The Hunt for Freedom

Chapter Forty Five

    Lainey held on for dear life to the nothingness under her. She could feel coarse fur but could see nothing. Unparalleled awe struck her when she realized she couldn't see her own hands or arms either. Soaring through space at dangerous speeds, hurtling towards the unknown had Lainey's heart going into overdrive. Without warning her invisible transport banked right and began a downward glide. Underneath her she could make out trees and what looked like a little pond. Lainey hunkered down and held tight. They must be getting ready to land.

The whoosh to her left terrified her. Before she could turn her head she smelled the ghastly sulphuric stench of her scaly captors and knew the nightmare wasn't over. When she did look, the sight of four dragons barreling towards them made her stomach liquify. Their beating wings caused ripples in the air current and had Penny's flight path to wobble. Lainey could see the ground now. They were just above the treetops, a glorious green canopy of non-deciduous foliage.

Lainey held on even tighter as she felt Penny's muscles tense beneath her. They swooped down, twisting and turning through the trees, the brown of the bark swirling before her eyes as they tried to evade the dragons. Above she heard the frantic screech of frustration as she realized the dragons were too cumbersome to race through the woodland.

Penny perched herself amongst the high branches and froze. Lainey could feel the rapid beat of her new friends' heart, but within seconds that quieted too. Lainey assumed all the werecats must be mentally messaging each other and working out a plan. She wondered where Dakari was, but instinct told her to remain completely still. She slowed her own breathing to match with Penny's but kept her eyes on full alert.

For the moment it seemed as if the dragons had given up and left. The thicket of trees was silent and not even the wind dared to rustle the leaves. Any birds nearby had fled at the onslaught of trouble. The eerie silence was broken by the loud croak of a Natterjack toad. Lainey relaxed her grip on Penny's fur and began to transfer her weight to the enormous branch that currently housed them.

As Lainey gained her balance Penny shifted. She still couldn't see her but felt the warmth of the fur leave her and suddenly felt the cold. It was hard to tell what season it was but Lainey guessed early winter. There was no snow or ice on the ground yet but she had got the impression of shorter days the last few weeks.

"Keep still, brave little one. Our enemies are not gone, they are trying to wait us out. For the moment we are safe from them in their dragon form. There is nothing to stop them from shifting and walking in after us." Penny whispered.

Lainey gulped. Essam was a terror in any form. She did as she was told and stayed very still. She caught the scent of campfire before she felt the warmth. Campfires brought images of home and family and Lainey sighed in relief. Surely the humans starting the campfire would help them. When she felt the hot air caress her cheek she almost shed a tear. It was finally over.

"Grab hold, the dragons are smoking us out." As Penny said this Lainey looked across at trees starting to go up in flames. She couldn't see the dragons anywhere but realized they were setting the werecats temporary sanctuary on fire.

Lainey felt Penny shift again and wrapped her arms around her neck. Penny took flight before Lainey could link her fingers tightly together and Lainey felt herself slip to Penny's flank. Penny tried to maneuver and hoist Lainey back on her back but as she tilted left, Lainey tilted right. Lainey only felt the rush of air for a moment before she hit the ground with a sickening thud.

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No amount of coffee could keep Katalea awake. She had managed only two hours of sleep the night before when Maggie had woken the household with her discovery of Dakari's whereabouts. She and her trusted council had sat in the basement and waited to hear from them. She had kept up communication with Maggie and was able to update everyone with their progress.

The coast guard idea had been a collaborative effort and all those involved looked at Katalea with new respect for her suggestion of it. She had an innate canniness that had proven itself time and time again. No one could be prouder than Grandfather as he watched his pride and joy lead a group of seasoned leaders with ease. They treated her as an equal. They treated her as an alpha he thought and his heart swelled.

No word had come through in a while and try as she might no vision would flow either. She called for a break for everyone to recharge. They would meet back in two hours ready to bring their people home. Hopefully when Dakari got home he would have some idea where Dalya might have been taken. No one spoke of the elephant in the room, but Abe's presence was missed. His ability to think outside the box had often sent them on the right path. Wasn't he the one that first thought Dakari had been abducted by the dragons?

Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, Katalea went to her window bed. The constant visions were finally wearing her out, she would rejuvenate her mind in a bit of late afternoon sun. As she began to drift off she saw a lone figure walking down the beach towards the house. She knew that stride, hadn't she dodged it enough in high school? Dalya was back!

As Katalea rushed out of the house messaging Grandfather and Mr. Kalb, she began to doubt herself. How could Dalya be back? In her exhaustion she must have seen someone taking a stroll and just projected Dalya's form onto them. She kept running anyway.

She reached the edge of the sand where it separated from the lazy curve of the esplanade and stared at the figure in the distance. It certainly looked like Dalya, but she was facing the shore watching the waves crash as if she had no cares in the world.

Grandfather and Mr. Kalb came out together, quick for their advancing age and purposeful in their stride. They both were focused on the figure near the shore, eyes squinting in thought, or possibly from the wear and tear of too many late nights.

As they stood there wondering what to do next, Dalya turned to them and raised her hand as if everything was normal. She half ran to them and encircled her father and Grandfather in a generous hug.

"I feel better now, let's get back to the meeting," she said.

The three exchanged glances, but it was Katalea who broke the silence and spoke what they were all thinking.

"Dalya, do you have any memories since you went for a run down the beach?"

Dalya looked nervously at everyone. "Of course, I went for a run because Abe's macho male BS made me crazy. I had to get away for a minute. I am fine now though, we can go back in. I'll deal with Abe at home."

She searched their eyes as they stared back at her in wonder. "You guys are freaking me out, why do you keep staring at me? Did I grow a second head in the last few minutes?"

Katalea moved slowly, her hands staying in Dalya's vision, reached down and lifted Dalya's tunic up over the scars she could already see forming on her legs. The discolored welts began at mid thigh and angrily scored her skin up through her abdomen. The grotesque mutilation of her previously perfect skin caused Dalya to emit a sound Katalea had never heard from her past nemesis. Fear. Utter terror.

"Honey," Katalea cooed, talking to her as if she were a child. "Do you have any idea how these got here?"

Dalya paled and tried to speak. Her pained eyes fluttered and rolled back in her head. Grandfather caught her before she hit the ground.