How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2)

by J. A. Culican

  Mau concurred. Let's hope that things within the Trading Center aren't too bad. Maybe your father has worked out a new strategy since we left. Otherwise... it's going to be hard to compete against these numbers.

  Kaleb brought them soaring past the columns of enemy combatants and over the edge of the Trading Center wall, landing in the bustling square. Fae swordsmen and lancers scattered at the sight of the dragon, and various High Council members, dressed in ill-fitting armor, watched with awe as Kaleb touched down. “Have the dragons agreed to help?” asked one of the swordsmen, smile brimming with optimism.

  Minx couldn't bring herself to break the news to him and instead asked the young swordsman, “Where's my father? I need to speak to him immediately.”

  A few of the swordsmen went marching through the square, returning with Minx's father a few moments later. Still haggard for the toll of battle, Valdar nonetheless welcomed her with open arms and pulled her aside. “Well?” he asked. “How did it go, Minx? Were you able to secure more reinforcements?”

  The Fae huntress shook her head. “I'm sorry, father. We tried—Kaleb made an appeal—but they refused. He came along, however, and is willing to fight for us. I trust him and he's a capable warrior.” Peering up at him cautiously, fearful of his disappointment, she pressed on. “How have things been? Have there been many raids? Many losses?”

  He nodded gravely. “There have been some large war parties, certainly. None that we haven't been able to rebuff, mind you. There have been losses, many of them in the medical tent, rather than the battlefield. Infection has spread amongst the wounded and our healers, unfortunately, are overworked. A few have recovered and have returned to active duty, but others have perished since you left.” Valdar sighed. “Our numbers continue to dwindle.”

  “I see...” Recalling her time with Alla and the hunter, Minx pulled the allegedly magical amulet from her pocket, hopeful that it was worth the effort. “Father, what do you make of this? I was told that it was a magical amulet being used by one of Torrent's allies in controlling the races. As best I can tell, though, it's no such thing. I went to some trouble to obtain it.” She handed him the piece of jewelry and watched as he carefully appraised it.

  “I can't be certain,” he replied after a pause, “but it doesn't seem to be a magical object.” Valdar looked it over with closeness, inspecting the stone, the casing and holding it up to the light. He smiled weakly. “I'm afraid you may have been taken in by a farce, my dear. This piece doesn't appear to have any magical properties whatsoever. I have known a few magical items in my day, but this is utterly lacking the spell-casting character.”

  “I feared as much.” She tucked the amulet away and turned toward the gate. “The enemy is upon us. Shall we take our positions?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I'm thankful you've come, Minx. The scouts have warned us that the incoming force is large and well-organized. Be safe, my dear. We will defend the walls and attempt to keep them from infiltrating the gate. If they do breach it, we must ensure that they do not make it out of the square. Blockades have been set up through all of the major streets to slow down any such invaders, and a handful of soldiers have been stationed at each.”

  Having been briefed, Minx departed for the wall. First, however, she stopped to speak to Kaleb, who'd since shifted back into his human form. “So, this force looks pretty massive. I don't know if our defenses will hold. My father tells me that our numbers have only fallen since I was last home.”

  The dragon shifter looked to the gate, chuckling. “Same as it ever was, huh? I seem to remember things were a mess for us the last time we found ourselves here. Do you guys have a plan?”

  “Defend the Trading Center and keep them out,” she replied flatly. “Without more men, that's about the best we can do.”

  “It's as good a plan as any,” said Kaleb. “These guys don't take too kindly to a rain of fire from above, so I'll keep them on their toes while you pick them off. Sound good?”

  Perhaps it was the stress of battle getting to her, or else a fear that she may not have another chance, but Minx stepped forth and wrapped the dragon shifter in a tight embrace. She looked up at him, cheeks flushed, and grappled with the urge to kiss him. “P-Please,” she stammered, “stay safe, Kaleb.”

  The dragon shifter returned her embrace and smiled warmly. He might have made good on that kiss if not for the prying eyes of surrounding Fae. “Sure,” he replied. “Else all that healing you did will have been for nothing, am I right?” He withdrew with a wink, starting toward the gate.

  The Faelyr strode by nonchalantly as Kaleb departed. Need I remind you we have a war to win? There'll be time enough for romance if we can pull this off, but right now there are more important things to worry about!

  Minx rolled her eyes, climbing quickly up the wall and taking her place among the archers. Oh, leave me alone! I'm not distracted—I'm perfectly in the zone, I'll have you know. Adjusting her braid, she replenished the arrows in her quiver from a large barrel atop the wall and paced toward the side of the gate, watching as the first enemy waves drew near.

  And rather unexpectedly, there was a familiar face among them.

  Leading one of the foremost battalions and still armed with a longsword, was Alla. She led a mixed force of Wuffs, Krah and a few others whose lineage was less clear. Her advance slowed to a crawl, and then she and her men came to a total halt some fifty or so feet from the front gate. Scanning the top of the wall, she bellowed out an order for all to hear. “Citizens of Pandling Grounds, you are hereby ordered to submit to a new master. I command you to open the gate and to immediately surrender. You will, from this day onward, serve Torrent. If I have been understood, quickly open the gate and lay down your arms. Resist and you will surely die.”

  I doubt it, scoffed Minx. You may overrun us, but we're going to give you everything we've got. If Torrent wants our land, he's going to pay dearly for it.

  Before Minx could shout back at Alla, her father started toward the gate. He cleared his throat and gave the official reply. “We will do no such thing. These are the lands of the Fae, and Torrent has no claim here. We will never submit to his rule. If you value your lives, turn away immediately. We have claimed many of your kind in recent weeks; it would be foolish to join them, no? Leave this place, immediately!”

  Alla frowned, drawing her sword with a scaly fist. “So be it.” Holding the blade out before her, she gave the men under her command the signal and they began sprinting past her, rushing headlong toward the walls of the Trading Center. There were weapons of every style amongst this first wave—swordsmen, hammer-wielders and archers were all represented, and they surged forth like water bursting through a crack in a broken dam.

  On the flight in, Minx had glanced over the walls of the Trading Center, and had found them in a pitiable state. Once, they'd been tall and orderly—solid. This was no longer the case, with large swaths of wall now covered in cracks and gouges made by relentless attackers during recent raids. Certain walls had been reinforced from the inside with beams of lumber, but whether these wooden fortifications would hold in the event of a sustained push remained to be seen.

  Today, we may just find out what these walls are really made of, thought Minx as she nocked her first shot. Turning to her fellow archers, she made certain that all were prepared. Once again she was protecting the wall with a handful of young novices. They'd grown much over the course of the campaign against the dark army, but still required the direction of those more skilled. “Aim!” ordered Minx, raising her bow and singling out Alla.

  The Fae archers loaded their bows and prepared to fire.

  “Let them fly!” Minx loosed her arrow, sending it streaking past the hordes of rampaging warriors and planting it in the soil directly before Alla's feet. The half-Fae staggered back, looking to the top of the wall for her assailant, and locked eyes with Minx. Consider that a warning shot, a courtesy. You and I have a score to settle, Alla. Swiftly nocking another shot, Minx began to mo
w down the oncoming foot soldiers.

  A great roar sounded from overhead as Kaleb donned his dragon form and took flight. The jagged shadows of his wings blotted out the paltry light of the fading day and inspired fear in those below. Above the stench of steel and sweat, a new scent arose—that of sulfur.

  Kaleb belched out a column of molten fire, strafing the vanguard and creating a smoldering crater near the wall that forced the rushing warriors several paces back. Another fire blast crashed into the earth from high above, making the field tremble with its fury and spreading the flames. With a mere two blasts, Kaleb had created a sizzling trench before the wall, effectively driving off would-be wall-breakers and keeping them at arm's length.

  Minx and her fellow archers capitalized on the confusion and fear that these fire blasts caused, sending a rain of arrows upon the now disorganized vanguard and felling many Wuffs. Alla continued to marshal her forces, but had been unprepared for the chaos caused by Kaleb's intrusion, and was now actively pulling away from the Trading Center to avoid being consumed by the flames.

  Mau patrolled the square, walking between the rows of shuddering Fae swordsmen. In the event of a breach, the Faelyr would be the first line of defense—a swift attacker who could subdue just about any Wuff, Krah or Plurn in the enemy's ranks. It seems they weren't ready for that, huh? said Mau with a laugh. We were worried that we didn't have enough dragons on our side, but maybe one was enough!

  Minx grinned, emptying her quiver across the teeming field. It was too early to celebrate, but Kaleb's tactic had been effective. Protecting the wall with a bit of flame would help to fortify the Trading Center's faltering defenses. The Fae archers were subsequently free to pick off those bold enough to risk the fire.

  Something unexpected happened as Minx turned to refresh her quiver, however. When she returned to the field, ready to send forth another volley, she realized she'd lost sight of Alla. The half-Fae, only moments ago falling back due to the raging flames, had disappeared. That's not good. Of the many adversaries on this field that Minx didn't care to lose sight of, Alla was near the top of the list. Having faced her in battle, Minx knew that the half-Fae was no slouch. She scanned the mobs below, seeking out her silvery hair or cloudy eyes, but found no trace of her.

  Kaleb haunted the foremost legions of the dark army, hovering just out of reach of their arrows and sending down one fire blast after another. Wuffs and Plurn dove to the ground as glowing meteors descended from the dragon's maw. He glided effortlessly through the sky, and to Minx's eye, seemed to be rather enjoying himself. Probably, after all the tension he'd faced back at the Talon Range, he was thankful for this opportunity to blow off some steam. His every roar, his every turn in the sky, was enough to send the dark forces below into a panic.

  This made Minx's job far easier. Soldiers that were too busy watching a dragon overhead couldn't dodge her arrows. She cut down a handful of Krah near the fire-line before resuming her search for Alla amidst the chaos.

  In the end, though, it was Alla who managed to find Minx.

  The half-Fae, having broken away from her men, had snuck round to the other side of the Trading Center and hastily climbed the wall. She stood now on another cobblestone ridge, perpendicular to Minx's, and announced herself. “Minx!”

  The other archers, too distracted by the battle going on down below, didn't notice the half-Fae's presence. Minx, though, greeted the intruder with a well-aimed shot. Her arrow crashed through the air at blinding speed, leading Alla to whip her sword from its scabbard and hastily deflect it. “Not bad,” uttered the Fae huntress, taking hold of another arrow. “But can you do it again? A dozen more times?”

  “Minx, where's the amulet?” demanded Alla. There was something strange in her expression—a certain fear or reluctance that was difficult to read. “Do you have it?”

  The Fae huntress lowered her bow and took a few steps toward Alla, frowning. “What about the amulet?”

  Alla gulped, her already pale face seeming to go chalk white. “D-Do you have it, or not?”

  Minx pulled the amulet from her pocket and held it out for the half-Fae to see. “There. Take a good look.”

  At sight of the thing, Alla visibly startled. She blinked her cloudy eyes confusedly and lowered her sword. “So, you do have it. Why... Why isn't it working, then?” She glanced back toward the battlefield. “If you have it, then why is everyone still following Torrent? Shouldn't it have stopped working? Shouldn't... shouldn't they all be free to disobey him now?”

  Minx smirked. “If this amulet were the real thing, then perhaps they would mutiny.” She shook her head and tossed the trinket over the side of the wall, into the trench of flames. “But it's not. It's a fake, Alla. The hunter only told you about it so that I would try and take it. It was a lie to lure me into their camp—to make me a prisoner. It doesn't have any power, though.”

  The half-Fae began to shiver, her eyes widening in seeming terror. “It's... it's a fake?” She struggled to sheath her weapon and then took a few shaky steps back. Gripped with fear, she hastily returned to the edge of the wall and began climbing back down.

  “Oh, no, you don't! I'm not finished with you!” Minx sent another arrow after her, but the shot clipped the edge of the stone wall, missing her target by a few degrees. Alla fell completely out of sight, and by the time Minx strode to the cobblestones where the half-Fae had stood, she could find no trace of her below. She'd climbed back down and was long gone.

  In the interim, the tide of battle had seemingly turned in favor of the Fae. The Pandling Grounds defense forces were still clearly outnumbered, but they'd done marvelous things with their small force, repelling wave after wave of attackers with their archers. Furthermore, Kaleb's attacks had thrown the dark army violently off-balance, leading them to break formation and fall into disorder. The army as a whole, despite boasting a numeric advantage, seemed to give up. The existence of a dragon on the opposing side all but robbed them of their will to fight.

  We may pull this off yet! declared Minx. They don't know how to handle Kaleb. If he can just keep pestering them from above, the archers and I will clean up the rest!

  I guess we owe dear old Kaleb a nice meal after all of this, don't we? replied Mau from down below. Save the back-patting till the end! They haven't retreated yet, and Torrent could still be among them.

  Minx looked past the roaring flames, studying the enemy lines for signs of the mysterious spell-caster. Torrent... From where she stood, there was no sign of him—though that didn't keep her from feverishly searching, the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright. Minx had met him only once, but that single encounter had left a lasting impression. Torrent was immensely powerful, and that he was a calculating general was not up for debate. He would present himself in battle when the time was right, and not a moment sooner. A chill ran down her spine at the prospect of facing Torrent again.

  Forget about him for now. You're winning this battle, after all. She launched a few more arrows into the disorganized mob below, but couldn't help feeling strange as she did so. There was something about the enemy force that baffled her. It's odd. Usually, they fight harder than this. Why aren't they trying to branch off and find other spots to attack? They're almost telegraphing their errors, making exaggerated mistakes. Is it possible that this is a part of their plan? Was this attack pre-planned, or is it just a distraction? Minx puzzled over this a moment. But what could they be distracting us from with this battle?

  With almost uncanny suddenness, the dark army began to retreat. The warriors reassumed their earlier formations and began a swift march away from the Trading Center. Leaving behind the simmering trenches, the Wuffs and Krah did not offer any return fire as the Fae archers picked off a few more. Cheers went up throughout the Trading Center, but Minx was unnerved by this sudden retreat. What's going on? Just a second ago they were running around in a panic. Now they're making an orderly retreat?

  No matter the celebrations, Minx couldn't shake the feeli
ng that she and the Fae had made a critical error. Below, as the Wuffs began fading into the smoky distance, her father gave the order to disengage and congratulated the archers. “Well done! We've repelled them!” She offered him a nervous smile, unable to join in the revelry.

  Kaleb returned to the camp, landing near the edge of the wall where Minx was still standing. “Something isn't right,” began the dragon, his long neck stretching over the uppermost cobblestones. “That wasn't a very long fight. We hit them hard, but it almost felt...”

  “Too easy?” asked Minx.

  “Yeah,” replied Kaleb.

  Minx fell into deep thought. But what could be their end-game in all of this? They threw a large force at us and suffered substantial losses. Why would Torrent sacrifice so many warriors? Unlike the other archers, the Fae huntress didn't relax. Instead, she refilled her quiver and peered down at Mau. Something's wrong. Do you feel it, Mau?

  The Faelyr, rushing about the square with the other celebrants, appeared unbothered. I'll say—it's a shame we didn't destroy more of them!

  No, countered Minx, I'm saying this battle felt strange somehow. It felt too easy... almost as if Torrent's forces had been set up to fail. Even Kaleb agrees.

  Nah, you're out of your mind, was the Faelyr's rejoinder. If anything, I think we just underestimated the might of the Fae! Your buddy Kaleb there was a big help, too. Come to think of it, with the enemy in retreat, you should have plenty of time for that romance you were so caught up with prior to the battle...

  Minx rolled her eyes and turned back to the red dragon. “I don't know. Maybe we're just paranoid. I just feel like Torrent should have put up a better fight than this. They could have easily tried a different angle of attack or sent a few spell-casters into battle to shut down your powers. Instead... they took heavy losses and ran. It doesn't add up...”