Chapter Four

That very night, Loralie called a storm to rage in the village where her child was being held captive. She had hammered out a plan with the red dragon that had every chance of working—as long as they got their timing just right.

Weather magic—especially the subtle way Loralie was using it—wasn't something Gebel, or even his wizard ally, should be able to sense. As far as they would know, the storm was a natural occurrence. Such things were common in this part of the world. Loralie just used a gentle nudge to guide the disturbance to where she needed it.

The bawdy house was busy, which made it a little easier for Loralie to call her daughter out of the place to a meeting in the trees that grew on this side of the little stream. The dragon waited on the other side but was keeping under cover until the time was right.

Penny was soaking wet by the time she reached the trees, but it couldn't be helped. Loralie tugged her child close and hugged her, enveloping her in the voluminous cloak she wore.

"Mommy," Penny sobbed, hugging her mother tight and burying her face in Loralie's neck. "I don't like this place."

"I know, poppet. I know." Loralie rocked her child gently, cherishing these stolen moments, which might well be her last with her daughter for a very long time. Possibly forever. "We have a plan to take you away from here tonight, if you agree. But you have to agree, and I want you to think over this decision carefully, because it may change your life forever."

Penny leaned back to meet her mother's gaze. "What decision?"

"Do you remember me telling you about dragons?" Loralie began. She knew they didn't have a lot of time to do this, and she had to prepare her daughter as quickly as possible for what was to come. Penny nodded. "A dragon friend can take you away from here tonight. She is a young dragon, and she knows your father. She can take you to him so you can be safe from my enemies. She will protect you."

"But what about you? Will you come too?" Penny asked.

"I can't," Loralie admitted, breaking her own heart. "Not yet." Possibly, not ever. "I have to defeat my enemies and make the world safe again. It's important. Not just for the lands, but for you, Penelope. If I don't fix this, the whole world will be in terrible danger. If I succeed, you will be safe."

"And so will everybody else," Penny said, nodding. "I understand, but I don't have to like it."

Loralie chuckled softly. "No, we don't have to like it," she agreed. "Will you meet my dragon friend? Maybe, if you like her, it will be easier to leave with her."

"I don't want to go back to the house," Penny said softly, looking in the direction she'd come from. "There are scary people in there."

Loralie's heart clenched. How dare Gebel put her baby in such a situation? He would die by Loralie's hand for doing such a thing to an innocent child.

Loralie kept Penny under her cloak, lifting her and carrying her closer to the stream where Leasharra waited, watching their backs. Penny was peering out from under Loralie's chin and jumped a little in Loralie's arms when she caught sight of the dragon in the dimness.

"Lady Leasharra, this is my daughter, Penelope," Loralie said formally, introducing them. "Penny, this is Leasharra. She is a dragon far from her homeland of Draconia, which is over the mountains."

"Hello, Penelope," Leasharra spoke into both their minds.

Now came the moment of truth. Loralie was almost positive her magical daughter would be able to hear dragons, but the theory had never been tested. Until now.

"It is an honor to meet you, milady," Penny whispered. The child was well mannered, despite her strange upbringing.

"Did you hear her speak in your mind?" Loralie asked, just to be sure.

Penny nodded shyly. "Yes, Mama."

"My friends call me Lea. I hope you will call me Lea, Penelope," Leasharra added gently.

"Mama calls me Penny. You can too, Lea." Penny smiled a bit, and Loralie took heart. This might actually work.

"Thank you, Penny. Now, I hate to rush you into this, but as your mother said, I can take you to safety with your father's people. Do you want to come with me?" Lea asked, again using the gentlest tone she could.

"I don't want to leave Mama, but I don't want to go back to that house either. I don't know my father. I'm afraid he won't like me," Penny whispered.

"He will love you," Lea reassured the girl. "And your twin brother is there too. He knows about you, and he worries for your safety. The whole family does. They want to get to know you and keep you safe. As I will keep you safe."

"My brother?" Penny's mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. "I thought I dreamed him." Penny looked at her mother again. "Do I really have a brother?"

"You do, my love. I had to hide him so he would be safe, but the enemy already knew about you." Loralie's voice cracked with emotion. "I couldn't protect you that way, and for that, I am so very sorry."

"It's all right, Mama," Penny said softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Loralie hugged her baby tight for a moment, then forced herself to get on with the plan. "If you go with Leasharra, she will take you to your brother, Petr, and your father's family."

"But what about the tie?" Penny objected.

"The tie?" Loralie asked, confused.

"The string that ties me to the bad man," Penny said, astounding her mother.

"You can feel a tie to the mage, Gebel?" Loralie hadn't expected her young daughter to be able to discern that sort of magic at her young age.

"I can see it," Penny said. "It's ugly mud brown with black on the edges."

Loralie looked up at the dragon, dumbfounded by Penny's words. If she could see such things at such a young age, she was destined to be a powerful mage.

"I believe I can break it by bonding with you," Lea put in, drawing the girl's attention. "Then, I can hide your presence, blocking it with my own."

"But then, we'll be tied together?" Penny asked, apparently grasping the situation much better than Loralie had expected.

"Yes," Lea replied gently. "For the rest of your life. It is the only way I know to get you to safety in a way that your enemies will not be able to trace."

"It's a big step," Penny said, surprising her mother once more. The child was much older than her actual years due to the way she'd been forced to grow up in captivity.

"Yes, it is," Lea agreed. "But we dragons have a way of seeing into the souls of those we partner with, and something within you, Penelope, spoke to me from the first moment I saw you the first time I was in these lands. You need me… And something about you makes me think that I need you just as much. I believe the Mother of All guided me to you, and I think She guides my actions now."

"Then…" Penny took a breath and looked at her mother uncertainly. "Then, I guess it's okay." Her lower lip trembled. "But I still don't want to leave Mommy."

"I know, pumpkin." Loralie kissed her daughter's soft cheek. "I don't want you to leave either, but it's the only way. At least for now." She hugged Penny close for a long moment. "And I know you'll be safe with Leasharra…and your father."

"While you fight the bad man," Penny said, her voice trembling. "I wish I could help."

"Oh, sweetheart." Loralie cupped her daughter's little face, smiling at her child's bravery. "Just knowing you are safe will free me to do what I have not dared do while you were in danger. If the plan works as I think it will, Gebel will think you're dead, and your presence will be hidden by Leasharra's bond. Your father's people will take you in and keep you safe. If all goes well, I will be free to defy Gebel and begin to right the wrongs I have done to keep him satisfied."

"I understand," Penny said, nodding sadly.

"Always remember that I love you more than I can say. Tell your brother too. I love you both so very much, and I always will," Loralie said, choking back tears.

"I will," Penny answered seriously, her little face filled with sadness.

Penny looked at Loralie as if she was trying to memorize her face. Loralie was doing the same, knowing she might never see her daughter again.

"Time is short," Leasharra reminded them both gently.

Loralie nodded, standing up and gathering her power. She and the dragon had planned out the sequence of events, and she was the one to start the ball rolling.

"This is not the way things are normally done when a dragon chooses to bond with someone," Leasharra explained to Penny, including Loralie in her thoughts. "But we have no choice. And in some ways, I think this will work out better for us. You are already very magical, Penny. Which means you must open yourself to accept the bond. The timing is critical. You must not let down your guard too long, or Gebel could infiltrate. Trust me to do this, and all will be well."

"If Mama trusts you, then I trust you," Penny replied solemnly. "I will lower my shields the moment you say."

"Perfect," Lea praised the girl, then turned her attention to Loralie. "I'm ready when you are."

Loralie took one last moment to look back at her daughter. Things would move fast as soon as she loosed the lightning.

"I love you, Penny. Always remember that."

"I will, Mama. I love you too," Penny whispered back, then turned her gaze to the dragon. "I'll go with Lea so you can stop the bad men. But after, I want to be with you again."

"I want that too, pumpkin. If the Goddess wills it, we will be together again, one day."

"As the Goddess wills," Penny said, speaking it like an invocation.

Loralie felt the words deep in her heart but felt that the hope for a future with her daughter was a vain one. Loralie knew that she would probably not survive her battle with Gebel and his master, the ancient, evil wizard, Skir.

Turning toward the bawdy house in the distance, Loralie aimed the lightning she had gathered, unleashing the full fury of the storm. The cacophonous crash of thunder so close by deafened her for a moment, but she watched in satisfaction as the building caught fire. People fled the burning structure, screaming, into the storm. They headed toward town, thankfully, and not into the woods.

Loralie thought briefly of those who might've been caught by the lightning. She wasn't sure, but a few might have died or been injured in the blast. Still, the people in that house had treated her daughter badly and would have done Goddess-only-knows-what to Penny, given more time.

Yet one more evil deed in a long line of them. Loralie knew right from wrong, but which side was which had gotten all jumbled up when her life had gone to hell and taken her children along for the ride. She had a feeling she would pay for her crimes, if not in this life, then in the next. Either way, she just had to do the best she could to try to fix things.

Gebel would be suspicious if the only casualty of the lighting strike was Penny. Loralie shook her head at her own thoughts. She'd done what she could to pinpoint her strike.

There were other nearby rooms where the madam had kept a few slaves. Slavery was not allowed in Valdis. The penalty was death for the slave-maker or slave-keeper alike. The madam was both. That law was Loralie's only comfort in doing what she'd just done. She saw the slaves escape, running down the road in the opposite direction from the town. Hopefully, they would find safety somewhere else, and Loralie suspected the madam had died in the initial strike.

The lightning had taken out the madam's room and the one right next to it, where Penny had been kept. Anyone examining the scene later, after the fire died out, would assume they'd both perished. They might find the madam's burnt bones, but then again, maybe not.

When Loralie looked away from the fire, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the scene behind her. Leasharra stood gazing into Penny's eyes, and Penny was just as transfixed. A moment later, they both blinked, and Penny smiled as Lea's head moved back on her long neck.

"It is done," Lea told Loralie. "Cleanly and fast. I am now bonded with Penny on the deepest level, and I'm hiding her presence within my own. I think we should leave here as quickly as possible to avoid anybody scrying our presence."

"I agree," Loralie concurred, though it broke her heart to know that her daughter would leave now. Probably forever. Loralie kept one eye on the burning house and its fleeing occupants, just in case some should come this way, and one eye on her daughter. They didn't have any time left, but she had to know. "Are you all right, pumpkin?"

Penny's eyes were gleaming with wonder as she turned to look at her mother. "It's so beautiful, Mama. Lea's soul is so pure and kind and powerful. We will hide like you said, and nobody will get to either of us. We'll take care of Petr and Daddy too. Don't worry. Do what you must, then come back to us."

"I'll do my best, sweetheart," Loralie promised, very afraid that the promise was a hollow one that she would never be able to keep.

Penny rushed over to her for one last hug. Loralie gathered her baby close and closed her eyes for just a moment. One peaceful moment in the storm, holding her child in her arms one last time.

"Go, now," she had to force herself to speak the words. "Lea will take good care of you." She couldn't say more as emotion overtook her.

"Bye-bye, Mama. Thank you for protecting me as best you could."

Dear Goddess! Did Penny realize these would be the last moments they might ever have together? Loralie looked deep into her child's eyes, reading the heartbreaking truth there.

Penny turned and stepped up onto Lea's foot, then her knee, then scrambled onto her back as if she'd always known how to do so. They'd prepared Lea with leather straps around her arms and neck as a sort of harness the child could hang onto, and Lea instructed Penny how to tie herself in and where to hold on. Within moments, the girl was as secure as she could be for her very first dragon-back ride.

"Goddess go with you both," Loralie whispered as the dragon turned toward the open area of the waterway. She would take off from there and gain as much altitude as safely possible with a novice rider on her back. That was the plan.

Penny looked back at her mother, waving as Leasharra began to move. Loralie waved back, not heeding the tears that rolled down her face as she watched her beloved daughter fly off with a dragon she barely knew.

"It was the only way," Loralie whispered to herself as the red dragon disappeared into the dark night sky, Penny secured to her back.

Loralie turned back to make sure the house was still on fire. That ought to keep them busy for a while. The hole in her soul bled, and she called forth a whirlwind to utterly destroy what was left of the house, adding a few more lightning strikes in the distance, for good measure. After that, she fled.

She would leave the area tonight, before any hint of pursuit. Then, tomorrow, she would begin her plan for revenge on the bastard who had caused her so much pain over these past years. Tonight was the beginning of the end for the human mage, Gebel.