Footsteps thundered down the stairs.
“Oh, he’s talking, is he?” the gryphon asked.
“To my wife,” I said.
Ginger looked at me sharply. “And Tommins, too. If you ever want to get out of this cell.”
I exhaled heavily through my nose. I was unable to resist her commands. “If I must.”
Tommins visibly relaxed. “Thank the Old Gods,” he muttered.
A shiver shot down my spine, but I ignored it. I settled onto the cot in the corner. “What do you wish for me to say?”
“Many things. Where you came from. What you want from us. Why the King is looking for you.”
“I don’t have those answers for you…”
Ginger slapped a palm onto her forehead, and Tommins sighed heavily. “Not this again.”
“No, it’s not that… I just… I cannot recall.”
“You don’t remember?”
I shook my head.
“Well, I suppose you’ll have plenty of time to think about it,” Tommins declared.
And with that, the folk swept from the room, leaving me alone once more.
CHAPTER 30
Ginger
I’d never seen Brambleby move so fast.
He zipped from wall to wall, unable to contain his excitement as he fluttered about the room, squawking up a storm.
It was adorable.
It was also destructive, wreaking havoc on my cottage, but that was a problem I would deal with later.
“I missed you too, my sweet!” I exclaimed as I chased behind the dragon with open arms, trying to catch him before he could barrel into my lantern and break the glass.
I just barely snatched him around the middle, squeezing him to my chest. He let me, wriggling around to press his snout to my throat and sniff wildly.
“I’m alright! I’m alright, I swear!” I insisted, trying not to let his body fall to the ground.
Not that he would mind at this moment—he was an absolute wriggling beast.
“Go easy, I’m stillfragile!”
After lots of squeals, slobber, and reassurance, the dragon finally calmed enough for me to set him down.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised. “Didn’t you enjoy your time with Fiella and Kizzi? It’s fun at their cottages and shops, isn’t it?”
He let out a grumble that was somewhere between a growl and a purr. He had mixed feelings about the situation, I guessed.
“Mamma needs a nap,” I said. I sniffed under my arm and cringed. “And more importantly, a bath. Think you can behave yourself for a while?”
