Huffing out a breath of frustration, Jaax returned his attention to the small lodge. Since his ward was trapped inside, at least for the time being, he had forgone his usual nocturnal flights around the city and instead spent all the hours of the night wrapped around the cabin. This way, he could at least guarantee her safety some of the time. And should the enemy choose to strike after dark (the more likely possibility), they’d have to dodge his jets of fire first. In truth, he’d much rather have Jahrra sleeping under his wing as she’d done when they first fled Oescienne, but a comfortable bed was much more suitable for her injuries.
Dervit’s cheery laughter reclaimed the dragon’s attention, and he trained his gaze forward. Warm, buttery light poured from the windows, staining the muddy road a golden yellow. Up the street, a few citizens tramped through the melting piles of snow, bundled up against the cold as they made their way home. Jaax’s lip curled in derision, and no small amount of envy. He imagined their worries and concerns were far less troubling than his own, but that wasn’t their fault. Giving his head a slight shake, he turned his thoughts to the most current issue at hand, the one that had his every last nerve crackling with tension: Jahrra. There was so much he wished to say to his ward, but none of it sounded good enough to him. Don’t you ever terrify me like that again; I’m going to kill the regent’s son when I find him; You are no longer allowed to go anywhere without me from now on …
As much as he wished to keep Jahrra safe and sound inside an impassable glass jar, Jaax knew better. She was like that light spilling from the cabin. Her brilliance would shine right through the jar’s translucent walls, and then someone would notice and set Jahrra free. If she didn’t break the jar herself. Jaax almost snorted. The latter was a more likely scenario. Jahrra wasn’t the type of young woman who sat demurely inside a prison, her face pressed to the glass, waiting to be rescued. Not by a long shot. And as hard as it was to see her make mistakes and get hurt, trying to prevent them by interfering would only encourage her to be more reckless. If he’d learned anything during their time together, it was this.
Ready to abandon his own council, Jaax opened his mouth and called out, “Ellyesce?”
The chattering voices quieted, and a few moments passed before the door swung open. Ellyesce stepped out, holding the door ajar with one hand while the other clasped a stack of Astral cards.
“Jaax!” he cried with a smile. “Is everything settled with the regent?”
The dragon winced. “No, not quite. He still believes Keiron is playing us all for fools. I would have stayed longer, but I wanted to speak with Jahrra. Do you and Dervit mind giving us a moment?”
Ellyesce blinked, then nodded. “No, we wouldn’t mind at all.”
The limbit hopped down from his seat at the foot of Jahrra’s bed and followed Ellyesce toward the cabin across the street.
“Thank you,” Jaax said, settling down in front of the cabin so that his head was level with the open door.
Inside, Jahrra reclined on the small bed, her damaged leg looking swollen wrapped in its many bandages. A scene of her sprawled out on the ground, great blotches of red staining the snow around her, flashed through his mind. Jaax clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the image to go away. Eventually, it faded along with the bitter, hot taste of rage and fear rising in his throat.
When he opened his eyes again, Jaax found his ward’s grey blue gaze trained on him. Her arms were laced casually over her middle, and she seemed relaxed leaning against the mountain of pillows stacked behind her. But there was a tenseness about her, just under the skin, a hint of anxiety she fought to keep contained. Her long blond hair was loose and somewhat disheveled, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had lost a little weight, which was to be expected, but it made her look more brittle than usual. An angry red line ran from the inside of her ear down her jaw, stopping just under her chin. Her skin wasn’t broken, but someone had hit her hard enough with something (the flat of a blade, or perhaps a short length of leather rope) during the fight. Jaax’s anger boiled up again, but he forced it down. She’s alive, Raejaaxorix. She’s alive, and she will mend.
“How are you?” he eventually asked, his voice a rasp but audible enough to break the silence stretching between them.
Jahrra flinched ever so slightly, her lips drawn together in stubborn determination. Jaax imagined she felt vulnerable right then and was doing everything in her power to hide that fact.
“I’m fine,” she managed. “Well, except for my sprained knee and missing friend.”
To his surprise, there was no bitterness in her voice, something Jaax counted as a good sign.
“We are looking for him,” he countered. “In fact, I’m going to make one more sweep of the city and the surrounding forest before settling in for the night.”
Jahrra nodded, and turned her eyes away.
“I know you and Pendric are doing everything you can. Ellyesce filled me in.”
She lifted her eyes to regard him once more, the deep sadness, regret and even guilt apparent in her expression despite her attempt to hide it.
“Thank you, for making the effort” she whispered. “And, I’m sorry everything turned out this way. I only wanted to spend one last morning with Keiron. I never meant, I never suspected–”
Jaax shook his head and tightened his jaw. This display of vulnerability was so unlike his ward, it frightened him a little.
“No, Jahrra,” he interrupted. “This isn’t your fault. You did not make this happen.”
She drew in a deep breath through her nose.
“But my actions, my selfish, childish actions, resulted in this disaster.”
Jaax considered this, his brow furrowed in scrutiny. A few years ago, Jahrra would have stubbornly fought him on something like this, but now ... Now she was willing to take responsibility for her actions, even though what had happened wasn’t entirely her fault.
Understanding this was a rare opportunity to fortify the bridge they’d begun to build between them, he took a spare moment to consider his words, then said, “I am going to be honest with you, Jahrra.”
She shot him a look that was much more characteristic of her usual self. The Tanaan dragon almost smiled but managed to hold himself together.
“When Dervit came running up to me and Ellyesce two days ago claiming you had gone off to meet Keiron on your own, the first emotion that took hold was betrayal, swiftly followed by anger only to be entirely overwhelmed by fear. I felt betrayed because I thought you had forgotten about the promise you made to be careful around the regent’s son. I was angry for the same reason, but I was afraid because if Keiron had been who I thought he was, there was a chance I’d never see you again. Losing you would be the worst thing to happen to me, not because you are the one fated to overthrow the Crimson King, but because you have become my family. I have no one else but you, even with your tendency to drive me crazy on occasion.”
He gave her a reptilian smile, and the grin she returned was a bit wobbly. Jahrra sniffled and lowered her eyes, which had taken on a distinctive sheen.