Page 99 of Under Gorse and Stone

“How does it feel?”

“Sick and dizzy—as if I’m going to fall. The farther I get from Cornwall, the more I feel this tug in my belly. It hurts without him.”

He nods. “It will grow and grow.”

“And heleftme with this?” I say incredulously.

“Ah, for all his learning, Sigurd never really believed in your existence, so he didn’t pay attention to the books about dragon mates. I would warrant he doesn’t know. He knows what it will mean for himself, but not that it is as strong for you. He thinks little of himself. It is surprising.”

I shake my head. Joy is growing in me, strong and pulsing like a fire being stoked into life. The greyness of the day seeps away. “Are you sure?” I ask more to say the words out loud than to have them affirmed.

He winks. “You bore a dragon’s knot, did you not?”

I flush bright red, and he laughs lustily.

“Nay, do not be ashamed, Cary. ’Tis the most natural thing in the magic world. It is something that can only happen betwixt true mates. I warrant he lost control.”

“Well, you know,” I say awkwardly.

His eyes twinkle. “I do not, but I look forward to finding out.”

My eyes narrow. “You said Sigurd knows what will happen to him. What do you mean?”

His eyes go a little soft. “Ah, for you, if you do not go back to him, you will be fine. He did not complete the mating ritual last night, and he has set you free. You will move onwards, and eventually he will become a distant, gentle memory.” He hesitates. “But for him…”

Dread fills me. “What?”

He looks up. “He will dwindle away,” he says simply. “He will grow dim and fade away and move into the Sunlit Lands. He cannot be himself now without you.”

I half stand, my chair crashing to the floor. “Oh my god, and he didn’ttellme this?”

“He is honourable, that dragon.”

“He’s a… He’s a silly twat,” I say fiercely.

He chuckles. “I think you are both going to be entertainment for us. What will you do now?”

“I’m going to him, of course.” Fear fills me. “I have to find him.”

“Try Pedn Vounder. It is foggy today, and that’s when the Mer sing there. Sigurd always goes there when he needs to think.”

I grab my wallet. “Thank you,” I say fervently. “I’ll never forget this. What will you do now?”

The net disappears with a pop, and the noise roars back in. He looks at the family next to us, the children throwing their food on the floor, and the parents ignoring their behaviour. “I shall have some fun.” He winks. “The M4 is waiting for them.”

“I take it that’s not the road they need?”

“Ah, but it is the road they will take. Farewell, Cary. I shall see you soon.”

I wave a hand, but I’m too busy running out of the restaurant for the car.

“Hey, darling,” my father says.

I stop the car, cradling the phone to my ear as I remove the keys and fling open the door.

“Hey, Dad. How was the cruise?”

“It was lovely. Your mother learnt to fold towels into decorative animals, which would be useful if she ever did laundry. How are you?”