We came to a stop outside her rooms, and that’s when I sidled closer. Arm resting on the wall, I didn’t get any of the stink she talked about. Just roses and the slight ozone sperfume of the air. I breathed it deep as I leaned in.
“Just say the word, and we’ll be at your door before dinner starts. Cleaned up nice and even wearing those damn uniforms they gave us.”
Fern stared up at me, her lips parting, but before she could say a word, her door was wrenched open.
“You’re here!?” Sparrow appeared in the doorway, her hand shooting out to grab Fern’s arm, hauling her inside. “The keep dragons are always terrible gossips, but they went mad the moment you and Auren reached the city.” Her eyes shone as she took the four of us men in. “You going off with four riders has been all anyone can talk about for days.” I watched Fern disappear inside her suite and smiled despite the subsequent feeling of loss. “You need to tell me about everything!”
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Fern told us, right before the door was closed in our faces.
“Well, she didn’t say no.” Dain snorted at Kael’s optimistic statement. “We’ll meet back here once we’ve had a chance to clean up.” His focus slid to Lance. “And you’ve reported to the general on what happened. Perhaps we should discuss what information to share on the way upstairs.”
The way the muscle in Lance’s jaw flexed made me wonder if the lieutenant was still with us, but he ended up nodding.
“That and what to do next,” Lance said. “The tomb gave us more questions than answers.”
“Questions, nests, generals.” Kael smirked as we made for the stairs. “All solvable problems. What matters right now is convincing Fern to walk into that dining hall with us, making clear to everyone there who she belongs to.”
“On that, we all agree,” I said.
Each man there nodded in response. All but Dain. He stared back at us, then shook his head as he turned and climbed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Thing was for all his gruff exterior, that mask of his was beginning to slip. First with those drawings and second when Fern stroked his hair. He’d spent all those years building up those walls. It had to be hard to dismantle them for our girl.
But he would.
Fate had her hand on all of us and she’d steer us towards each other, no matter what we might think. When we returned to our room, I pulled my tunic off over my head, dropping it down on the bed before heading for the showers.
Chapter 52
Fern
“So what happened?” As I put my bags on my bed, Sparrow followed. “How are you? How was the trip?” As I sucked in a breath to reply, the questions kept coming. “Did you find the tomb of Drathnor and have incredible adventures?” She pointed a finger at me. “You promised to tell me all about it. A pinky swear is a very serious thing.”
“Can it wait until I’ve had a bath?” I asked with a weary smile. “I smell like soot and dragon.”
“You can do both.” I watched in wonder as she went charging into the bathroom and then yanked on the rope to summon servants to fill the bath.
Which is how some time later, I came to be sitting neck deep in steaming water, scrubbing myself clean as Sparrow sat perched on the lip of the bath.
“So, were there any undead knights lurching through the tomb?” She raised her arms and then groaned, imitating the movements of a revenant. “No, ghost dragons!”
“No undead anything.” I settled back against the bath,placing the soap on the rim. “Just… memories of a dying queen dragon.”
“Oh.” Sparrow’s shoulders slumped. “So the silver dragon riders didn’t have to rescue you from some terrible crypt creature?”
“Not a creature.” With a blink, it all came back. The dragons melting the very rock above as us the cave threatened to collapse, and then Dain… When I looked up, her eyes were wide, utterly fixated on me. “The cave was collapsing around us and?—”
“The arrogant one with the blue eyes swept you into his arms and out of the cave to safety?” she said. “No, the one with the knives. He’s a lot wirier, but men like that can be ridiculously strong. My brother…” She shook her head, then stabbed a finger in my direction. “The big fellow with the scowl.” I blinked. “He was the one. So taciturn and grumpy, but everyone knows a man only does that when he’s pining for a woman. Seeing you were in danger, he was forced to act, saving you from being crushed by falling rocks. He plucked you from the jaws of death and then flew you to safety.”
“Close.” I grabbed the soap and spent far too much time lathering it between my hands. “I’m not sure if Dain is pining…” My voice trailed away as I remembered what I saw on the walls of his room. All those drawings had me reconsidering what I was about to say. “But yes, he saved me from being killed by a cave collapse. Got acid burns for his trouble.”
“And you nursed him back to health, and as you applied a poultice to his arm, he confessed his true feelings for you?” she asked hopefully.
“As I applied a salve,” I corrected, “he seemed particularly put out by the whole process and wanted me to leave him alone, but…”
“But?”
She leaned closer. So close, I feared she’d fall into the bath and join me.
“We visited the silver riders’ family home.”
