Page 136 of The Dryad Storm

A ripple of emotion tingles through me.

Rivyr’el is kneeling on the ground by the trunk’s base, a gorgeous, flashing penumbra of color surrounding him. His formerly spiky Alfsigr-white hair is more intensely rainbow-streaked, jeweled dragonflies of every hue zipping around him.

A tear slides down his cheek as Rivyr’el raises his newly multicolored eyes and grins. “It’s all so beautiful,” he murmurs, before he rises, dragonflies alighting on his shoulders and hair as he turns to Sylvan. “I want to help you save it. Teach us what we need to do.”

“Dryad power is seasonal,” Sylvan says to everyone gathered around the smoldering bonfire, the strengthening sunlight rapidly overtaking the early morning chill. “Both Forest and Dryad power will peak before long, when the Forest’s foliage peaks.”

Yvan’s mother and a few of our other adversaries linger close to our barrier wall, listening, Soleiya’s hostility seeming unmoved.

Iris sits quietly between Sylvan and Bleddyn, more subdued than I’ve ever seen her. She has been, ever since she stumbled out of the Noi Oak and was caught in Sylvan’s strong grip before she could fall, headfirst, to the ground. Seeming dazed and overwhelmed, Iris met Sylvan’s green eyes with a shock that I sensed coursing through both their auras before Iris shakily held up her III-marked palm.

Sylvan took firm hold of her hand, III mark to III mark, Iris’s fire aura blazing toward his foliage-strengthened magic to whip around and through it.

I watched, surprised, as Sylvan calmly met Iris’s grasping heat with a returning blaze of his elemental fire power, the sun’s Forest-nourishing heat burning bright at the heart of it.

Common ground.

It was at that moment that a night-black Noi Fire Falcon flew out of the Forest and landed on Iris’s shoulder. Iris promptly burst into tears and reached up to caress the bird, its eyes the same flaming gold hue as her own. A bird, Yulan later explained, that uses the flaming branches drawn from naturally occurring and Forest-replenishing wildfires to flush its prey out of hiding.

A bird as fierce and fiery as Iris Morgaine.

My focus sliding back to the present, I take in Iris’s invisible aura of fire power circling both the hawk and Sylvan, and I wonder, not for the first time, what Sylvan’s kindred might be. I can sense that he has one—a thread of his power flows into the Dyoi Forest in the same way a thread of mine flows out to Errilith beside me. But Sylvan’s mysterious kindred remains hidden, a quiet, strong presence deep in the Forest’s shade.

“Dryad power is communally amplified magic,” Sylvan says, giving us all a pointed look, “which could give us a powerful advantage against the Magedom if wealljoin with the Forest and share our magic as Dryad’khin during peak foliage.”

My allies and I listen closely, Ra’Ven now III-marked and reunited with Sage, his fingers interlaced with hers as violet Noi Monarch Butterflies flit around Sage’s form. A purple-patterned Noi Subland Gecko kindred clings to Ra’Ven’s shoulder, Hee Muur beside them with a sheep-size violet Dyoi Dragon Lizard kindred pressed to her side. Most of my allies show signs of having merged with the Forest—a lavender tailorbird perched on Fain’s forearm, a silver dove on Sholin’s, a dark-furred, purple-spotted Noi Lynx standing sentry beside Kam Vin and a large black bobcat prowling around my feline-loving uncle Wrenfir.

I catch Rafe’s gaze, Aislinn and Jarod beside him. Diana flashes me a toothy grin, their kindred pack of wild wolves silently stationed near the tree line, the Lupines already connected to the Forest via their Change.

And Vang Troi—she went back into the trees and reemerged astride a wild, midnight-black mustang, her sapphire aura shining bright as she rode out to greet us, her horse kindred now grazing near the trees. I can’t help but glance at silent Ni Vin, who sits beside Vang Troi on our side of the shield, a III mark now on her palm, her new violet-hued mare kindred nearby beside Andras’s purple-speckled black stallion kindred. I remember, with great remorse, how I accidentally killed Ni Vin’s beloved black mare with my terrible Black Witch fire so many months ago. I’mdeeply gratified by the Forest’s gift to her of this horse kindred, my determination rising to use my power to support Life instead of destroying it.

“Everything we are is about natural rhythms and connections,” Yulan softly interjects before launching into a deeper explanation of the seasonal and moon cycles and their effect on the elemental power of Tree’kin.

I glance toward where Yulan sits with Ariel, Alder, and Andras. The four of them have been ministering to the Shadow-burned and orphaned animals who fled here from the West along with the rest of us, the terrified, dazed-looking beasts staggering out of the tree line in spurts, their fur and feathers and bodies grayed and mutilated.

My heart constricts with grief, even Yvan’s constant caress of fire unable to staunch the sorrow. The loss of habitat cuts horrifyingly deep. But despite all the trauma and Soleiya’s intractable aura of hostility, I find a spark of hope in how a generous portion of Sylvan’s power is intentionally flowing toward Iris, offering her a sustained mooring as the Forest’s magic embraces her.

I glance at Yvan and catch him studying Iris and Sylvan closely, the shimmer of surprise in his fire echoing my own as Iris and Sylvan meet each other’s eyes, fire sparking hard through both their auras before they glance away.

Iris stills, a tortured look overtaking her expression. “I wanted Lasair dominance,” she blurts out as she abruptly rises to her feet, a slight quaver in her forceful tone. Everyone grows quiet, looking to her. “I wanted a restoration of Lasair rule over the East,” she grits out, her eyes sparking with gold fire, a flash of her former condemnation flaring in them. “Which I saw as our right. This land wasours.”

Everyone is silent for a moment.

“It was,” Sylvan agrees, a tremor of unsettled force brewing in his power. Iris turns to him, and their gazes connect, triggering a sharp flare of their elemental attraction. “But the Dryad’kin were here before the Lasair,” Sylvan notes.

Iris’s gaze locks tighter with his, their auras whipping around each other in a hotter flare. “I know,” she finally admits, voice tight. “The Forest... it showed me the history of both our peoples. It showed me how my people drove the Dryad’kin from the East with great cruelty. And generations later, what the Kelts did to my people in turn.” She pauses, a haunted look overtaking her fiery gaze, her voice rougher when it comes. “So many Lasair massacred with iron... almost wiped out... my people nomads after that. But we did a similar thing to the Dryads...” She reaches up and rakes her fingers through her crimson hair, herface tensing with a look of fierce remorse. “Sylvan...”

“And now you’d wipe us out further,” Soleiya snipes at Iris from beyond the shield-wall, Yvan’s fire aura instantly sparking with frustration.

Iris’s expression turns distraught as she turns to Soleiya. “Lasair’kin,” she implores her in Asrai, “you have been like a second mother to me all my life. Lasair’lhir’in,please, just listen to what the Forest has to say.”

Soleiya’s eyes catch fire. “Where was this Forest power when we were beingslaughteredby the last Black Witch, Iris’iyl’ir?” she demands. “Or have you forgotten your true Asrai name?”

Iris winces as if struck, and I stiffen against Soleiya’s heated vitriol, an invisible lash of Yvan’s angered fire flashing out toward his mother.

“Enough,”Yvan levels at her in Lasair, rising to his feet.

“No, Yvan,” Soleiya bitingly returns in Lasair, pointing a finger at me as anguish streaks through her power. “This witch has poisoned your mind. These ‘alliances’ are getting us nowhere but closer to thecomplete annihilationof the Fae’kin—”

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