"Jarrett!" Elinor laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? What did you see?"
Jarrett struggled to remain standing; his legs shook. Malachi had gone to a place none were allowed to venture. All residents of the Dragonlands, even the dragons, steered clear of it. It was an isle of death. An isle of no return.
"He went to the Isle of Repose." Jarrett look at Elinor. The horror in her eyes told him she knew why he was so concerned.
Elinor's hands fluttered to her mouth. "We cannot follow him there."
Bastian stepped up, Connor next to him. "We don't have a choice. It’s just an island. Why would anyone be afraid of it?" Bastian asked.
"You don't know, Bastian," Elinor said. "Only death awaits there."
"It doesn't matter. We must go," Connor said. "I will face anything to save my children."
"Will you look death in the eye?" Jarrett asked him, knowing the answer already. They were going whether he liked it or not.
Chapter Five
Tressa didn’t fight the wind blowing through her hair. It caressed her face like Granna did when Tressa was little and sick. A gentle touch on her cheek. A light kiss on her forehead. The winds in the south weren't violent or harsh as they were in the west. They were warm. Inviting.
Despite the changes her body was going through, Tressa felt relaxed for the first time in a long time. Fi had promised help, and Tressa would take the Black dragon at her word. Even though they'd only known each other a short time, Tressa felt like she knew Fi. Maybe it was the openness in her eyes or the unfaltering tenor of her voice. Tressa had been leery of new people since leaving Hutton's Bridge. Fi was nothing like all of the others.
Either she was who she said, or she was the most conniving of all.
After nearly a day of flying, Fi coasted over a dead forest. Tightly gnarled trees were scattered across the parched ground. Unlike the Meadowlands to the north, here there were no animals bounding below. Death reigned supreme. No wonder the other realms believed the Black dragons were all gone. No one could survive in this befouled land.
Dipping down between the trees, Fi landed on the cracked earth. Tressa slid off Fi’s back, her boots hitting the ground. She slumped to her bottom, woozy from the sudden change in altitude. Her ears popped and her eyes watered. She had hoped resting on Fi's back all day might restore some of her strength. Unfortunately she felt as weak as she had when she woke that morning.
In a puff of smoke, Fi stood before Tressa naked, the pack tied to her ankle. "Just give me a few breaths and I'll have my clothes on." Fi tossed Tressa a wink and pulled a black dress out of her bag.
Tressa wanted to see if there was any indication of Fi's wings on her back or if she sweat blood. Anything to make Tressa feel less strange and less alone. Instead, she looked at the ground, not wanting to stare.
"You can look now," Fi said. "Changing clothes is a learned skill. Usually I can change much faster, but I’m exhausted. I’ve pushed myself hard the last few days. Now, come. Soon we'll know exactly what's wrong with you. You'll figure out how to fix it, and whatever the solution is you'll learn to live with it." Fi held out a hand to Tressa.
She took Fi's outstretched hand, letting the dark-haired girl pull her to her feet. Tressa wobbled a bit, finding her footing. "How far do we have to walk?"
"Not far." Fi pointed between two of the trees. "See that cave opening?"
Tressa nodded.
"That leads to our home underground."
"I can see why everyone thinks your people are dead." Tressa ran a hand over the bark on a tree they passed. "There's no water. No crops. How do you survive out here?"
"You might be surprised when you see what the Charred Barrens looks like underground."
The two walked in silence toward a cave opening. “This is The Mouth,” Fi said when they arrived, sweeping an arm out to the side.
The great maw was shrouded in shadow, threatening to swallow them.
"Hold my hand," Fi said. "It's about to get very dark. If you don't know where you're going, you'll get lost."
Tressa took a deep breath, letting the darkness envelop her.
"Only a few more steps, Tressa. I promise." Fi squeezed her hand twice. "We can't light a torch quite yet. Someone could see from the sky. Occasionally the other realms send scouts to see if we are truly gone. It's an illusion we want to maintain."
Tressa looked to her right. Fi's eyes glowed in the dark. A bright sapphire. "Your eyes!" Tressa said. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"It helps me see in the dark," Fi said. "Usually when I'm in human form, I let my human eyes show. When I'm in the dark, it's easy to give in to a slight change so I can see better."