Page 51 of Dryad’s Treasure

I wanted to transform and wrap Keir in my arms, but that’s not what he needed. Keir had come to me knowing I was in my dryad form. This was what he needed, to speak his worries without verbal response. Keir needed to unload this burden so he could pick up and handle others.

I felt Gray awaken, his concern floating through our connection. I mentally sent back, “He needs this,” and felt Gray settle, though the concern was still present.

The silence extended until Keir softly said, “While we wait, I’d like for you and Grayson to keep searching the compound. It might be for naught. If the wyvern eggs condemn us, then chances are there won’t be a compound to search. However, I can think of no better way to spend the time. Henry tells me there are a few more buzzweeds he knows the location of. I suspicion there are more he’s never come across. From what Holland tells me, we need to find all of them. We can’t leave a single one behind.”

I felt Gray’s swoop of anxiety and sent him back all the reassurance I could muster.

“Goddess only knows what else you’ll find. I still can’t believe how badly I misjudged Huxley, how much of his actions I dismissed or ignored. I… Do I have other blind spots, Martin?” Keir released another deep breath, a catch on the end of this one. “I think we all knew there was something wrong, deep down in here.” Keir tapped his chest. “We just didn’t want to examine that feeling too much. It was easier to turn away, to look the other direction. It was easier to assume things were fine than dig deeper into our unease. I promise you this, Martin, if we survive the coming days, I will never allow such a thing to happen again. I will be vigilant. I will harden my heart and allow suspicion to reign. I will do this to protect us all so that those we love and care for will never have to suffer this kind of betrayal again.”

Sadness overwhelmed not only me, but Gray as well. No one should be required to live such a life, and yet Keir was placing himself on the sacrificial alter. Not for himself, but for the rest of us. No matter what Keir had said earlier, he seemed determined to die slowly.

With less weight on his chest and mind, Keir relaxed and soon fell into a light slumber. The rain continued falling. I would have attempted to shield him, but Keir liked the rain. He was content and I would do everything in my power to protect this fragile moment of peace.

“I hate their song,” Gray said, his hands and arms alight with blue flames. “Now that I know what’s creating that song, I hate it even more.”

We were on the hunt for more buzzweeds. Henry was confident he’d rediscovered all the ones he could remember previously coming across. That meant whatever was left, it was up to Gray to find. There were still a lot of treasures singing their siren songs. Gray didn’t always find buzzweeds. He’d found several other objects as well. One was a treasure trove of Huxley’s past journals. Keir had discovered some, but these were both older and more recent. Their placement and time frame made no sense to me, but then again, I was beginning to believe that understanding Tenzen Huxley’s reasons for doing things was more curse than blessing. To be honest, I didn’t want to know how his mind worked.

Gray had also found several items treasured by those we’d lost. He’d found jewelry, love notes, favored weapons, and little knickknacks that had value to the one who’d hidden the item but had little bearing on the council itself. In some ways, these finds were emotionally more difficult than the nasty things Huxley hid. They were little pieces of my friends—little reminders of the individuals they’d been and how deeply we all felt their loss. Keir intended to return some of the items to their family members. He wanted to wait until the wyvern issue was resolved.

Keir being Keir, he had discussed the matter with Lazarus and gotten the wyvern to promise that should the outcome be negative, he would see that the objects found were returned. I hadn’t been present for this conversation, but Keir had relayed the interaction. I’d gotten a more interesting retelling from Elvira. Our ghostly matriarch seemed convinced Keir was winning Lazarus over. Given what Lazarus said, it may not matter what his opinion is. The wyvern was adamant the decision was up to the eggs.

“There,” Gray said before blue flames consumed his body, his wisp form floating a few feet in front of me. I followed, hoping he’d keep to halls and doorways. Gray’s wisp form had a tendency to drift through solid walls, floors, and ceilings. I could generally follow easily enough if he remained on the same level. Switching floors required a bit more time and effort. If we didn’t share a magical connection, I wouldn’t be able to track him at all.

Gray drifted, vanishing through a solid wall at the end of the hall. Eyes slipping closed, I let loose a deep breath while concentrating on our connection. Had anyone asked, I wouldn’t have been able to adequately describe the feeling—the tug and pull that guided me toward Gray. Oddly, it felt as if the connection had always been there. Gray’s magic fit so easily within me, within my own magic. The thought of letting it go was akin to losing a piece of myself. The longer I held his magic, the more I loathed the idea of its absence. Regaining my own spark would do little to close the wound its loss would leave behind.

Down. There was no room for doubt. Gray had gone deeper. Turning around, I found the nearest stairway and descended, not one level, but two. We were headed into the very bowels of the compound. It was a place we rarely ventured. For reasons unknown, Huxley had never completed the lowest level. It had been left as bare rock, a few halls and passages hewn from solid rock. Perhaps he’d thought more room would be needed, that there would eventually be even more members of the council. Had he been disappointed by the decreasing membership? Had Huxley even noticed? Or by that time had he been too absorbed in his machinations to truly care?

So many questions and so few answers. It was beyond frustrating. None of us would ever truly have closure. The wounds Huxley left would always be there, impossible to fully heal. We’d get better. Each of us would improve with time but none of us would ever be truly whole again.

That was Tenzen Huxley’s legacy.

The heavy door I exited through closed with thunderous finality. Cool, humid air assaulted my senses. Lighting on this level was minimal, but always on. Funny, I’d never once considered why that might be. Now that I understood how Huxley’s Shadow functioned, it suddenly made sense. Light—it was essential, even in its barest form. I wouldn’t say Huxley was necessarily powerless without it, but he was weakened and eventually succumbed to an eternal slumber. Keeping areas lit, even those rarely used, seemed prudent.

Following where Gray’s bit of magic led, I headed left. The floor slanted ever so slightly down. The other levels’ floors weren’t nearly as irregular as this. Blue light filled my vision, illuminating this dark corner a little more than the nooks and crannies around it. Gray’s wisp form hovered partway in the hallway and partway into the wall.

Moving closer, I ran my fingers through Gray’s cool fire. My skin passed through his wisp form, his fire caressing my fingers. “Come back to me,” I said, voice soft and cajoling.

Gray’s fire shivered and pulled back from the wall, coalescing into his solid, humanoid form. I gave him a minute to collect himself before asking, “What did you find?”

Cocking his head to the side, Gray’s soft, white hair shifted, falling over one eye. “I’m not certain.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “It does and doesn’t sound like the other buzzweeds.” Gray shook his head, frustration leaking off him in waves. “It’s hard to describe. The song is similar but not as…needy? I’m not sure that’s the right way to describe it.” Pointing toward the solid wall, Gray said, “I know this makes absolutely no sense, but this one sounds more confident. It’s also not as harmonious as the others. Almost like it…” Gray trailed off, his eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

“Almost like it…? Go on.” I rolled my hand in the air, encouraging Gray to continue.

His pallid blue eyes tracked to mine, holding my gaze with an intensity I didn’t like. No, it wasn’t the intensity; it was the fear. Swallowing hard, Gray said, “Almost like it doesn’t really want to be found.”

I blinked while taking that in. “But that doesn’t make sense. You told me that treasure sings because it wants to be found, because it doesn’t like remaining hidden.”

Gray nodded emphatically. “That’s right, and I stand by it. But this…this is different. It’s treasure. I’ve no doubt about that. But it’s different. This one is low-key. It kind of feels like it’s toying with me.”

My eyes widened. “That doesn’t sound good.” I stared at the solid wall, unable to tell what was lurking behind it. I reached out, running my hand along the wall. I couldn’t feel anything but cool rock. “If there’s a crack, I might be able to get one of my roots through. We’ve got Holland’s charms. That should work to subdue it.” My roots were strong. I couldn’t get through solid rock, but if there was a crack, I could wiggle a smaller root in and expand it, widening the crack and breaking down the rock.

Gray’s fingers wrapped around my forearm, pulling my hand back. “Let’s hold off on that.” Gray’s grip tightened. “I know I’m being vague, but I really don’t like the feel of this one. I’d rather wait until the others are here. Maybe even see if Hikaru can transport Warlock Holland here when we open the wall.”

“You’re shaking.” I wrapped my fingers around Gray’s, entwining them together. Out of all the things he’d found, I’d yet to see him truly frightened.

Staring at his trembling hands, Gray let loose a disjointed laugh. “Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry I’m being so skittish. It’s probably nothing to really worry about, and I’m just being⁠—”

“Cautious,” I cut in, not wanting to hear Gray degrade himself or dismiss his reaction. Leaning forward, I placed a kiss on Gray’s forehead before pulling him in tight, holding him in my arms. “I appreciate your care and your opinion. If you say we leave it, then we leave it. For now.”