“She remembers it all, Lady,” Bertrand said with grave solemnity to Lady Vi. Some sort of significant look passed between the two healers that Lilly could not interpret.

  Vi looked back down at her. “You have a much stronger talent than any of us realized, Lilly. You took us inside to a realm few healers ever visit. Luckily, the three of us all have the ability—though not as sharp and defined as yours. But we knew what we were seeing, and we’re amazed that we missed it before.”

  “What? What was that conduit?”

  The healers looked at each other, their faces grave.

  “It’s the place where Petr is joined to his twin sister,” Bertrand intoned.

  “And I fear the force that chased us away was his mother, the sorceress.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  After much discussion, the healers arrived at the conclusion that the energy conduit and their inability to see it before had more to do with the fact that Petr’s mother was human than any lack of skill on their part. It took Lilly, a human healer, to see the power drain from Petr’s being to his twin’s. Of course, the diagnosis would have been considerably easier had anyone known that Petr had a twin in the first place.

  Lilly felt much better after the brew Lady Vi gave her. She also got a little jolt of healing energy from the other healers who argued that she needed to be in top form for her journey. Lilly hadn’t realized that healers in a community shared so much of their energy between them and with such ease. It was a handy ability and something she had missed, not being instructed by a healing community. But she’d come to her power late, so she had little choice, they all agreed.

  Petr threw himself into Lilly’s arms when she walked out of the healing hall a scant thirty minutes after she’d been carried in. The little boy’s worry touched her, and Lilly hugged him tight, twirling him around to make him laugh and take the fear away.

  Luc found them like that. Lilly’s nurturing laughter flowed over him much the same way it did over his nephew, making them both smile. Det, at his side, wasn’t nearly so amused. He paced forward in a confrontational way. The moment Lilly saw him, the joy was replaced by wariness, and she spun to a halt, lowering Petr with gentle, reassuring touches.

  Once again, she put herself between Petr and what she perceived as a threat. That told Luc much about the woman and confirmed his first impressions. She had the heart of a snow bear and the willingness to take on anyone or anything in order to protect the innocent.

  Det and Lilly stood poised for a moment, facing each other. Det wore his usual scowl while Lilly’s chin came up.

  “Captain,” Lady Vi intervened, much to Luc’s relief, “may I have a word with you?”

  Vi pulled Det off to the side with the other two healers, leaving Luc with Lilly and Petr.

  “Did you finish your tasks for the healers?” Luc asked his nephew.

  “No, Uncle. Not yet. But there’s not much left to do.”

  “All right then, finish up here, and then, you can come down to the scout hall with Lilly and me. Shilayla said she’d take you aloft if we got there before the watch changed.”

  “All by myself?” Petr bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement.

  Luc did his best to hide his amusement. “Shi thinks you’re ready.”

  The boy leapt into the garden and started to pull weeds with enthusiasm while Lilly and Luc watched Det’s expression go from annoyed to alarmed to determined.

  “I take it you had some success?” Luc raised one golden brow in her direction as he looked from his brother to his nephew and back to her. Lilly glanced toward Petr, and Luc knew she’d choose her words carefully, as he’d done, to avoid traumatizing the boy any further.

  “You could say that. We found something. The healers seemed confident that they could do something for him, now that they know what is going on.”

  “That’s good news, then. So, why does my brother look so murderous?” Speculation filled his mind. While Det could be abrasive and rude, he was a very cool warrior and it actually took a great deal to truly snarl his scales. Right now, he looked as angry as Luc had ever seen him. Only one name ever evoked this kind of reaction in Det.

  Loralie, the sorceress.

  Petr’s mother.

  Luc hoped the poisonous woman wasn’t involved in whatever ailed Petr, but from the look on Det’s face, Luc felt bound to disappointment.

  “I’m finished!” Petr called out merrily as he approached them. The boy looked happy and had a healthy glow in his cheeks that was normally missing. Whatever Lilly and the healers had done, it already showed improvement in Petr’s energy and vitality. Lady willing, they’d be able to keep it up on a permanent basis. Luc hugged his nephew with one arm, setting him on the path toward the scout’s hall.

  “Your father will meet up with us later,” he told the boy as Petr looked back and waved to a now-solemn Det. Det waved back, but Luc could see the vibrating tension in the line of his brother’s shoulders. Better to let Det work off his anger before meeting up with him again. Petr didn’t need to see it, and Luc certainly didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Det’s slashing tongue. He could be vile when riled by thoughts of the sorceress. Luc had learned to just leave Det alone when something reminded him of that woman.

  “Will Shilayla really let me ride, all by myself?” Petr asked excitedly.

  “Yes, Petr.” Luc had to laugh at his nephew’s exuberance.

  “Is that safe?” Lilly asked in a low tone.

  “Perfectly. Shilayla would never drop him, but if he should jump off,” he grinned at her gasp, “a few other scouts will be flying below to catch him.” He chuckled at her wary look.

  “I hope you’re joking.”

  “About the scouts flying below? No. About Petr somehow falling off Shi’s back? Not likely. Petr’s been aloft before many times, but this will be his first time going up alone. It’s a special treat since we’ll be gone a long time. We tend to coddle our young since we have so few, but Petr is more special than most.”

  “He’s a sweet boy. Your ‘coddling’ hasn’t spoiled him.” Lilly watched the boy skipping ahead of them with affection clear in her eyes.

  “It can be a tough decision to let the dragons in a family take the young aloft. It can get the children’s hopes up, and not every child partners with a dragon later in life. The dragons do the choosing, after all, and there are just so many dragons living with us at any one time.”

  Lilly still watched the boy. “After seeing inside him, if I were a dragon, I’d choose him in a heartbeat. He’s got a pure soul full of power and love, despite the trials of his young life.”

  Luc caught his breath at the look in Lilly’s eyes as she gazed at his nephew. She’d gone where only the healers or certain powerful mages could. By her words, she’d seen the essence of Petr’s young heart.

  Shilayla met them in the field in front of the scout hall, a few smaller-sized dragons behind her with their riders, preparing for duty. When she saw them, she puffed out a small bellow of smoke and walked over, craning her neck before her.

  After they all said hello, Luc helped Petr climb onto Shilayla’s back and wrapped light ropes that had been added as a harness of sorts to Shi’s back so Petr would have something to hold on to while in the air. The boy was so excited it was all Luc could do to contain him. Best to let them fly and give Petr the thrill of his first solo flight.

  Lilly laughed as Petr whooped loudly when Shi launched them into the sky. Several scouts followed behind, shadowing the pair below and just behind. They did it as a special favor to Luc and Shilayla, but of the four dragons who followed, Luc knew all those dragons and riders had a special place in their heart for the youngster. Roja and Bruuk were close friends of the family, as were two of the other pairs. The remaining scout had a sister Petr’s age.

  “It’s a shame Det’s not here to see this, but Shi will take Petr low over the house so the family can all see him.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  The dragons and riders winged away over the valley protected by the Veil.

  “Something happened with Petr at the healing hall, didn’t it?”

  Lilly nodded. “Something kind of scary. Did you know he was a twin? The connection to his sister was draining him, and when we followed it out into the twin, some other force chased us back. The healers think it was their mother.”

  “Bright Lady!” Luc’s exclamation was a whisper filled with both dread and shock.

  “The good thing is that, now they know it exists, steps can be taken to block the conduit that is draining Petr. I was left with the impression that the healers can protect him now that they know about his twin.”

  “Why couldn’t they see it before?”

  “They said it was because Petr’s mother is human. It took my human side to recognize and follow the energies. I don’t understand it, but Lady Vi seemed to think that was the main reason.”

  “I thank the Mother of All that you were here to show them the way, Lilly. Petr is precious to us. Seeing him so weak has been a source of constant worry for the entire family. But Loralie’s involvement is sure to set Det off. No wonder he looked so angry.”

  “Loralie?”

  “Petr’s mother. The North Witch.”

  “Oh, that Loralie. Even in King Alric’s court, we’ve heard of her, though no one has ever seen her.”

  “Neither have I, come to that. Det met her while on a mission, and a year later, she showed up on the edge of the Veil, asking a scout team for Det. He went to meet her, and when he returned, he had a baby boy in his arms and a stunned, angry expression on his face. Loralie had given him his son and taken off. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant.”

  “That’s horrible! But it’s also good that she brought Petr to his father. She could have left him anywhere.”

  “That’s true,” Luc admitted. “Perhaps she’s not a complete monster, but what kind of mother dumps her child on a near total stranger who didn’t even know he had a son?”

  “And what kind of mother keeps the girl twin and allows her to drain her brother’s life energy?” Lilly’s voice rang with sorrow.

  “Sweet Mother of All.” The oath whispered from his lips as he contemplated the stark truth of Lilly’s words. The pain in Lilly’s eyes echoed the anger and grief Luc felt in his heart.

  He would have said more, but Shilayla winged back into view with a joyous Petr waving from her back. The other scouts followed behind and below, close enough to help should Petr need it but far enough away to let him feel independent.

  Shi landed as gently as he’d ever seen her, and Luc moved to help Petr from her back.

  “Uncle Luc! Did you see me?” Petr launched himself into Luc’s arms, more energetic than Luc had ever seen him. The wind aloft had burnished his cheeks to a healthy glow, and the fire within the small boy seemed to spark with life. The combination made Luc’s throat close with emotion for a moment before he mastered his reaction. It wouldn’t do to let Petr pick up on his feelings. The boy needed to feel as if he were like any other child in the enclave, not the “sickly one”. That had been the way they’d raised Petr as a family, and it had done the child well, Luc believed.

  “I saw you, Petr. You looked right at home a-dragonback. What do you think, Shi?” Luc tilted his head toward Shilayla as he held Peter in one arm.

  “He’s a natural flyer,” Shilayla said. “He didn’t pull on the ropes once.” Shilayla bowed her head in front of them, winking one jeweled eye. If dragons could smile, Shi was most definitely grinning like a fool.

  “Nana and Father were outside the house when we passed, and Gren and Mena even joined us in the air for a turn.”

  Luc enjoyed Petr’s excitement. This was, after all, a milestone in his short life. “You did well, Petr. I’m so proud of you.” Luc tossed the boy in his arms once, sharing his exuberance.

  “Did you see me, Lilly?” Petr noticed her standing just behind Luc.

  “You looked right at home up there, Petr.” She tousled his hair fondly, moving closer to them. Luc could feel her warmth at his back and breathed in her delicate scent. She was, by far, the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. In odd moments, her presence made itself known in subtle ways, striking sparks off him at the least provocation. Luc put his nephew down to talk with the other dragons and scouts who’d accompanied him on his first solo flight.

  “I’ve never seen him so excited,” Luc said as Lilly came up beside him. He would concentrate on Petr’s excitement rather than Lilly’s tantalizing presence. She was all too distracting, which troubled him when they were out in the open and he could do nothing to ease the desire she inspired.

  “I meant what I said,” Shilayla spoke to them both. “He is a natural born rider. It’s a shame no dragonet has yet come forward for him. He would make a good companion and partner for one of my kind.”

  Luc patted the dragon’s neck fondly. “It means a lot to hear you say that, Shi. Maybe, someday, if the Mother of All wills it, one of your kind will deem him worthy of sharing his life.”

  “Is that how it works?” Lilly asked.

  “Each partnership is different. In our case, I was a youngster when I started having dreams about Shilayla. She was still in her shell.” Luc stroked the dragon’s scales, feeling the same affection they’d shared since those first few moments together. “I went out beyond the Veil in a snowstorm to find her, but I knew she was waiting for me. I found her just as she hatched, and we’ve been together ever since.”

  “Mama told me you were coming,” Shilayla’s words reminded him of those early days when they shared their sorrow at loss of family but clung to each other. “The Mother of All guided her steps. She carried my egg all the way from her snow cave, just in time for my hatching. For you, Luc. For us.”

  Shilayla nuzzled his chest with her shining white head as they shared a quiet moment of gentle care between them. The bond was as strong now as it had been the moment their eyes met across the swirling snow.

  “I love you, Shi.” His words were for the dragon alone.

  After a shared moment when they explored their bond, Shilayla lifted away and went after Petr and the other dragons and Scouts.

  “I didn’t know you’d been together for so long,” Lilly said, standing at his side. “I guess I never thought about how or when dragons came to partner with your people. It must have been very special to grow to adulthood with Shilayla as your constant companion.”

  “It was a good experience, but as I told you before, she’s not quite finished growing yet. Shi’s still a junenile and will be for some time yet. It’s the wild-born traits that make her appear full grown when she is not.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Wild-born dragons almost always come to those who will become warriors. They tend to be bigger and better fighters due to their wild natures. In general, the Lair-bred dragons have more magic and are of smaller size. They tend to partner mages, but each pair serves in their own way.” Luc turned toward the hall, and Lilly followed behind. He headed for the room where he kept Shilayla’s things. Females of every species, it seemed, liked to collect things. Luc quickly sorted through the bits of tack they might need on their journey.

  In general, scouts didn’t need much in the way of saddles or harnesses. Most scouting missions were short in duration and didn’t require a great deal of equipment, and most riders were closely bonded enough with their dragons to be able to ride without anything other than the dragon’s scales to hold on to. But Lilly might feel better with a handhold, and they would probably also need a pack to contain their food and clothing.

  “Can I help with anything?” Lilly asked, watching from an out-of-the-way spot by the door to the chamber.

  “This won’t take long. Have a seat, if you like.” Luc nodded toward the bench that ran the length of one wall.

  “Are there many scouts?” She sat, glancing pointedly at the small cubby holes that were assigned to different people.

  He returned to sorting Shilayla’s belongings. “All dragons and their partners serve as scouts until the dragon is grown.”

  “What happens then?”

  “The strengths and weaknesses of the pair are evaluated, and they are given different tasks based on their abilities. Most of the wild-born dragons go on to become defenders, as long as their partners are skilled enough to earn the rank of knight. If the pair is more skilled in magic, they become defenders of a different sort.”

  He stopped talking, and Lilly guessed he was skirting the details about magical defenses at the heart of the Veil—most likely those that guarded the entrance to the Citadel itself. She knew it was best not to discuss such things, even under the safety of the Veil. Actually, especially under the Veil. The security of the Veil had already been breached at least once to block the seers.

  “I suppose Shilayla and you are firmly on the path of the warrior.” She looked at him, unable to stop herself from admiring his muscular physique and the smooth way he moved as he packed for their journey.

  Luc rewarded her with a pleased grin. “Good guess. My family has a long history of warrior service, and most of the dragons we have partnered have been wild-born.”

  “Then, your brother’s dragon partner was hatched outside the Veil, too?”

  “Gren? Yes, though he’s much older than Shi, as my brother is much older than me. Det was already Captain of the Guard when I was born.

  Lilly was shocked. She’d been thinking of these people as human, with human lifespans, but she needed to remember they were magical folk who lived many times the normal human expectation. Luc laughed, and she knew she hadn’t hidden her surprise well.

  “Your pardon for saying so, but he seems a hard man, your brother.”

  Luc’s expression cleared, becoming solemn. “He’s had a hard life.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  They ate lunch that day with some of the other scouts. Lilly enjoyed the camaraderie between the older scouts and was particularly impressed by the way the younger ones doted on their dragon partners. It seemed all juvenile dragons and their partners were considered scouts, regardless of their age. There were a few teenaged fair folk and even a youngster of about seven or eight with a proportionally sized dragon constantly at her side.