by Megg Jensen
Jarrett lay in bed, asleep. His chest rose and fell with each gentle breath. Here he seemed at peace. Not the man she'd encountered on the island.
Tressa sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand in hers. His eyes opened.
"Hi," she said, smiling gently. She wanted to put him at ease, if that was possible.
Jarrett stared at her. "I can't hear you."
Tressa stroked his hair. She nodded.
"I won't ever hear again," he said, refusing to look at Tressa. "After what happened to me..."
Tressa forced her smile to remain wide. Her cheeks ached, and she choked back tears.
"You don't have to pretend for me," Jarrett said. "I know you're faking." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry for what I tried to do to you. On the island, I was confused. I don't really remember..."
Tressa kissed him, silencing his confession. She forgave him. She understood. She had changed in unspeakable ways too. Her lips moved on his, soft and caring.
Jarrett rested his hands on Tressa's shoulders, pushing her away. She gave him one final peck before sitting up again.
"Something has a hold on me. I can still feel it in my mind. It's back there. Watching." Jarrett sat up. "You should leave.”
Tressa lay on the bed next to Jarrett, resting an arm and a leg on his body. "No," she whispered.
"I heard that," Jarrett said. "More importantly, I understood it. Try again."
Tressa took a deep breath and puckered her lips. If he could hear when someone directly whispered into the hole in the side of his head, then all was not lost. Jarrett wouldn't have to push her away. She mustered up the courage to say what she was thinking. "I love you."
Jarrett lay still, not responding. Tressa wondered if he had heard her. Maybe the last time was pure luck.
He rolled on his side, looking her in the eyes. "I love you, too." Jarrett kissed her, his lips hungry. His hands roamed her body, resting just below her breasts. "But I've lost my ears. Aren't you disgusted by my appearance?"
Tressa tilted Jarrett's head so she could see the wounded part of his head. No, it wasn't beautiful. Part of her felt a bit of revulsion, but that was only a reaction to the horror of what had been done to him. Soon she knew she wouldn't even notice a difference. He was Jarrett, and she loved him for more than his looks. "I could turn into a dragon at any moment. I'm as uncontrollable as Henry was. You could be kissing me, and the next thing you know, I could be a giant reptile with a forked tongue."
"Sexy," Jarrett said, winking. He leaned in, kissing her again, this time with a fervor. Her arms wrapped around his trunk and her hands slowly made their way down to the waist of his pants. One hand dipped, squeezing that beautiful arse she'd seen through the bushes all that time ago when she'd spied on him after he bathed in the pond with the other men from the Black Guard. Before he knew she was a woman.
Despite their time apart, despite all they'd been through, Tressa knew she'd been right to tell Jarrett she loved him. This was real. It had the potential to last. She could almost picture them older, surrounded by grandchildren, living in a modest cottage on the outskirts of the forest.
Tressa laid her head on Jarrett's shoulder, her lips close to where his ear had been. "There are mages in the Black who might be able to help you with this magic surrounding you. We'll go there tomorrow."
Jarrett nodded. "Tomorrow," he said. "Our future begins then."
"No," she said, "it began long ago, when we entered a battlefield, determined to win a spot in the Black Guard. The same man trained us. Your father helped us both gain entry by teaching us all he knew." Tressa's heart ached for Leo, the man she'd met by chance in a pub. He'd seen through her disguise as a simple barmaid and helped her craft a far more deadly one as a male warrior. She'd loved him fast and hard, more than she'd ever loved another father figure.
"It almost sounds like you think we were meant to be," Jarrett said, his finger tracing a squiggly line on her abdomen.
"I was drawn to your father,” Tressa said. “It is no surprise I was drawn to you too. You are so much like him, Jarrett. Leo was brave and honorable. Handsome and forthright. He was kind to your uncle—”
Jarrett sprang up. "Uncle? What do you mean, uncle?" He looked hard at Tressa, then turned his head so he could hear her.
"Your uncle. That's how I met your father. I was working in your uncle's tavern and inn."
Jarrett looked back at her again. "I have an uncle? Here? In Ashoom? I didn't know." He rested his head in his hands. "I wouldn't want to meet him looking like this."
Tressa thought of Ira. His messy appearance. His overwhelming frustration with life. She doubted Ira would care much whether Jarrett had two ears, one ear, or no ears. His wife, however, would be a pleasure to see again. Tressa had instantly liked her.
Tressa tapped Jarrett's shoulder. He looked up at her, then cocked his head. "After we get this spell on you sorted out, we will visit your uncle. Though I want to warn you, don't expect him to be enthusiastic about meeting you. He's not like your father. Life has beaten him down."
Jarrett nodded. "Yes, after I'm better." He smiled, genuine and true. The same smile Tressa had seen so many other times.
"Now," Tressa said, kissing Jarrett's shoulder, "you must be hungry. I know I'm famished. Should I hunt down some food for us?"
Jarrett rubbed his stomach. "I am hungry, now that you mention it." He climbed out of bed.
Tressa touched Jarrett’s hand to get his attention. "There are two guards outside your door, and you must stay here until we are sure you are no longer under the thrall of whatever captured you on that island."
Jarrett's eyes were sad but understanding. "I can still feel something back there. It's quiet, but it's there."
"And there's one other thing," Tressa said. "Connor wants to kill you."
"Why?" Jarrett asked. "I remember being at camp with them, but the rest is a blur until you rescued me from the island. What did I do?"
Tressa took a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy for Jarrett to hear. She laid a hand on his arm. "You killed all but one of the dragon babies. According to Connor, Bastian, and Elinor, you were heartless. Bloodthirsty."
Jarrett walked away and looked out the window, his hands on the rocky sill. "I would want to kill me too." He turned back to Tressa. "Is there any chance they will ever forgive me?"
Tressa wanted to say yes. She wanted to assure Jarrett they could all move on from this. But she'd seen the look in Connor's eyes. He wanted Jarrett's head and if she didn't play things just right, there was a chance she'd be unable to stop Connor from acting on his rage.
"I'll be back soon," she said. It was all she could muster given the circumstances. She knocked on the door, then opened it. The guards stood ready, their swords drawn.
"It's okay," Tressa said. "I'm just going to scrounge up some dinner. Keep an eye on him, will you?"
The guards nodded and let her pass. Before Tressa closed the door, she saw Jarrett sink into the chair, weeping.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Tressa banged on the doors to Bastian's chambers. "Where is he?" she yelled, furious.
The doors swung open. Elinor stood inside, her arms crossed. Tressa looked over the healer's head and saw Bastian hurriedly putting on a pair of pants, his face flushed. She looked at Elinor again. The shoulders of her chemise were crooked and the ties undone.
"Bastian is right here, Tressa. What do you want?" Elinor tapped a bare foot on the floor.
"I'm not talking about Bastian," Tressa said, her face red as she dragged her hands through her hair. "I'm looking for Jarrett. I left him to get some food, and when I came back, he was gone. The guards were knocked out cold."
Elinor's eyes widened. She spun around and rushed across the room, grabbing a dress and pulling it over her head. Bastian tugged on a shirt.
"I cannot believe this," Bastian said. "Two guards should have been enough. Especially since everyone in the castle promised they'd leave him alone f
or now. Even Connor."
"It wasn't Connor," Elinor said. "If he said he wouldn't, then he wouldn't. Connor is the most honorable of us all.”
Bastian gave Elinor a strange look, one Tressa couldn't quite decipher. Whatever it was, she didn't care. She was beyond caring about Bastian's new relationship.
Tressa barreled past Elinor. "We have to find Jarrett. Something still has a hold over him. Until we can get him to a competent mage, he cannot be allowed around anyone other than us. He's too fragile."
"We'll help you find him," Bastian said. He glanced at Elinor.
Tressa fought back a snort. When she and Bastian were together, he had done as he pleased. He never looked to her for permission. This Elinor had quite a hold over him. Tressa wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was one thing if he was happy. It was quite another if he was under the healer's thumb. She shook her head. None of that mattered now. Only Jarrett.
"Yes, we will help," Elinor said. "But we have to deliver the children to Hutton's Bridge tomorrow. We will help you as best as we can tonight. That's all."
Tressa didn't want to search on her own, so she'd take whatever help she could get. "Thank you."
"Let's go." Bastian rushed out the room, Elinor on his heels and Tressa bringing up the rear.
They traversed the castle quickly to Jarrett's room. The two guards were sitting on the floor, woozy and a little embarrassed.
"What can you tell me?" Bastian asked, squatting down next to them.
The first guard rubbed his head. "I don't remember. I must have hit my head on the way down."
"Me too," the other guard said.
"Neither of them remembers anything," Elinor said. "Magic. Jarrett escaped on his own."
"Maybe," Tressa answered, joining Bastian on the floor. "Or maybe someone wanted us to believe that." She ran a finger along the floor. "See this scuff mark? It's heading into the room, not out. Someone did this. Were the two of you taken by surprise?" she asked the guards.
They exchanged glances.
"Well?" Bastian asked. His cheeks puffed out. Tressa knew that look. Frustration. Annoyance.
"Okay, fine," the guard on the right said. The other guard punched his arm, but it didn't stop him from confessing. "There was a woman with black hair. She ... she propositioned us. Told us to wait in the room next door. That she'd be right in. And we fell for it. We weren't here."
"What?" Tressa screamed. If they’d told her that in the first place, she wouldn’t have bothered Bastian and Elinor. She knew exactly who the guard was talking about.
"We were only gone a few minutes," the second guard insisted. "She changed her mind."
"When we got back, the door was open and the man inside was gone," the first guard said, his head hanging down.
"How did you get injured?" Elinor asked.
"We didn't," the second said under his breath. "We faked it."
Tressa threw her arms in the air. "Idiots. All of them. No wonder I made it into the Black Guard. These were the type of men I competed against. Cowards. So many cowards here."
"You have to understand! We were as sheltered as the people in Hutton's Bridge. The fog cut us off from the rest of the Dragonlands. We had no reason to train hard..."
But Tressa turned on one heel and stalked away. She had no interest in listening to their pathetic excuses. She headed for Fi's room, not far away.
Tressa knocked as hard as she could. The door swung open. Tressa ventured in "Fi?"
There was no answer.
"Is she here?" Elinor slipped in the room and stood next to Tressa.
"No." Bastian said. "She's not, but she left something for you." He strode over to the table. A note stood folded, the ink on the parchment spelled out Tressa's name. Bastian handed it to Tressa.
She unfolded the parchment, her hands trembling.
I took Jarrett to the Ruins. I'll find a cure for him, I promise you. Go to Hutton's Bridge and protect the children. I knew you'd refuse to do it, so I did this for your own good. Jarrett is safe with me, just as you were. I swear I will not hurt him.
"They're gone. She thought it would be better for me to help you two with the children." Tressa crumbled the parchment in her hand and tossed it onto Fi's bed.
Bastian and Elinor stood silent, neither offering an opinion.
"I won't go back to Hutton's Bridge," Tressa said. She felt sick. No one would get her back there. They'd have to do it by force.
"You don't have to," Bastian said. He reached out to put a hand on her arm, then pulled back.
"What will you do, then?" Elinor asked. Her tone had softened.
"I'm not sure," Tressa said. She sank down on Fi's bed, looking up at Bastian and Elinor. "Where should I go?"
"You could stay here. Relax?" Bastian shrugged his shoulders.
Elinor elbowed him in the stomach. "I don't know you well, Tressa, but I have a feeling you don't want to relax."
"You're right.” Tressa sat up straight. “I can't just sit here while a war brews. I know what I need to do."
"What?" Bastian asked.
Tressa jumped off the bed, pacing. "I could go there, talk to them, ask for their help." She slapped her head. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before." Tressa bent over and hugged Elinor. "Thank you both. I'm sorry I interrupted you for this. Go back to whatever you were doing."
The blush returned to Bastian's face. "Where are you going?"
"It's better you don't know," Tressa said. "If the war comes to you and you're taken, they can't torture you into telling them where I went."
"Smart," Elinor said. "And appreciated."
"I hope it doesn't come to that," Bastian said. "You're a wonder, Tressa. Truly. Back in Hutton's Bridge, I never would have thought you'd end up like this.”
"It certainly isn't the future I predicted for myself," Tressa said. "I can't complain, though. I always wanted out of the fog. And even though we lost each other," she reached up, touching Bastian's cheek, "I think we've gained far more beyond the fog."
Elinor smiled, her shoulders relaxing.
"This is goodbye, then?" Bastian asked.
"For now." Tressa winked at him. "We seem to keep running into each other. Take care and keep the children safe."
"We will," Elinor said.
“We have plenty of horses,” Bastian said. “Please take one.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Tressa said, grinning, “but I have another way to travel.”
While recounting her adventures, Tressa purposely hadn’t told them she could change in to a dragon yet. She knew Bastian harbored a mistrust of dragons. Despite overcoming his anxiety for Connor’s sake, Tressa worried telling Bastian the truth might damage whatever was left of their fragile friendship.
She took her leave of the castle and ran to the edge of the town of Ashoom and jumped. There was no more fear left in her, just a trust that her body would do exactly what it needed to survive. She thrust her arms out to the side and took flight, a little bag of clothes dangling from her ankle.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bastian stood at the window, watching the sun come up through the trees. Yellow beams broke through the branches, bathing his room in morning's light. He wondered where Tressa had gone and if he'd ever see her again. As for Jarrett, Bastian was glad the man was gone. Hopefully he’d never show his face around Bastian, Connor, or Elinor again. After what he'd put them through, Jarrett was lucky they'd let him live.
"Morning," Elinor said from behind, wrapping her arms around his stomach. She'd apologized last night for her behavior, admitting to a nasty bout of jealousy.
Meanwhile, Bastian had tried to reassure her he no longer had any interest in Tressa. Not like that. He hoped he’d proven it to her last night.
"Good morning," Bastian said. "Are you ready for the trek back to Hutton's Bridge?"
There were too many children to ride on Connor’s back. He'd be exhausted by the end of the day, and he was their only protection. Instead they were goin
g to walk. Horses would pull carts carrying their supplies and any young children who were having trouble walking.
"I'm ready," Elinor said. "Once we get everyone settled in, what are we going to do?"
"Come back here," Bastian said. "I hate to leave Farah again, but someone has to be eyes and ears outside the fog. If danger is headed their way, I want to be ready."
Elinor walked to the wardrobe. She chose a light brown dress and slipped it over her head, shimmying it down her body. "I hope it's okay if I come with you."
"I hoped you would," Bastian said. He pulled on his pants and a shirt. "Now let's find some food to break our fast. Then we'll gather up the children and head out."
They made their way to the kitchen. When he took the throne, Bastian had kept the cooks on, promising to pay them the same Stacia had. In return, Bastian and Elinor didn't require any special attention. They ate with the cooks in the expansive kitchen, taking their food with anyone who worked in the castle. Bastian wasn't comfortable with being their leader, and he certainly wasn't going to ask them to treat him like a king.
"The bread is piping hot," Lily, one of the cooks, said when Bastian and Elinor sat at the table. "We were up half the night baking extra loaves for you to take to the village."
"Thank you so much, Lily," Bastian said. He tore a chunk off the bread. Steam rose, dancing in the air. "I know the children will appreciate it."
"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you." Lily continued chopping apple slices without looking up at Bastian. "I'd like to go with you. Out there, behind the fog, the healers and Hazel will have enough to do keeping the children occupied. Mayhap I can be their cook. Jude here," she pointed at the quiet young woman next to her, "is more than qualified to continue cooking for you and Elinor."
Bastian scratched his chin. "Are you sure? I don't know how long it'll take until it's safe to get rid of the fog. You could be stuck in there for a very long time."
