Ginelle had instructed the mirrors to land if they felt themselves starting to expire, because the last thing she wanted was witches falling out of the sky because their ride had suddenly vanished. Yet despite that fear, the dragon mirrors lasted quite a while as they flew for over an hour which was more than enough time for them all to cross the border and enter a territory where the witches could be safe from the persecution of the crown. As they flew closer to a town that Ginelle knew would protect them, she flew down to a patch of land which was clear enough for all the dragon mirrors to land. Once they were all on the ground, some of the mirrors had started to vanish. A few witches were still mounted, but they only fell a few feet off the back to the ground rather than miles above. Margorie walked over to Ginelle and appeared to be very impressed with her young pupil.
“How do you manage to make that many mirrors?” she called out as she walked over to where Ruki had landed. “I’ve never been able to ever summon more than ten, and I’ve never heard of animals being mirrored, especially dragons!”
“I kind of cheated,” Ginelle replied, smiling back at the old witch.
“Your totem is not that powerful,” Margorie said, arms folded.
“It’s hard to explain, but I had access to more than one totem,” Ginelle explained, “It’s the combination of those totems that allowed me to create so many mirrors.”
“That is very impressive,” Ginelle’s mom said, as she also dismounted herself from the dragon’s back. She stood there for a moment, waiting for something.
“What are you looking at?” Ginelle asked.
“This dragon,” her mother inquired, “Why is it still here?”
“Because he’s the original,” Ginelle answered, “This is my friend, Ruki.”
“Oh,” her mother said, taking a step back. “Makes sense I suppose. How long has this dragon been your companion?”
“A while now,” Ginelle replied, “We’re good friends, and he’s the reason you are all free now.”
“And we’re quite thankful for it,” Margorie said, stepping back in. “Do you know where we are?”
“Yes, we crossed the border into the territory to the east,” Ginelle answered, “There is a town up ahead that the other witches can seek help at. I’m afraid that’s the best I could do given the situation.”
“And where are you going, dear?” her mother asked her.
“I’m going back to the house I’ve been staying at since I left the logging camp,” Ginelle said, “You are both welcome to come with me if you like.”
“That would be nice,” her mother said, happy to be with her child again. “You definitely had to do some growing up since I last saw you.”
“She was a good pupil,” Margorie said, walking closer to the dragon. “Thank you for your help. Someone has earned himself a hearty supper.”
“Hmmmm,” Ruki replied, as he liked the thought of that.
“Is there room for one more?” Harrison called out as he walked closer to the dragon as he also didn’t have anywhere to go. “I’m sure your home could use an extra pair of hands for the day to day chores.”
“We could,” Ginelle replied, smiling as she was happy to see him again.
Her mother turned around and was shocked to see the man standing there.
“Harrison?” she called out to him, “How do you know my daughter?”
“Alyssa,” Harrison said, his face one of absolute shock.
“Uh oh,” Margorie said, as she was starting to quickly put it all together.
“You two know each other?” Ginelle asked.
“We do,” her mother answered, “How do you know him?”
“He’s with me,” Margorie replied for him, “But only in a professional capacity. Harrison was in charge of that logging camp that took Ginelle in. He and the other lumberjacks found her hiding in the woods alone and rescued her. She lived with us for several months until the royal army came to arrest us.”
“Oh, okay,” her mother said, looking back at Harrison. “So, you have no idea who she really is?”
“What are you talking about?” Harrison asked.
“It all makes sense now, honestly,” Margorie said, “It was no fluke that you two found each other that day. After falling off that wagon, she wandered close to our logging camp because your auras were probably drawn to one another.”
“What are you trying to say?” Harrison inquired, as he was very confused.
“You’re her kin,” Margorie answered, “Ginelle is your child, Harrison, and you’re her father.”
“What?” Harrison said, looking back at the women he once knew.
“It’s true,” Alyssa replied, show sincere sadness. “I wanted to tell you, but you had left the kingdom before I discovered what was going on. I’m sorry I never had the chance to tell you.”
“That explains why they get along so well,” Margorie added, amused by this little revelation “Kindred spirits.”
“Wait, Harrison’s my dad?” Ginelle said, as couldn’t’ believe the words she was stating. She couldn’t help but grow a smile to learn this detail.
“Yes, Ginelle,” Her mother confirmed, “He is.”
“Wow,” Ginelle said, as she could hardly believe it. “I guess we’re going to have to make room for one more after all.
“I’ll take care of that dear,” Margorie said as she cast a spell that made another saddle exactly like the one Ginelle was sitting on. “Harrison and I can share that one, while you two take the original. Sounds good?”
“That will work,” Ginelle said, “But we need to feed Ruki first before making him fly again. I have some food leftover in my bag.”
“Very good dear,” Margorie said, “I will take the time to explain to the other witches about the town and what they should do from here. It might sound a little less patronizing come from an older witch and not the young one on the dragon.”
“I understand,” Ginelle said, as she didn’t want that to do it anyway. “Thanks.”
Ginelle dismounted from her dragon, and offered Ruki some food which he happily ate, and there was more than enough to give him enough energy to carry everyone back to the house where Angus and Garrak were waiting for them. Ginelle’s mother walked over to her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder as she watched her child feed the big dragon.
“How long have you been talking to dragons?” she inquired.
“Ever since I joined Margorie and the loggers,” Ginelle informed her, “And I actually started speaking to birds and wolves before I met Ruki.”
“Wolves are dangerous,” her mother told her, “You need to be more careful.”
“I saved Garrak from a trap,” Ginelle explained, “He lost his pack and when I healed him we made a connection, so we’ve been rather close ever since.”
“You have a pet wolf as well?” her mother said, rather surprised. “You do realize that speaking to animals of any kind isn’t very common among witches.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I was unaware of that,” Ginelle replied, “The way Margorie taught me, I was under the impression we could do anything as long as we were willing to put the work in. If it wasn’t for Maurice, I would have been sent to the dungeons with Margorie and Harrison.”
“Who is Maurice?” her mother asked.
“He’s right over there,” Ginelle said, pointing to a tree behind her.
When her mother turned around, the small blue jay was sitting on a branch and he gave her mother a nod, almost as if he was bowing.
“That’s the same bird that talked to Margorie at the dungeon!” her mother recalled, “He was quite helpful.”
“He warned me that the troops were coming to our camp,” Ginelle explained, “He’s the only reason I was able to escape, and he also warned me that you were all going to be executed. That’s why Ruki and came to rescue you.”
“I still can’t believe you did that,” Her mother said, beaming with pride. “All these witches owe you their very lives. None of them will ever forget what you did for them.”
“I wish I could do more,” Ginelle confessed, “I feel bad for leaving them here to fend for themselves.”
“Don’t worry about them,” her mother insisted, “These witches are quite resourceful. They’d rather be left here than still sitting in that awful, grungy dungeon.”
“I appreciate that,” Ginelle said, cause she barely had enough room for them at the house Angus was likely still working on while they were gone.
“So, where have you been hiding since you left the camp?” her mother inquired, “In a town like the one not far from here?”
“Not exactly,” Ginelle said, “Ruki had found a deserted house in the mountains and thought it would be a great place to hideout. Turns out it wasn’t as deserted as we thought but the new owner was nice enough to let us stay as long as we earned our keep. He was also grateful because I healed his niece from an illness that had struck a nearby town.”
“Wow,” her mother replied, “You’ve had quite the adventure.”
“I’ll tell you more about that incident when we get home,” Ginelle said, as she watched most of the witches Margorie was talking to start to walk away as they had begun to make the trek to the town that was close by.
“They’ll be alright,” Margorie said, as she was walking over. “They can conjure up some food and resources when necessary and use those to travel to wherever their journey shall take them next. They’ll be alright. They have strength in numbers.”
“Good to hear,” Ginelle said, as she climbed back onboard her dragon. “Everyone climb aboard. The next leg of our journey isn’t short. We might have to camp out halfway home.”
“It’s that far away?” Harrison asked as he returned to the conversation. As much as he wanted to say something, he felt it was wise to keep his thoughts to himself while he was still processing what he had just learned.
“It is, but we’ll be alright,” Ginelle said with a reassuring tone, “Ruki can set a fire for us and keep us safe with his wings. We’ll be alright.”
“I’m sold,” Harrison said, “Let’s get going.”
“Alright,” Margorie said, stepping in, “To make thins less awkward, Ginelle’s mom can sit with her, and you’re riding with me Harrison. We clear?”
“Crystal,” Harrison said, as he knew better than the back talk the old witch.
While Ruki found the extra passengers a little heavy, it was about the same as carrying Garrak when the first fled the logging camp. It would be tiring, but this was likely the only time he’d have to carry this many people at once. He also knew his efforts would be rewarded by the old witch with some delicious foods, so the dragon was properly motivated to do a good job and carry them all safely to the house. When the black dragon launched into the sky, the three new passengers were nervous but held on tight until they reached a certain height as the winds calmed down the ride became a little less bumpy.
“I have to admit,” her mother said, rather amazed, “This is an ideal way to travel, especially since you cover so much ground so fast!”
“It’s quite fun,” Ginelle admitted, “But I only use Ruki for travel in rare emergencies. I try not to push my luck.”
“I do not mind,” Ruki confessed, “I think it would be nice to take a leisurely flight with you every now and then. I’ve gotten used to having you tag along.”
“Duly noted, my friend,” Ginelle replied.
They were in the air for a few hours before Ruki landed at a familiar spot which was the same area they landed before when they first fled from the lumber camp after it was attacked by the soldiers meant to arrest her. Ginelle waited patiently for everyone to get off the big dragon before getting off herself. Once dismounted from Ruki’s back, the young witch did something unexpected and ran over to hug Harrison. There was a double meaning I that hug, as she had missed him ever since she left the camp, but it was also her first hug since learning that he was her father. They held each other tight, and seemed to never want to let go but eventually did. They both looked back at the other two witches that were staring at them and while they both appeared to be speechless, it was Margorie who eventually found her words first.
“Understandable,” She said, trying not to react to it. “You cared about each other well enough before this detail was revealed, and while you have some catching up to do, let’s look forward into what appears to be a brighter future rather than the past.”
“I agree,” Alyssa said, finally able to speak. “We’ll have time to make things right once we make some more distance and resettle.”
“That will not be a problem,” Ginelle said, rather excitedly, “I’ve been working on a house with someone and there is enough room for you all. Your help getting this place up to speed would be greatly appreciated.”
“You can count on us, dear,” Margorie replied, “We are all just happy to be out of the dungeon and free from tyranny again. Any accommodations would look quite nice compared to the hole we just left behind.”
“And we have you to thank for it,” Alyssa said, walking over to hug her child. “But how did you manage to make so many mirrors? I have only heard of half a dozen being the most a witch or wizard could cast at once.”
“Totems,” Margorie answered for her, “And that is quite a trick your friend here was able to do to amplify your spell like that. The kind of power would also explain how they were able to last as long as they did. That was quite impressive, my dear.”
“We will have time to sort things out later,” Harrison concurred, “The goal is to get to our new home and make the best of the new life we’ve been blessed with.”
“Agreed,” Ginelle’s mom called out, eager to be cooperative.
“Then it’s settled,” Margorie said, “I’ll conjure up some new foods, and get some rest, and then I assume tomorrow will be the last day of travel?”
“It will be,” Ginelle confirmed, “The house we’re working on is not far from here.”
“We?” Harrison repeated but it was easy to see he wasn’t the only one to notice she had said that.
“It’s a long story,” Ginelle said, being a little shy about it. “But it’s a good one. I’ll give you all the details while we eat.”
“That sounds fair,” Alyssa replied, “I’m just glad you were able to find your place in this world away from those terrible men.”
“Wait till you meet the wolf,” Harrison told her.
“The wolf?” Alyssa repeated with a confused face.
“Oh yeah,” Harrison said, amused by her reaction. “She’s been riding that thing as long as the dragon. Both of those creatures appear to be quite loyal to her too.”
“That’s amazing,” her mother replied, “I didn’t know that talking to animals was common for witches, let alone talking to more than one.”
“Any witch can do it,” Margorie informed her with a tone that sounded like she was her mother. “All it takes is hard work and practice. You’re going to realize when I resume Ginelle’s training that a lot of what you were told about witches growing up was inaccurate and grossly undervalued. We are capable of doing anything we want as long as we’re willing to work hard enough to learn it.”
“It appears so,” Alyssa replied, as what she was her daughter do that day was clear evidence of that. “I look forward to learning more about that.”
“Very good,” Margorie said, eager to know she was open minded.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Harrison said, “But it’s going to be dark soon and we need to set up a camp and a fire for the night.”
“I’ve got food covered,” Margorie reminded him. “You take care of the fire.”
Without warning, Ruki let out a slow and very deep growl. He didn’t even have to lift his head up to remind everyone that he was there.
“You don’t need to worry about fire,” Ginelle said, speaking for Ruki. “All you have to do is find some dry firewood, and Ruki can do the rest.”
“Alright, that sounds easy enough,” Harrison replied, “I’ll go fetch some wood.”
“Can I come too?” Ginelle asked.
“Of course,” Harrison said before turning back to face the two ladies. “We won’t stray far. We’ll be back soon.”
“Of course,” Margorie replied, “We’ll get things ready over here.”
The two women watched as Ginelle and Harrison strolled off to search for the firewood, and Alyssa couldn’t believe what she was watching as the man she loved was walking off with their child.
“Are you alright, dear?” Margorie asked her.
“I can’t believe they are together,” Alyssa replied, “They seem so close.”
“They are,” Margorie confirmed, “Harrison took a liking to her the moment he saw her in the woods. It was almost instinct for him to protect the child and care for her. To be fair, all the workers at the camp liked her too.”
“I can’t believe he found her of all people,” Alyssa noted. “Was it fate?”
“Possibly,” Margorie said, “But it appears Mother Earth wasn’t prepared to let them be apart for too long and made sure they found one another. She had a habit of making sure that good people are given the chance to fulfill their natural obligations. Harrison was meant to be her father, and she made sure that he was given a chance to take care of her.”
“That’s amazing,” Alyssa said, “He was able to take over when I was unable to fulfill my parental duties. Even when apart, he was still there to have my back.”
“Love does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?” Margorie said, as she could read the writing on the proverbial wall.
“Excuse me?” Alyssa said, in pure denial.
“Don’t start that with me,” Margorie said, almost laughing in her face. “I saw that look you gave him when you first saw him at the dungeon. I can assure you that the feeling is mutual, even before he learned the truth about your child.”
“One of my biggest regrets,” Alyssa added, “Became our child’s saving grace.”
“Your family is reunited,” Margorie said, putting her arm around Alyssa’s shoulders to comfort her. “Do not squander this chance Mother Earth has given you. I will also teach you both to be wise and powerful witches, and you’ll never have to fear being driven apart by anyone ever again.”
“Thank you,” Alyssa said, wiping away a tear. “I accept your offer.”
“You never really had a choice, dear,” Margorie corrected her, “But I appreciate your dedication. Come, let’s get to work and set up our camp.”