by Megg Jensen
Bastian rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Then we should be off."
Elinor led the way through the tunnel. They stepped into the waning light of day at the entrance. "My father's body is gone too. Just as well."
"What do you reckon took it?" Bastian asked.
Connor shrugged. "Who cares? The bastard stole my children. He deserves whatever he gets." He looked at Elinor. "I'm not sorry for feeling that way."
She gave him a weary smile. "I don't blame you."
The three walked in silence to the south, trying to retrace their original path back to the shore. Once they flew across the sea, they'd land in the Meadowlands.
They reached the shore sometime in the middle of the night. Water lapped peacefully against the sand, as if nothing evil had befallen the island.
Elinor gazed into the sky. "It seems safe." She cradled Vatra, asleep in her arms.
Connor nodded. He changed into a dragon. Bastian quickly hoisted Elinor and Vatra onto Connor’s back. Then he swung up behind them. Bastian wrapped one arm around Elinor's waist, pulling her close. With his other hand, he grabbed Connor's scales.
"No quick moves, Connor," Bastian yelled. He still wasn't sure if Connor could hear him in dragon form.
"I'm sorry again, Bastian," Elinor said as Connor gently lifted off from the shore, heading up and over the sea. "With everything that's been happening, it's hard to know who to trust."
He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't do more than sigh. "It's okay. It wasn't long ago I thought you'd betrayed Connor and the dragon eggs back in Ashoom. It seems we both have a lot to learn about the other."
Elinor stiffened against him. "I want to trust you. More than anyone I've ever known, I want you to be the one I can count on. I wish...there could be more for us."
Bastian didn't know how to reply. He'd given his heart once only to have it trampled on. All the other women he'd known had only been a distraction from Tressa. Now he could have anyone he wanted. This tiny woman in front of him, who'd so infuriated Bastian from the moment he met her, occupied more time in his thoughts than he'd like to admit. And now she had told him she wanted him.
"I'm sorry." Her voice traveled back to him, despite the roaring wind. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"Oh, Elinor." Bastian leaned in closer, his lips ticking her ear. "I can't promise anything. Not now. But you are in my thoughts too. All the time." He kissed her hair, then rested his chin on the crown on her head.
Elinor's melted into him. They didn't say another word during the short flight to the Meadowlands. The stars lit their way as they passed from danger to safety through lazy clouds.
When they landed, Elinor and Vatra slid to the ground. Bastian stood solidly on two feet, and only then realized how exhausted he was. Connor changed to human form so quickly that he ended up with his socks on his hands.
Connor laughed, pulling the socks off. "I need to eat. I'm guessing Vatra does, too. Mind if we do some hunting near the shore?"
"No." Elinor said, "You two go. Bastian and I will sleep for now." She slid her hand in Bastian's, giving it a squeeze.
A lump formed in his throat. Suddenly the last thing he wanted to do was sleep, despite his growing exhaustion.
"I'll take the first watch, then," Connor said. "You two get some shut-eye. I'll wake up Elinor for the second watch."
Bastian nodded, letting Elinor lead him away into the tall grass. They lay down, fingers intertwined, watching the stars twinkle. He felt shy, which was something he'd never experienced when alone with a woman. Seduction usually came easily to him, but tonight his instincts were off-kilter.
"Bastian," Elinor said, sitting up. Slowly she pushed her cloak off, then unlaced her gown. The fabric gaped open, but still hid her delicate skin. "I know you can't promise me anything. I just know how I feel, and I don't want to miss an opportunity to be with you. Since I met you, life has proved fleeting. So many have died. I don't want to die without feeling your hands on me."
He swallowed. He wanted to grab her, rip her dress off, and make love to her. But this shyness was new. He wasn't sure how to cope with it. Elinor was so beautiful. Her golden curls glowed in the starlight. Her smile lit up the quiet night.
She reached for his hand, pulling it closer until it rested on her shoulder. "Please?" She kept her hand on his, using it to push her gown off her shoulder until it fell to her waist, exposing her to the night air.
Elinor leaned down, her lips caressing Bastian's. She straddled his hips, pushing down on him so unexpectedly hard that all of his inhibitions fell away. Bastian's hands explored Elinor's back. He cupped her bottom, pulling her even closer.
She gasped. "I guess you are interested in me. I was beginning to wonder." She dove back in, her lips on his neck.
Elinor pulled his shirt over his head. Then her fingers turned to his breeches. She played with the strings, pulling one slowly after the other. He wanted to tell her to hurry, but held back when she bit his lip. Bastian groaned. He'd never wanted any woman as much as he wanted Elinor. Tired of waiting, he pulled off his breeches and flipped positions, slamming her back onto the ground. "I'm so sorry. Did that hurt? I didn't mean to be so rough."
Elinor giggled. "I'm not a delicate flower, Bastian. Feel free to do anything you like."
Bastian leaned in, forgetting that the world around him was in chaos.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day, Connor, in dragon form, landed in the throne room. Bastian slid off his back, holding his arms out for Elinor. She lingered in his embrace only for a moment. With a shy glance, she sashayed away from him. Bastian ached to reach out for the contradictory woman. Sweet, but hiding an animal inside. They'd agreed to keep their tryst away from prying eyes until they knew exactly what they wanted from each other. Bastian had to think of his daughter now.
With bright eyes, Farah ran and jumped into his arms. She snuggled against his chest and he held on to her as if he'd never let her go.
"Are you staying, Dada?" she asked him. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too," he mumbled into her hair. At only three, she was already wise. He planted a kiss on Farah's cheek and pushed her back toward the other children. She smiled and waved as she ran into the fray.
He looked at the children of Hutton's Bridge, running and playing in the throne room. They'd all witnessed things they shouldn't at such a young age. Hazel stood in the center of the chaos, her eyes trained on Connor as he changed from a dragon into a man. At least this time his socks were on his feet.
Hazel watched Connor silently. He looked at her, confusion and sadness pulsating in his gaze. He turned and left the throne room, Fotia and Vatra on his heels.
Hazel made her way through the throng of children toward Bastian, narrowly avoiding a few collisions. "I see you found some of the eggs." Her eyes wandered to the doors.
Bastian nodded. "Unfortunately Vatra was the only survivor. The rest were brutally murdered." He hesitated, but the truth would have to come out soon enough. "Jarrett did it."
"Jarrett?" Hazel remained calm, a mother’s response in the middle of a storm. "Why?"
"I wish I knew," Bastian said. "He was different all of a sudden. Murderous. Callous. Not the man I thought I knew. At least Tressa wasn't here to witness it. It'll break her heart, but she's better off without him. Jarrett disappeared after the slaughter. We haven’t seen him since."
Hazel placed a hand on Bastian's arm. "Maybe this means your time with Tressa has finally come."
Bastian hadn't thought of that. Jarrett's betrayal meant Tressa would be free again. He flashed back to his night with Elinor. Thought of the way her head tilted when she laughed. The bright smile she flashed when she was happy. The low growl in the back of her throat when he touched her. He looked at Hazel, remembering where he was. "I think Tressa and I are done for good. We've both moved on."
Hazel's shoulders fell. "Do you think there's any chance Connor will still have me?"
Bas
tian wished he knew the answer. "Inside, Connor is the same man. He has holes in his memory, and he's been through a trauma we will never understand. I can't say with certainty that he'll ever fully come back to us." He wrapped an arm around Hazel's shoulders. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."
"I have to make him understand that I love him. I want to share in his joys and his sadness. Whether he is human or he is dragon, he is my Connor and I will never give up on him," she said, looking up at Bastian with tears in her eyes.
"Then go to him," Bastian said. He gave her a little push toward the doors. "I'll keep an eye on the children."
"Thank you," Hazel said. She gave Bastian a quick hug and took off in a run.
Elinor looked up from the corner of the room where she was reading a book to a small group of children. She smiled at Bastian and nodded. She approved. He knew she would. Hazel and Connor deserved a happily ever after more than anyone.
Bastian wished it were guaranteed. In Hutton's Bridge, nothing could have ever come between them. In the world outside, no one seemed safe. He watched Elinor, her blond curls cascading over her shoulder. Her smile reassured the children, who were adapting to their new situation quickly, but they still harbored a deep fear that might never leave them. One curled up on Elinor’s lap, resting his head on the crook of her arm.
Elinor was the right one to offer solace. Her heart was big enough to love all of them, despite only meeting them not long ago. Bastian looked to the rest of the children, running and yelling as they threw a ball back and forth in a game they'd invented.
"What are the rules?" he asked a little girl.
She darted past him, laughing as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Keep running and don't let anyone hit you with the ball!"
Bastian joined in the game, dodging and running, but often getting hit because he was the biggest and slowest target. Kids darted between his legs and used him as a shield. Bastian laughed like he hadn't in a very long time, until his chest heaved and his sides hurt. He glanced over at Elinor again. She sat alone with the little boy curled up and sleeping in her lap. The other children had scattered. Elinor smiled at Bastian, slow and lazy, while she stroked the napping boy's hair.
It felt strange finding happiness in this place, amid the chaos of battle and death.
The doors to the throne room flung open, destroying the peace that had settled over them. A man in a gray cloak burst into the room, his presence so commanding even the children stopped to stare at his wide mustache and square shoulders. Though he only stood a head shorter than Bastian, he seemed as if he was the largest person in the room. A scar slashed through the left side of his face. A puckered hole rested where his left eye should have been.
"King of the Blue.” The man nodded at Bastian. “I am a scout. I have a report for you."
"A scout? I didn’t send anyone out." Bastian said, wondering who the mystery man was. His face wasn’t familiar. Not from the Black Guard. Not from the soldiers he’d seen stationed at the castle.
The man clicked his heels together and snapped his chin to attention. "The battles have begun. The Black and the Red clashed north of here. Many riders and dragons are dead, littering the ground with their broken bodies. My men and I have risen from the ruins to the west to offer our arms in the cause. I am Donovan." The man bowed, his hands out to Bastian.
Bastian looked at Elinor. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. She shrugged, uncertain as well.
"Stand up, friend," Bastian said.
The man straightened. "Are you not the ruler of the Blue?"
He was, he supposed. "We will not take part in the battle between the Black and the Red." Bastian gestured toward the children. "We are harboring refugees right now. We do not have the manpower to fight, nor the dragons. We only have one full-grown dragon. What can we do in a battle against many others?"
Another man burst through the doorway. "Very little, but we want to fight." It was Marden, the leader of the Black Guard. Bastian hadn't seen him since before they'd left for Malum in search of the people of Hutton's Bridge. "We have been trained for battle. It is what we want. Let us march in the name of the Blue. The Black have risen. Long ago they were our allies. We will stand with them again."
"Is this truly what you want?" Bastian asked. "The dragon will not fly out with you. There will be no additional support offered."
Marden squeezed his hands into fists. "We hate the Red. If they should succeed in defeating the Black, then we will all be under their cruel rule. I have a family, too. I will not let the Red harm them."
His brother Barden stepped out from behind him. "We saw the Black dragons here. Everyone in Ashoom knows they are still our allies. Otherwise we'd be dead."
Bastian nodded. "It is true that they helped us when we were rescuing the children from Malum. But I don't know enough about them to guarantee your safety. I don't even know if they want our help."
Marden ignored Bastian. Instead, he held out a hand to the man in gray, who took it solidly in his. "I know who you are. I did not know the Watchers still existed after the Vulture’s Tower was destroyed in the last war."
"Some survived, and they kept the old ways alive. We have been waiting for the next war to begin and our scouts assure us it has. It is the time to rise to arms to protect our children and families. Will you join us?"
The two men looked to Bastian, eagerness burning in their eyes. They wanted war, and it appeared it had begun. "I won't fight,” he said firmly. “And neither will my dragon, but all we have is yours. Take whatever supplies you need."
"And healers," Elinor said. She smiled. "I will talk to those in my guild and request their assistance. I know they will agree."
The man in gray bowed. "I am Donovan. Do not forget it. You will be hearing from me again." He clicked his heels together again and left the throne room, dragging Marden and Barden in his wake.
"Those two have nothing better to do than follow trouble, do they?" Bastian asked Elinor.
She shook her head. "It appears so. Yet I have a feeling this is something bigger than any of us can fathom."
Bastian had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was afraid she was right. He looked at the children, who'd gone back to playing. Would they ever have the chance to grow up in a peaceful world, or would battle and dragonfire surround them forever?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tressa stretched her arms and legs after a long day of riding Fi during the daily scouting. So far there'd been no more sightings of the Red since the Black had driven them from the battlefield days ago.
Granna and Mestifito had sequestered themselves from the rest of the camp, trying to decide what to do next. Spies had returned from Road’s End, the town closest to the Red Throne. They had counted numerous Red dragons training for another battle. Their elevated numbers made the earlier battle seem like a minor skirmish. Every night the council met to discuss the situation. The Red army was larger than they'd imagined, and they weren't sure how to proceed.
Tressa was embarrassed she hadn't been able to change into a dragon again. Fi assured her over and over that this was normal. It was part of the learning process. Not every person could control their dragon after the first change. Tressa had witnessed Henry's difficulties with controlling his dragon side before he'd been so brutally killed by the Blue queen, Stacia. Yet Connor seemed to have no trouble changing between human and dragon. Tressa wanted to be like him.
She hated not being in control of herself, fearful and hopeful every breath that she might change. In her dreams she could fly again. It was the most exhilarating experience she'd ever had. She wanted to feel it again. She wanted to burst through the clouds, letting the wet wisps cover her body until she flew into a sunbeam and dried off.
"What were you thinking when you changed?" Fi asked Tressa. "Maybe that will help you to do it again."
Tressa tapped her chin with a finger. "I remember thinking I was going to die. But that wasn't the first time I feared death since leavi
ng Hutton's Bridge."
"There's a big difference between fearing death and knowing you're about to die," Fi said. "There's a difference between hope and acceptance."
Tressa sat down on a fallen tree. She used a hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun. "Well, if I have to be on the brink of death to change again, I hope it's a long time before I do."
"You don't mean that." Fi bumped Tressa with her hip, forcing Tressa to scoot over. "You loved every second in your dragon form. Admit it."
Tressa smiled. "Okay, I did. And I want it back more than anything. I just can't seem to make it happen." She clamped her eyes shut and wished it with all the mental strength she had. Still nothing.
"Rule number one," Fi said, "don't try to change into a dragon when someone is sitting right next to you. I could accidentally get a claw to the heart or lose an arm."
Tressa laughed so hard she nearly fell off the log. "Sorry. I didn't think of that. Next time I'll make sure I have space."
"And if you feel it coming on, let everyone around you know."
"Done."
A rustle in the trees told them they weren’t alone. A puffing Jenfar emerged, his face red behind his thick mustache and chest heaving. "We're off soon. Heading due north."
Fi jumped up. "Not northeast to Malum?"
"No." He bent over, taking a few gasping breaths. "We're going closer to the sea. Sophia still wants to attack, but Mestifito thinks it will be better to come from an unlikely direction. They'll expect an attack from the south or from the southeast. Not from the sea."
"Won't that take us near the Isle of Repose?" Fi asked. "I studied my geography growing up. And my mythology. I'm not sure it's wise to go anywhere near that island."
Jenfar stood. "Sophia and Mestifito have made their decision. Either you follow or go home, Fi."
She planted her hands on her hips. "I will never walk away from a battle, Jenfar. You know that. Come on, Tressa, let's prepare to take flight."
