Page 32 of Dryad’s Treasure

“Or you’d need to get closer to it yourself. Either way, I don’t see that happening.”

Neither did I. “To be truthful, I don’t really want to get closer to it.”

“Understandable. For what it is worth, I hope you are right and Helios’s object no longer sings. I would imagine that is a difficult concept for a djinn to wrap their head around. They’ve been coveted since their creation. A few months of relative freedom doesn’t erase a lifetime of enslavement.”

Words escaped me. I couldn’t imagine a life like that. All that unimaginable power, all at someone else’s fingertips, not your own. I wasn’t certain what type of moral core djinn had. Folklore was all over the map when it came to djinn. Helios seemed to have some sense of right and wrong. If he hadn’t, then my earlier insanity would have been ineffective and we’d all be dead, especially if his current master really was allowing Helios to do as he wished.

A shiver ran through me, temporarily scattering my blue flame. It was nice staying like this. I’d rarely felt this relaxed, this at peace when in my wisp form. Treasure always called, begging to be found. Martin’s soil was different. It had been found and was full of joy and contentment. That sentiment wiggled its way into my flame, settling me and allowing me to do little more than lazily drift in the breeze, Martin’s branches and leaves serving as a physical anchor while that little piece of magic dancing in my core filled me with peaceful contemplation.

I had no idea what a day in the spa might feel like for a wisp, but if I had to guess, this would be it.

Martin and I grew silent, neither having anything more to say. That didn’t mean we had nothing more to share. Simply existing—being where we were and present in our peaceful state—was enough. More than enough. Contemplative peace rarely lasted and when it found you, it was its own type of treasure.

“Heard what you did.” Henry was sitting on top of the small nightstand situated near my bed. He leaned against the lamp base, fiddling with the knob that turned it on and off. “Wish I’d been there.” He grinned, showing off tiny, pointed teeth. “I would’ve helped give that djinn the what for.” Henry jabbed a fisted hand in the air, as if he were punching something. “Can’t believe he tried to make Jima a pet. A pet! That’s some messed-up shit right there.”

I didn’t necessarily disagree. What I did think was that Helios was confused. Or perhaps simply uneducated. “He backed off in the end.” I wasn’t exactly sure why I was defending the djinn. Maybe it was knowing that Helios hadn’t needed to concede. That he’d made the decision willingly. No one could have forced him to make a different choice. The exception was Helios’s current master…who was currently miles away, so not very useful.

Henry grunted and crossed his arms, puffing out his small chest. “I don’t like it. I don’t like what it did to Jima.”

I’d been getting dressed and turned, giving Henry my complete attention. “You’ve visited him?”

“Of course. Jima’s my friend.”

Moving to the bed, I perched on the edge. “How is he?”

Henry’s gaze tilted to the side, his eyes pinched and lips thinned. “Physically, he’s recoverin’. Not so sure about up here.” Henry tapped his temple. “He’s puttin’ on a brave face, but he’s gotta be wonderin’ what’ll happen if Helios changes his mind and comes back.”

Foolishly, I hadn’t considered that as a possibility. “You think Helios will do that?”

“Don’t know.” Henry shrugged. “And that’s the problem.”

I could see how that tracked. Uncertainty played more havoc with the brain than knowing and accepting something you didn’t want to. “Does anyone know how to get ahold of Helios’s master?” By all the gods, I hated using that word. Every time I said it, my gut rebelled. How could a word make one feel so ill?

Henry cocked his head to the side, considering. “Keir might, and if he doesn’t, then he knows others who do. I think Hikaru’s warlock knows.”

“Holland?”

“Mm-hmm. That’s the one,” Henry said with a snap of his fingers.

“I’ll talk with Keir. Chances are, he’s already contacted the necessary parties.” I wasn’t sure how Helios would take that. Would he be angry with us for ratting him out? Would he even view our actions that way? It was hard to say. At the end of the day, I had no idea how a djinn’s mind worked. A day ago, I would have said I was okay with that. Now I wasn’t so certain.

Standing, Henry placed a hand on the lamp post, leaning against it as he crossed one foot over the other. “You goin’ searchin’ again today?”

I took a moment and did a quick self-scan. Given yesterday’s events, I felt surprisingly good. I thought back to my time spent in my wisp form, protected within Martin’s canopy while his birth dirt lovingly sang in the background. Warmth flooded my cheeks. But it wasn’t just warmth; it was contentment like I’d never experienced before, like I never knew could be experienced.

A shit-eating grin split Henry’s face. “You like him.”

The denial was immediate and tasted like ash on my tongue. I couldn’t say the words, couldn’t completely deny my feelings. I also couldn’t fully admit them and settled on “of course I like him. Martin’s nice, for a dryad.” That wasn’t a complete lie. It was simply understating the situation.

Henry slapped his hip, sending up a little dust mote. “Sure. We’ll stick with that for now.” Scrabbling his way across the nightstand, Henry jumped up on my thigh, perching there. “I like you, wisp boy.”

Wisp boy?

“Even after you find all the nasty shit Huxley left behind, I hope you hang around after. The council could use a fella with your talents.”

Stay at the Magical Usage Council? That thought hadn’t even entered my mind. “I’m not sure Keir would want that.”

“Trust me, he would and does. You mark my words. By the time all is said and done, Keir will ask you to become part of the team.”