by Megg Jensen
Tressa stood straight and lazily opened her eyes. Donovan still sat on his rock, smoke coming from his pipe. She looked beyond him to Fi... but her friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Fi?" Tressa called out. Puzzled, Tressa looked around. Unless Fi had submerged under the water, there was no place to hide. "Donovan," she said nervously, "did you see where Fi went?"
Donovan's eyes popped open. "Gone? She couldn't go anywhere. I did not hear her, either." He sprang up, his pipe on the ground and his sword in his hand. He walked carefully to where Fi had been. "Did you see anything unusual?" he asked Tressa.
"No, nothing. When I walked away, Fi was sleeping peacefully under the shadow of a cloud."
Donovan pointed up at the cloudless sky. "That was not a normal shadow," he said. "It was a shade. I fear your friend has been taken."
Chapter Eleven
Connor ran toward the village square, Hazel fast on his heels. The children's screams grew louder and shriller. Connor rounded a house and stopped abruptly. He swung out his arm, catching Hazel before she could run past him.
"Stop," he ordered.
"My babies," she whispered through gasping breaths.
Their eyes were trained on the grassy area just beyond the children. A dark shape rose from the ground, undulating in wisps. Fotia and Vatra stood between it and the human children, hissing and spurting fire.
"What is that?" Hazel asked.
Connor wished he knew. Of all the things he'd seen since leaving Hutton's Bridge, this left him speechless. He grabbed Hazel's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Do not leave this spot. Not until I say so. Do you understand?"
She nodded, her hands trembling.
Connor released his wife and spun around. He stalked over to Fotia and Vatra. "Good girls. Now back up, and stand with the other children."
Fotia huffed one more puff of white smoke at the dark thing in front of them. Vatra backed away slowly, hobbling on her short leg.
Connor turned his back on the children. He took a deep breath and looked up at the black haze. His eyes searched the shape for any indication of a face or limbs. Anything that would tell him what sort of creature stood in front of him. It wasn't human or dragon. Nor was it a kilrothgi. It didn't appear to be related to that thing Tressa had showed him under the Red castle. Just what he needed. A new enemy in the midst of so many others.
"Can you speak?" he asked it.
The shadow gyrated and rose until it stood higher than the village hall.
Connor's heart pounded. How could he fight something that had no flesh? He could turn into a dragon, but he had no magic to combat this thing. Whatever it was, it had gotten past the guardians. He cursed himself for trusting in Gaia and her brothers so blindly. Just because they'd kept dragons and kilrothgi out of Hutton's Bridge, it didn't mean they could keep everything out.
The children weren't safe here. No one was safe anywhere.
The breeze picked up. Leaves skittered across the ground, crackling as they jumped and vaulted over one another. The dark shape twirled around itself until it resembled a funnel.
"Get to the village hall, now!" Connor yelled. The children scattered and Hazel joined them, encouraging the little ones to go faster. Kurt grabbed Vatra and carried her in his arms.
Connor allowed himself only a moment to appreciate how his family was coming together before he returned his attention back to the thing swirling in front of him. He clenched his fists at his sides, preparing to turn into a dragon, until he noticed it taking a form he recognized.
A face appeared in the middle of the rising shadow. Sunken gaps were eyes, and lips were formed in gray smoke.
"You will die," a voice moaned from within the shadow.
"Nice to meet you, too," Connor muttered under his breath. He eyed the face. It didn't seem familiar, too indistinct to look like any one person. "Is that a warning or a threat?" he asked.
The lips parted. "It is truth."
"Am I to fight you?" Connor asked, still unsure of the shadow's intention.
"You will fight, and you will die a painful death."
Connor snorted. He'd already died once at the hands of Stacia. Yet, here he stood, alive and well. Better, in fact, than he'd ever been. Death no longer scared him.
"The dragons will die. The humans will become slaves. All will bow to the power of Desolation. We are coming."
"Thanks for the warning," Connor said, annoyed. What kind of enemy announced its presence before attacking? Was the army trapped in Desolation really so conceited as to think the people in the Dragonlands would simply cower before them?
"It is no warning," the shadow said. A chilling chortle echoed in the quiet village. "Everyone will die. Starting with you."
The face disappeared into the swirling shadow.
Connor let out the breath he'd been holding and transformed into his sapphire dragon. He reared up on his back legs and sank his talons into the shadow. He fell forward into it, and a chill swept over his whole body, causing a shudder from his head all the way to the tip of his tail. He thrashed and clawed at the darkness, his teeth biting at nothingness.
The chill continued to spread, sinking under his scales. Connor backed away and fell to the ground. His body landed with a loud thump. He opened his eyes and saw the door to the village hall swing open. Hazel and Fotia ran toward him. If he were human, he would have screamed for them to stay away. They needed to protect themselves. As it was, Hazel fell next to Connor's head. She laid her hands on him, tears streaming down her face. Fotia licked his snout and nudged him.
"Are you prepared to die?" the shadow asked him in that vile voice.
"Not today," a familiar voice said, lazy and sarcastic. Connor opened one eye and saw Pia standing in the doorway. She sauntered out into the village square, her hands held high. With a smile and a wink, she blasted the shadow with fire streaming from her palms.
The shadow burst into the sky, flying through the air faster than her fire could catch.
Pia wiped her hands together. "Well, that was unexpected. Good thing I was here to help."
Connor shuddered once more, then changed back into his human form. He had been too weak to put his clothes on during the change, and he lay naked on the grass, shivering.
"Get Lily," Hazel told Pia. "She can help me carry Connor to our cottage. Don't let the kids out of the village hall. And thank you, Pia. Thank you so, so much for saving my husband."
Pia shrugged. "It's not like there's anything else to do in this place. Besides, it was nice to use my magic for once. It's not something prostitutes have much occasion to use."
Hazel tugged Connor's pants up his legs, then pulled him to standing, one arm draped over her shoulder, the other arm draped over Lily's. The poor cook was collapsing under his weight, but she held him as best as she could. They made their way through the village to his cottage.
"Thank you," Hazel said to Lily. "Please keep an eye on the children. If that thing shows up again, ring the bell in the village hall and I'll come running. Right now I need to care for my husband."
Connor sank down on the bed, shivering.
"Here," Hazel said, handing him a blanket. "Put this over you."
Connor pulled the rough wool up to his chin. It wasn't enough to take away the chill that ran deep into his bones. His eyelids fluttered as he looked at his wife.
She gazed back. "Is that helping?"
He nodded, but the violent shaking of his body told her different.
Hazel stood and pulled off her clothes, standing in front of him stark naked and completely beautiful. She lifted the blanket and slipped underneath it, pulling Connor's body against hers.
Warm. Hazel was so warm. Connor found himself snuggling close to her, longing for every part of her skin to touch his and bring the warmth back to his body.
"We haven't gone through so much for me to lose you to this," Hazel muttered into his ear. "I won't let you go now."
Connor's lips were so cold he couldn't resp
ond. Not with words. Instead, he rested his lips on hers and kissed her. Not out of gratitude or lust. It was an expression of how he truly felt about her. She'd lived through torture in Malum when Tressa's father, Fenn, wanted to find Connor. She’d ignored his own rejection of her when they'd all been rescued. She put up with his confusion and sadness.
Hazel was a woman worthy of great love and Connor wanted nothing more to give it to her, even if he couldn't remember their past together.
A tear slipped down Hazel's cheek when their lips broke apart. "Connor..." she whispered.
As his skin warmed and his limbs could move again, he took Hazel in his arms and showed her exactly how he felt about her.
Chapter Twelve
Connor sat up, a silly grin on his face. He couldn't stop smiling if he tried.
"Wow," Hazel said, her head snuggled on his chest, her hand on his hip. "That was... different."
Insecurity flooded Connor. He had no idea what it had been like before. Maybe he'd done something wrong. "Sorry," he said.
Hazel laughed, her body shaking against his. "It wasn't a criticism. Not at all. I suspected things might be different when we were finally together again." She sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her naked body. "You've changed."
"You like me better now?" he asked, unsure what he wanted the answer to be.
"No. Not better. It's just... different. I don't know how to explain it." Hazel nuzzled Connor's shoulder. "I know I liked it, though." She kissed his cheek, her lips warm. "But we need to get back to the kids."
"I think they're in good hands," Connor said. Despite wanting to take things slow with his wife, he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her. His fingertips skimmed over her collarbone, eliciting a gasp from her swollen lips.
Hazel's crooked smile crept across her face. "Tonight we'll move back into our cottage. We'll bring the children with us." She nodded to the left. "Don't forget, we have a door to our bedroom. Except..."
"What?" Connor asked, perplexed by the confused look on Hazel's face.
"Where do Fotia and Vatra like to sleep? I know they've been outside with you, but we can't just leave them out there by themselves. Can I make a nest for them? Put blankets on the floor? Should they have a bed to share like the boys?" Hazel jumped out of bed and pulled on her underthings. She grabbed a dress out of the wardrobe, then sneezed. "I forgot I haven't been in here in ages. My dresses are all covered in dust."
"The bed didn't seem to be," Connor said. He smacked the mattress filled with straw to prove his point.
"I think we, um, bounced all of it out of the bed," Hazel said as she pulled the dress over her head. "Now about the dragons..."
"I think they'd be okay inside with a blanket," Connor said as he sat up. Hazel tossed him a dusty pair of pants. He shook them out, then slipped them on. "It's really sweet of you to think of them."
Hazel grabbed his shoulders. "They are my children now, too. I mean that. We are a family, Connor."
He looked into her grey eyes, his face serious. Hazel was offering him everything. She took hold of tragedy and turned it into something beautiful.
Hazel let her arms drop, her mouth set in a frown. "Of course, only if that's what you want. I didn't mean to pressure you."
It was Connor's turn to laugh. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about how amazing you are."
"Took you long enough." Hazel winked and punched Connor's arm. "Now let's get back to the village hall."
He reached out and grabbed her wrist as she was about to walk out the door. "You know we can't stay here tonight. Not any night soon."
Hazel sighed, her shoulders drooping. "You're going to leave again, aren't you?"
"That shadow could come back," Connor said. "Should I wait here for it or look for help?"
"Look for help," Hazel said. "Of course. I know that, but I hate being away from you now. It's selfish. I want you to stay."
Connor wrapped his hands around Hazel's waist and pulled her close. "Then come with me," he whispered.
"What?" She pulled away, but Connor wouldn't let her go. "I can't. The children—"
"They're safe here with Pia. You saw what she did! We can go for help and let her protect the children, along with Lily and the healers."
"But..."
"But nothing," Connor said. He kissed Hazel on the tip of her nose. "It's settled. You're coming with me. I refuse to let go of you now. Let's pack and be on our way. We can ask for help and be back in three days."
"What if Pia says no?" Hazel asked. "She might not want to protect the children. She doesn't even like children."
Connor laughed. "She's going to have to get used to it sooner or later. No more arguing. Pack." He pulled Hazel back into the cottage.
"Okay, okay, I'll come with you." Hazel grabbed a bag from the wardrobe. She opened the window and shook the bag, letting all the accumulated dust out. "Maybe one change of clothes?"
"One for me, too," Connor said. He reached over her shoulder, stuffing his own clothes in the same bag.
"Where will we go?" Hazel asked him.
"To the Red. Sophia is there and I think she's our best bet at learning about the shadow. She seems to know more than she lets on."
"I still can't believe she's alive," Hazel said. "The dragons perform miracles."
Connor snorted. "I wouldn't call what they do a miracle."
Hazel spun and wrapped her arms around Connor. "You're still with me. If that's not a miracle, I don't know what is."
"Hazel." Connor stepped away. "What happened to me was horrible. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I'm lucky we're together again, but it was no miracle. Twisted, evil magic brought me back to life."
"I look at it differently." Hazel cinched the bag closed and set it down on the table. "When you walked into the fog, holding hands with Tressa and swearing you'd be back for me, I wanted more than anything to believe it. I told our boys you'd come home. I kept my back straight and my eyes dry, but at night I sobbed into the mattress. I knew you wouldn't return. I couldn't tell the boys that. I had to give them hope that you would be the lucky one who made it back."
Connor rested his arm on Hazel's shoulder.
"When Bastian returned through the fog and told me you were dead, it felt like losing you a second time. I'd already said goodbye to you, but I had to do it again when I saw Bastian was alive and you weren't with him. After I learned everything that had happened to you, I decided whatever had kept us apart was only a stumble. Having you back in my life was all that mattered. I drove Bastian crazy with all of my questions about you when we were in Ashoom. The last thing I wanted was to scare you, so I let Bastian bear the brunt of my concerns."
Connor’s friend was a kind man, but Bastian wasn't good at interacting with women, particularly not on an emotional level. "Was he understanding?"
Hazel smiled. "He was, but he kept telling me to talk to you about it. I think that was his subtle way of telling me to leave him alone." She paused and both were silent. "And now Bastian is gone. Unless there's a chance...?"
"No." Connor shook his head. "I saw Bastian die."
"Unless what happened to you happened to him," Hazel said. "What if another dragon is out there bringing the dead back to life?"
"I hope not," Connor said. "Bastian would hate being a dragon. He could barely stand that side of me."
"Then, for his sake," Hazel said, "may Bastian rest in peace."
Connor glanced around the little cottage. Soon it would be his home again. It would be the place he'd raise his family—human and dragon—in peace. Unfortunately there was still work to be done before he could count on that dream becoming a reality.
"Are you ready?" he asked Hazel.
She took a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm about to leave my babies behind and fly off with my husband, the great sapphire dragon."
"Let's tell them," Connor said, clasping her hand. "We have to do it before you change your mind."
Hazel squeezed his hand and they set off
for the village hall. Connor hoped Pia would agree to protecting the village until they came back. The woman owed him, after all. Without him, she'd still be hiding in her cottage back in Ashoom.
Chapter Thirteen
Bastian's eyelids snapped open.
He looked right and left, up and down, but saw nothing other than utter darkness.
His heart pounded in his chest. His heart! Pounding!
He was alive.
But how?
He tried to move his arms, but they were tied down. The same with his legs.
Bastian thrashed to no avail.
"He's awake," a woman said somewhere in the darkness.
Bastian blinked again, confused. Was he blind, or was it simply dark?
A sharp prick of cold steel touched his neck.
"Who were you fighting for?" the woman asked.
Bastian thought of his daughter first. "Farah."
"I don't know any Farah." The blade pressed deeper. Blood trickled down his neck. "What color is the dragon you follow?"
Bastian thought of Connor. "Blue."
"Interesting," the woman said. The prick didn't go away. It also didn't go any deeper. "There is only one Blue dragon. We do not know his allegiance, though he appeared to fight with the Black."
The Black. Those were the dragons Tressa had joined. Tressa! Why had it taken him so long to remember her? He had seen the horror in her eyes as he killed Jarrett. He didn't know where she stood either.
"Black," Bastian said. "We were meeting the Black and Green. We fought for them." He hoped that was the right answer. If the Red had captured him, then his arse was on the line. Still, he couldn't bring himself to lie. Not anymore. Not after what Elinor had done to him.
