“You’re like all the others,” she said in disgust. “Dragging yourselves in from your wretched lands, trying to steal our food. Go back to where you came from and reap what you’ve sown for not acknowledging our queen as your mistress.”

Dorian immediately figured out what was going on. “Do we look like refugees simply here to steal food?” That might not have been the best question since we had just stolen food and looked kind of tattered. Still, there was a big difference between us and the other gentry we’d passed on this journey. “The reason we’re here is to fall upon your queen’s mercy. Our king sent us here to plead with her.”

The riders exchanged questioning looks with each other. “It’s true.... You don’t look like the usual rabble,” admitted the spokeswoman. It was a sign of our worn state that we didn’t look like royalty either. We certainly looked more like servants than masters. “What kingdom do you come from?”

“The Lilac Land,” said Dorian quickly. This was met with blank looks, largely because said kingdom didn’t exist, to my knowledge. “It’s very far away. We’ve been traveling a long time and simply want to free our land from the curse.”

The riders had a quiet conference with each other and finally came to a decision. “We’ll escort you to our borders,” said the gray-haired woman. “Just to be certain. Once you cross into the next loyal kingdom, however ... be warned. You may not find such a warm reception. The Mimosa Land and its residents are not nearly so accommodating.”

This was warm and accommodating? That didn’t bode well for the next kingdom. I also found it sad that a place called the Mimosa Land was unfriendly. It sounded like a party waiting to happen.

“Thank you,” said Dorian, in the humblest voice I’d ever heard him use. “May we rest here briefly? We promise not to take long. We wouldn’t want to waste your valuable time, fair lady.” He then diminished some of his meekness by flashing her one of his charming, come-hither smiles. To my astonishment, she actually blushed. Unbelievable.

We were granted our break, but it was hardly the long bath I’d hoped for. I mostly managed to get the worst of the travel grime off and chose to stay in the clothes I’d been wearing. By Kiyo’s report, we weren’t entirely free of the blight yet, so there was no point in getting rid of the warm clothing yet. In fact, our party had to manage some tricky maneuvers to get it on and off quickly once our journey resumed. The layers were too heavy for the Beech Land but instantly needed when the road took us across the blight. After about three crossings, we stepped from the Beech Land into a new kingdom. It was evening now, and I couldn’t make out much in the darkness. The heat and humidity were immediately discernible, though. It kind of reminded me of Ohio.

“This is the Mimosa Land,” declared the Beech woman. We had never learned her name, though Dorian had certainly tried to woo it out of her with his shameless flirtation. “And here we depart. If the road maintains the pattern it has recently, you won’t cross the blight anymore.”

“Thank you,” said Dorian, sweeping her a bow. “Your kindness will not be forgotten. Nor will your beauty. My dreams will be haunted by your starry eyes and glossy hair.”

She merely grunted at that, but as the riders turned around, I caught sight of her smoothing back her hair in some weak attempt at styling. “That was ridiculous,” I told Dorian, once she’d left. “She’s not the kind of person to fall for your flirting.”

“On the contrary,” said Dorian. “She’s exactly the kind of person to fall for it. I understand these warrior maids, you know. They live such harsh, cold lives, always trying to keep up with the men ... when really, they just need someone to make them feel like a woman. And that, of course, is an area in which I excel. Why, if I’d had ten minutes alone with her—”

I groaned but couldn’t help laughing too. “Just stop,” I said. “I don’t want to hear it.” Dorian grinned back at me, supremely pleased with himself.

“We need to make camp,” said Kiyo harshly, not looking amused at all. In fact, he looked downright disapproving. “And post watches, if what she said was true about this being a hostile land.”

The levity vanished, and we were back to business again. The blight itself was more than enough proof that Varia and her allies weren’t people we wanted to underestimate. We doubled our usual night watch, and even those of us who weren’t on duty had trouble sleeping. The tropical setting was full of night noises, and I tossed and turned over each one of them, certain every insect or rustle of leaves was a combatant sent by Varia.

And yet, morning came uneventfully. I didn’t know if our presence had gone undetected or if the Mimosa residents really weren’t as dangerous as the Beech captain had claimed. Since this land didn’t seem to border any of the blighted ones, maybe there wasn’t such a need to protect against refugees. Regardless, we deemed ourselves reasonably safe enough to finally take our full break and get in some serious bathing in a nearby lagoon. We took the baths in gender shifts—something most of the gentry found silly—while the other half of the group gathered food. The Mimosa Land didn’t have fruit immediately growing on the road, but in this climate, one didn’t have to search far for sustenance.

Once I was stripped and in the water, I was able to get the first good look at my body that I’d had in a while. All of my residual pregnancy weight was gone. Unfortunately, this was largely because of the stringent diet I’d been on these last couple weeks. I wasn’t showing quite as many ribs as the others, but it was clear gym time would have been a much healthier way to get my figure back than near-starvation. Still, provided we survived this adventure, I could hope for nutrition soon and some return to my former state. The scar from my C-section was still obvious, but that would be the case for the rest of my life. For now, it was enough to have a moment’s peace and the luxury of submerging myself in water.

“Eugenie.”

There was an odd note to Jasmine’s voice as I emerged from underwater and tossed my soaking hair back. Blinking, I glanced over at her and saw that she and Keeli were focused on something off on the shore. I followed their gazes and saw nothing at first. Then, a slight movement revealed a lithe, female figure. I hadn’t noticed her because she literally blended into her surroundings.

Ostensibly, she had the same features as any pretty gentry or human woman. It was her coloring that was remarkable. Her hair and eyes were a vivid emerald green, her skin tanned to a shade of nut brown. Her only garment was a short dress made of leaves and flowers. She watched us nervously, like a doe ready to flee.

“Dryad,” said Keeli matter-of-factly. “Usually harmless.”

Dryads were rare in the human world, though sometimes they made it over. I’d never encountered one myself but knew “usually harmless” was an accurate statement. Dryads were tree nymphs who preferred to be left alone in their woods. When threatened, they could get aggressive. Otherwise, they tended to be shy and were often in more danger from passing men who were attracted by that Otherworldly beauty. Dryads allegedly didn’t welcome those advances and could be quite hostile to the opposite sex.

“I wonder if she could give us information about this place,” Jasmine remarked. I raised an eyebrow. It was a good idea and a surprising one from Jasmine, who tended to run to extremes.

“She probably won’t know much. It’s unlikely she’d have any loyalty to Varia,” added Keeli. “Dryads usually stay out of our affairs.”

We were using “usually” a lot here, but it was worth a try. I attempted what I hoped was a friendly smile at the dryad as I took a few steps toward the shore. “Hi there,” I said. “We aren’t going to hurt you. We’re just passing through.”

Jasmine decided to help as well. “Nice, um, trees you’ve got around here.”

The dryad regarded us thoughtfully with her long-lashed eyes. “You’re human,” she said in a voice that put one in mind of babbling brooks. She tilted her head. “Somewhat.”

I gestured to Jasmine and me. “Half human.”

“I’ve never met any human at all,” said the dryad.

“We’re harmless. I promise. What’s your name? I’m Eugenie. This is Jasmine and Keeli.”

Again, the dryad considered her words. “Astakana.” It was a big name for someone so delicate, but at the same time, it suited her.

“Leave her be,” murmured Keeli. “She’ll come to us on her own. Or won’t.”

So, with a few more friendly smiles, we returned to our swim and ignored Astakana. Travel in the Otherworld had prepared me to carry a few essential toiletries, and once I was sufficiently scrubbed clean, I sat on a rock and began untangling my hair with a plastic comb. I felt rather mer-maidlike. Also, considering I was sitting here naked with three other women around, I also kind of felt like something from a Penthouse letter.

“You have lovely hair.”

I’d been so intent on playing casual that I had almost forgotten the dryad’s presence. Glancing up, I was surprised to see she’d come closer to me. I hadn’t noticed her moving. Keeli hadn’t either, and even if she thought Astakana was “usually harmless,” the guardswoman still swam over to stay near me. Jasmine soon followed.

“Uh, thanks,” I said. “So do you.”

“Can I braid it?” asked Astakana.

I glanced around at the others. They shrugged. Braiding? That was unexpected. I guessed we were now moving into slumber-party territory. Still, the dryad looked so hopeful that I held out the comb. “Knock yourself out.”

She shook her head and sat behind me. “I can’t touch that. And I don’t need it anyway.”

Sure enough. Her deft fingers began sorting and arranging my hair, working out any residual tangles with touch alone. Jasmine and Keeli moved in closer, enthralled.