“Elinor,” Bastian said, holding out a hand. “Come on. You know I had nothing to do with this.”
She spat on the ground at his feet. “I regret the day I volunteered to be the one to heal you. I thought you had some grand destiny. Otherwise, why would I have done what I did for you?” Elinor kicked at Bastian when he reached for her.
Connor wrapped an arm around Elinor, pulling her to him. “Let’s not judge so hastily.” Connor looked at them with sad eyes. "We managed to save one. I do not know if it was the egg I made with Stacia, but it doesn't matter. This is my child, and I will name her Vatra. She is now Fotia's sister."
The tiny dragon hobbled off of Connor's lap. One back leg was shorter than the other and her head bobbed to the side.
"She might be yours, Connor," Elinor said, calming down. She peeled a piece of speckled blue shell off the dragon’s leg. "If this shard came from her egg, then she is indeed yours. This shard matches your egg, the one we saw when we were in the cave near the Snake River. But she's not fully developed. I think it was too early for her to hatch." She reached out, patting the little dragon on the head.
"It doesn't matter. I will love her the same," Connor stood. "Now what? How do we get off this island? Do either of you know how to sail?"
Bastian looked to Elinor. She shook her head.
"You told me it was easy," Bastian said to her.
She shrugged. "I wanted you to believe in yourself. I know nothing about sailing."
"Then there's only one way," Connor said. "We fly out."
"Jarrett said the Keepers hate dragons. Horrible things happen to dragons on this island.” Elinor choked back a new round of tears. “Anyone who could do this to poor, defenseless babies..."
"She's right, Connor," Bastian said. "We can't let them kill you too. I won't risk it."
"We need to get out of here," Connor said. "There's no other way. Either we fly or we die."
Elinor rubbed her temples. "Fine. But we walk to the shore. Then you change and fly us out as fast as you can." She reached down, picking up little Vatra and cradling the dragon in her arms. Vatra cooed and licked Elinor's face. "She's just as sweet as Fotia."
"We should bury the bodies first," Bastian said, his eyes sweeping over the mess. "We can't leave this slaughter here."
Connor took a deep breath. "We have to. There isn't time. If we want to escape with our lives, we need to leave now. As much as it kills me to leave them here like this, we can't risk taking the time, especially since we don't have so much as a shovel. It would take too long to dig the graves with our bare hands."
Bastian rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Then we should be off."
Elinor led the way through the tunnel. They stepped into the waning light of day at the entrance. "My father's body is gone too. Just as well."
"What do you reckon took it?" Bastian asked.
Connor shrugged. "Who cares? The bastard stole my children. He deserves whatever he gets." He looked at Elinor. "I'm not sorry for feeling that way."
She gave him a weary smile. "I don't blame you."
The three walked in silence to the south, trying to retrace their original path back to the shore. Once they flew across the sea, they'd land in the Meadowlands.
They reached the shore sometime in the middle of the night. Water lapped peacefully against the sand, as if nothing evil had befallen the island.
Elinor gazed into the sky. "It seems safe." She cradled Vatra, asleep in her arms.
Connor nodded. He changed into a dragon. Bastian quickly hoisted Elinor and Vatra onto Connor’s back. Then he swung up behind them. Bastian wrapped one arm around Elinor's waist, pulling her close. With his other hand, he grabbed Connor's scales.
"No quick moves, Connor," Bastian yelled. He still wasn't sure if Connor could hear him in dragon form.
"I'm sorry again, Bastian," Elinor said as Connor gently lifted off from the shore, heading up and over the sea. "With everything that's been happening, it's hard to know who to trust."
He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't do more than sigh. "It's okay. It wasn't long ago I thought you'd betrayed Connor and the dragon eggs back in Ashoom. It seems we both have a lot to learn about the other."
Elinor stiffened against him. "I want to trust you. More than anyone I've ever known, I want you to be the one I can count on. I wish...there could be more for us."
Bastian didn't know how to reply. He'd given his heart once only to have it trampled on. All the other women he'd known had only been a distraction from Tressa. Now he could have anyone he wanted. This tiny woman in front of him, who'd so infuriated Bastian from the moment he met her, occupied more time in his thoughts than he'd like to admit. And now she had told him she wanted him.