Chapter 3: The Old Oak Tree

The next morning, Hazel waits patiently for Lily to arrive at the stone bridge near the church. Last night, Lily was enthusiastic for a guided tour up river as far as the old oak tree. However, Hazel recognised that Cedar’s preference to visit the ruins of Thingley Castle was causing a rift in the couple’s otherwise harmonious relationship. Consequently, Hazel is surprised to see Cedar accompanying Lily as they walk hand in hand towards her.

Hazel needs to reconsider her plan. She’s certain that Lily will agree to join the Dryad community once she sees the old oak tree, but her intimate relationship with Cedar presents a problem. Hazel’s original plan was the tried and tested ploy of persuading the new recruit to drink and eat the tree spirit’s gifts. Once the gifts are consumed, the five day transformation process becomes irreversible. However, the new recruit is vulnerable from outside interference until she emerges from the cocoon in which she is wrapped during her transformation into a dryad. Well meaning, but always lethal, attempts by others to prematurely free the recruit from her cocoon must be avoided. Once she emerges from the cocoon, a new dryad will outwardly appear exactly the same as before her transformation. Those looking for her can easily be persuaded that she was simply lost in the forest, and now happy to be found.

Had Cedar gone off on his own to Thingley Castle, then Hazel probably had a full day before any search for Lily was initiated. Since Lily’s a young foreign tourist on a free-wheeling holiday, then the police and locals aren’t going to put much effort into searching for her. The legends of women disappearing in the Briarwood will undoubtedly get a new lease of life, but the general consensus will be that Lily has just continued on her travels.

In that scenario, Cedar would likely be a problem. Even if he couldn’t enthuse the locals into helping search for Lily, Cedar would almost certainly search by himself. Without knowing the area, and with only a vague idea of where Lily has gone, it would be reasonable to assume that it would take two or three days for him to reach far enough up river to stumble across the old oak tree, and the cocoon in which Lily will be encased. That’s where the real danger to Hazel’s plans, and Lily’s life, lies. If Cedar finds Lily wrapped in a cocoon, regardless of any attempt made by Hazel to intervene, Cedar will undoubtedly try to free Lily ... and inadvertently kill her in the process.

Cedar joining Lily on the trip is a greater challenge to Hazel’s scheme. Not only must Hazel divert Cedar’s attention while Lily consumes the spirit’s gifts, but somehow he needs to be kept out of the way during the transformation process. It would be so much easier if Cedar accepted Lily’s transformation, but Hazel has never known any man agree to such an act. Bizarrely, men are happy to attend the orgies at Moonstone Rock at full moon, and fuck dryads for hours, but suggesting a human woman should be allowed to become a dryad promptly triggers indignation and hostility. Hazel’s mind is working overtime to come up with a plan as the three of them set off along the river path.

“I thought you said there wasn’t a path to the oak tree?” queries Cedar as they walk past the graveyard.

“This path only goes part of the way,” replies Hazel. “The lower valley is well travelled, but once we pass the old mill the trail gets difficult.”

“Hmm. There’s not a lot to see here,” mumbles Cedar. “River. Trees. Fields.”

“ ... and a graveyard,” adds Lily forcefully, clearly unhappy at Cedar’s whining.

“There’s a lot of history buried in this graveyard,” says Hazel, trying to defuse a pending spat. “Far more than at Thingley Castle. See this small mausoleum next to the river? The Third Earl of Thingley is buried there ... along with his three wives, two of whom were his daughters by his first wife.”

“It’s surely illegal to marry your own daughters,” replies Lily, clearly shocked.

“Yes. But that didn’t stop him from doing so,” replies Hazel. “Nor did it prevent him from marrying both daughters at the same wedding. The local clergy were very compliant to the Earl’s wishes. Legend has it that the earl would have married one of his granddaughters had his heart not given out first.”

“That must be a made up tale,” says Cedar dismissively.

“No. The church has excellent records of local births, deaths, and marriages,” replies Hazel. “And one of his granddaughters is a regular at the Moonstone Rock orgies.”

“That must make her hundreds of years old,” says Cedar, looking at the dates carved into the mausoleum’s stonework.

“Two hundred and eighty two,” replies Hazel nonchalantly. “But she has the looks of a twenty-something. She’s a dryad.”

“More myths,” snorts Cedar.

“And what if I introduced her to you? Would you call her a myth to her face?” challenges Hazel.

Cedar is unsure what to make of that challenge. However, Hazel is more interested in Lily’s reaction to the mention of dryads. Lily goes thoughtful for a while as the three of them resume their journey. The graveyard is a long way behind them by the time Lily speaks.

“I’ve always dreamed of ways to protect the forests and the natural world from the encroachment and destruction wreaked by humans,” says Lily to Hazel, while Cedar trails behind skimming stones in the river. “Dryads seemed so dedicated to that goal, but I thought they were nothing but a fanciful myth. I have often tried to think of ways to transform what they do into real life. And now you are saying dryads are real.”

“Yes,” replies Hazel. “And you can become one too if you wish.”

“Hah! I don’t think Cedar will approve. At least not until we return to America. Then we must part, and I suppose his interest in me will wane soon enough. Perhaps then I can consider your offer.”

“I thought you two were really close,” says Hazel, surprised. “Why do you expect to part company when you go back?”

“Superstition. Cedar comes from a family steeped in tradition and superstition. Marriages must conform to their deeply held beliefs. Put simply, I’m a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Cedar’s parents have no problem with Cedar fucking me ... even making me pregnant ... but marrying me or having any sort of long term relationship is out of the question.”

“Then why do you go along with this arrangement?” asks Hazel.

“I owe Cedar my life ... or at least my sanity. He rescued me from the depths of despair when my parents and sister died. Coming on this trip is my way of saying thank you.”

Hazel doesn’t challenge Lily’s motives for travelling with Cedar. They are clearly attracted to each other, and despite what Lily says, there is a definite chemistry between them. Hazel isn’t sure Cedar will easily forget Lily, which makes her job that much harder.

Cedar shows more interest in their journey when they reach the old mill and Hazel relates its history. In days of old, the villagers on the Thingley estate used to bring their crops to the mill to make flour. The huge water wheel that once powered the mill has long decayed into rotting scraps of wood. The mill hasn’t been used to produce flour for over a hundred and fifty years. However, even now, it’s a popular spot for young lovers to make out. The floor is littered with sawdust and used condoms. Rumour has it that a quarter of children born in Thingley Bottom were conceived in this mill.