“We need to make camp,” said Kiyo harshly, not looking amused at all. In fact, he looked downright disapproving. “And post watches, if what she said was true about this being a hostile land.”
The levity vanished, and we were back to business again. The blight itself was more than enough proof that Varia and her allies weren’t people we wanted to underestimate. We doubled our usual night watch, and even those of us who weren’t on duty had trouble sleeping. The tropical setting was full of night noises, and I tossed and turned over each one of them, certain every insect or rustle of leaves was a combatant sent by Varia.
And yet, morning came uneventfully. I didn’t know if our presence had gone undetected or if the Mimosa residents really weren’t as dangerous as the Beech captain had claimed. Since this land didn’t seem to border any of the blighted ones, maybe there wasn’t such a need to protect against refugees. Regardless, we deemed ourselves reasonably safe enough to finally take our full break and get in some serious bathing in a nearby lagoon. We took the baths in gender shifts—something most of the gentry found silly—while the other half of the group gathered food. The Mimosa Land didn’t have fruit immediately growing on the road, but in this climate, one didn’t have to search far for sustenance.
Once I was stripped and in the water, I was able to get the first good look at my body that I’d had in a while. All of my residual pregnancy weight was gone. Unfortunately, this was largely because of the stringent diet I’d been on these last couple weeks. I wasn’t showing quite as many ribs as the others, but it was clear gym time would have been a much healthier way to get my figure back than near-starvation. Still, provided we survived this adventure, I could hope for nutrition soon and some return to my former state. The scar from my C-section was still obvious, but that would be the case for the rest of my life. For now, it was enough to have a moment’s peace and the luxury of submerging myself in water.
“Eugenie.”
There was an odd note to Jasmine’s voice as I emerged from underwater and tossed my soaking hair back. Blinking, I glanced over at her and saw that she and Keeli were focused on something off on the shore. I followed their gazes and saw nothing at first. Then, a slight movement revealed a lithe, female figure. I hadn’t noticed her because she literally blended into her surroundings.
Ostensibly, she had the same features as any pretty gentry or human woman. It was her coloring that was remarkable. Her hair and eyes were a vivid emerald green, her skin tanned to a shade of nut brown. Her only garment was a short dress made of leaves and flowers. She watched us nervously, like a doe ready to flee.
“Dryad,” said Keeli matter-of-factly. “Usually harmless.”
Dryads were rare in the human world, though sometimes they made it over. I’d never encountered one myself but knew “usually harmless” was an accurate statement. Dryads were tree nymphs who preferred to be left alone in their woods. When threatened, they could get aggressive. Otherwise, they tended to be shy and were often in more danger from passing men who were attracted by that Otherworldly beauty. Dryads allegedly didn’t welcome those advances and could be quite hostile to the opposite sex.
“I wonder if she could give us information about this place,” Jasmine remarked. I raised an eyebrow. It was a good idea and a surprising one from Jasmine, who tended to run to extremes.
“She probably won’t know much. It’s unlikely she’d have any loyalty to Varia,” added Keeli. “Dryads usually stay out of our affairs.”
We were using “usually” a lot here, but it was worth a try. I attempted what I hoped was a friendly smile at the dryad as I took a few steps toward the shore. “Hi there,” I said. “We aren’t going to hurt you. We’re just passing through.”
Jasmine decided to help as well. “Nice, um, trees you’ve got around here.”
The dryad regarded us thoughtfully with her long-lashed eyes. “You’re human,” she said in a voice that put one in mind of babbling brooks. She tilted her head. “Somewhat.”
I gestured to Jasmine and me. “Half human.”
“I’ve never met any human at all,” said the dryad.
“We’re harmless. I promise. What’s your name? I’m Eugenie. This is Jasmine and Keeli.”
Again, the dryad considered her words. “Astakana.” It was a big name for someone so delicate, but at the same time, it suited her.
“Leave her be,” murmured Keeli. “She’ll come to us on her own. Or won’t.”
So, with a few more friendly smiles, we returned to our swim and ignored Astakana. Travel in the Otherworld had prepared me to carry a few essential toiletries, and once I was sufficiently scrubbed clean, I sat on a rock and began untangling my hair with a plastic comb. I felt rather mer-maidlike. Also, considering I was sitting here naked with three other women around, I also kind of felt like something from a Penthouse letter.
“You have lovely hair.”
I’d been so intent on playing casual that I had almost forgotten the dryad’s presence. Glancing up, I was surprised to see she’d come closer to me. I hadn’t noticed her moving. Keeli hadn’t either, and even if she thought Astakana was “usually harmless,” the guardswoman still swam over to stay near me. Jasmine soon followed.
“Uh, thanks,” I said. “So do you.”
“Can I braid it?” asked Astakana.
I glanced around at the others. They shrugged. Braiding? That was unexpected. I guessed we were now moving into slumber-party territory. Still, the dryad looked so hopeful that I held out the comb. “Knock yourself out.”
She shook her head and sat behind me. “I can’t touch that. And I don’t need it anyway.”
Sure enough. Her deft fingers began sorting and arranging my hair, working out any residual tangles with touch alone. Jasmine and Keeli moved in closer, enthralled.
“That’s cool,” said Jasmine, cocking her head to get a better view. “Can you do mine next?”
“Of course,” said the dryad sweetly.
Astakana didn’t massage me or anything like that, but her workmanship had the same soothing quality as she began braiding small sections of my hair. I sighed contentedly, feeling more relaxed than I had in months, and it was only halfway through that I remembered I was supposed to be getting information out of her.
“Have you lived in the Mimosa Land for long?” I asked.
“All of my life,” she said.
“Seems like a nice place.”
“It is,” she assured me.
“Much better than other places,” I added. “Lots of other lands are having a terrible winter right now.”
“I’ve never seen any other lands,” she said simply. “I’ve never left this glade.”
I stifled a yawn, feeling mildly disappointed. If she’d never been outside this parcel of land, it seemed unlikely she’d know much about the world around her.
“Do you know anything about Varia?” I asked.
“Varia.” Astakana said the name with a slightly puzzled tone. “She rules the shining ones of a neighboring kingdom.”
“And this kingdom, from what I hear.”
“Perhaps that is what the shining ones say. My people keep free of their affairs.”
I looked over at Keeli and Jasmine to see if they had anything to add that might provide more information. So far, Astakana didn’t seem to have much to offer. But my two companions looked as though they weren’t even listening. They were too fixated by Astakana’s braiding skills and bore a dreamy, languid look. When the dryad finally finished with me, I discovered I had long since dried from the bath. She moved on to Jasmine while I sought clean clothes. After so much time bundled up, it was nice to just put on jeans and a T-shirt. When I returned to the others, I watched Astakana’s clever hands work and found myself just as fascinated as the others.
Jasmine’s hair was longer than mine, so it took Astakana a while to arrange it. When Keeli’s turn came, the dryad still took great pains with her hair, even though it was only chin-length. I sighed happily, w
atching the strands of hair go in and out, up and down. It was hypnotic. My eyelids felt heavy, and the afternoon heat and humidity were making me sleepy.
Afternoon?
I blinked myself awake and squinted up at the blue, blue sky. The sun was at its peak, and for a moment, I thought I was imagining things. We’d come here early this morning, and even with a “leisurely bath,” we’d only intended to spend about an hour.
“How ... how long have we been here?” I asked. A seed of panic was rising in me over the fact that I even had to ask a question like that. I honestly wasn’t sure.
“Dunno,” said Jasmine, not taking her eyes off of Astakana’s hands in Keeli’s hair.
I stood up and began pacing, trying to get my thoughts in order. “Why haven’t any of the guys come looking for us?”
“They probably didn’t want to bother us,” said Keeli. “They know how you feel about male and female nudity.”
“But after, what, four hours? I think they would’ve risked it.” The more I walked around, the more I returned to myself. Keeli and Jasmine seemed lost in their own worlds, though. “You guys? What’s the matter with you?”
Astakana glanced up from her work and gave me a pretty frown. “Why are you so agitated? Come back and join us. Once I finish her, I’ll find some flowers to put in your hair.”
“We don’t have time for that!” I exclaimed. “We don’t have time for this. You guys ... we need to go.”
Neither of my companions moved. I hurried back over and jerked Jasmine to her feet, dragging her away from the dryad. “Hey!” exclaimed Jasmine, with the first spark of energy I’d seen all day. “Why’d you do that?”
“You need to snap out of this. We need to get back to the camp. We’ve been here half the day!”
At first, Jasmine looked disbelieving. Then, glancing up, she deduced what I had about the time. She frowned, and I could see clarity returning to her eyes. “What the hell?”
I tossed Jasmine her satchel. “Keeli,” I called. “Keeli, we need to go.”
Keeli didn’t respond, and I strode toward the dryad, grabbing my silver athame along the way. “What have you done to her? What have you done to us?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” replied Astakana with another sweet smile. She finished the last of Keeli’s braids and stood up. “Nothing but spend a pleasant morning with you. It’s what we do. We bring peace and joy and leave happy memories—at least for women. With men, we leave nothing at all.”
The men. “What’s happened to them?” I suddenly felt cold all over. “Why were you distracting us? Never mind. Just get the hell away from her.”
I advanced with the athame, but Astakana moved with all the speed of the doe I’d likened her to earlier. She sprinted away, laughing merrily.
“We’ve done you a favor,” she called. “You don’t need those men. Men cause war. Now you can pass through our land serenely and maintain Varia’s great peace.”
Before I could attempt to figure out what that meant, Astakana bounded off into the woods and melted away. It was unclear if she simply slipped into the trees or became one, but I had no more time to care. She was gone, and I turned back to my friends. Jasmine was dressed, and Keeli was staggering to her feet.
“We have to get back,” I told them. Assuming they’d follow, I set off at a hard run back to where we’d left the guys.
If our experience had resembled a slumber party, the men’s was about two steps away from an orgy. I found the five of them exactly where I’d left them—only, they weren’t alone. Half a dozen dryads were there, performing the same kind of spa treatment Astakana had been giving us. Kiyo sat shirtless while a dryad rubbed some kind of flower oil into his back. Another dryad twined flowers into Danil’s hair. Still another held Dorian’s head on her lap and crooned to him as one of her cohorts rubbed his feet. All the men had the same dreamy, glazed-eyed looks we’d had at the lagoon.
I hurried forward with the athame, not entirely sure of my strategy, save that it would likely end in some dryad ass kicking. “Get away from them!” I yelled, hoping either silver or a pissed-off woman would scare them. “Leave them alone!”
The dryads scattered like a flock of birds, offering no resistance and disappearing into the trees with more merry laughter. After what Astakana had insinuated about men, I had thought there might be a fight ahead of us, as though the dryads would be busy slitting throats. All the men seemed to be alive, though, and I breathed a sigh of relief. We’d made it in time. Jasmine and Keeli soon joined me, also looking relieved.
“Well, that could have been a lot worse,” I said, putting the athame away. “I didn’t realize this would be the danger we’d face from the Mimosa residents.”
None of the men responded. None of them even looked my way. I’d assumed that, like us, they would come back to themselves once the dryads’ druglike presence was gone. Yet, all of the guys were staring off into space with dopey looks on their faces, oblivious to us and the world.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Jasmine.
“Not sure,” I said. I hurried over to Rurik and shook his shoulder. “Hey. Wake up. Walk it off, okay?” He said and did nothing. Frustrated, I attempted to rouse the others and received similar results. Astakana’s words came back to me: We bring peace and joy and leave happy memories—at least for women. With men, we leave nothing at all.
I stared around in disbelief, clueless what to do. The men were still alive, but for all intents and purposes right now, they were dead to the world.
Chapter 16
“This is stupid,” said Jasmine. Her usual condescension was tinged with a hint of uncertainty. “You’re just not trying hard enough.” She stormed over to Pagiel. A dryad had been giving him a shirtless massage, and he lay sprawled where she’d left him. Jasmine grabbed his arm and pulled him to a sitting position. She leaned close to his ear. “Hey! Wake up!” After a little awkward struggling, she actually managed to get him to his feet. To my astonishment, he not only remained standing but also took a few steps forward.
I gaped. Jasmine had been right. I hadn’t tried hard enough. Except, Pagiel soon came to a stop. He stood where he was, still gazing off with that blank expression that saw nothing of the world. He was like a sleepwalker. Jasmine’s brief grin of triumph crumpled, and she looked at me beseechingly.
“Eugenie?”
There it was again, the idea I could fix anything. I sighed and studied our men, searching for some clue that might undo this. Noting the flowers and flower oil, I momentarily hoped removing them would do the trick. But not everyone had flower exposure. There was just something intoxicating and deadly about the dryads’ presence that created this enchantment. I’d certainly experienced it.
Out of answers, I summoned Volusian. He appeared in the shade of a magnolia tree and took in the scene at a glance.
“My mistress has been visited by dryads.”
I nearly sagged in relief. Identification had to be a good sign. “Do you know how to fix this? Can we bring them back?”
“I would think my mistress would appreciate the peace and quiet,” he said.
“Volusian! Answer the damned questions!”
His eyes narrowed—in thought or irritation, I couldn’t say. “I don’t know, mistress. Many men don’t recover from dryad magic. There are ways to combat it, but they don’t always work. Dryad victims usually starve to death or wander off of cliffs.”
“Geez,” said Jasmine. “They must really hate men.”
“What do we have to do?” I asked Volusian.
“You can start by placing mistletoe berries under their tongues. A single one will do,” he said.
I frowned. “I’m sketchy on my botany ... but isn’t mistletoe poisonous?”
“Not always fatally so,” Volusian replied. “Especially in such a minute amount. At most, they will get fantastically ill, but that hardly seems worse than their present condition.”
“‘Fantastically ill.’ What a great image,” I s
aid. “Then what? They’re cured?”
“No. Mistletoe simply weakens the dryads’ magic—but it cannot break it. To fully pull them out of the spell, you must give them a reason to come back. The dryads weave an enchantment of perfect contentment. Most don’t want to leave that.”
I thought back to our waterside slumber party. I wouldn’t exactly say I’d been perfectly content, but I had been charmed enough by simple hairstyling to obliviously waste part of the day. If we’d felt that way from just a brush of dryad magic, what would the full force of it do?
“So ... when you say give them a reason, do you mean talk to them? Can they even hear us?” I glanced at the blank gazes around me. “It sure doesn’t seem that way.”
“If what you have to say is meaningful enough to them, they will hear it. That and the mistletoe may be able to free them of the enchantment. Much depends on the individual’s will. The weak rarely escape.”
I didn’t like the implications. “Well, this is a pretty strong group. If anyone can break free, they can. So ... we need mistletoe and a pep talk.”
Keeli stepped toward Volusian and crossed her arms. “Spirit, what kind of mistletoe is required? White?”
“That would work best,” he confirmed.
Whoa. I hadn’t even known there were multiple types. I only knew about the kind you kissed under at Christmas, which was usually plastic in my experience. “You know plants?” I asked Keeli.
“Enough to get by,” she said. “And enough to know that we’re not likely to find white mistletoe in this climate.”
“It grows in the Yew Land,” said Volusian. “And we are very close.”
“How close?” I asked, a bit startled by this news.
“Five miles down the road perhaps. At least, that’s what I observed earlier. The road may have shifted.”
“Your Majesty,” said Keeli eagerly. “Allow me to ride on ahead and find the mistletoe. I know what it looks like.”
I shook my head. “You can’t ride into enemy territory alone.”