“Reading,” Hannon said. “You can do some reading.”
“Should we see if they have watercolor painting?” Hadriel waggled his eyebrows at me.
“There used to be a couple of very knowledgeable women who worked with healing plants in my village,” Micah said. “The whole collection of villages sought their aid in the infirmary. They used to be very selective about who worked with them, but if they are still around, I’m sure I could put in a good word for you. I have a lot of sway in these villages.”
I could hear the note of pride in his voice. The confident swagger. He was probably one of the most powerful dragons, and that gave him clout.
Little dwellings came into view. Micah slowed before stopping and sucked in a deep breath. He let it out slowly. “I’ve been away from home for so long. I’m both nervous and dying with anticipation.”
He started forward again, falling quiet.
“My dragon is anxious to get airborne,” Tamara murmured as we neared the edge of the village. Small fences enclosed little patches of land outside homes, the yards within flattened and cleared of rocks and dirt mounds.
“Mine too,” Lucille added.
“I’m surprised you guys didn’t do more flying on the way here.” I peered through a window as we passed, not able to see into the dark interior.
“We didn’t want you to take off running back toward the boat with your demon friends,” Lucille said, her tone light and teasing.
My mind was so scattered that I hadn’t even thought about the pack of demons holding up the rear. It had been decided that they’d stay with us for now, surrounded by the protection of dragons. Given they had essentially exiled themselves from their kingdom, they didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
At the edge of town, where the paths narrowed, too small for the carriages and carts, we climbed down and left them behind to be tended to after we found a place to rest.
Micah led us down a couple of really cute cobblestone streets, the houses beside us modest but well kept. We emerged into what must’ve passed for their town center, with a little park to the right and a winding path that led in front of little shops with glass doors or large windows. Flower boxes dotted the way and everlass grew in cracks or along the pathways, wild but mostly pruned.
I smiled down at one of the plants before bending to strip away a few leaves that were floundering on it.
“Micah?” we heard.
I stood, seeing two middle-aged women walking down the path arm in arm, their eyes widening. One of them lifted her fingertips to her breastplate.
“Micah, is that you?”
“Desiree.” He smiled at her as all the blood drained from her face.
“But…we thought you were dead…” Her gaze traveled his body, clothed in ill-fitting pants and a shirt he had grabbed after we docked. Thankfully, Govam and the other demons had thought to bring some gold. “They made inquiries and found out that you’d never made it to the merchant in Fiddler’s Green.”
“Demons captured me on my way there,” he replied, walking toward them slowly. It looked like he didn’t want to spook them, which was probably wise. They looked like they were staring at a ghost. “They took me back to their castle and imprisoned me in a dungeon. It’s a story I only want to tell once, the details of which are cause for war. I’ll want to see the elders. For now, though, I need to find lodgings for my friends and take a hot bath—”
“Goddess bless you!” Tears in her eyes, she ran at him, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around him. The other woman piled on, crying.
The rest of us scooted back awkwardly, some with half-smiles and others clearly uncomfortable, probably wondering if anyone from their old life was left.
Micah was greeted like that throughout the town, everyone running to see him again as word spread. It was clear he was someone with a lot of status, and they’d missed him terribly. It wasn’t until evening was kissing the sky that he was finally able to get people to listen for long enough to explain our needs. After that, they wasted no time in finding us lodging, even the demons. We were treated to a delicious, fresh meal, hot baths, and soft beds in the local tavern.
The next day, I found myself listless and edgy. Any shifting lessons were put off because the village elders had wanted to see Micah as soon as possible, and the dragons from my kingdom were too wary of our power differences to attempt to guide me through the shift. Basically, they’d figured out my dragon was a temperamental ass-bag and decided I’d do best with a powerful alpha. So we had nothing to do but wander the paths and check out our surroundings.