Page 19 of The Fire Apprentice (Sylvania #5)

R ose stood in the trail blocking the horses’ way and the two horses immediately stopped. A few heartbeats passed with Larch facing Rose—Jane imagined him glaring at Rose but she couldn’t see his face—and Aster seemed to be waiting for orders, although Jane wasn’t sure who would give them.

“Larch,” Rose said at last. She said his name fondly but it still sounded like a reprimand.

Larch’s shoulders were tensed up against his neck and his horse stepped side to side. His name hung in the air between Rose and him.

Rose rested her hands on her hips. Her dark hair hung to her chin and her pale skin had tanned on her nose and cheeks. She wore a tunic like Aster’s, only a lighter green, and her legs had a dark green coating on them that Jane couldn’t make sense of, like they’d been painted instead of clothed. Something fluttered overhead. Two wrens perched on a branch, watching the scene.

“‘A dragon was spotted to the north’?” Rose said in a low voice, and arched an eyebrow at him. She huffed up her chest in an impressive imitation of Larch. “‘I just want to help the humans’?”

If only Jane could see Larch’s face! Watching Rose chide him like an errant child made her uncommonly cheerful. Or maybe the joy came from seeing Rose again.

The two birds swooped down. They passed so close to Larch’s face that he flinched away before they disappeared into the forest.

“You may have renounced your evil ways,” Rose continued, “but you still have to respect other people’s boundaries.” Jane’s lips parted. Was Rose joking? Talking to him like that?

Larch’s shoulders slumped.

“Holly is working over in the orchard,” Rose said. “He would love your help with the pruning. He mentioned you this morning and what a help you’ve been.” Rose’s voice was kind, and she was giving Larch an escape. She stepped aside, and his horse moved forward. He didn’t look back. Jane sagged in relief as he disappeared among the trees.

Rose turned to her and Aster. “Are you able to dismount, Jane?”

Aster slid easily off the horse’s back and helped Jane down after her. She turned to Rose. “Do you need anything else, your high— I mean, Rose?”

“No. Thank you for going on this expedition, Aster. Thanks to your whole team. Azalea sent a message to me when she realized where the dragon was.” Rose turned to Jane. “Larch never should have gone anywhere near Woods Rest. I’m sorry, Jane.”

“It’s all right. I think maybe it did me good to see him. In my memories he was a lot more handsome and charming.”

Aster took her leave with a shy smile to Jane and a small bow to Rose. She walked back toward the barn with the horse ambling after her down the path.

“I can’t get them to stop bowing and calling me ‘your highness,’” Rose said as Aster moved out of sight. She shook her head and turned to Jane, and a moment later they were hugging tightly.

“I’ve missed you,” Jane said.

“Is Elle home safely?” Rose released her and stepped back.

“Yes. I left her and her dragon, Sunshine, in the backyard. I needed to see you.”

“I want to hear everything. It’s been so long. Liza has gone?”

Jane quickly filled Rose in on her life over the past few moons. Rose knew the bigger news, like about Liza’s courtship and Kitty’s move to Cliffside just in time for the failed rebellion, but soon Jane was pouring out the entire tale of her futile attempts to court the village apprentices, followed by Rowan’s latest appearance and the arrival of the dragon.

Rose closed her eyes and shook her head. “ That’s where Rowan has been? I’ve completely failed to keep you free of fairies.”

“He was careful to hide his identity. We had no idea any of them—him—the apprentices, I mean—were fairies until the dragon came. And he knew how to find Elle.” Jane sketched out the rest of the rescue. Rose’s expression ranged from horror to awe. “He was wonderful,” Jane concluded and, of course, she blushed.

Rose’s eyes gleamed. “It sounds like it.” Her look only made Jane squirm, but with a smile. “Where is Rowan now?” Rose asked.

“He’s not here?” Panic welled up within her. If Rowan hadn’t returned here, Jane had no idea where to find him. “He left ahead of us. Larch said he was returning to the fairy caverns.”

Rose took her hand. “He might be here. We can check. I was watching the trail for your arrival but not for Rowan’s.”

“How did you know we were arriving?”

“The birds alerted me.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “You can speak with them?”

“No, no. Dustan sent them to watch the trail. When they came back chirping and flying in circles around me, I could have guessed your party was arriving—even if Dustan hadn’t mumbled something about it being you.”

“Where is he?”

“Still in bed.” She said it tenderly and her cheeks colored a faint pink.

Jane bit her lip as a smile stretched across her face.

“He likes to be up all night and sleep half the day,” Rose continued. “I can’t sleep once the sun is up.”

“As long as you have a few hours that overlap,” Jane said, and Rose grinned.

“What do you need?” Rose asked. “What do you want to do?”

Jane exhaled. “I want Elle to be Sunshine’s apprentice, but I don’t know how to manage it. It’s too dangerous to have her learn in Woods Rest, where she’s surrounded by flammable fields and trees. We could return to Sunshine’s den in the mountains, but after what happened, Sunshine might not think it’s safe there. And I don’t particularly want to live on top of a rocky peak all summer eating mushrooms and being idle all day—don’t even ask me about the dangers of peeing off the side of a cliff.”

“Yikes.”

“Larch said there’s a place in the woods near here where Elle could train. He called it a forge. We were heading there.”

“I know where he means. I can show you.”

“But I’m nervous about bringing Elle anywhere near this place. And...”

Rose waited.

“I wasn’t sure if we could bring her here without Larch being involved. He seemed keen to participate, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive him for what he did to her, and I don’t trust him with her. But is that wrong? He is her father.”

“I’m not a mother,” Rose said, “so I’m probably not the best person to advise you. But I trust your intuition for what’s right for her. And you can use any space we have without his interference. We’ll send him on an errand to Norland if we need to.”

“I want to ask Rowan what he thinks. He knew so many things about the dragons, and he seems to know Larch well. I would trust his advice.”

“Let’s see if we can find him. I know where he stays.”

Rose led Jane along the trail back toward the barn. It was wide enough for them to walk side by side. All Jane’s exhaustion had fled with the prospect of seeing Rowan again.

“We’ll have to go into the caverns,” Rose said.

Jane repressed a shudder. “I understand.”

“There’s an entrance near the barn, but we can go a ways through the forest and enter closer to Rowan’s chambers.”

“Thank you.”

The trees opened into the sunny meadow. Aster’s group was no longer present, and several of the horses now grazed out in the tall grass. They passed the barn and the turn leading to the Forest Road and continued into thicker forest.

“Why are your legs green?” Jane asked.

Rose looked down and paused to stretch out a leg. Her calf was coated with color but it stopped abruptly above her ankle. It looked a bit like fabric but it molded to Rose’s leg. “Oh, these? They’re so comfortable I forgot I had them on. One of the fairy inventors made them. They use wool and a special fiber from a nettle plant to make them so they stretch over your legs. And magic of course.”

“Of course.”

Rose pinched the material on her thigh and pulled, and it separated from her leg and snapped back when she let go. “They’re marvelously comfortable. This is the first pair. They asked me to try them out. I’m completely in favor of them. As soon as we have more, I’ll send you some, if you like.”

“Yes, please. What are they called?”

“Nothing yet. Do you have any ideas?”

“Thigh huggers?”

“That sounds like sex,” Rose said with a snicker.

“Leggers?”

“Ooo, that’s good. I’ll pass that one on.”

“You’re wearing a tunic like Aster’s.”

Rose touched the light green shirt. “Mine is the color of the forestry team. I finished my training last moon.” Her eyes lit up when she said it.

“Oh, Rose, that’s wonderful.” When Rose had become the fairy queen, she’d had a role to play in stabilizing their society and bridging the gap with the humans. But she’d always wanted to contribute more, and she’d loved learning to climb trees.

“We don’t have to wear the uniform,” Rose continued, “but I love mine.”

“You should be proud.” Rose had found her calling. Maybe when Jane returned to Woods Rest, eventually, she would as well.

As they walked, voices drifted down from the treetops where the fairies’ treehouses hid among the branches. Rose turned into a clearing and led Jane across to an open expanse of gardens where fairies knelt in the rows, weeding around seedlings and harvesting leaves of lettuce from tiny plants. In the warm spring morning, insects droned and a peaceful breeze stirred the trees surrounding the open land.

Rose skirted the edge of the garden and moved into a row of apple trees just forming fruit. No one was under the trees. A large pecan tree towered at the end of the row along with several smaller trees with tiny yellow flowers, and a wall of rocks and boulders rambled along in back.

“Is this the orchard?” Jane asked.

“No—there’s a lot more fruit trees on the far side.” Her eyes scanned Jane’s worried face. “That’s where I sent Larch.”

Rose stopped by a tall boulder. “You don’t need to worry about his mother, either. She’s in the fairy prison which keeps her in with magic. No one could get her out even if they wanted to—unless she truly repented for her actions.”

“Okay.” Jane licked her lips.

“Are you sure you’re comfortable with this?” Rose asked. “I could go down by myself and find Rowan.” She pointed.

Behind the boulder was a large opening into the ground. Steps led down into darkness.

Jane peered down the steps. “There’s no magic hiding the way in?”

“Not here, and I can get you through the barrier inside.”

Jane didn’t want to wait a moment longer than she had to, to see Rowan again. “I’ll go.”

Rose started down the steps. “I’ve gotten used to being in the caverns, but I can remember how it felt the first time I came here.” She meant the time she’d come to rescue Elle and the other children. Jane’s ankles chilled as she moved out of the sunlight and she shuddered again.

At the bottom of the steps, a neat tunnel led away from the entrance. A lamp flickered farther on, creating a dim glow. Jane glanced all around as they continued—the tunnel had no cobwebs or dead leaves or other litter. “Why does Rowan live down here?” Jane asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve met him only a few times in the past turn of the seasons. He’s never spoken much.” Rose stopped at a wall barring the way forward. “This is an illusion. Take my hand and close your eyes.”

Jane did, and as Rose led her forward, she felt nothing as she stepped through the wall. She opened her eyes and turned to the wall behind her. She reached out and touched solid rock.

Her pulse thudded harder. “Am I trapped?”

“No. If you need to get out on your own, close your eyes and you’ll walk right through it.”

Inside the caverns, more lanterns glowed along the passageway. The place was deserted and silent as a tomb, except for once when the scritch of a broom sounded and they came upon a blond fairy sweeping the floor. Rose greeted her with a smile. They passed one alcove and then another, until they became regular along the way. Some had closed wooden doors while others opened into dark rooms. A few tunnels led off in different directions, but they continued straight.

“Maryanne wanted me to get your approval,” Jane said, “to spend time with Rowan.” Her face heated. It sounded silly when she said it aloud. “That’s why she sent you a message. She didn’t trust him, but I didn’t want to wait to go after Elle.”

Rose glanced sideways. “It seems like you know him better than I do.”

She did. She valued Rose’s opinion but she didn’t think she needed it in this case. “You know how Maryanne is about trusting fairies.”

“I wish she knew more of them.”

“Unfortunately, the ones we first met were not trustworthy.”

“Speaking of, I can’t believe Larch lying about Maryanne’s message that way. I’ve never seen more creative half-truths than the ones that fairy comes up with. He says he wants to make amends for his past but—” Rose cut herself off. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, bringing that up.”

“It’s all right. I truly think I might be past it.”

They turned a corner.

“It’s not far,” Rose said. “Like I said, I don’t know Rowan well, but I’ve never heard anything bad about him. He came to speak with me before he left here for Woods Rest, although he wasn’t up front about where he was headed. I suspected he wanted someone to know he was leaving so we wouldn’t worry once we saw he was gone. I thought maybe he didn’t have anyone else to tell.”

Jane’s insides panged at how alone Rowan was in the world.

“I’ve never seen him use magic,” Rose continued. “You said he hid his appearance?”

“Yes. He said he has only a little ability. But Rowan made the potion Larch used on me,” Jane added quietly. She didn’t want Rose to hear any rumors and think Rowan had continued to mislead her. Rose’s lips parted and Jane hurried on. “He told me right away when I found out who he was. He said he owed Larch a big favor, and Larch wasn’t skilled at magic so Rowan made a love potion for him. He doesn’t make potions anymore. I think he feels awful for helping Larch.”

“Why did Rowan return here instead of staying with you?”

“I don’t know. After I confronted Larch, I was so furious I stormed into the house. When I returned, Rowan had gone. I want to know what Larch said to him that made him leave without saying goodbye.”

“Well hopefully you can ask him.” She stopped at a door in a shallow recess. “I think this one is his. Are you ready?”

Jane crossed her fingers and nodded. She stood to the side of the door with Rose in front of her.

Rose knocked. Jane held her breath. Someone moved behind the door.

The door opened. Rowan stood inside with his chest bare. Oh skies, Jane had missed him. She tore her gaze away from his chest. He wore clean trousers and his face was bruised but the blood was gone, leaving only a cut across his lip. His hair was damp.

Rose scrunched her brow, staring at his face.

Rowan’s green eyes were fixed on Rose and spots of color bloomed in his cheeks as his hand moved to the cut on his lips. “Forgive me, your— Rose. I didn’t expect it to be you or I wouldn’t have answered in this state.”

“Who did you expect?” Rose asked.

“I thought I’d imagined the knock. No one visits me.”

“Well someone’s come to visit you now,” Rose said, and she stepped aside, pulled Jane in front of the doorway, and gently pushed her forward.