Reckoning (Book 5)

by Megg Jensen

Sophia looked to the man, who sighed and rose from his chair.

  "I don't think we've met," Connor said, holding out his hand.

  The man didn't take it, and Connor slowly lowered his arm.

  "We have met. You just don't recognize me. I'm Mestifito. The mighty dragon is nothing but a man. I am now human, like you once were, Connor. My dragon has been stolen from me by a man who cannot be defeated. There is no point in fighting, unless you want to die."

  Connor winced. The great Black dragon who had led their people to victory over the Red was now just a man. "How?"

  "My brother stole my dragon from me. It is his turn to have it now. Despite all of my efforts to keep it from him, I couldn't. I thought building an underground fortress would protect me. It appears he didn't even need to be near me to steal it. His magic is stronger than mine. It always has been. I was foolish to think I could keep the dragon from him." Mestifito's eyes bore into Connor's. "You are a fool if you think you can fight him and win."

  Speechless, Connor looked to Sophia. Just because her mate had given up, didn't mean she had to. Her shoulders were rounded and her eyes trained on the stone floor. The frail figure before him stood in stark contrast to the proud woman Connor knew as a child. "Are you going to let him tell you to give up?"

  Sophia didn't respond. Mestifito sat down on his chair, picking up his book again.

  "Who is your brother?" Connor asked him.

  The resigned man who used to be a proud dragon didn't look up from his book. "Donovan."

  "The man Tressa went to Desolation with?" Connor threw his arms up in exasperation. "Where is Tressa? I want to talk to her."

  "You haven't seen her?" Finally, Sophia showed some kind of emotion. Though alarm wasn’t what he’d wanted. "She left here and headed for Hutton's Bridge. I assumed she was with you."

  "No," Connor answered, now worried, too. "I haven't seen her at all. We abandoned Hutton's Bridge after the blood moon. I wasn't looking for her as I flew here, but I didn't see anyone on the ground. The Dragonlands have been quiet since the sky turned on us. I imagine most are huddled in their homes, unsure of what is coming."

  Sophia grabbed Connor's hands and looked imploringly into his eyes. "Please find my great-granddaughter. You know how foolhardy she is. She thinks she can save everyone by taking on the world. You must stop her. It's for her own good. Take her across the sea, too. Even if she fights you, make her do it." Tears hovered at the corner of Sophia's eyes.

  Connor's stomach turned. If Donovan was evil enough to reduce this brave woman to a beggar, then did any of them stand a chance? If the Black gave up, what hope was there for the rest of the Dragonlands?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Fi clung to the horse’s mane, her hair whipping her cheeks. Jarrett rode in front of her. Not because his steed was faster, but because she wanted to keep an eye on him. Even though they'd gotten away, it felt too easy. She didn't know why Donovan would simply let them go when he'd worked so hard to keep them contained.

  So she followed Jarrett, quietly. The farther they got away from Donovan, the more he seemed like his old self. Jarrett wasn't just smiling. He was laughing and cracking jokes. He sat tall on his horse. The hunch he'd developed during his servitude had melted away. His furtive glances changed to solid eye contact.

  Every moment of every day, Fi searched inside herself for her dragon. If Tressa's had come back, then why not hers? Her goal was to find some dragon blood. She needed to know if she could re-awaken it, though she was afraid. What if the dragon didn't ever come back? What would she be then? Useless, set aside to care for the children of others while they fought the battles? She had never trained in combat, feeling it was unnecessary. Fi was a dragon by birth. It never occurred to her she would need to learn to fight in her human form.

  Jarrett pulled up behind a hedge. He waved Fi closer. She guided her horse to his side.

  "I see something up ahead. Do you?" Jarrett pointed to the west. "I can't tell what it is."

  Fi squinted. "It looks like an army." She could barely make out a mass of people with gray, hooded cloaks riding on horseback. "Who are they?"

  "I don't know," Jarrett said. "In all of my travels, I haven't come across a group that dresses like that. They aren't from the Sands, unless fashion has changed greatly since I've left."

  "They aren't from the Black, either," Fi said. "We don’t just live underground, we guard our privacy very closely. We would never ride so openly in such numbers."

  "They're coming from the wrong direction to be from the Meadowlands or the Drowned Country." Jarrett's horse whinnied. "Shhh. It's okay."

  "What should we do?" Fi was glad they were hidden behind the hedge. She didn't want to be spotted quite yet.

  "I think we should get closer and figure out who they are," Jarrett said. "Obviously if it's a host of Donovan's, we want to stay far away."

  "But if they're friendly..." Fi wanted it to be true, but it seemed so unlikely. She and Jarrett knew the people of the Dragonlands well enough to know this group wasn't native. The only interlopers were the army Donovan was raising. If this was another group of his, she and Jarrett needed to stay far away.

  "They look human, though. Not like demons." Jarrett looked Fi in the eyes. "I think we should get closer."

  "They'll see us on our horses." Fi fought the fear building inside her. She didn't want to be captured again.

  "Then we’ll leave our horses here. We can tie them to the main stem of a bush. We can sneak closer if we are on foot. There are plenty of bushes between us and them. If we stay low to the ground, hidden in the grass, then we can observe them more closely. We'll determine what to do from there."

  "Okay," Fi said. She dismounted and tied the reins to the stem of a bush. She patted the horse's mane and cooed in its ear. "We'll be back soon."

  Jarrett secured his horse. "Ready?" he asked Fi.

  She nodded. "You take the lead. I'll follow." Fi wanted to stay between Jarrett and the horses. If he was lying, leading her into a trap, she wanted a chance to get away.

  Jarrett sank down to the grass, crawling toward the group on horseback. Fi followed as quietly as she could in the awkward position. As they got closer, Jarrett lay on his stomach, Fi mirrored him. On knees and elbows they slithered closer to the group until Fi could make out some of their words. They had stopped just short of a creek.

  "How much farther?" a man asked.

  "I'm not sure," a woman replied. "In our time, there was a village close by, but I believe it's gone now. So much has changed. I'm not sure of anything other than our mission."

  Fi wished they'd be more specific. It was impossible to tell if they were good or evil. One thing was certain. They were not from the Dragonlands. They had strange accents, thick and gnarly, as if they spoke with a hunk of bread in their mouths. It was unlike any speech she'd heard before.

  A few moments of silence followed as the riders went about filling their water skins.

  Fi closed her eyes, tired of staring at the blades of grass. There was little else to do while she waited other than breathe easily. It was the first chance she’d had since their escape.

  Fi's eyes snapped open, only to see Jarrett being dragged away by a man in a gray cloak. She leapt to her feet, not sure how to fight the man, or even if she wanted to. It might be better to run. Before she could make a decision, a woman in a gray cloak jumped from the side, knocking Fi to the ground. Her chin hit the earth with an alarming jolt, knocking her silly.

  Arms wound under Fi's armpits, dragging her alongside Jarrett. Fi’s boots cut ruts into the ground. She wouldn't make this easy for them, even if she couldn't fight back.

  "We found these two spying on us in the grass," the woman called out.

  "Bring them here," a man with a deep voice said.

  Fi blinked a few times, beginning to feel more like herself. Still, she didn't have the training or will to fight against them. The group was too large. She could never fight her way out as a human.
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  A loud gasp was followed by a squeal. "Fi!"

  She perked up, looking around frantically. "Tressa?" Hope rose in her chest. It couldn't be. Could it? Her best friend here, with these people?

  "Fi!" Tressa stepped in front of her. "I'm so sorry you were hurt. They didn't know if you were friendly or not. I can't believe it's you! I feared you were dead!"

  The woman released her grip on Fi, so she stood, shakily, on her own for only a moment. Tressa pulled her into a hug. Fi closed her eyes and let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for months. "I worried the same about you."

  "We're both alive. And you found me! It's amazing!" Tressa pushed Fi back and took a good look at her. "But you're injured. Who did this to you?" Tressa let go of her friend and turned toward Jarrett. "Pull the hood off this man."

  "Tressa," Fi started, but it was too late.

  Tressa's hand flew to her mouth. "Jarrett?" She looked back at Fi. "Did he do this to you?"

  Fi shook her head. "No, it was Donovan. He’s also the Keeper. The same one who holds Jarrett in his power."

  Tressa's eyes narrowed, and her face darkened. "Another reason to kill him."

  The three stood in silence, looking at each other. Jarrett didn't say a word, and Fi didn't blame him. There was nothing he could say to make up for everything he'd done to Tressa and her friends.

  "Tie him up," Tressa said, pointing at Jarrett. "He's dangerous."

  Jarrett held out his hands, his wrists together. "I'm sorry, Tressa. I didn't mean any of it. Donovan held me under his spell. Now that I'm away from him, I'm better."

  "Your connection isn't broken, is it?" Tressa asked.

  A tall man covered in tattoos bound Jarrett. Tressa visibly relaxed.

  "No," Jarrett said. "I wish I could say it was, but it isn't. The closer I am to him, the worse it is. I can control myself. For now. I can't promise anything, nor do I blame you for wanting me bound. It's best for everyone. I'm just thrilled Fi and I found you. Neither of us recognized these people with you."

  "I think, for now, you will stay in the dark," Tressa said. "If you can't be fully trusted, then you mustn't know who they are." She nodded to the tattooed man. "Take him away, and let no one speak around him."

  Jarrett didn't resist as the man led him away.

  "Tressa, I missed you so much. I hoped you were alive, but I didn't know." Fi said, tears glistening in her eyes.

  "And I thought you were dead for a very long time. Once I heard Donovan was likely still alive, I hoped I'd see you again, too." Tressa rested her hands on Fi's shoulders. "Tell me, are you okay? Does Donovan have a hold over you, too?"

  "No," Fi said, as strong as she could. "He does not. I don't know why, but he didn't take control over me." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know this may seem strange, but are you still able to change into a dragon? I need dragon blood as soon as possible. I still haven't been able to change. I miss it... I need it. Please."

  Tressa's gaze fell. "I'm sorry. My dragon is gone, as well. I drank blood daily for months, and it hasn't come back. Donovan's leeches appear to have completely drained it from me."

  Fi felt a heavy weight settle in her chest. She had been nurturing a spark of hope that her dragon would return someday. Perhaps it had been a futile dream.

  "Just because mine won't come, it doesn't mean yours is gone for good." Tressa rested her hand under Fi's chin, forcing her to look up. "We will find a dragon, and you will drink its blood. Until then, let's assume it will work."

  Fi nodded, but her heart wasn't in it. Somewhere deep inside, she knew the dragon was gone. Tressa's inability to regain hers only confirmed Fi's worst fear.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tressa slipped out of her tent in the dark of night. She peeked into the tent next to hers. Fi was sleeping, guarded by one of the women from the Vulture's Tower. Even if Tressa couldn't keep an eye on Fi day and night, she made sure someone else would. Tressa nodded to the guard, patting her on the shoulder. The guard smiled, then went back to playing dice.

  With the reddish light of the blood moon guiding her, Tressa stepped carefully among the tents to the one with six guards surrounding it. Unlike the woman in front of Fi's, these guards stood alert, weapons at the ready.

  "I want to talk to him," she told Rynth.

  "He's been cooperative, but still, from what you have told me, I worry. Do you want me to accompany you?" Rynth asked.

  "No." Tressa laid a hand on his arm. "I'll be fine. I promise."

  Rynth pushed aside the flap. Tressa ducked under it, entering the tent. The moon glowed on Jarrett's sleeping face from the hole at the top. Tressa sat next to him, quietly observing the man who had once been her lover. She'd sacrificed everything for him, and he for her. Until something had happened to him on the Isle of Repose.

  He'd met the Keeper, and it changed his life forever. And Tressa's. What changed Jarrett changed her, too. Now she knew the Keeper and Donovan were one and the same. Her greatest enemy held permanent sway over the man she once loved. Still loved? She wasn't sure anymore.

  Jarrett's long, dark eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. That smile she loved so much, those full lips she missed kissing, those arms she thought of at night when she wanted someone next to her—even though he wasn't the last man she'd been with. No, that was Bastian, in a moment of weakness for both of them.

  "Hi." Jarrett sat up. The blanket covering him fell to his waist, revealing his tightly-muscled chest.

  Tressa forced herself to keep her eyes on his. "Hi."

  "I'm sorry for the things I did to you and your friends,” Jarrett said. “Bastian. The dragonlings. All of it. I can't ever make any of them come back to life. I can't fix it."

  Tressa took a deep breath. "I would like to say you're forgiven, but it's not that simple."

  "I know." Jarrett reached out, taking her hand. "I don't expect forgiveness for what I've done."

  "It wasn't you. Donovan, the Keeper, whatever you call him, he had a magical hold on you." Tressa tried to keep her hand from trembling.

  "Still," Jarrett said. "It's unforgivable. All of it." Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.

  Tressa wanted to fall into his arms. She wanted, more than anything, to love him the way she once had. But she didn't. The man she loved had been cleaved in two. Part of him was still there, yes, but there was another part that served evil. "We never found a way to sever you from Donovan's control. For that, I am sorry. If we had..."

  "Things might be different," Jarrett said, finishing her sentence. "You don't have to worry. I won't ask anything of you. All the promises we made, all of the sweet things we whispered in the dark, they are part of a past we can never return to."

  Tressa swallowed the lump in her throat.

  Jarrett reached up, resting his palm on her cheek. "For what it's worth, I did love you, Tressa. I loved you more than anyone I ever met. Thank you for reciprocating."

  "Jarrett," Tressa said, holding back a sob. She didn't want it to be over. She wished she could turn back time and keep him safe from the man who would ruin him forever.

  Jarrett wiped away her tears. "I can't escape Donovan's spell. I am his puppet, whether I like it or not. I'm just happy I was able to return Fi to you, alive and well. I don't know what Donovan had planned for her, but knowing him, it wouldn't have been pleasant. I saved Fi. For you."

  "Jarrett, you fool." Despite her best intentions, Tressa leaned down, covering his lips with her own. They kissed, hungry for each other and the love they'd once shared. Tressa lost herself in the embrace, her hands wandering his chest, remembering every contour as if she'd only touched him the day before.

  His hands fumbled on her shoulders, pushing Tressa away. "No. Don't. We can't. I refuse to hurt you, or anyone you love, ever again."

  Tressa's chest heaved with want and with anger. They couldn't be together. “I know. We can't. After everything, I couldn't." It was the brutal truth, and though it hurt both of them, it ha
d to be said.

  "I'm so sorry about Bastian, particularly," Jarrett said. "I killed him right in front of you. I'm ashamed to admit it, but at the time, I enjoyed it. It wasn't just the heat of battle and Donovan's control over me. Deep down, I wanted you all to myself. I thought if Bastian was gone, then maybe we'd still have a chance. All of my thoughts were twisted—the good mixing with the bad—and Bastian's death was too personal."

  Tressa sat back on her heels, debating whether or not to tell Jarrett Bastian was still alive. She'd barely dealt with it herself, choosing to stay away from him for so long. It was partially because she was bereft over losing Fi and her dragon. It was also because she knew she still had feelings for her first love, while her feelings for Jarrett remained unresolved. She had already taken advantage of Bastian when she told him about her miscarriage. They'd made love that night, and it meant more than she'd admitted. She'd told herself it was because they were in Hutton's Bridge and old feelings were resurfacing. During her self-imposed exile in the Charred Barrens, she'd found herself thinking of Bastian more and more, until she couldn't stand it anymore.

  Despite everything, she still loved the tall redhead.

  Tressa looked down at Jarrett. She'd loved him, too. But that love had changed. Jarrett was no longer the same man she'd fallen for. More than anything now, she pitied him. He was stuck between the world he wanted to live in and the one his master forced him to participate in. It was his living hell.

  "What will you do with me?" he asked.

  He was Tressa's prisoner now. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

  "You have my permission to use me any way you choose. As bait, even. I will serve you as long as I can. If Donovan advances on us, it may be harder for me to hold myself together. Use me in any way you see fit. I trust you, Tressa." Jarrett's dark brown eyes looked into hers, sad, yet resolute.

  "Even now I wish I could tell the guards to leave you on your own. I'm glad you understand why I can't. I trust you—I just can't trust the magic surrounding you. If you attempt to hurt any of my people, they have orders to kill you."