Jessica's Arc

Chapter 3 of 4

They reached the glowing tree at dawn. Jessica dropped at its roots and finally breathed. Golden pollen drifted down and settled on her raw hands. The cuts closed as she watched. The ache in her legs faded. But the tree could not solve her real problem. Forty people still sat in cells, and three ledgers could not break a single lock. Rowan crouched beside her. He had read his brother's name in the records an hour ago. He said nothing, but his fist had not unclenched since. "The guards will regroup," Jessica said. "Even with the truth, I can't reach the prison. Not against armed men. The ledgers free no one if I'm dead." Rowan looked past her. His face changed. "We're not alone," he said. She turned. A giant bear stood at the tree line, white fur shaggy, claws longer than her fingers. It did not charge. It lowered its huge head and sniffed the pollen on her hands. Behind it, more shapes moved. The tree had drawn them, the way it had drawn her. The pollen had done more than heal. Jessica lifted a stone the size of her head with one hand. It felt like a loaf of bread. She stared at her arm. "Rowan," she said. "Try to lift that log." He gripped a fallen trunk and raised it over his head like a stick. His eyes went wide. The tree's pollen had made them strong. Stronger than any guard. A shadow swept the grass. A black dragon landed near the bear, wings folding, smoke curling from its jaws. Jessica froze. But the dragon only watched her, waiting. The creatures of this place had gathered, and they were not her enemies. "They came for the tree," Rowan said. "Same as us. The magistrate's men burned near here. Hunted here." He set the log down. "These creatures have no love for him either." Jessica stood. Her plan formed fast and clear. "I can't fight forty guards. But look at us now." She flexed her hand around the stone. "We don't sneak the innocent out. We walk through the front gate and take them." Rowan nodded once. He climbed onto the bear's broad back without asking. The beast let him. Jessica gripped the dragon's scaled shoulder. It dipped a wing so she could mount. They crossed the valley by midmorning, a woman, a trapper, a bear, and a dragon. The prison gate stood ahead, guards shouting from the wall. Jessica did not slow. The dragon's fire tore the gate from its hinges. The bear scattered the men who rushed them. Rowan ripped the cell doors open with his bare hands. Forty prisoners stumbled into the light, blinking, free. Rowan found his brother among them and held him hard. Jessica stood in the broken yard with the ledgers against her ribs. The innocent were out. But the magistrate still sat in his seat, and now he knew exactly who had done this.