He laughed. “Not as clever as me, though.”
They continued on their way, Honey quiet and contemplative, which made Ainsworth feel, at times, that he had only the wind for company. He relished the feel of it through his hair, restorative after a night of little sleep.
When they reached the small loch they usually stopped at for a break, Ainsworth’s breath caught in his throat as he remembered the words from the pages Honey had sent him: His great-grandfather’s simple joy in the rocks. How he had filled pages with joyful sketches of them.
“I wonder what happened to my great-grandfather, in the end?” Ainsworth said.
“I wish I knew,” Honey said, taking a deep breath. “You know, it took me a while after you arrived to remember just who he was, and then when I found that diary entry…it clicked. He was such a strange fellow, brimming with excitement and tales of his travels. He told me that he wanted to at least take a peek at the republic, since he was so close. There are other ways across other than summitting Mount Vengeance, and I think he was planning to head north, to find the trading route. He may have died on the way, or maybe he just liked the republic so much that he stayed. I guess there is no way of knowing.”
Ainsworth let out a sigh. He had gotten more answers than he’d expected from Honey, so he supposed this one mystery would have to remain. A part of him liked to think that his great-grandfather had found what he wanted on the republic side, but he supposed Honey’s first explanation was the more likely. He could try to follow Artan’s trail, or perhaps return to his family home, meet the friend of his parents who now resided there, and search the house for more clues as to who Artan was, where he may have ended up. It was certainly something he could consider in the future, and his heart lifted at the prospect.
As they continued their climb, Honey then spoke of the regret she felt at lying to the staff at the inn, and for the insights her ability allowed into people’s way of thinking. She had accurately read Ainsworth’s desire to see his project through and his desperate need to prove to everyone—including himself—that he could do something like conquer the mountain in the name of his research. Ashe, she admitted, had asked to accompany Ainsworth to prove to Honey that she could protect him, for Honey’s sake and approval. “She truly need not prove anything to me, I love her so. But…this is the way the world makes so many of us think, Ainsworth. I just wish to…stop it, somewhat.”
Ruraidh had also wished for approval and esteem—but fromAinsworth. “I worry that my interference has actually done more harm than good there, since he felt like he let you down this morning. It was never my intention to hurt my friends. I will—I will make amends,” she said.
Ainsworth felt sick at the thought and vowed to clearly communicate upon his return how much he admired Ruraidh and treasured his friendship.
“Well then. This is as good a spot as any for the picnic you compelled me to bring with that dream of yours,” Ainsworth said later as they settled down for lunch. Honey gave a small smile, likely reminded of her scheme. “Will you tell them, then, once we return?”
Honey frowned. “Tell them what? That I am a dragon?”
“That you arethedragon. And that you manipulated some of them last night.”
She took a few moments before answering. “I always knew I’d have to tell Ruraidh and Quiddle eventually, if they stayed, considering they’re part of the long-lived. But yes, I will tell them all. Enough is enough, and I am so tired of lying to them. I…I expect there will be a lot of questions. And perhaps hurt. Will you…could you be there for that?”
“Of course I will. And…will you break the curse?” he asked.
She finished her apple before answering. “Can I—as the innkeeper, not as a dragon—remind those who come that they need not complete some quest to be considered worthy? I mean…there isn’t even a dragon residing there now anyway!”
“I suppose that’s a…fairer way to do it. With everyone on a level playing ground. No magical interference.”
“Though if they managed to find my old hoard,” Honey added, frowning, “I suppose it would be theirs for the taking. Not that I need it as much, thanks to you; the inn is finally running at a profit again, with all the new business. But I like knowing it is there—a bit of a financial cushion for a rainy day—even if it is not really my true hoard anymore. And I don’t like the thought of someone finding it and using it for selfish reasons.”
Ainsworth grinned. “Then maybe it’s time to move some of the old hoard off the mountain.”
Honey’s eyes lit up. “Start redistributing the rest myself, instead of waiting for adventurers to find it? I’d like that—and I should have done so long ago. I just…I have no idea how to proceed.”
“I can help you work it out, if you like. I’m sure the staff can help, too—they will perhaps know of communities that need assistance,” Ainsworth replied, thinking of Fig and Fern, the work they were doing. “Or you could just give it all to Quiddle.”
Honey laughed. “All right. I will give it a try. Consider the curse broken,” she said.
When they finished lunch, Ainsworth took her hand, and they walked together like that for some time. No longer did he stumble over the mountain’s erratic scatterings of rocks and dips like those first few trips, he noticed.
“I have one final question—well, for now; I am a scholar after all—about your dragon-tampering.”
Honey cringed. “Can we please not call it ‘dragon-tampering.’ ”
“Why did you not simply dragon-tamper my dreams to drive me off the night I arrived? You weren’t exactly my biggest fan.”
She laughed. “No, but I was…curious about you. And you livened the place up. Not as much as, say, Fig and Fern. But certainly a change from what was becoming a rather-too-settled routine. I…couldn’t bring myself to send you away.”
He felt warmth spread through his chest and gave her hand a squeeze. He almost stopped himself, but pushed on, needing one last answer. “You visited me in my dreams the night before I left for Hinslyth, but you did not stop me. Did you…did you visit Enach?”
“Ah,” said Honey. “I was tempted to visit him—scare the life out of him and send him packing. I know we had discussed the situation between you two, Ainsworth, but I—I knew at the end of the day Hinslyth was your home. I did not know if you still loved him, and I felt like that was something I could not interfere with. No matter how much I wanted to,” she added quietly. “I regretted it, in the days after you left.”
“It’s all right. I’m here now. I still made it back.”
When they were just shy of the standing stones, Honey beckoned Ainsworth to a viewpoint that she wished to share with him. They looped around the usual path and came to a section of the mountain that was almost a ledge, with a sheer drop below.
