He did not sound hostile, and although they’d stopped me from leaving, they maintained a respectful distance with their hands held out unthreateningly.
I racked my brain, knowing we had cousin tribes in Sumarra, but I had no idea what our relationship was like with any of them. The only reason I even knew that they existed was from hearing my father mention it in passing. Females were not taught anything about the world outside of the Rowan Wood.
“And?” I snapped back, and he raised his hands higher in what I assumed was a demonstration of peace.
“We are from the Oak Wood. My name is Faolán and this is Seaghán,” he explained with a slow gesture at the blond who did not conceal his confusion with my clothes. “We were surprised to see another of our kind so far from our home!” he explained.
“That place was never my home,” I assured him.
“Oh. I am… sorry to hear that,” he said, glancing over at Seaghán as if for help. “What isyourname?”
“Why do you want to know?” I retorted, confused and unsettled by their dispositions that seemed so at odds with every other dryad male I’d ever met. It could be a trap!
“I suppose it is only polite,” Faolán shrugged.
“What are you doing outside of Sumarra?” I asked him before he could speak again.
“We are all here forbriseadh,” he told me excitedly, glancing at his other two companions who both waved at us from their table.
“What the fuck isbriseadh?” I demanded.
“You do not practice the Rites?” he asked in surprise. Seeing my flat expression, he hurried to explain. “It is a custom in which youth go out into the world to gain some experience andperspective. Admittedly, we rarely go out of Summer Court, but my mother, Queen Saoirse, is—”
“Wait,” I interrupted him, holding up a hand in front of his face to stop him. “Did you just say…queen?”
“Yes,” said Faolán slowly, his eyes darting to Seaghán again as if they were starting to regret talking to me.
“You have aqueen?” I verified again, resisting an urge to grab his shoulders and shake him.
“Well, there are three. The Trinity,” he said haltingly. “Do you not also have a Trinity of Queens?”
“No,” I deadpanned.
“I see. Well, the Leamhán in the Elm Wood have the council of Elder Daughters of Danu… Do you have that?” he guessed. He seemed confused about why we were even discussing this but determined to be polite nonetheless.
I could only stare at him, processing only abstractedly that his brows rose and his ears pinned back nervously.
“Your females… governyou.”
“As Danu wished,” he confirmed with a slow nod.
I could not fuckingbreathe. I thought I might pass out, but then a strong and familiar hand clamped around my arm and tugged me back a step into a chest.
“Everything alright here?” Ciaran asked as his shrewd eyes assessed both of the younger males.
“I think so?” Faolán said, looking at me to confirm.
“Ornella?” Ciaran prompted me.
“We do not have queens or any councils with females on them,” I blurted, the words rushing out of me. I did not understand it, but the urge to tell Faolán the truth of my people was undeniable. “Males rule the Rowan Wood and harness their females to steal power.”
Faolán went pale, his confused expression slackening into one of the utmost horror.
“I think perhaps it is time to go,” murmured Ciaran, tugging me back while I watched Faolán processing what I’d toldhim. And some broken part of me rejoiced when he looked at Seaghán who shared his unbridled disgust.
Because it wasnotall male dryads after all…
Ciaran finally turned me away and put an arm around me to guide me through the throngs of people on the street until I regained my senses. Once I could walk on my own without tripping, he released me and waved me over to a food stand next to the bar. The clerk seemed to recognize him and passed over a good deal of takeaway in several broadleaf wraps, which Ciaran must have ordered before he came back for me.
