Several days later, there had been a distinct lack of results.

Every shop that could be assumed to carry an obsidian blade in the city had been checked. All turning up nothing. And worrying trends had developed, which led to them taking a several hour drive to another city quite a ways south in the desert.

“Hmm, sorry. Just sold the last several of those a few hours ago.” The old dark skinned man frowned, shaking his head. His frown grew into concern as the pale redhead and the green haired dark skinned woman before him looked a little too afraid for the news he had given them. Both of their eyes going wide and sharing a knowing glance between themselves as they remained otherwise frozen in place. “Something wrong?”

Cormac glanced around the shop, something in the back of his head telling him that he was looking too suspicious but immediate concern outweighing a silly little thing like politeness or not raising suspicions. He cleared his throat to regain his voice before finally turning to the old man with a worried smile. “Just been looking all over for one for uh...for a while. This is probably a stupid question but uh, you wouldn’t be able to order anymore would you? Or take any custom orders?”

The old man chuckled, cracking a grin that creased the lines in his face. “I don’t make them. Local artist does, sells them through me. He’s not really the type to take requests, and trust me I’ve tried. He just makes what he makes and stops by with new works occasionally.”

“Do you remember the person who bought the last knives?” Ixia took a few steps closer to the old man, any intimidation factor undercut by the worry in her eyes. “What they looked like?”

The old man raised a single brow, looking from the woman to the young man who grit his teeth and shook his head before speaking.

“We’ve just uh, been looking for a while and I swear there’s some collector out there who just keeps buying up every obsidian knife out there haha!” Cormac’s laugh was forced, and this was a half truth, but it did calm the mood of the shop slightly with just the three of them in there. “Just wanted to know if it was the same guy or just a new batch of bad luck!”

With a relaxing posture the old man looked back and forth between the couple once more before answering. “Just a man who seemed to really have a thing for obsidian. He was...hmmm.”

The old man looked down, mulling over thoughts. “Well he was a man. Sorry, plenty of people come through and most of them are a blur. Not like a man with red hair with a green haired lady.” He chuckled, and in the next moment a small family entered his shop and began browsing around as he called out to them to ask if they wanted to see anything in a display case.

“Well we won’t take up any more of your time.” Cormac said with a winsome smile. “Have a good day!”

Ixia followed his lead with her own polite smile, and the two held onto those smiles until they made it out to Cormac’s truck. At which point the human slumped forward to rest his head on the windshield and the dryad slumped over onto his shoulder. They remained like that for a good minute, faces caught somewhere between worry and confusion.

“That is a thing, by the way.” Cormac muttered while staring at the dashboard. “Work any job where you see a lot of people and faces just...blend together.”

Ixia sighed, blinking her large lilac eyes a few times while staring out the windshield and adjusting her place on Cormac’s shoulder. “And do you believe that is what is going on or do you believe-”

“No.” The word rolled out on a deep sigh, riding a wave of resignation. “Too many coincidences. Too many similarities.”

“They all remember a man, and not a single detail else.” Ixia tensed up, hands balling into fists. “Not age, not clothes, not appearance. Never a name. Nothing.”

Cormac raised his head slightly, glaring out the windshield and darting his eyes from left to right then back again as he searched. “We’re probably being watched right now. Plenty of places to hide.

Ixia stared out the windshield, eyes moving slowly to every possible hiding spot out there. Every shadow, every corner, under every car, in every space between. She narrowed her eyes, resting her hand on Cormac’s knee. “Take us home.”

The human leaned back with a groan, buckling himself in as Ixia did the same as rapidly as they could. Backing out and throwing it into drive as they sped off. Having recently gotten the hang of navigating Cormac’s phone for the purposes of playing music, Ixia put on some of her favorites as she leaned against the window and the two of them listened only to the music while saying nothing. After about half an album later, the two were flying down a desert freehway with the only other cars in sight were far off dots in either direction. 

Ixia craned her neck to look back behind them, still only seeing a few cars in the distance. She looked out into the desert surrounding them as it sped by. And finally she slammed an open palm onto the roof of the truck as Cormac winced, hoping it would hold up. The dryad gave a nod and then closed her eyes, focusing for a few moments as she rested her hands on the seat and a few vines crawled out from her wrists to work their way through the truck.

“We’re alone.” She said as they all shot back into her wrists, her illusion faltering there and letting through a flash of green mottled with woody brown.

Cormac relaxed and rolled his shoulders as he turned down the music, eyes still focusing on the road while scanning the horizon for...something. “Any idea what our mystery man is?”

“Too many possibilities.” Ixia said, every so often glancing around them to ensure they were still alone. “Could always be something...new…”

The pair both looked as though they had encountered some grisly, foul smelling scene so powerful they could taste it just by breathing. And it was, in effect, no different than that. A thing they didn’t want to be made aware of at all and yet a host of senses demanded their attention. And this metaphorical roadkill had found its way into their house, demanding even further action before things get worse.

“So I have a theory.” Cormac stated, finally clearing the air. “Which I admit is mostly wishful thinking, but still. If this uh, dude, wanted to hurt us I have to feel like he would have done it. Right? Like if he’s watching this closely, then he’s had plenty of opportunities to do...well yeah. Bad things.”

“What do you believe his goal is, then?” Ixia asked, studying Cormac as he drove and occasionally glanced over to her with a weary smile.

Cormac shrugged, tapping a hand on the wheel. “Wants to talk? Doesn’t know how? Is waiting for something? Has a grand scheme of making us desperate and or forcing us to give in to despair and for you to live as a normal woman and not an awesome dryad?”

“So I am worthy of awe?” Ixia turned in her seat, leaning against the door and propping up her head on her hand as she gave a wry smile.

Cormac rolled his eyes, mostly in a completely useless attempt to hide the heat and redness rising to his cheeks. He pursed his lips, biting at both of them as he did so and shaking his head. “Yeah. You are.”

Ixia’s lips curled into a smile that reached her eyes, causing them to twinkle just ever so as she looked over the human. “Perhaps this mystery man simply cannot think of what to say? Maybe he wants to help in his own way?”

“Could be.” Cormac sniffed. “Could be there’s a uh, miscommunication. Like when aliens don’t get humans and their ways.”
“And you have met some of these ‘aliens’ who don’t get you?” Ixia asked, tilting her head into her palm even more.

Cormac scoffed which turned into a bitter chuckle, staring down a mid day sun that would see them home just before dusk. “Well no, but I’ve met you, a nightmare eating snake, a nightmare woman, and an ash hound. These being the things I’m aware of.”

“And I don’t get you?” The dryad asked, thankful he was focused on the road as she was looking for a bit of clarification herself on that matter.

“NO! I didn’t say that! You’ve been adjusting fine!” Cormac quickly clarified as his knuckles turned ghost white from gripping the steering wheel while stealing a glance at the worried dryad. “I just meant that you’re from a world of magic, I’m not. Misunderstandings can happen! Like me misunderstanding everything about magic!”

Ixia eased up, let out a soft chuckle. “Then maybe we should focus on other things until our mystery man deigns to speak to us and allow an obsidian knife?”

“Orrrr, I just order one online. On the dark web if needed.” Cormac shot her a toothy grin. “And if he can get through the dark web...shit the whole deep web is probably Veiled, isn’t it? How much crypto is actually scary monsters? Is Proof of Stake really just a distraction and PoS really stands for Proof of Souls?”

Ixia avoided eye contact before putting on a sweet smile. “I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about?”

The human’s paranoid musings were brought back down to reality and he saw a car approaching them on the other side of the freeway, passing and growing smaller in the rearview mirror as they drove on. When it was but another dot out on a sea of cactus, yucca, and creosote he continued. “Well now you know how I feel when you’re talking about magic and stuff.”

“I’ll teach you if you teach me?” Ixia proposed, smile remaining as she did hope to become more acquainted with this world. It was hers now. Even if, no, when she succeeded in her goal this is the new world she was to live in. “We can start with more of your shows once we get home?”

“Told you you’d like them.” Cormac’s spreading grin was proof enough that any present worries had dissipated enough for now.

The dryad turned away from him, staring out the window. “They are amusing, and they help to acquaint myself with modern culture so they are a worthwhile endeavor.”

Ixia stretched her arms out to accompany a mighty yawn before swinging them low into crossed arms and an adorable scowl took over her face as she stared at the TV. “One more episode.”

The pair had made it home without further incident, and in such great time as to start a new streaming series. Science fiction, of course. Fantasy had come with a few too many instances of pausing followed by a lecture of how that was absolutely not how magic works. Modern day shows had been going well until one mentioned The Amazon, and how poorly that was going. Which had led into an entire talk on deforestation.

Cormac was reasonably sure he had only delayed a nature crusade, and had still in fact been drafted into addressing the issue after they had taken care of Ixia’s own forest. He had left out all monetary objections, and most objections at all after seeing her eyes glow and the air drop several degrees.

Sci-fi had been a much easier pill to swallow, especially after insisting that all of those dystopian futures with a wrecked biosphere could be avoided. Sure, he may have accidentally agreed to another nature crusade or several as they “find out what happened to her fellow dryads and whatever foul forces of The Veiled world had allowed this to happen”. Cormac was going to tell her it was likely just humanity being terrible, but he couldn’t actually rule out the possibility that actual demons or something had a vested interest in pushing for deforestation.

“I seem to remember you finally needed to sleep tonight.” Cormac r returned her gesture, crossing his arms at her from his place on the small couch. “Which means sleep for you, as I stay up and keep a lookout.”

Lilac eyes stared into his green eyes, pleading. “But-”

“The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner I can sleep, and then we can both find out what happened with the Sedna Gate.” Cormac’s grin was strained as he held back a yawn, not wanting to give her an excuse to call off her sleep.

“It’s obviously the start of a trap.” Ixia pouted. “All the other Coalition sophonts are already thinking which one of them is next, and-”

“Dream about it, Ixia.” Cormac shook his head, standing up from the couch and reaching a hand out to help the dryad up.

She grumbled under her breath, still avoiding his piercing green gaze as she reached her hand out to his and he pulled her to her feet. “I still say it’s a misdirect and the Relicts are trying to fool the Coalition into turning on one another.”

Cormac was starting to get dizzy from rolling his eyes as he gently dragged the dryad on her fourth yawn in half as many minutes to the threshold in his bedroom and into her own bit of impossible forest, now drenched in a pale light that he assumed to be the moon though through the thick branches he couldn’t directly see the sky there. If there even was any.

Ixia grumbled a final time and began her descent into the pool of water, stopping as she was waist deep to look back at her Guardian with a face betraying fear rather than pouty annoyance as he had expected. “If anything at all goes wrong. Wake me.”

A grin fell into a worried frown as Cormac took a step towards her and stopped. “I trust that you’ve warded this place well. I can make it through the night well enough to test that. And if anything does go wrong I’ll wake you, promise.”

The dryad leaned back against the edge of the pool among the smooth rocks bearing not a hint of algae. She stared up at the thick forest canopy only letting in cracks of pale light. “I didn’t get to choose the last time I fell asleep…”

Cormac nearly fell over as he realized the implications and how he had been insisting. “Ixia if you don’t want to-”

“I’m choosing to listen to someone who cares about my wellbeing this time.” She traced a finger along the still waters of the pool, causing ripples to flow out from her fingertip and bounce off one another. Cormac stood there, feeling weak and like the worst thing alive or dead in this world or any other. “The same someone who woke me from my long slumber, who I trust to know when it is safe to sleep now.”

The Guardian sat next to the dryad at the edge of the water, staring down into its depths while still avoiding looking at her out of a sense of politeness despite her complete indifference to her own preference of going without clothes whenever possible. She looked up at him, catching his gaze with a small grin and tears at the corners of her eyes.

Cormac sighed, shaking his head and resting his hand on hers at the edge of the pool. “Then sleep. I’ll be here when you wake, and everything will be fine.”

He sincerely hoped that would be true, and Ixia either believed him or hoped for the same thing enough that she wiped away her tears and let her smile grow a bit. “I’ll see you when I wake.”

“See you when you wake.” Cormac nodded to her before she finished her descent into the pool, coming to a rest with just her head sticking out of the water as she closed her eyes and went motionless.

An energy drink he had been saving in the fridge would be Cormac’s guiding light right now, and in place of that a strong cup of tea would suffice. Instead, he was reluctant to make even the short run back to his kitchen and leave Ixia for a few minutes out of the four or so hours that she had insisted would be all she needed to sleep. With bleary eyes he blinked and scanned the forest here, looking for anything nearby that he could use to keep himself occupied and awake.

Seeing only plants and the doorway leading back into his apartment, he blinked slowly in resignation as he accepted this was going to be a long night.