“It’s the water. It has magical properties,” he said. “It calms you, evokes happiness, and makes you forget whatever worries or woes plague you.”

“A natural antidepressant? Nice.”

Cair hummed in agreement. “It’s certainly the perfect place if you find yourself in need of recovery, but only for a short duration. If you stay too long, like any drug, you will become addicted, and you’ll never leave.”

“Yeah, you might have to carry me out of here, ’cause at this moment in time, never leaving sounds like the best plan ever.”

“Take whatever time you need.” Cair laughed, leaning down to kiss my forehead. “Enjoy yourself.”

That was all the encouragement I needed. I set my pack in the shade under a tree before wandering down to the water’s edge. There were other creatures—orcs, goblins, and a few catlike hybrids, from what I could see—but it wasn’t busy, and no one really paid me any heed.

I shimmied out of my shoes and pants, leaving my shirt on but unclipping the harness Cee had given me to store Ivar’s dagger from around my waist—a safety precaution Cair had suggested for my own peace of mind. I lowered myself into the pool, sighing happily. It was cooler than I’d expected, but a welcome relief from the scorching sun. I stayed next to the bank, just hovering and enjoying that weightless feeling, watching others swim past, nodding in greeting.

I stayed there long enough for my fingers to prune, and when I eventually hauled myself out, I didn’t bother peeling off my soaked shirt—something I wouldn’t have entertained before, since wrinkly skin was gross and wet clothes were even worse, but neither seemed to even faze me now. Those pools really were a form of witchcraft. I was content knowing they would dry in the heat, so all there was left for me to do was pick a vacant spot with a little shade, let my feet dangle into the water, and just observe.

Cee had propped herself against a tree at the far edge of the meadow. She looked alert to her surroundings, but the odd flick of her amber eyes toward the pools suggested she wasn’t totally immune to the merfolk’s charms. She was still a bit of an enigma to me, hard to crack, but she was devoted to her duty, and I respected that. I’d learned she was an alseid, a grove nymph, and that piece of information had only served to puzzle me further. The nymphs I’d read about were jovial creatures, sometimes shy—depending on the species—but were often found playing in nature and generally being happy and quirky.

Cee was not like that.