Chains of the Past

chapter nine: is this the part where you take me out to the woods?

As Ava, Irz and Freard drove down to the main part of the dryad community, she noticed something was a little off. She felt as though she was being watched. When she looked around the woodsy area, she noticed eyes in practically every tree.

Ava knew dryads were tree spirits, but she also knew that they had a more human appearance. It was clear that they didn't trust her. She wasn't offended though. When she first started making changes to her clan, she was in a fight practically every day. It worked out in the end but she knew she would always be an outsider to them, alpha or not.

Ava neared the end of the dirt road. She had been warned that she would need to be on foot for the last leg of the journey, which is why she hadn't worn only her heels.

"Alright boys. Hop out. We have to go on foot for about half a mile or so to get to the clearing," Ava said. She threw open her door and climbed out. She was tempted to grab her sword but knew that wouldn't look good at all. The fact that any Fae would agree to a treaty was enough to push away her desire to reach under her seat.

Freard, who was riding in the bed, hopped out in a single swift movement. He noticed Ava reaching for her bag and quickly grabbed it before she could. At her look, he shrugged and then shut her door. Irz, on the other hand, didn't offer any help. Still a little shithead, Ava thought with a chuckle.

As they walked, she noticed more and more dryads looking at them. When she glanced behind their group, she noticed that all the dryads were following them. Ava quickly looked forward again, her heart pounding. While it wasn't unusual for the supes in a community to attend the signing ceremony, there were never this many of them. Most had decided she was bad news and didn't want to be there as their leader signed away their 'souls.'

A fifteen-minute walk later resulted in them finding the clearing, with a couple hundred dryads trailing after them. Ava took a deep breath and quickly switched out her boots for her heels. Even though they were in grass now, she had heard that the clearing was made of wood. It was basically a giant tree. Upon entering, Ava was shocked at how open the clearing was. The wood underfoot was smooth even though it didn't appear to be waxed or polished. Trees surrounded the clearing, all with dryads peeking out of them. As her group pushed forward, the dryads behind them moved to fill in the clearing.

Straight ahead of her stood the dryad protector of the whole forest, Chrys, after the notable Chrysopeleia. She is believed to be a daughter of Chrysopeleia and Arcas, who was the son of Zeus and Callisto. She was a gorgeous nymph, with deep brown hair and green eyes. She was tall and lithe. Her hair seemed to have leaves and flowers woven into it, giving her a sort of wild beauty. Her dress appeared to be made of leaves, moss and flowers. It was gorgeous.

"Avalynn, welcome," she said. Her voice sounded throughout the clearing, tinkling like bells. "My name is Chrys and this is my forest. I am pleased you decided to meet here, as most are scared of the tree spirits." At this, Chrys shifted a little, as if nervous of the reason I agreed to meet here.

"Well, I love to meet where you feel most comfortable. And, I must admit to being a bit selfish. When I heard that your forest was here, I couldn't wait to come. The view was gorgeous," Ava responded, tipping her head a little.

Chrys nodded and relaxed a little but not completely. It still seemed as if something was bothering her. "The fae are not usually so willing to sign treaties but we have not been to Faerie in a long time. While dryads are strong spirits, we are not fighters and do not have gifts that help us to fight. We talked to the Brownies that are in treaty with you and they mentioned that you are generous and kind, unlike the rest of your race."

Ava blushed a little, nervous to be praised. "It seems that the Nephilim of today have forgotten that we are a protective race, of all species, not just humans. I hope to change that, at least here," Ava's voice sounded, strong and passionate. "I have the treaty here. It is basically the same as the Brownies but more specified towards your race and forest."

Ava turned to Freard and held out her hand. He passed her the treaty with a nod, completely tense. She had never seen Freard relax. She filed that away, to ask later. Ava turned back to Chrys and opened the treaty.

Whenever Ava made treaties, something in her blood would sing, almost as if she was directly tied to the words on the page. As she read the treaty to Chrys, the same thing happened.

"I, Chrys the Dryad, sign this treaty today, the eighteenth of October, two thousand and twenty," Chrys said while placing her hand on the treaty paper.

"I, Avalynn Sariel, sign this treaty today, the eighteenth of October, two thousand and twenty." As Ava spoke, her blood began to sing even louder, almost as if the entire clearing could hear it. Once she finished speaking, the paper suddenly began to glow. When the glow finished, she looked down to see what she always did: her name, along with Chrys', and two symbols at the bottom of the paper. Hers always looked like an angular 'S' while whoever else signed the treaty had a different symbol. Chrys' looked like a Celtic knot.

When Ava looked back up, Chrys was staring at her, almost in awe. Every time this happened, the people signing the treaty would give Ava this same look. Chrys suddenly stepped forward and embraced Ava.

"Thank you," she said. "And welcome back."

Ava nodded, acting as if she knew what Chrys was talking about, and shared a secretive smile with her. She turned back and quickly bowed to the dryads, thanking them for their service and kindness as well. All of them bowed to her and stayed as she walked out of the clearing.