The moment I step outside, I realize how lost I am. The buildings all look the same, and I struggle to remember the shape of the hospital.

"Excuse me," I say, running to the first person within reach. "Please. Please, can you—"

I chase after the woman, only catching her attention when I grab a corner of the large laundry bag she has slung over her shoulder.

"Excuse me, I—"

"Did ya not hear that scoundrel?" Her question is a seething hiss. "Three days. Get to work or get outta the way."

She tears the sack from my hold and continues down the road.

I look around, seeing people of all shapes and sizes with the same expression of resolute exhaustion on their faces. With a curse on my tongue, I run up the street, hopeful I'll see something familiar, eventually.

After a few blocks, my legs and core remind me how much strain they've been through. They tighten from the exertion and each fresh step feels like a monumental stride.

I rest against a lamppost to stretch my calves and take the weight off my feet.

How are we supposed to flee when I can't run for more than half a mile? And if that's all I can manage, what hope does Cephias have of doing any better?

These questions only make the striking pain in my muscles worse. However, the anxiety focuses my survival instincts, and I spot a tall tree rising over some nearby buildings. Considering how few trees are in the heart of town, there's a good chance it's the very tree that hosted my songbird from this morning.

With a target in sight, I force my feet forward and head on a few more blocks before finding the three-story hospital building on the left side of the road.

"Miss!"

I've yet to give my name and I doubt the tight-knit community would refer to each other in such a way, so I know Eleanor's call is directed at me.

"Ms. Eleanor, I came as soon as I could. The bandits—"

"Did they see you? We couldn't hear from here. There was just a bunch of commotion and then we heard people shouting orders to gather food for delivery as they ran by. We thought that must mean they didn't see you, but we couldn't be sure..."

She trails off, her hands wringing the hem of her apron.

"Mr. Tomas practically threw me over the bar counter when he heard them coming."

"Bless that old man's soul," she says with a sigh before ushering me through the door. "Had they seen a fresh face, they'd suspect you had something to do with the dragon."

"They...they would?" I try to keep my voice even, hoping she'd attribute any disruption to my progress up the stairs.

"Don't take this personally, miss, but you being at the very spot a dragon falls... It's a bit suspicious. Especially seeing as the dragon fell after fighting another one. No one's seen dragons fighting since some rumored conflict a couple decades ago. It's all a very big coincidence."

"O-oh?"

However, she has no time to elaborate on her thoughts. We both stop dead in our tracks upon reaching the third-floor landing.

"Cephias!"

I don't know if the doctor is in the room. I don't know if Eleanor follows me. All I know is that his garnet eyes are open and flashing with fire.

If my muscles are rebelling against me, I can't feel it. I cross the room in a few strides before sweeping down to his side and planting my forehead against his.

"I wasn't sure if this time was it," I say through trembling lips and hiccups of air. "I thought maybe this time we'd gone too far and there'd be no coming back."

"There is no going back now."

His words are barely decipherable raspy breaths. I can feel the heat of his pain and regret on the side of my cheek. When I pull away, I realize the fire glinting in his eyes isn't from desire or stubborn resolve. It's from frustration, heartbreak, and defeat.

"So he does speak," says Lara with the boisterous volume of a crow. "He's been awake for the past fifteen minutes and tight-lipped the whole time. Now that he's talking, maybe he'll tell me your name since you won't."

There's a bounce of humor in her voice, as if the teasing is meant to lighten the air.

"Tali... My name is Tali."

Cephias draws in a deep breath. He doesn't add to my answer, just tilts his head with his eyes locked on mine.

"Well, he woke up as I was dressing some of his other wounds. Everything is all wrapped up now. However, I'd like to remind the both of you he shouldn't be moving around a lot or getting worked up in general. If you catch my meaning."

I suspect I do, but the warning is unnecessary. As much as it hurts to admit, the man looking back at me is one I recognize. He's the same one that greeted me when he woke up after our encounter with the bear.

I wonder if he realizes that, this time, I didn't endanger us by choice.

"Okay, well..."

"Lara, Ms. Tali was at the tavern when Dread came. She brought some word. Let's go downstairs to talk about it."

Eleanor's voice is a soft sweetness that smooths the blunt gruffness of the doctor. It eases some tension I'm still holding in my shoulders, but does little to cool the air between me and my dragon.

"Right. Take it easy. Both of you need to rest. I'll be back in an hour or two."

Eleanor guides Lara out the door and down the stairs, leaving me alone with the fire lord.

"Cephias..."

I don't know how to make this better. I had hoped he'd wake up and wrap his arms around me, holding me as tight as he did when we were plummeting to the ground. It's selfish, but I needed him to tell me he was okay and that we'll get out of this.

However, no matter how mighty the beast, the heart is fragile. His strength and fire cannot mend the wound Irving, and maybe even I, have rendered.

"Where are we?"

His words are flat and his eyes steady.

"Um, it's...it's a town called Vernon's Glade. We're somewhere near the city of Vidalia."

"A human town?" His question is a growl and his eyes look away. Perhaps some part of him knows he's being unreasonable.

"Of course," I say with a huff, "what else could it be?"

He doesn't answer.

"Cephias, these people saved us. There's no way I could've carried you out of the forest in either of our conditions. They've taken us in, asking nothing in return."

"Not yet." His eyes find mine again and though I want to snap back, I can't say he's wrong. I don't know these people well enough. Still, something tells me he shouldn't fear them.

"They're good people, Cephias. We owe them our lives."

"Lives that were put in jeopardy by you."

I recoil as if he stabbed a dagger into my heart.

"That's not fair, Cephias. Irving was the one that took me away from the castle."

"And did you fight back?" The words snapped his jaw, his teeth showing like a threat. "You let him take you just like you let your parents. Your family is determined to ruin mine."

For a moment, my mouth hangs with the words I cannot form. There are just too many emotions swarming to my tongue at once.

"I made a decision," I finally say, "that I thought was best for your people. Just as you made the decision to chase after Irving instead of staying to defend your people."

My words are firm, and Cephias's head bows before turning away. Even to my ears, I sound unflinchingly unapologetic, however the forcefulness is only to stop the trembling pain building inside my throat.

"At the end of the day, Cephias, I did not choose any of this. I am simply doing what I can with what I've been given." I pause, but he does not turn to face me. "I want to help you. We can find a way back to the castle and save your people if we work together."

"It's just that simple, is it?" Now his eyes are back on mine and I stumble against the fierceness. His voice is rough and I fear our hosts may hear Cephias through the floorboards. "For all I know, my people are dead and there's no one left to save. Irving has everything that matters to me now."

"Ah," I say, breathless. "Then you lied to save me."

"What do you mean I lied?" His tone reminds me of my petulant little sister still wading through her teen years.

"When you said you loved me. That was a lie."

Now his face shifts, if only by a fraction. His brow rises, the corners of his mouth fall, and his eyes soften. Yet still the anger and animosity remain on the surface.

"Why do you believe it was a lie?"

"Because everything that matters is gone—according to you, at least."

"You say that as if I matter to you." Despite the bite in his voice, I see the glint of hope in his eyes.

I shake my head. His attitude is simply unbelievable.

"Of course you matter!" My words are hot, but I bite back the volume in a desperate attempt to keep our secret hidden from those lurking below.

"You, Jennit, Andre, Killian, all of you matter. I sacrificed myself to Irving's claws because I wanted all of you to have a chance to fight back. You will need humans to do that. Perhaps allowing Irving to kill me would have made the process harder, but people will notice the stark differences in your appearance. You could eventually sway them to see you are not the same."

I pause to catch my breath and though he struggles to hold my gaze, he at least dignifies me by not turning away like a coward.

"There have been so many times I've wanted to lose hope, but I've made it out alive every time. And many of those times have been thanks to you."

My voice softens and my heart swells. His red eyes hold mine and for a moment, I want to catch his lips and close the world away.

"It's my turn now, Cephias. It's my turn to give you hope, but you have to let me. If we get to Vidalia, we can take the train to Kaledio. Then we can meet with the caravan and together we'll retake your castle."

His bruised chest rises and falls with each breath. His nostrils flare with the effort, his lips pinched too firmly to let air out.

Finally he speaks.

"It won't be—"

"Easy? Yes, we've already covered that. It will be even harder than you know, considering bandits rule the woods surrounding this town. Especially since they plan to storm the place in three days, looking for a dragon the villagers don't have."

Now he sits up higher, though he still doesn't have the strength to hold himself up completely.

"What?"

"That's what Eleanor was mentioning to Lara before they stepped away. The bandits came to town demanding the people hand over your remains—or the dragon's remains at least. Both the bandits and the townsfolk saw you fall from the sky. That's why they found us in the woods as quick as they did."

"Then they know—"

"No, they don't." I cut him off and press a hand against his good shoulder so he sits back in a more comfortable position. "I told them we were lovers that ran from Vidalia. My father didn't approve of a peasant like you, so we eloped instead. Unfortunately, we got lost in the woods and then we were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And they believe that?"

"For now, they don't have a reasonable alternative. They are suspicious, but I guarantee you the idea that a dragon could transform into a human is not one they'll consider." I then look over at the doorway leading to the stairs. "Well, at least most of them wouldn't consider. The doctor though..."

I shake my head back and forth, unable to decide how I feel about the brusque woman.

"We need to leave. Immediately."

He tries to get up and this time I'm less gentle when I push his shoulder down.

"And how do you suppose we do that? I'm not nearly as injured as you are, yet my legs gave out simply covering the distance between here and the town tavern. You can't evade an army of bandits as you are."

"So we wait here until they figure out who I am and sacrifice me to these brutes?"

"No. You rest and you let me do what I've proven to be at least marginally good at."

"And what's that?" He asks with an almost playful bounce to his words.

"Find an escape route. We have three days. Let me handle this for once."

"So far, your escape plans have landed you under my bed, outside my study, and into a bear's claws. You can't blame me for being skeptical."

I see a shadow of his smirk, though fear and frustration still reign supreme upon his face.

"Do you have a better idea?"

He actually gives it a moment of thought, but is smart enough to recognize a lost cause.

"No, I don't."

"Then shut up and rest. We both need our sleep."

I give my command with a slight smile despite the fact my heart is still breaking over his words.

If this is love, I want no part of it.