Dragonlands(250)

"Yes." Tressa gulped. It had to be a coincidence. "I do."

Blythe shrugged. "Anyway, that was a long time ago. I doubt she's still alive, torturing innocent men. She'd have to be positively ancient."

"Well," Tressa said, quickly changing the subject, "I should be off if I want to make it partway to the Charred Barrens before it’s too late. I'll be back soon with help."

"I hope so," Renny said. "We're a little anxious to have our lands opened once again."

Tressa jumped into the air, letting the borrowed shirt fall to the ground. She would take nothing from these people until she was sure she could help them. Besides, the less she carried, the faster she could fly. She needed to return to Hutton's Bridge before Bastian asked the woman in the tree to bring back the fog.





Chapter Thirty-Seven


Tressa landed in the village square at Hutton's Bridge in the dark of the night. She changed into her human form and took off in a run to her old cottage she'd shared with Granna, covering her naked breasts with folded arms. She quickly slipped into the cottage, closing the door behind her.

Moonlight bathed her old home in white light. Tressa pulled the wardrobe open, donning one of her simple gowns. She sat on her bed, dust puffing out of the mattress. Sneezing, Tressa pounded on it until the dust no longer burst forth. She lay down on the bed, letting exhaustion overcome her. Her heart slowed with each subsequent breath. Her eyes fluttered shut. There was nothing but the silence of the night.

Finally. Peace.

Until a fierce knock broke the quiet.

"Come in," Tressa moaned, her arm over her eyes.

The door rattled. "Tressa, it's me, Bastian. Open the door."

She groaned, getting up from the bed. She looked back at it longingly before opening the door. "I said you could come in."

Bastian and Connor pushed past her, closing the door behind them. "It wouldn't open," Bastian said. "Not for anyone."

Connor lit the candles with a burning stick he carried. When he was done, he shook out the flame and set the stick down on the table.

Tressa rubbed her eyes at the flickering light. All she wanted was a few hours sleep. "Can this wait?"

"No," Connor said. "It can't."

"Okay." Tressa sat on the bed, motioning for them to take chairs. If Connor said it was important, then it must be. "What's going on?"

Ignoring her gesture, Bastian rifled through Granna’s bookcases, pulling out books, flipping through them, and placing them back on the shelf.

"Isn't it a bit late to look for something to read?" she asked.

"No one has been able to get in here since you left," Bastian said. "Except once. Udor got in, took a book, and after that the door wouldn't budge."

"It's under a spell," Connor said. "We think your great-grandmother hid something in here."

"I know it's under a spell," Tressa said, stifling a yawn. "Jarrett told me that when we first investigated the village."

Connor glared at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, placing her hand on Connor's arm.

He yanked his arm away. "We couldn't get in. Only you could open the door. Now that you're back, we can search."

"Fine." Tressa rolled her eyes and settled back into her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "Close the door behind you when you're gone." She closed her eyes, but Bastian and Connor's sloppy search kept her awake. Tressa threw the blanket off and sat up.

"What exactly are you looking for?" she asked.

Bastian didn't look away from the bookcase as he explained. "The book Udor took from the cottage was missing a few pages. We need those."

"Why?" Tressa asked. She rubbed her eyes again. Exhaustion couldn't even begin to explain how she felt. Couldn't she get just one night of peace?

"The book told the story of why Hutton's Bridge was surrounded with fog. Yet the story wasn't done and the pages were missing. We need them,” Bastian said.

"It's history. Why does it matter now?" she asked

"Are you going to be here in the morning?" Bastian asked pointedly. His eyes locked with hers. "We didn't even know you were stopping here tonight. When Connor mentioned he'd seen a light in the cottage window, we came here immediately. If we come back in the morning, will you be here?"

Tressa pursed her lips. She eyed the two men who'd been her best friends her whole life, who now stood in front of her as strangers. She wanted to help them, but she needed sleep so she could find her way back to the ruins and ask for help with taking down the barrier around the Meadowlands. Then they'd have access to the armor too.

"Give me one good reason to stay."