Page 26 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

Twelve

Ranulf

Considering the day I’d had, the last thing I wanted was to find Grandmother waiting for me on the path to the cottage when I finished laying a false trail for the hunter.

I had woken up with an unexpected smile on my face before I realized I was alone in bed. I wasn’t surprised that Scarlette had woken before me, but that she had slipped out stealthily enough that I hadn’t even stirred did not bode well. Then she ignored me over breakfast.

Clearly, she thought last night had been a mistake.

After that, it had taken too long—again—for me to spot the hunter and lead him toward the mountains. I had spent two days in a row flying for hours, something I almost never did. My wings had disappeared along with my tail, but I still felt the ache of overtaxed muscles. I couldn’t even heal them, since the muscles didn’t actually exist in my human form.

Oh, and I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning, and it was nearing suppertime.

I tried to skirt past my grandmother, but she refused to let me. She pointed toward a different path, one that led away from the cottage. “Walk with me.”

“Nana, I’m tired and hungry.”

“Then it is in your best interest to get this conversation over with quickly. Now, Ranulf.”

I sighed and fell into step next to her. “What did I do?”

“You lied to a very sweet girl.”

I frowned. She had to be talking about Scarlette, but what lie?

“I know you don’t want her to leave,” Grandmother continued, “but that is no excuse. The charm Rosalia made will only last about two more weeks, and it will take Scarlette a week to walk home. Her mother’s health is at risk. That needs to be taken care of before you try to convince her to make her home here.”

I stopped walking. “What are you talking about?”

I wasn’t surprised that Grandmother had figured out that I enjoyed having Scarlette around. But the rest of her admonishment made no sense. I knew Scarlette had to go home. I wasn’t going to try to change her mind. Even before she snuck away from me this morning, I had known I couldn’t pressure her to stay.

Grandmother reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple glass cube. “You lied to her about working on the charm all week.”

I pinched the cube between thumb and forefinger. “This is not sufficient for what she needs. I could spend a month channeling as much node power as possible into this, and it would probably last a year or two at most. At which point Scarlette and her mother will be in the same situation as now, struggling to afford healings that don’t solve the problem.”

Grandmother began to smile. “You are finally using that ruby, aren’t you?”

The gem, carved into a perfect cube, resonated not only with the node’s healing power, but with me. No one knew why some mages worked better with certain gemstones, but every mage could feel a difference in how easily the power adhered to different materials. Any gem worked better than glass, but for me, rubies made the most powerful charms. They weren’t worth the extra expense for most of the charms I made, but for Scarlette? The cost didn’t matter.

My mother had gifted the gem to me years ago. An apology of sorts, one that showed how little she understood my anger. I didn’t want an expensive gift; I had wanted my mother to be there for me as I grew up. I had ignored it for years but had known as soon as Scarlette explained her problem that it was time to make use of the ruby. When I finished, the charm wouldn’t last a couple years, but a couple of decades.

“Of course I’m using the ruby. You didn’t really believe I would lie about making a charm, did you?”

“People make unwise choices when driven by feelings they aren’t used to. I know you don’t want her to leave.”

“What I want doesn’t matter. She has a life to get back to. Her mother. Her job.”

“She isn’t like your mother or sister, you know,” Grandmother said, reaching out to place a hand on my shoulder.

I wanted to claim I didn’t know what she meant, but I did. Nana understood why I was angry at my mother. She felt the same pain when Mother or Rosalia visited. I loved them, but every time they came to Drakona Forest, I was reminded that they’d never stay here. The forest was too small for them.

“She’ll leave too,” I said. “She has to.”

“But she isn’t driven by the need to wander. She wants to put down roots. She yearns for a place to call home.”

I spun away, breaking free of Grandmother’s touch. “She has a home. And it isn’t here.”

She clucked her tongue, the sound a familiar chiding. “The only thing she has in that village is her mother.”

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