Page 42 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

The three healers all laughed.

“There are no constables in Drakona,” Grandmother Molle explained.

“Aaron, up in Wulfkin, is the closest we have.” Ranulf added. “He’s technically a magistrate, and the most he can do is charge a fine or banish someone from the village. Which he already did.”

“But if a more serious crime is committed, can’t he contact someone else? Someone with the authority to do more?”

Rosalia shrugged. “He’d have to apply all the way to Haiwella for support. Even if the capital sent a constable or two, it would take forever.”

“It would also mean giving Gideon a chance to spread his story.” Ranulf frowned. “As it is, he is keeping the secret because it benefits him. If that changed, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell everyone that the healers of Drakona can shift into dragons. I’d rather deal with him on our own.”

We fell silent. For several minutes, we all stared at our mugs.

“Short of killing him, I just don’t know how we can make him stop hunting.” Ranulf grumbled. “He isn’t going to see reason. Scarlette already proved that.”

Rosalia looked thoughtful, and her grandmother shot her a withering look. “We aren’t going to kill him. We are healers, children.”

“Maybe we can make a deal with him?” I tapped a finger against the handle of my mug. “He must want something besides just killing a dragon.”

Ranulf shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust him to uphold his end of the bargain.”

“But we wouldn’t have to trust him.” Rosalia perked up. “If we make him sign a contract, the Duke of Truthhold can make it magically binding. You could fly me over the Gaboor Mountains without drawing attention, then I can walk the rest of the way and deliver it within a couple days.”

The Truthhold family had a blood-lock on another node, one rumored to be the strongest in the entire continent. The magic was tied to truth-telling. Any contract enchanted with the power of the node became more than just legally binding.

“Would that work?” I asked. “Gideon wouldn’t have to go to Truthhold with you?”

“We wouldn’t even have to tell him that we plan to use the node. So long as he signs the contract, and it is legal, the magic will work. I don’t think we even have to share the contents of the contract if we don’t want to, so Ranulf’s ability will stay secret, too.”

“Wait.” I had heard something about the Truthholder node recently. I tried to remember what. “Didn’t the duke close Rose Castle? He hasn’t accepted visitors all summer.”

Rosalia waved her hand through the air. “I heard that, too, but even if the duke doesn’t want visitors, he must still be enchanting contracts. Whatever is going on with him, it shouldn’t impact us.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ranulf ran a hand over his face, looking suddenly exhausted. “A coerced signature isn’t legal. We’d still have to find a way to convince him to sign.”

I reached under the table and rested my hand on his thigh. He looked at me, a spark of warmth in his eyes. I kept my hand there.

“What does he hope to gain by killing a dragon?” My question earned me everyone’s attention. “He has to have a reason for refusing to walk away. Why is it worth the hassle?”

“Bragging rights,” Ranulf suggested.

“Dragon scales,” his grandmother added. “Dragon scales are like diamonds. Rare, beautiful, and difficult to destroy.”

“So, we offer him scales and the chance to claim he killed a dragon.” I paused and looked at Ranulf. “Do you shed scales?”

“Not usually, but if Rosalia can grow her hair during a shift, I think I can manage to grow a few extra scales.”

I gestured at Rosalia’s braid. “That’s from shifting?”

She shrugged. “Our magic isn’t really healing, but body-changing. My hair was this length for the last year or so that I lived in Drakona. Since I almost never shift away from the node, I naturally try to recreate that familiar state even years later.”

“Does that mean you don’t age, either?” I looked at Grandmother Molle, who certainly didn’t look old enough to have grown grandchildren, but neither did she look young.

She laughed at my scrutiny. “Healing magic does wonders, but it cannot halt the aging process altogether. We age slowly, but we do age.”

Ranulf placed his hand over mine on his thigh. “Your mother will get some of the same benefit now that she’s wearing a powerful healing charm all the time.”

I looked at him and saw the answer to the question I didn’t ask. I’d talk to him about my own aging later. For now, we had more important matters to focus on.

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