Chương 11: Room for More

Talia had been staring at Kindle for nearly ten minutes. Roy knew because he had spent nine of them pretending not to notice. The girl knelt beside the hearth with her hands folded in her lap, close enough to enjoy the heat but careful not to disturb the sleeping drake. Kindle lay curled inside his cove with his nose tucked beneath one foreleg. The ridges along his back glowed a deep ember-red, brightening each time he breathed and dimming when he exhaled.

The restored cottage held the warmth so well that Roy had removed his coat despite the darkening evening outside. Talia leaned slightly closer to Kindle, then glanced toward the wooden chest beside the hearth. The final egg rested inside it beneath its layer of moss, brown shell almost hidden under the soft green growth that clung to its surface.

"That is another one, isn't it?" she asked. Roy lifted his mug without drinking. Aurelia had filled it with watered tea, insisting that he needed something warm while his Weave recovered. He suspected she had chosen the weakest leaves available as punishment.

"Another what?"

"Dragon egg."

"It might be a particularly ambitious turnip." Talia looked at him. Roy sighed.

"Yes. It is another dragon egg." She returned her attention to the chest.

"Do you know what kind?"

"No."

"So it could be another one like him?" Kindle's ear twitched.

"Possibly." Talia glanced toward the window, where Nimbus and Shale had disappeared with Orion.

"Why is he smaller than the others?"

"He has better judgment." Kindle's tail gave a pleased thump against the stone. Roy pointed toward him.

"See?"

"Does he really heat the whole house?"

"Most of it. The rebuilt walls help now, but before that he was the only reason we did not freeze through the blizzard."

"And he eats wood?"

"Yes."

"Could he eat a chair?"

"He has considered it." Talia looked toward the table as if assessing whether Kindle might wake hungry. Roy finally set down his mug.

"You should rest." The questions stopped as Talia turned toward him slowly. Whatever curiosity had brightened her face vanished, replaced by embarrassment.

"I am sorry."

"That was not a reprimand. You were just asking questions."

"Too many." Roy leaned back in his chair. His body felt heavy rather than injured, the lingering result of driving his Weave Reserve into the ground and then walking home on legs that had wanted nothing to do with him. He could already feel the reserve returning, though not quickly enough for Aurelia's liking.

"You nearly watched your brother die," he said.

"I am willing to tolerate questions about Kindle." Talia rose from the hearth and moved to the chair across from him. She sat carefully, as though afraid that even the furniture might count against whatever unspoken debt she believed she owed. For a short while, neither spoke. The cottage had not been this quiet since before the eggs arrived. Aurelia remained in the bedroom tending Garrick. Orion was outside dealing with the boar. Kindle, as usual, slept.

"I think I am trying not to think about him," Talia admitted.

"That seems difficult when he is in the next room."

"I mean what happened." She folded both hands together.

"When the boar hit him, I thought he was dead. Then he moved, and I thought if I dragged him far enough, perhaps it would lose interest."

"You kept him alive long enough for us to arrive."

"I screamed."

"That also helped." She looked up.

"You came." Roy shrugged. Talia's expression tightened.

"You ran toward us without knowing who we were or what was attacking."

"I also almost died. That makes the story less impressive."

"You stood between us and that thing. You even made a wall."

"With poor attention to cost. My brother saved our lives, Shale knocked it down, and Nimbus killed it. Aurelia also kept Garrick alive."

"And you came first." Roy reached for his mug, then thought better of drinking the thin tea.

"Talia, you do not need to thank me." Her brows drew together.

"Why not?"

"Because I am telling you not to." She looked as though she wanted to argue but did not know whether she was permitted. Roy recognized the hesitation. Aurelia had once worn it whenever someone outside the family offered help. Gratitude twisted too easily into fear when a person believed kindness always came with a price. Talia's next words confirmed it.

"I do not have anything to give you." Roy stared at her.

"Our home is damaged. The supplies we carried are nearly gone. We had a few tools left, but most were too heavy to bring." Her voice remained level, yet her fingers tightened around one another.

"I could give you what is in our packs. Or work until Garrick recovers. If something more is expected, I could marry one of you." Roy nearly knocked over his mug.

"No." Talia flinched.

"No," he repeated, more carefully.

"That is not payment."

"It could be. Girls marry for security all the time."

"That does not make it a sensible reward for killing a boar." Her face reddened.

"I did not say it was sensible."

"You were willing to do it."

"If it kept Garrick safe." Roy studied her. There was no flirtation in the offer and no preference hidden beneath it. She had listed marriage beside supplies and labor because all three belonged to the same category in her mind: things she possessed that might purchase survival. He disliked the premise enough that his exhaustion briefly disappeared.

"You are fifteen," he said.

"None of us rescued you so we could collect something afterward."

"People do not usually do things for nothing."

"Then consider it an apology." Talia's confusion deepened.

"For what?"

"For not stopping the bandits."

"I told you that was not your fault."

"And I am telling you that you owe us nothing."

"That is different."

"No, it is not." Roy folded his arms.

"Your insistence that we are not responsible is exactly as useful as my insistence that you do not need to repay us. Apparently, none of us intend to believe the other." Talia's mouth opened, then closed.

"So," Roy continued, "we will accept that everyone in this cottage feels guilty and no one is going to resolve it tonight." The bedroom door opened before the conversation could continue. Talia stood so quickly that the chair legs struck the floor. Aurelia emerged with her sleeves rolled to the elbows and several loose strands of hair clinging to her face. She had changed from the bloodstained clothing worn in the woods, though fatigue remained plain in the way she leaned against the doorframe.

"Can I see him?" Talia asked.

"Not now, but he is safe. The bleeding has stopped, his condition has improved, and he needs rest more than anything else."

"Will he live?"

"Yes." Talia lowered herself into the chair. The relief that passed through her seemed to loosen every joint at once. Her shoulders sagged. She covered her face with both hands and released a broken breath that might have become a sob if she had allowed it. Roy relaxed against his chair, which Aurelia immediately noticed.

"You are not off the hook." Roy immediately regretted moving.

"I did not say anything."

"You depleted almost all of your Weave again!"

"There was a very large boar."

"You ran into the woods without a weapon. Then you made a spear while sprinting toward something that nearly killed three people." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"That sounds resourceful when you say it properly." Aurelia placed both hands on the table and leaned toward him.

"You raised a wall large enough to stop that creature when you were already tired."

"If I had not, Talia and Garrick might be dead."

"You might have died anyway. Your saving grace was Orion's ability to cross a distance none of us knew it could cross." Roy straightened.

"How far was he?" Aurelia's eyes narrowed.

"I am asking because that matters."

"You are focusing on the wrong part. The point is that you relied on an ability none of us understood to save you from overusing your own."

"I did not rely on it. I did not know he would appear."

"That is worse." Roy looked toward Talia. She watched the exchange with wide eyes, perhaps uncertain whether she was witnessing an argument or a ritual. Roy pushed his chair back and stood.

"I am going outside."

"You are going to rest."

"I am tired, not injured." He gestured toward himself.

"You are the Caretaker. Correct me if my condition says otherwise." Aurelia stared at him. Roy waited, but she said nothing. Her silence was not permission, but it was close enough.

"I am checking on Orion."

"You are impossible."

"I have been told." Roy collected his coat and left before Aurelia found a medical reason to stop him. Aurelia remained standing for several breaths, staring at the empty space where her brother had been. Then she dropped into his abandoned chair.

"My brothers are going to be the death of me." Talia gave a quiet laugh. The sound appeared to surprise her as much as Aurelia.

"They must be glad to have an older sister like you," she said. Aurelia turned her head.

"I am the youngest." Talia blinked.

"You are?"

"By several years."

"But you…" She stopped. Aurelia waited. Talia glanced toward the window.

"You protected us."" Nimbus protected us."

"You told her what to do… and you did not hesitate." Aurelia looked down at her hands. She had washed them twice, yet a faint reddish stain remained around one fingernail. Talia continued more softly.

"I could not have done that. I could barely move. You arrived and knew exactly what to say."

"It takes time to stop freezing." Talia's expression changed. Aurelia leaned back in the chair and looked toward the hearth. Kindle had opened one eye during the argument but now appeared satisfied that no one required burning.

"When our parents died, I was young enough that Orion and Roy tried to hide most of what was happening from me," Aurelia said.

"That did not stop me from understanding. It only meant I had years to learn what fear felt like before I learned what to do with it."

"Your parents are gone too?"

"Nearly ten years." Talia stared, then she lowered her eyes.

"I am sorry. Even more so for using your food, your room, and your bandages."

"You are not using anything we cannot replace."

"Garrick may need days."

"Then he will have days. We learned to support ourselves years ago. Orion hunts. Roy improves everything he touches when he is not nearly killing himself. I preserve enough food that both of them complain about where I store it. The boar alone will provide more meat than you and Garrick could eat during your stay. You are not emptying our winter stores." Talia took that in for a moment. Aurelia waited to see how she chose to respond.

If the two of them were anything alike, she would likely find some reason to feel like it was still an unacceptable course of action to rely on them more than necessary. That looked like the thought written on Talia's face, but it was not the question she ended up asking.

"Why did you stay here?" Aurelia turned toward her.

"When your parents died," Talia clarified.

"Why did you not go to Bellhaven?"

"We did." Hope entered Talia's face so quickly that Aurelia wished she could change the rest of the answer.

"We walked there after the burial. People gave us food, blankets, some coin. A few families allowed us to sleep near their hearths."

"Then why did you come back?"

"Because no one could keep us." Talia's hope faded.

"Bellhaven is not wealthy," Aurelia said.

"Most households already support more people than they can comfortably feed. A few tried to help. Others believed the cottage and land meant we had more than most orphans. After several weeks, the donations slowed. We returned because this was the only roof that belonged to us."

"No one took you in?"

"Not permanently." Talia sank deeper into the chair. Bellhaven had been more than a destination to her. It had been the answer waiting beyond the winter road—the place where adults would see two orphaned children and decide their suffering had gone far enough. Aurelia remembered believing something similar.

"There was Uncle," she added.

"Your uncle?"

"Not truly. He visited us after they died and continued coming once a week afterward. He brought tea, checked the house, and made certain we were alive."

"He did not take you with him?"

"He never offered." The answer sounded stranger now than it had for most of Aurelia's life. Uncle always arrived from somewhere and returned there, but none of them knew where he lived or what responsibilities waited for him. He gave advice, warmth, and occasionally supplies disguised as gifts. He had never attempted to become their guardian. At the time, Aurelia had simply been grateful he came back. Talia stared at the sleeping Kindle.

"Then Bellhaven may not help us."

"You are older than we were."

"That makes us easier to ignore."

"It also means you can work. Garrick can apprentice once he recovers. You could find paid work in a household or shop." Talia did not appear comforted. Aurelia softened her voice.

"You do not need to decide now."

"We cannot stay forever."

"Perhaps not. But your brother cannot travel with that arm, and winter will not become safe because you are impatient." Talia looked toward the bedroom again.

"Rest," Aurelia said.

"Help here if you need something to do. By the time Garrick recovers, all five of us will have discussed what makes sense."

"All five?"

"You and Garrick should have a voice in where you go." That seemed to strike Talia as unfamiliar. She sat straighter.

"Then tell me what I can do." Aurelia smiled faintly at the sudden determination in her posture.

"You can begin by helping me finish cleaning the cottage." Talia glanced toward the walls and floor, both visibly cleaner than they had been a day earlier.

"It looks clean." Aurelia's smile widened.

"It is not." ─── 🐲 ─── Roy found Orion behind the barn. The boar's carcass lay across a broad wooden platform they normally used for stacking feed sacks during dry weather. Shale had dragged both halves from the woods and now sat several yards away, watching with interest intense enough that Orion had ordered him not to move. Nimbus hovered beside the platform. Orion pointed toward the carcass with his knife.

"Here," he told her.

"Low pressure. Straight line." Nimbus released a narrow stream. The water passed through flesh and joint with unnerving precision, separating one of the legs without damaging the surrounding meat. Roy stopped near the barn door.

"You are teaching her butchery."

"I am making the pieces small enough to handle."

"I could transmute it." Orion did not look up.

"No. You have used enough Weave."

"I have recovered some."

"Not enough." Roy expected irritation, but Orion's voice carried none, the answer was flat and final. The seriousness had little to do with Roy's reserve. Orion moved the separated section aside. His hands remained steady, but his expression did not.

"Talia does not blame us," Roy said. Orion adjusted his grip on the knife.

"She said that before."

"She repeated it."

"That does not change what happened."

"No. But circling the guilt until it becomes the only thing you can see will not bring her parents back." Orion glanced at him. Roy recognized the irony before his brother needed to point it out. He had spent his own unhealthy amount of time ruminating on the same issue.

"I am working on taking my own advice," Roy said. Orion returned to the carcass. They stood in silence while Nimbus separated another section at his direction. The altered features had not returned. The carcass looked entirely ordinary now, though larger than most boars Orion had hunted. Whatever prismatic force had transformed it had vanished with death. Orion wiped his knife on a cloth.

"This gives us enough meat to extend the stores."

"With two additional mouths?"

"With five people total, assuming we preserve it properly, we should still reach near the end of winter." Roy looked toward the tree line.

"By then the roads may be clear enough for Bellhaven."

"Yes." The answer contained no enthusiasm. Roy leaned against the barn wall.

"You accepted them quickly. I figured Aurelia would be the one to refuse letting them leave."

"She would."

"And you would have lost."

"I know." Roy smiled as Orion pointed to another cut. Nimbus obeyed, producing a thin stream precise enough to separate bone without scattering fragments.

"The resources will survive," Orion said.

"Sleeping space is the immediate problem."

"That is simple." Orion gave him a weary look.

"Your simple answers usually require rebuilding something."

"This one requires building something new." Roy crossed the yard and studied the open ground beyond the barn. The cottage held two bedrooms, but none comfortably supported five people. Garrick currently occupied the room Orion and Roy normally shared. Talia would sleep near Aurelia or the hearth, depending on how much she resisted. That arrangement could endure for several night, but not months.

"We build a guest cabin," Roy said. Orion stopped working.

"Small," Roy continued.

"Enough for two beds, a stove or hearth, and storage. Timber is no longer the obstacle it was. Shale can uproot what we need, and I can create another model."

"Constructive Tapestry."

"Exactly. A simple wooden structure will require less material and fewer repairs than the cottage. With all of us working, perhaps two or three days once the model is ready."

"Bedding?"

"The field grass Shale uncovered. Dry it, clean it, then transmute the fibers into padding and coarse cloth." Orion looked toward Nimbus.

"She can clean the materials."

"And Kindle can dry them."

"Your reserve?"

"I pace it. I make the model first and use Basic Transmutation only where it saves the most labor. The blueprint handles the rest." Orion was quiet. Roy waited for the objections. Too much wood, too much Weave, too little time. A cabin implied commitment, and commitment implied that Talia and Garrick would remain beyond Garrick's immediate recovery.

"They stay through winter," Roy said before Orion could ask.

"Sending them toward Bellhaven after nearly dying once would be foolish."

"I agree." Roy blinked. Orion resumed cutting.

"That is all? You were quiet."

"I was thinking about it, and it is a solid plan." Roy leaned closer as if searching for evidence of fever.

"Are you ill?" Orion's mouth twitched but did not become a smile.

"Thank you," he said. Roy straightened.

"For what?"

"For continuing to think ahead."

"That is my Class."

"It was you before the Class." The words landed harder than Roy expected. Orion set the knife aside.

"I do not know how long it will take for what happened to stop feeling like something I should have prevented," he said.

"Perhaps it will not. But there are two children in the house who need food and shelter. Guilt does nothing for them unless it changes what we do next." Roy nodded. That sounded more like Orion—not free of the burden, but already turning it into work that might keep someone else alive.

"We build the cabin," Orion said.

"Aurelia and Talia finish the cleaning. If the final egg hatches, we reassess from there."

"Five people. Four dragons."

"Three dragons."

"The fourth is inevitable." Orion looked toward the mossy egg through the cottage wall as though it had personally inconvenienced him.

"That is what concerns me." They worked until the light began to fade. By the time Roy returned toward the cottage, smoke rose steadily from the chimney. Through the window he could see Aurelia and Talia moving between tables and shelves. Kindle had relocated to the floor near them, drying whatever cloth they washed. The cottage looked crowded, although not unpleasantly. Roy stopped in the yard. For most of his life, the house had held only three siblings and the routines required to keep them alive.

Even Uncle's weekly visits had felt temporary, a momentary interruption before the cottage returned to its proper shape. Now there were boots near the door that did not belong to any of them. Another voice moved beyond the walls, and they were planning a second dwelling. Roy had spent years dreaming of escape from the farm because he believed anything larger must exist somewhere else. A city. A guild. A place filled with awakened people and possibilities. He had not considered that larger might begin here.

Especially as a golden message appeared before his eyes. [New Optional Side Quest Has Begun.]