Hot water washed over her stinging wounds, cleaning them of any infection. A squishy paste was applied to her back and linen wrapped around her chest. Tressa sat up, her mind still a little fuzzy.
"What were you thinking?" Fi screamed. "You could have gotten yourself killed."
Tressa thought back to her near-drowning. Perhaps it would be best to keep that to herself. "I’m sorry."
Fi grunted, then wrapped her arms carefully around Tressa. "Don't do that to me again. It's one thing to get hurt in battle, it's another to just take off in the middle of the night and come back injured. What happened?"
Tressa took a deep breath, gasping at the stabbing pain in her chest. Jarrett’s fireballs had hit her only once. If she hadn’t gotten away, she could have died at his hands. But part of her wanted to go back. What happened to his ears and why did he want to kill her? Something was desperately wrong. Her heart told her Jarrett needed her, but her mind told her to forget him.
"I went out on the beach," Tressa said. "Just for a walk and maybe a little swim. The waves pulled me out to sea and I started to drown." It was a lie, but she didn't want to upset Fi more. "Then I transformed into my dragon."
Fi tapped a foot on the ground. "And how did you get hurt?"
Tressa looked down at her bare feet. She wanted to tell Fi the truth, but so much of it didn’t make sense. She still wasn’t sure why she’d been so drawn to his call, and so hesitant to leave. Until she knew more, she would keep the details to herself. "I lost control and hit some rocks in the sea. Then I realized I shouldn't be out there alone and I flew back." The lies rolled off her tongue.
Fi looked up at the sky, the pink haze of morning barely creeping above the horizon. "We have to leave soon. Did you get any sleep?"
Tressa nodded. "Enough." Another lie. She hadn't slept at all. She was exhausted, but she knew if she admitted to it, they'd never let her ride into battle.
"Your chest will heal up soon enough, mistress," said the healer. “It was only a flesh wound. You’re a lucky girl.”
Tressa didn't know the man's name, so she bowed her head in thanks. Standing up wasn't painless, but she did it with a smile on her face. "I'll try to be more careful next time."
"There will be no next time," Granna said from behind.
Tressa steeled herself and turned to face her great-grandmother. "I will do as I please. If Fi agrees to let me ride with her, I will."
Granna's eyes locked on Tressa's. Her jaw was set, and her teeth clenched. "Tressa—”
"Don't." Tressa walked away. But guilt gnawed at her insides. She was angry at Granna for the lies she'd told and the secrets she'd kept all those years. Yet now Tressa was doing the same.
She wanted to convince herself that her reasons were far nobler. That she kept secrets out of love and self-preservation.
The same reasons Granna had given her when she'd tried to explain.
Still, Tressa didn't turn around. She didn't apologize. She didn't tell Granna she understood. Because she wasn't completely sure she did yet. What she'd kept hidden felt far more important. Besides, they weren't headed to the Isle of Repose. Jarrett couldn't hurt any of them from so far away. If their safety was in peril, she would have confessed.
At least that's what she told herself.
They prepared, ready to ride into battle. They'd storm the castle from the air, leading with the strongest attack dragons—those who had the hottest fire. Behind them would fly the dragons with riders. Tressa and her fellow warriors would drop into the castle and take on the humans. The dragons would fight it out in the sky.
Tressa bent at the waist, and was surprised how quickly her wound was healing. She didn't feel one twinge of pain.
"Our healers are very talented," Fi said, sneaking up behind Tressa and tossing an arm over her shoulder. "The dragon blood flowing in your veins helps too. We heal faster. A fatal blow isn't likely to heal up, but small ones are. It's definitely an advantage to being able to change. Our bodies respond differently to everything. Just wait until you and Jarrett meet up again." Fi winked. "Everything between you will be different."
Tressa offered Fi a weak smile. After what Jarrett had just done to her, she wasn't sure they'd ever be together like that again. He'd been Jacinda's lover for years. How had sex been different for him then?
Fi headed to the clearing where the other dragons were changing. "See you soon!" she yelled over her shoulder.
Tressa went back to their spot in the camp, pulling on the Red uniform. Someone had fetched it from the beach where she'd left it before the suicide attempt that resulted in changing into the dragon. She grabbed her sword. It was time to ride to battle—and for the first time, she wanted nothing more than to walk away from it all.