by Janna Ruth
Leon takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Wulf, but I think you’re wrong about her. And about spirits. While you were gone, I opened myself up to them. Rika wanted to show me how to do that, but she wasn’t here, so I tried on my own. I stopped seeing them as the enemy and instead accepted their presence. I invited nature into my life. And you know what? I felt a spirit yesterday. I felt him.”
This is such a big deal for him. His low NAV has always prevented Leon from becoming aware of the spirits around him. That a change of attitude, even without my guidance, would have such a huge effect on his abilities is breath-taking. It opens up so many possibilities. “I’m so happy for you,” I tell him.
But Wulf’s face has darkened. “I hope you caught him.”
Leon shakes his head. “He wasn’t aggressive.” He smiles at me. “I believe you.”
“Well, if we’re taking sides now…” Lukas starts.
“We’re not.” Wulf’s voice is shaking in disbelief.
Lukas sneers at me. “I’m on Wulf’s. He’s the best spirit seeker there is. His methods have been proven time and time again. I’d follow him into any battle.” No surprise there.
Miriam raises her hands. “I’m not taking any sides. Scientifically, though, I find Rika’s approach fascinating.” Her eyes lock into Leon’s. “And I want to retest your NAV. If you can actually improve your attunement by adjusting your attitude, I want to document it.”
She’s exuding so much excitement, Camille reaches over the table to squeeze her hand. Then Wulf’s gaze finds Camille. He’s this close to losing it all. His whole body is trembling, anger flashing in his eyes. “What about you?”
Camille sighs. “I love you, Wulf. You’re my best friend, but you’re also as stubborn as stone. And you don’t veer from your path, which is commendable in most situations, but a weakness in others. You can see the spirits as well as Rika. You’ve seen what she can do. What she hears. If you’re really honest with yourself, can you confidently say that she doesn’t have a point?” He opens his mouth, but Camille isn’t done. “Because I can’t.”
“This is ridiculous,” Lukas mutters. “Guys, we’re spirit seekers, not spirit… friends?”
But it’s Wulf who has all eyes on him. His gaze flits from one to the other until it lands on me. There’s so much pain in his eyes, and it’s all my fault. I’ve ruined it for him. His vocation, his team, his whole life! Without another word, he marches out of the hall.
Lukas is quick to follow him while the rest of us let go of a collective breath of relief.
“Well, that was fun,” Leon says, loading his plate with more jelly.
“Did you really feel a spirit?” I ask him.
He nods. “Yeah, a nymph down the Havel. Camille confirmed it for me.”
The thought of nymphs makes me shudder, but I must remind myself that not all nymphs are corrupted and foul. “That’s amazing.” It’s even more amazing that they didn’t decide to catch him on what must have been a patrol.
Camille sighs again. “I better check on Wulf.”
“Good luck,” Miriam tells her.
Camille squeezes her hand again, then smiles at me. “I’m glad to have you back, Rika. I’ll fix this somehow.”
I wish she could, but I can’t bring myself to believe it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AWKWARD DOESN’T EVEN begin to describe it when I meet Wulf the following day. Despite his wishes, I have not packed my things, and he knows that with one look. He takes his bread roll and leaves the hall, Lukas on his heels.
I ignore both of them, pour myself some coffee, and sit down with the others. “No luck yesterday?” I ask Camille.
“Not yet. He’s agreed not to throw you out, so that’s a start,” Camille says. She tries for a smile, but it falls flat.
I sigh into my coffee. “It’s not gonna work. I love you guys, and I’m glad to hear that you believe me, but I can’t stay here. We’re just polar opposites.”
“See, that’s where I think you’re wrong,” Camille points out, handing me the basket with the bread rolls. “You are both passionate about your beliefs, but you’re also compassionate. If you two could work out your differences, you could change the world.”
Picking a poppy seed roll, I shake my head. “It’s not just differences. He thinks all spirits are evil and should be killed. He’s happy to use them for science or for their weapons. He doesn’t question any of it. And I’m sorry, but there’s no compromise. Unless he changes his mind, I don’t see how we can even be in the same city.” Or world.
“He’s questioning,” Camille says quietly. “You can see it in his face. He’s struggling a lot.”
“He wants me gone. Better yesterday than tomorrow.”
Camille shakes her head. “Because that’s the easiest way. If you’re gone, those questions will go away. He can’t ignore you forever, but he can try to forget you.”
She knows Wulf better than I, so I stop arguing. The problem is, I don’t know what to do with the information. Should I provoke him by staying around in the hopes he’ll see the light one day and risk that the next easiest way for him to deal with this situation is to report me to the SSA? I don’t want to disappear tomorrow. I want to be able to act, to reveal the truth about spirits and the SSA. But without others on my side, do I even stand a chance?
“What happened in Budapest?” Miriam asks. “Wulf mentioned that the dryads helped in the battle? I’ve checked the official report, but there’s nothing about dryads.”
Wulf never made the official report; that was Iván’s duty. I’m amazed that he didn’t amend it right away. Maybe he does have a conscience and knows the dryads will all be hunted down if the SSA knows. Or maybe he decided not to look at it. “It’s a long story,” I say, then decide that they need to know if I want them on my side.
“The dryads wanted to fight. Their trees were also in danger from the water, not just human buildings. Some of them had actually been captured by the team there—I freed them—but they were still willing to fight at their side to defend what’s dear to him, and so they did.” I’m still amazed by the dryad’s ability to look past the hurt that had been done to them. “They could’ve just fought against the nymphs, but they went out of their way to keep the spirit seekers alive. I saw one of them pull back a seeker who had fallen over the railing. She’d be dead now if not for the dryad.” For now, I keep to myself that Wulf himself would have died if not for Aeola.
“That’s amazing.” Leon’s eyes gleam with excitement. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. Gosh, guys, just imagine what we can achieve if we work with the spirits.”
I want to kiss him for those words. Camille still looks a bit wary about it, though. “I think there’s no harm in exploring that possibility a little more.”
“Ask Wulf about that one. He thinks I’m endangering myself and everyone else by dismissing the danger some of them pose.” I don’t know what’s more bitter, the coffee or the bile in my mouth. I quickly replace both with a bite from my roll.
“Did you?” Camille asks.
The question makes me stop in my tracks. “Well, maybe that one time.” Or twice. I did go in the water with the natural nymphs, after all. Now that I’m thinking about it, I might have been a little too eager to prove my point. “I was distraught. I’d just learnt about what your weapons are made of, and Iván had betrayed the dryads, and it was all my fault. I wanted to do something that would make up for it.” Shrugging, I concede, “So, yes, maybe I ignored some obvious warning signs. Trying to talk to the polluted nymphs was stupid. I knew there was something wrong with them. They weren’t natural, but I wanted them to be. And I still don’t know what made them like that. I mean, I’ve got a theory, but Wulf would never let it fly if I blamed his precious SSA.”
“It is concerning,” Miriam admits. “I’ve had a look at the nymph data. Of course, they’re not properly processed yet, but as you say, they’re all wrong. Their energy potential is way above a n
ormal nymph, and their classification doesn’t even say nymph.”
“I know. They’re closer to gnomes than nymphs,” I say after finishing my bread roll. “Someone has run some experiments on them, and since I’m pretty sure that they were damaged before, that only leaves the SSA.”
Miriam frowns deeply. “But why would they be roaming around Budapest, then? There’s no SSA research facility in Hungary where they could’ve escaped from.”
That’s not what I meant, but I don’t have the energy to pursue this yet.
“It’s disconcerting,” Camille agrees. She looks at me. “Wulf is worried about that as well. Said he’s never seen anything like it. Maybe this is something the two of you agree on and could use to build on.”
Leon groans. “It’s not happening, Camille. Rika isn’t the one who should make the first step.”
“Well, somebody has to,” she argues.
“I’m with Leon,” I declare before this can go any further. “I’ve tried to see it his way and tried to explain where I’m coming from. I’ve done enough. The ball’s in his court now.”
I wish he’d hurry up, though, because he’s literally everywhere in this citadel. I can’t even spend time outside with Aeola to enjoy the nature that has sprung into full bloom while we were gone without seeing him. Right now, Wulf and Lukas are sparring in the courtyard by the big oak tree. The first time I watched them, Wulf had been training Lukas, holding back where needed, pushing when Lukas made a mistake. Now he’s beating Lukas, no lesson included.
But the younger spirit seeker laps it up. He’s so eager to prove himself to Wulf that he pushes himself way beyond his capabilities. Sweating like a pig, he holds up a hand at last. “Break. I need a break. Please.”
Wulf steps back immediately, grabbing his own water bottle. As he drinks, his gaze falls on me. “I told you I didn’t want to see that sylph of yours inside these walls.”
Oh, so we’re talking again now. I’m not sure if that’s progress. “This sylph saved your life.”
“This is no place for spirits,” he answers, ignoring what I said and turning back to Lukas. “Ready for another round?”
Lukas looks at him, wide-eyed. He barely had a sip of water and is still breathing hard. “Okay.” It doesn’t sound terribly convincing.
Fortunately for him, all hell breaks loose.
Across the entire courtyard, seedlings pop out of the ground, shooting into the air until several young birches, oak, and chestnut trees have transformed the courtyard into a forest. At the same time, the thick branches of the old oak tree in the middle are taking a swipe at Wulf and Lukas.
Wulf jumps over the branch trying to knock his legs out from under him and hits it with his staff. But it’s only a practice staff and not nearly as forceful as his ancient one, or even a standard one. Lukas is less lucky. In his current constitution, he is too weakened to evade the branch that knocks him over the head, and he falls to the ground like a stone. Wulf sees it, and for a moment, it looks like he rather wants to continue attack the powerful dryad in his backyard, but then his real self kicks in. He evades another branch by sliding under it and gathers a semi-conscious Lukas under the arms, looking for a way to drag him to safety.
Meanwhile, Aeola has shot into the air, worried, while I’m still trying to assess the situation. Is it another polluted spirit? Because dryads don’t act that way. They don’t regrow trees in fast-forward, and they don’t suddenly decide to resettle in the middle of a spirit seeker base.
The small trees are swaying, trying to whip their thin branches at Wulf as he drags Lukas towards me. They don’t belong to individual dryads. No, the trees are all connected to the oak tree, which is slamming his thickest branch into one of the sheds in the courtyard, crushing it. Slowly, I come to see him for what he is. He’s an old dryad, ancient, really, and not polluted at all. This is a pure force of nature.
“Get inside!” Wulf barks at me. “Or help me.”
I decide to do the latter, picking up Lukas’ feet and helping to lift him through the door, which Camille holds open for us. She’s got her staff in her hand but doesn’t dare to go outside.
Wulf and I lower Lukas on the couch. He’s already moaning, which means he’s coming to himself. Miriam hurries to his side and starts checking his head injury. Meanwhile, Wulf strides out of the hall.
I follow him immediately. He grabs his proper staff and turns toward the door. Quickly, I slip in between. “Don’t fight him.”
“Get out of my way, Rika!” His eyes are blazing, and he’s breathing hard.
I don’t budge a bit. “No, there’s a reason why he’s here. He’s not like them.”
“I’m warning you…”
Camille hurries to our side, coming from the hall. “Wulf, let’s make a plan first. We’re safe in here for now.”
Looking out of the window, I can see that the trees have calmed down. I have no doubt they’ll start again as soon as Wulf sets a foot outside.
“Let me talk to him.” A spirit as ancient as the oak dryad must have a good reason why he suddenly turned on us.
Wulf stares at me, nostrils flaring. “Absolutely not!”
“Wulf…”
“You cannot talk down an enraged spirit.” He almost hits me in the face with his hand as he points to the oak tree.
I cross my arms. “That’s what you think. You never tried it, though.”
My answer has rendered him speechless. For a few moments, all I hear from him are the huffs of exhaustion from barely escaping death by falling branches. Then he takes a step back. “Go!”
“Wulf, don’t,” Camille warns, but he holds her back.
“Let her go. I can’t protect someone so eager to get themselves killed,” he says.
Camille looks absolutely terrified for me. I wish there was something comforting I could tell her, but I don’t even know if this will work. So instead, I focus on Wulf. On the pain in his eyes, the thinly veiled worry, and the very well-hidden plea for me not to go.
“I’ll be all right. You’ll see.” And with that, I step out of the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
AEOLA COMES DOWN to my side, her face full of worry. “I don’t think he’ll listen to you.”
Right now, the big oak tree is still, as if he’s never moved at all. But all the new saplings in the courtyard remind me of the outburst. What I’m about to do is incredibly dangerous, and it has nothing to do with proving my ideas to Wulf.
“I have to try, Aeola. Didn’t you feel his hurt and pain?” There is more to the dryad’s presence than a sudden wish for revenge. Something big has happened.
She sighs, deflating a little. “I felt it, but he won’t listen to you. And to be honest…” her voice is as low as a whisper now, “I’m scared of him.”
I reach out to brush her. “You should stay back.”
“Rika…”
“I mean it. He’ll rip you apart, and I don’t want that.” My sylph friend is no match for this ancient dryad. His branches will tear into her fragile body.
She slowly takes flight. “I’ll help from above.”
I have no idea what she plans to do, but I believe in her. Aeola has my back, and I have hers.
Taking a deep breath, I step into the courtyard, empty hands on display. I get to the first trees, so thin they’re still swaying in the wind.
Nothing moves.
A little more confident, I keep walking. I’m now in the middle of this newly grown wannabe forest. A look over my shoulder tells me that Wulf and Camille are watching me through the window, though I can’t read their faces from this distance.
My next step is my last. I’m now in reach of his powerful branches, and sure enough, the tip of one of them slams into the ground next to me, its leaves and twigs brushing my arm. I nearly jump out of my skin, heart hammering in my chest, but I manage to stay on course.
“I’m here to talk,” I say, but the draft from another branch barely missing my head makes it inaudible.
He’s not gonna hear me, not from this distance.
My pulse is racing, and still, I keep going. Again and again, the dryad comes for me, lashing out in anger and pain. But he keeps missing me, and it’s not because I have such amazing evasion skills. In fact, the only time I get hurt is when I see the branch coming and try to avoid it.
Twigs scrape over part of my face and rip out some strands of hair. A scream escapes my lips, and I want to cower, but that will only spur him on, so I take a few seconds to calm my breathing and press on, exuding calmness around me.
It doesn’t help. The closer I get to his trunk, the more violent the branches come at me. He wants me to go away and bring back the spirit seekers he hates so much.
“I know your pain,” I say, though he’s still not willing to listen.
I’m now too close for his branches to whip down on me without them snapping in half. I’ve barely exhaled in relief when a sudden hail of acorns falls from the tree. It feels like an entire autumn’s worth of acorns is coming down on my head. I yelp and raise my arms for cover.
A wind brushes past me, taking the force away from the acorns. Aeola still has my back.
I force myself not to run at the trunk since I don’t want to spook the dryad any further. Instead, I place one foot in front of the other until, finally, I’m there. Raising my hand, I gently place it against the bark. “I’m here,” I whisper. “I’m here to listen.”
Suddenly, I feel myself pulled forward, but it’s not my body that’s taken somewhere. Instead, the dryad pulls me into his own mind, showing me his pain, and I gasp as I realise who he is.
Grune.
The dryad who guards Berlin’s largest forest, the Grunewald.
He’s lived there since the first seedling put down roots in the glacial valley of Berlin. He watched each tree grow and saw many dryads among their leaves come and go. Then the humans came. First, they only passed through the forest along the rivers, but then they cut the trees down and made space for their fields. Several groups came and left, each taking another piece of the forest but ultimately vanishing again. Then the Saxons came, and with them Albrecht, the Bear. At that point, Spandau and its wall, which predates the citadel, already existed. The Saxons founded Berlin and its twin city Coelln. The cities grew, and the forest shrunk until all that was left of the Grunewald were the trees along the Havel in Southwest Berlin and the surrounding area.