Tressa waved a hand. "I'll be over this soon enough. No more wasted time." She set her hands on the table. "Now, what's our next move?"
All eyes were focused on her. Some sad. Some sympathetic. One pair was narrowed. Connor. Though Bastian swore Connor didn't remember his past, Tressa felt he could still read her moods better than anyone. She tore away from his gaze and focused on Bastian. "Well?"
Bastian cleared his throat. “The children are in the courtyard playing with Hazel and a couple of the healers who have volunteered to help care for them. I think we should keep them here for now. Help them acclimate to their new life without their parents.”
Tressa ventured a quick glance at Connor. He seemed only mildly interested, as if he didn’t realize, or care, that his own children’s futures were in question. Bastian was right. Connor must not remember his old life. He had loved Hazel and his children more than life itself. Perhaps he had lost more in his transformation than she’d believed.
“I think that’s a sound plan,” Elinor said. “Does anyone else have a better idea?”
No one answered. Tressa wished she had something to contribute. It took all of her energy just to keep her eyes open.
"But there is another matter to consider too. Maester Malachi stole my eggs," Connor said, a fierce frown on his face.
A sharp trill caught Tressa's attention. Over Connor's shoulder a little turquoise dragon pranced around the room. That must be Fotia. Jarrett had told her there was a baby dragon in their midst and that Connor protected her as if she were his own.
"I need to say something." Elinor stood. She wasn't very tall. Much shorter than Tressa. She wondered if Elinor had pillows placed on her chair for her to sit upon. "My father..." she said, with derision, "is a greedy man. When I first suggested the arrangement to Bastian and Connor, that the healers would stand by Bastian’s claim to the throne as long as we had leave to study the eggs, I never thought he would go so far as to take the eggs away."
"And what do you think he'll do with them?" Bastian asked.
"It doesn't matter." Connor pounded a fist on the table. "I want the eggs back. My own offspring is among that passel."
"I know, I know." Elinor’s lower lip quivered. "I never thought he'd take it this far. Did you see what they did to me?"
Tressa raised an eyebrow and looked at Jarrett. He shrugged, also lost.
"Elinor was nearly tortured to death," Bastian said, his voice soft. "One of the other healers gave her his moon to heal her. Just as she did for me once before. Luckily she didn’t have to do it again in Malum."
For the first time, Tressa noticed the bandages on his arms from where his mother had dug her claws into him. He hadn't just been careful of Tressa’s condition when he'd visited her room. He had his own injuries to worry about.
Jarrett scratched his goatee. "Fi, are you willing to stay and help us?"
Fi nodded. Tressa spied pink streaks underneath her black hair. This girl certainly was a unique creature. Tressa wondered if Fi had been born human or dragon.
"I'm happy to help in any way I can. Although..." Fi looked at Tressa. "I think there should be another option. Back in my homeland there are healers who may be able to help Tressa. We should take her there first."
Jarrett nodded. "It's a good idea. The dragons of the Black used to be well known for their healing prowess. Before they disappeared." He chuckled. "We all thought your people were dead."
Fi's smile disappeared. "That's what we wanted everyone to think. We hid. Retreated into the bowels of the earth. Ran away like frightened children. Do you know, I hadn't even seen the sky until a few days ago?"
"How did you know to come to us?" Jarrett asked, confused.
Fi slapped her hands over her mouth and mumbled something.
The others looked at each other, perplexed. "We can't understand you," Bastian said.
Fi lowered her hands and whispered, "I was sent by my great-uncle’s mate. She sees things, knows things no one else does. She said you needed help. She told me where to fly and who to look for."
"Seems too easy," Connor said, "for someone who claims they've never been outside before."
"I'm brave. That's why I was sent." Fi shrugged. She turned to Tressa. "I really think we can help you, though. I've seen this before...and I think we have a cure."
Tressa rubbed her temples. She wished she felt better. She didn't want to seek help from a bunch of dragons who were so afraid they’d hid underground for the past eighty years. At least her people in Hutton's Bridge had tried to escape the fog.