A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(98)

“Show me,” Ami said, coming over.

I got to work, finding most of the things I needed in her well-stocked and -maintained garden and the rest in the wood. It was an arduous concoction; one needed to pound certain things, grind others, and mix them in a way that the ingredients all harmonized together. Thankfully, Ami and Claudile were great help, needing very little instruction. Gunduin and Hannon helped when needed or asked, both of them working peacefully with us until a large pot was set above the fire to simmer slowly.

“I don’t see how this will work,” Claudile said, looking down into the murky liquid. “No one is going to want to drink that.”

I held up a finger as a shape caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Micah stepped in close to the side fence, having just left the road. I was late for my sword training with Tamara, and he’d clearly wanted to make sure I was okay.

I ignored him for a moment. “The trick is to simmer it very lightly. If it boils, it’s ruined. In fact, if it even brushes up against a boil, it won’t work nearly as well. You need to keep it on very low heat for three hours, give or take. The murkiness will clear, and the water will turn a lovely lavender color and smell really nice. Take it off the heat then, let it cool, and then serve it. Don’t serve it hot, though, or else it’ll have a punch of sourness and people will bitch. I mean, it’ll still work, but people who ache all the time are already cranky as all hell. It’s easy to push them over the edge. Then they yell at Hannon.”

“It’s not pleasant,” Hannon murmured.

Ami quirked a brow.

I smiled. “I’m not good with people. Hannon administers the elixirs. I couldn’t be arsed. He helped a guy down the way from our house and…well, I could hear the yelling from my backyard.”

“Old man Fortety is miserable at the best of times,” Hannon grumbled. “I still hold a grudge that you sent me down with that elixir, knowing it was too hot.”

I laughed; I couldn’t help it. It had been a dick move, but sometimes I liked seeing Hannon get all riled up.

“Finley, it’s time to head back to the others,” Micah said, checking me over. “You have a gash on your arm.” His eyes flashed menace as he glanced at Ami. An annoying little flutter tickled my belly, something that had happened a couple of times in his presence at the demons’ castle, and more often these last few days. “You’re pushing her too hard. From now on, she’ll practice with the other newly shifted. It’s a better place for her to learn.”

“All due respect, alpha,” Ami replied, “but she is pushing herself. She nearly has the hang of that updraft. We showed her once. She chooses to go back, over and over, trying to best it. What would you have us do, fight her to keep her away?”

I’ll take that fight, my dragon thought. She would, too, and we’d get stomped on by these women. They weren’t as powerful as us, but they were wily and experienced and sometimes downright vicious. They’d smack us down and call it a lesson.

That lesson would likely hurt something fierce.

Gunduin grinned, always seemingly happy-go-lucky. You couldn’t help but like the guy. “She’s a fire starter. Training her like the other newly shifted would waste her time.”

Micah’s hard gaze settled on Gunduin for a moment, and I could practically see the power curling from Micah, heavy and thick. Gunduin picked up the vibe, an obvious challenge, and held the stare for a long moment. Then something flickered in his eyes, and he dropped them.

A hot and uncomfortable feeling unfurled in my middle. Micah turned to Ami, but I was already reacting. I would not tolerate someone browbeating people who were helping me.

“Enough,” I barked, and a surge of my power cut through the backyard. Leaves tumbled across the ground, caught up in the force of my will. The pots swung and bumped, and Ami took a step back with widened eyes.

I took a deep breath and laid my hand on Micah’s arm.

“Sorry, I know you’re trying to do what’s best for me, but I’m fine. It’s not them, it’s my dragon. She’s a shithead at the best of times, and her new goal is apparently to master flying in just a few days. It’s nearly impossible to control her. If you paired us with new people, we’d get everyone in trouble and probably end up with a bunch of dead kid-dragons. She’s not to be trusted.”

He shook his head slowly. “At least bring Tamara and Lucille up with you.” He looked to Ami. “They’ll have a little more care to keep you safe.”

“I have no desire to bring strange dragons into the sky with me,” Ami said loftily. “I took her up simply because I was curious, and now I find it humorous. We fly, and then we work the plants. There is no cause for alarm.”

That was a white lie, since my dragon repeatedly smashing into the side of a mountain and then tumbling nearly to the ground was some cause for alarm, but I didn’t mention it. Micah was already riled up enough.

This place was what we both needed right now.

I untied my apron and handed it over to Ami. “Thanks, for both your curiosity and your good humor. I don’t much care why you’ve helped me—I’m grateful for it.”

Ami took the apron slowly. Her gaze flicked to Micah and then back. Something sparked in her eyes. A sort of hunger for excitement. For challenge.

“You know…” she said softly. “I happen to have a practice dagger lying around. And a few practice swords. If you think that dragon of yours wants to let out a little rage, I’m sure Claudile and I could spark you up a bit tomorrow. I’m interested to see what a scrappy little dragon who grew up in a hard life can do when pushed.”