Dragonoak: Gall and Wormwood, page 4
“But ah, these young’uns get all sorts of ideas into their heads. They’re all shaken up over this nonsense with Kastelir. It’s best to humour them. Say. You’re not someone important, are you? I only ask because, well, I notice when someone new comes through these parts, and now and again my birds become… distracted. I always say it’s like they know whether or not a letter’s worth delivering, so there’s that. Just hope you’ve written down something interesting, lass.”
Claire didn’t miss a beat.
“I’m afraid not. My younger sister works as a maid for one of the lords residing within the castle, and I thought it pertinent to update her on my current whereabouts,” Claire said, and handed over the letter when the woman held out a wrinkled hand. “She’s rather forgetful. I’d hate to be waiting outside the castle for hours, if not days, while the masses gather.”
The woman opened a cage, pointed to one of the ravens, and they hopped from their perch and onto the back of her wrist.
“That wouldn’t do you any good, not in your condition. I know how that is. My back’s been killing me these last four decades, I swear it. My grandkid’s always telling me to go see a healer, but I’m always saying to ‘em, where am I going to find the time or money for that? Thirty miles I’d have to walk, and they’d demand my left arm as payment for fixing the right. Anyway, someone’s got to look after the ravens and the bakery, I tell ‘em. The last time I took a day off, the bread refused to rise. That’s a nice cane you’ve got there, though. You need something sturdy while you’re on the road, don’t you? Ah. Now, let’s call it a mark and be done with it, shall we?”
The woman moved on from what she was saying with such haste that neither Claire nor I felt the need to respond to any point she’d made. Claire handed over the money and the woman tied the letter around the raven’s leg and sent them off into the air. They beat their wings with far less fanfare than Haru-Taiki, and then they were gone along with every hope we had.
“I don’t suppose you’ve anything for lunch, do you?” Claire asked, and we were treated to an hour-long ramble about the state of nearby farms, how insufferably adorable the woman’s husband and wife were, and the bad habits the woman’s children had picked up from someone other than the three of them. She even shared her predictions for the next week of weather.
Claire and I picked at rolls fresh out of the oven, fascinated by the intricate normalcy of the woman’s life. I don’t think we piped up with so much as a sentence between us, but the old woman was glad of new company. As we left, thanking her for both the food and the use of her raven, I found what had spent so many years twisting itself deep into the base of her spine and took it with me.
I glanced back as we left the village, barely able to see into the bakery. The window was obstructed by the reflection of the fountain and the sun gleamed off the corner, but I could just about make out the old woman pressing her hands to the small of her back as she stood straight for the first time in decades.
“That was interesting,” Claire said. The raven had taken most of her fears and apprehensions with them, and she could focus on something other than Eden and Thule. “These past years have wrongly poisoned my thoughts against all Felheimers. I am glad we encountered someone of the sort before moving onto the capital.”
“It’s amazing,” I said, taking Claire’s free hand. “For everything we’ve been through in Kastelir and Canth, that woman probably has a dozen more unbelievable stories than we do. And I don’t think she’s ever left her village!”
“It seems likely,” Claire agreed, and looked towards the sky. “Now we can only hope the letter reaches the castle.”
“They won’t go through it, will they? The Felheimish, I mean.”
We’d been back in Felheim for a day, and already the Felheimish was a foreign concept to me. Within the Kingdom, it held as much weight as my impression of the pane once had: there were no soldiers here, no razed cities. What was happening across the wall could’ve been an ocean away. All anyone knew of it in Felheim was that their soldiers were working hard to save survivors and crush a rebellion. For those living in the scattered villages around us, life continued as it always had.
“They’d have no reason to. Eden’s fathers gained fortune and fame through the theatre. They may be two of the King’s favourite actors, but they have no real political ties,” Claire explained. “And if anyone is wary of letters trickling in from me, they will be expecting them to come from the territories. I did not put my name on the letter, either. I trust that Eden will recognise my writing.”
We met the others a mile along the road, out of sight of any villages.
Sen and Kidira walked ahead of Kouris and Akela, and Haru-Taiki was with them. He flew towards us, landed on Claire’s waiting arm as the raven had with the old woman, and tilted his head to the side. He buzzed with enough curiosity and worry for the lot of them.
“It’s fine. Everything’s okay,” Claire said, letting go of my hand to sign to Haru-Taiki that it was alright. I watched her fingers move and repeated the gesture behind my back, having not quite memorised it the first time Haru-Taiki had shown us.
“Then it’s done?” Kidira asked. “You’ve sent the letter?”
“I have. There is nothing more we can do but wait for the morning to come.”
“Wonderful. The fate of the continent rests on a piece of parchment.”
We moved from the road when Akela and Kouris caught up with us, lest two pane and a phoenix startle any travelling merchants. According to Claire, those heading for Thule would’ve got there a day or two ago, to make the most of the Prince’s birthday celebrations. The road would be ours, for the most part, but everyone understood the need to be cautious.
All that remained was to wait out the night and hope Rylan had not engineered some way of stopping the sun from rising.
“I asked her to meet with me at midday, within the forest. Should she wish to hear me out. My directions were vague to anyone but her,” Claire said as Sen ladled out dinner. Despite the lunch we’d had at the bakery, Claire’s appetite was fiercer than I’d know it to be since returning to Asar. “If she does not wish to meet with me, I requested that she burn the letter and put it out of her mind.”
“I’m s-sure she’ll want to talk to you, Claire,” Sen said, and tapped Haru-Taiki on the beak when he inched nearer and nearer the stew, convinced nobody would notice him if he moved slowly enough. “If not, ah… We always find another way, don’t we?”
“Thank you, Sen,” Claire said, both for the words and the food.
“We’ll wait on the outskirts of the forest. It’s a delicate situation and overwhelming her won’t work in our favour,” Kidira said, narrowing her gaze at Kouris and Akela. “Not that you ought to go alone, of course.”
Rowan,” Claire said immediately. “Will you accompany me?”
“Of course,” I said, throat burning when I gulped down a mouthful of stew in a rush to answer her.
“Haru-Taiki?”
Starting, having once again been caught edging towards the stew, he looked over his shoulder. He was completely confused and eager to please.
Claire pointed from her chest to Haru-Taiki and me, and gestured to the forest beyond.
“Together?” she asked.
He spread his wings out, getting a little ahead of himself.
Luckily, he didn’t reach the forest before realising what Claire meant. He shuffled back and kept his head bowed, until Sen offered him a spoonful of stew.
Stomach full, I laid back and watched the stars blossom into being. Sen let Haru-Taiki perch on her knee and used her claws to straighten his feathers. Akela discovered that she’d brought a deck of cards after all, and enticed Kouris into a game of their own making. Kidira fell asleep against Akela’s side with her arms folded across her chest, and knowing Claire wouldn’t get any sleep that night, I chose not to push the matter.
I simply held out my hand, should she wish to take it, and waited for the sun to reclaim its place in the sky.
I was rudely awoken by Haru-Taiki. He insisted on brushing his wing feathers across my nose until I groaned that I was awake, I was awake, and then caught the sleeve of my shirt in his beak as he did his best to tug me onto my feet.
Claire was ready, checking her pockets and bags for things she didn’t need to face the day. Her eyes were heavier than ever, and once I’d risen to my feet, I helped her put her eyepatch on and made sure none of her hair was caught awkwardly in it.
“Once you reach the castle,” Kidira said, making a foregone conclusion of it, “Send word. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Claire moved easily against Sen’s chest, when she held out her arms. She embraced her and let herself be embraced, and Kouris waved us off through a yawn. Akela was still sleeping, sprawled out on her back with her mouth wide open. Before I could set off, Kidira caught hold of my arm and said, “I know there is no need to tell you to protect Claire, but I shall do so anyway,” in a low voice.
There were few situations in which Kidira’s steely words were reassuring to me, but the extent of her determination to see that nothing more befell Claire filled me with a strength that hadn’t kindled within me before.
I nodded firmly and Kidira held my gaze.
Together, Claire and I made for the forest while Haru-Taiki circled overhead.
I caught a glimpse of the road leading to Thule. It curved away from the unmarked path we were taking and cut into the forest a good distance from us. There were no signposts anywhere near the trees Claire guided me between, nothing so distinct as a great stump or an arched trunk. I turned on the spot, searching for some natural landmark I could use, lest we became lost.
“We are going somewhere in particular, right?” I asked, once the edge of the forest was out of sight and trees surrounded us in all directions. “I mean, she knows where to meet you, doesn’t she?”
“She does,” Claire reassured me, not once breaking her stride.
Haru-Taiki perched in the trees overhead, bravely protecting us from all manner of rabbits and deer, and I found myself more on edge than either of them. Something about being in a Felheimish forest reminded me of the one beyond my village, the one I’d scarcely stepped foot in, and I forced myself to mistake every rustling leaf for an approaching wolf. I brushed my fingers across my trousers and traced the shape of a knife in my pocket, mind full of the teeth that had torn scars into my torso.
“You seem skittish,” Claire said without needing to look back. “Is something wrong? We’ll be there soon, Rowan.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” I rushed to reassure us both. “You know, the last time I was in a forest, I found a dead dragon. I found a dead dragon and brought him back to life. I guess I’m just wondering what the surprise is going to be this time.”
“Let’s hope it works out equally as well,” Claire said.
She paused for the first time, choosing between two identical archways formed by bowing trees.
We took the right path, and the forest became lively in a new way. Frogs croaked in the distance and insects buzzed to a different tune, and after fighting our way through a tangle of thorns blocking off a long-forgotten dirt path, we came to a clearing claimed entirely by a small lake.
It wasn’t terribly deep, and the few birds fishing were so unused to people that they fled at the sight of us. Haru-Taiki did a lap of the lake and landed where the herons had been. He brushed his wings against his chest, proud of himself for not scattering as they had.
A moss-covered rock served as good a seat as any, and Claire placed her cane across her lap so that she could clasp her hands together. She didn’t say a word.
“We still have time,” I told her, when staring at the trees on the other side of the lake didn’t cause someone to rush between them.
Claire hummed. I felt, abruptly, that I did not belong there. I knew I had to be there, but did not wish to be in the way. I resolved the matter by climbing the tree behind Claire.
It’d been years since I’d done as much, but my time in Canth had made my arms strong. As soon as I gripped the bark, fingers searching out the slightest handholds, the memories came flooding back and my muscles remembered the way up. I hoisted myself onto a high branch thick enough to hold my weight, and no longer had to worry about my stomach jumping when I looked down, now that I was used to coming and going by dragon.
I ended up some fifteen feet from the ground, kept company by a spider’s web. I took care not to tear it. Impressed with my vantage point, Haru-Taiki flew to my side and settled down next to me.
I’d expected to wait for hours, for the sun to be setting by the time someone showed, but it couldn’t have been a minute past eleven when I heard a twig snap underfoot.
Claire tore her gaze away from the lake and stood up when simply looking wasn’t enough.
A woman emerged from between the trees, well dressed but hardly extravagantly so. Her riding boots and windswept hair spoke of how she’d pushed herself from the castle to the forest as quickly as she could, and exertion had caused her dark cheeks to flush red.
She froze on the other side of the lake, eyes fixed on Claire.
Claire gripped her cane and her hand shook no matter how tightly she clung to it. Something about being there, about watching the two of them set eyes on one another after so many years, made me want to cry.
“Claire?” the woman asked softly. She stepped forward, and her mind was going through such turmoil that it took her a split-second to recall that she had to move around the lake.
She took another step, and then she ran. She caught Claire in an embrace that was so tight I doubted either of them could breathe.
With her dark hair and eyes, Eden was beautiful in all the ways I’d expected the ladies of court to be. Claire twisted her fingers in the back of her shirt, breathing shakily, and Eden only let go of her to move her hands to her shoulders, and then her face.
“Oh, it is you,” she said, eyes filling with tears. “Claire. Claire, I… What’s happened, Claire? What have you been through?”
Claire closed her eye and leant into Eden’s touch. All she could manage to say was, “I didn’t think you’d come.”
“I’d come if you claimed to be responsible for all that happened in Kastelir,” Eden said, taking a deep breath and doing what she could to blink her tears away. “Surely you know that by now.”
Eden’s hands returned to Claire’s shoulders, and with a sharp breath through her nose, Claire fell back into her arms. Eden held her again, and I saw her expression change; saw her realise that no matter how overwhelmed she was, it was a thousand times harder for Claire. Murmuring something I didn’t catch, Eden gently eased Claire back so that she could take her hands and lead her back towards the rock.
They sat together as I knew they had so many times before. The lake meant something to them, and I tried not to watch as they reunited after so long. Both for my sake as well as theirs.
“I heard so many conflicting reports from so many people, Claire. Alex was beside himself. He still is. And your parents, they… they tried so hard to find you,” Eden said. She clasped both of Claire’s hands in her own, and I laughed dryly, silently, as I recalled how Luxon had been sent to drag Claire home. “I heard awful things about you, Claire, but I never believed them. Not for a moment. I knew you had to have been set-up, and when Kastelir was taken by the dragons, I thought that…”
Eden paused, taking a deep breath.
“I thought you were dead. We all did. There were rumours, of course. Plenty of those. There were whispers about who was leading the rebellion in Kastelir. To tell the truth, I was on the verge of seeking out a shrine, as though a prayer might make it true.”
“You always were one for extreme measures,” Claire said quietly. “You needn’t have undertaken them, though. I was leading the resistance in the former Kastelir, but Rylan’s actions have compelled me to move on. I sought refuge in a pane tribe, but he hounded me still. These past years – and longer still, since I left – have seen me do nothing but run. But now I have returned home.
“I know that I have no right to put you in this position, Eden. I know that I did not even have the decency to say goodbye to you, but my allies are few and far between. I have those loyal to me, those I would trust with my life and my Kingdom, but they are outsiders. They are not of Thule. I cannot trust my family, but I have ever trusted you. Will you help me?”
Eden nodded. For a moment, words did not come to her. She leant forward, closed her eyes tightly, and kissed Claire’s forehead.
“Claire. You needn’t ask. I know you. I trust you. I admit that your letter was a lot to take in, and at the time I could not parse much beyond the fact that it was from you, but I believe you. I believe what you said about the dragons. Years ago, before you went missing, when we were still… Well, I saw how it affected you, Claire. I know how much of yourself you gave to Felheim. You would not betray it.”
It was Claire’s turn not to know what to say. She could only express her gratitude by pulling Eden close again, one hand pressed to the back of her head. Looking up, Claire caught my eye and silently gestured for me to join them.
I made my way down as quietly as I could, but falling the last few feet caused brittle twigs and dried leaves to crunch underfoot.
Eden pulled away from Claire in alarm, but Claire placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know that it was alright. She hadn’t been travelling alone.
“This is Rowan Northwood,” Claire said. There was a faraway quality that hadn’t drained from her voice, yet.
“Oh. Rowan! Yes, in your letter, you…” Eden mumbled, getting to her feet. She held out a hand and I clasped it. “I’m glad to meet you, Rowan. Do forgive me. You’ve caught me in quite the state. I can barely remember my own name.”
