I winced and looked away. “They weren’t big on books. Or music. Or art of any kind. They taught me to read and write, of course, but not for pleasure. I don’t think I consumed an actual novel until I was fifteen and living on my own.”
“In the forest? How’d you come across them there?” With careful fingers, Rune pried the material away from my skin. A hiss of pain went through me. I focused on his words, forcing myself to remain still.
“I didn’t have many close neighbors. In fact, I didn’t have any at all. But there were a few cottages a mile or so away, and I stumbled upon them one day when I was out exploring. The woman there, her name is Maella, welcomed me inside for tea and biscuits. And when she realized I didn’t have anyone or much of anything of my own, she sent me off with a bundle of food, blankets, and books. For the next few years, she found me every few months, bringing me more supplies until she was certain I could take care of myself.”
Rune frowned. “And you were only fifteen? She should have invited you to live with her instead of sending you off into the forest all by yourself.”
I smiled. “Well, she tried, but I turned her down. At the time, I was pretty stubborn about wanting to live alone.”
The hiss of a blade through linen filled the air as Rune got to work on my trousers. “You talk like that’s changed, but you’ve been pretty stubborn about wanting to live alone now, too. All that nonsense about you camping out in the forest until the inn has a free room.”
I leaned back in the chair, my attention caught on the focused determination etched into every line of his face. He looked so steady and sure, like he’d done this a hundred times before, and I was struck by the certainty that this was how he looked when he worked on his builds, too. Focused, determined, confident in his work. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt that way about anything other than archery. I certainly knew I didn’t feel that way about assassination. My brother had told me that would change, and I’d learn to love it the way he did. But I was beginning to wonder if he was wrong about me. Because all I’d done since arriving on this island was try to find reasons to end my assignment early.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to our conversation.
“My idea to camp in the woods is less about wanting to live alone,” I said softly, “and more about not wanting to be a burden to you—or to anyone. But no, I don’t want that solitary life anymore. Back home, I got lonely after a while. There was no one to talk to, except for the animals.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Is that why you came here? You wanted someone to talk to?”
“In a way.”
Because beneath it all, thatwaswhat had brought me here. All those long years by myself had driven me to such an intense loneliness that I became willing to do whatever it took to escape from it. And so I was here, sitting before a mark who was on his hands and knees trying to patch me up.
Tears welled. Gritting my teeth, I blinked them away. But Rune caught the gloss in my eyes before I got rid of it.
“Hey,” he said softly, resting his warm hand on my thigh. A sudden heat tore through me, making my breath catch. “If you’re lonely, you’ve come to the right place. This village is full of the best folk I’ve ever known, and they’ll soon make you feel like you’re a part of this place, too. Like you’ve always been here. And if you want to talk? Well, let me tell you, they really know how to talk.” A smile curled his lips. “So be careful what you wish for.”
My breath caught. “Rune, I…” A wild, reckless need to tell him why I was here buzzed in my head, like millions of angry bees. And that was how I found myself blurting, “Do you have a dragon?”
A strange look crossed his face. And like always, I couldn’t read it. “That’s a very odd thing to ask someone.”
“Sorry.” A fiery heat filled my cheeks. “It’s just, I saw all those figurines in your bedroom, and you seem awfully fond of hearth-fires, even when it’s nearly summer…Plus, your neighbor’s cows went missing. And I thought maybe…”
At the dark look in his eye, I fell silent. He ignored my questions and returned his attention to my knee. Tension pulsed between us. All I could do was watch while he gently cleaned my wound and applied a healing salve. When he was done, he wrapped my leg in strips of cloth and sat back on his heels.
Whatever warmth I’d felt between us was gone now.
“Keep it dry until tomorrow. The cut is fairly shallow, so it should heal just fine,” he said flatly.
I pressed my lips together, then said, “I’m sorry for asking about the dragon. If I’d known how much it would bother you, I would have kept the question to myself.”
He looked away, his shoulders tensing. “The truth is, you’re not far off. I did have a dragon once. Years ago, before the war. But she came to the same end as all the others. It’s not something I like to think about, least of all discuss. You say you were lonely. After I lost her, so was I. And I suppose I still am.”
A knock sounded on the door. Rune flinched, a muscle feathering in his jaw. “That will be Arvid with your things.”
He rose and moved with jerky motions toward the door, like the weight of his painful past made his limbs too heavy to control. I gripped the edge of the rocking chair, hating that I’d been the cause of this after everything he’d done to help me.
And much to my dismay, I could already hear Erik’s voice in the back of my mind. He’d claim Rune was lying, that he still had his dragon hidden somewhere nearby. That this was just a false story to throw me off the trail.
But I’d seen Rune’s face. There was no faking that kind of pain.
Rune wasn’t keeping a secret dragon on this island, and that knowledge gave me a relief so palpable that I nearly doubled over. I’d found the answer, even if it wasn’t the one the guild wanted. My duty here was done, and I’d solved it without needing to steal or kill. But would Erik listen? Or would he take his disappointment out on me?
Fortunately, it would be a while before the ship came back to collect me. I had nearly three weeks to untangle the web of uncertainty in my mind and figure out a way to explain this to Erik in a way he’d accept. It wasn’t my fault that he’d given me an assignmentno onecould have completed. Not even he would have succeeded here. If there was no dragon, there was no dragon. I couldn’t just conjure one from thin air.
The more I thought about it, the better I felt. Now I could just relax. I could help Rune with his work. And when I left, I didn’t have to leave a path of destruction in my wake. I wouldn’t have totakeanything from anyone. Instead, I could give my time and actually help folk for once. But the best part? I wouldn’t have to make Rune hate me.
The next day, Rune got straight to work on a plan to rebuild Helga’s home in town. It meant pausing the construction of the newest Oakwater cottage, a home for a pair who had been waiting a while. They were a couple who owned something called the Travelling Tavern. After thirty years of near constant travel, they wanted to build a base on the Floating Forest, a home they could return to between their jaunts around the islands. When Rune brought them round for dinner, he told them it might take a couple more months to finish because of Helga’s house, but they were exceedingly understanding.
