I was on the other end of the forest in the blink of an eye. “Catch me, sister!” I shouted. I could hardly see the girl, so far away.
“That’s no fair!” she complained. “You’re cheating.”
“Using the tools the fates granted us is not cheating, sprout. It is simply being smart.”
“We are not to play around with the talents. You’re going to get in trouble.”
“If we do not play, we will not learn—and the mortals will suffer.”
My brain threatened to burst.
I fisted my hair with both hands, tugging at the roots to relieve the pressure.
All at once, the memory released me—I was back in the depths of Moonvale’s forest.
I exhaled all the air in my lungs, deflating entirely. I was empty. Exhausted.
But I had a memory. Arealone, even if it was short. It actuallymade sense.
My memories were coming back.
Maybe the crone would get to live, after all.
CHAPTER 26
Ginger
Itapped my quill against my journal impatiently.
My muscles thrummed with pent up energy. They begged for relief, ached to be worn down.
I gave up on my writing—the dragon journal could wait.
I donned a pair of soft trousers and layered on two sweaters—enough to keep me warm in the cold air of the fading freeze season but not heavy enough to smother me when my blood started pumping through my veins.
“I’m going running, Bram. Care to join me?”
The dragon simply stared at me for a moment before closing his eyes and exhaling in a puff.
“Suit yourself, lazy bones. You’re missing out on a fun time.”
His tail flicked dismissively. Rude little beast. I kissed him on the forehead and tucked him into bed.
Leaving my cloak behind, I slipped out of my cottage, locking the door behind me and tucking the key into the waistband of my trousers.
I stretched my stiff legs for a moment, taking care to tug on the muscles. I didn’t want to hurt myself.
And then I took off at a brisk jog. The wind whipped my loose hair around my face, tangled it in my antlers.
I ran a lap around town first. I waved at a few folk, stopped to chat once or twice.
The restless sensation persisted.
A piece of parchment on top of one of the old mailboxes caught my attention as I made my way toward the woods to extend my route.
My curiosity got the better of me. I came to a halt beside the mailbox and grabbed the parchment.
It was a flier, clearly placed there intentionally. It hadn’t blown away yet, so it had to be new. I looked around to see where it had come from.
