Chapter Fourteen

Loralie caught her breath at the thoroughness of his actions. Of course, strategy and soldiering were his stock and trade. He'd done this sort of thing before. She was the novice on this particular battlefield.

"I had no idea there would be that many people and dragons involved," she told him. "Are you certain this does not leave the enclave's defenses short staffed?"

Det shook his head. "Not at all. Luc and Shilayla are helping, and they're not even officially part of the Scouts or Guard anymore. Luc is just visiting from Valdis, but his skills are undeniable, and he says he's happy to help. Some of the others aren't technically part of the Scout or Guard corps. There's at least one seer pair on every watch and one mage pair. The Council decided on that course when they heard what the mages and seers had to say about the situation. I wasn't part of that discussion as it happened after I left, but I've been made aware of the reasoning behind it, and I agree. There's too much at stake here to leave any stone unturned."

"I see your point," Loralie allowed. "I just hadn't expected it." She felt emotion rise and felt oddly near tears. "I thought I'd have to do all of this on my own," she admitted, and she knew she wasn't entirely successful at hiding the feelings welling in her.

Det's arm came around her from the side. "You don't have to do everything all by yourself," he said, his voice gentle as a single tear escaped her eye. She stifled her emotions as quickly as she could. She would not cry. She would not.

Loralie paused a moment to get her wayward emotions under control. She took a deep breath and tried to speak normally.

"I've been alone most of my life," she reminded him. "I don't really know how to be any other way."

He was silent a moment before replying, still in that gentle tone that was nearly her undoing. "If things had been different," he said slowly. "If Gebel hadn't posed such a threat, and we'd been able to have a more normal relationship, you would know that, as long as I'm around, you don't have to be alone anymore, Lora. I would've had your back. Any time. Anywhere."

It was sweet of him to say that. "I would've liked to have a normal relationship with you, Det," she admitted in a whisper. "But circumstances were against us from the beginning. My duty to the Citadel. Your duty to your people. The legacy of magic that has made my life both exceptional and unbearable. It all conspired against us."

He tightened his arm around her and snugged her to his side. "I want so much to believe there was some good reason for all this pain, distrust, and sorrow, but I just can't see it," he said softly.

"Neither can I," she agreed. He was so warm and strong. She could stay at his side for the rest of her life and be happy.

"I loved you so much, Lora," he whispered, shocking her. She looked up to find him staring into the distance, his expression hard. She wanted to erase the pain from his face but knew she was the reason for it. She had caused it.

"I know it's not much consolation now, but I loved you too, Det," she admitted.

They'd been so free with their words of love when they'd first known each other, but now, it was so much harder. He looked down to meet her gaze, his blue eyes sparking with emotion.

"I know we can't go back in time, but perhaps we can move forward with less animosity and more understanding. I'm sorry I misunderstood your actions for so long. I didn't know the truth, and the conclusions I jumped to ate away at my soul. I didn't want to believe it…"

"And yet, you did," she finished for him, a sad note in her voice.

"I did," he agreed, dropping his head so that his forehead touched hers. "And I'm sorry for that. I have no real excuse."

"Except that we didn't know each other all that well," she allowed. "We still don't, Det. This thing between us has always defied logic."

"I know," he agreed softly. "When I'm around you, logic flies out the window and doesn't look back. It always has."

Little butterfly wings batted at her midsection from the inside as he shifted her into his arms so that they were face to face and both of his arms were around her, holding her close.

"I'm not sure that's such a good thing," she told him, little alarms in her mind being drowned out by the butterflies in her stomach.

"How can this be bad?" he asked, his lips rubbing against hers a moment before he sealed their mouths together with a kiss. A first kiss. A kiss of long-lost lovers. A kiss that turned passionate from one second to the next.

"Young Michael has a report that cannot wait." Gren's voice came into Detlif's mind, jarring him out of the bliss of kissing Loralie for the first time in years.

"Really? Now?" he thought back, furious at the interruption of the first real pleasure he'd had since the last time he'd made love to this maddening, infuriating, beautiful woman.

"Yes. I'm sorry. They're coming to you in person. I thought you wouldn't want to be caught necking like a teenager with a woman many of your people still consider an enemy."

"Damn. Thank you, Gren." Det ended the kiss, little by little, pulling away from the sweetest woman he'd ever known.

Loralie seemed oblivious to everything but their kiss. She tried to follow him, but he held her back.

"Lora, sweetheart, we're about to have company," he told her gently, loving the dazed look in her pretty eyes. She'd always been very responsive to his every touch. It was good to see that hadn't changed.

"What?" She was slow to wake from the dreaminess of their kiss, which made him feel about ten feet tall.

"One of the watchers is coming here with his dragon partner to speak with us. Gren warned me," he explained.

"Oh," she said, then realization dawned. "Oh!" She drew back from him and straightened her hair. His fingers had been playing through the wavy blonde strands, and she put them back in order.

He would've tried to say more, but the dragon and her heartmate arrived on foot from behind the curve of the mountain slope. The dragon was a young one, as was her partner, who was here because of his mage power, not necessarily his fighting skills. Michael had one very special ability that most of the mages in the enclave didn't fully understand, and he'd been using it to spy on Gebel and company. Michael could hear remotely.

Nobody understood just how it worked, but it had been tested extensively by the mages in the enclave, and it was real and accurate. They'd sent Michael here to see if he could listen in on the manor house, and apparently, he'd had some success.

"Forgive me for intruding, Captain, milady." Michael nodded to Det and Loralie in turn. "Jiri said you need to know this as soon as possible, so she flew me directly to you rather than wait until the set time for reporting."

"It is well, Michael. What have you learned?" Det said, hoping to put the nervous young man more at ease.

"I started by listening in on the guardsmen at the gate to the manor as a test since you said the lord of the manor was a mage. I'm not sure if he could detect my kind of magic or not, so Jiri suggested I start on the outskirts and work my way closer." The young man looked at his dragon, who sat at his side, and back again, as if for encouragement. "So, I started with the men on the gates and worked inward. They're not a very nice bunch of men," Michael stated, showing his youth and inexperience with the world in that short statement. He'd lived all his life in the enclave and had never really interacted with anyone other than the fair folk there.

"Go on," Det encouraged him, trying to tamp down his impatience. Michael and Jiri were both very young for a mission like this, but their skills were undeniable.

"The gate guards were discussing how much they hated shoveling snow at first. Then, the conversation turned to why they were so keen to have a path through the mountains clear. They're gearing up for an assault on the enclave." Michael's voice rose in pitch as he revealed the distressing news. "In two days, they've been told they will be marching right up to the Veil."

"But the Veil is impenetrable," Loralie said, shaking her head. "What do they hope to accomplish?"

"Once I realized my magic hadn't been discovered, I moved to another group that was closer to the manor. I listened in on the garrison commander briefing his officers. Apparently, the mage, Gebel, has told them that he can get them through the Veil. And while they overrun our homes, he will be opening the Gate," Michael reported.

"It's worse than I thought," Loralie murmured, seeming shocked.

"No, this is good actually. We now know when he plans to move, so we can preempt him," Detlif stated, his eyes narrowed in thought. "We'll have to move fast, but if we move tomorrow, we can stop him before he sends his troops toward the enclave. We pick the battlefield and take the fight to him at the manor rather than let him try to cause chaos among our homes and families."

Loralie looked at him, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. He didn't like that expression at all, but he couldn't do much about it at that moment. Instead, he focused on the things he could do.

"Michael," Det turned to the young mage, "I need you and Jiri to go back to the Council and tell them what you've heard. Then, I want you to talk to the mages about the plans we've already put in place to defend the Veil, just in case something goes wrong."

"Yes, Captain," Michael replied without hesitation. He was really very young, but he seemed eager enough and willing to follow Det's orders.

"Grennulf will be in touch with the other dragons. You can tell the Council that he and I will remain here, but we'll be in communication with all needed parties as we make plans." Det was already thinking of the help he would call in to keep watch overnight.

He had to sleep sometime, and he fully intended to be in that cave with Loralie from sundown to sunup. He wouldn't let her sneak out to go after Gebel all alone as he half-suspected she might, given the chance. Det would keep an eye on her, making sure they were all playing by the same game plan the next day. This was too important to mess up, and he didn't trust her not to go off on her own.

She was too used to always doing everything by herself. Now was as good a time as any for her to learn that she needed to share her burdens with him. If they were going to have any sort of relationship after this confrontation was over—even just a cordial friendship—then she was going to have to learn that lesson, once and for all. It seemed like now was the time to start.

Loralie watched the young mage with the unique talent walk back the way he'd come with his dragon. She had no idea when they went airborne since they did it around the side of the cliff where they wouldn't be seen from the manor. Or her vantage point, as it turned out.

Loralie had been surprised by the way the young mage deferred to Detlif. When she'd known Det before, he'd already been Captain of the Guard, which meant he got respect from other soldiers, but she hadn't realized that would extend to mages. She wondered idly if others in the enclave of fair folk treated him the same.

Once again, she realized that she didn't really know that much about his everyday life. She wondered if she'd ever get the chance. She thought probably not. First, she might not survive the confrontation with Gebel, but even if she did, she then would have to deal with the threat Skir posed in the Citadel. Either way, she was a goner.

Aside from all that, she knew he didn't trust her. She had given him precious little reason to do so. She didn't blame him. And despite that stunner of a kiss they'd shared a little while ago, she doubted he'd give her the chance to get to know him better, even if she tried. At least not consciously.

But she found she really did want to know more about him and his life. Why did a mage defer to him the way Michael had? Even Michael's dragon partner had seemed a bit in awe of Detlif and Grennulf. What was that all about? She wanted to know.

Especially since tonight might be her last. Fate had decided for her. Tomorrow, she would face Gebel in the confrontation she had sought for so very long. Tomorrow, she would kill Gebel or die trying.

Which gave her a freedom of sorts. She would ask questions of Det and seek to know more about his life while she had the chance. She wanted to get an idea of how Petr had lived and how Penny would grow under her father's influence. But she had to be crafty about it. Det wouldn't respond well to direct questions, she thought. He didn't trust her enough not to have some ulterior motive behind a direct question. So, she'd have to be crafty and find out what she wanted to know in a more roundabout way.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, peering over the top of the boulder, resuming her watch of the manor house for lack of anything better to do at the moment.