24
Reine
"Don't let anyone near. I don't want them to hear this," I told Rhys in secret conversation before walking to the stream. I looked down at its burbling surface, and it welcomed me with its watery giggle. Even the stones on this side of the stream sparkled with tiny crystals, giving the water a magical appearance. When I knelt, the grass and dirt cradled rather than pushed against my knees.
I dipped a hand in the stream, and the face of the dryad who lived in it appeared.
"Melisane, I thought I recognized you."
She grinned up at me. "It has been too long, Princess. My sister at the other side of the Gray Zone said you'd come."
"And how much mischief did she cause?"
More laughter, which sounded like an increase in the water's movement over the rounded pebbles. "Enough. You ha
