“That’s exactly what I’m asking,” he said. “Would he?”
I ground my teeth. Reykur would never attack anyone unprovoked. I knew the truth of that as well as I knew my own soul. But if an angry mob went after him? I couldn’t be certain he’d hold back.
“You want me to make him leave,” I said.
“For the sake of peace, yes.”
“I’m afraid Steffon’s right, Lilia,” Nilsa said with a heavy sigh. “I don’t believe he’d ever hurt anyone, but it’s just better for everyone if he goes now. After the fire…people are going to be on edge. They’ll react badly when they find out he was near the meadow.”
I lifted my chin. “If he goes, I go.”
Steffon heaved a sigh, scratching the base of his horns. “Very well. It isn’t as if Yule will proceed at this point. Everything’s gone. There’s no reason for you to remain here.”
Herold rose from the table. “Now wait a minute. You can’t force Lilia to leave in the middle of winter, not when her wagon got burned up with all the rest of it. She has no home.”
“It’s all right, Herold.” I smiled sadly. “I can manage on my own. I always do. I’ll just get my pack from the room upstairs, and I’ll be on my way.”
As I moved toward the staircase, Nilsa bustled after me. “No, I’m not having it. With the Elding the way it is, you can’t go wandering the roads without shelter.”
But I’d already heard enough. I reached the stairs and jogged up to the top floor. Inside my rented room, I shoved all my belongings back into my pack and hauled it onto my shoulder. I looked out the window one last time, memorizing the shape the buildings cast onto a mottled blue-gray sky. This might be the last time I ever saw them. I likely wouldn’t be welcomed back here after this.
Because Steffon was right. Gossip would quickly spread. The townspeople would blame me and my dragon for all the calamity that had befallen their beloved festival. They’d likely assume I had something to do with all the theft, too. If I ever stepped foot in this place again, it would not be to the sound of cheers.
Brushing the unwelcome tears from my cheeks, I strode out the door and took the route to the rear of the building rather than taking a chance with the stairs. I couldn’t stand the thought of saying goodbye to Nilsa. When I reached the window, I hoisted myself over the ledge and scaled down the stone, landing in the alley. And then I took a winding path through the streets, careful to stay out of sight.
I didn’t look behind me even once.
30
LILIA
My hands were empty, and the silence was louder than my wagon’s rattling wheels ever had been. I lumbered up the side of the hill, aiming my steps toward the mountains looming ahead. I figured I’d pay Ulrika another visit and tell her what had happened. I dreaded seeing the look of disappointment on her face when I told her I’d failed her. Steffon had offered her an invite, but her association with me could get her driven out of town.
I didn’t have much of a plan after that.
I could always return to Wyndale. My brother would welcome me into his home with open arms, and he’d expect nothing in return for it. But that was a good three weeks’ journey from here, if not more. I had no food. I had very little coin. And I had no shelter.
My boots faltered on the path. Despair dogged my every step, but I couldn’t let it win. I would just have to go back to the basics. Years ago, I’d learned to forage for berries during the winter months. I could collect sticks fore fire when I stopped for the night. It would do little good if the Elding hit, but hopefully those storms had moved on for good now.
I could survive long enough in the wilds to reach Wyndale.
Looking up at the sky, I brought my fingers to my lips and whistled hard. The sound echoed across the foothills. A moment later, the sound of rushing wings answered my call. Reykur swept over the distant ridge-line, his majestic form a welcome sight. He soared toward me, and his wings skimmed the tall grass. Not a single blade caught flame, like they would have only weeks ago.
There was a wildness, a freedom to his movements now, like he’d been trapped inside a cage before. His essence filled his entire frame, expanding outward. He was letting himself take up space in a world where he’d once had to hide. And I would not make him do that any longer.
He thundered to the ground only a few feet away from me. The heat of him throbbed toward me, like hearth fire. But the burn didn’t come. He could control his fire now, just like Ragnar could. And that was when I realized, he must have learned it by watching him, the man who’d once been a dragon himself. The timing was too coincidental to ignore.
I ran my hand along Reykur’s scales. He leaned his head into my touch, loosing a purr of contentment.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmured to him. “We have to leave Riverwold now. We’ll find somewhere else where you can be you.”
His luminous eyes gazed back at me.
“The fire. They think you did it.”
Rearing back, he swept his head from side to side, communicating with me in a way he never had before. His nostrils flared, and sparks of his inner fire danced down his spine. And I understood his wordless voice.
“I know you didn’t,” I told him, speaking around the lump in my throat. “It’s not fair for them to blame you. But they’re frightened, and they needed someone to take the fall.”
