When the sun set, we climbed to our feet and bid a goodnight to the dragon. We were no closer to solving his fear of flying than we had been before, but something felt as if it had shifted. Maybe it was the newly discovered bond or the realization that I had a real plan. But I felt hopeful for the first time since coming here—truly hopeful.
Everything would turn out all right. I’d return to the guild, where I’d be surrounded by my family. Erik would believe the magic had stopped me from reaching the island, and he’d give up his hunt for Rune. I’d find a way to get Eldi in the skies before I left. He’d have enough confidence to visit the village, where the kind townspeople would bestow lots of gifts and affection upon him. He’d never feel lonely again.
Nothing could stop me from making this happen. Except, perhaps, the ache in my heart when I thought about saying goodbye to Rune.
21
RUNE
Iwas fucked. Well and truly fucked.
Every time Frida smiled at me, it felt like my insides turned to liquid gold. Over the course of the past decade, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’d made a joke, but I couldn’t stop making them now. Her laughter was like the sun on my face after a long, hard winter. Until now, I’d been living in the dark.
But she was dead set on returning to the guild. And because of that, I could never let her know how I felt.
All I could do was hope she’d change her mind and realize she didn’t belong with those people. They didn’t deserve her smiles. Not that I thought she belonged withme, either—no one did—but she shone too brightly to spend the rest of her life surrounded by the worst kind of scum in the world.
Erik, especially. When I thought of her standing anywhere near him, I felt my hands tighten into fists.
I couldn’t make that choice for her, though. She had to realize it herself.
And so when Freyasday came around again, I had the idea to suggest we head into the village for a day off from dragon-taming, woodworking, and archery. Frida had been avoiding me since our visit to Eldi’s cave, and I’d accepted it without comment. But I also knew we didn’t have long until Louisa’s ship returned to collect Frida. If I wanted to show Frida how much she loved it here, I had to do it soon.
When I heard her rustling around in her room, I spread out a feast to break our fast. The day before, I’d spent hours trading in the village for a carton of eggs, some ham, a fresh loaf of bread, another wheel of Arvid’s cheese, and an enormous bowl of berries. I set it out and waited. When Frida pulled open her bedroom door and saw me sitting there, she stopped short.
“Oh.” Her cheeks turned red. “Good morning, Rune. I didn’t expect to see you there. You’re normally out the door before I am.”
“Which is why I thought it’d be nice to share a meal for once, when we’re not so tired at the end of the day.” I gestured at the elaborate spread.
“It does look delicious,” she said uncertainly. “But Arvid will be waiting for me.”
“Arvid knows I don’t normally work on Freyasday.”
“Is it Freyasday already?” she asked.
“They say time flies when you’re working hard, eh?”
“I thought it was when you’re having fun.”
“Well, I suppose that means you’re enjoying your time on the Floating Forest, eh?” Despite what felt like an encouraging smile from me, Frida still looked reserved. Had I done something to upset her? I wracked my brain, going over everything I’d said and done these past few days, but nothing stuck out to me. Her aloof attitude had begun that night we’d returned from the dragon cave, but I thought we’d had a nice time. We’d laughedand drank and shared stories far past sundown, until the fireflies had come to life to dance around our heads.
It had been one of the nicest evenings I’d had in a very long time. But Frida must not feel the same, and that knowledge twisted my stomach more than I thought it would.
She dumped her pack by the door, crossed the room, and eased into the chair opposite mine. Her eyes roved across the food. She went straight for the cheese. I couldn’t help but smile.
“This is a different kind!” Frida exclaimed after tasting the cheese. The moan that spilled from her lips nearly made me come undone. Fate be damned, I wished my hands could conjure that sound. But she’d made it more than clear she didn’t want me to touch her.
“That one is smoked,” I said. “Thought you might like it.”
“It’s amazing, Rune. Thank you so much.” She looked at me, and a watery sheen covered her eyes. But then she blinked it back so quickly I couldn’t be sure if I’d imagined it. After that, we dug into the rest of our meal. With each bite, Frida let out a string of excited noises. Eventually, we’d indulged in most of the food, only leaving enough for Moira to enjoy an extra snack.
Frida let out a sigh of contentment, leaned back in her chair, and patted her belly. “You know, the guild meals are far less satisfying. It’s basically gruel compared to all this.”
“I know. I remember it very well,” I said.
“Thank you for sharing it with me,” she said. “In only a few days, this will all be lost to me for a very long time.”
It doesn’t have to be, I wanted to say.Stay here, Frida. You’d be so much happier in this place with all the cheese and berries you could ever want.
