Phoenix, the tree nymph standing on the ground with Aura, giggled and said, “Ooh! That tickles!” The sharp orichalc blade made the job easier than it would have been with the working edge of his issue dagger. Corylus could certainly have cut through the stems with the steel, but since he had only one hand, he would have had to chop against the trunk. He would’ve been careful not to do any real damage, but he would rather have slept on bare dirt than do it. Of course, Phoenix might have liked it. Women are as different in their tastes as men are. Grinning at the thought, Corylus sheathed his dagger and called, “I’m going to drop down, so stay clear!” His feet were twenty feet above the ground, but he’d made longer jumps in the past. The palm’s jagged bark provided a better grip for his bare feet than a smoother trunk would have done, but both his soles and the insides of his knees were bleeding from the climb. The vines that twisted to the crown to dangle their flowers were too slender for him to climb instead of using the trunk itself.
