Tressa took a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy for Jarrett to hear. She laid a hand on his arm. "You killed all but one of the dragon babies. According to Connor, Bastian, and Elinor, you were heartless. Bloodthirsty."
Jarrett walked away and looked out the window, his hands on the rocky sill. "I would want to kill me too." He turned back to Tressa. "Is there any chance they will ever forgive me?"
Tressa wanted to say yes. She wanted to assure Jarrett they could all move on from this. But she'd seen the look in Connor's eyes. He wanted Jarrett's head and if she didn't play things just right, there was a chance she'd be unable to stop Connor from acting on his rage.
"I'll be back soon," she said. It was all she could muster given the circumstances. She knocked on the door, then opened it. The guards stood ready, their swords drawn.
"It's okay," Tressa said. "I'm just going to scrounge up some dinner. Keep an eye on him, will you?"
The guards nodded and let her pass. Before Tressa closed the door, she saw Jarrett sink into the chair, weeping.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Tressa banged on the doors to Bastian's chambers. "Where is he?" she yelled, furious.
The doors swung open. Elinor stood inside, her arms crossed. Tressa looked over the healer's head and saw Bastian hurriedly putting on a pair of pants, his face flushed. She looked at Elinor again. The shoulders of her chemise were crooked and the ties undone.
"Bastian is right here, Tressa. What do you want?" Elinor tapped a bare foot on the floor.
"I'm not talking about Bastian," Tressa said, her face red as she dragged her hands through her hair. "I'm looking for Jarrett. I left him to get some food, and when I came back, he was gone. The guards were knocked out cold."
Elinor's eyes widened. She spun around and rushed across the room, grabbing a dress and pulling it over her head. Bastian tugged on a shirt.
"I cannot believe this," Bastian said. "Two guards should have been enough. Especially since everyone in the castle promised they'd leave him alone for now. Even Connor."
"It wasn't Connor," Elinor said. "If he said he wouldn't, then he wouldn't. Connor is the most honorable of us all.”
Bastian gave Elinor a strange look, one Tressa couldn't quite decipher. Whatever it was, she didn't care. She was beyond caring about Bastian's new relationship.
Tressa barreled past Elinor. "We have to find Jarrett. Something still has a hold over him. Until we can get him to a competent mage, he cannot be allowed around anyone other than us. He's too fragile."
"We'll help you find him," Bastian said. He glanced at Elinor.
Tressa fought back a snort. When she and Bastian were together, he had done as he pleased. He never looked to her for permission. This Elinor had quite a hold over him. Tressa wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was one thing if he was happy. It was quite another if he was under the healer's thumb. She shook her head. None of that mattered now. Only Jarrett.
"Yes, we will help," Elinor said. "But we have to deliver the children to Hutton's Bridge tomorrow. We will help you as best as we can tonight. That's all."
Tressa didn't want to search on her own, so she'd take whatever help she could get. "Thank you."
"Let's go." Bastian rushed out the room, Elinor on his heels and Tressa bringing up the rear.
They traversed the castle quickly to Jarrett's room. The two guards were sitting on the floor, woozy and a little embarrassed.
"What can you tell me?" Bastian asked, squatting down next to them.
The first guard rubbed his head. "I don't remember. I must have hit my head on the way down."
"Me too," the other guard said.
"Neither of them remembers anything," Elinor said. "Magic. Jarrett escaped on his own."
"Maybe," Tressa answered, joining Bastian on the floor. "Or maybe someone wanted us to believe that." She ran a finger along the floor. "See this scuff mark? It's heading into the room, not out. Someone did this. Were the two of you taken by surprise?" she asked the guards.
They exchanged glances.
"Well?" Bastian asked. His cheeks puffed out. Tressa knew that look. Frustration. Annoyance.
"Okay, fine," the guard on the right said. The other guard punched his arm, but it didn't stop him from confessing. "There was a woman with black hair. She ... she propositioned us. Told us to wait in the room next door. That she'd be right in. And we fell for it. We weren't here."
"What?" Tressa screamed. If they’d told her that in the first place, she wouldn’t have bothered Bastian and Elinor. She knew exactly who the guard was talking about.