Chapter Nineteen

Loralie staggered under Gebel's attack but rallied a few moments later, launching her own magic at him, hoping to pierce the veil he had put up around himself. It didn't dissipate on the first volley, but she thought she could detect a weakening in his shield that she aimed to exploit. Gathering her energies while she just barely avoided his next volley, she aimed her shot as carefully as she could. Each round of strike and counterstrike sapped her strength a bit more.

The same would happen to him too. Or, at least, it should. Her greatest problem would be if somehow Skir had gifted Gebel with the knowledge of how to tap into forbidden realms of energy. If he could do that, he could simply outlast her, even with his inferior level of skill. Each time she struck at him, she was using her own energies and those she could gather from her environment, including the powerful rays of the sun, but that was it. She could not tap into hidden realms the way it was rumored some sorcerers could. Such things were forbidden to those who tried to stay on the side of good and not do evil.

While many might think she had already crossed over that line long ago, Loralie knew that despite what she had been forced to do, she had never had evil intent and had never used forbidden magics. That was something she would never do. Not even if it meant winning over Gebel. For if she cheated just once, she would be forever tainted by evil, and that she could not bear.

She was so focused on Gebel and gathering her power that she almost jumped when Leasharra let loose with a stream of fire over Loralie's head. A flash of fire, and then, a bunch of men ran away screaming. Loralie could only assume they'd been setting up to attack her physically while she battled Gebel magically.

It might have worked. If she allowed herself to be distracted or even wounded by the physical attack, Gebel could get in a lucky shot magically. Thankfully, the red dragon was with Loralie, and she would never forget Leasharra's bravery.

"Thanks, Lea," she thought quickly, even as she lobbed her next attack at Gebel's shield.

"You're welcome," Leasharra answered a moment later. "He appears to have a very solid barrier," Leasharra observed, her tone musing. "I wonder if it would stand up to combined dragon fire and mage fire?"

The dragon's words stopped Loralie in her tracks. She had never considered it, because she'd never thought she would have a dragon's help in this battle, but it just might work. Dragons were intensely magical. Their flame was both physical and magical in nature. It could tip the balance.

"If you're willing, we could coordinate our attack and see," Loralie ventured.

"I bet it will work," Leasharra said unexpectedly, making Loralie smile.

"I'll take that bet," Loralie answered, already gathering a different kind of magic from the rays of the sun shining high overhead. It was high noon. A perfect time for the kind of attack she had in mind. "If this works, I will give you anything within my power to give," she promised, sort of half-joking and half-serious.

"Good. I will remind you of that when we are done here," Leasharra answered, sounding very serious indeed.

Loralie paused for a moment. Had she just made a critical error? She didn't have time to worry about that now. Leasharra was counting down in her mind until their combined strike.

When the dragon flamed, Detlif had to look away. He sensed it was more than just dragon fire being thrown at the enemy mage. There was more to it. Det thought perhaps the dragon and Loralie were acting in concert. Combining their considerable powers, in an effort to overwhelm Gebel's defenses.

They poured on the power for long minutes. While he couldn't look directly at the fire, he could look at the dragon, and the woman standing just in front of her. Loralie's red dress shone through the flames, her blonde hair flying in the winds whipped up by her magic. Her hands were upheld, palms outward, as magical power poured through her toward her enemy.

Det couldn't look at where Gebel had stood. The light was too intense. But he noticed when Loralie's hands dropped, and her shoulders slumped with fatigue. Leasharra's flame ended shortly thereafter, and Det's gaze shifted to the enemy mage.

His bubble of protection was clearly gone, and his robes were on fire. He beat frantically at them, doing a sort of frantic dance that made him look pathetic. Faced with that image, Loralie couldn't bring herself to kill him outright. Instead, she summoned one last bit of her power, directing an energy bolt at him that knocked him flat. The flames had been put out by the magical blast, and Gebel was unconscious. Muttering a sacred incantation, Loralie added the final touch.

She encased him in a block of magical ice. Imprisoned.

Loralie wasn't sure where the knowledge had come from. She was startled at the results. Never before had she been able to conjure magical ice. She didn't even know if human mages could replicate the great feat of the wizards of old, but apparently, she could. She just had. Gebel was in a block of ice, sleeping the sleep of the imprisoned. Just like the ancient wizards. Just like Loralie's mother.

Amazing. She would have to examine later where the knowledge had come from. She knew the spell wasn't something she had ever come across before in any book of power she had managed to read. Unless it was some sort of hereditary knowledge that came to Guardians when they needed it most. That seemed unlikely, but she had no other explanation for what she'd just done.

Det's warriors who were close enough to see what had happened cheered. Word spread quickly through the enemy forces, and more of them surrendered, hastily putting down their weapons. Some of the diehards who had been inside the house with Gebel continued to fight but were quickly dispatched or beaten into submission.

Loralie leaned heavily against the dragon at her back. She was spent. Her magic used up for the moment. She could do no more until she'd had some rest, but Gebel wasn't going anywhere. It would take a highly specialized spell to release him from the ice, and Gebel couldn't do it, even if he knew how. He was frozen solid.

Loralie sighed heavily. For all intents and purposes, the battle was over. She and Leasharra had bested Gebel, and Det's forces had prevailed against his soldiers. All that was left was the cleanup.

Det wanted to go to Loralie and make sure she was all right, but he had work to do first. He saw her lean against Leasharra's side, clearly tired both magically and physically, but Leasharra was standing strong and would protect her. Still, he had to make sure.

"Leasharra?" he sent tentatively to the red dragon.

"Yes, Captain," she answered, sounding just a little tired to his senses.

"Are you able to watch over Loralie? I can detail a warrior pair to help, if you need it."

"That will not be necessary, but thank you for your consideration," she answered politely. "As soon as she can get on my back and has enough strength to hold on, I will fly Loralie to the cave, so she can rest. This battle may have gone more quickly than I expected, but it took a great deal of magic. Loralie will need some time to recover."

"Thank you, milady, for looking after her. As you can imagine, I have my work cut out for me figuring out what to do with those who surrendered. We will have to relocate them someplace where they can do no more mischief. Then, we will need to deal with the manor house—once it has been thoroughly searched. And I'll have to talk to Loralie about that block of ice."

"Gebel is alive but contained. He sleeps the sleep of the Citadel. You can leave him where he is for now. This ice will not melt. I, or one of the other dragons, can transport him when you decide where we should bring him." Leasharra paused a moment, then continued. "I don't know if it was Loralie's intent, but it might be useful to put him on trial for his crimes," Leasharra suggested. "He has a lot to answer for, and his trial would be a good way to get to the truth of the matter."

It might also go a long way toward clearing Loralie's name, Det thought. Perhaps this would work out for the best, though he knew Loralie had intended to kill the mage when she'd gone into this battle. He would have to find out why she'd changed her mind, though he suspected he knew some of her reasoning.

And, perhaps, she just couldn't bring herself to kill him outright when the opportunity was at hand. For all the things she had been accused of over the years, cold-blooded murder wasn't really her style.

Leasharra said nothing more, merely nodding her agreement as Det frowned at the big house. They were going to have to burn it to the ground. First, of course, they had to go through it with a fine-toothed comb to make sure the mage hadn't left anything behind. Det would have to ask Loralie if she could help with that. For all he knew, Gebel might have had spell books or objects of magical power that could be dangerous.

Of course, the enclave had quite a number of mages, but Loralie knew Gebel best, and she was probably the most powerful mage in this part of the world, if not in all the lands. Plus, he had to admit, even if just to himself, that he wanted to keep her around a little bit longer.

He knew she had some sort of doomsday plan that she would set in motion now that she had survived the confrontation with Gebel. He knew she believed it was the only way. But after last night, he dearly wanted to convince her that there could be another way for her. For them.

If not for him, he wanted her to live for the children. They deserved a chance to get to know their mother. Even if he didn't get back together with her on a permanent basis, he wanted the children to be able to know her as they grew. He'd have to talk her into it. Somehow.

Getting her help with Gebel's possessions seemed a good start. First, however, she had to recover from her endeavors. He was somewhat familiar with the way mages spent their own energy when they used magic, but he wasn't an expert. Leasharra probably knew more about it than he did, and she had said Loralie would need time to recover. He hoped that would take at least a few days, but he would take what he could get.

What he really wanted to do was bring her back to his home under the Veil, but there were complications. Even though the soldiers seemed to have new respect for her abilities after today's performance, many of his folk still thought of Loralie as an enemy. Also, there were the twins. If she truly planned to go ahead with her suicidal intentions, he didn't want the children to be even more hurt. It seemed cruel to bring her to them, only to have her leave again in short order.

Passing thoughts made him wonder if he could use the children to guilt her into changing her plans, but he dismissed those ideas as quickly as they came. It wouldn't be right to do that. Not for the children, and not for Loralie. If she changed her plans, she'd have to do it for the right reasons. She would have to come to the realization on her own. He refused to use their children as pawns. That would make him no better than Gebel.

Disgusted with the turn of his own thoughts, Det went back to work. There was a great deal to do before darkness fell, and he had to set up chains of command and areas of responsibility. This was a novel situation for a fighting force that usually contained their actions to a very small area. They could easily secure the manor. It was well within their skill set. But they hadn't done such things in a very long time, if ever. So, there were decisions to be made.

He especially needed to put someone in charge of the night watch, because Det had every intention of spending the night up in that cave with Loralie. Wild horses—or maybe wild dragons, in his case—wouldn't be able to keep him away.

*

Det was bone tired by the time he made it back to the cave where Loralie lay, still sleeping off the expenditure of energy from earlier in the day. Somewhat to his surprise, Leasharra was still there, keeping watch over the entrance to the cave. Once Det and Gren arrived though, Leasharra took her leave, declaring she was heading back to the enclave and her heartmate.

Det thanked the red dragon for her vigilance, and Gren took the watch position, settling down in front of the entrance to the cave. Det went inside and started preparing some food for himself, making enough for Loralie, should she awaken. He also took care of the patient pacas, who had remained inside all day. They seemed to have taken their confinement in stride, but Det freed them from their tethers and allowed them to move about the cave freely. With Gren at the entrance, neither of the furry four-legs would get past him.

Loralie didn't wake for dinner, but Det wasn't too worried. He suspected she would sleep until the following morning. He wouldn't really start to worry unless she didn't wake up by sometime tomorrow. For that matter, he was exhausted as well. He did the few chores that needed doing around the campsite, banked the fire, took care of the animals, and then curled up next to her in the nest of furs. Taking her in his arms, he fell asleep and knew nothing more until morning.

Loralie woke feeling snug and warm. She opened her eyes and realized where she was. All at once, she remembered the day before and felt a little wave of triumph mixed with disbelief. She had defeated Gebel. The mage who had been the bane of her existence for so many years. The mage who had dared to kidnap her child. The mage who had done so much evil in the name of greed. And she had vanquished him. Finally.

She honestly hadn't thought it would be so easy. Then again, she hadn't ever thought that she would have a dragon's help. It was Leasharra's presence that really helped tip the scales. Her fire combined with Loralie's magic had turned a difficult mage battle into something much simpler. And just like that, Gebel was stopped. Trapped in ice, though that hadn't been her intention when she went into the battle. She still wasn't really sure why she had done it that way but would figure out her next step once she was more awake.

After that, she just had Skir to deal with. Frankly, Loralie hadn't really thought she would get this far. She hadn't liked her chances against Gebel, one on one, when he had access to some of Skir's knowledge. But he hadn't seemed to use any of that knowledge—except maybe that shield he'd constructed around himself. That hadn't been like anything she had ever seen before. That could have been forbidden knowledge gained from his alliance with the sleeping wizard.

She supposed she would never know for sure. It didn't really matter. What really mattered now was that she had to stop Skir before he woke fully or found another ally that he could rally to his cause. Skir had sought alliance with Gebel to gain his freedom from the Citadel. And that, she could never permit. Not while she still lived.

Coming fully awake, Loralie realized she was being held snugly in Det's arms. He held her from behind, her back to his chest, and she felt safe and secure for the first time in too long a time. The threat of Gebel was gone from the back of her mind where it had stayed, hovering, like an evil omen, for so very long.

For the first time, she could truly enjoy being in Det's arms again. Without the shadow of Gebel. Without threat to their children.

Tears gathered in her eyes. Tears of joy. Tears of happiness. Tears of despair.

Because she knew, no matter how beautiful this moment was, she would have to give it up. Skir was still half-awake in the Citadel, and she still had her duty. One day very soon, she would have to fulfill that duty, no matter how difficult it was on her emotions and her family.

And the man she loved.