Chapter Thirty-Six

"I think it's going to take all three of us to get the Citadel back into shape," Loralie's mother said as she sat up straighter. "But first, let me look at you." She reached out for Loralie, cupping her face. "You've grown up to be so beautiful, and you have your father's eyes." There were tears in her mother's green eyes. "Tell me, does he still live?"

"My father?" Loralie was confused. "You told me he was gone."

"Gone." Her mother emphasized the word. "Not dead. He's one of your folk, young Detlif. Loran Cesaret, Master of the Seers Hall."

Loralie had to sit down. She lowered herself completely to the floor and stared at her mother.

"My father was fey? I thought I was human."

"You are, my dear. Half-human. From my side. But I fell for a lovely blond man with angelic blue eyes." Her voice went a bit dreamy. "He had the gift of Sight, and I think he foresaw a lot more of this than I realized. When he left, he said it was because he couldn't be here when you came of age. That his presence would taint what should come next. But that when the time was right, we would all be reunited. I've held on to that hope in the twilight sleep of the ice for years."

"This is beginning to make sense," Det said slowly. "Loran was the seer's representative to the Council when I first joined. He retired in favor of his niece, Dela, not long after, but remains a vital part of the Seer's Hall. He teaches the younger and lesser skilled seers, from what I hear, but mostly keeps to himself. He has always struck me as a very kind, very somber man."

"He lives," Loralie's mother said, her green eyes filled with hope and happiness.

Det nodded. "He does. He has never married and maintains a bachelor residence that is adjunct from his family's House. Some had speculated that he would be the logical choice to lead his House after his mother passes on the mantle, except for the fact that he is unmarried and has no children."

"He is married," Loralie's mother insisted. "To me." A smile lit her face once again, then she shook her head. "But he will have to wait a little bit longer. I was, as I said, in a twilight sleep for the past several years, which is not how it should be. The Citadel's ice was created to block all dreams, all thoughts, and most importantly, all communication with the outside world. It is not functioning properly in at least one of the ice chambers, and perhaps others. But the one I am most concerned about is—"

"Skir's," Loralie cut her mother off, nodding. "He has been communicating with mages outside the Citadel and causing quite a bit of mischief, to put it mildly."

"I suspected that was the case, which is why I fed you the knowledge of how to manipulate the ice. I'm glad to see it worked." Loralie's mother smiled at her daughter. "You always were a fast study when it came to magic."

"You fed me the knowledge!" Loralie should be used to the shocks by now, but the hits just kept on coming. Everything she thought she'd known about her past had been wrong. "How in the world did you do that?"

"In dreams, sweetheart," Loralie's mother said, her voice dropping into a caring tone. "You won't remember it, but I came to you in dreams. I've been doing that for the past year or two—though I had no way to really measure time while trapped in the ice. But ever since the ice in the library started to melt, I've been communicating in whatever way I could, to try to teach you what you'd need to know. Learning the ways of the ice is the last lesson for a new Guardian in the usual course of things, but nothing about our situation has been normal in a very long time."

Loralie would agree with that wholeheartedly. She sat on her butt, on the floor, utterly stunned by the turn of events.

"Will you two be all right here for a moment? I'm going to get some water and food from my pack for you," Det explained to Loralie's mother. "I suspect you'll need the water at the very least. You've been frozen for a very long time."

"Thank you, Detlif. I am, indeed, thirsty." Loralie's mother smiled at Det, and he spared a long look for Loralie, waiting for her nod before he took himself out of the library. The dragons were hovering near the doorway, so he wouldn't be gone long, she knew.

"I can't believe you never told me about my father," Loralie said, speaking without thinking.

"He said I could not," her mother said softly. "I wanted to, but he was a strong seer. I believe in his power, and I believe this has worked out as he foresaw. Not an easy path, but one that had to be taken to bring us to this pass at this time."

"And what pass is that? My family broken, my children ripped from me?" Some of her anguish came out in her words, and her mother's face crumpled.

"You have children?" the older woman whispered.

"Twins. Det is their father," Loralie told her. "I couldn't raise them. I gave the boy, Petr, to Det when he was first born so my enemy wouldn't know I'd had two children. The enemy concentrated on Penny, my girl, and imprisoned her until just recently, using her against me to get me to do whatever he wanted. I've had to do things…terrible things…so he wouldn't hurt my baby more."

Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, my sweet child. I didn't know. Your father said there would be trials, but he didn't tell me the specifics." She looked away. "I think he feared that if I had known, I wouldn't have been able to do what had to be done. He was always stronger of will than I was."

"But why? Why did it have to be this way? So much suffering. So much loss. So much sorrow," Loralie demanded brokenly. She didn't understand why she'd been made to suffer so greatly. There had to be a reason.

"So there would be three of us to rebuild the Citadel," her mother pronounced.

Loralie was puzzled. "Three?"

"Three Guardians. As was foretold by Saliel the Seer who was on the winning side of the wizard wars. I have her book of prophecy over there on the shelf. She foresaw that there would come a time when the Citadel's ice would falter, and the power of three Guardians would be needed to shore up the spells the wizards had laid down."

"But there's just you and me," Loralie protested. "Only two Guardians. Unless you mean Penny. But she's just a child. She's got potential, but she's years away from her full power." Then Loralie remembered part of their earlier conversation, about her grandmother being stuck in ice somewhere in the Citadel. "You mean your mother?" Loralie couldn't keep the incredulity out of her tone as her mother nodded.

Det returned at that moment with a saddlebag full of supplies. He took out a waterskin and gave it to Loralie's mother.

"Thank you, Detlif," her mother replied courteously. "Forgive my manners. I am Constance," she introduced herself. "Please call me Connie. Now, tell me what has been happening in the outside world. Once I get my strength back, we can tackle freeing my mother. She's been frozen far longer than I, so it will take both of us to get her out," Connie said to Loralie.

Det began speaking, talking of the new alliances that had recently been forged and the way all the various breeds of dragons were starting to come together. Connie nodded once in a while as if in satisfaction. Loralie just sat there, on the floor at her mother's feet, taking it all in. She was still a bit stunned by the turn of events and glad Det was there. He, at least, was able to focus and interact with Constance. All Loralie could do was look at her in wonder.

She had her mother back. Something she never even could have imagined.

And there were even greater implications. If her mother was here and possibly her grandmother, then Loralie probably wouldn't be trapped by having to trigger a failsafe. The horrible plan she'd nurtured for so very long was now almost completely off the table. There were alternatives now…and the very real possibility of a life spent with her children and, perhaps, Det.

At one point, when Det had finished telling the tale of King Alric Valdis and was pausing before launching into more news, Loralie interjected. There were so many things she wanted to know, but this one thing was plaguing her.

"How did Grandmother end up frozen?"

Connie shook her head. "She tripped a failsafe, of course. Back when I was in my twenties. I hadn't met your father yet, but I was in my final studies and knew almost everything I needed to take on the mantel of Guardian. Mother sensed there was a problem with one of the ice chambers and went to investigate. A week later, she'd put her plan into motion and set off a failsafe while I was occupied elsewhere at her behest. She left me a letter, explaining that she couldn't repair the ice without drastic measures, and she chose to set off the failsafe, knowing that she would never be able to clear the area in time. It was the only way she could see to prevent a catastrophic breach that she felt was only days away."

"But if you knew what happened to her…?" Loralie asked, puzzled.

"Where do you think I got the idea of tripping a failsafe from? She'd done it, and it worked to keep the Citadel safe for more than two centuries. I'd hoped to buy at least that much time, or more, by doing it again, though my husband said it wouldn't last that long this time."

"He knew?" Det asked.

"Of course, he knew. My Loran is a gifted foreseer. He knew a lot more than he ever told me about, and he agreed this was the best course of action. He said it wouldn't be easy on any of us, but that if we stayed true to our oaths, it would all come right in the end." Connie glowed when she spoke of her husband. Loralie could easily see that her mother had been very much in love with her fey mate. She looked at Loralie and smiled. "I'm glad to see you've made good use of my ceremonial robe. I can see, though, that we're going to have to make something new for both of us. I don't suppose you left anything in my wardrobe, did you?"

"I only took this and a couple other work dresses when I left," Loralie told her mother. "Everything else should be where you left it."

"Good. Once I'm able to get up and walk, I'd like to go see if the things I left behind are still intact. Loran was able to guide me a little in how to prepare, but he wasn't sure if it would all still be here when I woke," Connie explained.

"Would you like to eat something?" Det offered. "I could bring that end table over here, if you like. I've got cheese and bread in my pack, as well as some pocket pies and sandwiches. I took a variety of items because I didn't know what we would encounter here or how long we might stay."

"I'd like to try a little bread first, if that's all right," Connie said.

Det moved the end table over to Connie's side as Loralie finally got up from the floor. She sat beside her mother in the window seat. There was plenty of room for them both. Det put the small table in front of Connie and then placed the offerings from his pack on it. Connie accepted a piece of bread that Det sliced off the larger loaf and nibbled on it.

They talked more about what had been happening in the lands while Connie ate slowly, her body coming back to life little by little. She started flexing her ankles and moving her legs as Loralie watched with interest. If they really were going to unfreeze her grandmother who had been asleep for centuries, they were going to have to prepare for her recovery. Loralie made mental notes to have a chair ready, as well as a blanket, water and some food. Wherever her grandmother was—for Loralie had never seen her—they'd have to prepare to be there for some time while her grandmother recovered from her long sleep.

It felt unreal to be thinking about such a thing, but there it was. Loralie had gone from being all alone in the world, except for her children—who had been kept from her for various reasons—to having not only her children free, but Det with her again. And now, she had her mother back, and possibly her father and grandmother as well. It seemed too good to be true.

Before too much longer, Connie was able to stand and walk with Loralie's assistance. Det followed behind them in case Connie should falter as they made their way slowly into the rest of the house. They were heading for her mother's room to check on the wardrobe, then Connie said she wanted to lay down and rest in her own bed for a few minutes.

Connie seemed pleased to find several of the fancier over-gowns still at the back of her closet. She directed Loralie to take out a pale blue robe with similar arcane symbols embroidered into the fabric in silver thread and lay it on the nearby chair.

"I wore this on my wedding day," Connie said with a fond smile on her face as she touched the soft fabric. "I always thought the color matched Loran's eyes. Stars, how I've missed him."

Loralie helped her mother get settled on the bed. There was no dust. Everything looked and smelled just as fresh as it had been on the day her mother went into the ice.

"You and Detlif must stay here for a few days," Connie said as she settled back on the pillows. "Go open up the rest of the house. If my spells held, everything should be ready for you, but you'll have to supply the food for a while. There was no way to lay in supplies that would last this long."

"That's all right. I packed a big bag of provisions, and if I know Det, he has a lot more than just the one bag he brought into the library. I bet he's unloading everything and putting it in the kitchen as we speak."

"Well, at least the horses will have a place in the stable," Connie mused.

"Horses? Mother, we didn't come on horseback," Loralie explained, watching her mother's reaction. "There are two dragons in the courtyard. Detlif's heartmate, Sir Grennulf, and Penny's heartmate, Lady Leasharra."

"Your baby girl is bonded to a dragon?" Connie looked astounded.

"So is Petr. His heartmate is a snow dragon, but Leasharra came from Draconia. She is red. The only colorful dragon in the enclave, in fact."

"Well, I'll be," Connie said, trailing off and turning her head to face the window.

Loralie went over and pulled the curtains back so Connie could see out. Sure enough, Lea and Gren were standing near the well, and Det was out there with a pile of saddlebags on the ground while he drew bucket after bucket of water up for the dragons to enjoy. He put it in the horse trough, and the dragons made do, lapping up the water in turns, one on each side of Det.

"I never thought to see such a thing," Connie said in wonder. Loralie looked over at her and realized she was tiring.

"Are you sure you'll be all right if I leave you here alone for a bit? I really should go help Det get everyone settled."

"Yes, I believe I'm going to be tired for a few days as my body gets used to being awake again. Food and rest are the suggestions laid down in Saliel's book," her mother explained.

"I can see I'm going to have to read that book," Loralie said with a grin as she kissed her mother's cheek. "I'm so glad you're back. I never thought I'd see this day." A happy tear rolled down her cheek. "I love you, Mama."

"And I love you, Lora," her mother answered, raising her hand to touch Loralie's cheek. "I'm so sorry for everything you've been through and all that I couldn't tell you before."

Loralie didn't want to think about the past. "Today is a new day. You're here now, and I have hope for the future for the first time in many years."

"I'm glad," Connie said, lowering her hand as fatigue etched her lovely features.

"I'll be back in a bit to check on you. If you need anything, just sing out. I'll keep an ear out for you," Loralie promised.

"Don't hover, dear," Connie groused with a little grin as Loralie left, shutting the door almost all the way but leaving it open a few inches so she could hear if her mother needed her.