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on her shoulders. The warmth of his skin had a sedating effect on her. She felt drowsy.
    “I believe you have done enough for the day, lady. Time to get in bed and stay there until dawn.”
    She looked into his green eyes in the mirror and yawned. “What about food?”
    “Are you hungry?”
    “No.”
    “The forest has fed you for the night. Tomorrow is soon enough to begin your new life. Rest.” His words had weight that made her sway in place.
    She nodded forward, and he lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed that had been grown in place and settling her in the soft sheets. He crawled in next to her and curled up, spooning her against him.
    “Acuar?”
    “Yes, Honour?”
    “When did I start to see in the dark?”
    He chuckled and soothed her into sleep, not answering her question.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    For the first time in her life, Honour did not resent the morning light streaming in on her. She stretched and pushed the bedding aside to give her body full exposure.
    The dots on the backs of her arms weren’t glowing in the light, but she could feel the humming of power under her skin. Acuar was sitting at a desk that she didn’t remember from the night before, but for all she knew, the forest had grown it for him.
    “I thought you were going to sleep the day away.” He turned and smiled at her.
    She wrinkled her nose. “What time is it?”
    “Nearly noon. Touch the headboard and think of food. It will be delivered in a few minutes.”
    Bemused, she reached out and conveyed her request. She felt an acknowledgement and sat back. “Huh. I guess it beats a bell pull.”
    “Again, don’t know what that is.”
    She thought about explaining it to him, but instead, she opted for a trip to the lav. Running around naked had never been one of her favourite pastimes, but it felt completely normal to be doing it now.
    After she brushed her teeth and combed out her braid, she walked to the wardrobe and looked at her options. Acuar had been correct, crop tops abounded in company with long skirts made of panels shaped like the petals of flowers. Overlapped, they formed a decently opaque skirt.
    Belts were made out of woven vines.
    She made a few choices, belted the skirt in place and looked in the mirror to see what she would change when more clothing was offered. Her skin heated and the top rose an inch, exposing the rose completely. The fabric darkened to a colour that more closely matched her eyes. The rose on her abdomen took on a blush pink colour with the leaves turning a bright green.
    “Very nice. You seem to be catching on quickly.” He rose to his feet, wearing a deep green tunic and trousers that made his eyes glitter in the sunlight.
    “Thank you. This was more about wanting to be dressed when lunch arrived.” She smirked.
    Just as he took her by the arms and bent to kiss her, a knock sounded on the door. Acuar kissed her softly and then lifted his head, calling out. “Come in.”
    She looked over to watch the trays being brought in. “Nice. Does it just work with the bed?”
    “Any piece of wood is now a conduit for your thoughts, and through it, the forest will speak with the Freyalki you wish to communicate with.” He smiled and his hand at her back urged her into the front room.
    A table was set for two with a large quantity of covered dishes and a pitcher with clear water in it.
    Honour smiled at the servers and said, “Thank you. It is welcome after all this time. I feel like I have not eaten in forever.”
    The women smiled and bobbed their heads as they left. When Honour touched the table, she could feel pleasure radiating from it.
    “Is everything here alive?”
    He shrugged and pushed her chair in. “Pretty much. Some utensils need to be metal but most things that can be made out of wood are made out of shallowly rooted trees that are amenable to being altered to be useful.”
    “So, this table is alive and will eventually grow into a banquet-sized table?” she tried to figure