Page 3 of The Songbird & the Forest

“I’m Dahlia, she and her, and I’m a necromancer from Daosbor,” she said. They noticed her breathing evening out a bit, but she made no move to extricate herself from their arms.

“Dahlia. It’s nice to meet you. I use they and them, and I am a Dryad from, well, here.” They said, mirroring the information she had shared in an effort to be less threatening.

“A Dryad. Fascinating. I’ve never heard a thing about Dryads,” she mused, studying their face.

“I’ve heard of necromancers, but I know almost nothing about them, so I suppose we’re even,” Ilex said, offering a bit of a smile. Humans liked that, right? They were rewarded when she returned their smile tenfold and laughed, clapping her hands in excitement.

“Well, Ilex the Dryad, thank you for catching me, and not thank you for scaring me half to death! What was that all about anyway? Do you make a habit of startling travelers in the woods just to rescue them?” She joked with a chuckle as she shifted, clearly trying to right herself. They helped her adjust, and she stood before them, brushing herself off.

“That’s my horse, Misty, and my cat, Fluffy. They’re happy to meet you, too,” she added, gesturing at her travel companions. Ilex looked over and offered a polite nod to the skeleton creatures. Fascinating—they had never seen anything like it.

“Did you make them?” They asked. Dahlia nodded proudly.

“I raised them; obviously, I didn’t make the bones from scratch, but you know… I guess I did about half the work. It’s one of the less taxing forms of necromancy, just doing the bones. I don’t even have to think about it once they’re moving on their own again. It’s making the flesh that’s really the hard work.”

Ilex felt certain Dahlia could have said many fewer words to convey the same meaning, but they liked the sound of her voice. They wished she would keep talking.

“Well, Dahlia from Daosbor and Misty and Fluffy, may I offer you a snack or a comfortable place to rest for a bit? I assume you are on your way somewhere. People don’t often wander through this part of the wilds for no reason.”

She considered for a moment and then said, “I would love a snack—thank you, Ilex! And to answer your question, yes, I am on my way to Ichorna for the celebration! It’s a whole month-long ordeal, so I set off last week.”

Ilex gestured for her to follow, and she grabbed Misty’s reins, walking at their side.

“Lucinne—you know, the main city in Ichorna—well, they’re having this grand celebration for the new year because of the new millennium starting and all that. I think it’s just an excuse for them to show off. Do you know much about Ichorna? I don’t have to explain it if you already know. I don’t mean to be rude,” she said. Ilex wasn’t certain, but it seemed she had perhaps said all of that in one breath. They didn’t think they had said that many words out loud to another living being in the past ten years.

“I do not, actually. I am a bit isolated out here in the wilds—the folk of Wellsah aren’t exactly used to seeing us around these days—so I don’t really keep up with current events,” they answered, continuing to make their way toward their home. It was well-hidden amongst the trees.

“Ah, well, the short version is that the Ichornians have blood magic which…” she shuddered a bit, “Well, it’s nasty stuff if the wrong person uses it. Anyway, they’ve spent all this time building their rail system, that’s what I think they call it; it transports people quickly from one place to another along some sort of track. I think they’re trying to get back in the good graces of the other nations so they can have better trade and such. I’m no politician, so I’m not entirely sure, but that’s my hunch,” Dahlia twittered, looking around at the trees as she walked.

“I see. If you’re not a politician, what are you?” Ilex asked.

“I’m a bit of an herbalist myself. I’m a trained necromancer, but my specialty is potions and that sort of thing. I have a workshop at court because I suppose I’m decent at what I do, so they gave me a spot and like to keep me around. I never thought I’d be important enough to be sent on this trip, but here I am!” She finished with a laugh. Her smile was contagious. Ilex felt themself smiling right back.

“And here we are,” they said, gesturing to their cottage. Ilex studied Dahlia’s face to read her reaction to their home. They weren’t quite sure why they cared so much—but they found they did.

5

Chapter 5

Dahlia stood staring at the cottage Ilex had led them to. It was literally built into a tree, the most massive tree Dahlia had ever seen. The cottage seemed to be carved right into the middle of the trunk. A few small windows dotted the trunk’s perimeter, and a lovely carved wooden door sat at the end of a path of worn earth. It was the most magical little place. Dahlia was entranced.

She turned her gaze to Ilex, who stood at her side studying her closely. She couldn’t get over how incredibly lovely they were; their skin had the texture of bark in some places, but others appeared to have the softness of a leaf. They were tall and lithe and graceful, and looked truly timeless. Thick eyebrows framed eyes of the same shade—the darkest green of a pine tree. Their lips were plush, a slightly lighter shade of green, and leaves crowned their head where hair would be on a human.

Dahlia realized then that they wore no real clothing, only sprouted patches of the more bark-like skin covering their forearms and around their hips and lower back.

She couldn’t stop staring at them; they were ethereal in a way that drew her in.

“I uh, I know it isn’t much,” they said, clearly taking her silence as some sort of judgment on their home.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be rude; you’re just incredibly…beautiful,” she said before she could stop herself. Ilex drew back a bit in surprise, their green brows raised and eyes wide as they considered her. After a long moment, they nodded slightly and gestured toward the cottage. Dahlia could not believe she had just said that. She knew she must be blushing fiercely. For once, she managed to keep quiet and not make the situation any worse.

Inside, the floor of the cottage was covered in downy moss and soft leaves. There was a sort of nest in one corner of the room, and a large, long mound in the mossy ground sat next to a low wooden tabletop. Dahlia assumed it must serve as seating for the table.

Ilex pointed to the mound, saying, “It’s not much, but it’s home. Please, have a seat. Can I get you some water?”

Their voice was absolutely hypnotic—she was so focused on the lovely timbre that she nearly forgot to answer. This poor Dryad would think she was the rudest being in Domhan na Rùin if she kept this up.

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much, Ilex,” she said quickly. “Do you often have company?” She asked, attempting to fill the silence.

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