“This is what Gwenno reported last year when she patrolled in this area,” Dorrin said before Beclan asked. “Why my family cursed the trees, I don’t know—unless it’s possible that some form of blood magery works with trees.”

She turned to her militia. “Ride on until you find a healthy stand of trees and make camp there. I want to study this and see if anything may be done.” The guards saluted and rode ahead. Dorrin dismounted; Beclan followed her.

“It’s horrible,” Beclan said. “Can we do anything?”

“We can try, though I suspect it would take a Kuakgan or an elf—or a group of them. Pick a tree.”

Beclan chose a tree with a few tufts of spring-green leaves on twisted limbs. They both laid hands on it; Dorrin felt its living essence, frayed and sad, through the palms of her hands. “Alyanya’s power,” Dorrin said. “Lady of Flowers, Lady of Peace … if we can help this tree, show us how.” To her senses, the tree seemed to warm, as if a little more life flowed into it.

Beclan looked at her. “I feel something, my lord,” he said. “It’s not like a pulse, but a … a flow.” He looked up. “But no more leaves.”

“It will take time, I suppose,” Dorrin said. She sighed. “Do you feel tired, Beclan?”

“Yes. As if I’d been running.”

“Enough for today. We’ll eat and rest before riding on.”

As they sat in the thin shade of the crooked tree, Dorrin felt a tremor in the ground, much like a horse shaking a fly off its skin. Beclan dropped the bread he was holding. They both heard the groan that followed. Then shade thickened; they looked up, and Dorrin saw thrice as many leaves as before and a few sprays of apple blossom, its scent drifting down to them.

“We did that?” Beclan said, his eyes wide.

“I would not say so,” Dorrin said. “The taig and the Lady of Plenty did that, but we opened a way for them to work. Come, let us try another.”

But the next attempt exhausted Beclan; he crumpled to the ground, pale to the lips. “I’m sorry, my lord,” he said when his eyes opened again.

“It is not your fault,” Dorrin said. She felt tired, too. “You are new to this; you did very well. When you’re able, we’ll ride on to camp.” Her guards had set up tents and had hot food waiting when she and Beclan arrived. She wondered as she ate how many trees were damaged and how long it would take to heal them.