This time, I called out to the sprites myself. “Guys? Any help here?”
“Sure, Godsblood. Already on it.” The sprites jumped into motion again, following the two folk as they departed, closing any gaps and distracting Ember enough that the door opened and closed without issue.
That was surely going to come in handy.
“Why do you look so evil over there?” Fiella said suspiciously.
I forced a blank expression onto my face. “No reason.”
“Is it about the sprites that are super helpful all of a sudden?”
“It might be.”
“Kiz,” she reprimanded.
“I didn’t even do anything!”
“But you’re thinking about it.”
I sighed. “I’ll be nice to them, I swear.” Or, nice enough.
“You better be.”
I returned my attention to the dragon. “Well, what are we going to do? And what if the other two hatch? It’s like taking care of a baby, but worse. Because the baby can murder folk and burn the entire town to the ground.”
“Well… at least it’s still a baby. It can’t be too hard. Feed it, give it a comfy bed, and play with it. Maybe scratch its tiny head and kiss it on its tiny cheeks. I think we can handle that.”
“So, you’re taking him with you?” I asked hopefully.
“Woah, I didn’t say that!”
I hurried to a basket on the table that I had prepared for this moment. I pulled out a few vials. One contained a protective enchantment similar to the one I had placed on theshop. Another contained a flame-proofing liquid. “We’ll fix your cottage up, then. And then you can take him.”
Redd looked pale. “Sure. Fix up the cottage. That is made almost entirely of wood.”
I flapped my hand dismissively. “If it burns down, you’ll rebuild it. You’re the woodworker, after all.” And it was true. Since Redd had moved to Moonvale, he had opened up his own woodworking shop that was keeping him very busy. I could admit that he was adept at what he did.
He better be, considering he was my best friend’s mate, and she was the most talented trinket collector in the entire realm.
He swallowed. “I guess you’re right.” He turned to Fiella, reaching out and running a hand down the length of her hair. “Are you sure about this?”
She leaned into his touch and smiled warmly at him. I held down the gag and rude comment that wanted to fly out of my mouth—I knew I was just as lovey dovey with Tandor.
It was absurd, how happy everyone was. It was like a gods damned fairytale.
“I’m sure,” Fiella said with more conviction than I expected. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I forced Kizzi to bring the eggs home.”
“It’s true,” I added. “It really is Fiella’s fault that we’re in this situation in the first place.”
She glared at me. “Oh hush, bitch. You wanted them just as much as I did. It’s like having a murderous puppy. You’d do anything for a murderous puppy.”
I simply shrugged, because I couldn’t disagree. “Well,” I tossed the fireproofing supplies into a bag. “Bring these home, set them up, and then I’ll swing by later to strengthen up the enchantment if necessary. The sprites, Hex, and I will take care of the little monster until then.”
Fiella smiled gratefully. “Of course. You really are the best, you know?”
I shoved the bag at her. “I know. Now get out, quick, while Ember is distracted.”
The dragon was chasing a sprite around the room, snapping at its fluttering feet with gentle chomps.
