Chapter 33
AN AGONIZED GROAN ROUSED ME.
I sat up, kicking off my covers, and crawled to where Zig writhed, hand over his heart, features twisted in pain.
The sun had yet to rise, though the sky lightened toward dawn. Farrah and Rylan were still asleep, Rylan snoring lightly. Dave lazily opened an eyelid and watched with a sharp green eye, though he didn’t move.
I grabbed Zig’s shoulder and shook.
“Hey!” I whispered.
He jolted awake, biting down on a cry, teeth sinking into his lower lip. I grabbed the potion, the chain having twisted from Zig’s jerky movements, and slapped it into his palm. “Take some.”
He nodded quickly, groaning as he pushed up onto his elbows. He uncorked the vial, then splashed a few drops on his tongue. Heaving a sigh of relief, all his tense muscles going lax, he flopped down.
“That bad?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” He lifted his head and met my gaze. “I wish I’d known how much magic sucks before entering that bargain.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault that I made a foolish bet with a council of mages.”
“Duo of mages.”
“Right. Whatever.”
I helped Zig ease back down to his bedroll, then bunched up my own blanket for a pillow, and he closed his eyes as he sank back toward sleep. I didn’t want to leave him, so I sat next to him, intent on watching the sunrise. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.
“Are you mad?” I asked quietly.
Zig blinked his eyes open and peered at me with a squint, then shrugged. “About the lying? Meh. Not really. Maybe a little. But it’s kind of awesome that you’ve been revealed to be a bigger swindler than I am.”
“But—”
“You should really capitalize on your brand power now, before Lord Spoilsport gets the word out and those taverns stop knocking down your door for endorsements.”
“I don’t—”
“Also, you have a dragon for a best friend. I’m more upset that you didn’t let me in on that.”
“But, Zig—”
He cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Hey, take the grace of my forgiveness and run with it, Sister.”
“Brother,” I said, whining in return, “I want to make sure that we’re good, that it’s clear that it all was for the benefit of our family. It was never about glory or fame.”
“Yeah.” He stared at the coals of the fire. “I know.”
“And I never would have thought you would make a bet based on all the lies.”
“The bet was my own fault. I may have let the size of your reputation get to me a bit.” Zig offered a grin, though it was pained. “But you have to admit, being on a quest was way more fun than staying at home and making stews of death.”
“Hey, I tried, okay?”
“I know you did. But it’s obvious you didn’t belong in our small town. You belong out here, making friends with magical beings.”
A tear slipped down my already-red cheeks. “I’m not sure about that. I had to quit because I was worried that the lies would all catch up to me, so I wanted to leave before they did.”
“Makes sense. Though I doubt there weren’t at least a few kernels of truth in those songs. The point is you belonged out here. Not in Traveler’s Rest. Not baking.”
“I never tried baking.”
“Good. It would’ve been a waste of flour.”
“You know, I’m trying to save you. I don’t think you want to be insulting me.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. Anyway, you were a hero. You are a hero. And you deserve to be out heroing and winning and collecting prizes, even if the reported versions of events are more flowery and gilded than the reality.”
“That’s a nice way to say ‘defrauding the Crown.’ ”
“Whew, yeah. What are you going to do about Aven?” Zig propped up on his elbow. “Go after them? Declare your undying affection? Drag them to the house on the coast with our parents?”
“The answer would be none of those. Thanks.”
“Shame. Especially after hearing about how they went out of their way to research the Elder Beast in the castle archives to give you a fighting chance, and made up a lie about the king ordering them to be there just to disguise their raging affection for you.”
“Well, yeah, they’re a…” Wait a minute. “What did you say?”
“That Aven did research as soon as they heard about the quest so they could come save the day for you. You know it was all for you, right? They didn’t show up on our doorstep for me, though if they did, I wouldn’t turn them down.”
“Hey!” I said, shoving him lightly.
Zig plopped down in the bedroll and shoved me back with both hands. “What? It’s the truth. But again, they’re not interested in me. Their heart eyes are only for you.”
I shook my head in denial, though my heartbeat quickened with the thought. “Whatever.”
“Come on, I’m so right on this. They showed up with research in hand—well, not literally, they had one clue, but my point stands. No one else would do that.”
I frowned. “Right… They did do that.”
Zig cocked his head to the side, as much as he could while lying on a pillow. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “Yeah. Of course. Better than you. No offense.”
“Offense taken.”
“You should rest. Save your strength. Drink the potion as you need.”
Zig raised an eyebrow. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re up to something?”
“Because you know me so well.”
He hummed in acknowledgment. “Sister,” he said, eyes drifting closed, “I know this was my first and probably last quest, but I must say, best quest ever.”
“Last quest? Don’t think you’re wiggling out of this so easily. Now that I know you can cut it, you’ll be the one heading out and competing against Aven in the summer tournaments.”
“Nah. You’ve done all this for me—the least I can do is live at the coast with you. If you still want that.”
I took Zig’s hand. “No. If I don’t belong in our town, you surely don’t belong in a fishing village. I think you’d make an amazing adventurer.”
He smiled lazily. “Sure. Zig the… Uninhibited.”
I huffed in amusement. “Yeah. That will go over well.” I tugged a blanket up to his chest. “Get some rest, Zig the Uninhibited.”
Zig grumbled but squirmed around in his bedroll for a few minutes before quieting. I stayed next to him, holding his hand, until it went lax in my grip as he drifted off. I placed it gently on his chest, then stood.
I went to Dave and leaned on the warm scales near his neck. After taking the scroll from my bag, I unrolled it. The candle had burned down to a stub. Three marks remained. I had three days. I couldn’t waste time.
“What is your plan?” he asked, voice low so as not to disturb the others.
I sighed deeply. “I need to talk to Aven.” I scratched Dave’s ear. “I have to ask you for a favor.”
“I figured. What are you thinking?”
“I’m sending Zig home to Traveler’s Rest with Rylan and Farrah.”
“And what are we doing?”
My heart ached at the thought of what I needed to do. But it had to be done to have even a sliver of a chance of saving Zig. “We’re finding Aven.”