6. Chapter 6

6

Chapter 6

I lex had to get out of the cottage. What was usually a perfectly ample amount of space had suddenly felt much too small as they stared at Dahlia's lovely face, so full of life and as warm as the sun's golden rays.

Her hair was the color of a wild poppy, orangey-red and wild, and her face was covered in flecks of copper. Amber eyes held joy and laughter, and her scent…Ilex had never experienced anything quite like it. She smelled of crisp apple and jasmine blossoms, light and glorious.

Ilex had noticed, of course, as they were walking back to their cottage, but being in an enclosed space with her, they had become overwhelmed. They were having… feelings that had come out of nowhere, and they needed fresh air to get their wits about them.

They had never had a romantic partner or even a friend, really. They hadn't needed any—they were fine on their own. But now that Ilex was presented with this effervescent necromancer, they found they were sad at the thought of her continuing on her way, leaving them alone once more in their forest.

They made their way through the trees toward the surberry patch, not paying much mind to their surroundings. These woods didn't hold many dangers, and they knew their surroundings like the back of their hand.

Ilex did not realize they had been followed until they heard the whistling of an arrow flying through the air—they did, however, feel the piercing pain as the arrow pierced their shoulder. They let out a yell and turned to face their assailant.

Unfortunately, they were greeted with the sight of three bandits; two had bows drawn and aimed at Ilex, while one stood in the middle, daggers drawn.

Ilex took a deep breath and mastered the pain radiating out of their shoulder.

"What trouble do you all have with a Dryad?"

"Monstrosities like you aren't welcome in Wellsah!" The man in the middle shouted.

"Ah, I see. The reason I keep to the woods," Ilex said, more to themself than any of the bandits.

"You'll die today, abomination!" One of the archers yelled, loosing an arrow at Ilex. This time, however, they were prepared, and they dodged the arrow, running at the bandits. Their eyes flared slightly in fright; Ilex was, after all, a rather large Dryad.

The man with the daggers attempted to swipe at Ilex as they approached, but Ilex grabbed his wrists and squeezed. Bone crunched, and the man screamed. Ilex released him, kicking the daggers away into the brush.

Ilex, now fully paying attention to their surroundings and not stuck in a daydream about the pretty necromancer, heard another set of footsteps approaching at a run through the forest.

"How many of you are there?" Ilex hissed to the three men surrounding them.

"Only three, I swear it!" The man with the broken wrists cried, backing away.

"Then who…" Ilex began—but then they saw her. Dahlia was running toward them, concern creasing her brow and her black cloak billowing around her.

"Ilex? What's going on?" Her bright voice made them want to smile despite the circumstances.

One of the archers took the opportunity to fire another arrow at close range, straight into Ilex's back. Ilex cried out, and Dahlia screamed.

Ilex felt the air shift then; the birds stopped singing, and the temperature dropped slightly.

Then came the rumbling; the earth was shifting, and suddenly, clumps of dirt were spraying, white lumps erupting from openings in the ground. They realized it was bones . Large and small, all remnants of the life of the forest being pulled up by some unseen force. The bones assembled themselves into the form of what Ilex assumed must be a golem, though they had never seen one.

Dirt and moss pulled up the creature's body and melded into rotting flesh in a blink. The creature roared—and Dahlia screamed in wrath behind it, her arms held out and shaking with the effort of her creation.

The golem stomped forward, and the bandits were too shocked to move. They only stared up at it. The man closest to Ilex wet himself in fear. The golem grabbed one of the archers in its massive hand and simply…crushed him. The sound was less than pleasant.

Ilex noticed a bit of blackness edging their vision, but they focused on breathing. The other two men had seen enough of the golem at this point, and they took off sprinting through the woods. For a long moment, there was silence as Ilex, the golem, and Dahlia all stared at each other, simply listening to the men flee.

When it was clear they were not returning, Dahlia grunted and released her hold on her beast. It collapsed to the ground, as lifeless as it had been before—now only a pile of dirt and moss and animal bones. Dahlia was breathing hard, but she approached Ilex with worry on her heart-shaped face.

"Ilex," she breathed. They loved the sound of their name on her lips. That was the last thought before the darkness suddenly overwhelmed them, and they were falling.