“I'm not sure,” he replied. “If I had to wager, I'd say that we haven't seen the worst of it, though. The Trading Center, and even Pan, may have sustained great damage. I've never felt such a powerful quake before.” He took a deep breath. “I think we should hurry back and see how they're faring. Do you feel well enough to fly?”
Minx nodded. “Sure. Just... take it slow...” She watched as Kaleb took on his dragon form on the lake's edge and carefully situated herself between his wings.
With all the care such a terrifying beast could muster, Kaleb rose into the air with a few flaps. Ascending gingerly so as to not disturb his passenger, he hovered over the lake for a beat and then cut back toward the Trading Center, remaining low to the ground so that they might assess the damages as they went.
And sure enough, there were plenty of damages to account for.
Minx surveyed the ground below with a lump in her throat. The tree city of Pan, though still standing, had sustained no few injuries. Some of the younger trees—and the habitations built into them—had been uprooted or altogether toppled in the quake. The narrow paths between the trees were crowded with nervous Fae, many of them cowering in wait of aftershocks. Old Winterlimb and other ancient trees remained firm and upright, thankfully, but she could scarcely feel relief about this as the edges of the Trading Center entered into view.
The Pandling Grounds Trading Center had taken the worst of it, without doubt. Minx felt her heart skip a beat as the stone walls of the Trading Center became visible below—or whatever remained of them, that is. In places where the walls had lately been weakened by dark marauders, the stones had utterly given way. Massive bricks littered the area, shaken from their ancient grooves by the forceful quake, and allowing at least three routes of ingress to any outsiders. Buildings within the confines of the Trading Center had collapsed, most of them mercantile operations, and members of the Fae armed forces—only minutes ago celebrating their unexpected victory against the dark army—were now wheeling about the dusty square in search of the dead and missing.
All of this destruction... How can we recover from this? The Trading Center is vulnerable, the lake has been tainted by Torrent, smoke is rising from Gloirs Mountain... Minx sought out Mau in the crowd below. The Faelyr was huddled near the main gate, still petrified for the unexpected shock. Is this it? Is this how we lose? The odds have always been against us, but I thought we'd find some way to pull through. After this, though... can we hope to succeed?
Kaleb didn't touch down. Instead, he remained in the air, gliding about the territory and taking in the full extent of the damages. “This reminds me of something,” he began with a sigh. “There's an old tale often repeated amongst us dragons. A legend. Seeing the mountain like that, all wreathed in smoke, reminded me of it. Before the Fae arrived on the continent... back when the Great Dragons still roamed, there was a dragon who came to love a woman—a woman who was not a dragon.
“This love of theirs brought them a fair bit of trouble—negative attention—but they cared so deeply for one another that no amount of outside pressure could tear them apart. But one day, the woman passed away unexpectedly, still in her prime. The dragon didn't take this loss very well—he grieved for the rest of his days, and in his sadness and desperation he attacked the Earth itself, making a great hole to bury his love in. There, he wept for years and years, till the great opening had been filled with his tears. Having watched over his beloved for so many seasons and weakened by grief, the dragon also passed away beside the great lake he had made. It's a popular story amongst us dragons,” he concluded.
Minx had listened to the dragon shifter's story without a word, her mind filled once again with the vivid scenes she'd only just experienced by the lake. The vision she'd had aligned very closely with this story of Kaleb's—so much so that she couldn't shake the chill from her spine. Could there be something to this old story? They say that old legends like this one always contain at least a kernel of truth. Maybe, in this case, it isn't just a story... The relationship between the lake and the mountain... and the Dark Mage's meddling... Perhaps the key to unlocking this mess is in this simple story.
“Let's go down there and help them out,” said Minx after a long silence. “I'll see how Mau is doing. The Trading Center looks like a mess and they're going to need all the help they can get cleaning up.”
Kaleb agreed, gradually descending till he was able to touch down in the square. Shifting back into his human form, he stretched and surveyed the ruin. “We'll do everything we can to assist,” he promised. Then, peering through the gate at the fields where dark warriors had marched only a short while ago, he added, “But we'll need to act fast. Torrent's forces will be back before we know it. Things are looking rough. It'll be difficult, if not impossible, to keep them out next time.”
The Fae huntress studied the crumbling walls and strode toward Mau with her head low. Next time, she thought to herself, might be the end of the Fae.
Chapter 17
Mercifully, the earthquake hadn't resulted in a massive death toll in and around Pandling Grounds. There had been casualties—and the loss of even a single man under the circumstances was regarded as a great tragedy—but the forces of the Fae had largely survived to fight another day. When the dead had been buried, other concerns rapidly reared their heads, however.
The city walls had been breached and the handful of scouts that had been dispatched to scope out the area returned intermittently with reports of enemy movements. The dark army had been punished by the quake—their ranks had been thrown into temporary disarray—but already they appeared to be coalescing into an agitated whole. When these forces finally decided to return to Pandling Grounds, they would meet less resistance than ever before, and a Fae defense force that was thoroughly exhausted in the face of constant struggles.
Minx, Mau and Kaleb joined in the rebuilding efforts, mending the walls where bricks had fallen loose and clearing rubble. The trio worked through the night with nearly everyone else in town, and the able-bodied denizens of Pan who'd so far avoided the greater conflict turned out in large numbers to assist as well. Even so, the job was a formidable one, and as she shuffled through the square, Minx knew it would be a job of many weeks to clear and rebuild all that had been lost.
But even as she gave her time and strength to hastily rebuilding, members of the Fae hierarchy sought to monopolize her. On the day of the quake, shortly before sunset, Minx had been called away by her father and asked to meet with a certain individual in the inner chamber of the High Council building. Leaving Mau and Kaleb behind, she set off for the bustling Council office. There, she was surprised to find a handful of the Fae Elders, along with a most unexpected person in attendance.
Seated against the far wall of the austere chamber and waving off the Elders, a young Fae with a warm—if somewhat sinister smile—awaited her. Minx had met him before; during her trip to Heilo Lake with Kaleb and the dragons of the Talon Range Guard before the great battle, she'd met him at the lakeside abode used by the Elders. This man, a priest whose name she had not been given, was affiliated with the Silence—the secretive organization tasked with the protection of Heilo Lake. During their last meeting, he had made a number of forceful requests for a dragon's hide, which Minx had steadfastly refused. Starting cautiously into the room and closing the door of the chamber behind her, she kept her distance and dissected him with a most unfriendly gaze. She was caked in dust for the day's work, and her hair was tousled. Her muscles ached and she wanted nothing more than to sit in one of the chairs lining the nearby table, where the High Council members held their deliberations.
The young priest tucked a lock of dark hair behind his ear and greeted her with a nod. “Minx, thank you for coming.”
She didn't respond. Had she known ahead of time who was requesting to meet with her, she might have chosen to ignore the invitation. The territory is falling apart all around us. What does he want? And why isn't he out there helping? Does he have somethi
ng more important to do?
The priest wore a pristine white robe, as before, and looked positively unbothered by the destruction that was so visible all around the building. “I was hoping we could have a talk, you and I,” he continued. “It's about the lake.” His dark eyes narrowed. “The Silence can no longer sense the lake—not like before. Something has changed, Minx. We are unable to interact with the lake, unable to feel its energies.” He tented his fingers. “I believe dark magic is at play.”
Minx hadn't told anyone about her visit to the lake, or about Torrent's presence there. She'd meant to tell her father—to alert the High Council—but the quake had sidelined her plans. “I was at the lake earlier, before the quake,” she began. “Torrent was there, too.”
For a beat, the Fae official said nothing. He froze at mention of the name and seemed to work over it with a good deal of interest. Then, nodding, he said, “I suppose he must have overcome our defenses and infiltrated the region. What was he doing there?”
Recalling the whole frightful episode, Minx tossed her shoulders to keep from shuddering in front of the priest. “He was standing in the water. He cut his arm and bled into it. I think it was some form of dark magic. I tried to stop him, but...”
Again, the priest fell into uncomfortable silence. “I see... That would explain things,” he finally muttered. “Something has changed in the lake—radically. It has been weakened. It may even be dying. Torrent's touch has altered it in some way, and the Silence was not prepared for an attack of this kind. I admit, we were outpaced, outsmarted.” He kneaded his pale brow. “The reason I asked to meet with you was because I wanted to know if you'd had any other visions recently. Has the lake reached out to you lately? Has it called out to you since Torrent's assault?” he asked.
Minx shook her head. “No. All's been silent on that front.” She hesitated to bring up her most recent visions—visions that had assailed her during the past few weeks, each of them increasingly violent and terrifying. She didn't mention the vision she'd suffered after losing consciousness near the lake that very day, either. It felt too personal to share, and she doubted the priest would care to hear about such a thing.
The young official stood. From the pocket of his robe, he withdrew a slip of crisp paper and extended it to her. “If anything should change—if you should hear from the lake or learn of Torrent's movements—please give this to your father or one of the other members of the High Council. They will understand and arrange another meeting between the two of us.”
Minx accepted the paper and glanced at it before stuffing it into one of the leather pouches on her belt. It was a narrow slip of paper boasting a simple crescent moon design—a design she'd seen during her last meeting with this mysterious figure. “Sure,” she replied. Then, turning on her heels, she left the room as quickly as she could, unwilling to spend anymore time with the man. There was too much to do, too much to rebuild, for her to waste another minute with him. If I stick around long enough, he'll start grilling me about finding another dragon's hide. If he suggests I kill Kaleb again, I'm going to lose it...
The Fae huntress stole out of the Council chamber and hurriedly made her way back to the main square, where Kaleb and Mau were still hustling to aid the wall-builders. Even as the sun dipped out of sight, lamps were being hauled in and the sounds of hammering and brick-laying filled the new evening. For some hours, Minx aided the others, carrying loads of mortar and brick. She even stopped in to the medical tent, lending her healing talents to a few of the wounded when the Fae medics proved overwhelmed by demand. When night had well and truly settled in, she left the tent and shuffled with Mau and Kaleb toward her home.
Had the dark forces surrounded Pandling Grounds at that moment and staged an attack, Minx could not have opposed them. Feeling utterly drained, with nothing left to give, she escorted a similarly fatigued Kaleb to an empty tree house across from her own before retiring to her quarters with Mau. There, she collapsed onto her bed and did not rise till the sun had reappeared in the sky. Her dreams were muddled and terrifying the whole night long, punctuated with the ghostly wailing of the suffering lake she'd heard in visions. Her dreams were populated, too, by dark figures—dark figures robed in black and working strange spells in the shadows of night.
When awareness stole over her and she crept out of bed late in the morning, she felt cognizant enough, but the incredible strain of days prior still haunted her muscles and joints. She and the Faelyr stuffed themselves with whatever food they had on-hand and then strode outside to meet Kaleb, who'd similarly scarfed down a hasty breakfast given to him by a charitable neighbor. The dragon shifter, mighty though he was, looked positively worn out. His broad shoulders were slumped, his steps were pained and he retained all the grime that battle and repair-work had leveled upon him the previous day. Of the three of them, Mau had most fully recovered—but even the Faelyr paced about the outer deck with something of a limp.
Kaleb yawned as the three of them began walking toward the Trading Center. “Nice of Torrent to let us sleep. I thought for sure we'd get raided in the night.”
Minx nodded. “I thought so, too. But the scouts we sent out mentioned some degree of confusion amongst the marauders. It's possible they suffered some losses of their own in the quake.” She bore a dark grin, adding, “Anyhow, I don't think they're going to give us another break like that, so I hope you slept well.”
The Faelyr paused to stretch, her tail waving languidly in the morning breeze. Ask Kaleb if we can take a little trip to the Talon Range—you know, just get away for a few days. A nice, long rest is all we need to come back as fighting machines. It would do us good, and I'm sure the other Fae can handle this mess while we're gone.
Minx rolled her eyes. A vacation to the Talon Range? Dream on.
The three of them returned to the square. The wall-mending work had continued through the night, and a new shift of workers presently patched the fractured walls like ants building a mound. A handful of archers kept watch from the tops of the sturdiest sections while within the walls the soldiers had traded their swords and lances for hammers and bricks. Minx's father, looking as haggard as ever, was seated near the gate, conversing in low tones with one of the scouts who'd just returned from reconnaissance duty. When the scout had wandered off, Minx broke off from the others and approached him. “Good morning, father. How are things?”
Valdar, wiping at his heavy eyes, offered only a meager smile. “I wish I could say they were going well. The walls are coming along—if our enemy will be polite enough to postpone an attack another few days, that is. Unfortunately, I've just received word that our opponent is marshaling his forces. There is a large contingent of enemy warriors headed this way under the charge of a formidable human hunter. He surrounds himself with Zuscha archers and commands his legions with ruthlessness. We sent an entire scouting party to track their movements, and this scout I just spoke to was the only survivor.”
Minx gasped. “The hunter? He... he killed off the scouts?”
Her father nodded sorrowfully. “To hear the survivor tell it, the hunter fired the arrows himself, dispatched them from afar. There had been a pause in the enemy's movements after the quake, but they seem to be recovering rather quickly from that shock. Faster than we are, anyway. I expect they'll be here soon. I've ordered our scouting parties to keep a greater distance from enemy forces, lest we lose all of them.”
“I see... Well, when they arrive, I'll be ready for them.” Minx tried to put on a brave face, but she couldn't pull the wool over her father's eyes. Battle and stress had taken a tremendous toll on her, and no change in tone or posture could hide it.
Kaleb, who'd been standing nearby during Minx's conversation with her father, couldn't help but interject. “Having problems with your scouts? Tell you what, I could fly reconnaissance for you. That hunter is good, but he can't shoot me down when I'm hundreds of feet in the air. Why not let me handle that role?”
Minx's father looked to him with wi
de eyes. “You?” He considered the notion with a chuckle. “Why, that could be valuable, yes. Having an eye in the sky, so to speak, would limit our risks and allow us more manpower here at the Trading Center.” He stood, appraising Kaleb carefully. “But if we're attacked while you're out, it will be more difficult for us to repel a larger force.”
Kaleb nodded. “I thought about that. I would have to check, but I expect there are more young dragons out here—the common kind. They don't pack as much of a punch as us royals, but if I could rummage up a few, they'd make fine guard dogs, if you get my meaning.” He pointed up at the clear sky, adding, “If I find small contingents of enemy forces, I can blast them from the skies and prevent them from ever meeting up with the main force. It'll require me to do a lot more flying from area to area, and I won't always be available to help with things on the home front, but it's better than sending out more of your scouts and giving the hunter more target practice, wouldn't you say?”
“I'd have to agree,” conceded Valdar. “When the scouts return, I'll pull them from their reconnaissance duty and send you on your first patrol.” He offered Kaleb a sturdy handshake, thanking him for his service, and was then called away by another member of the High Council, who sought to discuss the progress then being made on the walls.
“So, I guess we won't be able to fight side-by-side for now, huh?” offered Minx.
Kaleb smirked. “I'm more useful up there. It's the sad truth. But you and Mau will handle things, I'm sure. The two of you have never disappointed.” He ran a hand through his ebony locks and sniffed the air, gaze narrowing. “I'm curious to see what the enemy is up to—where they're gathering, where Torrent is holed up. I meant to take a crack at him earlier, but he disappeared after you collapsed.”
How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2) Page 13
