Page 118 of Midnight Auto Parts

Holding up my hands in surrender, I shrugged. “Just checking.”

“Anyway, the willow asked her friend, the pine tree. It kept a colony of bees as pets, and it offered their honey for the girl. The baby nursed the honey from a willow leaf, but it grew restless and afraid as the night grew darker. And so the willow lifted the baby in a swing made of her branches and swayed until she fell asleep.” A flick of her fingers coaxed the willows to illustrate her point. “She rocked the girl until the women came, and though it wanted to keep the baby, it was only a tree, and it let a young woman with no children of her own take her.”

“That’s a nice story.” I cringed when her eyes narrowed to slits. “Ah. I see. You weren’t done yet.”

“Butthe baby couldn’t sleep, and the young woman grew tired. She sneaked back to the willow one night, the baby in her basket, and considered placing her in the water to float downstream to another village. The willow, fearful the baby would drown, took her from her basket—frightening the woman—and showed her how to soothe the baby.” She mimed holding an ax, ready to swing. “The woman, fearing the tree was possessed by an evil spirit, brought men to chop it…”

“Don’t stop now.” I wiped a hand over my mouth to hide my smile. “I’m on the edge of my seat.”

“I always forget how it ends.” She shuddered. “I only ever think about how wonderful it must have been to have a tree for a mother, even for a few hours.” She rubbed her jaw. “These willows can’t rock the gods to sleep, but they’re still the most peaceful trees I can think of.”

“I’m sure they appreciate it.”

“That’s good,” Josie said, her voice thick, “but I think I’m?—”

Eyes rolling up into the back of her head, she fell on a bed of grass that sprung up beneath her seconds before impact.

Scrambling off Kierce’s lap, I crawled to her, glancing back to snap out, “Call Aretha.”

“Carter,” Josie murmured, her eyes active behind their closed lids.

A dryad’s power wasn’t bottomless, and Josie had expended tons of energy. First protecting herself then making this grove. She had depleted herself for my sake, and it was as good a time as any to test Anunit, and the value of her gift.

Josie had dropped close enough to the burial ground for me to grab her ankle and spin her body until her foot passed between two tree trunks. I bent, half in and half out of the ward, to dig a small hole in the freshly sprung grass. After wrestling her knee to bend it, I stuck her foot in the soil then buried it to the ankle.

With that done, I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook until she groaned at me. “Put down roots.”

“Curse…” She rolled onto her side, tucking her face into my stomach. “Bones…”

“I was granted permission for you to use this grove.”

Foot twitching, she formed rootlets in place of her toes on instinct. “Whaaat…?”

“I was going to break it down for you later, but later is now. Put down roots. Draw magic from the earth. Heal yourself. Then we can talk.”

“Carter is on the way.” Kierce’s shadow fell across me. “Aretha is farther out, but she’s en route too.”

“Good.” I stroked Josie’s hair. “Thanks.”

“Will she be all right?”

“She’s drained, but this should help.”

In all the years I watched her do this to replenish herself, I never imagined I would be doing the same. She drew strength from nutrient-rich soil and nearby plants and vegetation. NowI drew strength from faith, belief, and magic-rich soil. I found I liked having one more thing in common with my sister.

Lowering himself to sit beside me, Kierce asked, “Can you tell me what happened in there?”

I told him everything.

And I expected him to scold me, to fret, to caution I had gotten in too deep with yet another god.

But tension eased from his shoulders, and his expression grew thoughtful. “You made a fine bargain.”

Dumbstruck by his calmness, I gawked at him. “You’re not mad?”

“I have no right to be mad when the decision was yours to make.”

“Yes, well, I still would have preferred to get your opinion ahead of time.” I hesitated. “It’s really okay?”

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