“Corn?” I asked.
She grinned. “Mostly.”
“There are rumors,” I said.
“Aren’t there always?”
“Of a keep.”
“A keep. How fascinating.”
“I haven’t even gotten to the most fascinating part yet,” I said.
“Do continue,” she said, leaning forward, elbows on the table. The rest of the town had stopped eating and listened intently.
“It’s supposed to be right near here,” I said. “In a valley near the mountains. We think the Prince is being held there.” I tilted my head forward and whispered loudly, “By a dragon.”
“Oooooh,” the people of Tarker Mills breathed as one.
“Girl, preach it,” Gary muttered through a mouthful of cornmeal.
“Pretty Gary,” Tiggy said, running a hand over Gary’s mane. “My face feel funny.” He laughed loudly and I couldn’t help but chuckle. I reached down and picked up the fork, scooping up more corn something and taking a huge bite. I was feeling a lot better about being here. I didn’t know what I was so worried about. I gave Ryan what I hoped was a saucy wink and he grinned at me, bright and beautiful, and I opened my mouth to tell him as much when—
“A dragon, you say?” Eloise asked. “That sounds frightening. Are you frightened, Sam?”
“No,” I said immediately. “Not about that.”
“Oh. What frightens you, then?”
I opened my mouth to tell her that I didn’t think this was the right time to discuss my fears (especially surrounded by strangers), but instead, I said, “Snakes. Failure. Not being able to live up to my potential. Letting my parents down. Letting Morgan down. Not being able to find Gary’s horn. Not rescuing the Prince in time and having to face the King. Randall telling me that there’s nothing he can do to help me. The extent of my magic. Ryan figuring out that he’s my—holy god, why am I still talking?”
“Because we’re all friends here,” Eloise said. “Don’t you want to be our friend?”
“No. Because I think you and this town are creepy as fuck and I’m highly suspicious of you because I think you’re hiding something.” I frowned. “And I didn’t meant to say that out loud.”
She frowned at me. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“I feel floaty,” Tiggy said, corn still stuck to his chin. “Floaty Tiggy say good-bye.”
“I would float away with you,” Gary told him. “You, me, and Sam can float away and maybe Ryan because I think I might actually be starting to like him. But don’t tell Ryan I said that, okay?”
“You like me?” Ryan asked, smiling bigger. “For sure now?”
“Tiggy,” Gary hissed. “I told you not to tell him.”
“Gary likes me,” Ryan told me. “And that’s good because I think I adore him. Whenever I see him, I want to smile.”
I ground my teeth together as hard as I possibly could to keep from opening my mouth, but there was this compulsion I couldn’t fight, so I blurted out, “I like you too! I like you more than Gary. There’s no contest. My like for you is legendary.”
“That’s true,” Gary said, eyes glazed just a tad. “I don’t think there’s anyone that likes you more than Sam. After all, you’re his corner—”
“It’s the truth,” I said, trying to fight against the weight of my tongue, the need within to spill everything. I shook my head and squeezed my hands into fists. I glared up at Eloise. “What did you do to us?”
“Coercion,” she said, the smile still on her face. “Truth. Mistletoe mixed with elven berries and fire from the geckos and the tongues from a chimera mixed into the corn. We only speak the truth here in Tarker Mills. We have no place for lies and deceit, Sam of Wilds. While you’re here, you’ll only speak in truth, and your magic won’t be able to touch us.”
The people of Tarker Mills nodded in agreement.
“You all take this?” I asked.