Hidden (Book 1) (25 page)

A bell rang in the distance,
awakening her from the edge of slumber. Men scrambled out of their beds. Feet
fell on the floor, echoing in the room.

“Get
up!” Jarrett yelled at Henry.

Tressa
slipped out of bed, not knowing exactly what was going on. “What is it?”

“We're
being summoned to
Stacia's
side. Something's
wrong." Jarrett glanced at Henry. He gave the boy a poke in the ribs.
"Get up!"

The
other men were putting on their armor, metal clanging on metal, ringing in
Tressa's exhausted ears.

She
pulled her armor from under her bed and tugged it on. She glanced at Henry out
of the corner of her eye. He was still human. After transforming in the back
alley the night before, Jarrett reassured her he'd change back before the sun
rose. They just had to stay with him and protect him until then.

Every
hour or two, she and Jarrett traded sleeping and keeping watch. Just before the
sun rose, Henry's form settled back into the one she'd known since the tournament.
They all stumbled back to their quarters, exhausted and ready for the day of
rest that had been promised to them.

Tugging
on her gloves, Tressa sighed knowing that rest was far from attainable. The
clanging of the bell only became louder, more insistent. Two of the men had
already left their quarters, rushing to
Stacia's
chambers to relieve the men who'd been there all night. They'd been promised
whores on their return, but Tressa had been relived to find they'd all cleared
out before morning.

Horny,
grunting men was the last thing she wanted to hear while she'd tried to grab
the last few moments of sleep. At least something went the way she wanted it
to.

Henry
rubbed his eyes, not eager to get out of bed. After what he'd been through the
night before, Tressa felt sorry for him. She didn't see him as the lazy child
she'd taken him for just hours ago. Most children went through a change as they
entered adulthood. Many times it lead to them making poor choices or having trysts
with others in the back of a barn. For Henry it meant pain. Exhaustion.
Confusion.

She
wanted to take the boy in her arms and hold him until the pain went away.
Tressa looked up at Jarrett. "He's not well enough to go."

"He
must," Jarrett said. "He'll cope." He reached over and pulled
the rough woolen blanket off of Henry's balled up body. "Up, boy. We have
a job to do."

They
were the last to leave the room. Henry dragged listlessly behind Jarrett and
Tressa's insistent tugging.

The
rocky walls blurred by Tressa. She ran as fast as she could without letting go
of Henry. He'd finally woken enough to be dragged out of bed. Jarrett had
splashed water on Henry's face and droplets still fell to his armor from his
hair. It had been enough, though.

A
determined
look
swept across his face. He seemed more
alert than Tressa had ever seen
him,
almost making her
wonder if she'd imagined his bizarre behavior in the pub the night before.

Henry
tugged his arm back, slipping it easily from Tressa's grasp. Truth was she
hadn't been trying too hard. He'd never offered resistance. She turned around
and glanced at him over her shoulder. Yes, he was definitely more in control
than ever.

"It's
part of the transformation." Jarrett whispered to her. They couldn't be
too careful in the palace. Ears were everywhere. "He's a good boy. Strong.
He just becomes weaker before, well, you know. I felt it was coming last night,
but wasn't sure. It's completely unpredictable until he learns to control
it."

Henry
jogged between Jarrett and Tressa, barely a puff of exhaustion on his face.
"Sorry I've been so childish lately. Sometimes it's hard to work through
the fire pumping in my veins." He winked at Tressa.

She
stared at him, her mouth gaping. Back erect, muscles flexed, and confidence in
his face had changed Henry from a petulant boy to a young man.

"I'm
embarrassed about my behavior during the tournament. I would have much
preferred taking a few heads myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling myself
that day."

It was
as if his voice had deepened overnight as well. It wasn't just the dragon that
was changing him. He was rapidly becoming a man.

"How
do we explain this?" Tressa pointed a thumb at Henry. "Until now he
was a simpering fool."

It was
Henry's turn to drop his jaw. "Was I that bad?" He looked at Jarrett,
who shrugged, a smile on his face. Henry turned back to Tressa. "Maybe you
can teach me a bit about being a man, seeing as you're so good at pretending to
do it."

She
looked at him again. Suddenly she felt she was the out of place soldier.
Henry's miraculous recovery from his illness was going to make her stand out
even more.

"She's
going to help us, Henry." Jarrett placed a hand on Henry's arm.
"Don't."

"I
was only kidding," he said, winking again. It was a gesture Tressa was
starting to hate. "You know that, right Max?"

She
nodded. They were close to
Stacia's
chambers. He'd
gotten the last word. It wasn't over though. She needed Henry and Jarrett to
make her plan work. They needed her help because during Henry's moments of weakness
Jarrett needed an ally.

"What's
going on?" Jarrett asked
Kelton
at the door.

"A
barrier has been breached,"
Kelton
said.
"She's furious. Pacing. Stomping. Screaming about war and blood and honey.
Isn't that the oddest thing? Honey?"

A pit
fell in Tressa's stomach. Honey. Hutton's Bridge had been famous for its honey
before the fog.
The barrier that kept them from the rest of
the Drowned Country.

Her
hands started to shake. Her people should be safe, still nestled within the fog
that had trapped them for eighty years.

She
felt cool steel. A sword. Jarrett had shoved it into her hands, giving them
something to do other than tremble. She would thank him later. Now she gripped
it tight, letting the hardness toughen up her fears.

"What
does she need us to do?" Jarrett asked. "Is there an imminent
danger?"

Kelton
shook
his head. "No. We ride out as soon as the horses are ready. We have a
battle ahead of us, men."

Henry
slapped his fist to his chest. "Finally, a real fight. I can't wait to
smell blood." His tongue slipped out and ran over his lips.

Kelton
raised
an eyebrow. "You're feeling better, boy."

"Yes,
I am. I feel like conquering the world. This is a great place to start."
Henry slung an arm around
Kelton’s
shoulder. They
walked into
Stacia's
antechamber together.

Tressa
watched them saunter away. As soon as they were out of earshot, she leaned over
and whispered to Jarrett. "You trust Henry?"

Jarrett
wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he kept his focus on Henry's retreating form.
"I have to.” He lowered his voice. “The truth?”

Tressa
nodded. Finally she’d learn the whole story.

“My
queen of the Yellow Throne demands her second son take the Blue Throne from
Stacia or be banished forever without water or a camel. I am his only guard. My
life is his."

Then
hers was too. He knew her secret and could expose her at any moment.
"Let's get this skirmish settled and then we strike the queen."

"Agreed."
Jarrett drew his own sword. "The boy should be able to control his form
soon. He will be ready to rule as soon as he does."

Tressa
felt there were more qualifications for being a ruler than turning into a
dragon, but it wasn't time to argue. She had to know who they were marching
against and why.

Tressa
and Jarrett followed the men into
Stacia's
chambers.
She sat in her throne, one blue leather clad leg hanging over the arm, a
spike-heeled boot swinging in the air.

"Close
the door!" She shouted to Tressa. "I don't need anyone else hearing
this. No need to cause a panic just yet."

The
door slammed shut with a thud. Tressa turned around. She had a feeling she
might need some extra support.

Kelton
bowed at
Stacia's
feet. "How can we serve you, my
queen?"

Stacia's
blue
eyes narrowed. She gazed at each of them in turn, as if she were weighing their
very souls. Tressa forced herself to breathe normally. In. Out. Evenly. She
would let nothing give her away.
Stacia's
eyes
lingered longest, not on Tressa, but on Jarrett. The side of her mouth curved
up.

"Each
of you has sworn to protect me. For many years now we've lived in peace in the
Drowned Country, thanks to the fog surrounding the ghost town of Hutton's Bridge.
It has made it very difficult for our enemies to travel the roads to our
kingdom. They can only land at our ports, which are heavily guarded by my
personal army."

Stacia
waved a hand in the air, her long fingernails tearing through the smoke created
by the cinnamon incense burning next to her throne.

"Everyone
here knows how important it is to maintain the boundary of fog. No one passes
through it and lives."

Tressa
swore
Stacia's
eyes blinked a few times too many.
They both knew some had emerged and survived. Stacia killed one and she didn't
know about Tressa's father's encampment. If Stacia wasn't willing to tell even
her elite guard about it, then Tressa had hope they could still succeed.

"But
today something has changed. The fog has fallen."

A lump
of air caught in Tressa's throat. She held her lips tight, refusing to let out
the surprise. She had so many questions, too many to ask without looking
suspicious. Her heart raced, but she continued practicing the breathing Leo had
taught her.

"I
need half of you to ride out with the army. Kill anyone who emerges."

"But,
your highness, there's no one to kill. The town of Hutton's Bridge only has
ghosts for residents. No one could survive in the fog," Edgar said.

Stacia
rolled her eyes. "I do not fear ghosts. Nor should you. You must protect
our borders from the other kingdoms. One of them did this, found a way past the
boundary. Ride out. Gather intelligence. Kill anyone who puts up a fight."

Five
men, all wolves, stepped forward in unison.
"We volunteer to lead the army into battle."

Stacia
briefly bowed her head. "I accept. Your bravery will not go
unnoticed."

The five
men left the room. Only Tressa, Jarrett, Henry, and two others remained.

"I
need the remainder of you as my private guards. I want two of you stationed
outside my door every hour of the day. No one comes or goes without my express
permission. You may assume we are at war. With who, I don't know. Until we have
that answer, trust no one. I want one in my chambers with me at all times. Two
outside my door and two to rest and then rotate in." Stacia pointed one
fingernail at Jarrett. "I want you with me first. The rest of you may
leave. Rotate in four hours."

Tressa
opened the doors and shuffled out. Her heart was torn. She desperately wanted
to ride out with the others and see if her town was safe. It was possible
they'd done something to collapse the fog. Or maybe it was Bastian and her
father. No matter who did
it.
Her people were in
danger and she was stuck defending the one person she wanted to kill.

"Let
Henry and I take the first rest." Tressa grabbed his sleeve and yanked.
"We only got in to our beds a few minutes ago. I can't stay awake and I'm
sure he's exhausted too."

Henry
nodded and flashed a brilliant smile. "Too many high class whores last
night. Not the nit-infested whelps you boys toyed with. See you in a few
hours."

The men
glared at them as Tressa and Henry walked away. She could feel their anger like
a knife to the back. They walked in silence back to their chamber.

"I'm
glad you're feeling better, but you don't have to be an ass about it,"
Tressa said.

Henry
raised his eyebrows. "I'm second prince in line to the Yellow Throne. I
can say what I want, when I want to. You're just a silly girl, pretending to be
a boy." He reached out one hand, grabbing at her chest. "I can't even
feel your boobs. You do have them, don't you?"

Tressa
knocked his arm to the side. "Don't ever touch me like that again or I'll
do more than block you."

"I'm
not afraid of a girl." Henry rolled his eyes.

"You
should be afraid of this one."

"Where
I come from, women are only for cooking, cleaning, and whoring. They are our
servants." He looked her up and down, disgusted. "They don't chop off
their hair or pretend to be men. They stay quiet and spread their legs when we tell them to. Admit it.
You want me, even now." He stood tall, his hands on his hips, golden hair
swinging just above his shoulders.