Page 70 of Dryad’s Treasure

“And Grayson… He’s not an official member of the council, but he’s put himself in danger time and time again to search for what evils Huxley left behind. You have all been willing to sacrifice so much. How can you ask me to do any less?”

When phrased that way, no one could. Nearly all sets of eyes tilted to the ground, unable or unwilling to look Keir in his own.

“That’s a damn good barrier,” Hikaru announced, blinking back into existence beside Holland.

“Too good?” Holland asked.

Hikaru shook his head, a wicked grin pulling his mouth and crinkling his eyes. “Oh, Niki, you know me better than that. Not even pixie magic stands a chance against me.” Hikaru’s tails flicked back and forth, as if immensely pleased by the statement.

The pleasure reflected in Holland’s eyes supported Hikaru’s prideful statement. “I suspicion you may be the only creature within existence who could claim such a thing.”

In answer, Hikaru rubbed against Holland like a cat. “You say the sweetest things.” With a salacious wink that promised naked action later, Hikaru turned to me, his demeanor becoming infinitely more serious. “Now, to deal with this idiotic situation that our selfless Martin has gotten himself into.”

I bristled. “What Martin did wasn’t idiotic. It was desperate.” I’d felt that desperation deep into my core.

Hikaru shrugged. “A matter of opinion.” Before I could verbalize a comeback, Hikaru waved a hand at Martin’s trunk and said, “He’s empty.”

My mouth snapped closed. “What does that mean?” My heart raced, adding to the ache in my chest.

“What it means is that the pixie magic is gone.” Hikaru spread his hands above his head, waving them about. “It’s been disseminated, out there.” His arms continued waving, indicating the barrier above. “There’s nothing left inside Martin. I searched through every branch, twig, and leaf. For all intents and purposes, Martin has been hollowed out.”

I sucked in a painful breath and would have fallen to the floor if Keir hadn’t caught me, placing a steadying hand on my elbow and keeping me from the dirt below.

Head spinning, I barely heard Keir ask, “So, there is nothing we can do?”

A choked sob escaped my lips, and Henry’s small hand patted my cheek. I think Henry tried to make soothing sounds but all I could hear was the rush of blood pounding through my veins.

“Oh, I didn’t say that.” Hikaru’s words sounded muffled to my ears but became crystal clear when I digested them.

“What do you mean?” Keir asked when words deserted me.

Hikaru’s green-gold gaze settled on me. Eyes narrowed, Hikaru closed the distance, a claw-tipped finger gently pressing against my chest. “Martin’s tree form is devoid of magic. As I said, it’s as if he’s been hollowed out, little more than a husk of wood. Martin’s a vessel—empty and ready to be filled. Thankfully, our little will-o’-the-wisp contains the drop of magic that will soon fill our dryad up. If the pixie magic had remained, we would have had a much bigger problem. It would have assimilated that last bit of magic as soon as Grayson released it.”

My hands flew to my chest, covering my still racing heart. Hikaru pulled away, a sly grin still etched across his face. “So clever of you, swapping magic like that.” He turned to Holland and whined, “We should do that, Niki.” Hikaru ran his hand down Holland’s chest. “Wouldn’t you like that? Having a piece of me inside you for eternity?” Hikaru licked his lips, and Holland’s cheeks flared bright red.

“I have claimed you as my one and only. Our magic is already intertwined,” Holland managed to answer.

“But it’s not exactly the same as having a piece of your magic tucked away inside. Just think of all the fun things I could do with it.”

Holland rolled his dark eyes. “You are the most ridiculous creature ever created.”

“And you love me for it.” Hikaru went up on tiptoes, kissing Holland’s cheek.

“More the fool am I,” Holland answered, that short phrase filled with affection.

Any other time, I might have found their antics entertaining. But right now, there were more pressing issues at hand. “What do I do?” I asked. “How do I give Martin’s magic back?” I stepped closer to Martin’s trunk. It was massive. Much larger than I’d seen before. It would have to be in order to hold up the canopy he’d created.

Again, Hikaru shrugged. “No idea.”

I’d been reaching my hand out, ready to lay it against Martin’s bark when Hikaru’s words registered. “You don’t know? How can you not know?”

With a huff, Hikaru looked up at Holland and lamented, “Honestly, how am I supposed to know everything there is to know about magic? I’m not a will-o’-the-damn-wisp. How did you do it the first time?”

“I—” My mouth slammed on whatever words I was ready to spew forth. How had we done it? Truth be told, I wasn’t exactly certain. I knew both of us had been willing, and when we’d laid our hands palm to palm, it just sort of happened. Well, not exactly. I’d sent my magic into Martin, left a bit behind, and carried an equal measure of his back to me. Could the same thing truly work if Martin wasn’t a willing recipient? Currently, he wasn’t sentient. Hikaru had said that Martin was little more than an empty husk—a shell just waiting to be filled.

Eyes slipping closed, I concentrated on the small bit of Martin’s magic I held. My own magic still surrounded it, protecting and cradling it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. My magic wasn’t wrong.

“Henry, could you please go sit with Tabitha and Jima?” I asked.