Page 36 of Whispers of the Dryad

Rowan clenched his jaw.“You had him stay right here?”

“I just took away what bothered him.”

Rowan cursed under his breath.I stared at Dolus and then at Rowan, not understanding what was going on.I had no idea what to make of it.“You gave Oscar magic,” I accused.“He what?”Rowan asked.“Oh, that,” Dolus said with a nonchalant shrug.“Yeah, he seemed desperate, and who am I if I’m not there to help?”

“What did you take away from him in return?”Rowan demanded.“How did you deceive him?”

Dolus shook his head, his smile still in place, but it didn’t reach his eyes.“I’m getting really tired of everyone making it sound like it’s a crime just to be who I am.I don’t hide who I am; you all are the ones trusting when it’s a bad idea.”

Rowan thought about it before he nodded.“Fine,” he said.Dolus laughed, and the sound skipped around us.It was horrible.I fought the urge to run my hands over my arms to wipe away the sensation of darkness that clung to me like tar.Dolus shrugged.“You should be happy I let you know what’s going on at all.I could have left you to figure it out for yourself.”

“Yeah,” Rowan said.“You’re right.Thanks.”I wasn’t sure if the thanks was sarcastic.Dolus bowed his head, and in a flash, he was gone again.“What just happened?”I asked.“That was Dolus, the god of deceit.”

“He’s a god?”I asked, shocked.“I thought you knew that,” Rowan said with a frown.“You knew who he was.”

“I heard of him.I put two and two together when I saw him, but I had no idea who he was.Oscar mentioned him.”

“Oscar, the boyfriend who’s out to get you,” Rowan said, putting the picture together for himself.“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected.“And yeah.He’s out there somewhere, and Dolus gave him magic.”

He wants me back, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get me back.Now that he has magic, whatever it takes is a lot more terrifying than what he did to me before, and that was already bad enough.Ash won’t help me—he says it’s bad to get involved in human business.”

“He’s not wrong.We’re not supposed to do that,” Rowan said.“Yeah, well maybe he should have thought about that before he locked me up here in the vale through the bond I hadn’t known about,” I said with a scowl.“Maybe he should have thought about that before saving me the first time.He didn’t know me then, either.Why did he help me then, but he won’t help me now?”

“I don’t know,” Rowan admitted.“What I do know is that Ash isn’t Ash anymore if he doesn’t know who you are.I thought he might have at least said goodbye…” The last words were more Rowan thinking out loud than they were aimed at me.I shook my head.“Well, whatever it is, I’m in deep shit now because I don’t have anyone who can look after me, and I don’t have magic to fight Oscar myself.”I looked around, wondering where he was.“Let me talk to Ash,” Rowan offered.Laughter sounded around us again, and a new wave of terror clutched at my throat.When I looked up at Rowan, the look on his face suggested he’d heard it, too.“That’s him,” I said.Anger welled up to replace the fear.Fuck Ash and what he’d done to me, and what he’d done without telling me.“Don’t bother talking to Ash,” I said hotly.“I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know,” I said.“But I’ve been in trouble without Ash before, so I guess I’ll just have to figure out how to escape again.”

Rowan wanted to say something, but I was too upset to listen.I turned around and headed back into the trees.I had no idea what I was going to do, but I would have to face Oscar alone, so I guess that was what was going to happen.

ChapterThirty-Four

Ash

Something moved around my tree and drew me out of a deep sleep.I sent my magic out around me to study the forest.A few other druses close to me were in their trees, either sleeping or awake, but the forest was quiet save for the movement of one lone deer.It stopped at the base of my tree and nibbled on the grass that pushed through the mulch.A moment later, Artemis appeared.Of course.“Ash?”she asked, touching the bark of my tree, and a shiver of magic ran down my spine.“Wake up.”

I didn’t want to talk to her.I had nothing to say to her—not only because I had no memories, but exactly for that reason.What would Artemis say?What would any of them say when they found out what had happened and what I’d done?“Come on, don’t leave me out here,” Artemis said.Her voice was gentle.“I just want to talk.”

I sighed and stepped out of my tree.I stretched until my spine popped before I leaned against the tree with my back, folding my arms over my chest.“I’m here,” I said.Artemis smiled at me and flicked her brown hair over her shoulder.“I was scared you’d written me off there.”

“Why would I do that?”

Artemis frowned.“Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay.Why shouldn’t I be?”

“The forest is riddled with strange magic,” Artemis said.“Everyone is up in arms because they’re not sure what it is.”

“I didn’t sense anything,” I said.It was my job to protect the forest from anything out of the ordinary, and nothing had seemed strange so far.Artemis’s frown deepened.“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said.“I have no reason not to be.”

“Where’s Lorraine?”

“Who?”

Artemis’s concern turned into shock.Her eyes studied me, and I watched as she tried to put the pieces together of a puzzle I couldn’t even imagine myself.I guess that was what it meant when I lost all my memories.“Ash…” Artemis started.She looked like she searched for words and couldn’t find them.“What’s going on?”she finally said.“Where is she?”

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