Guinevere shook his hand, and Celia could almost swear she heard a growl come from the man behind her.
“I knew I recognized you from somewhere.This is Gideon,” Guinevere said, turning to him with a smile, letting her hand rest on his arm.
Darian took another step forward and put his hand out, and the man slowly took it, shaking it firmly.
“This is Celia,” Darian said, gesturing to her, as if he had the right to introduce her.“She’s my…friend,” he ended slowly, as if he wasn’t sure how to refer to her.
Celia tried not to grin.He should know better.
She looked at the basket the man held, which contained a collection of plants she hardly recognized.“What are you collecting?”she asked.
“Oh, some medicinal plants for tinctures,” Guinevere said.
Celia’s ears perked up.“Are you a healer?”
“Yes,” Guinevere said.“Do you have an ailment that needs helping?”
“Oh, no,” Celia said.“I’m also a healer.”
Guinevere smiled widely.“I didn’t know we had a new healer in the area.Where do you practice?I shall be sure to send folks your way if I’m unable to help them.”
Celia shook her head.“I don’t help humans, only animals.”She didn’t quite meet Guinevere’s gaze.
“Oh,” Guinevere said, somewhat surprised, but then her voice changed.“Is that your cottage I saw out there?”she asked, gesturing toward home.“I wondered if there was a certain kind of animal that you healed.”
Celia’s eyes widened, and she looked at Guinevere.“You know?”
“I am one of the few,” Guinevere admitted.“I didn’t know if that was you or not, but I’m very glad to meet you.And if I have any wounded animals, I may bring them your way.I do better on humans.At least, I think so.I don’t know that my human subjects would agree with me.Some of them think my services are only fit for animals.”
Behind her, Gideon gagged, and Guinevere playfully elbowed him.“Oh, hush,” she said.“I fixed you.”
“But at what cost?”he muttered.“I still can’t get that taste out of my mouth.”
Celia’s lips twitched.Darian had no such restraint, however, and he laughed.“I can only imagine.”
“No, you can’t,” Gideon said shortly.
Guinevere and Darian laughed together.
Celia turned to Gideon with compassion.He apparently also suffered from a companion who was much too lighthearted.
“I must go,” she said.“I need to make sure my home is still standing.”
“Do you have a patient who might be causing issues?”she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“There are three fire dragons,” Darian informed Guinevere, who clapped her hands together in delight.
Celia sighed.He couldn’t go around spilling that information.
“Oh, that sounds like so much fun!”she said.“I need to continue harvesting, but perhaps sometime I could come and see them?”
“I don’t know how much longer they’ll be with me,” Celia said.“But if they are still with me when you are able, you would be welcome.Please do not share my location around, though.I prefer my privacy.”
“We will be sure to be discreet,” Gideon said, his voice a quiet rumble.
Celia looked at him, her eyes searching for what her healer’s senses were telling her wasn’t quite right with him.There was something different about him.His voice had a rougher quality to it than she would expect, but that was hardly something she could pinpoint.
“I hope you have a safe journey home,” Guinevere said with a smile.
