Chapter 49: Fiona’s Gamble
--Chapter 49--
Title>> Fiona’s Gamble
The calm, strained voice punctured straight through their tedious conversation.
Bringing Xavier’s attention toward the entrance.
And just as the voice had suggested, Fiona stood there.
She looked almost exactly as she did earlier. Tall, composed, and imposing enough to make the entrance feel smaller simply by standing beneath it.
She carried herself like a mountain that had no intention of admitting it could be moved.
But even through her bravado, Xavier picked up the strain.
She hid beneath the controlled expression, in the slight stiffness of her posture. She definitely looked fine if someone wasn’t paying attention.
Fiona’s emerald eyes moved between the him and Skylar before they settled calmly on the guards.
"You two. Go home."
The guards exchanged a quick glance.
"Chief...?"
"Your families are waiting." Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but neither guard argued against it.
They bowed and left. After all, what could they do about a threat if Fiona and Miss Skylar couldn’t handle it?
Xavier watched them disappear down the root path before looking back at Fiona.
The decision to send them away confirmed one thing.
Whatever happened next, Fiona didn’t want an audience. Or perhaps any witnesses.
Skylar hovered exactly where she was. Obviously, she was an exception.
For the next few minutes, Fiona spoke. She wasn’t melodramatic like someone making their last confession before dying
She simply stopped pretending that everything was under control. And let the mask slip slightly.
Xavier noticed Skylar’s presence made it even easier on her.
For what lasted for about five minutes.
Fiona admitted what Xavier had already suspected. The corruption wasn’t merely painful. It was spreading faster now, and the methods they had relied on to contain it were no longer keeping pace.
All the alchemical knowledge the village possessed and its resources including artifacts were simply ways to delay the inevitable.
And if nothing changed within the next few days, she would likely lose more than the use of her wings.
She might lose her life as well.
Xavier didn’t react much to what she said. He had already reached the same conclusion from what he had seen earlier.
What surprised him more was why Fiona hadn’t simply left..She could have sought help elsewhere at least.
But she’d refused to abandon the village.
It turns out just like previous chiefs. Her people had survived because she had been there to lead them, protect them, and make the decisions nobody else wanted to make.
She believed they were capable of surviving without her eventually. But eventually wasn’t anytime soon and it definitely wasn’t at ha time as this..
If she disappeared now, the village would be left trying to find its footing while dealing with whatever waited at the Fallen grove and outside their borders.
And Fiona wasn’t willing to gamble her people’s lives on the hope that they would somehow manage.
Xavier listened carefully without interrupting. He understood Fiona to an extent.
Because in life, there were things you could abandon out of inconvenience. But the people you grew up and broke bread with weren’t supposed to be one of them.
In the end, there was still one thing that stopped her from giving him a straight answer.
The debt that it opened between them.
She looked at him, her eyes half-lidded. "Please tell me what you really want."
At this point, there was no point pretending he hadn’t expected the question.
"The truth?"
Fiona’s emerald eyes shimmered softly, "I’d prefer that."
"I don’t know yet," Xavier said with a blank expression.
The answer caught Fiona off guard. Xavier shrugged and before she could interpret it as hesitation.
He continued...
"I know what I need. I just don’t know if I can get it here."
Fiona stayed silent, allowing Xavier continue.
"I don’t know this village well enough. I don’t know what you have, what you don’t have, or what might become useful to me later."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I’ll need information. Maybe resources. Maybe something else entirely. Who knows?"
His gaze shifted briefly toward the village beyond the alcove.
"I’ve already told Skylar that I don’t intend to stay here forever. Eventually, I will leave but until then, I need somewhere I can recover, train, and figure out how to get back into the world."
He looked back at Fiona.
"And if helping you means I earn a favor in the process, I’m not going to pretend I wouldn’t take it."
Skylar’s lips twitched at his cockiness. Fiona didn’t seem amused.
Her brows kneaded together. "You expect me to agree to a debt without knowing what you’ll demand?"
"No," Xavier’s answer came immediately. "I expect you to decide whether you trust her enough to take that risk."
He gestured towards Skylar during the final part of his statement.
Fiona’s eyes switched to Skylar and saw she didn’t mind in the slightest.
Seeing he truly got her attention. He continued.
"You know I won’t ask you to hurt your people or hand over your village. And I’m not going to force you into something that puts them in danger."
Fiona’s expression finally softened, even as she watched Skylar gesture her approval.
Fiona had made her decision but poked non the less.
"You’re leaving quite a lot of room for yourself."
"I’d be an idiot not to."
Skylar made a quiet sound that might have been a laugh.
With no real idea what he might need, Xavier knew pretending otherwise was pointless. All he knew was that he needed to sort this in the next four days.
That was the entire reason he wasn’t naming a price.
Fiona’s gaze lowered briefly. The two choices still tugged on her insecurities.
One was to continue as she was and hope the corruption somehow stopped worsening, despite everything her people had already tried.
Or place herself in the hands of a dragon she had known for barely a few hours and accept whatever debt came afterward.
Neither option was particularly appealing. But one of them at least offered a possibility and not just wishful thinking.
Fiona lifted her eyes again. She knew what he was doing. Without begging or threatening.
He placed a terrible choice in front of her and left it there.
Fiona’s fingers curled slightly at her side. As much as she hated the idea of owing a dragon.
She hated the idea of leaving her people without her even more.
And if things went wrong? Her gaze briefly shifted toward Skylar.
The little fairy was already watching her. Fiona knew exactly what Skylar was capable of.
If Xavier became a threat, she wouldn’t be alone in dealing with him.
That made the risk manageable.
Fiona exhaled loudly. "Fine."
Xavier’s brows lifted slightly.
She continued before he could mistake the word for anything more than what it was.
"I’ll accept your help."
Skylar’s expression brightened immediately.
Fiona quickly.added a stipulation, "The debt will be decided later."
"That’s what I wanted."
Her eyes sharpened. "Don’t misunderstand me. I haven’t agreed to anything beyond that."
’Relax’ Xavier thought. ’You can never get married if you keep this attitude lady.’
"I know...I know..," Xavier replied.
Fiona looked at him, almost irritated by how reasonable he was being.
Fiona turned slightly, her back and wings facing Xavier.
"Then let’s see whether you were telling the truth."
Xavier’s gaze fell toward the corrupted wing. It seemed Restore was finally going to pull its weight rather than being another convenient ability in his profile.
But right now, he had no guarantee it would work. Nothing made him certain it was better than Fairy Alchemy.
But that made it all the more exciting. Xavier moved closer and slowly raised his hand.
His fingers hovered just above Fiona’s corrupted wing.
He took a deep breath. And focused.
’Restore.’
--End of Chapter--