Page 17 of The Fire Apprentice (Sylvania #5)

J ane stopped and stared at Larch. He didn’t seem real. After how many times she’d imagined him coming here to Woods Rest to find her, seeing him standing in the road in front of her house felt strange.

He was still handsome. His jaw was more square than she’d remembered and his shoulders broader. In her memory he’d shifted to look more like his brother Dustan, Rose’s mate, whom Jane had seen a few times in the past turn of the seasons. The last time she’d seen Larch was two autumns gone by. They had been at the cabin. He’d been tucking her and Bluebell under a blanket to sleep.

The memories came and she let them in: Waking alone. Confused. Fearful. What had happened? What had driven him away and forced him to take their baby? Why hadn’t he woken her? Calling his name under the trees. Lingering around the cabin, waiting, hoping. Believing in him even as she left, hungry and dirty and exhausted.

Larch had taken their baby from her arms and brought her to his monstrous mother to use as a servant. Jane’s well of anger simmered, and for once she didn’t try to stop it. She wanted to hit him. If he smiled at her, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself. He wasn’t smiling but he was looking her way—why was he looking at her? He should be looking at the ground. Or kneeling on it.

Her breathing was harsh and the longer she watched him the more she wanted to hit him, or hit anything . She could forge a hundred door hooks for Maryanne with the rage building inside her. Dimly she noted Rowan by her side but a step away. As if Rowan had stepped back the way she did when Mouser faced off with the neighbor’s cat: if someone touched Mouser then, he’d turn his claws on them in his frenzy. The fairies around Larch stepped back as well, as she moved forward.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

She stopped a few paces in front of him. The sight of him after all these winters was difficult enough for her to manage. She didn’t want to smell him or remember how she had thought she loved him.

But he stepped forward and she winced. He stopped.

“We received your message,” he said evenly. “I wanted to help with the dragon. I know I wronged you in the past and I hoped to make amends.”

Jane narrowed her eyes. “Rose told you to come?”

Larch shifted on his feet. “I wanted to come.”

“What exactly did Rose say?”

“She said, ‘You should help.’”

Jane glared at Larch, grinding her teeth. Her voice came out a snarl. “Black skies, Larch, stop with your crap. Tell me the truth.”

At last he had the grace to drop his gaze to the ground. “A bluebird brought the message. Rose asked me to translate.”

“And what did you tell her the message said?”

He inhaled. “A dragon was spotted to the north and the villagers might need help.”

Jane shook her head. Of course he hadn’t told Rose she was involved or Rose never would have agreed to his coming without speaking with her first. Well he was here. Could she simply send him home? “We don’t need your help.”

Larch’s mouth set in a hard line. He kept his head down but lifted his gaze to her. Those longing green eyes used to make her do anything for him.

“She’s my daughter too, Jane.”

Heat flooded Jane. No words came when she opened her mouth to shout at him. She stepped into his space and shoved at him. Her push didn’t move him much but the retinue he’d brought scurried farther back, leaving him alone in front of her.

“How dare you!” Jane cried. “How dare you say that to me!”

Larch lifted his hands as if to placate her—as if she were the one who was out of line.

“No,” she said. “You don’t get to manipulate me any longer. Tell me what you want with her.”

Larch exhaled and lowered his arms. His shoulders dropped but he held her gaze as if he had some power here. “I want to help train Bluebell. She can’t possibly communicate well with a dragon—I could translate.”

“She’s been doing fine without you.” Jane pressed her lips shut before she blurted out that Rowan could act as her translator.

“She should come to the fairies’ enclave in the forest.”

Jane’s hands curled into tight fists. “You want her to return to the place where you imprisoned her?”

Larch flinched but he kept his chin up. “It’s not safe here. What if the dragon sets the fields ablaze? The villagers won’t like having a dragon here all summer.”

“And the woods are better?”

“There’s a rocky place in the woods near our home where they could practice without the risk.”

Jane frowned but she couldn’t think of a rebuttal. Having Sunshine in the village was never going to work. They’d have to go somewhere. But there ?

“It would be faster to learn there,” Larch hurried on. “There’s an elder fire magic user who could help train Bluebell. She wouldn’t have to be gone more than a season.”

“Gone? She’s not going anywhere without me.”

He dipped his chin in assent.

“Why do you want to help? Don’t lie to me.”

He frowned. “I’d like to do something right. The fairies are out of fire powder. I’d like to help.”

Jane sensed Rowan coming to stand beside her. “It’s a little late for you to be helping with that.” His voice was quiet.

Larch’s eyes winced the tiniest bit before he smoothed his features and faced Rowan. “I’ve made mistakes. I want to fix them.”

Jane closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t make a decision about what was best for Elle amid the stew of rage and memories and the exhaustion of the past few days. “I’m going to see Elle.” She stole one glance at Rowan before turning away, but he was watching Larch and his blank expression gave away nothing.

She marched toward the house and the few villagers on the grass stepped aside as she stomped by. Drat. They’d all been listening to her and Larch fight. The entire village would gossip about her. Not that they hadn’t already been gossiping about her, what with the dragon kidnapping her child and her public departure with Rowan. And to think she’d been worried people would notice her flirting with the new apprentice blacksmith.

Jane trudged between the tents pinned on the grass and up the porch steps. Mouser was absent, but with the crowd in the road and the horses—and the dragon out back—his disappearance was unsurprising.

Jane tugged open the door, and Jacob’s wailing hit her ears. She went in and the door banged shut behind her.

The front rooms were empty except for Mouser, whose paws stuck out from behind a basket of wool in a corner. She walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Maryanne leaned on the table, bouncing the screaming toddler on her hip. Wells sat in a chair beside her.

“Skies, you’re a mess,” Maryanne said. She had circles under her eyes.

Wells smirked from his seat and leaned back on two chair legs. A plate with crumbs sat before him.

“What’s wrong with Jacob?” Jane asked, reaching out to touch the boy’s cheeks. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled and reached over Maryanne’s shoulder.

“He wants to pet the dragon.” Maryanne turned to the window.

Sunshine lay on the grass at the back of the garden, right at the spot where she must have snatched up Elle however many days ago. With her head down on the grass and her tail straight out behind her, she stretched from the stone wall to the shed. The sun was over the treetops, and Jane shaded her eyes from the morning light beaming in the window. Elle sat on the grass leaning on Sunshine’s neck.

“Has Elle been out there all night?” Jane asked, slipping the baby from Maryanne’s arms. He quieted, staring up at Jane and whacking his little fists into her face.

Maryanne nodded.

“When did they arrive?”

“They were out there when the sun rose yesterday morning.”

“Um,” Jane said, “where are the rest of the children?”

As if she’d heard Jane, Sunshine lifted her wing slightly. The other four children were asleep on the ground beside her. The wing tucked back around them.

“They would not leave its side.” Maryanne glared at Jane as if this were her fault before exhaling. She wilted back against the table. “I think they were scared the villagers would try to kill it.”

“Her name’s Sunshine.”

“ Sunshine ?”

“Apparently the dragons let the children make up a name for them. Have... have you been out there?”

Panic came into Maryanne’s eyes. “They got out the door before I could stop them. Elle was out there and refused to come in, and the others wanted to see her, and they barged past me and it turned into this impasse. They spent all day climbing on its tail—her tail—and running up and down the grass beside her. She hasn’t moved once.”

“Have they eaten?”

“I gave up on trying to call them in and left sandwiches on the back stoop. I thought for sure once they got cold they’d come in to sleep.”

Jane laughed, bouncing Jacob to keep him quiet. “You won’t get them inside that way. The dragons are like furnaces. They were probably warmer out there.”

Maryanne stood and stretched. With one last glance outside she crossed her arms and focused on Jane. “Did you find her den? Why did she return here?”

“We found her den. But it would take a quarter-moon to tell you about it so it’ll have to wait.” Jacob struggled and she flipped him around in her arms, wincing as pain shot up her wrist, and carefully turning him away from the windows. “I don’t know what to do. When did the fairies arrive?”

“I sent the message as soon as the post carrier came through—the day after you left. Two days later they rode into town. Rose must’ve sent them right away. They made a camp on the grass but they haven’t done anything useful.”

“That figures, since Larch seems to be in charge out there.”

Maryanne’s eyes widened. “ Larch is out there?”

“Rose can’t have gotten the whole message. She never would have sent Larch.”

“I’m glad I didn’t let them in the house.”

“He says he wants to help Elle learn from Sunshine at a safe place in the woods. It would be safer to house a dragon there and she would learn faster.” Her voice rose. “As if he has any right to help after what he did! I don’t trust him. I don’t know if it’s actually about Elle or about her abilities. Or about his ego.”

“Does Elle have to learn at all?”

“You didn’t see her, Maryanne. She was so happy with Sunshine and so proud of herself. Sunshine was shooting little flames at her and she was catching them out of the air.”

Maryanne grimaced.

“Sunshine is careful. And protective. I think it might be wrong not to let her learn.” Rowan popped into Jane’s head, along with her suspicions that he possessed fire magic.

“If she goes,” Maryanne said, “you’ll have to go with her. You can’t send her off with Larch.”

“I know. Maryanne, come outside with me and meet Sunshine.”

Maryanne slowly exhaled through pursed lips before nodding. She turned to Wells.

He leaned farther back in his chair. “I’m fine right here.”

Maryanne rolled her eyes as she followed Jane and Jacob to the door.

Jane walked across the grass slowly for Maryanne’s sake. Elle spotted them and waved. Jacob stopped all his squirming but watched Sunshine so eagerly, Jane was sure he was poised to resume his wailing if they changed direction. As they approached Sunshine’s head, one large green eye opened and she expelled a gust of hot air. Maryanne was shaking beside Jane, who moved close so Jacob’s reaching hands could touch Sunshine.

“Gently,” she said. Sunshine didn’t have any fur he could tug on or ears to pull, but it seemed safer if Jacob didn’t start grabbing or hitting her. Sunshine’s eye shifted to Jane and she blinked and snorted again, but lightly. Jacob patted her and her eyelid drifted shut.

Jane carried Jacob along Sunshine’s neck. “Go check on the children,” she told Maryanne as they reached Elle and Jane sat. Elle grinned at Jacob as Jane leaned back against the warm wall of dragon scales. Jacob crawled over her shoulder to keep touching the dragon.

Maryanne watched a moment before exhaling and whispering, “Okay.” She licked her lips, wiped her hands on her dress, and moved slowly down the yard, staring at Sunshine’s clawed front foot as she circled far around it. She ducked her head under the tent of Sunshine’s wing.

“How are you?” Jane asked her daughter.

“I’m okay. Sorry we left. Sunshine said we had to.”

“You can talk to her?”

“A little.”

“Do you want to go back to her mountain?”

Elle’s smile faded. “Not if you’re sad.”

“I want you to learn to use your magic.”

“Why are you sad?”

“This happened very fast. I thought you’d be at home with me until you were much older.”

“ Mama ,” Elle said, exasperated, “I’m not leaving for good .”

“I might have a new place for you to learn fire magic. We could go together.”

“Will Rowan be there?”

Jane’s heart skipped a beat. “You like Rowan?”

“He makes you happy. And he saved me in the pond.”

Jane startled. “You remember that? That was Rowan?”

Elle grinned.

“He might be there. I need to talk to him.”

“I want magic if you can come.”

What was the best thing to do? Elle had to learn. A rocky location away from any fields and villages would be a much safer place to have a dragon spouting fire all summer. And the fairies would no doubt have a plan to feed Sunshine—right? The fairies must know all about dragons, given their history together. Jane didn’t even know what Sunshine ate, other than fire mushrooms.

But was living with the fairies the only option? And if they did go there, could they go without Larch being involved? He was acting like this was all about him. But he wasn’t actually in charge, was he?

Jane wanted nothing to do with him, whether he was Elle’s father or not. But what was best for Elle? She wouldn’t remember his role in any of the things that had happened to her as a baby. Was it important to introduce him to Elle simply because he was her father? And did he truly want to make amends and be a stable part of her life?

If he did, why had he shown up only now? He hadn’t cared to come see her until Elle’s unique magic had been revealed.

Rowan would give her sound advice. He wouldn’t lie to her about the fairies’ intentions, and she could trust him to suggest what was best for Elle. He might know this location in the woods, and he might have opinions on Larch’s motivations.

She’d left him out front only minutes ago but already she missed having him beside her. His steady presence had become comforting, and after being torn apart, finding him again at the mine and being in his arms had felt so right. She wanted to be back in the mountains, only the two of them, and of course with Sunshine and Elle. But she could go talk to him and see what he thought about Larch’s proposal. Maybe if they went to the fairies’ enclave, he would come, too.

She turned to Elle. “Will you stay here and make sure nothing catches on fire?”

“Mama! Sunshine’s careful.”

“Watch Jacob, okay?” Jane set Jacob on the ground and he crawled right back to Sunshine’s side. Maryanne was out of sight. Hopefully she’d come around to Sunshine when she saw how protective the dragon was of the children.

Jane pushed herself up with her good hand and headed around the side of the house. Each time she stopped moving she forgot how sore she was, but her bare feet flinched with each step, her arms and legs and shoulders ached, and the scrapes on her hands stung when she ran her fingers over them. She straightened and proceeded slowly, trying to hobble as little as possible.

Around the front of the house, the crowd of villagers had dwindled. Her arrival must have been the peak of the event, and they’d given up on seeing the dragon take off. Some of the fairies were packing up their tents. Larch stood in the lane, frowning at the peonies dropping petals on the front walk. A tremor of nerves ran through her—Rowan was gone.

Jane approached one of the fairies on the lawn but before she could speak, Larch strode toward them.

“Where’s Rowan?” Jane asked the other fairy, a tall woman with silvery skin and straight dark hair that fell to her shoulders.

“He left,” Larch said.

“He left ?” Rowan wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye to her.

“I sent him home.”

Jane scanned the roadway back toward the village but only a few villagers lingered.

“He rode on Charger. He’s gone.”

Jane frowned. Did Larch still exert control over Rowan? “What do you mean, you sent him home? Where?”

“Back to the caverns in the forest.”

Jane furrowed her brow and glared at him. “Why?”

“He was supposed to watch over you and Bluebell. Clearly he failed to keep you safe.”

Jane glowered. Rowan had found Elle in the mountains. He couldn’t have stopped the dragon from coming to take her in the first place. And what did Larch have to do with it regardless? “He wouldn’t leave without reason.”

Larch sniffed and his lips flattened. “I wanted him here to watch over you. I’ve sent him home.”

“ You sent him here?”

“I suppose he left me out of his story.”

Jane’s insides churned in confusion—her heart dropping at yet another betrayal, her gut telling her not to doubt Rowan, and her chest struggling to keep her breathing steady. Had Rowan changed his mind about her? That seemed unlikely. But he’d been quiet as they’d returned to the village, unlike how he had been in the mountains—relaxed and smiling when they’d been climbing, and loving and passionate when they’d held each other. Maybe being out in the forest was easier for him. With their rescue mission over, maybe something had changed. After all, he had spoken that one time as if he wouldn’t be staying at the smithy in Woods Rest.

But Rowan wouldn’t leave her. He’d told her he never would. Something more was going on here, something between Larch and Rowan that Larch had used to get rid of him. And Jane wasn’t going to tolerate Larch messing up her life again.

She wouldn’t give up on Rowan until she had a chance to speak with him. Especially not based on something a liar like Larch said. She trusted Rowan. Her instincts told her to trust him and find out what was going on. And maybe she’d be wrong again, but she’d rather trust someone and risk being hurt than be a mistrustful person who assumed the worst of people. If someone broke her trust, it made only them a bad person. It didn’t make her one.

The trouble was, she didn’t know how to get to the place in the forest where the fairies lived. Even if she knew where it was, finding it could be tricky for a human. She could go to Woodglen and ask Ladi’s fairy friend for help, but that would take days. She wanted to go after Rowan right now and catch him before he even made it back to their caverns.

And she had to get Elle’s situation sorted out before the villagers changed their minds about having a dragon in their midst. Or before Sunshine accidentally torched the fields.

Larch had no business knowing anything about her and Rowan. And Larch wouldn’t take her to see Rowan even if she begged.

But Rose would.