Reckoning (Book 5) (14 page)

The next morning, Tressa woke with Bastian, their arms and legs tangled. She rested her chin on his chest and ran a fingertip down his cheek. Bastian blinked a few times, then opened his eyes completely.

"You're still here," he said, a nervous smile on his face.

"I am." Tressa sat up, holding the blanket over her chest. "And I don't plan on leaving your side again. I hope that's okay."

Bastian's smile grew as he relaxed. "I was afraid we'd have another awkward morning like the last time."

"No." Tressa stood, pulling on her clothes. "Not for me. You?"

Bastian shook his head, his red hair flopping from side to side.

"How's your head?" Tressa reached over, gently cupping his cheek. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

Bastian extended his arms out to the side, then stood slowly, stretching his legs. "I feel okay. It was just a little bump on the head. Nothing to worry about." Bastian grabbed his clothes from the floor.

"We're leaving this morning," Tressa said, straightening her tunic. She looked at Bastian over her shoulder. "I want you to come with us, but I have to warn you—the other Greens want to stay here."

"Jakob told me as much the other day, the same day I got knocked out. I would have mentioned it sooner, but..." A blush crept up Bastian's neck to his cheeks.

"It's okay," Tressa answered. "I would have wanted to hear it from him anyway." She slammed her fist down on the table. "What is wrong with everyone? When we left Hutton's Bridge, we barely knew anything about dragons. The more I got to know them I thought they were so brave and strong. Now I can see they're just cowards."

Bastian laid a hand on Tressa's shoulder. "They are trying to protect the ones they love."

"So am I!" Tressa insisted. "You, Fi, Connor..." she trailed off, not wanting to mention the last person who had come to her mind.

"Jarrett." Bastian said it for her.

"Yes, even Jarrett." Tressa threw her arms in the air. "I admit it. I loved him." She looked up at Bastian, finding sympathy in his eyes.

"As I loved Elinor, no matter how briefly. Sometimes people change, and we have to change with them, whether we want to or not."

There was something in Bastian's voice Tressa couldn't quite place. She'd heard Elinor had died of a strange condition, seemingly out of nowhere. Yet, Bastian didn't seem to miss her. In fact, he almost seemed relieved. It was a story that would have to wait.

An insistent knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Tressa flung the door open to find a breathless Connor leaning on the doorway. "We looked everywhere," he said between gasps, "but they're both gone."

"Who?" she asked, pulling Connor into the cottage and closing the door behind him.

Connor sank into a chair. "Jarrett." He took in another few quick breaths. "And Fi."

"Damn it!" Tressa yelled. "What happened to the guards?"

"Dead," Connor said. "All six of them. Their throats were slit. We've been frantically searching the village, but no one has seem them."

"Why didn't you come here first?" Tressa demanded. "I should have been involved in the search. What were you thinking?"

"I thought the two of you needed some time together," Connor said. "Either we would find them or we wouldn't. Letting you enjoy your morning wouldn't change a thing."

Tressa fumed. She clenched her fists and stared Connor down.

"That." Connor pointed at her face. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I know you, Tressa, better than you know yourself sometimes. I made a judgment call, and you're just going to have to deal with it."

He was right. Of course. Connor was always right. "I liked you better when your memory was gone," Tressa said, annoyed.

"Too bad for you, my memory is back, Tressa," Connor said. "Now, come on. The warriors from the Vulture's Tower are prepared to leave with us. We’re heading east, and we’ll track Jarrett and Fi on the way. Despite Jakob's insistence on staying here, he managed to get us supplies, horses, and food for our journey."

"At least he's done that," Tressa said. "I feared we'd be kicked out of here with nothing."

"Jakob isn't a bad man," Bastian said. "None of them are. They just have a different perspective on Donovan than we do."

"It's the wrong perspective," Tressa said. She opened the door, stepping out into the gentle light of sunrise.

"That may be true," Connor said, following her, "but we can't force them to march with us."

Bastian was the final person out of the cottage, and he quietly stood next to Tressa.

"What do you have to say about this?" she asked him.

"I'm not getting between the two of you," Bastian said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Good choice." Tressa rested a hand on his arm. "I know you agree with Connor."

Bastian's jaw dropped. Tressa pushed it up gently.

"It's okay. I'm angry. I'm also afraid for Fi. I can't believe Jarrett got through our security." Tressa stalked over to Krom, who stood at the head of the warriors from the Vulture's Tower.

"We are ready to ride east," Krom said. "Would you like to lead us?"

She eyed the horses warily. The mare she'd taken from the Charred Barrens had been stabled in the Meadowlands. This was no journey for an old horse. "I don't have a horse that I trust."

"You don't need one." Bastian kissed Tressa on the cheek, then ran ahead, quickly changing into his dragon.

Ride me
, Bastian said. His voice echoed in Tressa's mind.

I can hear you!
Tressa had only ever been able to hear Fi and Alden in her mind. She was surprised, and relieved, that she could hear Bastian, too.

Of course you can. Now, get on.
Bastian knelt to the ground.

Tressa hoisted herself onto his back. His emerald scales sparkled in the morning sun. Tressa ran her hands along them. It was the first time she'd seen Bastian in dragon form, and he was majestic, nearly twice the size her dragon had been. If she had hers, they could soar together in the sky, coming together as they spiraled down toward the earth.

"Ready?" she yelled down to Krom.

The warriors from the Vulture's Tower clanked their swords on their shields. Horses reared back, whinnying. Connor slipped into his Blue dragon, standing alongside Bastian and Tressa. The ghost dragons flew above them, turning circles and blowing snowflakes from their jaws.

Without another look back at The Outpost, Tressa and her little army took off.

Tressa raised one arm above her brows, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun, while hanging on to Bastian’s scales with her other hand. She had only one goal—save Fi from Jarrett. When that was done, they'd take on Donovan.

Tressa rode through the air on Bastian's back for the better part of the day. At first they'd talked a lot, but they'd fallen into a companionable silence near the midday meal. After Bastian landed, Tressa slipped to the ground.

The warriors of the Vulture's Tower had nearly kept up on their horses. Tressa only had to wait a few moments before she saw the dust from their horses' hoof beats rising in the distance.

"I didn't see any sign of Fi or Jarrett along the way, did you?" Connor asked.

"No," Tressa said. "There was nothing out of the ordinary that I could see. I know you and Bastian have better eyesight when you are dragons than I do as a human. Did you notice anything, Bastian?"

"It's as if they vanished." Bastian bent over, his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

They'd pushed themselves to the limit to get so far so fast. Tressa had done nothing but ride. It was taxing, but not nearly as exhausting as flapping wings for hours. Given the chance, though, she would have turned into a dragon.

It wasn't long before Krom’s horse pulled up alongside Tressa. He dismounted and smacked the horse's bottom, sending it toward the nearby stream. "I sent scouts, both north and south, to check for your friends. We'll pick up their trail soon. They couldn't just disappear."

Tressa wasn't so sure. Jarrett had claimed Donovan couldn't control him from so far away. He'd sworn it wasn't possible, and Tressa had believed him. Yet somehow he'd managed to kill his guards and Fi's and escape the Meadowlands without being noticed. It was a puzzle Tressa couldn't fit together. There was something missing, some piece of information she didn't quite have yet.

They sat down, pulling out the food from their satchels that Jakob had generously supplied. Tressa hungrily bit into an apple.

"As soon as they've had a chance to rest their horses, I'll send scouts ahead with messenger birds," Krom said between bites of jerky. "They'll let us know if they see the enemy or any of his minions."

"We're going for a full-on assault," Tressa told Bastian. Tressa, Krom, and Connor had discussed their plans on the way to the Meadowlands before they knew the Green wouldn’t help them. "It would be better if the Green had joined us."

"Or the Black," Connor muttered. "I still don't understand why they're being so fainthearted. I know it's difficult because Mestifito lost his dragon, but that doesn't mean the rest of them have. I had no idea they were dependent on him as a figurehead. The Black seemed so brave. When we fought with them on the Isle of Repose, I was grateful. Now, I'm furious."

Tressa held up a hand. "We have to move on. They aren't coming, and talking about it won't change anything."

"Tressa is right," Krom said. "We have been waiting, stuck in time, for when the Dragonlands needed us most. If the Green and Black had been willing to fight, it's likely the Vulture's Tower would still be hidden from you. Clearly we are needed now."

Tressa placed a hand on Krom’s shoulder. "I am so grateful I stumbled upon you on my way to the Meadowlands. Without you, I might have given up."

"You?" Connor asked. "Never. You would have rode to Donovan, brandishing a sword, and done your best to kill him and his army single-handedly."

Tressa laughed. She glanced at the people surrounding her, grateful for each of them and their commitment. Without them, she'd get herself killed. At least now she had a chance.

A rider sped in from the south. "Nothing, sir. I'm sorry. There are no tracks. It's as if they simply flew away."

Tressa's eyebrows raised. She looked to Connor and Bastian. "Now there's an interesting idea. Could they have flown? Could Jarrett be a dragon, and we just never knew?"

Everyone looked at Tressa, expectant.

"I'm not withholding anything from you. Jarrett was not a dragon when I knew him. It's possible that has changed. We had guards watching over him every moment. Unless Donovan had access to dragon blood after the fall of the Red castle, it's unlikely that Jarrett is a dragon. They did not have access to any dragon blood."

"So maybe they had help from the Green?" Connor asked.

"No." Bastian shook his head. "They wouldn't bother."

"Then we keep looking," Krom said. "I know there is a great deal of magic in this world. Some we understand, and some we don't, but there is an explanation for this. We will find it. Don't worry, Tressa, we will find your friend."

Krom walked over to the closest group of warriors. He spoke to them quietly. Two of them stood, quickly, and made their way to their horses. Within moments, they set off ahead of the group, heading east, each with a messenger bird perched on his shoulder.

"We will know soon enough where Fi and Jarrett have gone and where Donovan is keeping his army. My warriors haven't found anything yet, but they will. They will not give up until we have answers," Krom said. "We should rest, now. Stop pacing. Take a seat. You won't be in your best form if you're exhausted." He walked back over to his warriors, taking a seat with a group of five.

Tressa looked at Connor and Bastian. "I guess we should take his advice."

Bastian grabbed Tressa’s hand, leading her over to a nearby log. She sat, and Bastian straddled the log, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his chest, taking deep breaths, attempting to relax. Her heart betrayed her, though. It wouldn't stop racing. Her mind ran over horrifying scenarios. Her heart ached for Fi, who'd been through so much.

Connor sat on the ground next to them, wrapping his arms around his bent legs. "Are you two...?”

Tressa glared at him. "Is this really the time?"

"There's never a good time." Connor chewed on a long blade of grass as he eyed them.

Bastian squeezed Tressa. "We are what we are at this moment. The three of us are together again. Some things just feel right. We started this journey together when we stepped into the fog. It feels right to finish it together."

"Fair enough," Connor said.

Tressa leaned in closer to Bastian, finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. They had been together the night before, but they hadn't stayed up too late. Even so, she’d barely slept. Everything was weighing on her. So much sadness. So many unwelcome surprises. Soon, they'd face their enemy again. Soon...

***

Tressa woke with a jolt, sitting up, nearly clobbering Bastian on the chin with her head.

"What's that noise?" she asked.

"It's a messenger bird," Bastian said. The bird continued its scream as it streaked down to Krom.

Krom removed the note rolled up and tied to the bird's leg. His brow furrowed, and he looked up at Tressa. "Donovan’s army isn’t far away. It’s coming to us, and fast. My riders are on their way back, hoping to give us specifics before Donovan gets here."

A sword rang against a shield, beating out a repetitive pattern. The camp sprang to life as warriors reached for their armor and weapons. Tressa kissed Bastian on the cheek, then took off running to the edge of the camp. She searched the sky for Alden, realizing she hadn't seen him since they landed. There wasn't one ghost dragon to be seen.

Where had they gone? Had they abandoned Tressa? Or could she just no longer see them? Maybe access to all the magic was fading, too.

"Alden!" she screamed at the sky, but there was no response.

"Your dragons did not stop here with us," Krom said. "They went ahead long ago. I thought you knew."

Tressa shook her head, worried. "No, I didn't. Where could they have gone? They wouldn't engage Donovan's army without us, would they?"

"I don't think so," Krom said. "I had assumed, wrongly, that they had let you know their plans. While I could see them, as you know I could not communicate with them. I left that to you."

"I'm sure it's fine. Whatever they're doing, it's to help us," Tressa said, trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince Krom. The dragons had no reason to desert them, and even less of a reason to betray them. No, whatever Alden had chosen to do would only help Tressa and her army. She would have to trust in them, just as she trusted in the others gathered around her.

A shriek ripped through the sky, a sound that turned Tressa's blood to water and forced tears to spring from her eyes. Hands were thrown over ears as the howl continued, only escalating until it sounded as if the scream had ripped the world in two.

"No!" Tressa yelled, wiping away the tears falling from her eyes.

"What was that?" Krom asked. "I've never heard its like."

Tressa would know that voice anywhere. It ripped through her heart, turning her worst nightmare into reality.

"It was Fi." Tressa said, her voice cracking. "Donovan has her, and he's torturing her to force us out of hiding."