I like talking to her, even if she will not let me have her.
“A giant bit them off while I tore his head in two.”
She yelps and looks up at me. “Tore? How? His skull?—”
“At the jaw,” I murmur, touching the delicate hinge on the side of her face.
She frowns, then says, “The giants have always been cruel. One of the giant princes?—”
“Cut yours off. Estela sewed them back on,” I repeat. I’d asked about it the first week she came to Enduvida. “I already know.”
A moment of silence follows, but she stares at me, her hand against mine. I see hurt flicker in her eyes, and I feel it reflected in my gut.
I’d hurt her with a lie she didn’t know was a falsity. She’d hurt me with the kiss.
My sin is worse.
“Arlet, about last night?—”
A small knock sounds. She drops her hand and moves away, so I stand, frustrated, and get the door.
When I open it, I find a man with a tray of bread, fruits I don’t recognize, and water.
“Good morning,” the elf says with a bow. “I bring you breakfast. Vaer’Saryth Theren will arrive soon to take you on a tour. Enjoy.”
Arlet and I thank him and he leaves.
We eat in silence, and the discomfort grows.
Thankfully, it does not take long for Theren to make good on his promise. He arrives, dressed in dark leather and sporting a smile.
“Good morning, our honored guests,” he says brightly, using the common tongue.
Arlet is delighted, and we exchanged pleasantries.
“So, you want to see the dragons, yes? It will be a fun outing before the feast tonight.”
She looks up at me, surprised. “Can we?”
I make a funny expression. “Do you want to?”
She hesitates. “I thought you didn’t like them.”
“Yes or no, Firelocks.”
“Yes, let’s go,” she responds, really smiling for the first time all morning.
Theren smiles and gestures us forward.
The cold rush of mountain air bites at my skin as we leave. The city is quiet but not asleep. People move through the streets, some with wares filling their arms, others hurrying off as if to make it to their jobs in a timely manner.
We walk through the rows of buildings, and her small hand nestles in mine. We move swiftly through the winding city paths until the buildings thin and the scent of smoke and beast fills the air.
Theren takes a deep breath. “Ah, you smell that? Dragons. Nothing compares to this. Smoke and scale, I like to call it.”
I smile. The smell does cling to the wind, a heady mix of charred wood and molten rock.
“My wife is fascinated by them.” I turn back to Arlet who has her head upturned to the sky.