Chapter 22
EDEN
I’d become good at surviving on my own.
I’d been doing it for years now.
And the best way I knew how was by throwing myself into work until my fingers ached and my eyes were too weary to remain open at the end of the night. Survival meant keeping myself busy enough not to think of Vaela.
Not to wonder after her.
Not to miss her.
Thankfully, the migration provided all the distractions I needed.
I bought bouquets of snapdragons from flower carts and filled Bramble Cottage.
I watched children parade through town square, showing off their homemade dragon costumes, with horns and wings and tails.
I ventured out with Nisse and Matty to sample sweet treats from traveling merchants while we watched those rainbow herds soar overhead.
Mostly, I hunkered down at the infirmary with the rest of the team, tending burns and injuries while Vaela wrangled dragons.
Our paths only ever crossed when she dropped off the occasional tourist to be assessed, and even then, I went out of my way not to look at her.
Not to get lost in those gray eyes.
It was better this way, I told myself. Safer.
But safe no longer felt free. In fact, I was starting to feel a little strangled by Ember Ridge.
I stared out of the window of the infirmary between patients, watching a strong breeze whip through the wildflowers at the edge of the path.
The seasons were preparing to change, and perhaps I needed to change with them.
The door leading to the apothecary burst open suddenly, crashing against the wall hard enough to knock knick-knacks from a shelf.
“Gunther!” Poppy cried at the top of her lungs, looking windswept as she jumped up and down. “He’s back!” She raced across the room to the window. “Look, he’s back!”
Seraphine scrambled to fling the front door open, and we all crowded out behind her, filling the stoop with Gunther’s welcoming party.
“Look what the dragon blew in.” Seraphine whistled, shielding her eyes from the sun.
“Hi, Gunther!” Poppy called, waving at him as she giggled with excitement. “We missed you!”
Gunther beamed, and my smile immediately turned watery. “Aren’t you all a sight for sore eyes!”
Talani dropped her hands to her hips. “And where exactly have you been, hmm?”
“Out to run a little errand?” Matty teased, nudging Reo. “What’s that he said? I’ll be back in a jiff. Does this look like a jiff to you, old man?”
“I was off on an unexpectedly grand adventure,” Gunther said, throwing his arms up with an exaggerated flourish. Seraphine tutted in response and crossed her arms, but I noted the amused purse to her lips.
Gunther carried a single cloth pack over one shoulder, holes patched with scraps of leather, and held a walking stick in his other hand. His cloak was worn at the hemline and muddied from dragging on the ground. The toes of his shoes were threadbare, revealing his colorful socks beneath.
He certainly looked like he’d been on an adventure.
As he drew closer, I could make out the same weathered expression that I’d grown fond of long ago—a wrinkled brow, twinkling blue eyes creased at the corners, a knowing smirk on his lips.
Despite his gray hair and the patchiness of his beard, Gunther had the look of someone who was always up to a bit of mischief.
And that was perhaps why he was so adored.
I sucked in a warm breath as memory filled me. It was days spent at his side, learning everything he had to teach me about burns, and evenings spent laughing over hot tea and bowls of stew. With Gunther I’d learned what it was to have a family again.
Reo rushed down the steps to greet him, clapping him on the shoulder and offering to take his bag. Matty was down next, catching Gunther in a teetering hug that practically pulled him off his feet.
“What did you bring me?” Poppy asked, bounding down to Gunther’s side, her hands folded together in anticipation.
“Have you ever met a trader of curiosities?” Gunther whispered. “Someone who’s seen the great frozen lands in the North? Someone who’s travelled the vast shores of distant isles in search of shells that sparkle like starlight?”
She shook her head, eyes wide, mouth caught in an “O”.
Gunther pointed to his pack on Reo’s shoulder, and Poppy raced after him with a gleeful shriek. Nisse smiled after her, shaking her hand and laughing. “Looks like I just lost my assistant for the day.”
The rest of the infirmary cycled through hugs and greetings. I waited for my turn, basking in the warmth of the moment. Eventually, Gunther turned to me.
“Hello, my darling girl. I’ve missed that face,” he said. “It’s been too long.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I replied. He held his arm out to me, and I sank into his hug, reminded suddenly of the comfort I’d always felt in his presence.
I pulled back slightly, studying his face.
He was a little older than I’d remembered.
His wrinkles had wrinkles now, but he still smelled of dark licorice and lemon balm. And his hugs were still as strong.
“How have you been?” he asked, his arm shifting around my shoulders.
I gave him a pointed look, fighting the smile on my lips. “I have been holding this infirmary together in your absence. And what a trying time it’s been.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I knew you would.”
I hummed, one eyebrow arched. “And where in our letters did you mention that you’d be off gallivanting while I was here doing your job?”
“It was not my intention,” Gunther said.
“But, ahhh, such things cannot always be avoided.” He steered me up the steps to the infirmary.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you in my absence.
Poppy has kept me well-informed. She tells me you’ve gone above and beyond taking care of Ember Ridge. ”
I smiled softly. “It’s not as if I didn’t have help. I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the team.”
He released my shoulder as he toddled through the doorway, and as I watched him, an errant thought caught me.
Soon the migration would be finished. Soon the skies would quiet, and the threat of dragon burns would lessen for another year.
The infirmary would be more than capable of carrying on without me, especially now that Gunther had returned.
I followed everyone inside and glanced around, wondering what place I had here if I stayed.
Perhaps this was my sign from the stars that it was time to pack up my things and move on.
Gunther would always have a home for me by his side, but that didn’t mean I was always meant to stay.
I looked over my shoulder, my eyes flitting to the sky beyond the open door.
Some silly part of me was always hoping to catch sight of Min up there. Knowing that Vaela was close… No!
I needed to move on. The sooner the better. I could find another small town. Somewhere my mind wouldn’t constantly be consumed with thoughts of gorgeous dragon wranglers and warm lips and the scent of pine and leather.
I reached out, forcing myself to close the door. I turned around to find Gunther and the others gathered around the exam table.
“Well, go on, old man,” Reo said. “Fill us in on your worldly adventures.”
“Did you really get blocked by a dragon?” Poppy asked, looking at him in wonder.
“I did,” Gunther said. “I’ve never seen such a fat, lazy dragon in all my life.” Poppy laughed. “I thought we were going to have to roll it right off the road. But then I came across some injuries in Harper Falls that needed attention.”
“What kind of injuries?” Poppy asked.
“There was a group of traveling merchants that came across a wild dragon. A boy no older than you fancied himself a ride on dragonback.” Gunther swept his hand through the air.
“He got about four feet up before the dragon sent them both crashing through the line of merchant carts. The whole group of them had to be brought to the infirmary in Harper Falls.”
“Lucky the fall wasn’t higher.” Seraphine tutted like a concerned mother. “What are these kids thinking?”
“That’s what I told him,” Gunther said. “But children often have to learn these things for themselves.”
“Probably a wrangler in the making,” Matty joked. He sobered quickly, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “The kingsguard have been through town looking to capture the Wretch.”
“I’ve heard,” Gunther murmured. “There were kingsguard passing through Harper Falls, too.”
I frowned. That was the wrong direction for the migration. If there were multiple contingents dispatched to hunt the Wretch, why would the kingsguard be wasting their time there? Harper Falls was a cut through town on the way to the border cities, not one of the places along the migration path.
“What did they have to say for themselves?” Talani asked, leaning against the exam table. “They mostly made a nuisance of themselves here to be honest.”
Instead of answering, Gunther raised his arms above his head, stretching and yawning in an overly dramatic way. My attention focused on the way his eyes flitted around the table. “You know what I could really use?” he said, leaning down to talk to Poppy. “A good, strong pine tea.”
“Mmm…” Nisse said, catching on quickly. “Too bad we’re all out of fresh needles.”
“I can get you some,” Poppy volunteered. “I know the best trees to collect from.”
Gunther smiled. “Would you, my dear?”
“Of course. I’ll only be a few minutes.” She rushed out of the room. The moment we heard the back door thud in the apothecary, Gunther straightened up, looking more concerned than I’d ever seen him. A shiver zipped up my arms, coiling at the back of my neck.
Matty and Reo leaned a bit closer.
“The kingsguard were very closed off,” Gunther said hurriedly, clearly not wanting Poppy to return before he finished. “They mostly kept to themselves, but a few of the locals got them drinking down at the pub one night, and they started to talk.”
My eyes met Nisse’s. “About what?” she asked.