El tucked her chin close to her chest as she regarded me. “What a speech. Did you practice it?”
I folded my hands together. “I can promise you, I did not.”
“I can hear whether you lie and your honesty is rather refreshing. Many diplomats have come with sweet promises and valiant tales but they were never honest. I think I’m going to like you, Juniper.” She tilted her strange head to the side and regarded me thoughtfully, or what I imagined to be. “You say the owner of the dagger is gone?”
I nodded.
A sad expression flashed through her eyes before it disappeared altogether. “How curious.”
Before I could say anything else, she disappeared into the ground and I was left with more questions than answers but at least I had a name.
“Well, Master of Lies,” Reva began. “I guess your method doesn’t always work.”
Instead of her getting under Alric’s skin, he simply grinned as if he loved the banter and he probably did. It meant they were finally speaking and no longer at each other’s throats. I had a feeling they would still be bickering even if they settled down together. Settling down for the two of them meant lots of adventure, yelling, and passion.
The walk back to the castle was an easy, yet surprisingly silent one. As soon as El was gone, the shadows lifted fromaround us and we didn’t get turned around again. I wondered if her liking me had something to do with it, though I used the term like very loosely. I knew I had a long way to go when it came to the attendants of the woods. I wouldn’t get on their good side quickly or easily, but this was a promising start. It was also better than nothing.
A fresh sprinkling of snow littered the ground when we made it to the front of the castle once more. It was strange seeing it up close every day. Its beauty still stunned me and I wasn’t sure that was something I would ever get used to. It was honestly something I never wanted to get used to.
Edna was waiting for us in the entryway to take our cloaks and boots away. It was strange having someone wait hand and foot on you but it was also nice. She beamed at us as she fussed and made everything a big deal but I knew she loved every second. One night I overheard her telling Alric that it reminded her of having her children back. It filled a void she never thought possible.
Luica wasn’t one to fuss and she didn’t like any kind of attention on her. She was a maid, but that was strictly it. She didn’t want to have relationships with us, she didn’t want to talk about our day-to-day lives, and she absolutely didn’t want to have small talk about anything. She made sure all the beds were made, linens were cleaned, and clothes were either folded or hung every day. Edna clucked her tongue once that it was because Luica felt she was too busy to stop to chat and that might have been true but I also didn’t want her to feel like that was the only place she held value. Instead of trying to speak to her, I made sure Edna sent her a tip or some extra baked goods at night. I wanted her to know she was appreciated and this was the only way I knew how.
“How was it?” Edna asked as she brought out a tray of steaming, spiced ale. The mug warmed my cold fingers and thesmell of it lit something inside of me. Nothing could compare to this warm drink.
One of Alric’s blond brows raised on his forehead. “It was interesting.”
“You went to see a wood witch, yes?” She clutched her now empty tray to her chest as it heaved with fright and probably a little bit of excitement.
“Their leader, yes.” I nodded as I took another sip from my mug.
“How frightening!”
“Enlightening,” Reva corrected. “They must have an entire civilization out there, it’s fascinating.”
“They won’t come to take children once the village is established, you don’t think?”
Reva let out a bark of a laugh. “You think they’ll eat our children? We would need to be able to have children first!”
Edna’s eyes slid to me conspiringly. “The Mage Queen is supposed to bring back fertility.”
I kept my mug at my lips, not really sure if this was something I needed to chime in on or not. The magic/gods hadn’t told me that was what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to establish magic back to the land, harmony, and whatever else they wanted from me. Fertility seemed like a stretch but maybe bringing back magic to the land would do that for the rest of the world.
Reva’s eyes narrowed at me. “Fertility isn’t what we were talking about.”
“Seemed like it to me,” Alric said with a blank face.
If looks could kill, he would have been dead ten times over.
“Just because they don’t look like us doesn’t mean they’re children eaters or killers.”
“Our people did go missing in the woods on the journey here, or did you forget?” Edna planted a fist on her hip and tucked the empty tray under her other arm.
Reva’s cheeks turned pink. “I must have forgotten, but that doesn’t mean they’re the ones responsible. There are plenty of threats on this island. I know they aren’t the only ones. We saw dragons before, but those are to be Juniper’s subjects too. They would certainly eat anything they can if they’re hungry enough. You forget where we came from. A monster or a chasm could pop up in the middle of your home and there would be no reasoning with it. These are intelligent creatures, they weren’t corrupted by the blight.”
“She’s right,” I finally stepped in. This could only go on for so long and if Reva wasn’t careful she was going to end up on the cook’s bad side and that’s the last place she needed to be. “But we do need to be careful. Just like humans. Not every one of these creatures is good and not every one of them wants us here. Some of them could be flesh-hungry, some of them could be affected by the curse on the land— we don’t know. But we do need to give them the benefit of the doubt. The magic and the gods are requiring that of me and even if they weren’t, I would try knowing what I know now.”
Edna bowed her head in my direction, not going to against what I said.
