by K. E. Drake
He looks so unsure. I haven’t seen him like this. I wish there was something I could do to help. Ruby’s shoulders slumped and she searched her brain for an idea. Her eyes popped open and her hand flew to the pocket of her black skirt. She reached in and pulled out a small, brown-leather bag and held it out to the prince in her open palm.
Samuel’s eyes went to the offered pouch and then flicked up to Ruby’s face. She nudged the bag closer with a building smile and he took it then, opening the drawstring mouth and looking inside, freezing.
“It’s silver coins!” she giggled. “My father gave it to me years ago for when I would go on my first adventure. I had meant to put it in my saddlebags, but I forgot about them until just now.”
“Ruby, you are incredible!” the prince proclaimed. He looked up from the full pouch in time to see Ruby temper a beaming grin. “You should get some rest. Without our horses, we’ll need to get as early of a start as we can in the morning to make the most of the daylight. There’s a town nearby. We’ll go there and restock our supplies.”
“All right.” Ruby agreed, feeling suddenly exhausted after their long day. She moved back and lay back on her side in the grass. “Good night,” she bade the prince, yawning as she rested her head on the crook of her elbow.
“Rest well,” Samuel quietly replied and tilted his head back to watch the stars again. A single star shot across the night sky in a glimmer of silver light.
He then looked back down to the leather pouch as he bounced it between the palms of his hands. He tugged on the strings of the bag, closing the mouth tightly as he felt that twinge of guilt stab at his heart once more. He needed to tell her now, before he lost his nerve or his pride got in the way.
“Ruby, I’m sorry,” he quietly confessed, “for losing my temper with you. I only acted that way because I was worried about you. I know that’s a terrible excuse, but I guess I couldn’t help it. I feel like it’s my responsibility to keep you safe on this journey, and I almost failed.” He paused and waited in the quiet for her reply.
When she didn’t respond, Samuel twisted around to look at her. Her lashes brushed her cheeks and her lips turned up in a small smile as she breathed deeply in slumber.
He breathed a soft laugh to himself and tucked the pouch into his pant pocket. He unlatched the buttons of his dragonscale coat and pulled it off. He then moved closer to Ruby and gently draped it over her small frame, tucking it around her shoulders. He breathed a small sigh of relief when she stirred but didn’t wake up.
Samuel got to his feet and winced with the movement when a sharp, stabbing pain took his breath. He stopped and looked down to his left side as he remembered the source of the raw pain.
The prince glanced back at Ruby to make sure he didn’t wake her. When he was assured she still slept, he moved away from her and began unbuttoning the front of his white shirt.
It had been nearly a year ago since Samuel had last shifted. He had nearly forgotten the painful price of changing to his dragon form.
He carefully pulled the light shirt from his shoulders and balled up the cloth, tossing it aside to the grass. He grimaced and looked down to the taut muscles of his stomach. He lifted a hand and gingerly brushed his fingers over the sparkling patch of emerald scales on the left side of his abdomen.
It was the price of the dragon shifting, scales that appeared every time he changed back from his dragon form.
The same had happened to every dragon shifter before Samuel. After they changed back, a patch of their dragon scales would linger on a part of their human body. The longer a shifter was in their dragon form, the larger the patch of scales would be and the longer and more painful it would be for them to fade away.
Queen Ruth got her sapphire scales on the outside of her right leg just above her ankle. The queen’s father, the late King Nicholas, used to get his diamond scales on the left side of his neck.
As a young boy, Samuel remembered that if his grandfather was in his dragon form for long enough, the diamond scales would creep up to the left side of his face, and the king would have to hide until the painful patch of scales slowly disappeared.
Samuel silently walked to the giant oak tree that stood a few paces away. He looked over his shoulder to see Ruby’s faint outline still curled up in the grass. Smiling to himself, he turned back to the tree and started to snap some of the weaker lower branches off the tree.
When he had collected a bundle of the wood, Samuel went back to Ruby and quietly laid out the sticks a short distance from her. After he unloaded the armful, he reclaimed one of the smaller sticks and cupped his hands around the end of it.
His hands warmed with an unseen fire as he softly blew on the branch until red embers appeared on the end. The cinders gently floated onto the breeze before they burnt out completely. Samuel’s palms started to glow faint orange a moment before a small flame ignited on the end of the branch, slowly beginning to eat at the wood.
He lowered the stick to the wood pile, holding it there until the leaves caught the embers and blossomed into steady flame.
The rest of the branches caught the cinders and it slowly built to a warm campfire. Samuel dusted his hands off as he stood and then he went to his place on the other side of the fire opposite Ruby, who still slept soundly under the comfort of his coat and near the warmth of the fire’s glow.
Samuel laid back into the grass and watched the stars, chuckling softly at the thought of how different this journey had turned out from how he had planned it. It was beyond him how one woman could change his plans so drastically. But now, the young prince realized with a notable amount of surprise, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
He was just getting used to having her with him.
Chapter Six
The Journey Continues
Ruby lay on her side in the grass as her eyes fluttered open to the sight of a thin wisp of smoke rising from a pile of burnt sticks and ashes. She sleepily pulled her arm from under a warm weight that lay over her body and stretched her stiff muscles. She turned onto her back and had to blink away the rest of the slumber from her eyes before she could see that the weight over her was Samuel’s green coat.
Samuel.
She glanced around the field and saw no sign of the prince. Ruby shot up and twisted around, breathing a sigh of relief when she found the prince. He was crouched by the pond a few yards away, his back turned to her.
Samuel looked back over his shoulder, saw Ruby awake, and gave her a playful smile. “Good morning, sunshine,”
Ruby shyly returned his smile. “Good morning.”
Samuel chuckled as he returned his attention to the pond and dipped his hands into the cool water.
Ruby sat back on her heels and placed a hand to her hair, feeling the wayward strands that found their way from her loose braid. She tugged away the thin ribbon tying the plait and began combing her fingers through the glossy ripples as they fell free behind her.
She then tied her hair into another loose braid over her shoulder. As she secured the style with the ribbon, Ruby sighed and squinted up at the bright sun making its way high in the cloudless sky. She glanced back to the prince. “What time is it?”
“Mid-morning,” Samuel replied as he dried water from his face with the sleeve of his white shirt.
“Mid-morning?” Ruby gasped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so long.” She pushed herself to her feet and went to the edge of the pond to sit down next to Samuel. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Samuel shrugged. “You had a hard day yesterday and were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Ruby was touched by his thoughtfulness. She pushed the fringe of bangs to the left of her forehead. “You look like you’ve been awake for a while. What have you been doing all morning?”
“Planning our next steps.”
“And did you figure it out?” Ruby dipped her hands in the water and washed her own face. She began drying her skin with the hem of h
er skirt as she listened to the prince.
“I had planned to go to Kently after we retrieved the Kepa Jewel, but without horses it would take far longer than expected. There’s a town not thirty miles from here. We’ll buy supplies there. We can get a hot meal and find somewhere to stay for the night too,” Samuel explained.
She wouldn’t turn down a hot meal. She smiled and nodded eagerly, earning an amused laugh from the prince.
He turned back to the pond and wet his hands again. He ran his fingers through his hair, turning the natural sand color a varied shade of brown. He repeated the process of running his dampened fingers through his hair, and then started to smooth the locks back in place.
A stray lock of hair fell over his forehead, and Ruby felt the sudden desire to reach out and smooth the piece of damp hair back for him. She felt her cheeks warm and quickly dismissed the idea from her mind.
When he finished, Samuel stood and held his hand out to her. She placed her fingers lightly in his open palm, and he pulled her to her feet with a twinkle in his emerald eyes. “It’s going to be a long walk.”
It was a long walk.
Hours passed as they walked on a path Samuel promised Ruby was a shortcut, but all the path seemed to do was take them past more mountains, clearings, ponds, and brooks than Ruby could count.
Not for the first time, Ruby found herself resisting the urge to ask how much longer the trek would be. She was weary, her muscles were sore, and her bones ached. She considered for a moment that the long trek would be easier if the prince shifted into his dragon form and flew them the rest of the way, but she quickly decided it would be better to not bring up her thoughts to him.
Still, even with the many hours of walking, and despite the fact that they hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon of the day before, she found it hard to complain. She was finally living her dream. No one could say that this wasn’t an adventure.
Samuel’s manner had lightened considerably since yesterday. For the last few hours they walked, he listened to her go on about the beauty of Avon, comparing it to the splendor of Omrie.
The small town finally appeared over the hill they climbed. The hum of buyers and sellers could be heard from the spot where the pair stood on the top of the hill a short distance away.
“We’re almost there,” Samuel announced, then smiled. “Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He led the way as they continued their hike down the grassy slope towards the humming marketplace.
Ruby stayed close to the prince’s side as they entered the hustle and bustle of the crowds. He led her to a small building made of dark-wood. The shop had two stories and a faded, oval-shaped sign hanging above a dark-wood door. They stepped up the stairs onto the small porch and Samuel opened the door, causing the little silver bell on the frame to ring. He stepped back, allowing his companion to enter the small shop first.
The mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread and delectable pastries drifted through the air to greet them, making Ruby’s stomach growl. Two white tables stood on either side of the door in front of the white-lace curtained windows. Upon the tables stood pink glass vases of freshly picked white peonies, purple irises, and yellow lilies, the subtle fragrance of the flowers mingling with the other scents of the bakery.
“Good day! What can I do for you?” A plump, white-haired woman greeted. Her back was turned to them as she placed a basket of steaming rolls beside three more woven baskets sitting in a row on a white countertop near an open doorway at the back wall.
Samuel closed the front door behind them, and the woman turned around, giving Ruby a cheerful smile that made the prominent lines on her round face deepen.
The woman’s warm eyes fell to the prince as he came up to stand beside Ruby. Her smile brightened. “Sammy!” she exclaimed in delighted surprise and rushed from around the counter to wrap her arms around the prince in a hug. “What are you doing here? I thought you went off on another adventure!”
“Hello, Faith,” Samuel warmly laughed as the grandmotherly woman withdrew from the embrace. “I am on an adventure.” He gestured to the lady beside him, his emerald eyes glinting with a hint of boyish mischief. “This is Ruby, a recent acquaintance of mine. Ruby, this is Faith Bastion.”
Ruby curiously looked between the beaming pair, their infectious smiles causing one of her own. “How do you two know each other?”
“Faith was my nursemaid and tutor when I was a boy,” Samuel explained. “She lived at the palace until funds started running low and she had to be let go.” His eyes became unfocused as he recalled the painful memory.
“Yes. Sammy was always such an eager young student, ever excited to learn about new things and new places.” Faith laughed fondly. She reached up and affectionately patted the young man’s cheek to chase away his grimness.
Samuel’s face screwed up and he gently removed Faith’s hand, causing her to chuckle.
To keep from laughing herself, Ruby cleared her throat and asked, “Do you miss living in the palace, Faith?”
“I do, but I’m very happy here. The king and queen, they were very good to me. When they let me go, I came back to live in town. You see, I never wed, and my older brother lived with his wife and their eight sons up in Tamall, where I’m from. But Sammy, bless his heart, he made sure that I would live comfortably. He purchased this bakery for me to run with an upstairs for me to live in. And he still comes to visit me often.” Faith gave a motherly smile and reached out to pinch Samuel’s cheek again.
Just in time he leaned back out of reach of her hand. “We came here for supplies,” he informed Faith, brushing off his shirt. She pulled her hand back with another warm laugh. “A half dozen loaves of bread will do for now.” The prince untied the pouch of silver at his belt.
Faith waved her hand dismissively and waddled back behind the counter. “There is no need to pay me. This is my gift to you and your pretty lady friend.”
Ruby blushed pink and shook her head. “Oh, no, we have more than enough to pay for...” she tried to say, but Faith clicked her tongue with a shake of her head. Turning her back, she selected a half dozen loaves of bread and placed them in a brown cloth sack.
Ruby cast Samuel an uncertain look and lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, her eyes questioning. He only nodded, a knowing look on his face.
Faith finished filling the order and laid the loaves on the counter. She turned back to the cabinets behind her and picked two lightly steaming, cherry tarts from a pan. “For you.” She handed one of the tarts to the young lady.
Ruby started to object, but her empty stomach protested again and she accepted the gift with a growing blush, thanking the woman. She bit into the gooey pastry and closed her eyes, sighing in bliss at her first taste of food in an entire day.
Faith lit up and offered the other pastry to Samuel. “How long will you both be staying in town?”
“Thank you, Faith,” Samuel gratefully accepted the other tart, “but I fear we’ll be leaving in the morning.” He took Faith’s right hand in his empty one and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her fingers. He retrieved the sack of bread, then nodded to Ruby.
Ruby hastily swallowed the bite of the tart she had in her mouth and then shyly took the older woman’s hand when Faith reached out. “Thank you very much, Faith. It was wonderful meeting you.”
Faith’s eyes sparkled. “It was my pleasure to meet one of Sammy’s friends,” she assured, letting the young girl go.
“Thank you,” Ruby called back as she met the prince at the door. They re-joined the busy marketplace and Samuel shut the bakery door behind them.
Ruby ate the last bite of her pastry and then wiped her fingers before she smiled up at the prince. “That was sweet.”
Samuel swallowed the last bite of his tart. “What, the pastry?”
“Ah.” Samuel only nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “It wasn’t much. I should have been able to do more for her. Faith was always there for me when I was a boy. She was
a grandmother to me when I didn’t have one. I wish that I could do more for her.”
Ruby smiled, thinking of the prince’s kindness as they left the market. Soon, they came to a broad, dirt road leading out of town. “Where are we going?”
“To the Roadside Inn to get a hot meal, rooms, and a warm bath,” the prince answered.
Ruby could hardly wait.
Chapter Seven
The Scafell Bridge
At dawn the next morning, after spending the night at the Roadside Inn, Samuel and Ruby replenished the rest of their needed supplies, replacing the tools they lost and stocking up on enough food to last the two of them a full week. They purchased a horse as well, but only one to conserve what silver they had left. It wasn’t long before they set off on another long journey through the grassy, mountain spotted land of Avon.
The sun shone overhead in the cloudless sky, shedding steady warmth into the cool, late-morning air. The gray leather of Ruby’s new boots and the hem of her fresh, gray cotton skirt were damp with the cold dew coating the grass of the fields she and Samuel traversed.
“Where to next?” she asked and took her gaze from a single mountain nearby to look up at Samuel from across the back of their large but gentle black mare.
“To Kently over the Scafell Bridge, which crosses the river marking the border of Avon and Kently,” Samuel patiently explained, no longer resisting answering the young lady’s questions. “We’re almost there. We shouldn’t have a problem getting over it, although it’s said to be inhabited by a troll that robs unsuspecting travelers.”
“A troll?” Ruby squeaked. Her fingers smoothed the sleek, black hair of the horse’s mane, and she intently listened.
“A troll that’s believed to be only a myth,” the prince slowly repeated, though amused at the eager expression on her face. “I’ve crossed that same bridge many times before on my trips into and out of Kently, and I’ve never seen any troll, mythical or otherwise. We’ll go on from there to search for the Danica Diamond. It will be in Kently, if the map was correct. Also, there’s an old friend of mine there I want you to meet,” he added as they left the flat land to start ascending an upward slope in the earth.
