Clearing his throat so as to alert the judge in the opposite doorway, the guard announced himself. “Your Honor, I've brought a prisoner for trial. This Fae was caught trespassing. Her Faelyr companion has also been detained. Awaiting your orders, sir.”
The judge, garbed in full military regalia, turned abruptly. He wore a red cape over his black plate armor, and his breastplate was festooned with clanking service medals. His long, black hair had been tied back neatly, giving him a stately appearance. “Bring them to the stand,” he ordered in a commanding voice. “We will commence immediately.”
It took a moment, but as Minx was brought further into the room and ordered to stand before the stand, her heart flip-flopped in her chest. That... that voice sounds awfully familiar.
The judge studied her incredulously, arching a thick black brow. “Minx?”
She looked up at him, eyes wide. He was clean and well put together, his armor decorated with impressive honors. During their last meeting, he'd been rougher around the edges, less polished. Nonetheless, when she met his gaze, she found she knew the judge's face very well. She hadn't been mistaken; the voice calling out from across the courtroom had been the very same she'd yearned to hear for weeks.
“K-Kaleb?” she stammered.
Chapter 5
Kaleb slowly took his seat. Dropping into the plush chair behind the stand, he leaned forward and cleared his throat. Of all the people I expected to find here, you're the very last... he thought as he met the awestruck Fae huntress' gaze. Her hair was tousled and her boots were caked with grime. The arduous trip all the way from Pandling Grounds had likely been a punishing one for her. Despite this, her loveliness was very much intact. He was momentarily lost in her eyes, caught himself studying the curve of her lips, before he finally began. “Minx, what are you doing here?” he asked in a haughty tone. It wasn't his usual way of speaking, but rather a deeper register intended to convey authority.
Minx wasn't having it, and stepped past the guard who'd brought her, placing her shackled hands against the edge of the stand. “Kaleb, I need your help. Mau and I came all the way here from Pandling Grounds. The Wuffs, you see... they're still attacking us. Since the end of the great battle—since the two of us last met...” Here, Minx trailed off for a moment, her gaze drooping and her cheeks reddening. “Since then, the Fae have faced many attacks. The dark army is still out there, slowly recovering. Waves and waves of warriors threaten our lands, and it's getting to be too much for us. We can't keep up the fight, not like this. We need your help—the help of your people.”
The others in the courtroom sat up in their seats. “A charge of trespassing?” muttered one of them, an older man with thick lenses and a feathery beard. “This is a violation of the treaty, your honor. The penalty must be great!”
Kaleb silenced his fellow dragon with a wave of his hand. It pained him to see her in chains, and the earnestness in her gaze moved him. Nevertheless, he had a job to do. “Minx, I'm sorry, but you're trespassing on our lands. Per the terms of the treaty, I have no choice but to charge you with this crime.” He watched as her jaw dropped and her brow furrowed in anger. “The laws of this mountain do not allow unchaperoned Fae to wander freely. I thought I made that clear to you during your last visit here. What happened last time, with you two tagging along... It was something of an anomaly.”
The Fae huntress looked on the verge of exploding. She balled her fists and stepped away from the stand. “What are you saying?” she demanded. “I know I'm not supposed to be here—that this isn't ideal. But what else was I supposed to do? It isn't like I had any other way to get ahold of you!” She kicked the corner of the stand angrily, and the nearby guard moved to restrain her.
Kaleb called him off with a hard glare. “That's enough, Minx. I understand your people are troubled, but this isn't how things work. We have rules that must be followed here. Duties.” He sighed and picked up his gavel. “Where was she found?” he asked the guard.
“Me and another guard discovered her and the Faelyr on one of our rounds, near the eastern entrance. They didn't appear to be up to anything, and merely wanted directions.” He chuckled, adding, “I'm familiar with Minx, and I know she came here with the best of intentions. In accordance with the laws of the mountain, however...”
“Yes,” replied Kaleb. “Thank you.” He turned to the others situated about the room. “Gentlemen, there doesn't appear to be any other evidence to present in this case. A cut-and-dry instance of criminal trespass, no?”
“Correct, your honor,” answered one of the lounging jurists. “This Fae has no rights here. As a result, we needn't hold anything like a formal trial. She will be charged by your authority, and serve whatever sentence you see fit. An outsider does not have the right to trial by jury.”
Kaleb sat up and delivered a swift crack of his gavel. “Very good. Minx, I hereby charge you with trespassing in the Talon Range. Guard—take her away from here.”
The portly guard nodded, approaching Minx. “To the dungeon, with the Faelyr?” he asked.
Kaleb shook his head. “To the suite—the one for special prisoners, if you wish.” He punctuated his order with a wink while the other jurists returned to their private conversations.
“Oh... the suite?” After a moment's hesitation, the guard obeyed, taking hold of the chain around Minx's wrists and carefully guiding her out of the courtroom. “Please, this way.”
The Fae huntress would have none of it, however. “What's the meaning of this? Kaleb, where is he taking me? Are you really going to have me locked up? You of all people?” She resisted the guard's pull, but when the stone-faced judge turned away from her, she lost her fight and fell suddenly into despondency. Minx shuffled behind the guard, head low, and passed back into the antechamber. As she left, she spared Kaleb one last glance, the pain in her eyes apparent.
Kaleb slipped out of the courtroom through the rear entrance, a knot in his stomach. OK, so that's not exactly how I hoped our reunion would go... Even if he somehow managed to smooth things over, to calm down the Fae huntress, he knew he'd never hear the end of this. Because he'd had the authority as judge to charge her however he liked, he'd skipped all the formalities and declined to send her to the dungeon. Instead of having Minx locked up as an actual prisoner, he'd asked the guard to deliver her to his suite—a plush and inviting room where she would be comfortable.
At least there she'll be out of sight. What was she thinking, coming all the way out here without warning? She could have gotten herself killed...
There was no getting around the fact that he had feelings for the feisty huntress. Even so, most of his countrymen had nothing but disdain for the Fae. Recent events had not radically altered the relationship between the two races; things remained icy. Allowing Minx to wander wherever she liked was a recipe for disaster. She was liable to get attacked by stubborn dragons or to stir up more anti-Fae sentiment with her smart mouth. Minx was skilled at many things, but she wasn't always the best at biting her tongue. Her stubborn streak could be her undoing in dragon country.
Kaleb navigated the hidden passages in the mountain, marching through torchlit corridors and meeting the portly guard outside the door to his chambers. “Did she give you any trouble?” he asked the swordsman with a sheepish grin.
“I thought she was going to spit on me,” replied the guard with a weak smile.
“That sounds about right. Do me a favor and stay put. I'll have a word with her and get to the bottom of things. I may have need of you yet, so don't wander off.” Entering the room, he shut the door softly behind him and discovered Minx seated on a plush chair beneath a gilt skylight. She was staring up at the slender opening, her eyes ladened with tears of frustration. At noticing his entrance, she hurriedly wiped them away and put on a fierce expression. She'd looked kinder on the battlefield, staring down Wuffs, than she did at that moment.
The room was sumptuously outfitted, with ornate furniture, silken linens and ample light. A large bow
l of fresh fruits sat on a nearby table, and though he moved it closer to her, the hungry-looking huntress did not partake. Instead, she sized him up viciously, arms crossed. “So, are all of the dungeons in this mountain as nice as this?”
Kaleb chortled. “This is my suite, not a dungeon. I'm not going to throw you in jail, Minx. Take a load off. You look tired. I know you've come a long way.”
She rolled her eyes dismissively. “Sure. I've been dragged around in chains, hauled off to a gilded cell, but I'll try and relax.” She rubbed at her wrists, where the shackles had previously rubbed against her skin. “What's the matter with you? Why have you done this? I came here looking for your help. Instead, Mau's been locked up and I had to go through that humiliating trial. Couldn't you have just released me?”
Kaleb took a seat across from her in a plush chair of his own and tried to take one of her hands in his. To his surprise—and hurt—she pulled away from him. “Minx, you can't just show up here whenever you please,” he said quietly. “I wish you could—that things were different. But do you really think it's safe for someone known as the Dragon Hunter to pop in for a visit? I had no idea you were coming, and I needn't remind you that most dragons aren't as friendly toward your kind as I am.”
Minx chuckled darkly. “Oh, so charging me with a crime for coming all the way here to see you—that's what you call friendly?”
“I had you brought to this room for your protection,” he shot back. “What you're doing isn't safe, Minx. And anyway... you know how the generals are. They aren't interested in helping your people. What's happening at Pandling Grounds is a problem for the Fae.”
“For now,” was her reply. “But you know they'll come for the dragons eventually. We've discussed it before. They won't stop after destroying Pan. They'll keep going, gaining power all the while. The whole continent, all of Aleio, will fall. The only chance we have is in pooling our resources. We need to work together. Or... have you forgotten?”
Kaleb shook his head. “I know the threat is real. But the generals aren't going to listen. And anyway, you can't just come and go as you please. My people are going to see the Dragon Hunter wandering around the mountain and think you're here to claim that dragon's hide you so sorely wanted. It won't end well. Unless you receive official permission, you can't be here, Minx. The help my people offered the last time—consider if a fluke, a one-time thing. I'm sorry to say they haven't changed.”
She grit her teeth, eyeing him intensely. “No... but you have.” Minx took a deep, steadying breath. “I thought you'd be happy to see me.”
“I am!” he insisted. “It's... it's not that.”
She shook her head and stood. “If this is what you consider a warm reception, then I don't know what to say.” Minx strode toward the door. “I hear you, loud and clear. I'll leave at once, and I won't come back. I know where the Fae stand with your people—and where I stand with you. Please tell them to release Mau. We won't trouble you ever again.”
Kaleb tried to reason with her, placed a hand upon her shoulder that was promptly shrugged off. “Is the situation really so different with the Fae? They want our help in their hour of need, certainly, but do most of them really see us as equals? I imagine most of them don't. Most of them probably think of us as useful idiots and nothing more. Aside from the two of us, the dragons and the Fae don't see eye-to-eye, Minx. We can't just make them change their minds—not overnight.”
Minx opened the chamber door and stepped out into the hall. She had nothing left to say, and couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye again. “Tell them to release Mau. I'll go back home. Goodbye, Kaleb.”
A few more guards had gathered outside the room, giving the Fae huntress an odd look as they went about their rounds. Kaleb waved a few over, issuing his hasty orders. “You,” he told the first one, “please escort her to the exit.” He pointed at another. “You, go down to the dungeon and release the Faelyr that's being kept there. Escort the Faelyr to the exit as well. And ensure that all of Minx's weapons are returned, too.”
The guards gave a salute and executed their orders at once. Kaleb watched as Minx was led down the hall, toward the nearest passage. The Fae huntress didn't say another word, didn't bother looking back at him as she proceeded through the doorway. He was torn; sending her away and dissuading her from this fool's errand seemed to be the safest thing to do. On the other hand, his heart ached at seeing her leave. I can't give her what she wants. I can't make my people lend her a hand. But after this, I may never see her again. It's possible I just destroyed her trust in me, and in all of dragon-kind.
Minx and her escort rounded a corner and were gone in the next moment.
Kaleb shut the door and shuffled into his chambers, head low. “Take care of yourself, Minx...” he muttered. “I'm sorry I couldn't help you.”
Chapter 6
Ordinarily, being released from captivity would have been a cause for celebration. As Minx was ushered out of the fortress however, she found herself wishing she could lengthen her sentence. Maybe if I'd had just a few more minutes with him... she thought sorrowfully. I shouldn't have walked out like that. I should've insisted on his help, told him exactly how bad things have gotten back home.
She was deposited outside the mountain by her gruff chaperones. The sun was bright and warm and the skies were free of clouds. Strider remained tied to the post outside, basking in the warmth contentedly. She paced out awkwardly, waiting for Mau to be released and for her weapon to be returned per Kaleb's orders.
Several minutes after she'd exited the fortress, Mau was brought out by another guard. Her quiver and bow were subsequently tossed upon the ground and the scowling guards re-entered the passage without a word. One of them spared the duo a withering gaze. It was a look that said, “And stay out!” in no uncertain terms.
Finally, they were free. Alone together for the first time since entering the mountain, Minx and Mau exchanged a few words. Are you OK? They didn't hurt you, did they? asked the Fae huntress. If they so much as laid a finger on you, I'm going to march back in there and—
I'm fine. They weren't too bad, all in all. Let's just say I've been taken prisoner by less professional thugs in the past. You know, I'm surprised they released us so quickly, said Mau. Where did they take you? I was stuck in the dungeon—dank and filthy. Wouldn't you know it, as pretty as the rest of the mountain is, the dragons didn't put much effort into making their jail cells aesthetically pleasing.
Minx strapped on her quiver and leashed her bow to her back, mounting the horse and slowly trotting away from the side of the mountain. I was taken to court, of all places—charged with criminal trespass. It was a sham. There was no jury or anything, just a judge running his mouth and banging his gavel. You'll never believe who the judge was.
Oh, wagered the Faelyr, was it one of those stubborn old generals? Those guys were real jerks, weren't they? Knowing how much they despise the Fae, I'll bet they got a real kick out of seeing you in cuffs, huh?
Not quite, replied Minx. It was Kaleb.
At this, Mau's fur stood on end. It was Kaleb? What do you mean? The Faelyr offered an incredulous laugh. You're pulling my leg, right? Kaleb's not old enough to be a judge. And there's no way he'd charge you with a crime—not for coming to see him. I know Kaleb. He may be a dragon, but he's not that hard-hearted. Who was it really?
The Fae huntress didn't care to review the entire episode. Her stomach was a tangle of knots and her heart felt as though it might rupture at any moment. I wish I were kidding. Let's put it this way—he won't be of any help to us, she said flatly. We're on our own. This entire trip has been a waste of time, unfortunately.
I don't know what to say... Mau was silent for a long while, padding behind the stallion. So much for trusting dragons, I guess. I'm sorry, Minx.
Minx sported a bitter smile, sniffing back tears. No, it's all my fault, really. It was all my idea. I should've known better.
Prior to their trip, Minx had anticipated struggles.
Even had Kaleb been fully on board, it would have been a difficult thing to convince the stubborn top brass of Talon Range to assist the Fae in their hour of need. Still, she'd put faith in Kaleb. She'd trusted him, hoped that he would be able to get through to his superiors and get her people the help they needed.
Now, she was all out of hope. Riding listlessly from the mountain, utterly devastated at her reception, she didn't know what to believe. She'd had strong feelings for Kaleb—and had been naive enough to believe that he'd had feelings for her, as well. His treatment of her, and his steadfast refusal to help, had been such terrible blows. Minx, usually so careful to guard her feelings, had been utterly blindsided by this unexpected betrayal.
It sickened her to think that, for the past weeks, her daydreams had been filled with visions of the young dragon shifter. She'd longed to speak to him again, to feel his embrace—but that, it turned out, had never been in the cards. She'd been strung along. Their relationship, if one could be so foolish as to call what they'd had a “relationship”, was over now. She and her people would have to fend for themselves. In the back of her mind, she'd always thought that might be a possibility. The elder dragons, those in positions of power, had never been interested in extending aid. At the very least, though, she'd hoped to return to Pandling Grounds with Kaleb.
Instead, she would return to her father empty-handed once again.
More raids had certainly taken place during her absence. How many more Fae warriors had been struck down in the violence? How many times had her people been threatened with domination while she'd been out running this fool's errand? Minx had fought relentlessly against the Wuffs and their allies, but no matter how many she struck down, there could be no denying that her performance had left much to be desired.
She was, after all, the Dragon Hunter. Had she only done her job from the start, she would have served her people more fruitfully than if she'd slayed a hundred more Wuffs.
How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2) Page 4
