Lydia the Siren's Arc

Chapter 34 of 37

The light held Lydia in the crystal for a long time. She could not count the hours. She felt roots feed into her skin, threading warmth through her tired flesh. She had accepted the bargain. Now the forest set about remaking her. She waited, still, and let it work. The blue glow around her began to fade. The great crystal at the grove's center dimmed, its cracked facets going quiet. The living cocoon of roots loosened, then peeled back one strand at a time. Cool air touched her face. Lydia opened her eyes. She stood on her own feet. That alone surprised her. For days she had barely crawled. Now her legs held her without shaking. She flexed one hand and watched the fingers close, sure and quick. The starving weakness was gone. Something new had taken its place. Her skin caught the light. It glowed faintly, warm as a coal under ash. She pressed a palm to her chest and felt her own heartbeat, steady and human. Not the hunger of a beast. Not the empty ache of a dying woman. She understood her body now, every muscle and breath, the way a person knows a house they were born in. Then she saw the dress. Blue crystal sheathed her arms and chest, fitted like war armor but cut with an open, wild grace. Fine green vines wound through the plates. It shimmered exactly as the great crystal had shimmered before it dimmed. She lifted an arm. The crystal moved with her, light as cloth, hard as stone. "You wear a piece of me now," the crystal being said. Lydia turned. The will of the forest stood at the heart of the grove. Its faceted head glowed pale blue above spiked, dark limbs. Crystal offshoots served as its arms. She had knelt before it as a killer. It looked at her the same way still, patient and unafraid. "What is this?" she asked. She touched the plate over her heart. "A part of the grove, given to you," it said. "You forfeited the beast. In its place you carry the forest. The armor holds while you keep your bargain. Break it, and the crystal leaves you bare." "Then I will keep it," she said. The crystal being dimmed. Its light sank back into the great jewel and went still. The roots withdrew into the earth. Lydia stood alone in the quiet grove, a woman remade, and turned toward the trees to begin walking out.