I followed Eva and Isaac off the bus. Barefoot of course. We crossed the street quietly, my eyes on that massive tree in all her glory. I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I had a tree obsession now. Ever since Isaac had saved Dom, I’d become enthralled. The way he’d just … sucked the life from that tree and transferred that energy to Dominic, it was a miracle. A miracle I wanted to learn how todo.
The moment my feet sank into the fresh green Southern lawn, I sighed in contentment. Mother Earth’s energy was strong here. I instinctively knew that the tree’s roots carried this far out under the ground. I could feel them sending me vibrations of healing. My headache lessened almostinstantly.
“You feel that?” Isaac asked, and I nodded with asmile.
Eva looked at us both, perplexed, our bare feet in the lawn, and shook her head, smiling. She had her hands out, a yellowish hexagon shape floating over us, no doubt concealing us from any humaneyes.
Isaac took in a deep breath before bending to place one hand on the ground. “He’shere.”
My blood froze for a moment, thinking he meant Steven, but I relaxed when I smelled fresh wood andoil.
“Griddish!” Iwhispered.
We all walked quickly to the tree, taking large strides. It had been almost two days since Griddish was attacked. If he was here, waiting for us the entire time, then he wasn’t in goodshape.
Isaac stopped just before the tree’s branches. “He’sconcealed.”
Eva thrust her hands forward and the glamour fell away like paper tearing. There at the base of the tree, clutching a beautiful purple-stone staff, was our little elffriend.
His skin looked waxy and gray; his breathing was labored, and the network of veins covering him was …red.
I fell to my knees and gently shook him. “Griddish … we’re here. We madeit.”
He slowly peeled open one eye, and I tried to contain my shock at the blood red staining thewhite.
“Fire girl…” He smiledlazily.
I couldn’t see the wound in his neck anymore, but it was clear he was mortallyinjured.
“Help him!” I shrieked toIsaac.
The elf held up a limp hand. “No, I’m ready to be with Yalash and myqueen.”
He gingerly lifted the staff and handed it to me. It was stupid, but I cared for him. Something about him had made me feel like we had something in common, like we weren’t that different. I took the staff in my hands, and the remainder of my headache was chased away immediately. Other than a slight popping noise and a rush of power under my skin, there wasn’t a big light and magic show, for which I wasgrateful.
Griddish was looking at me then with his head cocked to the side. “I knew your mother. That hair, the pointy chin … fire druid. I don’t know why I didn’t recognize youbefore.”
My whole body froze. “You knew her?” Ibreathed.
He nodded and then winced as if the act pained him. “She was the queen’s battledruid.”
Isaac gasped behind me, but I didn’t dare turn to him. I was frozen staring at Griddish, longing to absorb any information Icould.
“What? What’sthat?”
Griddish gasped a little, his eyes losing focus, and a bright smile lit up his face. “Yalash,” he said, as tears spilled over onto his cheeks. Suddenly, he was gone. Where he once lay was now only a pile of his blood-soaked clothes. He’d completely disappeared.Dead.
A sob caught in my throat as I leaned forward to clutch theclothes.
“He’s gone,” I saidstupidly.
Isaac’s hand came to rest on my shoulder. “He’s atpeace.”
I stood, turning around then, and faced Isaac. “What was he talking about? My mother … a battle druid? Thequeen’sbattledruid.”
I felt like this entire journey from the Grand Canyon until now I’d been collecting puzzle pieces. Now I needed them to come together and all makesense.
Isaac looked to Eva, who threw up her arms. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t some highborn royal in Faery. I lived in a small village with Logan and his family. I never met the queen, or her battledruid.”
