CHAPTER 42
Sakura
Sakura’s eyes widened when Keenan disappeared. She knew the city was an illusion, so there was no real reason she should expect it to follow the rules of physics.
But her eyes were used to believing what they saw. And people vanishing into thin air was not normal.
“He’ll be fine,” Cherry said cheerfully, walking up to her and nudging her knee. “Mother won’t hurt him, and neither will the others.”
“Others?”
“On the council.” The little dragon sat on her haunches, looking very much like a pleased cat if one ignored the extra long neck and elongated, spiky head. “They may not all be there to greet him, but I’m sure a few will wish to see him in person before handing over the tinderbox.”
Folding her hands at her waist, Sakura eyed the little dragon and wondered if she should risk her question. If Cherry’s mother and this council had decided that Keenan could have it, her curiosity wouldn’t change their minds.
Right?
“What is the tinderbox?” Sakura finally asked. “It’s a lot of fuss for something that can be purchased in the market. The ability to start a fire is not so dangerous.”
Cherry tilted her head. “It depends on the type of fire you wish to start.”
Sakura frowned at the cryptic answer, but when she glanced over at Oliver, she found only his standard emotionless expression.
“You exhausted yourself breaking through twenty feet of rock so you could protect Keenan in his hunt for this tinderbox. Aren’t you the least bit curious about what it does? ”
The guard’s eyebrow raised slightly, and then he looked away, folding his hands behind his back in a more relaxed pose than usual.
Fine. If he wasn’t going to talk, she would just wait for Keenan’s return. He would tell her.
Wouldn’t he?
She wandered away from the others, examining the nearby buildings to distract herself from her thoughts and Keenan’s habit of getting himself into tight spots.
She still couldn’t believe how incredibly detailed her surroundings were.
Her head knew that she was deep underground, but the light breeze whispered that she was wandering the streets of a foreign city.
The breeze died away. She looked at the building next to her and realized she could see through it. The outline and the coloring were still there, but it was as if a painter had blended the scene over another painting of a rocky surface.
Grabbing her skirt with one hand, she hurried back to Oliver and Cherry. Keenan must be coming back. They could return to the surface and alleviate Kagemori and Kasumi’s worries. He could deliver his prize to her mother, and then—
Her steps slowed. And then—what?
For him, the point of the quest was to learn his friend’s location, not to win the right to marry Sakura. Keenan would leave as soon as Mother told him what he needed to know.
The question was…would he come back?
She pushed that worry aside in favor of pondering Mother’s promise to him. Bunta had returned just after Keenan left. With no word of Keenan’s companion…or so Mother had told Sakura.
Mother had lied. But to Keenan, or to Sakura?
Sakura already knew Mother had lied to her about Keenan’s reason for leaving, and that was after attempting to convince her that Keenan was a prince. And Sakura wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge.
Lifting her chin, she strode toward her companions as her surroundings faded to the gray of flickering shadows on a subterranean wall. She couldn’t confront Mother until they returned to the winter castle, and she had the entire walk there to convince Keenan to rescue his friend and then come back.
Spoiling the present with worries of the future was foolish.
The scenery of Hartford had completely vanished by the time she reached her companions. A large fire sat behind Keenan, and next to that was a massive blue dragon. Sakura gulped; Cherry hadn’t exaggerated her mother’s size.
Oliver stood next to Keenan, the serious look back on his face. Keenan looked up at her approach and smiled, but it was strained.
“Hello, Princess. Ready to return to the land of surface-dwellers?”
She folded her hands at her waist and raised an eyebrow. “Our sojourn has been quite illuminating, despite the darkness.”
“I can’t argue with that.” He turned to Cherry’s mother. “Will you lead us to the exit now?”
The dragon laughed, a deep rumble that almost sounded like a growl. “No need, Kyaputen. You’re already here.”
Sakura turned in a slow circle. Sure enough, a pile of rocks lay on the far side of the large cavern. It looked different with the large fire than it had in the light of a single candle.
“But there was no light before,” Keenan protested, pointing to a small hole in the faraway ceiling.
The dragon gave him a toothy grin. “If the dwarves’ magic can open a shaft from a hollow tree, can it not open or close a skylight at will?”
He looked up at the ceiling. “Huh.”
“May I go with them, Mother?” Cherry piped up. “Please? I promise to stay with Keenan and do whatever he tells me. Please?”
The larger dragon bent her head to examine her offspring. “We will not be staying with the dwarves. We will return home now that the test is over.”
“But I’ve spent my whole life there, Mother!” the little dragon begged, widening her emerald eyes. “Keenan will be going to the winter castle, then exploring while he’s seeking his friend, and he’ll probably travel back to Daraigh at some point, and—”
“I don’t mind,” Keenan cut in. Something closer to his normal smile twitched his lips as Cherry’s mother watched her daughter with an exasperated expression. “If you’re willing to let her leave, I’m willing to look out for her.”
Mamoru sighed. “Then yes, Churippu, you may go.” Her head swiveled to Keenan. “As for you, Kyaputen. It is not selfish to seek defense for yourself or your friends.” She tipped her head forward, staring at him as if imparting additional instructions via her eyes.
“Thank you. I promise to take care of her.” Keenan set a hand on Mamoru’s large snout, then turned away and headed for the remains of Oliver’s dramatic entrance. “Come on, Cherry. Let’s go see the world.”
“You should learn to say her name,” Mamoru called after them. “You may need it.”
He raised a hand in acknowledgment, but he didn’t slow. Apparently, he was eager to reach the surface and begin the trek back to the winter castle.
So he could turn the tinderbox over to her mother and get Liesl’s location.
So he could rush off to be a dashing hero for someone else.
Sakura shook off the self-pitying thoughts. One step at a time. She had a couple of weeks to enjoy Keenan’s company on the trip back. And if he was unwilling to commit to her after that…
She squeezed her hands together at her waist. If he wouldn’t stay, at least she would have made the most of their final two weeks.