fog.
Udor knew the man next to her. Fenn. Tressa's father, Sophia’s grandson. Both of them had entered the fog years ago. They were alive? How many others were out there? Had they all survived? He suddenly felt very sick to his stomach.
"We've come to help," Fenn said as Jayne fell into her brother's arms. "We have friends who can save you. The soldiers headed this way aren't kind. They are coming to destroy you."
"I don't understand," Adam stammered. “Why—”
Udor wanted to say something, but he was too stunned. He felt completely out of control. Damn those three for doing this to him. He liked life the way it was.
"The men coming from the east are going to kill you. I know because they tried to kill us too, but we escaped." Fenn walked amongst the people, his old friends. Even Udor had liked Fenn before he'd disappeared into the fog. He'd always felt they were kindred spirits. "Turn your eyes to the sky. Your saviors are coming."
Udor, along with all of the townspeople of Hutton's Bridge, looked up. He stumbled backward, overcome by the sight of dozens of red dragons flying toward them. His hands shook and his bowels turned to water. "No. No more dragons."
"It's okay, old friend." Fenn placed a hand on his arm. "They'll fly you away to somewhere safe. I promise."
Udor nodded, staring into Fenn’s mesmerizing eyes. "Yes," he said, nodding. "We will go with you to your land of safety."
Udor felt the power coming back to him as the eyes of his people turned to him for comfort and leadership. "Don't be afraid. Fenn is an old friend. Many of you remember him as I do. We can trust him."
Udor swallowed the bile rising in his throat. It was the right decision...he hoped.
Chapter Two
The wind raced through Tressa’s hair, tangling it with airy fingers. She tossed a smile to Jarrett, who rode a black horse next to her. “I love riding!”
“Better not smile too wide. You’ll get bugs in your teeth.” He laughed, his mouth open, followed by a quick cough and a slight gag. He spit to the side. “Damn bugs.”
Adrenaline pumped through Tressa. She’d been afraid the first time she’d seen the horse, worried it would trample her bones under its hooves. Riding it was beyond anything she’d expected. If she closed her eyes, even for a moment, she had the sensation of flying. Then Jarrett would yell at her to open her eyes again.
He was too worried about her. Her instincts told her the horse wouldn’t put itself in danger and she wanted to enjoy the ride. Once they arrived in Hutton’s Bridge, she wouldn’t have the luxury of a smile. There was little time to find a safe haven for her people before the other dragonlords investigated – if they hadn’t already. She knew soldiers from Ashoom, where the blue dragons reigned, had to be close, if they hadn't found it already. She’d lived in the town for a long time without even knowing its proper name. Jarrett explained that everyone outside the Drowned Country called Ashoom by its proper name.
“Tell me again about your village,” Jarrett said through gritted teeth.
“There are only a couple hundred people. I don’t know for sure now. Since I left there was a plague and Bastian said many died in the battle to escape the fog.”
“And the honey. Where do they keep the honey?” Jarrett had asked the same question over and over again.
Tressa always gave the same answer. “In the apiary. It’s on the northwest side of the village near the fog. Well, where the fog used to be.”
She still had trouble believing the fog was gone. It had been an indelible part of her life. She couldn’t imagine Hutton’s Bridge without it. Bastian had explained it to her as best he could, through his injuries and the pain. He wanted to help, even if he couldn’t ride out with them. Tressa’s mind boggled at the thought of three magicians, bonded to trees, using their magic to keep the village surrounded by fog.
Months ago, she would have dismissed all of it as fairy tale. Now she’d seen too much. Anything was believable.
“Whoa,” Tressa said, pulling on the horse’s reins. The forest thickened up ahead. Trees grew together, tangled in knots, except for one spot where the branches were broken and sundered.
She pointed. “That’s where Bastian hacked through the forest. Where we met Stacia’s army. They were waiting for us.”
“Stacia was with them?” Jarrett asked.
Tressa