31. Reyna
Chapter thirty-one
Reyna
I f they thought the Nacean River was cold, it had absolutely nothing on Tawney in the winter.
A literal snowstorm raged. Unlike on the Nacean, one of the Realm’s most powerful ley lines, here Kianthe’s power was minimal. There was no magical shielding from the ice pelting their faces. Lilac looked miserable, trudging through the snow only because Reyna was tugging her reins. The cart she hauled kept getting stuck in the snow, and Kianthe seemed to be struggling to keep the path in front of it clear.
“Perhaps we should summon the dragons, rather than hiking all the way to Dragon Country,” Reyna called over the wind.
Kianthe wrenched another pile of snow out of their path. “We might have to. This is ridiculous.”
Reyna squinted against the storm, but even at midday, it was dark and gloomy. They weren’t far from Tawney, but it had taken the better part of the morning just to make it this far. Reyna was thoroughly chilled, and already anticipating the little get-together they were hosting at New Leaf tonight.
Lilac, meanwhile, was clearly anticipating the quiet, warm stables of Tawney’s inn. She tossed her head, resisting the steady pressure Reyna was putting on her reins.
“I know, girl,” Reyna said, patting her neck. “Just a bit more, okay?”
The eggs had been packaged inside carefully padded crates for the journey home, which had taken the remainder of the fall season. The winter solstice came and went as they reached Wellia, and now they were well into the darkest season of the year. It was a miserable time to hand off the dragon eggs, but Reyna wasn’t keen to wait until spring.
Not when they were so close to true freedom.
Ahead, Kianthe groaned. “Ugh. Between Tawney’s ridiculous ley line and those things pulsing with dragon magic—” she jerked a thumb at the crate with the eggs, secured in the small cart, “—I am so done.”
She looked pale, slightly nauseated. They’d spent so much time on the Nacean River that Reyna had almost forgotten magic drain was a real problem here. She stopped, running a hand over her snow-soaked hair. “Then let’s summon the dragons and be done with this. Can you call them?”
“If they can see me. Maybe.” Kianthe set her jaw, stepping through the snow to put some distance between them. She pulled her hands together and went quiet for several moments—clearly tugging on magic that wasn’t hers to command.
Reyna hoped it didn’t poison her again; she sincerely didn’t want to cancel their evening plans.
Whatever she did must have worked, because an earth-shattering roar echoed over the icy plains. Kianthe dropped her arm, drawing an exhausted breath. “Well, I think it’s safe to say they’re coming.”
“Just in time,” Reyna said, offering an arm to steady the mage.
They stood together near Lilac, who was looking increasingly nervous. Reyna held onto her reins tightly, whispering condolences as the horse’s eyes widened, ears flicking towards the approaching wingbeats.
One dragon landed with a thump beside them, seemingly unbothered by the snow.
Two more followed suit, literally shaking the ground as they folded their wings.
Reyna would recognize the leader anywhere: it was the same dragon who’d given Kianthe its magic last spring. The same one who’d offered the bindment in the first place—the eggs for Tawney’s safety.
Now, Kianthe separated from Reyna’s support, addressing them. “We found the eggs. Two of them, anyway.” She went quiet for a moment. She’d told Reyna once that she communicated with the dragons through flashes of magic, images that slid between an invisible link. Reyna wondered if she was showing the dragons the location of the third egg, the one lost to time.
The dragon lowered its head. Its skull was massive, bigger than Lilac, bigger than the cart. Its intelligent eyes shifted from Kianthe to Reyna, and she swore she saw recognition spark in its gaze. The beast inclined its head, straightened, and carved a circle into the snow with one intimidating talon.
“Thank the Stone,” Kianthe muttered under her breath, and stepped into the circle.
Reyna gripped the worn leather straps of the reins, watching in interest as the circle glowed blue, then flashed yellow. When the wind died down, Kianthe looked exactly the same, but she heaved a sigh like a huge weight had been lifted.
“The bindment is complete,” she said. “I wasn’t sure they’d allow that, considering the missing egg. But they’re just happy to get two back.”
“Will they hatch?” Reyna asked, handing off the reins to pry open the crate, revealing the eggs for the dragons’ inspection. They’d brought them to the storage room beneath the burnt church the moment they’d arrived in Tawney, and Feo undid the spell binding the dragon magic. It infused the eggs now, powerful enough that even Reyna could tell the difference.
Now, when she pressed a hand on the eggs’ leathery shells, she felt life pulsing from them.
Kianthe kept a hold of Lilac’s reins, since the horse was wide-eyed now that the dragons were closing in. “They’ll hatch. Not sure when, but I’m sure the dragons will be happy. Arlon could have done a lot worse than keeping them on display for decades.”
Reyna hauled one egg out, carried it to the lead dragon, then repeated the process with the other one. The main dragon studied each of them, a satisfied grumble echoing in the back of its throat, before scooping them both up with surprising tenderness. Cradling the eggs in its talons, it spread massive wings, nodded again at Kianthe, and took to the skies.
Its backup followed suit, and the dragons left.
“I expected that to be more complicated,” Reyna remarked, closing the empty crate.
Kianthe looked ready for a nap. She swallowed a yawn, but seemed much less sickly now that the dragons were gone. “What about dragon magic melding with elemental magic to bridge communication between two nations isn’t complicated?”
Reyna snorted. “When you put it like that, I suppose it’s a miracle that only took a few moments.” She took the reins from Kianthe, guiding Lilac back to Tawney. “Come on. We’re hosting tonight.”
It seemed like the entire town of Tawney showed up for their homecoming.
New Leaf Tomes and Tea was absolutely packed. Every table was filled, every shelf being perused, every armchair taken. Lively conversation filled the bright space, even as the snowstorm raged outside.
Reyna flitted from customer to customer, offering ceramic mugs of hot tea and plates of scones. She smiled at Sasua and her son, their next-door neighbors, and ruffled Gossley’s hair as she passed. The teenage boy flinched against her touch, shooing her away.
“Miss Reyna, please.” He cast a surreptitious glance at his new girlfriend, the carpenter’s daughter. “I’m hardly a kid anymore. I managed the shop more days than anyone. I’m basically a business owner.” He puffed up his chest, and it looked as silly as the day he stepped into their store asking for a bandit assignment.
She had to swallow her laughter, but her shoulders shook anyway. “Of course, Gossley. Thank you for your help while we were gone.”
He grinned, satisfied, and she moved on.
She paused at Diarn Feo’s table. They were lounging across from Lord Wylan. The lord looked absolutely flabbergasted, pushing thick hair out of his eyes. “A Council member ? How in the five hells did you snag that job?”
“I told you, Wylan,” Feo said, examining their nails with casual indifference. “You don’t explore opportunities outside of Tawney. When the Arcandor’s griffon appeared at my doorstep, I knew Kianthe had discovered something. I was happy to give her some time, and I was greatly rewarded for it.”
Reyna snorted.
The lords glanced her way. Feo’s eyes flashed.
She busied herself cleaning the table beside them, smiling at the town informants, Sigmund and Nurt, as they helped her stack the plates. Clever that they’d sat so close to the lords, considering their line of work.
“I’m sorry,” she told Lord Wylan. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
Wylan hooked an arm over the back of his wooden chair. “Feo is lying, aren’t they?”
“The Council is still deciding on their candidacy,” she said neutrally. “And I heard their first act of business is to donate several very rare books to New Leaf Tomes and Tea. Help Tawney become even more of a destination.”
Now she shot a wry look at Feo. She wanted Kianthe to be above this kind of thing, but it was right down Reyna’s alley. She hadn’t spent her life circling Queen Tilaine’s court for nothing, after all.
The diarn set their jaw. “I thought Kianthe didn’t want those?” The words were pulled through gritted teeth.
Reyna smiled prettily. “She might not, but I’d view it as incredible generosity. Especially considering how valuable we’ve been to you of late. Councilor.” She winked and strolled away, but not before she caught Wylan’s sly smirk.
“How generous, Feo. Good for you.”
The diarn grumbled something inaudible.
Reyna carried the dirtied plates past the counter, smiling at Kianthe as she ducked into the storage room. When she emerged, wiping her hands on her apron, she realized Matild and Tarly had arrived. The midwife strolled to the counter with all the confidence of someone who owned the place, and she slammed two bronze coins on the wood. “Cuppa tea, and all the details . I heard you found pirates.”
“I heard you overthrew a diarn,” Tarly drawled, draping over the counter.
“You didn’t hear the best part.” Kianthe bent forward, beckoning them closer. “We met the Dastardly Pirate Dreggs.”
Matild’s face was one of absolute glee. “You did not!”
“They kidnapped Reyna.”
“It was a strange accident,” Reyna drawled, kissing Kianthe’s cheek before pouring a pitcher of water into her trusty copper kettle.
Matild clapped her hands together, elbowing her husband. “That’s it. Next time they leave town, they’re taking me with them.” Tarly arched an eyebrow, and she quickly backtracked: “Ah, I mean, us. Come on, Tarls. We could use a vacation, right? It’s about time.”
Tarly heaved a sigh. “A vacation to reconnect, just the two of us? Or a vacation to pitch your case for a one-night stand with a notoriously promiscuous pirate?”
“Who wouldn’t want a threesome with Dreggs?”
Solemnly, Tarly raised his hand.
His wife shooed him off. “Oh, stop it. You don’t even know what you want.”
He shot Kianthe and Reyna an exasperated—albeit amused—stare. “Tell me you got their biography signed, at least. Otherwise, she’ll be stealing your copy when she comes over next, and I really don’t want either of you infiltrating our shops to get it back.”
Reyna reached under the counter and handed Matild a book wrapped in heavy paper, tied with a cloth bow.
Matild squealed and tore at the wrapping, gathering the attention of several townsfolk. Whoever wasn’t looking before certainly glanced her way when she squealed, “It’s the sexy version, Tarly! And they signed it with a little heart!” and then swooned.
“Her most prized possession, as of two breaths ago,” Tarly drawled.
“It’s sleeping in bed with me tonight. You can have the couch.” Matild only half-sounded like she was joking. As an afterthought, she added, “Welcome home, you two. We missed you.” Without another word, she fled to the corner of the cozy bookshop, where she folded into a velvet armchair and opened the biography.
Tarly took his cup of tea and asked, “Are you two sticking around now that the dragon business is settled? I hear Tawney was listed as Shepara’s ‘up and coming town’ in the Wellia Times. Come spring, we’ll get a lot of tourists—especially since the risk of, you know, being burned alive is gone.”
Reyna grimaced, finally pouring herself a cup of tea as well. They’d taken several boxes of Diarn Arlon’s imported tea, and its scent filled the air as she opened one of the boxes. “We’re so happy to help keep folk from dying by dragon attack.”
“And after the pirates and alchemical magic and lovesick drama, I’m happy to stick around for a bit.” Kianthe heaved a satisfied sigh, watching the bustling folk filling every corner of their shop. “It’s good to be home.”
As the hearth blazed and warm laughter filled their bookshop and a snowstorm raged outside, Reyna smiled, pouring steaming water into her mug. Satisfaction filled her soul. “It really is.”
Perhaps adventure was much closer to home.