Chapter 14
EDEN
There were kingsguard monitoring the mountain pass. For a day and a half, the soldiers had taken shifts, watching for signs of the Wretch approaching.
The dragon’s cries carried on the wind, sometimes mimicking screech owls in the dark, sometimes booming like thunder. But with every passing hour, the cries drew ever closer to town.
By day, the kingsguard sat on horseback, riders ready to depart immediately should the beast be spotted, and by night, they stood vigil with lanterns, beady eyes turned to the sky, tracing the shape of the moon.
If the Wretch appeared under the cover of darkness, it would be harder to spot, but the kingsguard seemed determined.
When they weren’t on shift at the mountain pass, they lingered about town, buying commemorative migration trinkets from the merchants, sharpening their swords at the blacksmith’s forge and entertaining the multitude of questions asked by the school children that trailed after them.
I steered clear of the soldiers when I could, a constant sense of unease bubbling in my gut when I lingered.
It wasn’t as if I was walking around with dragon scales in my hands, yapping about crafting illegal armor, but some silly part of me worried they’d be able to see the truth of my actions if they looked too closely at me.
Stepping out of the bakery, I averted my eyes quickly as I passed a pair of patrolling soldiers. I stared at their feet, trudging on and—oomph!
Stars, ow!
I winced, pulling back from the hard body I’d collided with, an apology on my tongue. As I got a good look at the person, I realized I’d walked right into the domed pauldron that covered an armored shoulder. A kingsguard!
My arm smarted like I’d been punched. I hissed as I clutched it.
“Apologies,” a deep voice boomed as the soldier turned to face me. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Well, neither was I, so I couldn’t really complain.
“I got distracted by these. Do you think they taste as good as they look?”
I glanced at the bakery’s display window where a pile of powdered Danishes had been arranged in the shape of a dragon’s head. “I, uh, haven’t tried one yet. But they seem to sell out every morning.”
The soldier flashed me what was probably quite a disarming smile for most women, two deep dimples appearing in his cheeks.
He was a broad man, even broader in his leathers and armor, with his helm tucked under his arm.
His hair was loose and blond, curling against his shoulders.
But it was his eyes that truly made me pause.
I’d become quite familiar with those eyes recently.
Vaela’s eyes.
“You must be Vaela’s brother,” I said. “She mentioned you were in town.”
He blinked at me in surprise, then his face lit up. “Why, yes, in fact. How do you two know each other?”
She turns up on my porch late at night to regale me with her drunk musings, I thought. No, I shouldn’t say that. “We’ve met at the infirmary a few times. I’m a burn nurse there.”
“Ah, I hope she hasn’t been showing up with all manner of injuries.”
I smiled politely. “Mostly just injured tourists.”
Trystan laughed, the lines by his eyes deepening.
He was older than Vaela, but not by much, and carried himself with a grace that spoke of palaces and courts.
Vaela had a wildness about her. An earthiness.
It was as if she’d been made for the mountains.
And yet, there was a likeness there that was undeniable.
I tilted my head, taking in everything I could.
How two people could look so different and yet be so similar… It was perplexing.
I didn’t have a sibling.
I’d always longed for one. Someone who might fill the space my parents had left behind. But that was not to be.
A gloved hand came to hover over my shoulder. “Speaking of injuries. You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked. “It’s not exactly comfortable colliding with a pauldron.”
I shook my head as I backed away slowly. “No. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I should be getting back to the infirmary now.”
“Good day.” He dipped his head, turning and carrying on down the street. I hurried in the other direction. No matter how kind Vaela’s brother might seem, I knew it was best not to get too familiar. He still answered to the will of the king.
He’d still look at me and call me a traitor if he ever found out what I was doing.
That was his duty.
Would he say such things about his sister, though? I briefly wondered if Vaela would keep her promise to help me. Perhaps those had only been the drunk ramblings of a wrangler who had gotten too deep into a liquor barrel. Today, she might see sense.
It would be for the best, honestly.
I didn’t want to be the reason her brother slapped shackles onto her wrists. Guilt ate at me as I recalled our conversation from the other night. We hadn’t spoken since.
As I walked, I unwrapped the brown paper from around my breakfast—a bun piled with salted beef and sour cabbage. The smell was divine and my mouth started watering. I’d devoured half of it by the time the infirmary was in sight.
“I’ve never seen a person inhale something quite so quickly. It’s impressive.”
I jumped, choking on a piece of cabbage that caught in the back of my throat. Tears welled in my eyes as I turned around to face Vaela. I tapped my chest, coughing to clear my lungs. “Stars! Announce yourself or something!”
“I should think the ground trembling would be enough,” she said.
And right on cue, Min’s giant head curved into sight, coming around to sniff at my breakfast. I’d been so consumed with salted beef I hadn’t even noticed them landing.
Giant nostrils quivered, then a forked tongue darted out to taste the air near me.
I pulled my breakfast out of reach. One precise flick of that tongue, and she’d take the entire thing.
Min whined as only a dragon could.
“Go on, you,” Vaela said to her, waving her toward the woods. “You’ve had your breakfast already. Leave hers in peace.”
Min’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t like that answer.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Come for new bandages?”
She showed me her freshly bandaged hand. “I think I’ve gotten the hang of it, and yes, before you get on my case, I cleaned the wound. No redness. No swelling. No new pain.”
“I should look at the stitches.”
“Those were ready to come out,” Vaela said. “I took care of it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you did.”
Vaela looked far too pleased with herself. “I came to deliver this.” She thrust a cloth bag in my direction.
I almost dropped my breakfast as I caught it. Min darted around, looking longingly at the salt beef bun. “What is it?”
“My end of the bargain.” I peered into the bag. It was a mix of silver scales and bits of straw. “Fresh shed,” she continued. “I picked it from Min’s nest this morning.”
“This is…” It was perfect. I wouldn’t be able to get fresher scales than this on my own. “Thank you.”
“Of course. I told you I would help.”
“That you did. And I intend to hold up my end. If you’d like to drop by later tonight…” My cheeks flooded with heat. I didn’t know why.
She nodded, her eyes flicking to the door of the infirmary. “I suppose you’d rather not take those inside. I can drop them off at your cottage if you’d prefer.”
I handed her back the scales. “That would be wonderful. If you could leave them in the bramble bush beneath the window, I’ll get them from there.”
“Sure,” she said, falling in step beside me as I wandered toward the infirmary.
Min slinked after us, inhaling deeply as that tongue flicked in my direction again.
“Okay, fine,” I huffed, handing over the rest of my breakfast. Min opened her mouth, latching onto the bun and dragging it between her dagger-like teeth in the blink of an eye. I supposed it was a small token of gratitude in exchange for all the scales she’d just provided.
“You’ll spoil her,” Vaela said, but she was smiling so affectionately I knew she was just as guilty of spoiling her.
“She deserves it this morning,” I mused.
Vaela pretended to cover one of Min’s ears. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She already gives me too much attitude.”
“Did you ever think that maybe you deserve it?”
The corner of Vaela’s mouth twitched with amusement. Min nudged me with her snout, and I stumbled sideways a bit. Vaela’s arm reached out to steady me as that forked tongue licked at my hands.
I laughed, fighting off the warm flush at Vaela’s touch. “I don’t have any more,” I told the dragon. “Take it up with the bakery.”
Min seemed to like that idea, tipping her head in the direction of town.
“C’mon, you,” Vaela said to her. “Enough snacking. Time to put in some work.”
Min cocked her mighty head, blinking and chirping in a way that almost made it seem like they could talk to each other. It made me smile.
Vaela caught my eye. “We’ll see you tonight, then.”
I nodded. “See you later.”
I stood and watched them depart, clutching my skirts. A flurry of wind whipped around me as Min shot into the sky. Once they were a speck on the horizon, I turned and headed into the infirmary.
Seraphine was seated at her desk when I walked through the door.
“Morning,” I said.
“Mm-hmm, it is a good morning,” she agreed, eyes darting in the direction of the window. “I see everyone’s favorite dragon wrangler has paid you a visit again.”
“She was simply showing me something,” I said, brushing it off.
Seraphine got up and pressed her nose to the window, staring into the sky. “I’d like a sexy dragon wrangler to show me something. Or maybe one of those kingsguard. There’s that great, burly blond one in town. I’ve got my eye on him.”
“Honestly,” Talani muttered, looking disgusted. “The last thing you need is to get tangled up with a soldier.”
“Depends on the kind of tangling we’re doing,” Seraphine quipped.
Reo snorted and shook his head.
“What?” Seraphine said. “You know what they say. Easy on the eyes, great between the thighs.”
I felt myself go as red as a poinsettia plant.