Without missing a beat, Kaleb took an empty water skin and knelt beside the pool, filling it with the crystalline waters of the spring. “We'll give it a shot. Maybe we can stop by Pandling Grounds and help your dad out before we visit the lake, yes?”
Minx nodded. “I'll try anything at this point.”
With the spring water in their possession, the four adventurers prepared to make their way out of the mountain. “Thank you, dear Gloirs, for your help,” called out Minx. “We're leaving, but when next we meet I hope to bring you good news. We will do everything in our power to help Heilos.”
“I will assist you. Time is of the essence and this mountain is immense.” A faint trail of light appeared on the ceiling, throwing off a glow as of back-lit diamonds embedded in the stone. The light inched forward slowly, and the four of them quickly understood what they were looking at. The spectral dragon was going to show them the quickest way out of the mountain.
Leaving the large cavern, they set out into the network of tunnels with Gloirs as their guide. They followed the ghostly shimmers on the ceiling, winding gradually rightward as they moved from passage to passage.
“This way,” urged the dragon. “Please, let us hurry. There is no time to waste.”
Kaleb led the way, his torch held aloft, and was the first to spot the promise of daylight at the end of a particularly narrow corridor. “It looks like this is an exit!” he announced to the others. “Thank you for your help,” he said, peering up at the glowing path set forth by their ghostly navigator.
The four of them darted out of the passage and found themselves standing upon the gentle foothills surrounding the base of the mountain. Thankful to be free of the dark, Kaleb put out his torch and cast it aside. They stretched, taking a moment to orient themselves and getting used to the feeling of natural light once again.
“I know your father is suffering, but... I think we should head straight to the lake,” said Alla. “It's what Gloirs would want.”
Minx was quick to veto this motion. “No. Pandling Grounds isn't so far from here, and we have a dragon who can carry us there quickly. My father is in a very bad way, but if we can help him recover he'll be a useful ally to us. And anyway... I'll be more present during this mission because I won't be so worried about him.”
“Yeah, let's pay him a quick visit,” agreed Kaleb. “It won't take but a few minutes to give him the spring water. When that's through, we'll set off for the lake immediately.” Without waiting for further discussion, Kaleb strolled to the center of the hill and took on his dragon form. Spreading his wings and outstretching his thick tail so that the three of them might climb on and assume their positions, he waited until the wind was right to lift off. If the recent foul weather had had any bright side, it was in the powerful winds that continued to blow in the wake of the storm. Catching one such gale, the dragon shifter rose up, spread his wings, and sped off in the direction of Pandling Grounds, leaving the shadow of the great mountain behind.
Chapter 11
Flying with Alla in tow felt incredibly strange.
On more than one occasion, Minx had met the half-Fae in battle. They'd been enemies at first. Then, they'd been something like friends. Not long after that, circumstances had changed and they'd found themselves on opposite ends of the war. The constant flip-flopping of roles was enough to make her head spin, and as they flew silently toward Pandling Grounds, Minx still didn't feel completely comfortable around her.
That Alla had lately had a rough time was perfectly clear. One glance at the poor girl was sufficient for pity. She was filthy; her once-white clothing was so thoroughly mucked up that it looked as though she'd been living in the mud, like an animal. Her beautiful silvery hair, once so smooth and well-kept, was now a mess of tangles. Her face was ruddy and she was covered in small nicks and bruises—the hallmarks of one forced to wander through the wilderness. Her milky eyes, always such a curious sight to the Fae huntress, were heavy with fatigue and seeming sadness.
But even if Minx pitied her, she still didn't like the fact that Alla was hitching a ride just then.
Of all the people we might have run into in that mountain... It had to be Alla, huh? What are the odds? asked Minx of the Faelyr.
Mau, always on edge while flying, appeared less bothered by the half-Fae's presence. Small world, she replied. Just be thankful she's safe and that she's on our side this time.
Minx rolled her eyes. Sure, she's on our side—for now. Why was she drawn to the mountain in the first place? It all feels so coincidental... Gloirs Mountain cries out in agony and we rush over to see what's wrong. And who do we meet there? None other than Alla the turncoat. I'm not saying she's got a hidden motive—she's obviously been through a lot. But... it's hard to trust her after all that's happened. And I can't understand how it is that she felt drawn to the mountain.
Well, she's half-dragon, said Mau. Gloirs is a dragon, too. It's hardly the strangest place to find her.
Gloirs... Minx's thoughts returned to the ancient dragon—to the one who'd mourned his beloved, a Fae, for so many moons. He'd elaborated a bit on the story that she had previously only known through legends and her own visions, and had explained that the meeting of the species had been forbidden. And yet... upon arriving at the mountain, they had encountered Alla—herself a Fae-dragon hybrid. Perhaps the girl had hatched from a dragon's egg, and had been drawn to the mountain by the yearning of Heilos and Gloirs. I suppose Alla is what happens when Gloirs and Heilo get their way... a blending of the love of Fae and dragons...
They'd arrived within a stone's throw of Pandling Grounds, and had an eye toward the ruined Trading Center, when something entered into Kaleb's periphery. The dragon shifter growled, cutting his speed suddenly and descending. “Looks like we've got some Wuffs down there...” Studying the cluster of wandering Wuffs, his yellow eyes shot wide open. “And unless I'm going crazy... Valry is with them.”
Minx crawled upward to peer over Kaleb's shoulder. “What? Are you serious?” She scanned the ground furiously, reaching for her bow. “Is it really Valry?”
Kaleb's shadow passed over the Wuffs, and its immensity saw them freeze in place. They looked to the sky nervously. Standing within the skulk of Wuffs was the fearsome vixen, and before the dragon shifter even landed she'd already locked eyes with Minx, who stared down at her from on high.
Kaleb's talons had barely touched the ground before Minx jumped from his back and nocked an arrow in mid-air. She landed and immediately took aim at the vixen. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. She almost didn't wait for an answer; she drew her bow to the breaking point and it was only Mau's interference that saw her hold back.
Don't shoot! warned the Faelyr. They aren't armed!
Sure enough, a brief scan of the skulk brought neither sword nor bow to light. Except for Valry, who carried a short blade on her belt, none of the Wuffs were carrying weapons. The vixen made no move to reach for the blade near her waist and instead raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Please, don't fire. We mean you no harm.”
Minx was so incensed at this plea that she nearly unloaded reflexively. “You mean us no harm?” She spat on the ground. “That's rich. All of you had better put your hands up, now, or else I'll drop you where you stand.”
The nervous Wuffs complied, raising their fuzzy hands toward the sky. There were perhaps a dozen males in total, and none among them wore anything like full battle armor. They looked threadbare, with heavy eyes, and their leader hardly looked better. She'd cast off most of her tight-fitting armor in favor of a patchy cloak. At that moment, the Wuffs looked nothing at all like warriors.
Valry, keeping her hands raised, stepped forward. “Please, let us go on our way. We didn't come here looking for trouble.” Her eyes scanned the ground and her fuzzy ears were lowered in seeming sorrow. “We never wanted to fight you in the first place.”
“Oh? See, that's not how I remember it. You and your lot fought us a great deal—you even took host
ages. My mother among them!” Boiling anger was coursing through her. It took all of Minx's strength not to capitalize on their current weakness and seek vengeance.
“We were forced into combat by Torrent,” continued the vixen. Her bushy tail stirred beneath the cloak as she spoke, still unable to meet Minx's gaze. “We never wanted to fight. When he was near, we had no choice, however. We... We couldn't help it. He had control over us.”
Here, Minx shot a glance at Alla. She'd heard this excuse before.
“You expect me to believe that you were bullied into helping that monster? That I should just overlook the terrible things you did because you were coerced?” She shook her head. “That's not how things work. You should know that best of all, Valry.”
The vixen sighed. “I volunteered my skulk here to take on a mission... That way, we'd be able to get away from him.” She looked to the men behind her. “We have no plans to return. We simply want peace—and to never see Torrent again. Please, let us go. We've finally escaped his reach and we don't want to risk being caught by him.”
The Fae huntress was about to spit venom, but Kaleb stepped in to smooth things over before she could open her mouth. “I see. You're not the only ones who've tried to break free of Torrent's control lately. Please, leave this area at once. Take care of yourselves.”
Minx shot him daggers. “You're... you're letting them go?” she muttered in disbelief. “After everything that's happened... after what she did to my mother... you're going to let them leave?”
Kaleb placed a firm hand on her shoulder and waved to the Wuffs, urging them away. They turned and left without another word, hurrying across the plain lest the Fae huntress change her mind and empty her quiver upon them. “This war has made monsters of many of us, Minx. But you heard it from her lips—she never wanted to fight. They've abandoned their weapons and are no longer cooperating with Torrent. Hard as it may be to believe... that makes them our allies.”
Minx stared at him wide-eyed, shaking with rage. “Valry? My ally?” She threw down her bow in annoyance. “No... I can't accept that. I don't believe it.”
Kaleb offered a gentle shake of the head. “Alla here falls into the same mold, Minx. She was once an enemy, too. And yet, here she is. She, too, has turned away from Torrent. We can't become a monster like he is; we have to forgive. Grudges, hate... they're only going to weigh us down.” He knew better than to think he'd get through to the hot-headed Fae, but by the time he stopped talking, the desired effect had been achieved. Valry and the others had wandered quite far by then, and were slipping out of sight.
From a merely pragmatic standpoint, Minx understood what Kaleb was driving at. Anyone who'd defected from the other side was a potential brother-in-arms—another person who'd recognized Torrent's evil and who would seek to resist him. And yet, her anger did not subside. She watched the Wuffs retreat with a pounding heart, struggling to swallow her pride. Mau, she killed my mother. If not for Valry kickstarting this whole mess, things would be very different right now. How can we just let her walk away?
The Faelyr considered it a moment. I agree with Kaleb. Killing Valry won't change anything, Minx. You and I both know it. She was involved in the raid that ultimately killed your mother, but she wasn't acting of her own volition. She was driven to that point by Torrent, just like Alla and so many others. Forgive her—for your own good. Obsessing over what she's done and seeking revenge will only make you more like Torrent. Instead, look forward to the day when she—and all of Aleio—will rise up against the Dark Mage.
The Fae huntress was little used to taking the advice of others, but after allowing her rage to abate for a few silent minutes, she surrendered. Becoming a bloodthirsty killer driven by vengeance was repugnant to her, and though she longed to avenge her mother, she recognized that this was not the way. There would only be peace once the one responsible—Torrent—had been dealt with. Whatever her animosity toward Valry, she knew the others were right. It was better that she save her anger and energy for the real enemy.
Once Minx had settled down, the four of them continued toward Pandling Grounds. “Well, if Valry's flown the coop, then I suppose it isn't all bad,” she finally uttered as they drew near. “That should be one less faction vying for our lands. One less group we have to worry about crossing swords with.”
She wondered, though, whether Valry had really meant it. If the Wuffs defected en masse, she knew it would strike a serious blow to the dark army. It was all she could do to hope that others would follow suit and thin the Dark Mage's ranks.
They stole into Fae territory, making a beeline for the tree city of Pan where Valdar was currently staying. Passing into the town hurriedly, the four of them sought the tree-borne habitation where her father was receiving care. A Fae healer had just been finishing up a brief check on his condition when Minx and the others arrived at the door.
“Things aren't so good,” admitted the caretaker, a young woman recently trained in the healing arts and employed by the medics. “His mind is slipping and he sometimes grows violent. He's sleeping now. Perhaps he'll awaken in a better mood.”
“Thank you,” replied Minx, seeing her out. When only she and her fellow adventurers remained, she shut the door quietly and took the water skin from Kaleb. “Healing magic has had no effect, but let's see if this water from the spring improves his condition.” She approached her father's bedside, kneeling down carefully so as not to wake him. Opening the water skin, she brought the opening close to his mouth and slowly funneled in a few drops. Valdar, lips dry, regained consciousness just long enough to suck down a few mouthfuls. He loosed a satisfied sigh before settling back to sleep.
“Is it working?” asked Alla, studying Valdar from across the room. “Notice any change?”
Minx shook her head. “It's too early to say. We'll let him rest for now and check up on him later. For the time being, he needs his sleep.”
They retained the majority of the spring water, hopeful that it would be of use in nursing Valdar back to health, and in interrupting Torrent's dark magic as Gloirs had suggested. The four of them stealthily left the home and prepared for their next journey—a quick flight to Heilo Lake.
Shifting in a small clearing so that his wings nearly brushed against the tops of the trees, Kaleb waited for his passengers to board. “We'll be there quickly, so hurry up and climb on.”
Chapter 12
Even from afar, the waters of the lake looked strange.
They emerged through the thick veil of mist that had settled across the surface of the land and coasted over the tops of the dense forests surrounding the lake. Through the haze, the waters almost seemed dark to her eyes; Minx watched with great interest as the shores entered into view and wondered if the shadow of Gloirs Mountain, or else the smoke pouring from its summit, had somehow contributed to this perceived darkening.
When finally they touched down near the waters, she found herself at a loss for words, however.
It was no illusion; the waters had indeed darkened. Once crystal clear and shimmering pure, the lake had become tinged with a certain brackishness. The soft waves lapping against the shore were discolored, tainted in the same way that a garment might be blighted by mold in the damp. She and the others dismounted from Kaleb and staggered to the edge of the water.
The darkness is spreading... Minx knelt down on the shore and stared into the lake. It's so much worse than before. I never imagined the lake would come to look this way... She thought to touch the water, to cup some in her hands so as to better examine it, but decided against it. This taint was utterly repellant. She didn't touch it for fear that the darkness would migrate into her.
Kaleb, who'd returned to his human form, studied the lake narrowly, a stony frown carved across his lips. “This is awful. Torrent's influence over the lake has increased quite a lot, hasn't it?”
Alla strode across the shore, looking down at her blighted reflection dourly. “Soon enough, these waters will run completely black, like in
k. He's on his way to destroying the lake. What can we do?”
As the mist shifted across the face of the water, revealing still more of the lake's pale shores, other things came to light. Minx stood, her eye drawn to a succession of limp shapes strewn about the sands. “W-What... What are those?” she asked, stumbling toward them. In total, there were something like fifteen of these dark shapes. She had only to wander a short distance to realize what they were—and when she did, she loosed a gasp.
The dark silhouettes scattered about the water's edge were common dragons. The creatures, struck down and left to rot, were of many colors and sizes. Kaleb approached one sorrowfully, inspecting the carcass for signs of violence. “What in the world is all this?” He looked back toward the woods, then across the water. “Where did they even come from? I brought some common dragons into these lands awhile ago, but they all fell in battle. How did these poor things get here? Were they killed, or...” He stared down at the water. “Or was it the lake?”
“You think the lake killed them?” asked Minx. “How?”
“I don't know what to think,” he conceded. “It's just one possibility. The lake is sick; there's no telling what effect it might have on those who interact with it.” He waved Minx over, urging her away from the water's edge. “Better to keep some distance. Just in case.”
A strong gale of wind swept past the surface of the lake, whisking away a good deal of mist. With this newfound clarity, they were better able to make out the distance, and were shocked to find several tendrils of smoke rising from the direction of Pandling Grounds—smoke that hadn't been there during their most recent visit. “What's happening over there?” asked Alla, squinting. “Is there a battle?”
Mau sniffed the air, growling. They're being attacked? How is that possible? The shielding spell should be keeping them out! Did Torrent find a way through?
How to Bond a Mage (Heir of Dragons Book 3) Page 6
