For hours the group took turns checking on Lainey. She had yet to move once, and the purple crystal continued to glow. Dakari thought he could see improvement in her limbs, although in his tired state he realized he might be imagining it.
Dakari had conjured a small fire to keep them warm and they huddled around it. As they were all getting hungry he also envisioned a small door that they could go through and still stay invisible. They placed a rock on the ground in front of it so they could find it without running into the walls. Two of the warriors were able to go out and find a few rabbits, which were currently roasting over the fire.
"Your skills have grown big brother," Maggie said with a wink. She sat down next to him and he promptly conjured up a red rose. She laughed and threw it at his head. It disappeared before it found its mark.
"I had nothing to do but practice all summer. Whenever they were around I would pretend to be drugged. It was not a challenge to beat a man in a drugged stupor and before long they forgot about me. I conjured ugly bruises onto my skin, dark and purple fading to green. I would hear them chuckle, happy that someone was still kicking me around. That satisfied them for the most part."
"How did you find Lainey?" She probed, looking over at Lainey.
"Actually, Lainey found me...she had learned to keep her eyes downcast because the dragons have the ability to hypnotize girls who look directly at them, while she was doing this she caught me watching. My cell was right off the kitchen, where the slaves gathered. He shuddered remembering the awful treatment the slaves endured.
"After that she started sneaking me food. The cook was a slave too, and would always save scraps for her." He turned to his sister now, "Maggie, I watched them kill the cook. These dragons are ruthless."
"Why do they hate us so much? Did they ever say?" She wondered.
"Not directly. Something about a treaty that was welched on, oftentimes they would refer to the ancient prophecies. I think there is more to those scrolls than we know. When this is all over, I want to spend some time studying them."
They heard the muffled sound of the door closing. Within seconds Penny appeared carrying a cornucopia of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and being in Ireland, potatoes.
She curtsied low and deep as if presenting food to a king, "Tonight we feast."
They made a stew with their treasures and it simmered over the open flame for hours. They took turns going outside with Dakari's cup, drinking their fill and relieving themselves when necessary. Finally as the twilight colors began to fade, the rescue team sat around the little fire, eating straight from the cauldron Dakari had conjured for cooking.
"I think it's time to address the elephant in the room." Maggie said, watching Lainey's chest rise and fall with each breath.
"You're right, of course," said Dakari. "I don't know how long she'll be like this. If you guys want to go back, I will stay here with her until she is able to move again." He sounded so guilty, Maggie's heart went out to him.
"You misunderstand big brother. I have already messaged Katalea and told her we would not be home for at least three days. We will all stay together and get her through this. She is a hero, and our people are grateful."
"I think what Maggie is getting at, be it ever so slowly, is that we have no plan for when she wakes up."
"I've only been thinking of escaping, I don't even know where she's from." Dakari acknowledged. "I know she has a cute British accent," he tried thinking of any other clues.
"When she is able to move, we will take her home. We will ask her where she lives, and we will take her. She deserves a first class journey back into the arms of her family. She has been through so much. " Penny stated, "The more important question is, how do we get her to not tell her story."
_____________________________________
Mr. Kalb's death shocked everyone. Dalya was inconsolable, while Abe took a more stoic approach. His memorial would be held at the training ground the next day, everyone had agreed that this had been his favorite place to be. He had delighted in teaching the ways of the past and the next generation vowed to keep the traditions alive. He had requested cremation, with his ashes spread over the ocean that he dearly loved.
Dalya had been brought up to date on all that had transpired since she had gone missing. She had no recollection of being snatched off the beach but the scars told her that what everyone told her was true. With the all encompassing grief over her father's passing she hadn't yet gone to see Abe. The emotional toil of losing her father made her just want to sleep, and the doctors encouraged this.
She had also managed to put off the doctors exam for a few days. With her eyes looking like dark tree hollows, they prescribed rest and food. After a day and a half of this, Dalya was restless and wanted to have a heart to heart with Abe.
Sneaking out was not hard, she walked onto the back terrace with a blanket and all assumed she wanted to snooze in the sun. As soon as she was alone she deserted the blanket, hopped the little balustrade and made a beeline for the home she had grown up in. What she had not counted on was the military posts at every door.
She sent a mental message to Abe, "Can you get to our secret spot? There are guards blocking the doors."
"Yes" was all that he sent back. Years ago they had devised a secret tunnel that led from their basement and out to a shed in the property to the north of the main house. They had worked on that tunnel every day, as a way to evade their father and the non-stop training. The shed held long forgotten garden tools, an old mini tractor, and miles of spider webs.
Beneath some old tarps they had secreted in cushions and blankets, bottles of water, and childhood trinkets. Dalya found her favorite childhood doll nestled in a box with what was once daisies. She remembered her father decreeing she could no longer play with dolls, and had barely saved this one with it's button eyes and muddy red dress. Father had made his children warriors, he insisted on toughness she thought as tears filled her eyes, but he never taught them how to deal with emotion.
Emotions came now as Abe emerged from the tunnel. They had started the tunnel in the bathroom they had shared as children. One could open the cabinet under the sink, move the plywood that served as a false bottom and shimmy down until they had widened it out. At that point a small body could get turned around and crawl to the shed and escape. She was wondering if Abe would still fit when the metal grate clanged and he pushed through.
They hugged like they had not seen each other in decades. Tears openly spilled down Dalya's face, but she did not care. Abe pulled away first and looked at his sister.
"You look like hell," he teased but concern showed in his eyes.
""Apparently going on a dragon ride is bad for one's health." She quipped.
He shuddered, remembering the horrible sight of the soot-black dragon holding his sister in its talons like she were prey to be devoured. The heart wrenching pain of helplessness as he stood there and watched it fly out of sight.
"Why were you out there on the beach anyway? We were in the middle of a meeting?" He questioned her now, getting mad all over again.
"I was calming down because you were being an a**.
"Just like a girl to run when the going gets tough," he raised one eyebrow. "I tried to tell them that is what would happen if we let females into the war room." His voice was so condescending that Dalya wanted to scream.
"If you really believe that, you are an idiot. That kind of thinking went away with the cavemen. I heard you actually insulted our alpha, I didn't want to believe it, but I can see for myself that it's true." Her time here was done, she had wanted to see him, talk to him, be absolutely sure before she made her final decision.
"Our alpha? She's not my alpha. She was supposed to marry me so a man could run this Pride. She was not smart enough to figure that out. You had it right when we were in high school. Katalea is not fit to lead."
"As a child, I was jealous of her, as an adult I have come to respect her. She is my alpha and I will serve her." Dalya poked her chin out and stared at her brother defiantly. "Anyone who goes against my alpha goes against me."
"You mean, you won't be coming with me?" Incredulous, he looked at her. "We can start an awesome Pride, anywhere you want."
"Not only will I not come with you, I hereby denounce you as my brother." His jaw dropped as she said the words. The bond between them shattered, their little family destroyed.
"It's all Katalea's fault,'' he thought, and watched her go out through the shed.
Dalya waited until she was sure he had gone back in the house. She marched right up to the guards and told them of the tunnel under the house. Her brother was now a rogue and deserved no better.