To Hunt a Ruby Remedy: A Grumpy/Sunshine Little Red Riding Hood Novella

Fourteen - Ranulf

I was beyondtired. A fever had broken out in Ortfel, hitting just after Grandmother left and sweeping through the village with a rare intensity. The villagers had relied on the medicines Grandmother had supplied them with during her recent visit, but within hours, the sickness had infected dozens of children. Including the infant Grandmother had just delivered.

Fevers were tricky. Even with my body-reading magic to identify the exact problem, it was hard to target the healing power to eradicate the illness. Letting the magic heal on a large scale, diminishing the worst of the symptoms, tended to work the best. With so many patients, and out of the range of the node, Grandmother could only do so much. She had sent me flying back to the edge of node lands to create as many enchantments as I could to deal with the most serious symptoms of the illness.

It took hours to stabilize everybody. Grandmother had accepted a bed with one of the villagers, but I didn’t want to stay, trapped in my dragon form. I flew home.

I was ready to drop to the ground when I reached the clearing near the cottage. Because of the darkness, it took until I was just above the trees before I spotted Scarlette. She was attempting to pull a rope from a tree. She looked up and began waving me away.

Was that a crossbow in her hands?

I followed her gestures and hovered over the far side of the clearing, shifting as my feet hit the ground. “What happened?”

“The hunter,” she said with such venom that I wondered for a moment if I was even talking to Scarlette. She left the rope I could no longer make out in the darkness and crossed the clearing. That was definitely a crossbow in her hands. “He saw you transform and decided to set a trap for your return.”

I suddenly felt vulnerable standing out in the open, naked. I wasn’t sure if it was the hunter who worried me, or an armed and angry Scarlette. On second thought, Scarlette was scarier without question. I made my way to the tree hiding my clothes. “Where is he now?”

“Hopefully on his way to Wulfkin. I wasn’t sure what else to do except make him leave. Though I guess if he does leave, he could spread word about your shape-shifting, and that’s supposed to be a secret. This is all my fault.”

Scarlette no longer sounded angry. She sounded defeated. I finished pulling on my pants and made my way back to her, not bothering with my shirt. I pulled the crossbow out of her loose grip and tucked her close to my body. “It isn’t your fault. He isn’t the first to see something he shouldn’t over the years. If he spreads the word and people come sniffing around, I’ll be extra careful for a while and let the villagers explain the tales away as drunken ramblings.”

Her arms wrapped around me, and she pressed her cheek against my chest. “He’s not going to give up. He saw you transform and immediately hatched a plan to use me as bait to trap you. He still wants to kill the dragon, even knowing the truth.”

“He planned to use you as bait?” I pulled back enough to look her in the eyes. “What happened, Scarlette?”

“He knocked me out, tied me up, and strung up a bunch of nets.” She gestured at the side of the clearing she had been in when I landed. “I got free, paralyzed him with the enchantment you gave me, and took his crossbow. I stupidly didn’t take the sword before he recovered, and couldn’t bring myself to shoot him. So, I told him to start walking and followed him part of the way toward Wulfkin.”

Scarlette’s dry recital of events didn’t fool me. She wasn’t as calm as she was pretending. I could feel her shaking against me. I lifted my hand and laid it against her temple. An echo of her pain pulsed through my head as my innate magic took stock of her injury. Nothing serious. I sent a swell of node power through her anyway, wiping out the lingering ache from the blow.

She sighed and burrowed deeper into me.

“Come on,” I whispered. “We’ve both had a busy night. Let’s get to bed.”

“What if Gideon comes back? He probably noticed that I stopped following him. There’s no reason for him to go all the way to Wulfkin then.”

“He wants a dragon. I won’t give him one. Since he can’t shoot me in the back without losing his chance at getting a dragon, we are safe enough. On node lands, a hunter is no match for me.”

“He can’t shoot you now, anyway,” Scarlette said, pulling back with a hint of a smile. “I took his crossbow.”

I lifted the weapon. “So you did.”

We walked back to the cottage, our steps slow as exhaustion tugged at us both. I fought to keep my mind clear as I thought over everything Scarlette had told me. I hadn’t lied that Gideon wasn’t the first person to see a transformation. According to the family journals, it happened at least once every generation. A visitor in Wulfkin had seen me shift years ago—it stood to reason that I’d attract more attention than the rest of my family since I shifted into a dragon.

That visitor hadn’t been much of a problem. She had been gathering mushrooms in the forest, and the villagers had convinced her that she had eaten the wrong mushrooms and hallucinated the whole thing. Such a tactic wouldn’t work on Gideon. Scarlette was right to say he wouldn’t give up, but I didn’t think he’d spread the word. Not if he was still intent on killing a dragon himself.

I could handle myself around the hunter, but Scarlette didn’t have the same protections the node granted me. Gideon had already figured out that she was the perfect bait to trap me. The longer Scarlette stayed in the forest, the greater the risk to her.

I needed to finish the charm and get her home.

This time Iwoke when Scarlette did. She had gone up to the attic with me without comment, the distance that had come between us that morning no longer in evidence. We had fallen into bed with her still in her shift and me in my trousers, but our bodies entwined.

I tightened my arm around her waist when she tried to slip out of bed. “Good morning.”

She twisted to face me, her smile hesitant. “Good morning.”

I kissed her, needing one last taste. This time, I wasn’t going to sit back and watch someone I cared about walk away. This time I would send her away myself. For her own safety, I had to.

Cared about. As if those words truly encompassed what I felt for Scarlette. But I couldn’t think of it in any other terms, not if I wanted to get through this.

I held her close, not wanting the moment to end, but knowing it had to. “I’ll finish the charm for your mother today. Then I think it would be best if I flew you home. Or at least close. I don’t want to risk you running into Gideon on your way.”

She went stiff in my arms. “I’ll be careful. You shouldn’t fly away from the forest. It’s not safe.”

I let her get up, knowing that I had held her for the last time, but wishing I could have had a few more minutes at least.

“We’ll be so high up that it is safe enough. I’ll set you down somewhere isolated.”

Scarlette pulled on her clothes. “It is safer if you don’t even shift. Not with Gideon still hunting you.”

I rolled out of bed and found a clean shirt to pull on. “Gideon has already proven he’ll use you against me. You can’t risk walking into Wulfkin—or running into him anywhere in the forest.”

Scarlette shrugged and went over to the trapdoor.

I rushed over. “Let me go first.”

A furrow formed between her brows as she stepped back and let me go downstairs.

The cottage was empty. Scarlette followed me into the main room and went to the kitchen. I moved to the sitting area, wanting to add as much power as I could to the charm before I had to fly Scarlette home.

The glass cube still sat on the small table, but the ruby wasn’t next to it. I opened the drawer, but it wasn’t in there, either. I crouched low, checking the floor. “Scarlette?”

“Yes?”

“Did you move the ruby charm?”

She came over to where I still crouched on the floor, patting around as if my hand could find what my eyes hadn’t. “No. It was still on the table when I left the cottage yesterday evening.”

Still on the table. The summons crystal had interrupted my conversation with Scarlette, and in my rush, I had left the ruby out on the table, in plain view.

I looked up and met her eyes. We spoke at the same time. “Gideon.”

I jumped to my feet. “I need to find him. Without that ruby, I can’t make a charm even as close to as powerful as you need. Even if I had the time.”

Scarlette stopped me from running out of the cottage with a single hand on my arm. “How will you find him?”

“I’ll go to the village. Even if he doesn’t plan to give up, he’ll need supplies. If he went all the way last night, I can get there before he wakes up. If he slept in the forest, then I’ll be there when he arrives this morning.”

“I thought you can’t shift once away from the node. You can’t confront him in dragon form.”

“I’ll be fine. And the villagers will help.”

“They won’t know what is going on.” Scarlette propped her hands on her hips. “This is my fault, anyway. I’ll go with you.”

I ignored the nonsense comment about it being her fault. Gideon was the only one to blame for his own actions. “I don’t want you anywhere near him, Scarlette.”

“Too bad. You need my help.” She hesitated. “I’ll bring the crossbow.”

I sighed. “There’s a walking staff in Grandmother’s room. Grab that while I write a message to send to Ortfel. I’ll enchant the staff with the same spell I gave you before. That way, you’ll have better reach.”

Scarlette rushed over to Grandmother’s room. I found a sheet of paper and wrote a quick message explaining what was going on. Someone in Wulfkin could ride up to the other village and explain that I wouldn’t be coming to give Grandmother a ride home until tomorrow.

I told Scarlette to eat something while I enchanted the staff. Then I took the time to layer the magic carefully, with enough power to last for an hour of constant use. I considered the best trigger and decided to add a verbal command.

I handed Scarlette the staff, and she handed me a peeled egg and hunk of cheese. I ate as we walked to the clearing. “The knob at the top of the staff has to be touching your target.” I checked to make sure she wasn’t touching that part of the staff. “You can activate the enchantment by saying ‘freeze.’ Saying ‘unfreeze’ stops the magic from flowing.”

“How long will a person remain paralyzed if I tap them with the staff?”

“About five minutes.” I stopped at the hollowed-out tree. “When we get to the village, don’t go far from my side. Tell either the innkeeper or Thalia, a shopkeeper in the blue building on the west side of town, what has happened. They’ll know who else to involve.”

I added another set of clothes to the pieces I hadn’t claimed yesterday and explained to Scarlette the best way to fly dragon-back. When I stepped into the clearing, I could see the remnants of the nets she had pulled down the night before, a few stray bits of rope still attached to the trees, but most on the ground in a pile.

I shifted, and Scarlette rushed over to my foreleg. She put out a hand, but didn’t climb up immediately, instead stroking over my scales in wonderment. I didn’t know if a real dragon’s scales were sensitive, but I felt the pressure of her hand the same as if she were touching skin. A rumble echoed through the clearing as I discovered I could purr.

Scarlette laughed, not scared by the sound in the least, and climbed onto my back. It took her a bit with the staff getting in the way, but eventually she called out that she was ready. I took off carefully, but she was secure, her laughter echoing around me.

I flew low over the trees, just to the west of the river, watching the ground for any sign of the hunter. I saw nothing but normal creatures of the forest the entire way.

I landed outside of the village in the same spot I used when I brought Grandmother.

“Are you going to let me down?” Scarlette called out when I remained standing at my full height instead of kneeling.

I shook my head. Word would spread through the village quickly enough about my presence. Scarlette could stay mounted until I saw one of the Weslets or Thalia. I didn’t want to chance Gideon being the first person to arrive.

“Ranulf!”

I spotted Hilde Weslet hurrying down the main street in the village. I lowered myself to the ground and made a step for Scarlette with my leg.

She scrambled down and rushed over to Mistress Weslet. She ignored the wide-eyed look the innkeeper gave her. “Did the huntsman return to the village last night?”

“More like this morning.” Mistress Weslet looked at me, then back at Scarlette. “He pounded on the door in the wee hours demanding a room. What happened?”

“He saw Ranulf transform. He wanted to set a trap, but I got ahold of his crossbow and demanded he leave instead. Only we discovered he stole the charm Ranulf was making for me. There isn’t time to replace it.”

The innkeeper crossed her arms and gave me a considering look. “A gemstone?”

I nodded.

“It’s a ruby,” Scarlette added.

“I’ll force Aaron out of bed,” Mistress Weslet told us. “Scarlette, you come with me.”

I shook my head and blew a puff of smoke at the innkeeper. Aaron was the closest thing Wulfkin had to a constable, but even with him around, I didn’t want Scarlette out of my sight.

The women waved their arms through the air, trying to banish the smoke. Mistress Weslet coughed. “Fine, Scarlette can stay here, but you realize everyone is going to come to see why you landed at the edge of the village, right?”

I nodded. I wasn’t worried about the villagers’ curiosity. Not when they wouldn’t expect me to answer their incessant questions. I’d rather Scarlette face that than the hunter.

The children descendedon us within minutes of Mistress Weslet setting off to find Aaron—whoever that was. Ranulf had lowered himself completely to the ground, his head resting on one front leg. He didn’t seem to mind when the children climbed on him or chased his tail, which he twitched back and forth.

I watched in bemusement. Either he didn’t mind children, or people didn’t make him grumpy so long as they didn’t talk to him.

“Didja fly on the dragon?” one little boy asked me.

“I did.”

“I wanna fly, but Mama says it’s too dangerous. She says I shouldn’t bother the healers ‘cuz they have more important things to do. But you got to fly!”

“I did, but only because it was an emergency.” I remembered the paper in my pocket. Mistress Weslet had told me any of the children would know how to get it to the other village. “Tell me, do you know the fastest person for delivering a message to Ortfel?”

A little girl, maybe two years older than the boy, rushed over. “I do! I do! Peter is the fastest. He’s got a special horse that can run super fast.”

“Could you find Peter for me? We need to send a message to Grandmother Molle, and she is in Ortfel today.”

“I’ll find Peter,” the first boy announced, glaring at the girl. He ran off, and she rolled her eyes.

Peter turned out to be a lanky youth, about fifteen years old. He assured me he’d deliver the message before the morning was over. Ranulf didn’t object, so I handed the paper over.

I watched the children play for a little longer, the girl who had told me about Peter still at my side. “Where are all the adults?” I asked her.

“They went to the inn. They’re having a meeting.” She looked in the direction of the inn. “Oh, I think they’re done!”

Ranulf blew another puff of smoke. The children still climbing on him all scrambled down, and he rose to his feet.

Mistress Weslet walked down the street. She stopped in front of me and held out the familiar ruby, with its distinctive cube cut. “Gideon has been charged with theft.” She handed me a purse. “This is the fine Aaron collected on your behalf. The thief is to be banished from the village.”

She turned and addressed Ranulf. “We told him he wasn’t welcome in the forest, but we can’t do much beyond refusing to allow him in Wulfkin.”

Dragon shoulders moved in a clear shrug.

“Be careful,” the innkeeper added. “He is angry.”

Ranulf shrugged once more.

“Aaron is holding him for the next few minutes, then he and a few others plan to escort him at least part way out of the forest. You’ll have a few hours of safety at least. Be careful, though.”

“We will,” I told Mistress Weslet.

I dropped the ruby into the purse, and nearly dropped it when I saw that the heavy weight was made up almost entirely of silver. Gideon would be well beyond angry at this point. He had failed to kill a dragon, lost his crossbow, and now had paid the very man he wanted to kill a small fortune.

I tied the purse closed and slipped it into my pocket. “Thank you for all your help, Mistress Weslet.”

“Thank you for protecting the forest’s secrets, Scarlette. You are welcome in Wulfkin anytime.”

I hugged the other woman and tried not to let the tears fall. I would miss more than just Ranulf when I returned to my normal life.

I climbed back on the dragon’s back and gripped the ridge of scales in front of me. Ranulf took off, and it was as amazing the second time as the first. I could understand why he had never given up shifting into dragon form. Flying was indescribable.

We returned to the cottage, and I gave Ranulf the purse. “I’ll make something to eat.”

Ranulf fished the ruby out of the bag and handed it back to me. “This is yours. I’ll work on the charm today, then we can fly out early this evening. It will be safer to land under the cover of darkness.”

I stood with my arm still outstretched, the purse of silver in my palm. “You can’t mean to give this to me. It is yours.”

“He stole your charm, therefore the fine should go to you.”

“He stole from you, and I can’t even afford the charm in the first place. This could pay for the ruby.”

“I’m not taking the silver, Scarlette, so give up arguing.”

Fine, I wouldn’t argue. Neither would I take the purse home with me.

We stopped justout of view of the clearing as if we had planned it out ahead of time. The sun had already dipped below the tree-line in the west and it was time for me to fly home. Ranulf insisted it wasn’t safe for me to walk and wouldn’t listen to my arguments that it wasn’t safe for him to fly so far from the forest.

Eventually, he had told me that he would carry me in his talons if I didn’t cooperate, and wouldn’t I rather ride on his back?

We faced each other now in silence. Apart from that argument, we had barely spoken all day. Ranulf had been too busy finishing the charm. Even during supper, the conversation had been limited to me telling him how to find my village.

This was it. This was goodbye. I drank in the sight of him, building a memory that would have to last a lifetime. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if I’d be welcomed back at the cottage if I ever returned, but I swallowed the words. It was unfair to ask. Ranulf had made it clear that he didn’t expect to see me again.

And why should he want me around? We had known each other for such a short time. Even if I felt like I had known him forever, he was unlikely to feel the same. And why should he? I had disrupted his life and caused the hunter to discover his secret. A blackberry pie or two didn’t make up for that.

I wondered what words he fought back as we stared at each other. Then he lunged forward and wrapped me in his arms, his mouth firm against mine. I opened to him, running my hands up the muscles of his back as my tongue danced with his.

The kiss felt like a declaration, but that was probably the hopeless optimist in me. A physical attraction didn’t have to mean anything else. At least I knew that undeniable pull existed for us both. Even if the kiss was one thing, and one thing only. A farewell.

Ranulf lifted his head. “May the gods and goddesses grant you every joy you so richly deserve, Scarlette.”

Not even Affenala could answer such a prayer. He was the only joy I wanted.

“May the gods protect you and grant you the peace you desire.” I let my arms fall to my sides and stepped back. “Thank you for everything, Ranulf.”