We continued on in silence. It was dark, truly dark. I thought that it was dark in the desert, but I had been able to look up and see stars. The canopy of leaves above us was so thick that I couldn't see a single star. I wasn't sure if I had ever been somewhere with literally no light anywhere in sight. The fact that I was moving made things even eerier.

"How well can you see in the dark?" I had to ask. TS hadn't stumbled once, even though I could feel him hopping and stepping over obstacles. I hadn't heard anything that sounded like Thomas tripping either.

"Me?" TS asked. "Nearly as well as Tom can."

"Looks like broad daylight to me," Thomas said. "The only reason I know it isn't is because it isn't bordering on painfully bright."

"That's amazing."

They both laughed. We probably walked for another five minutes when TS stopped.

"You smell that?"

"Yeah," Thomas said. "Been hearing it, too."

"What?" I asked.

"We're being watched," Thomas whispered.

A shiver raced up my spine. "Watched? Not... not Nathaniel?"

"No, no," Thomas said quickly. "They've spotted us though; we may as well stop here."

I got the feeling that we were waiting for something. A couple of minutes ticked by, and I grew increasingly nervous. I couldn't shake the fear that if something happened, I'd be totally useless. TS wouldn't be able to fight if I was on his back, and I'd be helpless if I wasn't.

"Why do you come here?" an unfamiliar voice asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"For a wand," Thomas said. "We want to see a dryad."

Suddenly a horrible snarling hiss came from way, way too close to me. TS tensed and growled.

"You will not hunt in our territory blood-drinker," the stranger snapped. "Your kind is not welcome here."

For a moment, I thought TS was going to lunge. He started growling so fiercely his entire body shook. I couldn't believe that I was as afraid as I was, considering everything I had already been through. Somehow the fact that I couldn't see at all made things so much more terrifying. I didn't even know what sort of creature we were facing.

"Show your teeth again, wolf, and you will meet my claws," the stranger hissed.

"We just want a wand," Thomas said tightly.

"Very well."

An entire minute passed without a sound. TS’s shoulders relaxed, just a bit, and I wondered if the stranger had left.

"Stupid bloody werejaguar. I'd have him by the throat before his claws-"

"Tethys," Thomas said, "forget it. With any luck, he'll be back with a dryad and we'll be out of here."

TS started grumbling to himself and shifting his weight back and forth. A couple more agonizingly long minutes went by, and I felt TS move again.

"Relax," Thomas whispered. "She isn't going to stake me."

"You never know."

Before I could wonder who 'she' was, a woman spoke. "You are in need of a wand?"

Nobody said anything, and TS gave his shoulders, and me, a little shake. "Y-yes," I said quickly, "please."

"Very well. Take any branch already fallen."

I started to thank her, but Thomas interrupted. “Hang on, you're not going to choose a wand for her?"

"Why? She is not of my grove."

"The same sun nourishes all groves, doesn't it?" Thomas asked.

Stolen story; please report.

The woman laughed. "And I suppose you claim a grove, blood-drinker?" I heard a whispery, raspy, hissing sound. When it stopped, the woman laughed again. "Your attempt to speak my tongue amuses me. But, I have misjudged you. Give me your hand, witch."

I nervously held out my hand in the direction of the voice. Bony fingers started poking and prodding my hand. It felt like a cross between a bad massage and a medical exam. Then, my hand was released.

"Wait here."

A few moments later, TS snorted. "What a helpful bunch."

"Hey, she is helping, at least," Thomas said.

"What did you say to her?" I asked. "Do you speak, uh... dryad?"

Thomas laughed. "I honestly have no idea what anything I said means. It was a series of statements that establish that I have dryad connections. Dryads tend to be very..."

"Introverted?" TS suggested.

"I was going to say private. Not a lot of dryads enjoy interacting with other species. I don't think they spend much time with each other, either, but they've got a..." he chuckled, "a deeply-rooted sense of community. If you can prove that you're 'in,' they'll usually help you as if you were a fellow dryad."

"How do you have dryad connections?"

"Natsuki's a dryad," Thomas said.

"Who is-oh!" I remembered. "Jon's wife?"

"Yeah. She taught me... Well, like I said, I have no idea what it means. But basically it's a little speech that you can't learn from anyone but a dryad. And a dryad would never teach anybody who doesn't deserve to know it. From what I gather... Ah, she's back."

"Here, take your wand," the dryad said.

I reached out blindly and a moment later felt a stick. I grabbed it and, despite the fact I couldn't see a thing, it felt perfect. It was odd, but I could almost picture it as I balanced it in my hand.

"Test it," she prompted.

"No fire," Thomas said.

I thought I heard a satisfied sound from the dryad. But Thomas didn't have to worry. I knew exactly what spell I'd cast. I aimed my new wand boldly at my face and gave it a go.

"Mar!"

The world lit up. I didn't think it was any brighter than when I cast it with my last wand, it may even have been a bit dimmer. That didn't matter though, I could see again. We were deep in the jungle surrounded by thick foliage.

"It works?"

Then, I saw my first dryad. A tall, lithe woman stood, watching me, just a few feet away. She had dark brown skin, and I was almost positive that her hair was green. There was no doubt that she was an elemental; I could see movement in her eyes as she studied me.

"Yes. Thank you."

She nodded once, then turned and sprinted off into the trees. Then, I saw the werejaguar, and my jaw nearly dropped. Like TS, it was obvious that he was no ordinary jaguar. He was huge! The fangs hanging out of his mouth looked like something a saber-toothed tiger would have.

"Go, now," he growled. "And remember my warning."

"I will," Thomas snarled.

I climbed off of TS, and the three of us started walking back, I hoped, in the direction of the lodge. Nobody spoke. I could hear TS growling softly, and Thomas looked mad. Or hurt. I had to recast my spell a couple of times and worried that it was wearing off faster than it had with my old wand. Not long after the third time, I realized that we were on a dirt path, and I could see the wooden one in the distance. We were back at the lodge.

It wasn't until we got to the door of my cabin that I realized I was locked out.

"Should I knock?" I asked. "I don't want to wake up Kaitlyn."

Thomas tugged experimentally on the door. "I could always yank it open."

"Which would wake Kaitlyn," TS said. "Not to mention destroy the door."

I thought of how easily the vampire woman had snapped the ship's railing and shivered. Thomas could probably rip the entire door out of the frame with a flick of his wrist.

"Not necessarily," Thomas said. I could tell from the way he was eyeing the door that he didn't mean it. "Well... I'm not sure what to do."

Inspiration struck. "Can I unlock it?" I asked, giving my wand a flick. "I mean, I am a witch."

Thomas thought for a moment. "Unlocking ... I think that's air. I know it isn't fire."

"What's the word for an air spell?"

"Ahn." He gestured to the door. "May as well give it a try."

I tried. Multiple times. "Ahn," I said again, getting frustrated. At last, I lowered my wand with a sigh. "I can't do it."

"Don't worry," Thomas said. "It's always harder to start a new kind of magic."

"Guess you're with us again," TS laughed.

We started walking to their cabin. I was discouraged by my lack of success. Then, my night vision spell started to fade, too. "Mar," I practically growled.

As the world grew light again, I noticed that Thomas was looking at me in concern.

"Are you alright?"

I sighed. "I feel like this wand isn't as good as my old one. My spell keeps wearing off faster, and I don't think it's as strong. And the lock didn't even budge! I made sparks the very first time I picked up my first wand."

"Don't worry, this wand is better, I promise. Dryads are extremely good at choosing wands. It always takes a bit of time to break in a new wand. As soon as you do, you'll see that it's better. Not to mention, you're a few days out of practice. Magic always gets a little weaker if you don't use it." He rested a comforting hand on my back. "Trust me."

I was tempted to ask what learning magic had been like for him, but decided against it. My conversation with TS had me worried about Thomas. And I was sure the werejaguar had upset him. We reached their cabin and stopped in the side with the two beds.

"I was planning on sleeping in a hammock," Thomas said. "Pick a bed."

"I was going to sleep in a hammock too," I said.

"Go for it."

"But that's fine, I'll take a bed. I don't want to kick one of you out of your hammock."

TS laughed. "There's no way I'm sleeping in a hammock. I like my beds stationary, thank you."

Soon, I found myself on a hammock with Thomas in the one next to me. I could have sworn that they were hung closer than the two in my cabin. He was so close, it would have been simple to reach out and touch him. Kaitlyn had seemed much farther away in hers. We lay there in silence for a while. I glanced over at Thomas. He was looking up through the screen at the trees. He didn't look very happy, and I thought of what the werejaguar had said to him.

"Are you okay?"