by Megg Jensen
Tressa followed Fi out of the trees, frustrated. She wanted to fly along with them, not ride on Fi's back like a regular human. Days ago Tressa would have been thrilled just to have the chance to take part in the battle. But now that she knew she could change, she wanted to be the one to fly.
They left the tree cover and found the rest of their small army preparing to leave. The dragons who carried the supplies were getting packs loaded onto their backs. The warriors were donning their armor, while the lead dragons had already changed. There was an empty spot in the front of the formation waiting for Fi and Tressa.
They scrambled into place. Fi transformed and Tressa wore her new armor stolen from a dead Red warrior. She felt out of place wearing red while everyone else was dressed in black, but she had no other option. It was that or be naked.
Tressa climbed onto Fi's back. Within breaths they were airborne, heading north toward the sea. They flew for the better part of a day. Tressa snacked on jerky and bread from the bag slung on her back. All riders carried their own basic supplies to avoid frequent stops. She took a sip from her water skin, saving as much of it as she could for the rest of the journey.
Eventually the sea appeared in the distance. The setting sun bounced off the gentle waves. The scent of salt permeated the thick air, tickling Tressa's nose. She tried not to think about the time she'd been trapped in the small boat, stuck out in the sea, wondering if she'd ever make it back to shore alive.
Why hadn't she changed into a dragon then? Was it possible she hadn't lost hope yet, that she'd still believed everything would work out okay, even though she had no food or drink? But when she fell from Fi's back, there had truly been no option. She’d had to change or die in a broken heap of bones on the unforgiving earth.
The dragon horde banked to the left, flying along the seashore. The ground wasn't sandy and filled with tall grass like in the Sands. Here in the Hills of Flame, rocks covered the bank leading to scorched, dry earth. Cracks raced around the ground like thousands of little roads.
We'll camp here, Fi told Tressa.
Tressa turned up her nose. She didn't see a freshwater source nearby. She was relieved she'd been stingy with drinking from her skin. And at least she could bathe in the seawater. After everything she'd been through, she needed a good cleansing.
The dragons circled, landing one at a time, claiming their spots. Fi was always one of the last to land. She'd explained to Tressa it was because she wanted to keep an eye out in the skies until the very end.
As they circled lazily, Tressa swallowed a fearful breath and let go of Fi's scales. She slipped off the side, falling through the air, waiting for the change to come again. Willing it. Then panicking when she realized it might not happen again. Tressa screamed, her arms flailing in the air until the wind was knocked out of her. She opened her eyes, feeling an arm around her waist.
Granna whispered in her ear. "You can't just force your dragon out like that. You'll kill yourself first."
"Nothing else has worked," Tressa protested. "I just want to be like everyone else."
"You are nothing like the others," Granna said as they coasted to the ground, Mestifito landing with a jarring thump. Tressa tumbled off his back and onto the hard ground. Her head smarting, she sat up. Granna slid off Mestifito, landing next to Tressa. "You have a death wish."
"I only want to be able to control the dragon inside me. I see nothing wrong with that," Tressa snapped. "If you hadn't caught me, I might be flying right now."
"If I hadn't caught you, you would have broken your neck on the landing. I'd be asking the men to bury you." Granna turned on one heel and stalked away.
Tressa rubbed the back of her head and stood. She wandered over to the bank, pulled her boots off, yanked up the bottom of her pants, and waded into the water. The water nipped at her toes, cooling her off quickly. She took a few deep breaths and looked to the northwest. Out there was the island that made the hair stand up on Fi's arms. No matter. She turned back to the east. Their true enemy lay hidden in the hills, secreted away in a castle Tressa hadn't even glimpsed in Malum.
Fi had shown her a map of the city. It was the largest in the Dragonlands, even dwarfing the size of the Ruins of Ebon, under the Charred Barrens. The castle itself was inaccessible without a dragon, built into the crags of the hills. They'd have to fly in and confront the queen. Tressa wanted to kill her after what had happened in Malum during the Descent Festival.
No one wanted peace. They all wanted to fight. To dominate the other, even in the Black, when they supposedly wanted nothing to do with the rest of the Dragonlands. Tressa could see the bloodlust in their eyes. Hear the ferocity of their speech when they spouted rhetoric at war meetings.
They wanted to control the dragons. Rule the realm.
Tressa only knew what she wanted: a world of quiet and peace. Unfortunately it seemed less and less like the Black wanted the same.
She looked toward the sea again. A light breeze drifted over the water, swirling around her body.
"Tressa."
She looked around, but no one else was near. They were all working to set up the camp for the night.
"Tressa."
It wasn't coming from behind her. No, the voice was coming from the sea...and it sounded oddly similar to Jarrett.
Chapter Twenty-Three
As night fell, the Black dragons and their riders settled down for the night. Three dragons and their riders remained in the sky, circling and watching. Granna curled up with Mestifito in the center of camp. Tressa laid out her bedroll next to Fi, who was in her human form and already snoring. The fires had died down. There were no more quiet murmurs in the night. Everyone had fallen asleep.
Tressa snatched her black cloak and pulled the hood over her head. Carefully she tiptoed around sleeping people. No one stirred.
Tressa made her way to the shoreline. She sat on the rocky beach, just above where the waves lapped. Slipping her feet into the cool water, she closed her eyes and waited again for the voice that had sounded so much like Jarrett's. Even the gulls were quiet. Tressa let out a long breath and looked up at the stars.
They'd offered her healing when she'd been trapped on the water. Perhaps tonight they would guide her toward her destiny. Toward that dragon form she wanted so desperately to regain. Tressa untied the cloak from her neck and let it drop to the ground. She took off her tunic and pants. Then her leggings and underthings. Standing naked in the half-light of the moon, Tressa walked into the water. It bit her ankles, then her knees, and then her thighs. Still, she didn't stop. She didn't recoil against the freezing water. Instead she embraced it, walking until the water kissed her chin.
Tressa closed her eyes and pursed her lips together as she continued on her walk. The water lapped against her cheeks and forehead, then covered her completely. She blew out the breath she'd been holding and opened her eyes.
Tiny fish swam around her body; seaweed blanketed the sea floor. Tressa's hair floated up like the tentacles of the squid she'd seen in one of Granna's old books. Her chest ached. Her lungs burned, and her lips opened. Water rushed in. Her vision wavered, black and gray merging with the moonlit sea. Her brain became foggier than the veil that had once surrounded Hutton's Bridge.
Tressa's arms floated to her sides as her body collapsed in on itself. Surrendering. Her last thought was of Jarrett's voice calling to her from the sea.
Then it happened.
Her body convulsed, limbs breaking into the form of a dragon. She stretched her wings and burst free from the cold grip of the underwater grave. A burst of fire from her mouth dried up the water she'd swallowed.
In the air, she felt free. Finally. All those years trapped in Hutton's Bridge. All that time running around the Dragonlands, asking for help from people secretly plotting their own agendas. Now she needed no one.
Power throbbed in her veins as she flew through the night sky, climbing higher and higher until she tore through a puffy cloud. The moon waited on the other si
de with the stars that winked at her. She winked back with one slitted eye.
Tressa.
There it was again. This time it was clearer. Definitely Jarrett.
Jarrett? She tried thinking to him like she'd done with Fi. Flying farther out to sea, Tressa thought his name a few more times. No response. Just the quiet of dark night.
Can you hear me?
Her heart leapt. It was definitely Jarrett.
I can. Where are you? Are you with Bastian and Connor? She waited eagerly for a response.
Come closer to the island.
Tressa flew northwest toward the island far in the distance. Then she realized there was something Jarrett didn't know. I've changed, she thought to him. I'm not as you remember me.
Come closer. Closer...
Tressa flew on, her heart pounding. What would he think of her as a dragon?
Closer...
His voice echoed in her head. He had to know something had changed. If he'd ever communicated with Jacinda through thought, then he had to know.
Jarrett—
CLOSER!
Her head ached. He'd been too loud. Too forceful. Still, she flew, the island coming closer with every flap of her wings. Her heart thudded in her chest as she glided toward the shore, toward the figure of a man who she would know, even in shadow. Jarrett.
She landed on the beach, and then realized she had no clothes. She'd taken them all off before entering the sea.
Her claws dug into the sandy beach. She looked down at him, and he didn't seem surprised. He wore a felt hat on his head, pulled down over his ears. Tressa cocked her head to the side, observing him.
Jarrett seemed different somehow, but she wasn't sure what it was. Yet she was pulled to him. Her desire to get near to him, outweighing any anxiety she had over the strange meeting, and the even stranger way he called her to him.
He reached a hand toward her snout. She craned her neck and nuzzled his palm, taking a deep whiff. He smelled like Jarrett—and something else she couldn't place. She shrugged off the uneasy feeling. This was the first time she’d seen him while she was in dragon form. Maybe her sense of smell was different. That had to be it.
"Tressa." Jarrett said it simply, as if it wasn't a surprise that she was now a dragon. As if he expected it. A smile spread across his face, his teeth glinting off the moonlight. "I've been waiting for you."
Where are the others? Bastian? Connor? Elinor?
Jarrett only smiled. Perhaps he couldn't hear her after all. She craned her neck, looking for her friends, but found they were alone on the beach. Not another sound in the still night air.
"Why don't you change?" he asked. "Where is the woman I love?"
Tressa thought about changing. Running into his arms. Modesty held her back. Instead, she reached down and plucked the hat off his head with her teeth, remembering all the times they’d made each other laugh. That, she could still do.
Jarrett screamed, his eyes narrowing and his teeth suddenly sharp and threatening.
Tressa stumbled backward, her tail swishing behind her. Then she saw it. Jarrett’s ears. They were gone.
Jarrett clapped his hands together and rubbed them. It was a gesture she knew. One she suddenly feared. A yellow light quickly turned red as he opened his hands toward her. Tressa pushed off from the ground, but it was too late. His magic ran through her foot, slicing it. With blood dripping, Tressa heaved herself upward, dodging the balls of fire coming from his hands.
Why? she screamed.
I am the killer of dragons. I am the Keeper.
Tressa flew away, fear driving her wings, despite her mind and heart begging her to go back to him. Her stomach twisted as she fought to get farther away from Jarrett. From her lover. She looked back one last time. He stood on the beach, his hands now at his sides.
Joy filled her heart. He wouldn’t try to hurt her. Not again. Tressa turned, flying back toward the island, ignoring that voice in her head telling her something was wrong.
As she ventured closer, Jarrett began to shoot balls of fire from his hands again. Over and over she dodged them, until one hit her in the chest. Shocked and saddened, she turned away, using all of the strength she had to fly back to her Black dragons.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tressa fell to the grass, weary and wounded. The moment she touched ground, she reverted back into human form. The camp sprang to life. Someone barked out orders for water, clothes, and bandages. She heard Granna's voice in the distance, ordering more scouts into the air. Tressa wanted to tell them it wasn't necessary, that she hadn't met with anyone from the Red. They were safe unless Jarrett found a way to fly across the sea.
Hot water washed over her stinging wounds, cleaning them of any infection. A squishy paste was applied to her back and linen wrapped around her chest. Tressa sat up, her mind still a little fuzzy.
"What were you thinking?" Fi screamed. "You could have gotten yourself killed."
Tressa thought back to her near-drowning. Perhaps it would be best to keep that to herself. "I’m sorry."
Fi grunted, then wrapped her arms carefully around Tressa. "Don't do that to me again. It's one thing to get hurt in battle, it's another to just take off in the middle of the night and come back injured. What happened?"
Tressa took a deep breath, gasping at the stabbing pain in her chest. Jarrett’s fireballs had hit her only once. If she hadn’t gotten away, she could have died at his hands. But part of her wanted to go back. What happened to his ears and why did he want to kill her? Something was desperately wrong. Her heart told her Jarrett needed her, but her mind told her to forget him.
"I went out on the beach," Tressa said. "Just for a walk and maybe a little swim. The waves pulled me out to sea and I started to drown." It was a lie, but she didn't want to upset Fi more. "Then I transformed into my dragon."
Fi tapped a foot on the ground. "And how did you get hurt?"
Tressa looked down at her bare feet. She wanted to tell Fi the truth, but so much of it didn’t make sense. She still wasn’t sure why she’d been so drawn to his call, and so hesitant to leave. Until she knew more, she would keep the details to herself. "I lost control and hit some rocks in the sea. Then I realized I shouldn't be out there alone and I flew back." The lies rolled off her tongue.
Fi looked up at the sky, the pink haze of morning barely creeping above the horizon. "We have to leave soon. Did you get any sleep?"
Tressa nodded. "Enough." Another lie. She hadn't slept at all. She was exhausted, but she knew if she admitted to it, they'd never let her ride into battle.
"Your chest will heal up soon enough, mistress," said the healer. “It was only a flesh wound. You’re a lucky girl.”
Tressa didn't know the man's name, so she bowed her head in thanks. Standing up wasn't painless, but she did it with a smile on her face. "I'll try to be more careful next time."
"There will be no next time," Granna said from behind.
Tressa steeled herself and turned to face her great-grandmother. "I will do as I please. If Fi agrees to let me ride with her, I will."
Granna's eyes locked on Tressa's. Her jaw was set, and her teeth clenched. "Tressa—”
"Don't." Tressa walked away. But guilt gnawed at her insides. She was angry at Granna for the lies she'd told and the secrets she'd kept all those years. Yet now Tressa was doing the same.
She wanted to convince herself that her reasons were far nobler. That she kept secrets out of love and self-preservation.
The same reasons Granna had given her when she'd tried to explain.
Still, Tressa didn't turn around. She didn't apologize. She didn't tell Granna she understood. Because she wasn't completely sure she did yet. What she'd kept hidden felt far more important. Besides, they weren't headed to the Isle of Repose. Jarrett couldn't hurt any of them from so far away. If their safety was in peril, she would have confessed.
At least that's what she told herself.
They prepared, ready to ride into bat
tle. They'd storm the castle from the air, leading with the strongest attack dragons—those who had the hottest fire. Behind them would fly the dragons with riders. Tressa and her fellow warriors would drop into the castle and take on the humans. The dragons would fight it out in the sky.
Tressa bent at the waist, and was surprised how quickly her wound was healing. She didn't feel one twinge of pain.
"Our healers are very talented," Fi said, sneaking up behind Tressa and tossing an arm over her shoulder. "The dragon blood flowing in your veins helps too. We heal faster. A fatal blow isn't likely to heal up, but small ones are. It's definitely an advantage to being able to change. Our bodies respond differently to everything. Just wait until you and Jarrett meet up again." Fi winked. "Everything between you will be different."
Tressa offered Fi a weak smile. After what Jarrett had just done to her, she wasn't sure they'd ever be together like that again. He'd been Jacinda's lover for years. How had sex been different for him then?
Fi headed to the clearing where the other dragons were changing. "See you soon!" she yelled over her shoulder.
Tressa went back to their spot in the camp, pulling on the Red uniform. Someone had fetched it from the beach where she'd left it before the suicide attempt that resulted in changing into the dragon. She grabbed her sword. It was time to ride to battle—and for the first time, she wanted nothing more than to walk away from it all.
***
Tressa climbed on Fi's back, weary, but ready. What other choice was there? Stay behind? Tell the others she was just too tired? No, none of that would do. The Black had saved her and her friends in Malum without being asked. She at least owed them her sword.
You okay? Fi asked. We're almost there.
I know, Tressa answered. I'm okay.
You're not. I can tell. Why don't I drop into the back? We can avoid the bulk of the battle that way.
You don't really want to do that. Tressa knew Fi. Her friend wanted to fight. She wanted to be in the lead. And she was prepared to kill.
You're right, I don't. If you change your mind, tell me.