“Good morning!”she heard him call as he tied up the horse and came in.
“Good morning,” Celia said.
She tried to keep her voice even, but there was a wobble in it, and she knew he could hear it, because he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back against his chest in a one-armed hug.
“You’re allowed to be sad,” he said.
The words unlocked the gate, and Celia began to cry in earnest.
“Oh, honey,” he said, shaking his head and spinning her around so she could cry into his chest.“I wore my crying tunic just for you.”
Celia laughed through her tears as Flame came up next to her and butted her hand with her head.
“I’m all right.”She pulled the dragon close, petting her rough head even as she cried into Darian’s chest.“This is so unlike me,” she said, looking up at him through her tears.
“Well, you’ve had a lot of change recently,” Darian pointed out.“Found out you know someone who could talk to dragons, and it turned out he’s an irritating fellow who won’t leave you in peace.You’ve had three dragons stick around longer than you’ve ever had anyone stay before, and you realized for the first time since you left where you came from, you’re not alone.”
The words brought a fresh wave of tears.
She was weak.She should never have let herself become so close to him that she was able to fall apart like this.She needed to get a grip.
“I know,” he said soothingly as he rubbed circles on her back.“Let it out, Celia.”
It took longer than she would have liked before she was able to control her tears.Flame rubbed against her anxiously until she did, and Celia smiled at the dragon through her sniffling.
When she finally stepped away from Darian, she turned to Flame.“I am well,” she told the baby—who was no longer a baby at all.She was an adolescent who needed to grow up and leave.
Flame shoved her head against her chest and Celia leaned down to kiss her smooth scales.They were always warm.
She would miss kissing Flame.
“They are going to have the greatest adventure,” Darian said soothingly, “and you and I will go find them again someday.”
“How do you know that?”she asked.
“I just know,” he said, exuding such confidence that she almost believed him.“You’ll see.Now, do I smell biscuits?”
Celia laughed.Of course he would be distracted by biscuits.
“You do,” she admitted, pointing out the plate on the counter.
Darian let go of her and bounded over to the biscuits, and Celia tried not to laugh at how his entire mood could change when there was food involved.
“You and your biscuits,” she teased.
“Biscuits are delicious,” he said.“You make the best ones I’ve ever had.Of course I get excited about it.”
Celia smiled.
“Should I eat these here,” he asked, “or while we walk?”
Celia sniffled.“Let’s get it over with.Let’s walk.”
She gathered her bag, and they left the house, Flame barely squeezing through the door that she had fit through easily last night—which somehow made Celia feel better.
They really were outgrowing this place.
They needed to go to the mountains, where they had all the space in the world to grow and be free.
