Chapter 23
23
FRIDA
U nfortunately, ‘sleep on it’ didn’t work. Any hope of a restful slumber went out the window the second I climbed into bed and memories of Rune’s kiss blazed in my mind like wildfire. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or his ‘solution’ to all our problems. He’d come up with a decent idea, but could I really fake my own death?
Deep down, I knew I could if it weren’t for my family.
How could they be a part of my life if I wasn’t a member of the guild? And how could I not stay here, where I truly wanted to be?
Finding a solution felt impossible.
After a night of tossing and turning, I shuffled over to Arvid’s house to complete the last section of his fence. He and his entire family were outside waiting for me, their arms bundled with an array of treats.
Beaming, Arvid bustled over to me with a wooden tray topped with well over a dozen different varieties of cheese. “For you, my lady.”
I laughed, but I eagerly took the offered platter. “Arvid, what’s all this? Our agreement was five wheels, and you already gave me three. There’s…sixteen more here, if I’m counting correctly.”
“Five didn’t seem like nearly enough for how much work you’ve put into this.” A wry grin spread across his bearded face. “Rune mentioned this is your very first woodworking job. Ever. I’m impressed by your work. Truly.”
I felt myself brighten at that, like his praise and generosity was sloughing off some of my exhaustion. “Really?”
“Really.” He nodded sagely. “It’ll keep all our animals safe on the farm, and they can’t wander off into the forest again. Plus, it’s just in time for our two lost cows to return. Seemed they were having an adventure, but I’d rather not lose them again.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s all worked out, anyway.” I smiled. “It’s been an honor to build your fence, Arvid.”
The rest of the family came over and handed me a basket of eggs, a mound of tea leaves, and a fresh loaf of bread. Shyly, Arvid’s daughter came last with a quiver of arrows.
“Thank you for teaching me archery,” Eydis said softly. “I wanted to give you this before you leave the island.”
Ah. Suddenly, I understood why they were showering me with so many gifts. It wasn’t just about my work on their fence. They thought I was leaving soon. And well, I probably was. I’d yet to decide whether I was rowing that boat out to Louisa’s ship or not, but I’d yet to find another alternative. Rune’s fake death plot didn’t sit right with me.
“Thank you, Eydis. Did you make those yourself?” I asked her.
She nodded, her short ginger hair bouncing around her shoulders.
“You must have spent a lot of time on them. Tell you what, why don’t you keep ahold of them for now and use them to practice? It’ll make me awfully happy to know you’re still working on your archery, even if I’m not here.”
She brightened. “And when you come back, I can show you how much I’ve improved?”
I smiled, though my gut twisted. The likelihood of that happening was slim to none, but I couldn’t bear to tell her that. Not when it might stop her from throwing her whole heart into something she loved.
“I’ll look forward to it. I really will,” I said.
“Thank you, Frida.” Eydis threw her arms around my middle and hugged me tight. With tears in my eyes, I hugged her back and caught Arvid’s smile across the way.
You should stay, he mouthed.
My glossy eyes transformed the dwarf into a blur of brown and orange.
If only I could.
Finishing the fence took longer than I’d anticipated. But when I finally hammered the final beam into place, the dwarves erupted into celebratory cheers against a backdrop of a sky painted orange. Fireflies were already buzzing about, filling the air with yellow raindrops. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I bid each of the dwarves a goodbye in turn, feeling heartsick because I knew this was probably the last time I’d see any of them.
T he next morning, I emerged from the cottage at dawn to find Rune waiting for me outside his workshop with an axe strapped to his back and his old dragon saddle perched beside him. Crafted from rich leather and bolted together with forged steel, the contraption was nearly the size of me and must have weighed as much as a horse.
I pointed at the thing. “That wasn’t what I was envisioning. It’s at least five million times bigger than my horse’s saddle. There’s no way we’re carrying that all the way to the cave. It’s a good thing I’ve trained to ride bareback.”
Rune chuckled. “Eldi’s friendly, but he’s no horse. If you want to ride him, you’re going to need this. Trust me.”
Nerves tingled in my belly. And suddenly, I wasn’t quite sure my plan to ride a dragon was a particularly smart idea. I’d promised to get Eldi airborne, but he didn’t need me strapped to his back for that. All he needed was a little encouragement. I could do that with my feet safely on the ground.
As if reading my thoughts, Rune knelt beside the saddle and pointed at some of the steel hooks. They were attached to leather strips. “These keep you locked into the saddle, so even if things go horribly wrong, you’re not going to fall off the dragon.”
“And if the dragon himself falls?” I asked, arching a brow.
“Dragons don’t fall.”
“Then why is Eldi so afraid of flying?”
Rune shrugged. “The same reason anyone is afraid of anything, I suppose. His mind connects flying to something terrible that happened.”
“Do you know what that is?”
“Afraid not. But seeing as he’s chosen to bond with you, I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.”
I nodded, though I still couldn’t shake the nerves. “All right. Let’s get going, then.”
“You know you can trust me, right?” he asked. “I wouldn’t agree to help you with this if I thought there was any chance you’d get hurt.”
I softened. “I do trust you, Rune. More than anything.”
He looked like he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head and kept his mouth shut. Groaning, he hauled the massive saddle into his arms and grunted at me to take the lead. Our journey to the dragon cave took twice as long with the saddle. Every twenty minutes or so, Rune needed to stop and rest. Sweat covered his brow and coated his tunic, especially with the late-spring sun beaming down on us. I offered to carry it part of the way, but he refused to let me go near the thing. The only help he accepted was a few sips from my waterskin when we stopped.
Eventually, we reached the foothills, where we found Eldi prancing back and forth in the tall grass, like a cat who’d taken a long, deep sniff of catnip. When he spotted us dragging ourselves along the path, he raced toward us with his tail animatedly swishing behind him.
I laughed when he reached us and nudged my arm with his snout.
“I’m happy to see you, too. Sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday. I got caught up finishing Arvid’s fence.”
When only silence answered me, I remembered the Hugur sand. I tossed a good dose into my mouth and washed it down with what was left of our water. Instantly, Eldi’s voice filled my mind.
When you didn’t come yesterday, I was worried you’d already left the island. I thought I’d never see you again.
With a sad smile, I rubbed his snout. “I’m not leaving until tomorrow night. That’s when Louisa’s ship returns.”
Eldi sniffed the air. You have the orc’s scent on you. Is he your lover?
I coughed at the sudden change in the conversation, my face flushing.
“Er, no. We just…” I glanced at Rune, who’d sat on the ground to catch his breath. He leaned against the saddle with his eyes closed. It didn’t look like he was paying much attention to our conversation, but he was right there. He could hear every word I said out loud.
And so I tried to speak to Eldi through my mind, the same way he spoke to me.
We only shared a brief kiss. He’s not my lover.
Eldi snorted in response. I don’t understand this ‘brief kiss’ business. Either he is your lover or he is not.
Not. Very much not.
Then why is his scent all over you?
I really don’t want to have this conversation with you. Can we focus on flying instead?
Hmm. Let him take some of the Hugur sand. I’d like to speak to the orc about his intentions with you.
“Absolutely not!” I exclaimed out loud.
“What’s going on, Frida?” Rune asked tiredly.
“Nothing.” My entire face flamed. “Eldi is just getting a little carried away, that’s all.”
Rune rose, scratching the base of his tusk. “Carried away about what?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think we all just need to focus on why we’ve hauled that saddle halfway across the island.”
“Now I understand why everyone found my dragon bond so irritating. You two were clearly having a full-blown conversation in your heads that you didn’t want me to hear.”
“Can we just move on, please?” I hissed at him.
He held up his hands. “All right, all right. Tell Eldi he needs to flatten his body against the ground so we can get the saddle fitted.”
I sighed. “Eldi says he doesn’t want you to speak through me.”
“In that case, should I take some of the sand, too?” Rune asked.
“No!” I nearly shouted. “No, no. That’s not necessary. You two don’t need to talk.” I shot a look at Eldi. Please don’t embarrass me.
Eldi snorted again, but let it go. He lowered his belly to the ground and sprawled out like a beached whale, his breath rustling the grass. Rune hefted the saddle onto his glittering scaled back, then got to work cinching all the straps and hooks firmly into place. When he was finished, he stepped back and admired his handiwork with a distant look in his eye.
“It’s about time someone got use out of this thing again,” said Rune.
It’s a shame it’s just this once, I thought—more to myself than anything else.
If you will not stay for me, will you not stay for your lover?
He’s not my lover.
I expected the dragon to argue some more, but he went silent as Rune helped haul me onto the saddle. It required a short climb using leather footholds that ran up the side of the saddle like a mini-ladder. When I reached the smooth seat, Rune gave me instructions to buckle myself in. Soon I was strapped into the saddle so tightly that I couldn’t budge an inch.
Heart pounding, I gripped the horn that protruded from the leather. “Right. Are you ready for this, Eldi?”
His fear and excitement rushed over me. I’m not certain I can do this. It has been twenty years since I last spread my wings.
“That’s all right,” I said out loud. “All I want you to do is lift off the ground and hold flight for five seconds. Then you can land and catch your breath.”
His scaly body trembled beneath me. Five seconds.
“Five seconds. I’ll even count it down out loud.” I leaned forward and rubbed his neck. “And remember, I’m right here with you.”
A rush of trust and affection came toward me. Suddenly, the dragon rose and launched into a run. A wordless scream ripped from my throat, and I clung to the saddle’s horn with every ounce of strength I possessed. I knew I wouldn’t fall, not with the straps binding me to the saddle, but still I clung tight.
Fear rattled through me, but I managed to tamp it down enough for me to hide it from Eldi. And so, with the brilliant sun casting a haze of warmth upon the island, Eldi beat his wings against the humid air and lifted off the ground for the first time in decades.
The dragon soared.
“Five!” I shouted, hopefully loud enough for him to hear me. “Four! Three! Two! ONE!”
Eldi gently settled back onto the ground, his sharp talons slicing through the dirt. A heady exuberance came over him, filling my chest with the intensity of it. I found myself smiling so wide my cheeks ached, and I could hear Rune’s excited shouts from behind us.
Leaning forward in the saddle, I brushed my hands along my dragon’s scales. “Well done, Eldi. I’m so, so proud of you.”
His happiness lit a fire in my soul.
Again? he asked eagerly.
“Absolutely,” I said with a grin. “This time, how about we go for ten seconds?”
No, let’s go for twenty.