He nods and starts towards the house. I make my way to Redara’s front.Are you okay?
Yes. I’m going to head to my usual place to hunt and then rest. Let me know if you need me.
I put my hand on her snout.Thank you for getting us here. And—
If I hear anything, I will let you know,she says, knowing what I was going to ask before I even asked.
Be safe.
She huffs out a response and then takes a few steps and lifts up into the air. I watch her go a moment and then turn back to Farrah, who hasn’t gone inside yet. She walks next to me as we walk towards the front door. And though I can tell she’s nearlybursting with curiosity, she doesn’t say anything. When we get inside, I take in the familiar features. It doesn’t look like much has changed; I feel like so much has changed though.
I follow Farrah into the main living space and walk over to where Auri sits on the couch. “Hey, Kiddo,” I say, slipping in next to her.
“You both look exhausted. The guest room is empty and available for you both to stay in,” Farrah says, taking control. “Are either of you hungry?”
“Starving,” I admit for both of us. “We haven’t eaten at all today.”
Farrah’s eyes widen. “That’s terrible. I’ll go track down something.”
“Thank you,” I call out after her.
When I look back at Rysden, he has a serious look on his face. Well, Rysden always has a serious look on his face, but he’s pretty intense right now. “Where’s Rauk?” he asks quietly.
I think about where to even begin. Suddenly, weariness takes a hold of me, and I feel like I can’t keep my eyes open one more minute. I vigorously rub my eyes with the palms of my hands. My eyes feel like sandpaper, but they’re not nearly as bad as they were the night I rode to the Dragon Kingdom with Rauk. I look down at Auri, and she’s practically asleep sitting up. “It’s a long story,” I start.
Rysden glances at Auri and then stands up. “We can talk in the morning.”
“Here,” Farrah says, joining us. “I grabbed just a few things, so at least you don’t have to sleep on an empty stomach.” Shehands us a plate with some hard cheese, bread, and fruit. I offer it to Auri first before taking a few snacks for myself. As soon as the food hits my stomach, I realize how hungry I am. I reach out and take some more of everything. “How long does it take to get to the Dragon Kingdom flying?” Farrah asks as we eat.
“Somewhere around twelve hours,” I answer in between bites of food.
Her eyes widen. “And you didn’t eat in all that time?”
“No.” I keep my answer brief. I really don’t want to get into everything with them in front of Auri; she’s already been through enough today. “Thank you for the food and thank you for letting us stay here.”
“How long will you be staying?” Farrah asks, and I don’t miss that Rysden’s eyes stay on me.
“I’m not sure,” I admit after a beat.
Farrah reaches out and puts her hand on Rysden’s, and he folds her hand into his. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” She stands up. “You both look like you’re going to fall asleep; let’s get you to your room. Do you have a bag or...anything?”
I shake my head. “We didn’t bring anything with us.” I smile at Auri and knock her arm with mine. “We’re winging it.” I don’t look at Farrah, because I’m pretty sure she must think I’ve totally lost it. “All right. Let’s get upstairs.” I lean forward to pick her up, but Rysden beats me to it.
“I’ll carry you upstairs if that’s okay with you,” he says in a quiet voice. Auri glances over at me and then nods at Rysden. We make the trip up the stairs, and I feel like the steps get steeperwith each step. It takes much more effort than it should to get to the top stair.
“Are you okay, Harper?” Farrah asks softly.
“Yeah, I’m just totally spent after riding all day.”
“I can’t imagine.”
We follow Rysden down the hallway and to the guest room. When he steps inside and disappears out of our line of sight, Farrah puts her hand on my arm. “Did something happen?” I nod, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that’s happened since I got to the Dragon Kingdom. Farrah must be able to tell because she drops her arm and steps back. “Like you said, we’ll talk in the morning. Get some sleep.” She closes in on me for a hug. “It’s really good to see you.”
Chapter 30
I close the door behind me and fight through the crushing fatigue. Auri watches me from where she sits on the bed, but she looks like she’s going to fall asleep sitting there. “All right. You probably have to go to the bathroom after flying all day. I know I do.”
A few minutes later, we’re back in the bedroom. A knock on the door stops me before I get too far. “Hey, I brought these for you to sleep in.”
