, year 873


    As she slowly trudged through the snow, Scypha pressed her icy, trembling hands to her mouth and exhaled, watching her breath form a mist in the chilly air.


    It didn¡¯t help. Her breath might have been as cold as the freezing wind that blew around her and stung her cheeks. Her trembling hands remained as cold and numb as they ever were. She couldn''t even feel the snowflakes landing on her fingers anymore.


    Her companion, however, was completely unfazed by such burdens. The young gray wolf ran excitedly ahead of her, then came right back and wildly shook off the blanket of snow that covered his fur.


    ¡°Oh, not onto me, Darko!¡± Scypha complained. ¡°Can¡¯t you do that anywhere else? I¡¯m dying of frostbite here!¡±


    The wolf looked at her, perked up his ears, and then bounded through the snow to her side, coming up beside her and nuzzling his head between her chest and elbow.


    ¡°Oh ¡­ I love you too, Darko,¡± Scypha said, stopping her gait and lowering her forehead to his. ¡°And you¡¯re lucky I do. I¡¯d kill for a coat of fur like that¡­¡±


    In response, Darko gave her face a nice and rough lick.


    ¡°Argh¡­ At least your tongue is warm ... But if you wet me, I¡¯m just going to get even colder! Come on, Darko, let¡¯s hurry to Lyerateh. Just a few more days to get there and the trip back, and we¡¯ll be at my coming-of-age party. I¡¯ll make sure you get plenty to eat. You won¡¯t have to steal from my pack anymore.¡±


    Darko''s gaze lingered on her for a moment while he licked his nose. Then, he slipped his head out from under her arm and leaped ahead of her, clearly excited by something.


    He began howling. ¡°AOUUUUUUHHH!¡±


    Scypha¡¯s breath came to her trembling from the cold, but, suppressing a smile, she joined in. ¡°AOUUUUUUHHH!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Ha,¡± she sighed, holding back laughter as the wolf turned back again to gaze at her, ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We¡¯re late already, I think the solstice is today.¡±


    Darko lowered his head, then bounded on through the snow.


    ¡°As soon as that sun goes down, I¡¯ll be fifteen winters old,¡± Scypha murmured.


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    Raising her shaking hand, she hastily marked on her forehead the symbol of the patron god of humans. ¡°Protect me, patron god of humanity, Vifafey,¡± she murmured. ¡°Don¡¯t abandon me to the cold and the beasts ¡­ no offense, Darko.¡±


    Swallowing hard, she trudged on through the snow behind the wolf.


    Suddenly, a little brown shape fell through the air right in front of her nose. With a panicked chirp, it plunged into the snow at her feet.


    Momentarily shocked, Scypha stopped walking and, with a stiff and freezing cold neck, looked down.


    It was a tiny little bird, a chickadee. It was trapped in a finger¡¯s depth of bright, cold snow. It was shaking its head and wings, trying to free itself, but it was having trouble. Scypha slowly knelt down in front of it, gazing at it.


    ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± she murmured. ¡°Did the winter beat you on your way south?¡±


    The little bird gazed up at her with beady little eyes and chirped. Scypha smiled despite herself. Noticing the cold, she shook her head and slowly cupped her arms around the bird.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little one,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got you. I won¡¯t let winter have you ¡­ Or Darko.¡±


    She looked up and around, trying to spot the wolf, but he¡¯d run off somewhere again. She looked back towards the bird. It began to flap its wings, throwing away some snowflakes that had gotten caught on them, and then suddenly, it jumped off the white snow and landed on her pinky finger.


    It stood there, holding onto her with its little legs, shaking slightly and gazing at Scypha with tiny little black eyes. It chirped.


    Scypha lifted her other hand, still trembling from the cold, and gently patted it on the head. It didn¡¯t even try to fly away.


    ¡°Do you want to come with me, for a little while?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re going south, too.¡±


    The bird chirped. A strange thought crept into Scypha¡¯s mind ¨C


    ¨C and suddenly, she was somewhere else.


    She was ¡­ she was standing straight, in the middle of a clearing. Darko was a few paces in front of her, bristling his fur and growling as though she were a predator. He was angry and ¡­ very frightened.


    ¡°What ¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°Where¡­?¡±


    It was like she¡¯d lost a few moments. Unnerved as she was, she recognized the clearing; it was just ahead of where she had been, but ¡­ she had no memory of getting up and walking there. Just an instant ago ¡­ she should have still been kneeling on the ground, with the little bird on her pinky finger.


    But she felt strange ¨C her hands felt strange. They weren¡¯t cold anymore. She looked down at them.


    In an instant, she panicked wildly and fell with her back onto the snow. Her trembling came back, and she breathed hard, stunned, with her eyes stuck to her hands.


    They were covered with blood. The broken body of the little bird stuck to it amidst torn-apart feathers, all covered in crimson.


    Severed from its body, its cute little head rolled off her hands and fell into the snow.


    Darko kept on growling and barking at her, slowly backing away, sounding more and more afraid.


    Scypha could barely breathe.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she gasped. She had no recollection of what had happened. ¡°I didn¡¯t ¡­ Did I¡­? What did I do?¡±


    But then her whole body began to tingle, and her lips curved into a wide smile. The cold of the snow faded away, and an intense feeling of euphoria washed over her entire being. She felt herself vibrating from head to toe, suddenly feeling happier than she¡¯d ever been. Her hands moved without instruction and gently caressed her cold cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s so warm¡­¡±

 Chapter 2 - The day of Accord

    A thousand miles south, same year


    About once a season, the bells would ring, humans would make their way into the sacred forest, and Eletha would have to refrain from taking up her bow and shooting arrows at them.


    She and the other guardians of the forest, dryads all, stood by with their bows, watching as the humans trampled leaves and walked past their heart trees on the dirt path that led to the Oakmother¡¯s grove.


    She eyed the little meat-men children, occasionally straying from the path before their parents intervened, and her fingers itched to let loose an arrow.


    ¡°Disgusting meat-men,¡± she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. ¡°This is all wrong.¡±


    The sound of rustling leaves to her right betrayed the coming of one of her sisters. Maylissena, a taller dryad shaped like a human lady dressed in vines and leaves, nimbly hopped from rock to rock until she was at Eletha¡¯s side.


    ¡°I heard that,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°See, this is why you¡¯re still just a sapling.¡±


    ¡°May,¡± Eletha replied, ¡°¡­Is any of what I said untrue?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of truth and untruth, Eletha, you would benefit from playing nice.¡±


    ¡°As you do?¡±


    ¡°Exactly as I do,¡± May said. ¡°All I do is act ¡®kind and understanding¡¯, and the humans bring more of their dead to my heart tree than to that of any other dryad. It¡¯s not that hard, Eletha. You¡¯d do well to try it. Take it as a tip from your seed-sister.¡±


    Eletha shook her head, uncertain. The column of humans stretched on ahead before her and May, trudging silently along the path. Two adult men pulled a ¡®cart¡¯, a construct fashioned of unnaturally cut and bent wood¡ªa travesty.


    ¡°Do you see what they do to our dead, May? How can I ¡®play nice¡¯ when they bring something like that into our sacred forest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what they do, seed-sister. I didn¡¯t say you had to be nice, just play nice. Act as though they don¡¯t disgust you ¨C the truth of it won¡¯t change.¡±


    The cart¡¯s wheels rolled along the ground, creaking and aching. It was all Eletha could do to stop herself from raising her bow towards the men pulling it. She tried to look away from them, to focus instead on the four human corpses the cart carried ¨C the gifts.


    We need those, she thought. And this is the way our Oakmother decreed.


    And she must have had her reasons...


    ¡°A corpse for a corpse,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose they are any happier about this than we are.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± May said. ¡°They¡¯re not. I heard from a family of them last season that tensions are rising. Some of them would like to be rid of us, to claim the whole forest for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Hardly surprising,¡± Eletha snorted. ¡°Meat-men ¡­ As you said, it''s what they do. Though I¡¯d like to see them try.¡±


    May shook her head. ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t. The meat-men don¡¯t fight with arrows. They fight with fire.¡±


    ¡°Another reason we should kill them all now.¡±


    ¡°Another reason we should keep the peace now. Listen, I have to go, Eletha. I want one of those dead men for myself. Please try to get one as well. Push some of those vines away from your chest. Show skin ¨C especially that skin, there ¨C and show that you look like them. And play nice.¡±


    Eletha grimaced but remained quiet. Her seed-sister¡¯s advice was good; she knew, but it was incredibly distasteful. Dryads were no mammals, excreting water and milk from fleshy bodies¡ªeven if they did look like them. Eletha doubted that even the goddess Phosyphia had enjoyed herself while molding her daughters into the shapes of their greatest enemies.


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    Still ¡­ Eletha thought, good advice given should be good advice used.


    She touched the vines wrapped in knots around the various parts of her body and asked them to pull their leaves in, exposing her human-like skin to the wind, sunlight, and the meat-men¡¯s staring eyes.


    She watched as May skipped ahead of her, similarly exposed, along pebbles that covered the forest floor. Not trampling a single sapling or blade of grass, she made her way to the humans. She kindly greeted the men who pulled the cart and made idle conversation with the elderly, smiling all the while.


    Eletha frowned. She remained by her heart tree, uncertain how exactly to continue following her seed-sister¡¯s advice and also somewhat unwilling to try. Finally, once the column of humans had nearly completely passed her, she shook her head, inwardly sighing to herself and skipping towards it, just as May had.


    The humans watched her approach with expressions of mixed fear and anger. Mothers tightened their grips on their children, and fathers moved to stand between them and Eletha. She skipped lightly towards them on the pebbles and roots, pretending not to notice. Before long, she began to receive the same kind of stares that May had, and she jumped before the last of the meat-men forming the column.


    She took a moment to scan the surroundings, partially out of duty, partially because she didn¡¯t know what to say to those things.


    The meat-men walked on, stealing glances at her, then pretending they hadn¡¯t. She followed closely behind them, noting that most of the other dryads preferred to stay far away, next to their heart trees ¡­ As in all honesty, she would have as well.


    ¡°Why do you jump around like that?¡± a human voice asked.


    She frowned, pushing her thoughts aside, and turned her gaze towards its source. It was a semi-young male, slim and somewhat taller than most, with messy brown hair and a suspiciously curious look on his face. He¡¯d slowed down his gait, falling behind his fellow humans in order to get closer to Eletha, and he was waiting patiently for an answer, his gaze occasionally flickering between her eyes and her chest.


    The pine cones along the path seemed to whisper with May¡¯s horrid words: ¡°Play nice.¡±


    Holding back a grimace, Eletha smiled at the human. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I mean the way you hop around on all the little rocks on the ground. I¡¯ve noticed all the dryads do it ¨C are you afraid to get your feet dirty?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Eletha said. ¡°We dryads are born from the soil. Why would we be afraid of it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m confused.¡±


    Eletha eyed the human suspiciously for another moment, trying to discern what game he was playing, but eventually concluded that he genuinely didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°We follow the creed of the goddess Phosyphia,¡± she said. ¡°We cherish life, big and small. Life grows in soil, but not rocks ¨C so whenever possible, we tread on those.¡±


    The human looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded in understanding. ¡°Phosyphia is the goddess of plants and trees, right? And ¡­ nature in general.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as well as being mother to my people. Now go, human. We are falling behind the column.¡±


    ¡°Right! Sorry.¡±


    The human turned away from Eletha, glancing at the path ahead, and ran ahead to catch up to his own. It might have been a trick of the light, but for a moment, it seemed to Eletha that he had made an effort to step more on the rocks than on the dirt and fallen leaves. Perhaps she¡¯d frightened him already. Good.


    She soon caught back up to him and the column, then scanned the area behind them again. The wind was starting to blow, rustling the leaves and undergrowth, promising rain in the near future.


    As she turned back ahead, she caught the human staring at her again.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She eyed him suspiciously. ¡°Sorry for...?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Um ¡­ It¡¯s just ¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a dryad before. The lack of ¡­ proper clothes ¡­ is disconcerting.¡±


    Eletha snorted. So much for May¡¯s advice. ¡®Proper clothes¡¯ were nonsense that humans invented, but, if only for the sake of ¡®playing nice¡¯, she touched the vines wrapped around her body again and had them push their leaves out to lightly cover her. A few other humans turned back to glance at her and the meat-man, but they said nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m new to this area, to be honest,¡± the meat-man said, stealing glances at the leaves, his cheeks taking on a shade of red. ¡°Before today, I had no idea about the villagers'' arrangement with your people.¡±


    ¡°It is a long-standing tradition,¡± Eletha said. ¡°Though not a common one.¡± She hesitated, then quickly hopped to a pebble ahead of the human and offered him her hand. ¡°My name is Eletha,¡± she said, holding back a frown. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ a pleasure.¡±


    For a moment, the human, and all the others surrounding him, looked at her wide-eyed. Then he grasped her hand with his own and gently shook it ¨C a gesture May had previously mentioned to be common.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sam,¡± the human said, losing his balance slightly. Eletha looked towards his feet ¨C both were amateurishly perched on a tiny pebble.


    She was beginning to grow increasingly suspicious. What is the point of your little act? she thought.


    ¡°So,¡± Sam said. ¡°I hear you are quite ¡­ good with that bow. Do you ever use it to protect the village? Maybe from ¡­¡±


    Seeing Eletha grimace in disgust, he slowly lost his voice.


    ¡°I guess ¡­ not,¡± he continued. ¡°My mistake. Well ¡­ the bow is still really pretty. I think I recognize the wood ¨C is it oak?¡±


    ¡°Of a sort. It comes from my heart tree.¡±


    ¡°Heart tree?¡±


    Eletha narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re asking too many questions, human.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, shaking slightly.


    Eletha turned away from the column again and looked around. Once again, she saw nothing but rustling leaves. A promising sign, perhaps. The Oakmother would be pleased by a day of accord without violence.


    They were so rare.

 Chapter 3 - Funeral

    Once inside the sacred grove, the humans clustered around each other like a herd.


    Dryads stood by the trees surrounding them, bows hanging over their shoulders, while others walked silently atop the tree branches above, watching for danger.


    Eletha was among those on the ground, standing behind everyone and guarding the entrance to the grove. May stood to her left, idly smiling at the humans and making strange gestures towards one of the males.


    She¡¯d be sure to get one of their dead. She always did.


    To Eletha¡¯s right, a pile of dead tree trunks and branches littered the ground, ready for the humans'' grubby hands and cart.


    Their dead for ours¡ªthe words of the accord.


    Up ahead, ten dryads past Eletha, the Oakmother stepped out of her heart tree and walked over to the group of humans. A cloudy mist spread behind her, as it always did.


    ¡°Berrick,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    A short, old, and hairless man stepped out of the group of humans and went to stand before her. The human¡¯s leader, for the last twenty or so years.


    ¡°Vephena,¡± he said, reaching out to her and clasping her hand. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long¡ªtwo months, maybe. We come bearing gifts. Offerings.¡±


    The Oakmother smiled. ¡°I can see that. We have gifts prepared for you as well.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be grateful for them. We might be in the south, but still ¡­ The air is turning cold, and winter is coming sooner than we¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Sooner than anyone would like, apart from the evergreens.¡±


    ¡°Quite possibly. You would know better than we. So ¨C shall we get this started? There¡¯s something I urgently need to discuss with you later, and it looks to me that everyone is already in place.¡±


    ¡°By all means.¡±


    A wind picked up then, rustling the leaves of the great oaks in the grove, carrying a whisper: ¡°Everyone quiet now. It is time for the ceremony. Maylissena, stop making a fool of yourself. Stand still and silent. Honor the dead.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± the human named Berrick said, looking around. ¡°Oakmother, Vephena, we come to you on this day in peace to honor a bargain once struck. ¡°May your goddess Phosyphia bless us, may our patron god Vifafey honor you, and may all the other gods bear witness to the harmony between us.¡±


    ¡°To life,¡± the Oakmother said.


    ¡°And to peace,¡± replied the human. ¡°I offer the bodies of our four recently dead. Their names were Jon, Terril, Leyn, and Pella. May they all rest in peace.¡±


    The Oakmother nodded at Berrick, stepped past him, and slowly headed towards the cart. The cluster of other humans parted before her. Most were silent and solemn, while others openly wept. None stood in her way, though¡ªthey had finally learned. The Oakmother arrived at the cart and knelt before it while Berrick caught up to her.


    ¡°May their spirits find the ways to the gods they favored, and their bodies nourish the earth,¡± the Oakmother said.


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    Berrick nodded. The Oakmother rose from her knees and inspected the dead humans on the cart. She crossed her fingers in the symbol of Phosyphia and blessed them, one by one. When she reached the fourth, she stopped.


    ¡°This one is young,¡± she said. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Disease,¡± Berrick replied. ¡°A sudden one. I¡¯d advise you not to get too close ... or, at least, I would if you were human.¡±


    ¡°A shame that she suffered so young,¡± the Oakmother said, ignoring his warning. ¡°May she ¡­ rest in peace, as you say.¡±


    Berrick nodded, and the Oakmother blessed the girl. Then she turned to the group of humans standing around, silently gazing at them for a moment before raising her voice again.


    ¡°We dryads too grieve for your fallen friends. Until sundown, the law of trespass is lifted. Go, wander freely in our sacred forest. Find the places where you would lay these dead to rest, and revisit those that you have in the past.¡±


    She lifted her hand into the air, veins of glowing green magic slithering down her arm. Then she looked towards the dryads. ¡°Girls,¡± she said. ¡°Help them find their way.¡±


    ¡°And make sure they don¡¯t destroy anything.¡± Another whisper, carried on the wind.


    The dryads nodded, then walked over to the humans with fake sympathy and smiles on their faces. Some of the humans merely said quick and solemn goodbyes to the corpses, then made their way to the pile of dead tree trunks and branches at the side of the grove.


    Others wept, and others still ¨C a group of four ¨C picked up the dead, gently placed them over their shoulders, and made their way out of the grove. One of the four was a woman flanked by a little boy. She carried the body of the young girl. It appeared that many of the other humans avoided them, though they never quit reciting prayers.


    May suddenly distracted Eletha with a wave of her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got my eye on that large one. If I can get him, I bet he¡¯ll nourish my heart tree until spring.¡±


    Eletha nodded and chuckled, watching her seed-sister run off to one of the other groups of humans, that which carried the body of a larger and fatter old man on his shoulder. She said something to them, held the hand of one of the elderly women, and led them all out of the grove, straight in the direction of her heart tree.


    Once all four of the deceased and their families had departed, the remaining humans in the grove started to lift and carry the tree trunks and branches offered by the dryads to their cart.


    Sam was among them. Eletha didn¡¯t know why she¡¯d bothered to remember his name and face, but it was something she noticed.


    She quickly bowed to the distant Oakmother, who was talking to Berrick again, and left the grove, searching out the trail of the woman that carried the dead girl. That corpse was smaller. Fewer of her sisters would be vying for it.


    She found them quickly ¡­ and really, it was no surprise. There were only two: the woman carrying the corpse and a young boy who was likely her son. Apparently, all the larger meat-men had left them behind. The boy looked to be about the same age as the dead girl, and his face somewhat resembled hers as well. He and his mother trod through the undergrowth, quietly mouthing prayers to their lesser meat-man god, Vifafey.


    They trampled every plant in the undergrowth that was in their way ¨C and it was apparent they had no idea where they were going.


    The woman looked tired.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re after the little one too, Eletha?¡± asked a soft, close voice.


    Eletha turned around and saw Nelippe quietly approaching her. She gracefully cartwheeled and flipped atop the pebbles and air until she crouched by Eletha¡¯s side ¨C being a young dryad, she still favored wasteful and flamboyant movements.


    ¡°It looks like we are the only ones,¡± Eletha said. ¡°How many of our sisters are competing for the large one?¡±


    ¡°The one Maylissena is targeting? Not many. They know not to compete with her ¨C most are trying to get one of the other two.¡±


    ¡°And you, Nelippe? What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°My heart tree is small. I don''t need quite that much fertilizer. Hey, what do you think about sharing the girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to the idea ¡­ but at this rate, it seems the woman won¡¯t make it to either of our heart trees.¡±


    Nelippe smiled softly, gazing past Eletha at the human woman struggling to carry the little corpse. ¡°Come sundown, then, the two of us might have more to share than just a little girl.¡±


    Eletha had already allowed herself a smile before she remembered the Oakmother¡¯s words. ¡°Help them find their way.¡±


    ¡°I suspect that won¡¯t happen,¡± she said. ¡°The Oakmother is as serious as ever about this damned peace. Come, Nelippe, let¡¯s play nice.¡±


    ¡°Urgh, did you just say ¡®play nice¡¯? So now you¡¯ve been listening to Maylissena too? Go ahead if you want. I won¡¯t play at anything with those meat-men.¡±


    Eletha shrugged, then skipped ahead of Nelippe towards the humans.

 Chapter 4 - The second time

    Days after the first of her many episodes, Scypha awoke to find herself alone.


    Her bedroll was covered in snow, and the fireplace dead beside it, but Darko was nowhere to be seen. She arose from the covers, the chill air stinging her face, and blew her nose into the white snow. Perhaps the wolf had gone hunting.


    She took a few moments to fully awaken, wiping the moisture from her face and blinking a hundred times. Then she got to work.


    Walking around, she gathered several armfuls of mostly dry sticks from the nearby trees and rekindled the fire. She rummaged through her pack, retrieving a loaf of tough, cold bread. While doing so, she noticed Darko''s footsteps in the snow, but she didn''t catch sight of him.


    While the bread warmed by the fire, she got up and started doing jumping jacks. Once she felt a little less cold, her stiff legs began to hurt and she got tired, so she folded up her bedroll and tied it to her pack.


    The cold stung her hands as she worked, prompting her to wiggle her fingers to alleviate the discomfort ... But that brought back into focus the memory of that cute, fragile little bird, clutched in her trembling hands just before she blacked out.


    Her whole body shook, and she lost her grip on the bedroll. She found herself smiling, envisioning the sticky crimson and the beautiful, smashed-up little bones...


    She shook her head wildly. ¡°Stop it!¡± she shouted. ¡°Stop it, stop it! That¡¯s not me! That¡¯s not me! What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Breathing hard, she ran back to the fireplace, everything forgotten, and looked around, trying to focus on something ¨C anything else.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡± she gasped, inwardly feeling horrified even as her lips curved into a twisted grin. ¡°By the god Vifafey, what is wrong with me?¡±


    Another horrible thought came over her.


    ¡°Darko?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you safe? Where ¡­ are you? Please, please be okay.¡±


    The snowflakes continued to blanket the wolf¡¯s pawprints in the white-covered ground, but Darko himself remained out of sight.


    Scypha gulped, then took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Darko was fine, she told herself. She had work to do.


    Cold as it was, she undressed and changed into clothes that were a bit drier, then put a few layers of fur on top of them. After that, she finished packing her bedroll. She drank some freezing cold water ¨C snow, that had just melted by the fire, and ate the frigid bread she¡¯d taken from her pack.


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    Even after all that, her wolf did not come.


    ¡°Darko!¡± she shouted, getting too frightened to keep waiting. ¡°Darko, where are you?!¡±


    She saw nothing, heard nothing. A cold wind began to blow the snowflakes sideways, stinging her exposed cheeks and hands.


    ¡°Darko! Come, we¡¯ve got to go! We¡¯re almost at Lyerateh! We should make it by day¡¯s end!¡±


    She silently waited for him for a while, but he didn¡¯t come. The memory of the bird flashed before her eyes again, and her head twitched.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°It didn¡¯t. Not to you, not to Darko ¡­ Please, at least not to Darko¡­¡±


    She walked over to the trail of his pawprints in the glistening snow and began to follow it. The trail led her past a dozen trees and frozen bushes. She proceeded with caution, watching the sky and with her feet making occasional markings in the snow so that she wouldn¡¯t lose her sense of direction.


    ¡°Darko!¡± she shouted again. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    A dark shape fell into the snow right in front of her. Another bird ¡­ but no. When she looked down, it wasn¡¯t there. There was nothing there, she was just seeing things.


    She began to feel strange again. Her body tingled, a numbness spreading and soothing the sharp sting of the cold until it entirely disappeared. In its wake, a rush of exhilaration suddenly flooded over her, making her breath deeper and harder and faster...


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± she shouted, her voice shrill. ¡°Not again! Darko, stay away!¡±


    She blacked out.


    She woke up with a jolt, pushing herself from the ice and snow and forcefully propelling herself into an upright sitting position. She breathed hard. The first thing she noticed was that she was cold and wet all over.


    She wildly looked around, brushing snowflakes off her nose, forehead, and eyebrows. As she did so, her hand suddenly flashed in pain as a warm, wet, and rough tongue brushed against it.


    Just like that, she saw Darko standing over her, whining anxiously, smelling her, and licking.


    Breathing a sigh of impossible relief, she embraced the gray wolf. ¡°Darko!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°By the god Vifafey, I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re still alive!¡±


    Darko whined, stuck his nose into her ear, and gave it a few soggy licks.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± she breathed into his fur. ¡°I was so worried ¡­ please don¡¯t ever leave me again. I¡¯ll feed you properly now, I promise! No more mice and rats. You¡¯ll get venison every day!¡±


    Suddenly, Darko stopped licking and jumped away from her. He bounded through the snow a few paces ahead, waging his tail along the ground.


    Scypha sobbed a few more times out of sheer relief. ¡°What is it, Darko?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you smell something?¡±


    Darko ignored her. He lowered himself to the level of the snow and began growling. Somewhere past the trees ahead of the two of them, Scypha heard a couple of twigs break.


    Someone is coming, she realized. Someone or something. And Darko doesn¡¯t like it.


    She held her breath and remained completely still for a few moments, then quietly crouched down, trying to make herself less visible.


    Darko growled.


    Glancing over at him anxiously, she sneaked up behind him, gently placing a hand on his back. ¡°Darko,¡± she whispered. ¡°Quiet, now. I think we should hide¡ª¡±


    That was when the arrow pierced his eye.

 Chapter 5 - Lies

    Eletha had spent some time deliberating how best to steer the woman and her boy to her heart tree, but the solution she came up with at the last moment was resoundingly simple. She skipped along pebbles that lined the undergrowth until she got ahead, then stopped beside a pine tree directly in their path.


    ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± she asked the woman carrying the body.


    Apparently, though, she should have spoken more graciously, as both the woman and the little boy shuddered and gaped at her.


    Eletha remained motionless for a few moments, allowing them time to compose themselves. Then she motioned towards the dead girl.


    ¡°You are exhausted, human. I can carry the body for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ Hi. That¡¯s a very kind offer,¡± said the woman. ¡°But please, allow me. She¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    Eletha thought for a moment, then nodded and stood aside to let them pass, trying to keep her expression neutral. ¡°As you wish,¡± she said. ¡°But know that midday has come and gone, and the day of accord ends at sundown.¡±


    ¡°We will hurry,¡± the woman replied. Her voice shook slightly. ¡°We¡¯ve just got to find the right spot, and we¡¯ll leave as soon as we can. We don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±


    Eletha smiled widely, but then she noticed their feet, which were firmly planted on bent and slowly breaking little saplings on the forest floor. She quickly became all too aware of her bow, which was slung over her shoulder. Her fingers again began to itch for the feel of an arrow.


    ¡°There will be no trouble,¡± she said, swiftly moving her hands away from the arrows strapped with vines to her thighs. ¡°I know the forest well. I can lead you to one of the prettier trees if you like. It¡¯s an oak, not far from the path you took to reach the grove. You may lay the body there and be back on your way home before the sun turns red. Sooner, if you let me carry it.¡±


    ¡°Then ... please, lead the way,¡± the human woman said.


    Eletha curtly nodded and turned away before they could see her smile.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said then, turning back around. ¡°By the way. I¡¯m Eletha.¡±


    The woman looked stunned for a moment, then found her words again. ¡°I¡¯m Jennah,¡± she said. ¡°This is my son Luvelye ¡­ and Pella.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Luvelye,¡± Eletha said, eyeing the boy. He seemed to be frightened of her, just as his mother was. Wise. ¡°Please follow me. If you¡¯d be so kind, try not to trample too many of my younger relatives.¡±


    I would so hate to return the favor, she thought.


    ¡°Please, Luvelye,¡± the woman said to her boy, holding his shoulder, ¡°do as the kind dryad says.¡±


    He nodded without saying a word, and the three of them slowly made their way to Eletha¡¯s heart tree.


    ¡°How do you like this spot?¡± she asked when they had arrived at her heart tree. In line with the accord, humans had the final say over where they lay their dead to rest, although the dryads could move the bodies after they left. Still, Eletha had to ensure that they left it in her territory, not that of one of her sisters.


    The woman, breathing heavily and smelling of sweat, stopped just behind Eletha and looked upon her heart tree.


    It was a smaller oak than most of the others surrounding it, especially May¡¯s, and the bark was flecked with white and covered with moss. Despite that, though, Eletha took great pride in her heart tree. Every evening, she carefully arranged everything so that the tree could gather as many nutrients as possible from the earth and the sun, focusing far more than most other dryads on the spread of the branches, the health of the leaves, and the organization of the roots underground.


    The woman and her son, however, wouldn¡¯t appreciate any of it. The woman simply looked at it for a while, exhausted, and held the hand of the boy behind her.


    ¡°Just ¡­ here?¡± she asked. ¡°Just by this tree?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Eletha said.


    The woman gulped. ¡°But ¡­ I thought there would be a hole, or ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


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    ¡°Mom,¡± the boy said quietly, tugging at her arm. ¡°How do we bury her? People will get sick.¡±


    ¡°Your concerns are irrelevant,¡± Eletha replied, sighing. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. Just lay it by the tree, and your part will be done. I¡¯ll put it in the ground later.¡±


    The woman appeared crestfallen but obeyed without saying another word. She gently laid down the dead girl directly in front of Eletha¡¯s heart tree.


    Eletha suppressed another smile, then stepped alongside her and the corpse and placed a hand on one of the lower branches of the tree. As soon as she did, the wind blew, rustling the leaves overhead.


    ¡°The small one has been dealt with,¡± she said.


    ¡°Good work, Eletha,¡± replied a whisper of the Oakmother¡¯s voice. ¡°The humans with the cart have also already left. Sisters, once the dead have been taken care of, make sure to escort the living out of our forest, and come back to the grove.¡±


    Eletha slipped another thread of magic into her tree, acknowledging the message, then turned back to the woman and boy. ¡°You should leave now,¡± she said. ¡°I will show you the way.¡±


    She¡¯d already started past them when she was interrupted.


    ¡°Wait! Can¡¯t we ¡­ Can we please have a moment to say goodbye?¡± asked the woman.


    Eletha grimaced, then looked toward the leaves blocking out the sky. Sundown was still a way in the future ¡­ and the corpse wouldn¡¯t truly be hers until the humans left. Solely to appease them and ensure they wouldn¡¯t decide to move it, she smiled understandingly and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your moment, then,¡± she said, scanning the ground and finding the line of pebbles that led away from them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    At that point, the woman had the makings of tears in her eyes. She mouthed a quiet ¡®thank you¡¯, then grasped more tightly the hand of her living boy and knelt down on the ground before Eletha¡¯s heart tree and the dead girl.


    The young boy, Luvelye, stared at Eletha for a few more moments than his mother did, then stepped up to the tree, trampling a dozen fallen leaves. Once his back was turned, Eletha glanced at the nearest pebble and nimbly hopped into the air, landing on it with one foot. It was easy to reach to the next pebble from that one, and then to create a measure of distance between herself and the two disgusting meat-men.


    Nelippe skipped over to her soon enough, having kept a safe distance between herself and the two meat-men while Eletha had graciously catered to them.


    ¡°Are you still willing to share?¡± she asked.


    Eletha couldn''t help but roll her eyes at the younger dryad.


    ¡°Those are the first words you say to me?¡± she asked. Still, after a moment''s consideration, she found herself nodding in agreement. ¡°Sure, why not? But I did all the work, so I¡¯ll be taking more than half.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fair. Mind if I take the head?¡±


    Eletha narrowed her eyes at her sister. ¡°Does the head include the entire neck?¡±


    Nelippe chuckled. ¡°Only half if you¡¯re going to be stingy about it. Come on, I¡¯ll owe you one next time, sister.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, sister, you already do. Still ¡­ I¡¯ll humor you. I¡¯m nothing if not kind.¡±


    ¡°See? That¡¯s why you¡¯re the Oakmother¡¯s favorite, Eletha,¡± Nelippe said.


    Eletha grimaced. ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°No ... Why would you even think that I would be?¡±


    ¡°Think that you would be what?¡± asked a new voice. Eletha turned and found her seed-sister May standing just behind her, grinning widely with newly grown vines and leaves tangling around her waist.


    ¡°Maylissena,¡± Nelippe said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that she¡¯s the Oakmother¡¯s favorite.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, you definitely are, Eletha. When there¡¯s an issue to do with ¡­ anything except meat-men, really, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡±


    ¡°And when it is to do with them, it''s you, Maylissena,¡± Nelippe said.


    ¡°Yup,¡± May replied.


    ¡°Why ¡­ would you say that?¡± Eletha asked.


    May rolled her eyes. ¡°How surprising can it be? You suck up to her at every turn, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Eletha said.


    ¡°You do so,¡± Nelippe replied.


    ¡°Remember that time when we fought over who had the healthiest heart tree?¡± May asked.


    ¡°Yes ¡­ But the Oakmother judged fairly. My heart tree is healthier than yours. Just look at the leaves.¡±


    ¡°Mine has more leaves, seed-sister! It¡¯s twice the size of yours!¡±


    Eletha shook her head, grimacing. ¡°Size isn¡¯t everything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot, though. Size got me to the sunlight while you, dear seed-sister, still wallow in the shade. Not to mention my roots run deeper.¡±


    ¡°But in all the wrong places!¡± Eletha exclaimed. ¡°Come on, May, really? Nelippe, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think I know better than to get involved in this argument ¡­ although you¡¯ve currently got some leverage over me, so I believe I¡¯ll side with you.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Hear that, May?¡±


    May shook her head, chuckling. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°You win, Eletha, your heart tree is healthier. You¡¯re still the Oakmother¡¯s favorite, though. An adorable little suck-up.¡±


    Eletha rolled her eyes. ¡°My dear seed-sister, shouldn¡¯t you go back to those meat-men you were so kindly leading around, all your skin exposed? I bet there are quite a few others who would love to help themselves to your big, fat prize. Maybe you should get back to sucking up to those meat-men.¡±


    ¡°My big, fat prize is already in the ground, feeding my heart tree,¡± May replied, grinning. ¡°I didn¡¯t even have to wait for those miserable old things to leave ¡­ But perhaps you should go to your little prize, Eletha. Congratulations, by the way! You finally snagged one. Small, but still something. You¡¯ve got a meat-man ¡­ Now, push it into the mud and wrap your roots around it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t yet,¡± Eletha said, nodding toward Nelippe. ¡°We¡¯re splitting.¡±


    May grimaced. ¡°You little minx, Nelippe. I¡¯m pretty sure I already saw you haggle yourself a portion of Tefera¡¯s.¡±


    The young dryad shrugged. ¡°Diplomacy works for me. A bargain struck must be honored, and I don¡¯t even have to talk to the filthy things. You girls go on ahead and do that for me ¨C I¡¯m very grateful, of course.¡±


    ¡°Dishonest little worm,¡± Eletha said. ¡°You really are getting only half the neck.¡±


    The three of them laughed.

 Chapter 6 - Flowers

    ¡°Will we be allowed to visit?¡± the woman asked once Eletha had led her and her son away to the edge of the sacred forest. ¡°My old family used to have a custom ¡­ We¡¯d like to bring flowers to the grave, or, well, to the place where the body will rest. Would you allow it?¡±


    Eletha glanced at the woman and concealed her disgust with a smile. No doubt she meant to murder the flowers while moving them. She wouldn¡¯t know how to touch something as fragile as a dandelion or a rose without killing it, let alone be willing to try to.


    So Eletha shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°You may visit on the next day of the accord, but no sooner. The law of trespass stands without exception.¡±


    ¡°Not even once? Please?¡±


    Just once would be fine, actually, Eletha thought. The visit would be ¡®to die for¡¯.


    ¡°No,¡± she said aloud.


    The woman looked sheepishly towards the ground, tightly holding her son¡¯s hand. ¡°What if ¡­ I was to bring flowers here, to the border?¡± she asked. ¡°I could say some prayers, at least, and then ... would you bring them to her? To my daughter?¡±


    Hearing such blasphemous words, Eletha became so furious that her mask of pleasantry slipped, as did her trembling right hand, towards the shaft of an arrow strapped to her thigh. ¡°I will not cover my heart tree in death!¡± she hissed. ¡°The flowers are innocent; they want nothing to do with you and your dead little runt!¡±


    Both the woman and her son took frightened steps back, staring at her in horror.


    Eletha glared at them, beside herself with anger. Eventually, many moments later, she forced herself to tear her eyes away from them before the violent thoughts could truly take hold of her.


    They don¡¯t know any other way, an annoying thread of thought in her mind echoed, even while she seethed with rage. Meat-men, beasts, even most animals ¡­ killing is just what they do.


    It was the reason the goddess Phosyphia created dryads in the first place.


    Concealing her fury as much as she was able, Eletha forced herself to speak to the woman again.


    ¡°If you want flowers so badly,¡± she growled, ¡°I¡¯ll plant them myself. You will see them when next you are welcome into our forest ¨C but you will not insult me or my sisters by bringing any yourself.¡±


    Both the woman and her son continued to stare at her, shaking. The son took a few more steps back, hiding behind his mother¡¯s dress.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Eletha asked.


    Still trembling wildly, the woman hastily nodded.


    ¡°And do you accept?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Thank you.¡±


    Eletha relaxed and released the arrow she had begun clutching in her right hand. Pulling her gaze away from the two meat-men, she knelt to the ground and gently caressed a small birch sapling growing in the shade in front of her. ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Then, as this young one witnesses, we have an accord.¡±


    She looked towards the two humans again and slowly rose to her feet. ¡°Is that all?¡± she asked.


    ¡°O-only one more thing ¨C if you would be so kind, noble dryad,¡± the woman said.


    Eletha clicked her tongue, realizing she was being far more patient with the humans than was customary or necessary.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask if my boy is sick, too,¡± the woman said. ¡°Luvelye. I¡¯ve heard dryads can tell these things at a glance. If you would be so kind¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Eletha cut in. ¡°He¡¯s not sick. He¡¯ll be prowling the earth for decades to come, a horror to all of nature¡¯s guardians.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s ¡­ not? Oh, thank you, Vifafey ¡­ and thank you, dryad. I am in your debt¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leave now, then, and I¡¯ll consider it repaid. Trample on fewer lives on your way home.¡±


    The woman hastily nodded, holding her son close to her again and profusely speaking praise to Eletha and the lesser god Vifafey. Slowly, she made to leave. Eletha had already grown bored by her presence rather than disgusted by it by the time she and her boy finally did go.


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    The reddening sun slowly hid itself under the treetops as she began to make her way to the Oakmother¡¯s sacred grove.


    ¡°Not sick at all, that little boy,¡± she murmured to herself, passing a group of birch trees, pines, and larches. ¡°But then, neither was the girl, before the nightshade.¡±


    The journey back to the Oakmother¡¯s grove was much quicker than the one away from it, since Eletha was no longer stuck caring for meat-men.


    She made it to the Great Oaks before twilight, skipping on pebbles and tree roots along the way. It was refreshing, once again moving through the forest without watching plants get trampled right in front of her, forbidden from intervening as sylvan law and basic morality decreed.


    ¡°The accord was a mistake,¡± she murmured. ¡°No matter how few of us dryads there are left ¡­ those murderers and fire-starters¡­¡±


    Of course, her thoughts on the matter were unimportant, as were those of the majority of her sisters. The Oakmother¡¯s word was final, and she had personally arranged a ¡®peaceful coexistence¡¯. With the occasional days of accord as exceptions, the humans would stay out of the forest, and the dryads stay in it. The agreement didn¡¯t make anyone happy, but it left everyone alive.


    Eletha smiled, lifting her hand and caressing the bow hung on her shoulder. Almost everyone, in any case. Trespassers can be shown no mercy.


    Soon enough, she passed through the entrance of the Oakmother¡¯s grove. About twenty of her sisters were gathered there, tending to saplings and undergrowth that were bent and injured when the humans passed them.


    The Oakmother was there too, with a human. The old, bald one, the leader ¨C Berrick. The sun was already down, and he was still in the heart of the woods ¡­ it made Eletha¡¯s skin crawl.


    A gentle breeze began to pick up, causing the myriad of leaves above everyone to sway and rustle. The Oakmother held a hand to one of her oaks, silently communing with them, to the chagrin of her human acquaintance. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and signaled Eletha to join her.


    Eletha did so without delay. As she skipped along the pebbles, she saw May kneeling on the ground and tending to a little sapling with a bent leaf stroke.


    ¡°Who is she sending for?¡± her seed-sister asked. ¡°Ah, yes. Her favorite.¡±


    Eletha rolled her eyes and continued hopping towards the Oakmother.


    ¡°Are we truly asking for that much?¡± the human was saying as she arrived. ¡°Vephena, this will be bad for all of us. I keep telling you not all of us humans are the same, but you won¡¯t listen!¡±


    The Oakmother sighed, removing her hand from the oak. ¡°And I keep telling you, dear friend, that we do not interfere in human affairs. Is our accord with you truly not favorable enough already? Why do you keep asking for more?¡±


    ¡°It is, Vephena! I¡¯m not asking for more, we are all already happy with the accord ¨C but we won''t be able to follow it any longer if you don¡¯t help us!¡±


    Eletha stood patiently in silence, eyeing the distressed meat-man with a measure of distaste.


    ¡°We do not pick sides,¡± the Oakmother said. ¡°We cannot.¡±


    ¡°Vephena, I¡¯m begging you. Just this once. Half your girls are starving, aren¡¯t they? You¡¯ll even get a meal out of it!¡±


    ¡°Eletha,¡± the Oakmother said, turning away from him. ¡°My child. It is good that you have made your way back here so quickly. I have a task for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Oakmother?¡± Eletha asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask that you see this man safely home,¡± the Oakmother said, shaking her head. ¡°He is dear to me, and I would fear for his fate if he were to wander our forest alone in the dark.¡± She turned to gaze at the human again. ¡°These woods can be dangerous for our human friends.¡±


    Eletha frowned, trying to see if she was being serious.


    Berrick rolled his eyes at the Oakmother in a display of utter repugnance. ¡°So that¡¯s your answer, Vephena?¡± he asked. ¡°No? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Berrick,¡± the Oakmother said.


    ¡°Fine. But things won''t bode well for you either. Without us and our accord, how will you eat? Will you start leaving the forest to scavenge and murder? How long until someone sets fire to it?¡±


    The Oakmother remained calm in the face of the threat, but Eletha unconsciously grasped one of the arrows on her thigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasant day of accord, Berrick,¡± the Oakmother said after a few moments. ¡°I¡¯d rather not end it with a fight. Look ¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I have to look out for my own. I will pray that you resolve your issues.¡±


    ¡°Not bloody likely!¡± the human retorted. ¡°Hell, this might be our last goodbye, Vephena! But ¡­ I guess I shouldn¡¯t complain. It clearly doesn¡¯t matter to you.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Berrick. Please be wary of that screecher I mentioned earlier.¡±


    Screecher? There¡¯s one here? Eletha thought. She hadn¡¯t heard. Perhaps the god-blessed monster would kill one of the meat-men on their way home.


    ¡°Goodbye, Oakmother,¡± the human spat.


    At that, the Oakmother appeared taken aback, but after a moment, she composed herself again and nodded at Eletha, and she, in turn, placed her hand on the human¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Come,¡± Eletha said to Berrick. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Oakmother said, looking towards the ground. ¡°See him all the way home, my daughter. The law of trespass will be lifted a little longer.¡±


    Eletha turned toward the Oakmother, confused. Had she really just asked her to leave the forest¡­? It appeared so¡­


    The human snorted. ¡°Spare me. Let¡¯s just get going,¡± he said, before turning away from Eletha and the Oakmother. He plodded off without a care for any of the young plants in his way.


    Eletha gazed at the Oakmother for a moment longer.


    ¡°All the way home, my daughter,¡± the Oakmother said. ¡°Please keep him safe.¡±


    ¡°Why give this task to me?¡± Eletha asked.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re good with the bow, and because you might benefit most from completing it. You have potential, Eletha, but you need to be able to behave yourself more appropriately around the humans. I want you to take this as a learning opportunity. As your seed-sister Maylissena told you earlier today, try to play nice.¡±


    Eletha shuddered at the embarrassment. Confused as she was, she nodded and skipped up ahead of the human.

 Chapter 7 - Playing nice

    All along their path, the bald old man made no effort to spare any plant¡¯s lives. If anything, he seemed to deliberately step on and injure more of them than necessary.


    Play nice. The Oakmother¡¯s words were stuck in Eletha¡¯s mind like a cancer.


    Eletha was disgusted by the meat-man¡¯s actions, as were all the other dryads that they passed, but she said nothing.


    The Oakmother had called this one a friend, she recalled ¡­ Berrick was one that they had all known for a while, as leader of the humans, but still. She wanted him protected, and he seemed even to know his way through the forest.


    ¡°The sun has gone down,¡± he said suddenly, breaking the silence and stopping in the middle of a small clearing. He turned to Eletha, gazing at her irritatedly. ¡°Want to kill me?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m still in your territory.¡±


    Eletha grimaced. Of course, she did ¨C but what she wanted was beside the question. ¡°The Oakmother would see you protected,¡± she replied.


    The human snorted. ¡°Sure she would ¡­ Hel, well, maybe she would make an exception for me. But ¡­ just for me.¡±


    He seemed to grow sad. Eletha didn¡¯t really care. It was growing dark, but just ahead of the two of them, all of a sudden, she thought she saw ¡­ a very large hole in the ground.


    Quickly, she darted between it and the meat-man, grabbing her bow from her shoulder and nocking an arrow. ¡°Stand back,¡± she said. ¡°And move back. We¡¯re not going this way.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± the human asked.


    ¡°A screecher¡¯s tunnel.¡±


    The human¡¯s breath caught in his throat.


    Eletha knelt on the ground, bow at the ready, for a moment disregarding the comfort of the little plants beneath her. She slipped a thread of green-glowing magic from her knees into the ground, sending a message to her sisters and probing for the location of the abyssal, god-made monster.


    Finding nothing, she slowly got back to her feet. ¡°It¡¯s not here right now,¡± she said, not turning away from the tunnel. ¡°But we¡¯ll take a detour regardless.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± the human replied. He seemed nervous. ¡°So she was telling the truth? By Vifafey, now we¡¯ve even a screecher to deal with?¡±


    ¡°Screechers have nothing to do with that lesser god of yours,¡± Eletha said, shaking her head. ¡°Now come. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    She heard the rustling of leaves behind her as the human began to move his feet. After a moment, she followed, then skipped ahead of him, carefully scanning their surroundings again.


    The moon continued to slowly rise in the sky. For a while, they made their way through the dark forest in relative silence, though the human¡¯s lumbering steps across dried twigs and leaves distracted Eletha from her search for the monster. Then he spoke again.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t help us,¡± he said, ¡°do you think the screecher might?¡±


    Eletha cringed despite herself. ¡°You would ask a screecher for help?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± the old human sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve run out of friends to ask. I¡¯m desperate.¡±


    Eletha remained silent for a few moments, then shook her head. ¡°I know nothing of the issue, yet I find the answer to your question to be beyond obvious.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the human said, scowling. ¡°Human-hating monsters will not agree to help.¡±


    ¡°No. They won''t.¡±


    ¡°Well then ¡­ I guess we truly have no friends here at all. The bigots were right all along. We humans are alone in this world ¨C even nine out of ten gods hate us.¡±


    Eletha smiled. Just what does that say about you? she wondered, though she didn¡¯t deign to say the words aloud.


    As time went on, the human seemed to grow more and more solemn. Eventually, the two of them made it to the edge of the Oakmother¡¯s sacred forest, and Eletha jumped out of the undergrowth onto a human-made path constructed entirely of smooth pebbles. It was the first time she¡¯d left the trees in decades...


    The feeling of isolation arrived without delay. Her magic stirred, tangling itself further into her body as it lost its connection to her distant heart tree.


    For a moment, she remained perfectly still, looking around. She marveled at the open field ahead of her, lit by moon and starlight. It was strange, seeing nothing above her but the sky.


    The human soon stumbled out of the forest behind her. He roughly patted himself down with his hands, saw her staring at the stars, and smiled. ¡°Ha ¡­ You¡¯re just like Vephena was,¡± he murmured. ¡°First time out of the trees?¡±


    Eletha turned her gaze towards him. How exactly did he know the Oakmother?


    ¡°She was especially interested in that one, there,¡± he said, pointing out a star to the left of the full moon. ¡°That one doesn¡¯t move.¡±


    Eletha grimaced. ¡°Do stars normally move?¡±


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    ¡°All of them do. All the time ¡­ But not that one. It¡¯s useful for finding your way home if you get lost ¡­ Though I suppose that doesn¡¯t concern you.¡±


    Eletha remained quiet, looking at the star he¡¯d pointed out.


    The human shook his head. Eletha thought she saw a tear leave his eye. ¡°So, are you really going to follow me all the way home?¡± he asked.


    She nodded.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he sighed. ¡°Then I, too, lift our ¡®law of trespass.¡¯ Tonight, you are welcome outside the trees, dryad.¡±


    Eletha snorted. She¡¯d actually forgotten that humans had the right to deny dryads entry to the plains, just as the dryads could deny humans entry to their forest. Why would a dryad ever even want to go to a place with no trees in the first place?


    She shrugged. Apparently, there were times when it was necessary.


    ¡°I¡¯m Berrick,¡± the human said. ¡°I suppose you should know, since you¡¯ll be meeting my family.¡±


    ¡°I have no wish¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the human said. ¡°I¡¯m joking. But what is your name? So far, I¡¯ve only dealt with Vephena and Maylissena.¡±


    Eletha narrowed her eyes and gazed at him for a few moments, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Eletha,¡± she said finally. Just how had he dealt with Maylissena?


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Eletha. Now, I suppose it¡¯s my turn to lead, and yours to follow.¡±


    Eletha nodded, and Berrick turned away from her. ¡°Don¡¯t start shooting arrows at people,¡± he murmured. ¡°Leave it to the bandits¡­¡±


    For a moment, he looked towards the sky, then he started walking along the pebbled path, the ¡®road¡¯, in the direction of the humans¡¯ settlement. She followed closely behind him ¨C walking, not skipping on the rocks, for the first time in years. It didn¡¯t take long for one of them to break the silence again ¨C but this time, it was her.


    ¡°There¡¯s another screecher tunnel,¡± she said, gazing toward a large black pit in the middle of the field. ¡°To your right.¡±


    Berrick looked blindly through the darkness for a few moments, saw it, and cursed. ¡°Chi¡¯orat! This close to the village? Is the beast in there?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Eletha replied. ¡°I sense nothing. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    The human nodded and started to walk a little faster. ¡°It better not have attacked already ¡­ we need to prepare ¡­ get out of here¡­¡±


    Soon enough, the two of them made it further into the grasslands than Eletha had ever gone. In the distance, past the fields of grass, a group of unnaturally rectangular dark shapes appeared ¨C apparently, the humans¡¯ living spaces. ¡®Houses¡¯, according to Berrick.


    Meat-men are strange, Eletha thought ¡­ though really, if she thought about it, it wasn¡¯t too different from how birds gathered sticks or how badgers dug holes in the ground for their young. Everyone needed a nest of some kind ¡­ a heart tree ¡­


    They passed a group of humans walking along the ¡®road¡¯, but it was dark enough that they didn¡¯t recognize Eletha. She must have seemed a human to them, walking around in the darkness, nowhere near the forest. She shuddered despite herself ¨C regardless of the advantage, she¡¯d really rather not have even been perceived as a meat-man.


    Not long after, once they¡¯d gotten closer to the settlement, wherein the humans foolishly burned small fires in their houses, they passed more people.


    Grateful for her eyes, which were clearly superior to those of humans, Eletha even recognized some of the men from the ritual in the forest, though she hadn¡¯t bothered to remember their names ¡­ except the one.


    She saw Sam carrying a ¡®bucket,¡¯ something made to be filled with water, from a ¡®well.¡¯ It was empty, but it smelled of dirt.


    She strolled past him, right behind Berrick, who somehow kept answering her questions before she could even ask them. He was strangely kind to her. He¡¯d even stopped torturing the grass under his clothed feet ¡­ and he seemed sad about something.


    She began to shift uncomfortably. Annoying thoughts began to creep into her mind, each one of them related to ¡®playing nice¡¯.


    Even the Oakmother says I should¡­


    Suddenly, the meat-man stopped. ¡°Okay, I¡ª¡± he started.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Eletha cut in.


    Berrick stopped speaking mid-sentence, seeming taken aback. ¡°¡­Sorry, what?¡±


    ¡°I said thank you,¡± Eletha said. ¡°For humoring me. For answering my questions regarding all these human things.¡±


    ¡°Oh ¡­ Oh. That¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nothing, I just like talking. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that we¡¯ve made it. This is my house, here.¡±


    Eletha looked past the human and gazed at the rectangular mound of dirt and stone, hollowed out like an old tree trunk, with orange light streaming out of three openings. Almost no wood, she thought. All the other houses are made just about exclusively out of it.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she murmured, mostly to herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to guard me any longer,¡± Berrick said. ¡°You can go if you want. Will you be able to find your way back to the forest? I¡¯d walk you, but I doubt you¡¯d want me to in the first place, and it would defeat the point of you escorting me here.¡±


    ¡°I can sense the way,¡± Eletha replied. ¡°I will tell the Oakmother you survived the night.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Eletha. Be safe. There are bandits somewhere around here.¡±


    It was at that moment that another meat-man walking past the two of them through the darkness suddenly stopped and stared at Eletha. ¡°Y-you¡ª¡±


    Apparently, the middle-aged man lost his voice. Eletha frowned. She and Berrick turned towards him.


    ¡°D-dryad!¡± the man gasped. ¡°Here?! People¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, calm down, merchant,¡± Berrick said. ¡°She¡¯s a friend.¡±


    ¡°I am not,¡± Eletha spat, grimacing.


    Berrick glared at her for a few moments, then rolled his eyes and turned back to the merchant. ¡°An acquaintance, then. Just keep moving, merchant, and she won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes ¡­¡± the man said, hastily moving along away from the two of them.


    Berrick turned to Eletha and shrugged. ¡°Sorry, acquaintance,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s another newcomer, a merchant that somehow made it past the bandits. I apologize if he offended you.¡±


    Eletha shrugged. Actually, she had quite enjoyed watching the man squirm.


    She hesitated for a few moments, then sighed. ¡°Berrick,¡± she said finally. ¡°I think I might tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is it, has Vephena given you more instructions? I thought her voice couldn¡¯t reach outside the forest.¡±


    Her eyes shot up to the human. ¡°You really do know too much.¡±


    He smiled tiredly.


    ¡°But no,¡± she said, looking away. ¡°This might, in fact, be unnecessarily stretching my duty to protect you on your way home, but well ¡­ I can¡¯t really tell anymore. You are a friend of the Oakmother¡¯s, and ¡­ well, you were kind to me, in your own horrible meat-man way¡­¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± Berrick said.


    Eletha shook her head. ¡°Do you remember the man with the bucket?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The ¡­ oh, do you mean that one from before? Yes. What about him?¡±


    Eletha grimaced, unsure of herself, but continued anyway. ¡°That bucket he carried,¡± she said. ¡°It was dark, but you told me he¡¯d be using it to carry water from the ¡®well¡¯ to his nest.¡±


    Berrick nodded, somewhat confused. ¡°I ¡­ apologize if the wood it¡¯s made of offends you.¡±


    ¡°It certainly does, but that¡¯s not what I want to say. The bucket was empty. Or ¡­ empty-ish.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­?¡±


    Eletha shook her head, slowly growing irritated. Humans really did have no connection to plant life at all. ¡°He was carrying it back to his ¡®house¡¯,¡± she said, ¡°but it was empty. He didn¡¯t fill it up at the ¡®well¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t take anything from the well, but he did put something in,¡± Eletha continued. ¡°When we were passing by it, I sensed the unjust suffering of some young plants from its direction. I doubt you¡¯d care, normally, but ¡­ they were nightshades.¡±


    Berrick winced, then stared at her wide-eyed. ¡°Poison,¡± he gasped.

 Chapter 8 - An honest merchant

    The wagon trembled and shook, rolling across the snow-covered forest path.


    Vrelyen, whispering to himself that he was a gruff and honest merchant, worked hard to feed his family in Ryzayah. He sat on a hard wooden seat next to Nalian, one of the dull-faced mercenaries employed by the slavers¡¯ caravan. Nalian, the mercenary, was a scarred-faced man who was fonder of whipping the horses that pulled his cart than he was of feeding them.


    It was cold, and warm winds were still a long way off. Vrelyen had been dealing with a runny nose for several days, and his sickness was putting him in a bad mood ¨C though, really, the same could be said for everyone in the caravan.


    The goblin slaves in the wagon cages constantly whispered complaints, their teeth chattering, frostbite slowly taking their fingers. Most of them had cost Vrelyen quite a bit of silver, so really, he wouldn¡¯t have been opposed to giving them extra clothing, but due to a rare lack of foresight, he had forgotten to buy any when he¡¯d been in Lyerateh.


    He sighed, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. It didn¡¯t matter. The pukes would most likely survive anyway.


    ¡°How long until Amzev gets back?¡± asked Nalian. The man¡¯s voice was raspy and unpleasant. He had a cold, too.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be long,¡± Vrelyen said. ¡°He just needs to collect our payment for the girl, and he¡¯ll come running back to us. Perhaps he¡¯s already on his way.¡±


    The mercenary¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Should we really be collecting payment?¡± he asked. ¡°The job isn¡¯t done.¡±


    Vrelyen shook his head, grimacing. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you mercenaries,¡± he said. ¡°No insight, no eye for business. Isn¡¯t the job done as well as it needs to be? The customer will never see that girl again, and at the end of the day, that¡¯s all she really wanted, isn¡¯t it? So why not obtain a free slave to go with the priestess¡¯s silver?¡±


    ¡°Because we said we would kill her, that¡¯s why. Scamming a priestess rubs me the wrong way. Aren¡¯t we basically stealing from the gods?¡±


    Vrelyen chuckled. ¡°Damned as we are, I don¡¯t think it makes any sort of difference, Nalian. But go on, if you like. If you want forgiveness, go on and start praying. Get in one of the slave cages and repent. I¡¯m sure the god Vifafey will appreciate it.¡±


    Nalian shook his head. ¡°Urgh. Pointless. Never mind, then.¡±


    Eventually, Vrelyen¡¯s butt began to ache a bit too much for his liking, and he got up from the hard wooden seat at the front of the caravan. He jumped onto the snow-covered ground, stretched his legs and arms, and took a short walk around, surveying the area to take his mind off the cold.


    They were still in the Lyerateh forest, and they would be for a few more days before they reached the nearest other city. They had to get south. Traveling in the winter was rough, even if it was safer from bandits.


    He made his way past the first three slaves¡¯ carts, looking through the metal bars at the shuddering goblins, all huddled together, trying to conserve their body heat.


    ¡°Just a few more hours until we stop for your daily meal,¡± he told them. ¡°You damned pukes. If you¡¯re going to freeze to death, do it before then. More food for the rest of you that way.¡±


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    In response, he got a few coughs and sniffles. Goblins never were particularly articulate. He had two half-breeds too, in one of the carts, but those weren¡¯t much better, either.


    He stood by and stretched, waiting for the first couple of carts to move past him and the last ones to reach him. His newest acquisition was in one of those, in the back. The young woman, a human, who had somehow made herself an enemy of a priestess of Vifafey.


    She sat apart from the goblins in her cage as far away from them as was possible. She was huddled up with her knees in front of her chest, quietly mumbling a prayer ¨C to Vifafey, of all gods ¨C the one who apparently wanted her dead. Vrelyen stifled a laugh.


    The girl¡¯s teeth chattered with every syllable.


    Vrelyen looked at her and smiled. He had never considered himself a do-gooder, but apparently, it wasn''t impossible to become one. The woman would never know it, but really, she ought to be grateful to him. He could have just killed her as instructed ¨C as all his mercenaries wanted, but instead, he was giving her a free trip to some city down south.


    Not that he wouldn¡¯t be compensated for it, he did mean to sell her, but that didn¡¯t change things. He was saving her life. Wasn¡¯t that a good thing?


    The young woman looked up at him, her breath and body both trembling from the freezing cold. Her clothes were tattered, her sleeves too short. She didn¡¯t say anything. After the first couple of days, she¡¯d stopped begging him to sell her back to her mother. He couldn¡¯t oblige her ¨C at least as far as her hometown was concerned, if not reality, she did have to be dead. His reputation for honesty depended on it.


    ¡°You doing well?¡± he asked her. ¡°Need anything?¡±


    A few puke-colored goblin faces behind the woman turned to look at him, but they didn¡¯t say anything. Over time, they had learned what to expect.


    The human girl, however, apparently hadn¡¯t. ¡°Slaver,¡± she said. Her voice trembled.


    Vrelyen turned to look at her. ¡°What is it, girl?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you cold?¡±


    Her head suddenly twitched to the side, as if on its own, and she winced. He realized he¡¯d forgotten her name.


    ¡°Would you like that wolf pelt?¡± he asked. Skinning her little pet had been quite the challenge, really, but once the thing would be dry, it¡¯d make quite the coat. ¡°It¡¯s still a little bloody,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to be closer to the little beast of yours. I already gave my friend Amzev the head, though, to use as proof of your death.¡±


    The woman looked horrified. Then, she shook her head and gazed up at him pleadingly. ¡°P-please,¡± she said, teeth chattering. ¡°I need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we already gone over this a few times?¡± Vrelyen asked.


    ¡°Not free. I just ¡­ need to be out of this cart. Away from these people. You can tie me up.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Vrelyen stared at the woman for a few moments, then shrugged. ¡°You need to keep warm, girl. Huddle up to the pukes for a few hours, if you want to stay alive. And don¡¯t worry. If you really want a few moments of freedom, me and my men will be happy to let you out in the evening to have some fun.¡±


    The woman shrank back into herself. Vrelyen smiled. The merchants down south would pay extra if she remained a virgin ¨C if she was one in the first place ¨C but the ice and cold had really brought spirits down. Some entertainment would be welcome.


    He turned to leave.


    ¡°I will carve the name of God into your flesh, Vrelyen, and I will call it mercy.¡±


    A moment passed. Vrelyen''s hair stood on end.


    He spun back around, staring at the woman again. She was gazing at him with eyes that were white as snow, with no irises or pupils to speak of. Suddenly, her body tremored, and she fell forward onto the metal bars in front of her. Her eyes returned to normal.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head, looking around with a stupid expression on her face, then gazed up at him.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± he demanded.


    Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open, but she just stared at him, apparently dumbfounded. ¡°Um ¡­ Sorry!¡± she said. ¡°I just wanted to ask you if you¡¯d let me out of this cart.¡±


    ¡°Not that! Before! You. Tell me. What is my name?¡±


    ¡°I ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You just said it.¡±


    ¡°Did ¡­ Did I? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Vrelyen stared at her for a few more moments, but her continued stupid expression betrayed no hint of anything but confusion and fear. He looked to the other slaves, but they either really hadn¡¯t heard or they were pretending not to have.


    Uncomfortable, he grimaced and walked away without another word.

 Chapter 9 - Fresh fertilizer

    A few days after the day of accord, just after Eletha had untangled herself from her heart tree and skipped over the flowers surrounding it to go patrol her section of the border, she heard the meat men¡¯s distant bell ring.


    It chimed once ¡­ twice ¡­ thrice.


    Three chimes. That meant nothing to the dryads ¨C not to any of them but Eletha. Berrick had told her ¨C if the other meat-man turned out to be an enemy, he would let her know.


    She shivered. She didn¡¯t know what had come over her that night. Perhaps exhaustion? The Oakmother had told her to play nice, but she¡¯d gone and broken the pact of neutrality!


    She¡¯d helped one meat-man discover the murderous plot of another ¨C what if that got out? What if someone found out?


    She shook her head, grimacing. It felt wrong ¡­ but she didn¡¯t feel as guilty as she knew she should have. She was looking forward to bringing a fresh corpse to her heart tree. That little headless girl she¡¯d pulled under her roots was serving her well, but it had been a very long time since she¡¯d had a full-grown man.


    Clearly, there was something wrong with her. Dryads weren¡¯t supposed to interfere in human affairs. The Oakmother had told them that countless times. Though ¡­ was it really so wrong to turn one meat-man against another ¨C particularly, when she did so with nothing but the truth, and in so doing, gained the forest fresh fertilizer? Was it really such a terrible thing, to stop a murderer from murdering more?


    She shrugged, unsure of herself. The birds kept singing, not giving a tweet about what she¡¯d done.


    ¡°Well, I might as well go and take what was promised me,¡± she sighed. She¡¯d probably need to ask the Oakmother for guidance later, but what was done was done.


    She quickly hopped along various pebbles scattered on the ground toward the direction of the edge of the forest, nearest the human ¡®village.¡¯ She did so lithely, careful not to make any noise that might disturb her sisters ¨C despite her inner turmoil, she¡¯d have rather not have found out what they thought on the matter.


    Soon enough, the last trees before the open fields came into view. A few birds flew out of Eletha¡¯s way as she hopped onto one last pebble and then onto a tree branch. She climbed a tall pine tree halfway to its top and looked around in all directions.


    It didn¡¯t take her long to find the old human she¡¯d broken the pact of neutrality for. Berrick.


    He sat on a rock near the edge of the Oakmother¡¯s forest, looking at nothing. He was just on the human side of the border. There was another meat-man next to him, a dark-haired man around middle age, and on the ground next to that one lay Sam, dead.


    Eletha smiled. A dead meat-man really was a pleasant sight, regardless of the circumstances under which it came to be so. Perhaps she was being too hard on herself.


    She jumped off the tree she stood on and made again for the direction of the border.


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    Before the two living meat-men could spot her, she took her bow into her hands, nocked an arrow, and shot it swiftly into the ground before their feet. It flung a clump of dirt into the air, making a little brown cloud.


    The younger meat-man yelped, jumping back, but Berrick only turned his head to calmly look at the arrow.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Eletha heard him say. ¡°It¡¯s just a ¡®hello¡¯. We¡¯re still on our side of the border.¡±


    ¡°H-how can you be sure?¡± the younger meat-man asked. ¡°That was really close!¡±


    Eletha nocked another arrow. She let it loose, and it whistled a finger¡¯s width from the man¡¯s right ear.


    Allowing herself a smile at the pleasant sight of their fear, she put her bow away and hopped towards the meat-men.


    ¡°Because if it wasn¡¯t, that would have gone between your eyes,¡± Berrick said, rising to his feet while the younger man cowered. ¡°Trust me, Teven. Dryads don¡¯t miss. She just wants us to know she¡¯s coming.¡±


    Eletha took a few more steps forward, then stopped by the last tree before the end of the sacred forest. The two meat-men finally saw her.


    ¡°Hello again, Eletha,¡± Berrick said. He looked her up and down, eyeing the layers of fresh leaves and flowers she¡¯d recently allowed to spread over her body. ¡°You look good and healthy. Pella must be doing your heart tree well ... She was the girl, in case you¡¯ve forgotten.¡±


    Eletha grimaced, realizing she should never have told the human her name. She remained quiet, eyeing the corpse lying on the ground beside the young and cowardly dark-haired man.


    ¡°I promised him to you, provided he turned out to be our enemy,¡± Berrick said, pointing at the corpse with his feet. ¡°Turned out he was. A bandit, sent to poison our well and get people to leave the village with money on them to buy medicine. He was responsible for Pella¡¯s death.¡±


    Eletha blinked.


    ¡°Ah ¡­ You don¡¯t really care, do you?¡± Berrick asked, sighing and looking her up and down. ¡°Us meat-men are all the same to you, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Eletha shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. In any case ¨C will you shoot Teven if he moves forward a few paces to bring you the corpse?¡±


    Eletha thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said.


    In the knee, she thought, because she was feeling generous, but she didn¡¯t say that part out loud.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Berrick said. ¡°I lift the law of trespass for you. Come get the poisoner yourself.¡±


    Eletha stepped past the last tree and the border towards the two humans. The younger one, Teven, took a step back whenever she took one forward. Avoiding a patch of dandelions, she hopped onto a pebble just in front of the corpse. Seeing it closely, it looked ¡­ ravaged. Its fellow humans had hurt it quite thoroughly before killing it.


    After a moment¡¯s thought, she grabbed an arrow from her thigh and stuck it into the corpse¡¯s ribcage. With any luck, any sisters that¡¯d perhaps see the thing would assume she had been the one to kill it.


    A trickle of blood spurted into the air and covered her hands. She hoisted the body onto her shoulder, turned around, and moved back towards the forest.


    ¡°There¡¯s more of them if you want,¡± Berrick said, behind her. ¡°This killer¡¯s crew is still out there. We know where they are hiding, now. We from the village are no warriors, but ¡­ You could take them all. You dryads could have lots more to nourish your heart trees, Eletha.¡±


    Eletha stopped for a moment, considering what he was offering, then turned towards Berrick again. ¡°Dryads don¡¯t get involved in human affairs,¡± she said.


    ¡°But you could,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯d benefit from it. As would we; you¡¯d be saving our lives, but ¡­ you could make twenty more dryads, at least. And we¡¯d agree to move the border, give you plenty of space for them. Anything you want. We just need your protection from these bandits.¡±


    Eletha grimaced. She¡¯d heard that humans occasionally warred amongst themselves, like colonies of ants. The Oakmother had mentioned it when she was a child, sleeping in her sapling heart tree. Forests of dryads often grow where once humans fought great battles, she¡¯d said.


    So why not benefit from it? Perhaps it¡¯d be a good idea. Still, she shook her head, unsure. Perhaps she didn¡¯t see the whole picture.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already helped you once,¡± she said to the human, ¡°and even that was probably too much. Anything more is up to the Oakmother.¡±