“And this cause isn’t good enough?” I press, shaking my head in confusion. “I thought you said that you hated the Icehearts.”
Yet again, low snarls of raw hatred rip from some of the bow-wielding dryads around us.
“We do,” the Dryad Queen once more confirms.
But she says nothing else. Gives no other explanation. I flex my hand as frustration bubbles through me, but before I can say anything, Galen speaks up.
“Athousandyears? For one dryad?” Drawing a hand through his blond hair, he shakes his head and then sweeps stunned violet eyes over the dryads around us as if counting them. “So there have only been six dryads born since the war between fae and dragon shifters. Did you fight in that war? Is that why you’re so cautious now?”
The Dryad Queen doesn’t reply to either of his questions.Instead, that raw fury and world-ending hatred flares in her eyes again as she says, “There have been no dryads born since the war.”
“What?” Lyra says, looking genuinely sad. “Why?”
“That is why we cannot fight,” the Dryad Queen says, once again ignoring the question. “Regardless of how much we hate the Icehearts. We cannot risk the extinction of our people.”
The previous anger and frustration that seemed to bubble inside all of us fades like a regretful sigh on the wind. Even Isera doesn’t argue with that reasoning. She simply crosses her arms and watches the dryads in cold silence. Orion, however, watchesherwith an expression that I can’t read.
Next to me, Draven cocks his head while a considering look blows across his features. “What did the Icehearts do to you?”
The Dryad Queen shifts her gaze to him but says nothing. For a while, they just continue watching each other in tense silence. Draven, more than anyone, knows the cruelty that the Icehearts are capable of. But the Dryad Queen doesn’t reply.
After a few more seconds of thick silence, she breaks his gaze and announces, “Since nightfall is almost here, we will allow you to stay this one night here in our home. At first light, you will be blindfolded and brought back to where you came from. Understood?”
Alistair, who hates forests, looks like he’s about to once again point out that he has fire magic and therefore doesn’t need daylight in order to find his way out of here, so I quickly nod and reply, “Yes, understood.”
Alistair shoots me a scowl, confirming my theory, but doesn’t argue further.
“Good.” With a flick of her wrist, the Dryad Queen at last orders the archers to stand down. “Then follow me.”
The leaves and vines that make up her hair and dress ripple as she spins around and starts towards the lights that twinkle froman opening in one of the massive trees. After exchanging a quick glance, we follow her.
Another question suddenly hits me, and I jog to catch up with the Dryad Queen. Even if they won’t fight with us, they might be able to help us.
“Can I ask you a question?” I ask once I’ve caught up with her.
She glances at me from the corner of her eye but doesn’t respond.
However, since she didn’t say no either, I press on. “We’ve heard that there used to exist a partnership between Seelie fae and dragon shifters. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Anticipation surges through me. “How does it work?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do any of your people know?”
“No.”
I try not to let the wave of disappointment crush me. “Is there really nothing, nothing at all, that you can tell me about it?”
“No. I know that it exists, but what it does and how it works was a secret between your two races.”
A frustrated sigh slips from my lips. Goddess fucking damn it. I really thought that the dryads would know. But now, it looks like the only ones who do are the Icehearts. But how are we going to get that secret out of them?
My mind churns as the Dryad Queen leads us into the massive tree trunk.
I wonder if Lavendera knows. She seems to be pretty high up in their circle of trust. Could we turn her? Make her change sides? She might work for them, but ultimately, she’s a fae from the Seelie Court. She’s one of us.
