“Put on the cloak,” Leo said, handing her the cloth. “If it’s too long, I’ll hack off the bottom. We can keep the surplus fabric to cover your face while we’re flying. Pull up the hood to conceal your hair and face.”
He planted the hat on his head and exchanged his pale brown tunic for the black one he’d pilfered from the washing line. “Just over the rise, there’s a field where I can shift. If we can get that far, no one will see me morph to a dragon. I’ll skim the tops of the trees until the castle is out of sight before we gain height. Let’s go.”
Leo set a brisk pace, and she did her best to keep up. The farmer spotted them and waved. Leo waved back but didn’t stop. Gwenyth’s breathing became heavy, and a pain dug in her side. Her face ached while her head throbbed in tandem. She recognized her pounding temples as a symptom of dehydration. With the evening’s excitement, she hadn’t collected drinking water.
She swallowed and forced her legs to keep moving. Time to rest once they reached safety. She’d find something to drink later.
The brow of the hill seemed miles away, the incline like a cliff. Sweat beaded on her forehead and under her clothes. She wanted to thrust aside the cloak, but she persevered. One foot after the other. One foot. The other foot.
Up ahead, Leo disappeared. Gwenyth made a push, fear giving her feet wings. He wouldn’t leave her. He wouldn’t.
Panic roared through her, her breath coming in hoarse pants as she crested the hill. Relief, big and bright, struck like a spear to her heart. Leo was there, worry etched into his features. He took half a step in her direction, his face creasing into a smile on seeing her.
“I’m coming,” she wheezed. “My legs are shorter than yours.”
He offered her a brief hug of apology. “Sorry, my lodestone,” he whispered. “We must keep moving. My parents and Nan want you to die in the arena. Since the fight takes place this evening, it won’t be long before they realize you’ve escaped and I’ve disappeared too.”
She acknowledged his words with a squeeze of his hand. “Lead the way and I will follow.”
“You look exhausted. Once we reach the safety of the trees, we can rest.”
“Will there be water?”
“You’re in luck. A stream passes through the clearing up ahead.”
The brief stop made resuming the trudge to safety even harder. Every muscle in her thighs protested while her head ached so much her vision blurred. She wobbled, caught herself, and managed another two half-strides before she dropped.
Leo cursed and returned. He scooped her up and set a brisk pace across an open field. The bubble of water reached her ears, her desire to dampen her mouth, and dunk her head into its coolness, forcing a moan past her dry lips.
“What’s wrong?”
“Thirsty and so hot and achy,” she whispered. “It feels as if I’ve caught the flu.”
“An illness?”
“Yes.” The croak of sound hurt her throat.
“Not far to go,” Leo promised and increased his speed.
Gwenyth’s eyes closed, and the waves of pain merged into one big ache. Everything hurt, and she drifted until Leo set her down.
“You must take a drink before we enter the trees, my lodestone. I have no vessel to fill.”
A blast of trumpets sounded in the distance. Leo stiffened as the blare repeated.
“Hurry,” he urged. “They’ve discovered us missing.”
When her brain refused to function, her body stalled in movement. Seconds later, mountain-cold water struck her in the face. She cried out, her eyes widening in shock.
“Sorry,” he whispered, his eyes full of apology. “Drastic measures.” He filled a cupped hand with water and held it to her lips.
The frigid water was the best thing she’d ever tasted. “I can do it myself,” she said and suited actions to words. She drank three hands full of water before Leo cautioned her to limit herself. Aware he was right, she drank one more before washing her face and neck.
“Gwenyth, we need to seek shelter,” he said, urgency lacing his words. “The guards will split up and fly in different directions.”
Nodding, she stood. “I’m ready,” she said and prayed it was true.
“Here’s what we’ll do. During our lovemaking, our scents combined, and you took on more of a dragon scent. That works to our advantage. We’ll mask your scent with mud and find a place to hide. Hopefully, a safe refuge where we can relax since the more we make love, the better chance we have of our followers thinking we are two dragons. The change of clothes will have helped too.”
