Dragonlands(72)

Snores echoed through the room. It was the boy. Henry. She’d learned his name when she stepped up to spar with him, only to be pushed to the side by Jarrett. He was always at Henry’s side.

At first she wondered if they were brothers, but if they were, they did not share two parents. While Jarrett was dark skinned with ebony hair and goatee to match, Henry looked like a newly bloomed daisy on a bright spring morning. He was about as sturdy too. The boy swayed away from half-hearted thrusts, barely able to lift his own sword.

He reminded Tressa of herself on her first day of training. She could dispose of him in seconds if she chose. He was a waste. A disgrace to the Black Guard.

She’d sacrificed everything to be there. Left her lover. Lost her mentor. All she’d given and yet this boy entered the fold unscathed.

Her mind swam in a sea of thoughts, just on the edge of sleep. It was her favorite moment of the day. When her thoughts swirled and she could feel her body twirling as her muscles relaxed and she slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

Or she would have if something hadn’t touched her arm. “Are you awake?” the voice whispered.

Tressa didn’t move. Shift in the wrong direction and he might get a handful of her breast. She’d slipped the binding off before undressing and pulling on her nighttime shift. She had to let them down at some point.

“It’s me, Henry.”

Tressa held her tongue. What did the boy want with her? They hadn’t spoken more than a word to each other.

“Thank you.”

“For?” Tressa asked, remembering to disguise her voice. Though in a whisper, she wasn’t sure Henry would be able to tell the difference.

“For trying to fight with me and not treating me like a child.”

Tressa nodded, still unsure why he felt the need to tell her this now.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Tressa was about to ask that very question when a dark hand clamped over Henry’s mouth.

“It’s bedtime, boys.” Jarrett’s head peeked over Henry’s shoulder. “No more fanciful stories. We’re all equals here. We have no past. No future. All we have is in service to our queen.”

“Do you really believe that?” Tressa asked. Leo told her none of the guard felt that way anymore. It was all a power grab for their families.

Jarrett pushed Henry off toward his bed. The boy didn’t argue and skulked the rest of the way to his bed. He pulled the covers over his head and within a few breaths he was asleep again. Jarrett turned back to Tressa. “If you don’t, she’ll kill you. Her braid…” Jarrett trailed off.

A cloud moved across the full moon and for a moment, Tressa only knew he was there by his steady breathing.

“I know. I’ve seen what it can do.” Tressa’s voice trembled, despite her efforts to stay steady. Images of Connor’s murder flashed in the darkness. Moonlight erased them as the clouds continued their march across the sky.

Tressa jerked backward. Jarrett was much closer than she’d realized.

“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you’d better watch your back.” Jarrett turned, looking over his shoulder. “The men here would kill you if they knew what I know.”

Tressa concentrated on her breathing. In and out. Even. Steady. Not afraid. Her heart pounded erratically, but in the darkness there was no way Jarrett could tell. “What do you think you know?”

“That you’re here to kill Stacia.” This was followed by a long pause where neither of them spoke, or made a sound of any kind. “I am too.”





Chapter Forty-Six


The next morning Jarrett didn’t act any different. Neither did Tressa. She must have stayed up for another hour or two thinking about what he’d said. An ally was a good thing. But could she trust the man?

He guarded the boy, whose identity Tressa still hadn’t discovered, and he seemed close with a few of the other men.

What bothered her more was the assumption he’d made about her. Tressa thought back to every move she’d made since Leo sacrificed himself. What gave her away? It was also possible he was fishing for a traitor.

Instead of querying Jarrett, Tressa chose to go on as if nothing happened. If he told the truth, it would be apparent in time. He’d have to prove himself with actions. Though what those would be, Tressa didn’t know. Not until that afternoon.

Henry and Jarrett stood in the center of the ring. The afternoon air was cool and crisp, lit by a bright sun. A faint scent of ripe apples hung in the air, though Tressa hadn’t seen one yet. They were given meat at every meal. Presumably to bulk them up.

Henry jumped from side to side, his sword flailing in the air. Not one of his blows came close to landing on Jarrett. As far as Tressa could tell, he wasn’t even trying to dodge the tip of Henry’s sword.