“Yet we can’t leave them alone either.” She gestured to our slack-jawed men. “I won’t raise notice if I slip in alone.”
I considered. We needed to get the mistletoe, but she was right that we couldn’t leave the men alone. Who knew what else might come along in this land? I weighed everyone’s abilities and then came up with the best division of labor I could.
“Jasmine will go with you,” I said. “Volusian and I will stay here with the guys and try to talk some sense into them.” No matter her brave words, I couldn’t send Keeli alone, nor could I leave Jasmine alone on defense. This seemed the best option. “But I, uh, might need your help first to move them.”
Much like Pagiel, the rest of the men could be coaxed to their feet and made to walk, so long as someone was there every step of the way. We ended up taking them back to the lagoon since it was relatively sheltered and not near the road. We brought the horses and supplies next, and I was surprised to find myself sweating when all was done, thanks to the heat. It was a welcome change after the blight. Keeli and Jasmine mounted their horses and prepared to go.
“Be careful,” I warned.
“We will,” said Jasmine. She eyed the men, whom we had sat down in an almost artful arrangement near the water’s edge. “You know, this would be the perfect time to kill Kiyo.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
She shrugged. “Just throwing it out there. You know he’s going to keep being a pain in the ass. Toss him in the lake and claim he wandered in there and drowned. No one would know, and we wouldn’t tell.” Keeli nodded emphatically.
“Sorry,” I said. It was a bit alarming that I could understand their reasoning—but there was no way I could go there. “Believe me, I wish I could get rid of him. But doing it to him in this state would be as bad as what he tried to do to me.”
The two of them rode off, leaving me and Volusian behind. I gave him orders to patrol the area and let me know immediately if he heard or saw something concerning. Of course, it was hard to imagine anything much more concerning than my present situation. Despite all the life and noise of the forest around us, there was an eerie silence at the lagoon. It just didn’t feel right to be sitting with five other people and have none of them make a sound. Those freaky, glassy-eyed stares also creeped me out.
Still, I had a job now. Volusian had said I needed to give them all a reason to come back. That sounded more like a job for my mom the therapist. I wasn’t a prickly person, not exactly, but I hardly had that easy bedside manner for exploring feelings and making others feel better. The guys had apparently had a chance to gather food before the dryads came, and I’d helped carry their haul when we transferred everything to the lagoon. Most of it was fruit, but the blight was still too fresh in mind for me to even think about eating any more dried meat. Finding a banana, I sat cross-legged and studied each guy in turn, trying to think what would appeal to him.
When I finished eating, I decided to start my therapy with Rurik. I sat down beside him, feeling a little foolish at first, but knew I just had to jump right into it.
“Rurik, I know those dryads didn’t really enthrall you. You’re too crazy about Shaya to let those tree strumpets have any effect. If Shaya was here, I bet she could’ve kicked all their asses. I mean, she controls plants ... so maybe her magic would’ve done something to them since they’re into trees. Or maybe she would’ve just walked up and punched them. That’s what I’d probably do. Wipe those smirks off their little nymph faces. You have to get better so you can go back to her, you know. I’m still not sure what you did to win her over, but it must have been a lot of work. You can’t let that all go to waste, and no matter how ‘frivolous’ she thinks it is, I still think you guys need a honeymoon. I’m going to order it once we’re all home and this blight is put to rest. I can do that because, you know, I’m queen. So, if she’s not reason enough to snap out of this, I don’t know what it is. I mean, I suppose I’d miss you too if you die here. You don’t always have the most respectful attitude, but you do get things done. I hate to admit it, but I’d have a hard time replacing you. I guess I’d have to appoint Davin in your place.”
I stopped talking, suddenly wondering if I wasn’t doing more harm than good. While Rurik was unquestionably the leader of my forces, Davin was another soldier and kind of Rurik’s rival. I’d inherited Davin with the Rowan Land, and he’d proved remarkably loyal and competent—and made it abundantly clear that he thought he’d do a better job than Rurik. It didn’t help matters that they were polar opposites. Rurik was a soldier to the heart, rough and efficient. Davin served well but also had a great appreciation for the finer things that Rurik scoffed at. Studying Rurik, who had had no reaction since I began talking, I reconsidered my doubts. Rurik was just contrary enough that maybe a little tough love was the real tactic here.
“Of course,” I continued, “maybe that’d be easier for you in the long run. I know how much you hate it when your job makes you dress up and go to diplomatic functions. Davin doesn’t mind that stuff, though. Have you ever seen his wardrobe? It’s pretty amazing. I think he spends more time on his hair than I do. Even if you do get out of this enchantment, I might just have him start doing that high-level stuff anyway. It’d be a favor to you, really, since you’re not that good at it. Plus, I know how much you hate going to some of those balls and parties with Shaya. I’m sure Davin wouldn’t mind escorting her. He’d probably even coordinate his clothes to match hers. That way, you could just stay home or go hunting or whatever.”
Still no reaction. Volusian had given me the impression that even if the guys heard me, they might not show it. Furthermore, it still might not be enough without the mistletoe to counteract some of the magic. I decided to give Rurik a rest and move on to the others. I’d keep making the rounds, and maybe, bit by bit, I’d chink away at the dryads’ enthrallment.
Danil was next. I didn’t attempt the cruel reverse psychology I had on Rurik, but I did put the same emphasis on his loved ones. Danil had been with me since I took over the Thorn Land, so I knew something about his life, like that he’d been married for a year and just had a baby. I talked to him about his family, pointing out how happy they’d be to see him. I even briefly mentioned Isaac and Ivy, saying that it’d be great if our children could play together someday.
I nearly skipped Alistir. He was Dorian’s man, and I didn’t know much about him. Still, I took the time to chat about what I did know, like how much Dorian valued him and how we needed Alistir to save our kingdoms. Hopefully, Keeli would know something more after having talked so much to him on this trip. Or, Dorian himself might help once he was restored.
Kiyo was difficult, and I nearly skipped him for an entirely different set of reasons. Jasmine’s parting words really didn’t help because they were all I kept thinking about as I sat next to Kiyo. Maybe he was our ally now, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t about to let the prophecy go. Even if our blight quest had a happy ending, what then? There’d be no peace for me. Far easier to get rid of him now when Dorian couldn’t come to his defense.
But as I’d told Jasmine, taking advantage of Kiyo’s situation would be as despicable as what he’d done to me. I wouldn’t stoop to that level, and even though I intended them to grow up without him, he was still the father of my children.
“I’m sure Maiwenn will want to see you again,” I began awkwardly. Were they romantically involved? Those two were always on and off again, but I wasn’t up on the latest gossip. Talking about her wasn’t my favorite topic, but Kiyo’s young daughter with her was a bit easier. “And I know Marta will too. She must be so big now. Does she walk and talk? Maybe I’ll see her someday. Regardless, you have to break this spell so you can get back to her. Even being on this journey must be hard. You’re probably missing all kinds of neat things she’s doing. I know how you feel. I keep thinking about Isaac and Ivy and how every day keeps me from something amazing. So hurry up and come back to us so we can get you back to the Willow Land.”
>
Some cynical part of me noted that I could probably inspire him if I started reminding him that he had to break the enchantment and keep hunting me and my children. It might very well work, but there was no way I could hint at him harming my children—even if it might save his life. I’d refused Jasmine’s offer to kill him outright, but I’d gladly let him die from the dryads’ magic before giving any acknowledgment to his crazy attitude about the prophecy.
So I stuck to Marta and Maiwenn and how Kiyo had to help us defeat Varia. I even mentioned the menagerie of pets he had back in Arizona. When I felt I’d made a decent effort, I moved on to Pagiel, who was a bit easier. I praised his bravery and loyalty and talked about his family, even saying kind words about Ysabel and Edria. After Kiyo, those two women no longer ranked so high on my list of despised people.
That left Dorian. It was weird because I probably knew him the best, and yet ... I really wasn’t sure exactly which words would get through to him. As it was, I had a hard enough time making myself say anything. It was too weird seeing him so lifeless. Dorian was always in motion. Even when he was deceptively calm, there was an energy that crackled within him. He was always thinking something, always planning ahead. But now? This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how he was supposed to be. How many times had that little smirk of his infuriated me? I’d give anything now to see it replace this listlessness.
I stared at him for a long time. Panic seized me, mostly because I was suddenly afraid I would fail. There was so much between us that I’d been putting off. Had I lost my chance forever? It took me three tries to finally talk to him because I kept choking up.
“We can’t do this without you,” I managed at last. “Everyone talks about my powers, but you’re the badass here. We need you to pull this off—and for more than just your magic. Who else is going to be smart enough to get us to those gifts? Even Volusian’s not sure where they’re at. We need you for the planning—and I know you’re sure as hell not going to let that Varia bitch get the best of you. The Oak Land means too much to you. It’s everything to you.”
I exhausted those topics as much as I could, praising his strength and cleverness. I knew there were deeper topics to address but couldn’t quite get myself to go there. I was about to start the rounds again with the other guys when I heard someone coming through the woods. I turned, silently cursing Volusian for not warning me, and then saw it was Jasmine and Keeli. They and their horses looked as if they’d been traveling at breakneck speeds. Keeli climbed down practically before her horse even came to a halt and proudly showed me several vines of mistletoe.
“More than enough,” I said in approval. “Any trouble? Were you spotted?”
“Never saw anyone,” said Jasmine, joining Keeli. “We were lucky enough to find some oaks not far from the border that had this stuff growing.”
I took one of the vines. “Okay, then. Let’s try this. Remember—just one berry. We want ‘fantastically ill,’ not dead.”
We went around and carefully placed a berry under each man’s tongue. It was a little gross but not much weirder than half the things I did on a daily basis. Part of me had kind of hoped for a miraculous transformation the instant the mistletoe was placed, but it was obvious this enchantment was still a ways from being broken.
“We should keep talking to them,” I told Jasmine and Keeli. “Do either of you know anything about Alistir? Like his personal life?”
“He’s in love,” said Keeli, expression softening. “With a girl back in the Oak Land. She loves him too, but her father doesn’t approve. That’s why he joined the king’s guard—to prove himself.”
“Movie quality,” I murmured. “Can you go talk to him? Remind him of all he’s got?”
She did, and Jasmine went on to Pagiel. I decided to repeat my pattern and start with Rurik again, hoping that Shaya and Davin would have more impact with the mistletoe. The other women and I rotated through the men, each hoping we might think of something that would be the key to unlocking this spell. Neither Keeli nor Jasmine would talk to Kiyo, however. That was all on me.
The sky was turning red when we finally called a dinner break. The three of us were exhausted mentally and physically. We’d lost a day here in the Mimosa Land, but that was nothing compared to the fact that none of our efforts had yielded any results. The men sat there, unchanged. There’d been no time to search for other food, so dinner was simply more fruit.
“I’ll call Volusian soon and see what else we should do,” I said, biting into a papaya. “Maybe we have to replenish the mistletoe or something.” It sounded lame, even to me, but I didn’t know what other options we had.
“I hope those dryads come back,” growled Jasmine. “After I make them fix all of this, I’m going to rip their hair out and wreck their pretty little bitch faces.” Jasmine had even gone as far to unravel some of her braids while riding to and from the Yew Land. They’d been bound tightly, though, and her haphazard efforts had left her hair looking pretty ratty. I appreciated the zealous initiative, though. Both Keeli and I had been too busy to bother with our hair.
“I doubt they’ll be back,” I said. “They did what they intended. Got revenge on men and took out strangers to their land at the same time.”
This was merely met with nods. We were all too disheartened to make much conversation and simply ate in silence as night fell. The hum of the forest made a background of white noise I hardly even noticed anymore, which was why it was so startling when a voice spoke out of the shadows.
“You are not going to replace me with that pretty boy Davin.”
I nearly choked on my berries. Hastily swallowing, I spun around to look at Rurik. He was still sitting but no longer in a frozen, blank way. He was shifting, working the kinks out of his arms as he blinked the world into focus.
“Rurik!” I ran over and knelt before him, Keeli and Jasmine right behind me. “Rurik, are you okay?”
He started to speak, and then a grimace came over his face. Turning, he spat onto the ground. “What was in my mouth?”
“A necessary evil,” I said, grinning like a fool. “Oh my God. You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“I hear that a lot from women,” he said, wincing as he shrugged his undoubtedly stiff shoulders.
“Do you remember anything?” asked Jasmine. “From this morning?”
“I remember ...” He frowned and suddenly looked confused. “Those women ... the green-haired women. I remember them coming to us, and then ... I don’t know. It was like I was in a tunnel, and there were voices coming to me from a long ways away.” He glanced at the three of us. “Your voices.”
I was so happy that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “This is the best news ever. Now that we know the enchantment can be broken, we can get the others out of it too.”
“The others ...” Rurik looked around him and noticed his fellow men. The sun was nearly gone, but our campfire clearly illuminated the statuelike quality of the others. Rurik jumped to his feet with amazing speed for someone who’d been catatonic all day. “What the—? My lord! My lord, what’s wrong?”
He flew to Dorian’s side with a devotion that almost brought tears to my eyes. Much as we’d first tried, Rurik began shaking Dorian in an effort to wake him up.
“It won’t work,” I said.
Rurik turned to me, and I think it was the most scared I’d ever seen him. “What’s wrong with him? With them?”
We explained, and Rurik wanted to waste no time in helping. I urged him to take a moment to recover from his ordeal, but he’d hear nothing of it. His energy and awakening inspired the rest of us, and we continued our efforts with new vigor.
And miraculously, over the next couple hours, the men began to wake up one by one. Blessedly, only Danil got sick from the mistletoe, and it was hardly “fantastically ill.” Like Rurik, all the men were eager to help, and before long, we had everyone restored to their original states—except Dorian.
“Why won’t he wake up??
?? I asked. The flickering firelight cast weird shadows on his face. “Volusian said it was tied to strength and will. Dorian’s probably the strongest person I know.”
Alistir frowned as he sipped water from a skin. “I seem to recall ... I feel like there were two of those dryads with him?” There was uncertainty in his words, but they sparked a memory.
“You’re right,” I said. “There were two with him when we approached. Would that do it? Two dryads—double the power?”
“Makes sense,” said Keeli. “Especially if they tagged him as the strongest.”
“Then we’ll have to work twice as hard,” said Rurik, feeling no shame at just having been declared second best. He finished off a banana. All of the men had been starving and thirsty. “I’ll talk to him now.”
Rurik jumped to it with zeal, and others followed in shifts. As midnight came around, the effort faded a little, mostly from exhaustion. Watches were set, and the rest of my companions began settling down for sleep. Keeli and Jasmine had offered to take the first watch. They were tired but still felt the men needed some true rest. Kiyo stopped me when I passed where he’d spread out his blanket.
“If he’s not better by morning, we’re going to have to make some hard decisions.” Kiyo nodded toward where Dorian sat straight and still.
It took me a moment to follow. “What? No. We’re not leaving until he’s better.”
“But what if he’s not? You’ve been trying all day.”
“He was hit twice as much as the rest of you! He just needs longer to recover,” I said, working hard not to shout.
“Or, he may not recover at all,” said Kiyo ominously. “Depending on how strong the magic is. What then? How long do we wait here?”
“As long as it takes! We have plenty of food.”
Kiyo sighed. “But again—what if he simply isn’t going to wake up? How much time do we waste? Every day means others suffer in the blight.”
“We can’t leave him,” I said stubbornly. “I know you don’t like him, but this isn’t negotiable.”