“No, you have not even begun to feel it yet. It will get worse before it gets better. But you are doing well, Druidecht. Very few have made it this long.”
The compulsion to look at her was nearly overpowering. It was a monster inside of him. He could feel it roaring and snarling. A drop of sweat began to sting his eyes. He brushed it away and found his entire face wet.
“You see,” she went on, moving around him again, her voice tantalizing in the twilight. “Only those who try to resist know how strong we are. A Druidecht who gives in right away simply does not know what it would have been like later. You will be stronger as a result. Even if you do not make it. I am impressed already.”
“Why do you torture me?” Annon asked. He dug his fingers into Nizeera and felt her twitch with pain.
“I am not torturing you. You are torturing yourself. Why do you do it?”
“Because I seek a boon.”
“What boon do you seek?”
He hesitated.
“What do you seek?”
“What can you give?” Annon asked, turning the question on her.
“Very good. Ask questions instead of giving answers. Do you know why most seek me?”
“No. Tell me, Neodesha.” Saying her name made his tongue burn.
“You spoke my name.”
Annon was startled. There was something in the way she said it. He felt the strength of the magic begin to release him. He almost looked at her at that moment. There was something in her voice that demanded he look.
“Tell me!” he pleaded.
“I must, for you spoke my name. That is the boon. I gave you my name. You can bind me with it. You can free me from this tree with it. That is the boon.”
“Do you want to be freed from the tree?” Annon asked, his mind racing. He was confused. Terribly confused.
“No! But you have the power to if you choose. Men are selfish by nature. They want to possess things. To possess people. You could force me to go with you, even if I did not wish to go. That is the boon. That is the power you have over me. But if you look at me, you will forget my name. You will forget this even happened. Do you see it now, Annon? As long as you do not look at me, you hold power over me. As soon as you look at me, I hold power over you. I want you to look at me, Annon.”
“No,” he replied, steeling himself. “I need you to answer me, Neodesha. I need you to tell me the truth. Do you know my uncle, Tyrus of Kenatos?”
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean? I asked you to speak the truth!”
“I know Tyrus of Kenatos. I also know that he is not your uncle.”
The words struck him like another blow. He nearly opened his eyes in amazement. He struggled with the surging fury that awakened inside of him.
“I thought…”
He felt her finger on his lips. “You are so young, Annon. But I respect the strength that brought you here. You saved my tree. Not one man in a thousand who was not a Vaettir would have done that willingly. They would have fled from certain death. You faced my enemies and you destroyed them and saved me. Because you did that, I will trust you. I am going to kiss you, Annon. That is what men seek me for. The kiss of a Dryad brings wisdom. It will help you to remember that which you have forgotten. It will prevent me from stealing your memories when you look at me. I speak the truth, for you commanded it of me. I do not do this for most mortals. But I trust you, Annon. I trust you will not harm me with this knowledge.”
He started to breathe heavily. He felt her kneel in front of him. He began to panic.
“Will it harm me?” he asked.
“Yes. But not in the way that you think. Memories can be very painful. The pain lessens in time as we forget. Except for you. You will remember everything. Every word ever spoken to you. Every slight you have suffered. Every joy, every thrill. Your memory will be perfect. And thus you will gain great wisdom.”
He was about to tell her he wanted to think on it. He was opening his mouth to say the words when he felt her lips press against his. The sensation of her mouth, the smell of her skin lasted a moment, but he felt his mind awakening. It was as if he had been asleep his whole life. Scales began to fall from his thoughts, allowing in bursting rays of light. His entire life was before him.
“Look at me,” she said softly.
Annon opened his eyes.
“What’s the benefit of dragging up sufferings that are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then? There is good in doing this. We must not flinch when we look at the past. We must strive to learn from our mistakes. So we must learn to bear and endure. The sorrow will one day prove to be for your good.”
– Possidius Adeodat, Archivist of Kenatos