Danika circled the grove to be sure, and the Whereabouts compa.s.s insisted that Mark Bounds was inside the ring of trees. She hesitated on the boundary of the wavering clearing, a million stories warned her that if she stepped (or in her case flew) into the clearing without calling for backup, something horrible would happen.

There was also the possibility that in a game with elves and fairies, in the middle of elven territory it might be some kind of fairy ring that would transport her to somewhere else instead of a druidic circle. After a moment she brought up her menus. Her friend list told her that Ais.h.i.+n and Shrubbery were still in Fogton, so they were probably still talking.

Danika guessed that they were discussing Shrubbery's mom, since Ais.h.i.+n had already been in her position when he was younger. She didn't notice but her sparkles, that had dimmed and shone in violet hues, s.h.i.+fted toward jade as her thoughts s.h.i.+fted. She had said that she didn't mind Ais.h.i.+n staying to talk alone with Shrubbery but she was actually a little envious of the time they were spending, while at the same time reluctant to interrupt.

She glanced at the strangely s.h.i.+mmering clearing again and messaged Ais.h.i.+n while telling herself, "I am not just messaging to have his attention." She wrote: "The Whereabouts compa.s.s tells me that Mark Bounds is inside an apparently empty clearing that s.h.i.+mmers oddly. It's surrounded by oak, ash, and thorn trees, which I think is a fairy/elven legend thing?"

The snow leopard cub carried her message away very slowly, with many interested glances around himself before he left her view. Danika gazed after him and rolled her eyes. If he carried the message that slowly, she wouldn't hear back anytime soon. She turned toward the clearing and halted as he pounced back into view in front of her. He looked around again before dropping the little return message, and departed very slowly. Danika giggled.

Ais.h.i.+n's hurried message read simply, "Wait!"

A moment later Shrubbery stepped carefully out of one of the bigger hawthorn trees. "Good, you waited!" she exclaimed.

Danika asked curiously, "Will Ais.h.i.+n be able to follow you through the trees?"

Shrubbery shook her head. She looked around and then laid her hand on the tree beside the one she stepped out of and closed her eyes. A moment later she stepped over to the next tree in the circle and repeated the action. Then she said, "Wow, these trees don't like this clearing, it pushed them into this circle and they're fighting it."

"Oh, so it's dangerous?" Danika asked.

"No idea," Shrubbery replied with a shrug.

A hedgehog walked out of the clearing, and spotted them. It gave them a startled look and turned and darted back into the clearing, except that it appeared to vanish in a ripple of the air. "Ok, that was weird," Danika said.

"It seemed healthy though?" Shrubbery pointed out. "But I think you should wait for Ais.h.i.+n. I don't know how much longer I can stay, but I won't be very useful since the sun has already set. I could just get here faster."

Danika blinked and looked around, the forest was growing dimmer, and the first faint stars were visible overhead. She said, "We should get you a light stone like SaltySiamese lent us to keep for night adventures and dark places." Then she asked nosily, "What were you talking about for so long?"

Shrubbery stuck out her tongue and said, "I don't have to tell you that."

"True, sorry, it was nosy of me to ask," Danika admitted.

Shrubbery looked at her ruefully and said, "You make me feel like I'm a horrible person sometimes."

"What, why?" Danika asked worriedly. "It's really ok if you don't want to tell me."

"I want to tell you actually. I'm so excited about it! But I don't know if I should tell you, I mean… I think you really like Ais.h.i.+n," Shrubbery said in a rush. "And it was mean of me to taunt you."

Danika turned away from the s.h.i.+mmering clearing and focused on Shrubbery. She didn't know what to say. She touched her own face and then her hands moved in the gesture that would have run them through her hair, but instead her little dragon claws sc.r.a.ped her ears and she winced.

"ZipZing?" Shrubbery asked worriedly.

Ais.h.i.+n appeared beside her and s.n.a.t.c.hed her out of the air with one hand, while gulping down a potion with the other. A moment later he had her cupped on his palms like usual and asked worriedly, "Are you ok? I had to go get more potions first."

Danika returned his worried gaze and took a deep breath. "I'm ok," she a.s.sured him.

"Don't lie?" he asked uncertainly, looking at her dim muddy colored sparkles.

Danika frowned and brought up her menus to check, her health was full and her energy was about half. "I'm ok?" she repeated.

"I think I said too much without saying enough," Shrubbery said worriedly. "Can't you tell her too?"

Danika leaned over Ais.h.i.+ns fingers to gaze at the dryad. Shrubbery looked back at her with a worried expression. Danika activated her wings and lifted herself off of Ais.h.i.+n's hands and said firmly, "I'm really ok."

Ais.h.i.+n frowned at her.

Shrubbery said, "I really want to tell her too if that's ok? You can trust her!"

Ais.h.i.+n's frown lightened and he said with amus.e.m.e.nt, "I know that. Go ahead and say as much as you like."

He stood with his palms out, like he was waiting for her to return and kept his gaze locked on her face while Shrubbery said happily, "It's really him! Ais.h.i.+n, he's not playing with the purchased avatar, he's really Aichi s.h.i.+nichi! And those guys who came to watch you make him your familiar, that was the actual band, all of Underneath!"

Danika fell out of the air when her wings stopped beating. Ais.h.i.+n caught her gently and looked at her quizzically. Shrubbery went on, "And the reason he told me was so that he can arrange to buy my mother a VR-medi pod."

"I'm not being as extravagant as it sounds, I'll get the system she's using now in exchange," Ais.h.i.+n added quickly.

Danika looked up at him, and then silently buried her face against the warm surface of his hand where she lay.

"She turned blue," Shrubbery said worriedly.

"I think that's ok," Ais.h.i.+n said with relief. "Her sparkles are getting brighter."

His words made her sparkles s.h.i.+ft into the pink range, but Danika didn't move. Warm softness pressed against the back of her head and neck. After a moment Danika s.h.i.+fted and sat up. It had been Ais.h.i.+n's cheek pressing against her and her movement had basically shoved his face away.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly.

Ais.h.i.+n raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm really curious about what Shrubbery told you that put you into that state. Or was it fake when you said you were fine leaving us to talk alone?"

Danika replied indignantly, "It was fine! I meant it!" She looked away and admitted less forcefully, "I was a little jealous, and then I misunderstood and um…" she trailed off.

Shrubbery admitted guiltily, "I teased her a little meanly. I think she really likes you but she won't admit it."

The corner of Ais.h.i.+n's mouth quivered.

Danika huffed an indignant breath like her aunt Hati would have. "I don't have to say that," she said a little petulantly.

"You don't have to say it," he agreed.

Danika looked at him for a long moment, and then said quietly, "When I say it, I'll never take it back."

Ais.h.i.+n's eyes widened and she launched herself from his hands and darted into the s.h.i.+mmering clearing.