As Lynel led us to one of the larger houses, Zach leaned over my shoulder, speaking quietly. “A clumsy shot, was it?”
I turned my head and noticed how close he was. I could see the flecks of both emerald and amber in his eyes. “Would you rather I tell him the truth—that you refused to use a Royal’s Kiss and I had to drive it off?”
“That’s up to you, but what they think of it won’t change my mind.”
“If I thought it would, I would’ve said it.”
“You know, Ivy…” Zach’s hand brushed mine, and I couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or not. “I think you understand me more than you’d like to let on.”
My ears grew hot. “You flatter yourself. It just means I’m no stranger to men dumber than a bridge troll.”
Zach’s laughter was so loud I couldn’t help but smile with him, even when Lynel glanced back at us with a raised brow.
Because the village had no inn, Lynel brought us to his house. His ancestors had been the founders of the village, so his house was the biggest. It had two stories and a brick chimney, and the high roof was made of brucel wood. One of his partners, Patrice, showed us to two rooms they kept tidy and vacant for travelers, and told us she would have baths drawn and a warm meal ready.
“You really don’t have to go to all the trouble,” I insisted, standing in the doorway to my room as Patrice took up the tiny hallway, one of her little ones clinging to her apron and staring up at me in awe.
Patrice, with her round face and lovely blue eyes, shook her head and waved her hands. “I won’t hear another word of it, princess. You are welcome guests. We are honored to host Royals in our home.”
Desperation surged through my gut. I would protect these people from the griffin. No matter what.
“We’re really grateful to you, ma’am,” Zach said, coming up behind her.
Patrice smiled. “Dinner will be along shortly. I’ll come and fetch you.”
“I’ll help prepare,” I said, removing my cloak and rolling up my sleeves.
“That won’t be necessary, princess,” Patrice said hurriedly.
“Don’t be silly. I don’t mind.” I started to follow her, when Zach caught my bare arm.
He brought his face close to my ear and muttered, “I’m going to take a look around the village and see if I can get some information about the griffin attacks. They might know where the nest is located.”
“Good idea. We’ve got less than forty hours before the griffin’s wing heals and it can attack, so the quicker we find its nest, the better,” I said softly. Not to mention our own deadline to find the dragon. “But why are you whispering?”
“Just wanted to get a closer look at those freckles.” He winked.
I ripped my arm from his grasp and turned on my heel, all but running after Patrice.
An hour and a half later, Patrice covered the stewpot for it to simmer and then banished me from the kitchen. I was about to check on Brom at the stables when small hands caught the edges of my tunic. Children had gathered around me. They were as quiet as kitten’s paws—I hadn’t even heard them enter the kitchen.
“Hello there,” I said, kneeling to smile at each of them.
“Jordan, Colleen, Priscilla, leave Princess Ivy alone. She has things to do,” Patrice chastised them.
“Oh, I don’t mind. I adore children,” I said with a laugh as the youngest tugged at my hair and pulled it from its wrap. “It must be good to have all these helpers. Do Lynel’s other partners live here as well?” It was common for village founders to have quite a few partners to produce heirs to take their place later, so what Patrice said next surprised me.
“Oh, it’s just me. These little ones are all mine.” There was pride in her voice.
“That’s…rare,” I said, not wanting to offend her by how strange I found it. The toddler now had my braid and was beginning to unwind it with his tiny hands.
Patrice smiled. “It may seem odd to you, but we’re quite far from the Crown City, and we live much simpler lives out here in the outskirts of Myria. Often your first partner is all you need. Plus, the more children, the more mouths to feed.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“I have another baby sleeping upstairs, only a month old. My oldest daughter is watching over her,” Patrice said proudly, stroking the hair of the smallest girl.
“Congratulations,” I said.
“Thank you. He is quite the miracle.”
I found the choice of words odd, but I didn’t inquire further. After playing with the children for another half hour, I went to check on Brom. He’d yet to emerge from the stables.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and the last streaks of red, violet, and orange were barely visible over the rolling fields framed by the villagers’ houses. Glad to see the clouds gone, at least for now, I took a moment to admire the colors before I headed past a few shops, to find the village stables.
People were wrapping up for the evening, putting their farming tools in their sheds, bringing in firewood for dinner, closing shops, and sweeping their storefronts. It was a gentle, quiet village, and once again I felt a stab of fear for them. No. We’ll find the griffin and kill it. We still have time. There’s no need to panic.
In the stables, Brom was shoveling straw into our horses’ stalls.
Leaning against a wooden beam and bringing my hand to the nose of a pretty black mare, I said, “Can you believe him?”
Bromley stopped and just shrugged, then went back to pitching the straw.
“That’s it? That’s your whole response?” I said in disbelief. The horse nudged my palm, and I trailed my fingers over her soft snout.
He stopped and drew the pitchfork onto his shoulder. “I agree it’s not ideal—”
“Ideal?” I scoffed. “Try a catastrophe. Brom, he tricked us. He agreed to be my partner, knowing what he was expected to do, then backed out.”
Brom gave me a sheepish look. “Technically he didn’t back out. He’s still here. He’s still going after the dragon.”
“To what avail? We’ll die before we even get there if we don’t use the power of the Kiss. The entire point of our partnership is to use the magic of the Royals. One can’t work without the other—you know this.”
It was Kellian being on his own all over again. It was me going into battle without a partner, with the dwarf standing over me about to drive his sword through…
Solo acts didn’t work. I had enough proof.
“I know, but what can we do? Go back?”
I patted the mare’s neck. She blinked her large brown eyes and snorted. “No, we’ll continue on. We have to. But I’m not giving up. He will Kiss me. And we’ll share the most powerful Kiss the Forces have ever seen.”
Chapter
Fourteen
The Griffin’s Nest
The stew smelled heavenly. Combined with cinnamon-buttered bread, it made the perfect meal after three days of dried, salted meat and cheese. Once we had eaten, Patrice and Lynel’s children cleared away the table and left us to share a drink.
Zach had his mug filled with ale but had yet to touch a drop.
“So when did the griffin attacks start?” he asked, tearing off another chunk of cinnamon bread.
A heavy silence fell over the table, and Zach and I exchanged worried glances. Patrice reached over and grabbed her partner’s hand. Lynel placed his other hand on top of hers. “About a month ago. It showed up at the barn at the edge of the village, out of nowhere. It killed my brother and nephews. Patrice was the only survivor.”
The devastation and fear on Patrice’s face made it feel like the griffin had its talons in my heart, piercing it and making it bleed.
“I still can’t believe it just left me alone. I think the Holy Queen must’ve been watching over me. She wanted our baby son to be born.” Patrice laid a hand on her stomach.
Her previous words made sense now. That’s why she’d called her baby a miracle. Because they had both survived the griffin’s wrath.