“Wait,” Rune called after me.
Dammit.
“It doesn’t look like you have much to eat,” he said, before I’d even turned back toward him.
I looked over my shoulder, my heart thumping. “I have a bow. I’ll hunt.”
“Save your arrows,” he said. “I’ve got plenty of food, and I’d love some company. I don’t get many visitors out here, you know.” A pause. “It’s the least you could do after trespassing on my property.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Breaking bread with my mark was the last thing I wanted to do. The longer I spent in his presence, the more likely it was he’d remember me when his dragon went missing. And if I made myself too memorable, I’d be forced to take it a step further than I wanted. Guild rules: no witnesses left behind.
Rune’s frown deepened when I didn’t immediately reply. “Is there some reason why you’re reluctant to eat with me? Please tell me it’s not because I’m an orc.”
“No, no, no,” I said quickly. “It’s not that. I just…well, I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, I guess. One moment, I’m fast asleep, and the next, a cat is waking me up, and I find out I accidentally camped on someone’s property…sorry. It has nothing to do with you being an orc. I’ll join you for breakfast. Thank you for the invitation.”
Inwardly, I kicked myself. I shouldn’t have agreed. This was a terrible, terrible idea, and yet…I saw no way out of it.
“Good.” He smiled, though there was something still tense in his expression. “Follow me, then.”
Without further ado, he turned and stalked away. His cat padded after him. My gut churned as I watched Rune’s retreating form blend in with the dense foliage. For a brief moment, I considered dashing away while his back was turned to me. If I was quick enough, I could scale a tree and hide in the branches far above. Eventually, he’d forget about me. It would be like I’d never even been here…
The smart thing to do was run. My training told me to run.
Still, I hesitated just a second too long. Rune paused and turned. Through the brush, his gleaming eyes were all I could see. “Aren’t you coming?”
Swallowing, I nodded. But he didn’t continue forward. He waited there in the brush, his gaze locked on my face, like he suspected I might not follow him if he turned his back to me again. If I tried to run now, what would he do? Would he watch me go or would he follow? The sharp glint in his eyes told me it wouldnotbe the former.
And so I hefted my pack higher onto my shoulder and followed the orc through the woods.
There was no end to the forest when we reached Rune’s cottage. The small timber home seemed part of the woods itself. It had even been built with one wall flush against a tree, the branches wending through the wall before sprouting its lush, verdant leaves over the roof. Vines crawled along every wooden beam and trailed across a wide window spilling yellow light onto the forest floor. Wildflowers grew in untamed bunches, and moss-covered stones emerged from the ground, surrounded by elaborately crafted wooden chairs. Nearby, a few wicker basketswere stacked against an outbuilding nearly as large as the cottage, the top one overflowing with mushrooms.
“This is your house?” I asked, not bothering to mask my surprise.
I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. Rune’s name had been etched onto the infamous Assassin’s Guild list, which meant he wasn’t the sort of person one might wish to find themselves alone with. And even though I’d known he lived in a forest, I’d still imagined a dingy, dark hole full of weapons and dust. Something that outwardly reflected the monster he was within.
But there was life and color here—so much that it felt like the house was alive.
Rune grunted, then hauled open the front door. The aroma of woodsmoke and freshly cooked fish drifted from the house, making my mouth water. My stomach groaned, begging me to forgo all logic and follow Rune inside so I could fill my empty belly. I was awfully hungry after my night spent in the woods.
This was fine. No, it was more than fine. Going inside his house was agrandidea. Because befriending him like this could help me with my task.
My assignment was to find the bloody dragon. So far, there’d been no sign of one. Truth be told, I’d expected clear evidence as soon as I’d found Rune. According to legend, dragons ran extremely hot. If they wandered through a forest like this, they’d burn things. It was one of the reasons the crown had considered them so dangerous, back when hundreds of them roamed the world. Just their mere existence was a threat big enough for most people to fear them.
I’d seen no patches of burned bushes in the forest, nor did I see any char on Rune’s property. Just lots and lots of wood, moss, vines, and flowers. Which meant the dragon was clearly hiding somewhere else. Maybe if I got Rune to trust me, he’dshare his dragon secrets with me. It might be my best chance of succeeding on this mission.
And if the more likely scenario were true—if Erik was wrong and there were no dragons—well, I’d worry about that later.
By the time I’d solidified the plan in my head, an awkward silence had descended upon us. Rune hovered inside the doorway. He awkwardly cleared his throat, then shook his head and walked into his cottage with thunderous steps. He looked like he was sorely regretting his invitation for me to dine with him.
Squaring my shoulders, I followed Rune inside. The interior of his cottage was hot, and my gaze was instantly drawn to a blazing hearth-fire. Beside it sat an old rocking chair and a table piled with books whose leather covers were worn and curled. Several shelves held piles of books, scrolls, and hand-whittled carvings of wolves and cats.
The forest seemed to force its way inside. Ivy climbed the walls, and clay pots held enormous plants bursting with life. A worktable sat in the far corner, covered in wood pieces and carving instruments. Above it, the walls held dozens of intricate schematics, the ink scribbled onto yellowed parchment to depict homes, tables, and shelves that Rune planned to build—or had already.
The opposite corner held a dining table, where Rune had already laid out breakfast. Bread, butter, eggs, and fish filled wooden platters, along with a wheel of orange cheese. The smell filled the air, along with the unmistakable scent of wood shavings, vellum, and ink.
The sight and scent of it all carved a hole inside me, then filled it with a hauntingache. A yearning for a home just like this, rather than the sterile gray walls of the guild.
