For a few moments, he just stared at her in puzzlement.
“I don’t … understand,” he finally uttered.
Ariadne released a breath.
“You have magic in your blood,” she said.
“How do you know that?”
“You would not have been able to enter the Forest otherwise. Only those who have magic in their blood can step through the portal.”
Nate’s eyebrows shot up. “Why haven’t you told me this earlier?”
“I … was almost sure, but I wanted to test this. Without you knowing. I’m sorry I haven’t told you, but even if you couldn’t enter, that would not have hurt you. But I knew you had it. You would not have been called here otherwise.”
“This is so crazy,” Nate chuckled. “So you say I’ve been here, but only once? Obviously, I don’t remember that. And you’ve seen me, while I haven’t seen you. Is that why you came to my garden, after all these years?”
He realized what he’d said only a second later. Ariadne’s wings trembled, and she looked to the side, blushing.
“No,” she said. “As I’ve said, I had no idea who you were or where you lived. I’d only seen you once, as a child. But I … can’t deny that, just like the first time, I was attracted to your music.”
“Why did you come to my world in the first place?” He caught her gaze, and her wings stilled. “I don’t understand. Did you do it just out of plain curiosity? You’ve said dryads are forbidden from having any contact with humans. But you still did it. You must have had a strong motivation.”
“I …”—Ariadne looked down —“don’t exactly agree with our laws. I couldn’t accept them. So I was in a … conflict with our rulers. Over this and something else.”
She tucked another strand of hair behind her ear. Nate sat still, not wanting to interrupt her.
“There is this story that everyone in our kingdom knows,” Ariadne continued. “A precautionary tale, if you will. It goes back many years.
“Once, there was a young dryad who feel in love with a human. She met him in the Forest, as a soul. I don’t know what it was that attracted her to him so much, but she became enamored. She started secretly following him and offered him her powers to heal.
“That dryad wasn’t a very happy one, to begin with. Many years before that, she’d lost her younger brother while he was still little. Her parents were devastated by the loss, and they’d passed away shortly after, not able to recover from it. So the only one relative that dryad had left in this world was her older sister. She lived with her in the castle. Yes, they were both titled fairies, but that alone didn’t make them much happier than anyone else. If anything, they had to follow strict rules from the beginning of their lives because of that.
“And then, this human. The young dryad couldn’t forget him. She couldn’t get over the fact that he didn’t even know she existed. He was young, too, but she wondered if maybe he already had someone back in his world, and that only made her feel more desperate.
“One day, he stopped coming to the Forest altogether. No wonder—she’d healed him completely with her magic. But when she realized that she would never see him again, the dryad had gone restless. So one night, when no one was watching, she escaped into another world in search of her beloved.
“She didn’t even have to search for long. It was like her own heart was leading her right to him. Somehow, she knew exactly which door to use, where to go, what to look for. So, shortly after, she’d found him, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary small town, just like yours.
“It took her a little time to sum up the courage and reveal herself to him. I can only guess what his initial reaction was. But it obviously didn’t take him long to accept who she was. To the dryad’s relief, he wasn’t married and wasn’t attached to anyone. Shortly after they’d met, he was as enchanted by her as she was by him.
“They started seeing each other more and more often. The dryad couldn’t stay in his world, and she couldn’t take him into hers—he didn’t have any magic in his blood, and even if he had, as a human, he would not have been let into the Forest to live among the fairies. So they could only meet outside of it, in secret. Only the dryad’s older sister knew about them, and she didn’t tell anyone.
“But just like any secret, they couldn’t keep this one forever. One day, the dryad became pregnant. She wasn’t married and didn’t have anyone in the Forest, so it became obvious everyone would know she’d broken the law. She was terrified, but she still wanted to keep the baby. But you could imagine it wasn’t long before the word spread throughout the court and reached the king.
“He was furious, obviously. The young dryad had two options: get rid of the baby and be punished, or give birth, hand over the baby to his father, and receive her punishment after that.
“Dryads have two kinds of punishments: you can be thrown into the dungeon and never see the light of day again but still live, or you can be banished. It’s said that a fairy doesn’t live long outside of the Forest. So, in other words, you can have your freedom taken away from you and live, or you can keep your freedom and die. And the choice is rarely yours.
“The dryad kept the baby. She gave birth to her son and even nurtured him for the first three months of his life. They didn’t let her see the father of the baby, and her older sister was sent to tell him the news. When the baby turned four months old, he was given over to his father. He was a half-dryad but he looked exactly like a human—no wings, or pointed ears, or anything like that. I guess that only irritated the king more. The dryad’s punishment was due but …”—Ariadne closed her eyes for a moment and released a breath—“she didn’t live long enough to receive it. She became ill as soon as everyone knew about the baby. A few days after she’d given away her son, she died.”
Nate stared at her intently, not daring to say a word. His eyes sparkled. All the glimmering beauty of the Forest had dimmed as he listened to that story.
“When a dryad breaks the law, it affects not only her but her entire family,” Ariadne went on. “So her sister was to be punished, too. But what happened had already stirred some resentment. Not everyone agreed with the king’s treatment of the poor young dryad and her child, and some even openly accused him of killing her. Besides, the dryad’s older sister was a close friend of the queen, and the queen pleaded with her husband to let her stay. Somehow, he’d listened to her. The dryad’s older sister was deprived of some privileges but left almost unpunished. Though I can’t say that everything she’d gone through didn’t scar her for life.”
“I don’t understand …” Nate whispered, stricken. “You say the sole purpose of the Forest is to help the human souls heal. You live in harmony with nature, your very powers are healing. And yet … someone among you could cause another so much pain.”
Ariadne shrugged, her gaze unmoving. “This is a sad place, just like I’ve told you. I love the Forest with all my heart, but I’ve always seen both sides of it. Dryads are immune to certain types of magic, so we aren’t much happier than humans are in their own worlds. And we hurt each other, as contradictory as it may sound. But I don’t agree with those cruel laws.”
“Why do they even exist in the first place? If you’re here to help the souls to heal, why can’t you interact with them?”
“They would tell you it’s because it interferes with the laws of nature. The Enchanted Forest is healing on its own. Dryads are only its servants. So we can’t spend our magic on helping souls—we need to take care of it, and that’s that. If some souls don’t get the needed help—then that’s the way it should be. Don’t step in, don’t interfere—we’re told that from the first day of our life. And there are no exceptions.”
Nate shook his head, deep in thought. “While there is some logic to that,” he agreed, “that sort of punishment is nothing but cruel.” He raised his eyes and caught her gaze. “Does it mean you’ve broken the law?” he asked. “I mean … you’ve been living among humans for a few weeks now. What
if … someone finds out?”
“It’s not against the law to go into the human worlds to study their way of life.” Ariadne looked aside. “You just have to stay hidden and don’t make contact with humans.”
“But you’ve said you had a conflict with … the rulers? Does anyone even know where you are?”
She shook her head. “The conflict … wasn’t exactly over that. It’s … complicated. But don’t worry. I’ve got it under control. Even if they do find out”—something glimmered in her eyes—“I don’t care what happens.”
They spent a few more minutes by the lake before Ariadne suggested they should start on their way back. Every minute in the Forest was a risk, after all.
Nate’s head was spinning with all the new information. Between having experienced the Forest itself and listening to the story Ariadne had told him, he was sure it would take a while for everything to settle in his mind.
But there was one more thing he couldn’t stop thinking about as they navigated their way through the ancient tree trunks and glittering clearings. Ariadne had mentioned something about dryads not being able to survive long outside the Forest. Outside of the source of magic.
He remembered her nearly fainting after healing Ray’s cactus.
She was living with him for quite a long time. How was it affecting her? Did she find any way to fix it? And how long would she be able to stay in his world?
He didn’t want to confront her about it—after all, it was all her choice. But a sense of concern for her settled deep inside of him.
∞∞∞
Ariadne felt like an electronic device being unplugged and having to rely on its battery only as they traveled back down the cave and into the underground. It’s what it was, really. They paused for a moment at the entrance to take a last glance at the Forest. Her heart ached to leave it again, but at the same time, the fear of Nate being discovered, or someone finding out she was there, drove her away from it.
Nate seemed to be hesitating as well. She couldn’t blame him. The magic in his own blood pulled him toward this place. But, finally, they had to leave.
They didn’t speak as they walked through the tunnel. He was certainly affected by everything he’d seen and heard that night. They’d met a few more souls on their way there, and his eyes lingered on each of them for a long time.
“How does this work?” he asked her, all of a sudden. “This magic in my blood, which you’d mentioned. How did it even get there?”
Ariadne shook her head. “I don’t know. It seems like it appears at random in some humans. It usually manifests in some way or another. For you, it seems like it has something to do with your music.”
“And the Forest …” Nate chuckled. “I get my inspiration from nature. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to move to the small town on the edge of woods. It all seems to be connected in some way.”
He delved into his own thoughts for a few moments, and Ariadne fell silent, not wanting to interrupt him. She figured he had a lot of things to process in his mind. If he wanted to ask her something else—and if she could provide an answer—she would tell him.
Another roar echoed in the depths of the tunnel. Nate stared ahead.
“I wonder how they look like,” he wondered. “Those beasts you’ve mentioned. And the dark elves.” He shot a glance at her. “I remember you said something about the dragons. Are there any in the underground?”
She smiled to herself. “There are. But not a pretty kind. I wouldn’t advise crossing their path.”
“Do dark elves keep them, too?”
“No. All dragons are free. They don’t have any masters. They play their own important role in our world, and some of them have come to an agreement with elves. This kind of dragons, though … they are the wildest of them all. They spend most of their time in the underground, but they do come outside sometimes. Only after dark. But as I’ve said, that’s a story for another day.”
“What if we come across one of them?”
“We won’t. Dragons are intelligent creatures. And even the most ferocious monsters of our world wouldn’t dare to come in conflict with the Enchanted Forest. Here.” They came to a crossroads, and she turned right.
It wasn’t long before they’d reached the bottom of the staircase. As they started to ascend it, Nate suddenly stopped and touched her arm.
“Ariadne.”
She shivered and looked over at him. “What?”
“Are you … sure?” His eyebrows creased. “You said a dryad is dependent on the Forest magic. Living in another world, among humans, could have great consequences for you. I am worried about you.”
She closed her eyes and released a breath. “Nate …”
“Seriously. I understand that you have a strong reason for it, but if it affects you so much—”
She looked him straight in the eyes. “Do you want me to go away?”
He faltered. “No.”
“Do you trust I can figure it out?”
“Of course, I trust in you, Ariadne. I’m just—”
“Then let’s go home.” She offered her hand to him and stepped up another stair.
His eyes never left her as he took her hand, and their fingers intertwined. She barely held herself from throwing herself at him.
She knew she had to let go. Nothing good would ever come out of this, and dragging Nate into all of this was unfair to him.
But she couldn’t do it.
Twenty
Returning to the normal, everyday life and chores after visiting the place as dream-like as the Enchanted Forest had proved to be a difficult task.
Nate found himself snapping back to yesterday’s adventure any spare moment he had. Both Ray and Ryan couldn’t fail to notice that he seemed to be only half-there during their workday.
It reminded him of the time when he had first discovered Ariadne in his garden. For the second time that month, he couldn’t explain his inability to concentrate.
“Did something happen between you and Ariadne?” Ray asked as they were alone at one end of the diner while Ryan took orders at the other.
Nate shot a quick glance at him. “Why would you think that?” He tried but failed to stop a smile from spreading across his face.
Ray shrugged. “Well, you’re living in the same house. She’s pretty. I can’t find a reason why you wouldn’t be dating by now. Honestly”—he shook his head—“if I would have known we would discuss you living with a fairy— But you knew it all along, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t know that, and I’ve said it million times already.”
“Why is she even here?” Ray lowered his voice. “You must be something special if a fairy from another world decides to make a home in your garden.”
“She didn’t tell me,” Nate lied.
He tried to connect the events in his head as he lay in bed the night before, a glittering image of the Enchanted Forest appearing before his eyes.
Ariadne had a conflict with the royal family. She somehow escaped from the Enchanted Forest—either fled or left before everyone’s eyes. She came to his world. Heard his music. Recognized him as the boy she’d met a long time ago in the Forest.
Now she was breaking the law by living in his house and interacting with humans. He couldn’t say it didn’t bother him much. Not after hearing the story she’d told him yesterday.
But what if Ariadne fled from the punishment in the first place? Who knew what other laws she could have broken by getting into conflict with the rulers? Maybe she knew she couldn’t come back.
The thing that bothered him the most, though, was her reliance on the Forest magic as the source of life energy. Ariadne was evidently a powerful dryad, but her resources couldn’t be unlimited. How long would she be able to sustain them?
Despite it all, Nate found himself completely unwilling to let go. Just the thought of her leaving him made him shudder.
He squeezed his eyes shut and dragged a hand through his hair. That was not go
od.
Just thinking about her now, sitting at home all alone on a cloudy day, made him want to leave everything and hurry back to her.
“Hey, are you listening?” Ray called out, and Nate blinked, looking up at him.
“Yeah,” he replied absently.
Ray smirked. “Something definitely has happened between you,” he pointed out. “Anyway, I was saying that I wouldn’t stay here for long.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “You’re leaving?”
“In a couple of months, yeah. Hanna and I want to get our own place. So I’ll be moving closer to where she goes to school. I’ve already started looking for a new job.”
“Oh,” Nate commented. “Good luck then.”
“Thanks,” Ray said. “Ryan won’t be here as much when the school starts,” he added. “What are your plans?”
“What do you mean?”
Ray shot him a glance. “I mean you don’t plan on working in the diner forever, do you?”
His plans, or his future?
Nate never knew what they were.
It seemed even more complicated now.
That night, after the diner had been closed, all three of them were cleaning up when the bell chimed, and Hanna walked in, followed by Mimi.
“Surprise!” Hanna laughed as Ray walked over and kissed her. “See who we’ve brought in.”
Nate’s eyes grew wide and his heart stuttered as he watched the glowing bubble fly in through the crack in the door. Ariadne shifted and landed softly on the floor, folding her wings. Ryan whooped.
“Seriously, this girl’s gonna give me a heart attack one day,” Ray muttered.
Hanna pushed him with a laugh.
Ariadne met Nate’s gaze, and a slow smile spread across her face, mirroring his own.
“I thought we all could have dinner together,” Hanna suggested, her hands still woven around Ray’s neck. “What do you think?” She kissed him on the cheek.
“We’ll see if anything’s left over,” Ray said.
∞∞∞
A little later, they were all seated in the booth—Ray, Hanna, and Mimi on one side of the table, Nate, Ariadne and Ryan on the other.
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