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The woods enveloped her as they always did. Daphne called herself seventeen types of fool. Arvina knew who she was, probably knew where she lived. There would be no hiding from her, which was a pity. Hiding was all Daphne knew.

The leaves of the trees caressed her as she passed. The moment that she thought she could draw breath and relax, she stopped and leaned against a helpful trunk. Arvina had not followed, that much was certain.

In the darkness, dressed in black, she slumped to the ground and let the aches of her body unclench a little at a time. Her feet had a pulse, her arms were in agony and her back was screaming. It had been a heck of an evening.

The branches near her moved, and she froze. It was not uncommon to have predators this close to town, but they usually stayed away from the hall on nights where a party was going on.

The branches shifted again, whispering lightly to each other. With her body protesting, she got to her feet. “Who is there?”

“Arvina thought that her presence would not be welcome.”

The trees were speaking Gaian, so Daphne knew she had gone insane at long last.

She staggered down the path and stopped abruptly when she struck a tree that wasn’t supposed to be there. To her shock, the tree was wearing the formal clothing of the Nine.

Hands cupped her elbows and held her upright. “Easy, miss.”

Her impression of a tree was not far off, his body was hard, tall and the same shade as the trees next to him.

“Who are you?”

He released her and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I messed this up. I am Apolan Leoraki. I am the new ambassador to Gaia on behalf of the Nine, and I need an assistant.”

The light from the single moon illuminated him for a moment. He was indeed one of the Tree Folk of the Nine. It took her a moment to catch onto his statement. Giggles flowed through her. “You have stalked and ambushed me in the dark to offer me a job?”

She snickered, hooted and howled with laughter.

He waited patiently for her to cease.

Daphne finally straightened. “I don’t think that this is a conversation for the dark of the forest. May we go into the light?”

“Of course. May I help you through the path?”

She smiled in the darkness. “Aside from the occasional alien in the path, I have never had any problem.”

He made a noise that was low and similar to the rustle of leaves. She imagined it was his version of a laugh.

Daphne turned and led the way back to the hall grounds.

The pool of light was surprisingly welcome to her, considering that hiding was her normal default. She wanted to see the wall she had collided with, and there was nothing better than light to dispel the fears of the dark.

Arvina was waiting at one of the outdoor tables. Apparently, she knew what Daphne would find in the woods.

She still had an expression of relief as Daphne and the tree man exited the woods.

“I was not sure that she would be in the mood to let you find her, Apolan.”

“She was gracious enough to let herself take a break under the trees. They told me exactly where she was.”

He spoke, and Daphne turned to look up at him.

He was indeed walnut coloured, his clothing the deepest green with slightly darker embroidery, which matched his hair. The only things that stood out were his eyes. In the light, they were a leafy green.

A tea service and three cups were in front of Arvina. They were expected.

When she dropped her exhausted body into a chair, she took a cup of tea gratefully. “All right, what do you want?”

Apolan sat next to her, fairly close. He lifted his cup as gracefully as Arvina lifted hers.

Arvina started, “We have been asked to build a presence here, but Apolan thinks that a Gaian in the administration will help the locals to accept and adjust to us. That is where you come in.”

“Why me?”

“Out of all the Gaians interviewed for the reception, you were the only one who didn’t ask about the guests, merely about the details of the service. You were fixated on the job and not seeing and gawking at someone new. That is an admirable trait. Also, when I began to do scent trials, you disappeared right under my nose. That is not something that happens often, I can tell you.”

Daphne blushed. “I simply needed to know what was needed for the job. Nothing more.”

Arvina smiled, “I know. It was the first in the more noticeable traits around you. The other was your disappearing. How do you do that?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I simply look at a person and disappear from their perceptions, by whatever method they use.”

“Are you free to work with Apolan as his assistant?”

Arvina raised her cup to her lips and arched her eyebrows.

Daphne had no jobs lined up after this one, so she nodded. “I am free. Does it pay?”

Apolan was indignant. “Of course it does.”

Arvina raised a hand. “Twice the rate per hour that you were paid this evening, plus a clothing bonus as I am sure that you do not have the correct items for the position. We may have to have something that works sent down from the ship for you. I will make a note to have a seamstress visit.”

Daphne wanted to be indignant about the offer of a clothing allowance, but she really didn’t have anything appropriate. “When does the position start?”

Apolan smiled grimly. “Tomorrow? We have been given offices at city hall until our building is ready. It should be finished within the month.”

“What time?”

She could probably scrounge some proper clothing out of her mother’s things if she had to.

“It is late, so noon? Ask for the temporary Embassy of the Nine, and they will direct you.”

She nodded. “Fine. Yes. I agree. We will discuss duties and such in the morning. For now, I am far too tired.”

Apolan asked, “Do you have a conveyance?”

It took her a moment to figure it out. “Oh. No. I walk home. It is just over that ridge there. Not too far at all.”

The skimmer had been the first thing sold after her parents’ death and the bill collectors had come to call.

Her father’s penchant for inventing had never born fruit, but debts seemed to bloom in his wake. His death just made the men more insistent on getting what was theirs.

She had sold everything worth selling, pared down her antique books and taken on any job someone would pay her for.

She shook her head. “Come to think of it, I should get home. There are things to do before I start my new job.”

Apolan rose and helped her pull out her chair. “I will escort you home. This is no place for a lady alone.”

She blinked up at him. “No one has called me a lady in a very long time.”

“Then, it is overdue.”

He offered her his arm, and she took it. “Please direct me to your home. The trees were not very forthcoming.”

She grinned and pointed. “That way. Straight line more or less.”

They walked in the direction she pointed for a few minutes before she asked, “Why were you chosen for the position here on Gaia?”

He grinned, the white of his teeth flashing in the moonlight. “The Forest clan are the least susceptible to pheromones. It was thought that one of our kind would more easily deal with yours. I have been prepared to answer questions, to smooth the paths between our races. It has taken a bit of research, but that is why it was decided that I was to obtain an assistant of Gaian extraction.”

“Extraction is a good word. Was there a reason that Arvina selected me aside from my lack of scent?”

He cocked his head as if deliberating his next words. “I believe it was also your lack of interest in the men of the Nine. Many of the others selected for the event were intrigued by the thought of meeting and mating with a man of the Nine. We do not give our affections lightly, nor do we engage in casual encounters with alien races. It seems your women were not ready to accept that.”

She snickered, “Something different and new is always more attractive than the toy one already plays with. It goes for men as well, and the men of the Nine are very attractive as far as such judgements go.”

“You find us attractive?”

To her amusement, he seemed to grow a little taller at that. “I do, but it is not my opinion that matters but that of your lady wife.”

“I am not married, bonded or attached . . . yet.”

There was meaning in his tone, but she ignored it.

She nodded. “Fair enough. So, what will I be doing?”

“Your position will entail taking appointments from a variety of sources, running my calendar and accompanying me to public functions.”

His tone was matter of fact.

“Public functions?”

“You will have a clothing allowance and be dressed in the fashions of the Nine. The clothing of the Forest clan will suit you very well, I think. Arvina is sending for the seamstress soon, so you will be kitted out before the grand opening of our embassy.”

They reached the rise that overlooked her tiny house in the centre of a ring of trees. The wildness of the area was the reason that the colonists didn’t bother trying to plough through the ground. Removing the woods was far too much labour and the ground only suited to growing trees.

Apolan’s voice was amused, “You live with trees.”

“I do. My parents owned the house before me, and when they died, it came to me.”

“I am sorry. How did they die?”

She took a deep breath and said one word. “Tokkel.”

He stiffened and nodded. “I see.”

She glanced up at him and really doubted that he did.