“Yes. Unfortunately, it won’t be so easy. They won’t be found if you’re looking. The good news is that I believe the rune stones want to be found.” Willorunia squeezed my shoulder. “Whoever placed this Faian curse probably intends to change the landscape, and the forest knows you’ll protect it.”
“I will!” I said.
“I know you will, darling.”
I swallowed thickly. “Why can’t I tell Sterling?”
Willorunia shook her head. “Sterling doesn’t understand magic. He’ll want to search the forest, which will only hide the curse deeper.”
I was conflicted. Sterlingwouldwant to search the woods, but he would listen to me regarding magic. I had also promised to be honest about the investigation, and this was important.
“Willorunia… You…?” I looked into her eyes, trying to understand. It was strange she didn’t want me to tell Sterling when it seemed so inconsequential. For all I knew, moving the stone would exacerbate the curse. What if I couldn’t find the stone again? Based on what she said, I might not.
“Cassian, don’t be ridiculous. I would never curse Fibbersnap Inn,” she said.
“How did you know I was going to ask that?”
“Because you look frightened. When have I ever done anything to hurt you?” she asked.
“Nobody here has ever done anything to hurt me, but it was one of us. Faian magic can’t be done from a distance, so whoever placed this curse was here the day Sterling and I went to Dreckle. That means it was Griffin, Olive, Jasmine, or a customer, but Sterling already checked the logs, and I just can’t imagine Olive or Jasmine doing this to me. But you’re talented enough at magic to do Faian magic from a distance, and you have Griffin here to help you.”
“Do you think I’m stupid enough to place the stone in your hand and have you move it knowing it would go badly for you?” she asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, Willo. Knowing that it could be someone close to me is messing with my head. I feel like I can’t trust anyone.”
“You can’t. That’s why I told you not to trust anyone.”
“But Sterling? He’s the only person I do trust,” I said.
“You never needed him. You should have come to me first,” Willorunia said.
“I couldn’t come to you. Griffin hated me,” I reminded her.
“Griffin never hated you. He simply missed you. We both did,” Willo said.
I sighed and watched the icy water, clutching the cool stone in my fist. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit. It keeps me up at night how I avoided this place. I wish Grandpa had given the inn to someone who deserved it.”
“He did, darling.” She rubbed my back, watching the water with me as my view of it became blurry and hot. “Your grandfather loved you. You know he didn’t hold it against you that you didn’t visit, right? All he wanted was your happiness.”
“Then why did he trap me here?!” I asked, swiping my sleeve across my face and sniffling. “He knew I didn’t want this. I told him.”
Willorunia continued watching the water quietly as my guilt dragged me to its depths. “You’re not trapped, Cassian,” she said. “If you’re really that unhappy here, none of us want you to make yourself miserable by staying. We’ll miss you, but we want the best for you too.”
“I don’t get it then,” I said shakily, unable to fight back my tears. “Why did he choose me?”
“Probably because he knew it would be great for the inn if you discovered you loved caring for it like he did, because you’re passionate and kind, just like him. You’re a good fit for the role. Why do you hate it so much?” she asked.
I sighed, eyeing the engraved stone in my hand. “It’s not innkeeping I hate… I enjoy taking care of people. I actually like every part of this job, except how much I like the people. It’sawful connecting with someone and then saying goodbye the next day.”
“Haven’t you seen a lot of these people again already? And you’ve been here two months?” Willo asked.
I thought about it, and I was surprised she was right. “Yeah… A lot of them seemed to know my grandpa pretty well too…”
“Can you stick it out a little longer? Maybe you’ll see it’s not so bad,” she said.
I wiped a stray tear off my cheek. Maybe I had missed the point of it all. “I can wait a little longer.”
STERLING
