Chapter 11
VAELA
“Little sister! You’ve grown!”
A hand reached through the crowd, clamping down firmly on my shoulder.
The voice warmed me to my core as Trystan stepped through the throng of people.
His smile was always the first thing you saw across a room—effortless, buoyant, his teeth glimmering like pearls.
It was the kind of smile that forced you to smile in return, just from the sheer strength of it.
He looked me up and down as we came face to face.
“I think we both know I stopped growing years ago,” I said, laughing as I let myself be swallowed by a bear hug.
“You’re right,” Trystan said, pulling back. My eyes danced across his face. The tops of his cheeks and his nose were reddened, likely from days riding in the sun, sweating under the giant helm of the kingsguard. “In fact, I think you’re shrinking. Should I be concerned?”
I knocked him in the ribs with my knuckles, and he doubled over, laughing. “You’re looking older.”
“And wiser?” he asked.
“We both know that’s not likely.” He swatted at me playfully, and my heart felt full to bursting.
It didn’t matter that he wore the sigil of the king on his chest. He would always be my big brother first. “The beard looks good, though.” It was the color of corn silk, just like his hair, which touched his shoulders in soft waves.
Trystan tipped his head back and forth, rubbing at the scruff along his jaw. “You think so? It’s something I’m trying out. Thought it might appeal to the women in these mountainous parts.”
I rolled my eyes. Trystan was always trying to appeal to women.
Though, truth be told, he didn’t have to work all that hard.
A group of them could usually be spotted wherever he went, tripping over themselves for as little as a smile.
And who wouldn’t for a guy like that? The first son of a councilor who sat on the king’s court.
A respected member of the kingsguard. And to top it all off, the most handsome of the lot of them.
He was the center of every room without even trying.
Trystan didn’t walk.
He swaggered.
He didn’t smile.
He charmed.
And despite being different from me in almost every way but the gray eyes we’d inherited from our late mother, he was still my favorite person in the world.
Trystan would have made a fair politician, taking after my father, hosting dinners and trading gossip with the other councilors.
He had the look and confidence and jawline of someone who could sway minds.
And yet he’d chosen to pick up a sword in the name of the king.
My father had never been prouder.
“What?” Trystan said, shooting me a cheeky grin. “You don’t think the ladies will like it?”
“Even if they do, I still think you’re likely to get yourself slapped.”
“Ah, well. It’s not a good night if I haven’t earned a kiss and a slap from at least one barmaid.” He tucked his arm around my shoulders. “It’s good to see you, Vaela. I hoped we’d settle in Ember Ridge for the night. We have a lot to catch up on.”
“I can see that,” I said, lowering my voice as my eyes darted to the cart pulled by the draft horse. “Are the whispers true?”
Trystan was careful not to say anything out loud, where townsfolk might overhear, but his eyes said everything. “We’ll catch up later,” he murmured. “When I’ve finished my duties for the evening.”
“Meet me at the Wiggly Dragon Tooth,” I told him.
“That place has a sign that says it’s under refurbishment.”
I nodded. “But I know the owner. She’ll let us in and we won’t be disturbed there. I’ll even buy you a drink.”
Trystan laughed. “With what money? Wrangling doesn’t pay you that well.”
I shoved him hard. “It pays enough to keep up with your light-weight self.”
The boom of his laughter could be heard clear across the square. He shook his head, setting off as he was summoned for patrol.
* * *
“You know, some people would call that a crime,” I said, stepping around the trunk of a massive oak tree. “Taking the property of the king.”
Eden jerked at my appearance, but she didn’t drop the coin-sized scale in her hand. Instead, she added it to the cloth bag hooked to the waist of her skirt. It made a small thunk, telling me this wasn’t the first she’d collected. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So we’re playing that game?” I mused, my lips twitching.
After my chat with Trystan, Min and I had returned to the nesting shed.
She’d reacted oddly to a smell inside the shed, her nostrils flaring as she’d scraped at her nest. Dalton was still in the square, whispering about the Wretch with other townsfolk, so I’d decided to poke around myself.
I’d followed a small set of tracks around the side of the shed, noting that someone had picked through a pile of old straw.
Chasing bits of disturbed straw into the woods, I knew I was about to find something, I’d just never expected it to be Eden.
And I certainly never expected her to be stealing dragon scales.
“I assure you I’m playing no game,” she said, bending over to collect another scale. She seemed to be picky, abandoning anything that was smaller than a fingernail. “Unlike the kingsguard who seem to be hunting dragons for sport.”
I followed after her. Truthfully, I had the same questions about what the kingsguard was doing, but until I talked to Trystan, I didn’t see much point in speculating.
If they really were here for the Wretch, there had to be a good reason, right?
I couldn’t see Trystan getting tangled up in something nefarious.
Then again, he was duty-bound to obey the will of the Dragon King.
I shook that thought off. Regardless of what was happening, I’d hear about it later.
Right now, I wanted to understand what Eden was up to.
“You might think twice about your current actions considering the fact there are so many kingsguard hanging about. You’re out here, openly defying one of the high laws.
You do know that taking dragon scales for personal use, even discarded ones, is illegal? ”
“Are you here to turn me in?” Eden rounded on me so quickly I almost ran into her.
Her chest heaved in response to the irritation in her voice.
I couldn’t help the draw of my eye, my gaze sinking along that splendidly long neck, running over collar bones.
I briefly wondered what the hollow at the base of her throat tasted like.
Would it be salty? Or would it taste of blackberries, the same way she smelled?
Blackberries and honey and something that reminded me of the infirmary.
Wait, what?
I frowned at her. I needed to stop being consumed by the way she smelled and start wondering why she was risking the wrath of the kingsguard by collecting scales. “Why would I turn you in when I don’t even know what you’re doing?”
Her eyes flashed with something. Relief, maybe. “It’s better that you don’t,” she said, turning away from me before picking up another discarded scale. She stared at it, her nose wrinkling. “Do you know how old this shed is?”
“Is this what all the smoke was about the other day?” I thought it had looked odd—almost purplish. Even Min had suspected something. Was she burning the scales? Did she not have any firewood? Was that it? Did she need help warming her cottage? “You should know dragon scales don’t burn normally.”
“I’m not burning them,” she muttered at me. Then her lips pursed. “Well, not exactly.”
Huh?
Voices sounded from the path, and she moved deeper into the trees. I darted after her, disappearing from sight.
“You need to tread lightly right now,” I said. “There’s a captain of the guard here. He can pass judgment in the name of the commander.”
“You mean if you decide to turn me in for treason?” she said. Her eyebrows arched as she looked over her shoulder at me. “You seem to know an awful lot about the kingsguard.”
I paused. “My brother is here. He… He’s one of them.”
She seemed to mull over that information. “I see. I suppose I’ve put you in an awkward position then.”
“They seem to have their hands full,” I said, hoping to assuage any concern she might have that I would turn her in.
As far as I was concerned, the kingsguard had more important things to worry about than what some burn nurse was getting up to with a few discarded scales.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. “What are you doing with the scales?” I asked again.
“What does it matter?” she said. “Why don’t you pretend you never saw me, and I’ll pretend I never saw you, and we can both go about our days.”
A twig snapped. I whirled around, arms thrown wide like that might block Eden from view.
Min stood there, claw curled, her lips pulled back over her teeth. It wasn’t a growl, but her way of saying oops. I rolled my eyes. She was fast, yes, but never very good at stealth.
Behind me, Eden sighed in relief.
“I’ve told you you’re no good at sneaking,” I said to Min.
She slithered through the woods after us, young saplings bending around her body, green leaves rustling. As she drew near, she bent her long neck around a tree, blocking Eden’s path. Eden froze at the sight of her, coiling back slightly.
“She won’t hurt you,” I said.
Eden glanced at me from the corner of her eye, and I could tell she didn’t believe me.
Min lowered her head, sniffing at the bag at Eden’s waist. She made a noise of surprise and confusion. She could likely smell herself on the bag. She looked at me, a low, rumbling whine echoing from her lungs.
I held my hand up. “It’s okay.”
“Does she want them back?” Eden asked.
“Her scales?”
“Yes.”
“You’d give them to her?”
“Well, they’re hers, aren’t they? I only want them if she has no need for them.”
I shook my head, utterly baffled by this woman. “No, she doesn’t want them. She only wants to know why you have them.”