The Dryad 31 Light Night Talks

However, I had only just started explaining the next exercise when Gray came back out of his tent. He gave Leafia a soft, humorous smile before he sat down on my other side. Ivy was not too sure about Gray yet. He was a hunter, and human, just like all the people that she had issues with. When Gray sat down she scooted closer to Leafia to make more s.p.a.ce between them.

"I wanted to tell you what we found out while we were in the village," Gray said, pretending to not notice Ivy's action.

"Were you able to learn anything?" I asked, hoping to learn if we were on the right trail. I was also slightly nervous. The magician had already hurt me so much and part of me was wary about finding him.

Gray nodded, "A person matching the magician's appearance was in the village a few days ago." Gray's words shook me. The world threatened to spin out of control, but the weight of Leafia's head on my lap gave me a sense of security as I listened to Gray. He seemed to pause, sensing I was under some distress. I already knew Faun was not here, but part of me wanted to run off to the village and check everywhere. Unless Faun was doing her very best at hiding, I would have been able to find her from the search I did earlier. The village was only a few hours away by walking leisurely. I could still investigate it in great detail. But would there be anything to find? And, come to think of it, would I really be able to face the magician? How would I get him to show me where Faun was?

As I grew more stressed, I started to pat Leafia's dark hair. In the low light from the dying fire and the tree, her hair appeared to be black. This made her fair skin stand out in contrast. As I rubbed her hair I felt steadied. I noticed a nostalgic fragrance that soothed my heart, helping me relax and think through what we were discussing. The scent of her hair reminded me of Faun. There were many times over all those years that I would rub Faun's head.

As I pet Leafia's head she wiggled and s.h.i.+fted, which crumpled the birch paper 'skirt' that I grew to cover myself in a way that was more acceptable to humans. I would have to regrow my 'skirt' in the morning, but there was no point in doing so now since it would only break again. My 'skirt' was much shorter than what humans and elves would typically wear, only reaching to mid thigh. Now that I had been around Emily and Leafia for a little while, sometimes that difference felt uncomfortable. But what else could I do? With paper birch bark, if it got longer it would crack and break as I moved.

I continued petting Leafia's hair. It helped me center myself. After a few moments, I was able to ask, "Were you able to learn anything else about him?"

"He showed up late in the evening and left early in the morning according to what the innkeeper told us. I don't know if that means that he knows we are following him or if he is still just scared."

"Were you able to confirm where he was heading?"

Gray frowned a little before answering, "It took more money than I would have liked to get that information, but he had been asking about the state of the forest road."

"Does that road lead anywhere besides Yana?" I asked, hoping that we could find his location without having to hunt.

"From what Emily has told me it leads to many of the western kingdoms. Of the closer ones, Yana is the biggest, so it is likely the case. But I was not able to confirm it with any information I trust."

I thought for a while and then turned to Ivy, "Have you felt any humans pa.s.sing through your woods in the last few days?"

"Humans take that road almost every day, often several groups a day," Ivy said.

I was a little crestfallen at this response. Traffic through my woods was something I had yet had to deal with. There were a few small coastal villages on the east side of my domain. But almost no one had ever tried crossing it. Also I was not sure if 'true' humans and those humans with animal ears got along at all. It might be more treacherous due to them than anything else in my woods. I did not have issues with travelers. But I did have an elf infestation, I thought while looking down at Leafia with a smile.

Not letting myself get too sidetracked, I asked Ivy, "Did you notice something strange about any of the humans that pa.s.sed by over the last few days?"

Ivy was a bit perplexed at my question but eventually answered, "As long as they stay on the road I usually ignore them." As she was saying that her face brightened as if she just remembered something. "There was a single person who was pa.s.sing through my woods at high speed. But what I really found odd was even though he seemed to be in a hurry he stopped several times and wandered just a little way off the path. It was only a few dozen steps off the path but this is a lot farther than humans usually go to relieve themselves."

"Did you notice any sort of spiritual presence from him?" I asked, "Anything at all? He is really good at hiding it."

Ivy thought for some time but in the end she shook her head and could not come up with anything. I let out a sigh and then asked, "Do you think you could show us where he went off the trail as we pa.s.s through the forest tomorrow?"

Hesitantly, Ivy said, "I can try but I am not sure I will be able to remember the exact spots."

I guess that was understandable. I don't bother to remember where the elves go in my woods. Humans rarely get close enough for me to even bother tracking them. Gray was still watching us so I asked him, "Is there anything else that you learned?"

"About the magician, no. I have learned that traveling with horses is a lot more expensive than we thought. We might have to do something about that in the future. And…" Gray paused for a moment apparently considering if he should say what he was thinking, but in the end continued, "It's okay to be bad at things."

I could not help but frown a little at his words. Seeing that he quickly started talking. "That is not how I meant to say it." He paused again and took another breath to calm himself down. "Everyone has things, you know, that they are bad in. (Like talking about emotions)," he finished off mumbling. Let's just pretend that we did not hear that and let him go on. "You can trust us more. We won't abandon you, even if you are not perfect. I don't think Emily would ever talk to me again if I did."

He really should not have said the last part if he was trying to comfort me, but I will let it slide. I understood what he was trying to say. "Thank you for your kind words. As far as the money goes, we should try think of things over the next few days. Do you have any ideas?"