Dragonlands(15)

“Your mother is dead?” Tressa asked, slowly pushing the door open. The child stepped backward. “Do you want us to take her body out?”

“No,” Geoff’s voice came from the back of the dark cottage. “Leave her. It will only spread the illness further.”

“There are three bodies out in the town square right now,” Connor said. He squinted his eyes, peering back into the darkness. “Tressa and I are going to enter the fog. We came by to see if you would come with us.”

Tressa and Connor waited while a deep, barking cough pierced the air. Tressa’s eyes widened, seeking out Connor’s. They both knew Geoff wouldn’t be coming with them. A wet laugh followed the coughing. “I’ll be dead by nighttime. This is exactly how it went with Brenna.”

Tressa wanted to take little Lukas with her, but she knew he’d already been exposed. It would only help the plague spread faster through the village. Leaving him with his father was the logical thing to do, but it wasn’t right. Her heart ached, thinking of the young boy who’d seen his mother die and could only sit by and watch the same happen to his father.

She glanced down at the boy, his big green eyes wide. “Come with us. I can find a place for you to stay.”

He shook his head, his brown hair flopping over his innocent eyes. “I can’t leave my papa. I won’t let him be alone. I saw how he took care of my momma. I want to do the same for him.” Tears welled up in his eyes, but he held them back. In many ways he was stronger than some adults Tressa knew.

“If you need anything,” Connor leaned over and whispered, “you can go to my cottage. My wife will take you in.” Connor knelt down and drew a little map in the dirt with an X where his cottage sat.

The child nodded. He looked back over his shoulder at his father. “If he dies, I will probably die too.”

It was a very adult statement for such a little one. Her resolve to leave the village only doubled. If there was any chance she could help, she had to do it.

“Hopefully not. You look strong and you’re not sick right now. I bet you’ll be just fine. Like me.” Tressa ruffled his hair. She wasn’t afraid to touch him. After all, she nursed Granna before she died, never even guessing her sudden illness would be so insidious or virulent.

There were too many unknowns, but it only made her want to work harder to find the answer.

“Tressa and I are going to find a cure, Geoff,” Connor shouted back into the cottage.

Another wet cough came from the darkness. “Even if I was healthy, I’m not sure I would have gone with you voluntarily. I heard last night that it had been cancelled. Brenna and I were going to celebrate as soon as she felt better…” His voice trailed off, followed by a gasping sound. The little boy ran back into the cottage, the door swinging shut behind him.

Tressa moved to push the door open, to try to help, but Connor grabbed her arm. “Don’t. There’s nothing we can do for him now. You of all people know that. The best thing for us to do is to get out of here and find out where the plague is coming from and stop it from spreading.”

Tressa gazed into Connor’s eyes, trying to figure out if this was what he really wanted. His emerald eyes focused on hers, not once wavering. She saw strength, determination, and fear. It was the last one that made her question him. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. When I see Geoff’s son, I can’t help but think of Hazel and my own little boys. This isn’t the ending I want for them. Even though going into the fog scares me, I’m willing to do it for them. Staying here is a death sentence. Who knows how many more people have been infected, or will be?”

“What if it’s already too late?” Tressa glanced back at the cottage as they walked away. She couldn’t get the image of that little boy out of her head. Alone and scared, but so brave. Did he even have a chance for survival?

“It’s not too late as long as people are still alive.” Connor didn’t need to convince Tressa with his magic. She knew his words rang true.

“So it’s just the two of us, then.” Her heart fluttered a little. She’d spent a year dreading it, had one night to be thankful she wouldn’t face it, and here she was back again to apprehension.

“No, it’s the three of us.”

Tressa spun on her heel. Bastian stood in the path behind her and Connor.

“You can’t go with us,” Tressa insisted. “You have a family.”

Bastian pointed at Connor with one finger. “He does too. And you’re more than willing to let him risk his life.”