“Did you love him?”

  The Lady smiled wistfully. “I did. We were married longer than you’ll live, Lilly, if you’ll pardon my saying so. What started as respect and affection grew quickly into a love I will never forget and that can never be replaced. That’s why I’ve never remarried. Nobody could live up to my Feodren.”

  “I’m sorry, milady.”

  “Don’t be, child.” The Lady reached over and patted her hand. “I was happy with my marriage, and proud of the way Feodren gave his life. He died to safeguard our greatest responsibility. His sacrifice was a noble one, and I will not see it come to naught because we have hidden ourselves away too long. The Citadel shall not fall. Not while there is breath still in my body.” Out in the courtyard, the Lady’s dragon partner trumpeted once, as if in support of her heartmate’s strong words. “That’s why I’m glad you’ve come, Lilly. The Mother of All sent you to us so that we may keep our sacred trust.” The Lady’s intensity dimmed somewhat. “Now, tell me more of your dreams.”

  Lilly realized the Lady’s mission that morning was to educate Lilly about the fair folk and the history of House Adain as much as it was to learn more of Lilly. She was grateful for the frank discussion. It helped her understand the men of this house and the way the dragons interacted. She’d need that knowledge if she were going to travel with Luc and Shilayla all the way back to Valdis Maj.

  “As I said, I saw your face, wavering as if reflected in a pool of water. Everything was white or reflective, like ice, snow and water. Silver and white. You moved back, and there was a massive archway. You stood in front of it, blocking it so that I couldn’t see what was behind, and then, you moved your hands, and white light erupted, blinding my inner eye. When the light dissipated, sparkles of light rained down in a floating cloud, seeping into all it touched, and a mirror shone in front of me. I could see you through it, but it wavered like the water, and I saw my own reflection looking back. Like a ghost, I was almost transparent.”

  The Lady sat back, thinking, for a long time. Lilly began to eat her breakfast, slowly taking a small bite of the fluffy omelet that grew cold as they talked. The food was delicious, but Lilly had a hard time paying much attention to it, eating mechanically as her mind sorted through the conversation and the strange images of her dream. She didn’t understand them at all.

  But the Lady did. Lilly would bet her new set of riding leathers on it. The Lady was lost in thought, but her demeanor was not that of someone confused by what she’d heard. Rather, she seemed somehow resigned.

  “Were there any other beings in your vision?” The question caught Lilly by surprise. She lowered her fork, thinking back on the confusing images.

  “It felt like there were people around. I had the impression of a woman. Maybe two. And something outside that made everything feel urgent.”

  “Any dragons?”

  “Not that I saw, milady. But everything in the dream was white. Blindingly so. It would be easy for the shine of dragon scale to deceive my inner eye, so I can’t be completely certain that one of your white friends wasn’t the backdrop for my dream.” A smile tugged at the corner of Lilly’s mouth, and an answering spark of amusement lit in the Lady’s eyes.

  “They are big, aren’t they?” Lady Adain turned to look out the window at her heartmate. “I forget how different they must seem to someone who’s never met a dragon before.”

  “Alric said I’d be impressed.” Too late, Lilly realized the familiarity she’d let slip.

  “You call your King by name? I take it you are close?”

  “We are friends, milady. I’ve held his hand through more than one vision, and he was there for me when I had my first dreams of you. He also helped me through the first onset of my healing talent. He’s a rock of support for me and for all his people. He is a true leader of men, and I would follow him wherever he led.”

  “Your loyalty is a strong mark in his favor, Lilly, but we already knew King Alric was a good King from the way his people thrive. My question, and I hope you won’t find it too impertinent, is whether you and Alric are closer than King and loyal subject. I wouldn’t ask, but I see the way my grandson looks at you. I’d prefer he not run afoul of a jealous man who happens to be King.”

  Lilly was shocked by the Lady’s candor. “I—” Lilly took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Alric is my King and my friend. He’s never asked for more than my loyalty and friendship.”

  “But you wanted more?”

  “At one time… perhaps. But Alric is a great man. Far too special for a mere soldier like me. He deserves a woman who can share all parts of his life. I know I can’t be that girl.”

  Lady Adain was silent a long time before her lips curved in a sad smile. “I think you would have made a very good Queen, more so because you recognize that it is not your path. Wisdom comes in many forms, Lilly. Do not discount your own.”

  Lilly didn’t know what to make of the woman’s cryptic words, but the idea that this powerful, magical being might know something about her future path was intriguing. Too intriguing to let lie.

  “If it’s not my path—which I agree with you—then, what is? I’m a warrior who suddenly finds it hard to hurt anyone or anything. The duty I trained for my entire life is becoming more impossible with every passing day. Yet, I doubt I’m young enough to train with a healing house. I doubt any would have me, even if I did work up the nerve to try. After this mission…” Lilly swallowed hard to hold back some of her emotion. “I don’t know what’s to become of me.”

  Lady Adain reached for Lilly’s hand, turning it over and tracing the lines within, as her eyes narrowed. Her touch was comforting, and Lilly felt the tingle of the woman’s power.

  “Your future is clouded, Lilly, but it runs with that of my grandson for the foreseeable time.” The Lady shook her head with a smile and let go of Lilly’s hand. “But any charlatan at a village fair could tell you that. What I can tell you is that Luc and Shilayla have many lessons to teach you on your journey. As many, perhaps, as you have for them. Once your quest is complete, perhaps the lines of your future will be clearer. For now, that one great task lies as the most pivotal thing in all three of your lives. Accomplish that, and then, we will see what can be seen. Many lives are depending on the alliance between your King and our people. That is the most important goal.”

  Lilly sat up straighter, ashamed to have to be reminded of her duty. Such moments of insecurity and weakness were not something she’d suffered from before her unwanted healing talent manifested. She felt the fire of embarrassment heat her cheeks as she nodded in respect to the Lady.

  “You’re right, of course.”

  “Don’t take it so hard, child,” the Lady said in a gentle tone. “All people, myself included, have moments of doubt. I would think less of you did you not worry over the future and your role in it. Your concern speaks well for your heart. Too many warriors believe emotions are weakness, but it is quite the opposite, I assure you.”

  Lilly struggled through the remainder of her meal in silence, glad when the Lady took her leave. She certainly had given Lilly a great deal to think about.

  Certainly, Luc was a handsome man, and he kissed like a dream, but he wasn’t for her any more than Alric was. Alric was a royalty. Luc was fey. Neither was something Lilly could become, and neither man could be what she was. There was no middle ground. No hope for a future. Only the bittersweet moments of the present.

  With a resigned sigh, Lilly got to her feet and left the dining hall. She would go over her gear in preparation for the journey ahead while she had a few moments.

  She was in her room, doing just that, when a young healer arrived to escort Lilly back to the healer’s hall. She arrived to find young Petr already there, helping weed the herb garden. From the smile on his face, it looked like he was having fun. Lady Vi met Lilly as she walked up the path and motioned her to sit with her on a stone bench beneath a graceful tree where they could watch Petr and the others from a distance.

  “Petr spends time with us each morning while his father attends to his duties. When he was younger, we tried to casually observe him and discover a reason for his size and pallor, but we had no luck. Over time, he became dear to us, and we enjoy the mornings with his cheerful presence in our garden. He’s also learning a great deal of our herbal art, so the time is never wasted.”

  “Sounds like a good solution,” Lilly agreed. “You can keep an eye on him should there be a problem, yet he gets lots of sunshine and exercise to grow stronger and learn at the same time.”

  “I don’t want to alarm Petr. In fact, I don’t want him to know he’s being assessed at all. The boy is different enough from his peers. I prefer to keep our observation as discreet as possible.”

  “I will do whatever you ask, if it’s within my abilities.” Lilly worried that her talent was so raw and new, she couldn’t be as offhand about it as these professional healers were.

  Vi patted her hand. “Good. I’ve asked Bertrand and Mirim to continue weeding the garden with Petr. They will stay on either side of you and the boy, watching and helping if necessary. I’d like you to go work with Petr. Just talk to him and—here is the hard part—try to touch your power as it rises so I can follow it to the source of Petr’s weakness.”

  “You can do that?” Lilly was shocked at the idea.

  Vi’s mouth set in a determined line. “I will try my best, though I have never attempted it with a human healer before. This ability and the volume of my own talent is what made me leader here, though there are others older and more skilled. But, by being able to link with almost any healer in our group, I can sort of borrow their skill and, more importantly, share it with others.” Lady Vi sat back and regarded Lilly with kind eyes. “Your lack of training will actually be of help here, I think. A more disciplined talent wouldn’t let me near enough to latch on and follow.”

  “So, my lack of skill is a good thing?” Lilly had to chuckle at that. All along, her lack of control over her wayward talent had been something to fear and detest as it pulled her in directions she didn’t want to go. Now, it seemed, it was actually a boon.

  “In this case, yes. But don’t worry that we’ll let you leave here still as open as you are. I will teach you some control exercises myself before you go and will instruct Luc in the further methods you should learn. He studied at this hall as a child, as most do, so he has enough basic knowledge to help you progress as you journey together.”

  Lilly felt relief wash over her. She hadn’t been looking forward to going out into the world again where every disease and injury called out to her new talent. At least she had some hope that she’d be learning to control the power that tugged her to and fro.

  “Go to Petr now and breathe deeply. Leave yourself open. When I join with your healing power, you will probably know. It may give you a tingling sensation in your hands.”

  Lilly stood as Lady Vi shooed her in Petr’s direction with a kind smile. Lilly wiped her suddenly sweaty palms down her tunic and set off with determination toward the boy. When he caught sight of her, she smiled at his warm greeting, glad to see him looking so happy.

  “Good morrow, Master Petr. Can I help you?” Lilly crouched beside the boy in the neat row of the garden. It was kept free of weeds and debris, and it was clear that these people paid a great deal of attention to this small plot of land.

  Petr chattered to her about the plants they were tending, but the moment she put her hand on his back, her power flared to life hotter than before. She looked up to see the two healers Vi had told her about, one on each side, not far off, but pretending to work in the garden while they observed. She felt the tingle in her palms that Vi warned of, glad to feel some indication of the healer’s presence. The tingle increased to an itch that begged to be scratched, but Lilly held contact with Petr, hoping to give Lady Vi and her people a chance to see what was wrong.

  Suddenly, the itch popped out of existence as Lilly was drawn inward. Her inner eye saw things she’d never experienced before. She was no longer in the garden, but above it on some kind of cloud plane where time stood still. She could see herself and the others from above, but they stood still.

  “First time, eh?” A man’s deep voice shocked Lilly into awareness. There were others standing next to her on this cloud, looking down at the garden and people below. The man who spoke was the one on her right in the garden. “I’m Bertrand.”

  “Lilly,” she replied absently, noting both Lady Vi and the other healer standing on her other side. They were all here. All except for Petr.

  “You’re doing very well, Lilly,” Vi said, moving closer. “Now, give me your hand.”

  “Where are we?” Lilly asked as she reached out. Bertrand and his fellow healer joined hands, then he took one of Lilly’s as Vi took the other. They joined in a circle, and Lilly was pulled out of the cloud and back into the real world… but not.

  Time still lagged. Things moved in slow motion as she felt more than saw her power rise—along with the power and skill of the other three healers—to seek the weak place in Petr’s small being. Somehow, they went within. Inside Petr’s energy, immersing themselves in the joyful, but weak power that was the boy’s essence.

  Lilly was tugged in one direction, and the others followed her. She was aware of them, joined to her own energy, though she could no longer see them as she had while they were all on the cloud. She followed the energy pathway that led her to a place unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was a place inside Petr’s being where energy was being sucked outward, away from the boy, depleting him. The hole appeared to lead elsewhere, and Lilly followed the flow of energy, surprised when she entered another being’s energy patterns. This being was distinctly separate, but yet very similar to Petr. But this one was a girl.

  The realization shocked Lilly. She didn’t understand what she was seeing, but she got the impression that the other healers did, and they were just as shocked as she was. Words didn’t flow from mind to mind in this place of pure energy, but feelings crept through the connection, if Lilly let herself listen. There was a lot to learn about this intriguing place.

  Just as she would have investigated further, she felt rage and a piercing scream that sent her energy fleeing back through the conduit to Petr. It was as if she was being pushed out. Chased and prodded by a power much greater than anything she could muster. Lilly went, knowing somehow that her very survival depended on it.

  She tumbled through the conduit, back into Petr before the gate was closed shut with a resounding clang of angry power behind her. Lilly checked to see if all three healers were still with her and was gratified to be able to sense them all, still joined to her. She was getting better at this, the longer she did it.

  Lilly took a look around and realized the place where Petr was joined to that other being was still there but closed tightly so that only a little trickle of power leeched from him into her. Lilly also sensed a return flow now, from the girl into Petr, but it was still weaker than the flow out. They were joined. Somehow. Lilly didn’t understand it at all, but she did feel the tug to heal lessen considerably. Closing the power drain—however that had been managed—had gone a long way toward making Petr better.

  With a final sigh of regret for something she instinctively knew she could not fix completely, Lilly retrieved her power from the boy’s energy flow. It wasn’t a neat exit, nor a smooth one. Lilly spilled out, and the connection with the other three healers ceased immediately. She felt the jarring tug of their loss as she nearly keeled over. She blinked rapidly to clear the sudden and intense dizziness as she came back to herself in the real world and time began to flow normally again.

  “Are you all right?” Petr’s worried voice came to Lilly as if from a distance.

  She removed her hand from his back and put it instead to her own head. Lilly fell backwards in the dirt, unceremoniously landing on her ass, but it was either that or keel over right into the bed of plants. Bertrand was at her side a moment later, lifting her into his arms. He was much stronger than she’d expected. He carried her into the healing hall and placed her on a cot while his partner, Mirim, kept Petr nearby, and Vi hovered overhead.

  “She’s had too much sun,” Lady Vi pronounced. “Petr, don’t worry for your friend. She’ll be well enough in a moment, once we’ve had a chance to let her rest. Go with Mirim and finish up in the garden, sweetheart. Lilly will be back outside in a few minutes, never fear.”

  Petr went grudgingly with a kind-faced Mirim while Lady Vi prepared a tisane and bade Lilly drink it all down. Bertrand sat beside the bed, his expression both worried and touched with a hint of awe.

  “Are you feeling better now, Lilly? No dizziness?” Vi asked as she sat on Lilly’s other side.

  “Only a little.” Lilly tried to sit up, but it was a losing proposition. Still, Bertrand found a pillow and helped prop it up behind her, so she was raised a little. “What happened?”

  “You remember us joining?” Vi asked, her eyes narrowed on Lilly’s face.

  “On the cloud. Yes, I remember that. And the energy pathways and the conduit to… a little girl? Is that what it was? It felt feminine, but then, we got chased out by something much bigger. What in the world was that?”