I’ve taken for granted the simple pleasures in life. Eating a hot meal, kindling a warm fire, bathing more than once a week. It’s only after Teddy wraps me in a silken, red nightgown and splashes my face with a rosy tonic that I remember to give thanks for small joys. I curl my toes beneath the fine sheets and fluff the pillow behind my head.

“The Lady has finally shown grace,” I whisper, gently stroking my cheek with a soft, vermillion blanket.

From her perch on the edge of my bed, Teddy smiles. Her braids fall loose, framing her delicate face. “You were kidnapped and then lost in the Florian Wood! It’s only grace that the Lady has shown you! That you’d survive any of it is unheard of!”

I nod in agreement. I haven’t told her about Idizina and am not sure I ever will. I’m where I’m meant to be. Finally, I can lay to rest the horrors of the trees. It’s over.

“Are the stories of The Wood true?” Teddy’s voice is halting, and she refuses to meet my eyes.

I scoot back against the plush headboard and roll my neck. Perhaps the horrors aren’t entirely over.

“It depends,” I sigh. “What stories have you heard?”

She picks at the covers before she answers. “Many, actually. I spend most days reading in the library or making those.” She gestures to shelves lined with small bottles filled with colored liquids.

“What are they?” I squint, but I can’t read the labels, and I’m too tired to rise.

“Some are medicinal; some for cosmetic purposes. Then others have…a different purpose,” she says and gazes down at her hands. “Lach refers to them as potions. I prefer to call them Teddy Tonics. But the Wood. I want to know more.”

“Trust me, Teddy,” I interrupt sharply, and she finally looks at me. “You don’t want to know. There are terrible, terrible things within them. Braizen and I survived by chance alone. We should be dead.”

“But the trails,” she continues. “The trails for Verdanians to use are said to be safe. At least, for the most part.”

“Let’s talk about something else.”

Her eyes twitch, and for a moment, I think she’ll wish me good night and leave. Instead, she scooches closer and rests a gentle hand on mine.

“Fine,” she concedes, and I’m grateful. “So, you and Braizen?”

I’m no longer grateful. I let out an uneasy laugh. “What about me and Braizen?” My body floods with embarrassment.

“How about you tell me.” Her voice trails off softly, but her smile grows.

I shuffle my feet under the blankets.

“There’s nothing to tell,” I state. Her expression doesn’t change. “I’m serious! He kidnapped me and dragged me through the four hells so he could take me to his father. What else do you want to know?”