Chapter Twenty-Five

Loralie breathed deeply once she was alone in the room they had given her. It was lovely, but she couldn't really see it. Her thoughts were racing to those two precious souls across the hall. So close! They were so close, and yet… If she went through with her plans to stop Skir from rising, she would likely never see them again.

Or the man who was their father, who still held a very large place in her heart. She had so many regrets. So many failures to atone for, and no time to do it. But if she met her duty, she would save other families from death and destruction. She had to console herself with that thought, though it didn't really help. Still, she had an obligation to fulfill to her mother and all the women before her in her family line. They had dedicated their lives and their magic to the preservation of peace in their world. They had paid the ultimate price—some earlier than others, like her mother.

Loralie got herself together and made use of the time alone to refresh herself and her clothing. She brushed her hair and was glad to see her things had made it into the room with no disturbance. No one had breached the magical wards on her travel packs to snoop in her personal belongings.

She put on her chain of office. It was a gold chain with a triangular cut stone pendant that flashed with both light and magic. It was the token of the Guardian, but Loralie only wore it for special occasions. She hadn't had many—or even any—of those in many, many years, but this appearance before the Council definitely qualified.

When the knock came at her door, she was ready. She opened the door and immediately saw the twins watching her from the other side of the wide hallway. Det stood to one side, waiting. Loralie went over to the children first, bending down to give them both a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"I have to go talk to some people now, but I hope to be back to spend time with you later. All right?" She didn't want to ever leave the children, but she knew her duty.

"All right, Mama," Penny said for both of them. She was staring at the chain of office, and Loralie held it up to show them. "That's really pretty," Penny added, gazing at the sparkling stone with wide eyes.

"I'm glad you like it, for it will be yours one day, Penny. It is for the Guardian of the Citadel, which you will be after me," Loralie explained, watching Petr closely. He didn't seem to mind.

Standing, Loralie let them go and walked over to Det. She took a deep breath and walked down the hall with him, looking back a few times to wave at the twins, who eagerly waved back. They were so precious. It almost broke her heart all over again to leave them.

The Council Hall wasn't far, so they walked the distance. The bell above the hall rang, and people started to gather. Then, as Loralie watched, Gren flew over with the bundle of blankets that held Gebel in his block of magical ice. Gren lowered the bundle to the ground just in front of the wide steps that led up to the ornate doorway and let it drop the last foot or so from the ground.

It rocked for a moment, but miraculously landed upright, and a second later, the blankets dropped away to a collective gasp from the onlookers. The ice shone in the sunlight. Gebel's trapped form was clearly held within. Det strode forward to stand in front of the ice block, looking out at the curious crowd.

"Before you stands the human mage, Gebel, accused of many crimes against all the lands, and especially against my children and their mother. He has harmed dragons, countless humans, and a number of our folk in his quest for power. I am petitioning the Council to try him for his crimes. Do not approach. He has forbidden knowledge in his possession, and though I believe he is truly trapped and cannot harm anyone, it would not do to tempt fate."

So saying, Det motioned to some of his Guardsmen who were among the crowd. They stepped forward to form a protective boundary beyond which they would not let anyone pass. Their presence, standing one on each corner of the ice block about three yards from the ice, was enough to create a zone around which everyone else stayed clear. Loralie was content with Det's caution. Gebel was a sneaky bastard, and even though she believed him to be well and truly trapped, it was always wise to be vigilant.

Det held out his hand to Loralie, and she walked up to him. She did not take his hand but allowed him to usher her into the Council chambers. The Council had already gathered and awaited them.

The room was as lovely as everything else she had so far seen in the enclave. The wood was carved with lovely patterns of leaves and vines, and the table at which the Council sat was U-shaped. Three women sat on the right and two men on the left with an empty chair at the end. The center seat was occupied by Lady Adain. There were seats at the end of the chamber and one arranged in the center of the U formed by the table.

Det escorted Loralie to that chair and waited until she was seated. Then, he walked over to the empty chair on the end of the U and took it. Everyone looked to Lady Adain.

"I have called this emergency meeting of the Council to hear a petition from our Guard Captain," Lady Adain pronounced, and all eyes shifted to Det. He stood.

"With the help of Lady Loralie, we have captured the human mage, Gebel, who is known as the perpetrator of many crimes against dragonkind, humans, and my children, in particular. I now petition the Council to try him for his transgressions, so that we may collect testimony and get to the truth of the matter." Det paused for a moment. "I would also propose that we send word of our actions and findings to our allies who have been harmed by this rogue mage, so that they may put their minds at ease and also know the truth."

"Why did you not just kill him in the battle?" one of the men asked.

"It was not I who battled with Gebel, nor any of my men. It was Loralie who showed mercy at the last moment and put him in the ice," Det revealed to the Council. They all looked at her.

"Can you tell us why you chose to encase him in magical ice rather than end him?" one of the women asked Loralie.

Loralie stood to face the woman who had the feel of a mage. Energy crackled in the other woman's aura, though she was no match for Loralie's power.

"I had intended all along to kill him for what he'd done to my family, but when the moment came, I found I could not just strike him down in cold blood. That has never been my way, despite what people say of me. Instead, I instinctually reached for some of the ancient knowledge of my line and trapped him. I have never used that knowledge before, so I was a bit surprised by the outcome."

"Really?" the mage-woman asked, one eyebrow raised as if she didn't believe Loralie's words.

Loralie stifled a sigh. "Believe what you wish of me." You will anyway, was clearly implied but not spoken. "The fact of the matter is that I did not know I could call the ice as I did with Gebel, but I'm glad to learn that I can. As for what you do with him, I believe a trial would be useful to clear the air and remove any taint from my children. For myself, I care not, but for them," Loralie looked the other woman straight in the eye, "I would move mountains."

The mage-woman held her gaze for a long moment, then finally nodded.

"Can you tell us more about what Gebel did to the children?" another woman asked. "I know Petr was brought here while still a baby. How could Gebel have had any effect on him?"

"Gebel knew I was pregnant but did not know I'd had twins. I thought I could hide one of them with Detlif, saving at least one of our children from Gebel's terror. Since the magic in my line is always inherited through the female line, I chose to keep Penny near and pass her off as my only child. I knew she would have a great deal of power when she grew into it and Gebel would want to control it. He would not kill her, because if he could not control me, he probably thought a child would be easier to manipulate. As it was, he took her from me and threatened her to make me dance to his tune over and over again. Each time I tried to defy him, he put her in a worse situation. When I cooperated, she was put in a decent home. When Leasharra came up with the plan to rescue Penny, Gebel had placed her as a servant in a brothel because I would not come to heel."

The looks of anger and horror on the faces of the Council members was gratifying. These decent people would never treat a child the way Gebel had. They would see that the twins were permitted to grow into adults in the best possible atmosphere, even if they didn't like their mother very much.

Loralie shrugged, going on with her tale. "I was hours away from doing as he wished simply to get her out of there. Thankfully, Leasharra arrived, and I gambled that her plan would work. It did, and Gebel thought Penny had died in the fire that I set to the brothel. His link to Penny was forever broken when Leasharra bonded with Penny, and she was finally free. As was I, to exact my revenge. I've been following Gebel's tracks for months, intending to kill him for what he did to my children."

"Yet you showed mercy when you could easily have dealt the death blow," a young man who was seated next to Det pointed out.

Loralie shrugged again. "It seemed the right thing to do at the time." She would not let these people rattle her.

"What was it that Gebel was trying to get you to do?" another woman asked from the other side of the table.

"He wanted me to kill one of the young ice dragons in Valdis Maj and make it look like the Draconian visitors had done it. He also wanted me to kill one of the Draconian dragons and make it so the people of Valdis were blamed. Gebel wanted to destroy the alliance and start a war, if possible." Silence reigned for a moment before Loralie went on. "I have done unforgivable things to ice dragons for him in the past, but I've never killed a dragon or caused one's death."

"What did you do to ice dragons?" the woman asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"I caused a pair of nesting ice dragons to leave their nest and move to a new one, forgetting that they had left an egg behind. That egg was brought to Salomar, who was holding Gebel's leash at the time. That egg hatched into the dragonet known as Tor, who was adopted by the Draconian royal couple. I understand that he has recently been reunited with his dragon family, and for that, I am truly grateful, but I will never forgive myself for what he had to go through as a prisoner of Salomar's and then living on the run with Queen Alania in the wilds of the Northlands. He did not have an easy life, and that's all my fault."

Loralie tried not to let her misery show. She was sick at heart when she thought about what she'd done to that family. It had been as bad as or worse than what Gebel had done to hers. Unforgivable.

At that moment, she saw movement behind the U-shaped table. In the dim back of the room behind the Council, several dragons lounged. Loralie felt lower than low. She had just admitted what she had done in front of the dragon heartmates of the Council members. She wondered if they would put her on trial next. It would serve her right if they did, but she couldn't allow her guilt to distract her from her duty. There was still one last thing to take care of up at the Citadel. Then she didn't really care what happened to her. If she survived. Which she sincerely doubted she would.

Although…the fact that she'd been able to call the magical ice to entomb Gebel had been a bit of a surprise. She wondered if she could use that ability in some way to do what needed to be done in the Citadel without triggering a failsafe. She would have to think about it. If she could just reinforce the ice without having to trap herself in it, she might yet have a chance at a life with her children.

She wasn't counting on it. Somehow, given her past, she doubted it would be that easy. Her life had never gone the way she'd wanted it to go. Difficult didn't even begin to describe her path ever since her mother had died. It had been one hardship after another with only small points of happiness.

Being with Det had been the highest and brightest point, of course, but even that had ended in disaster. She'd best not think about that now. Her miserable past could stay right there. In the past.

"Getting back to what Gebel wanted you to do," the younger man stated after a moment of silence had passed, "if the Draconians were blamed for killing an ice dragon and the Kingdom of Valdis blamed for killing one of the Draconian dragons, someone who was unfamiliar with dragons might think it would cause a war between the ice dragons and the dragons of Draconia. My heartmate, Bruuk, says that is unlikely, though Gebel would not necessarily have realized that."

"Trying to start a war between dragons?" the older woman scoffed. "Ridiculous."