Page 4 of The Songbird & the Forest

“No, I cannot remember the last time I spoke to another creature,” they said as they poured from a wooden pitcher. She couldn’t believe it; how could someone go so long without talking to anyone? She was sure she would go mad, though, in all fairness, she knew she talked much more than the average person.

“Doesn’t that get lonely?” She asked and realized immediately how incredibly rude that was to ask someone she had just met. She quickly added, “Ignore me. What a personal question to ask! I sometimes simply say whatever pops into my mind. I meant no offense, Ilex.”

They set a small wooden cup down in front of her, their face neutral. “No need for apologies; your honesty is refreshing.”

Dahlia felt herself relax—she found she wanted this dryad to like her for reasons entirely unknown to her. They continued before she could say anything else embarrassing.

“It is lonely. I sought the solitude, and for many years, it was exactly what I needed. But yes—I find it is now quite lonely.” A touch of sadness laced their tone, and Dahlia found herself wanting to make Ilex smile. She wanted to ease their loneliness, if only for a time.

“Thank you for the water; it tastes so pure here,” she offered, sipping from her cup.

“Wellsah is a lovely place to exist,” Ilex said, nodding their agreement.

They sat in silence for a long moment, Dahlia taking in her surroundings, and Ilex—she realized as her eyes fell on them again—was taking her in.

“I will go out and find some berries for us; it’s high season for surberries,” Ilex said in a bit of a rush, obviously flustered at being caught staring. They glided back out of the cottage without another word, and Dahlia stared after them in confusion. They had seemed so calm and self-assured, but something had thrown them off-balance. She only hoped she hadn’t done something offensive—perhaps she had talked too much.

6

Chapter 6

Ilex had to get out of the cottage. What was usually a perfectly ample amount of space had suddenly felt much too small as they stared at Dahlia’s lovely face, so full of life and as warm as the sun’s golden rays.

Her hair was the color of a wild poppy, orangey-red and wild, and her face was covered in flecks of copper. Amber eyes held joy and laughter, and her scent…Ilex had never experienced anything quite like it. She smelled of crisp apple and jasmine blossoms, light and glorious.

Ilex had noticed, of course, as they were walking back to their cottage, but being in an enclosed space with her, they had become overwhelmed. They were having…feelings that had come out of nowhere, and they needed fresh air to get their wits about them.

They had never had a romantic partner or even a friend, really. They hadn’t needed any—they were fine on their own. But now that Ilex was presented with this effervescent necromancer, they found they were sad at the thought of her continuing on her way, leaving them alone once more in their forest.

They made their way through the trees toward the surberry patch, not paying much mind to their surroundings. These woods didn’t hold many dangers, and they knew their surroundings like the back of their hand.

Ilex did not realize they had been followed until they heard the whistling of an arrow flying through the air—they did, however, feel the piercing pain as the arrow pierced their shoulder. They let out a yell and turned to face their assailant.

Unfortunately, they were greeted with the sight of three bandits; two had bows drawn and aimed at Ilex, while one stood in the middle, daggers drawn.

Ilex took a deep breath and mastered the pain radiating out of their shoulder.

“What trouble do you all have with a Dryad?”

“Monstrosities like you aren’t welcome in Wellsah!” The man in the middle shouted.

“Ah, I see. The reason I keep to the woods,” Ilex said, more to themself than any of the bandits.

“You’ll die today, abomination!” One of the archers yelled, loosing an arrow at Ilex. This time, however, they were prepared, and they dodged the arrow, running at the bandits. Their eyes flared slightly in fright; Ilex was, after all, a rather large Dryad.

The man with the daggers attempted to swipe at Ilex as they approached, but Ilex grabbed his wrists and squeezed. Bone crunched, and the man screamed. Ilex released him, kicking the daggers away into the brush.

Ilex, now fully paying attention to their surroundings and not stuck in a daydream about the pretty necromancer, heard another set of footsteps approaching at a run through the forest.

“How many of you are there?” Ilex hissed to the three men surrounding them.

“Only three, I swear it!” The man with the broken wrists cried, backing away.

“Then who…” Ilex began—but then they saw her. Dahlia was running toward them, concern creasing her brow and her black cloak billowing around her.

“Ilex? What’s going on?” Her bright voice made them want to smile despite the circumstances.

One of the archers took the opportunity to fire another arrow at close range, straight into Ilex’s back. Ilex cried out, and Dahlia screamed.

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