Bastian cracked a small smile at the corner of his mouth. Tressa smiled back, forgetting for a moment that he was no longer her best friend and lover. She knew that smile all too well. A sudden rush of jealousy swept through her, wondering if Vinya had seen it too, or if that was only for her.
Connor opened the door. Bastian walked out first, the smile wiped from his face. Maybe Tressa had only imagined it. He motioned for Tressa to follow him out. They were being overprotective of her, probably concerned someone would still blame her for the plague. Tressa stepped lightly, careful not to jostle her pack with Nerak hiding inside.
The crowd had dwindled. She glanced to the square. The only remaining body was the dragon. The three villagers had already been moved to their final resting place in the fog. Geoff’s wife was gone and he wasn’t far behind. Their son would make sure someone knew and could care for the bodies the way they deserved. It was unlikely they would be the only ones who would need such help.
A group of ten people stood to the side, off by the fog, near the town square. Tressa recognized all of them. Connor’s wife and two children. Three elders. Three villagers Tressa vaguely knew. Udor.
Instinctively, she reached back, touching her pack. Nerak had to be quiet around Udor. She feared what he would do to her if discovered. Through the pack, she felt the peck of the owl’s beak. Acknowledgement that it understood? Whatever it was, it would have to do.
“This is it?” Tressa whispered to Connor. Normally the entire village showed up to say goodbye to those walking into the fog. Often, everyone from Hutton’s Bridge offered gifts of medicine, jerky, honey, or anything they could spare. “Their gifts won’t be enough.”
“It’s never enough,” Connor returned. “No one’s come back, no matter how much they’ve received.”
“You’ll received nothing today,” Udor told them. “No one is willing to help you. We’re only here to make sure you leave. Death awaits you whether you stay or go, Tressa. Connor and Bastian, I ask you to reconsider.”
“No.” Hazel stepped forward, her hand on the shoulder of her toddler, another baby in her crooked arm. “I will give what I can.”
Connor enveloped his family in his arms. “You’ll do no such thing. Save it for yourself and the children.” He glanced around the village. “You don’t know when you’ll need it.”
“He’s right, Hazel. Take care of yourself and your children, just like we’ll do for ourselves out there.” Bastian set a strong hand on her shoulder. The look in his eyes was grim, but Tressa noticed he didn’t look around for his own wife and daughter. Her heart fell as she realized he must have assumed they wouldn’t show. Coupling didn’t always produce a loving life bond, but she couldn’t believe Vinya wouldn’t even come to see him off.
Tressa nodded, mute. There was no one there who loved her. She and Bastian didn’t have the caring words Connor was getting whispered in his ear. She kept her eyes away from Udor, not wanting to give him one moment of her precious time. There wasn’t much left. Instead, she chose to focus on Bastian’s back. If she couldn’t tell him how much she loved him before they walked through the fog to their deaths, she could at least spend her last moments memorizing every inch of him.
Connor broke away from Hazel. He made eye contact with Bastian, then with Tressa. “Ready?” Always the gentleman. Always giving them a way out.
“Of course.” Tressa shifted from one leg to the other, surprised how heavy the little owl was on her back. Nerak couldn’t have weighed more than a few pounds. Or maybe it was the weight of knowing she was about to face the unknown. A shiver raced through her body, ending in a cold sweat on her brow.
Bastian sheathed the sword he’d been carrying at his side. He looked over at the fog, then at Tressa. He opened his mouth, but then closed it before he could utter a word. Tressa yearned to tell him to say something, anything, but held back. They’d said everything they needed to say to each other, two years ago, on the first night of their coupling. She knew she hadn’t changed her feelings and by the look in his green eyes, he hadn’t either.
Udor’s laugh scratched at her ears. “What are you waiting for? Afraid? Don’t be. Just step in.” He shooed them with his hands.
Connor’s toddler reared back, kicking Udor on the shin. “Don’t talk to my poppa that way. Shut up you mean old man.”
Hazel held back a snicker behind the baby’s head. “Why don’t you leave, now? Let them go in peace.”
Udor sneered, turning on his heel he stalked away, followed by three villagers. Only Hazel, her kids, and the elders remained. One of the older women stepped forward, placing a hand on Tressa’s shoulder.