Kaleb motioned to her with his ruby-colored snout. “Hop on, why don't you? We'll go for a quick ride around the area and make sure things are all right. Maybe we'll find something—or else Torrent isn't as capable a general as we thought.”
The Fae huntress hopped from the wall, onto Kaleb's back, and stood between his wings, holding his neck for support. “OK, let's do it. Just to make sure.”
“Where to first?” asked the dragon shifter.
She had only to give it a moment's thought to reply, “Heilo Lake.”
Chapter 14
The red dragon sped through the air, soaring over the Trading Center and Pan itself. Leaving behind the stench of battle, he and his passenger found the evening air clean and crisp, and as the borders of the lake became visible in the misty distance, neither of them could find anything amiss. “Doesn't look like an army marched in here to me,” quipped Kaleb. “Though, I don't see how they could without getting past the Trading Center. A movement of that kind would have tipped off the Fae scouts and sentries.”
Minx nodded. “Yeah, you're right...” Somehow, though, the sight of a calm, untarnished lake wasn't sufficient to comfort her. A niggling feeling of unease still lingered. It seemed ludicrous to put stock into this shapeless fear—after all, the lake hadn't reached out to her. Heilo Lake, never hesitant to contact her either in dreams or waking life, would surely have alerted her in the event of a serious threat. But she couldn't relax; some instinct deep within her remained inflamed and she felt the need to touch down on the shore so that she could take stock of the lake with her own eyes. “Do me a favor,” she told the dragon, “land near the lake. I want to take a look around. Just for a minute.”
Kaleb acquiesced, descending rapidly and flying close to the tops of the mist-tangled trees that surrounded the lake. “Are the Fae Elders going to throw a fit if they see me hanging out there again?” he asked. “If so, I'll just stay in the woods.”
“No, it should be fine,” she said. Studying the borders of the lake and the buildings occupied by the ascetic Elders, she continued, “I'm not even sure where the Elders are right now, but as an ally of the Fae you have as much a right to be here as anyone. It's the dark army that needs to stay out.”
The dragon shifter landed in the brush, promptly shedding his dragon form. Running a hand through his long hair, he waited for Minx to lead the way. She did so, preoccupied by the utter stillness that presently gripped the area. This, too, felt somehow unnatural. It was evening, so the lack of birdsong and animal noise was hardly exceptional, but even the night insects, ordinarily loud and cheerful, seemed subdued at the moment. The lake, too, was silent; she couldn't hear the lapping of waves despite their proximity to the shore. It's like the land itself is holding its breath... Waiting for something to happen...
Despite the lack of a visible threat, Minx held her bow more tightly than ever as they proceeded through the twilit woods. Kaleb, too, was studying the air, filtering it for unexpected scents. A dozen paces through the wilderness, he reached out and placed a hand on Minx's shoulder, freezing her in place.
“What is it?” she whispered.
The dragon shifter licked his lips, choosing his words very carefully. “There's something out there—a scent.” He fell silent for a beat, then added, “Blood has been spilt here.”
“Blood?” Minx pulled an arrow from her quiver. “Whose?”
Kaleb's gaze narrowed and he began scanning the canopy with intensity. “I could be mistaken, but... I think it's Fae blood.”
At nearly the same moment of Kaleb's utterance, Minx spied something just ahead—a pale hand sticking out of the underbrush. Teeth clenched, she crept forward and examined its owner. It was a Fae swordsman, freshly struck down. This warrior had likely been assigned to the lake by the High Council, tasked with the evening patrol. He'd been struck by three arrows and left face-down on the forest floor. “Who could have—” Minx knelt beside the body, wincing as she inspected the arrows that'd felled him, and then stiffened as she noticed something familiar about the shafts.
The wooden shafts of the arrows were slightly dark in color, sticky. She'd seen shafts of this kind very recently and knew them to be tainted with poison.
Minx shot to her feet. “T-They're Zuscha arrows. Poisoned.”
“Dark Fae?” spat Kaleb. “But how could they have gotten back here?”
The plucking of a bowstring shattered the silence. From the dark canopy above, an arrow came rushing by, stripping a clean line of bark from a tree as it nearly struck Minx's back.
At once, Kaleb and Minx began running full-tilt for the treeline.
Another arrow—then two, three—followed them as they sprinted.
The nearby trees were filled with Zuscha.
Minx barreled out of the woods, turning to pepper the treetops with arrows of her own, but in her fury she failed to strike any of the hidden assassins. They had the cover of night and ample foliage on their side, and the skilled Dark Fae archers knew better than to telegraph their positions by making sudden movements. The stony silence returned and the arrows momentarily stopped flying, but now Minx knew the truth—the silence had been a false one all along.
“Should I shift? I could lob a few fireballs into the trees and flush them out, if you like.” Kaleb made sure to stand in front of her, so as to shield her from any new arrows.
Minx was tempted by the idea until she recalled where they were. “No, you can't do that! Not here! This is Heilo Lake, Kaleb. We can't burn these ancient woods to the ground...” She turned toward the lake, finding its crystal clear waters perfectly still. The surface of the lake looked like a pane of glass, and she could see the hazy moon reflected on it.
There was something else, too—something she hadn't expected to find.
A solitary figure stood at the very edge of the shore, his feet in the water. Wearing a cloak that was blacker than the night itself, the figure stepped slowly into the lake, wading till he was nearly knee-deep.
Minx's heart nearly burst from her chest. “W-What do you think you're doing?” she demanded, forgetting the threat in the treetops and marching for the shore. “Get out of the water! The Dark Fae are not permitted to be here, and must never enter the waters of the lake!” She nocked her arrow and prepared to fire, hesitating only because she didn't wish to tarnish the waters with death.
The cloaked figure did not turn to meet her furious gaze, only chuckled to himself. “Well,” came the deep, gravelly voice, “it's a good thing I'm not of Zuscha stock, then.” Slowly, the figure raised his hands—green and covered in scales—and lowered his hood, revealing a scaly head burdened with dense black braids. The cloak was then cast off altogether, revealing a muscled physique clad in thin leather armor.
Minx's knees went weak at sight of the figure.
Her worst fear had come to pass.
“T-Torrent?” she called out, her voice wavering. Her vision grew spotty and she could hardly maintain her aim as she drew her bow.
Kaleb strode away from the woods, eyes flaring orange. “So, it's Torrent, is it? Why don't you come out of there? We have a score to settle, you and I.” The dragon shifter balled his fists and walked as far as the shore before Minx took hold of his arm and pulled him back.
“It's too late for all of that,” replied the dark figure. From a sheath on his waist, Torrent pulled a stout dagger. Minx and Kaleb both startled at the sight of it, expecting a fight, but the mage didn't turn to face them; instead, he looked up to the moon and turned the blade on himself. Holding out his left arm, he drew the blade across his scaly forearm with a grunt, resulting in a neat cut. Dark blood poured from the wound in fits and starts into the waters of Heilo Lake.
Minx felt sick to her stomach and in her quaking accidentally fired her bow. The arrow flew chaotically, crashing into the shore and splintering.
“W-What's he doing?” asked Kaleb, baffled by the spectacle. “Why would he—”
Torrent replaced the dagger in his she
ath and then turned, sparing the duo a sinister smile. “Tonight,” he announced, “this lake has a new master.”
Chapter 15
The lake began to scream.
It wasn't likely that Kaleb or Torrent could hear the lake's voice—that they could sense its anguish as its waters were tainted by the dark spell-caster's blood. But she could. The same voice that had intruded upon her dreams, that had drifted through her mind even in the daylight, from afar, now howled as though subject to torture. Sickness stole over her, and for the first time in the face of an enemy Minx was too overcome with nausea to fight.
Kaleb bounded forth, rushing onto the shore to drag Torrent from the water. The mage didn't give him the chance, however; with a great upward leap, he exited the water and glided past Kaleb, where he touched down soundlessly on the sand. With a wave of his hand, he psychically thrust the dragon shifter deeper into the lake, and then covered the wound on his forearm with a grin. He strode past the Fae huntress smugly, saying nothing. He didn't have to. He'd won.
Minx, numb and disoriented, tried to fire an arrow as her eyes met Torrent's, but her well-trained hands forgot what they were doing and she couldn't summon the strength to draw the bow. Her vision went spotty before cutting out altogether, and she promptly collapsed. The last thing she heard before she was completely overcome by darkness, aside from Torrent's retreating footsteps, was Kaleb, struggling through the water to reach her.
It was no mere fainting spell. The screaming lake thrust new imagery before her mind's eye, lifting her from the deep darkness she'd stumbled into. Her mind was painted in the hues of a vibrant vision; she saw the land, not as it presently looked, but as it must have appeared many, many years prior. The surrounding lands were overgrown, primordial in their wildness, and as the details were sharpened she could make out individuals dwelling in the fields and exploring the dense forests.
Amidst the pure greenery were both Fae and dragons, walking side-by-side. The iciness that had grown up between the races during recent generations had no quarter here; the scene exuded an almost incredible degree of neighborly warmth. Fae shared their food with dragons; dragons walked arm-in-arm with their Fae friends in the shade. Minx's pulse had been left racing by terror, but now, as she explored this rich vision, her quaking stomach and writhing heart were soothed.
This... This is what things used to be like, she realized. This is what's actually possible between dragons and Fae.
Her mind's eye zeroed in on a particular Fae, a young female, running through the forest. Her long, dark locks drifted in the air behind her as she ran and a wide smile creased her rosy cheeks. The gorgeous young Fae turned to look at a dragon coming up behind her, offering a coquettish laugh. The dragon, tall and simply garbed in white robes, followed her closely, laughing and grinning as he went. Their connection was clear; every glance they exchanged was filled with love. She was watching a pure, ancient romance unfold.
The visions shifted again, this time adopting a noticeably darker backdrop. An ominous figure, garbed in obscuring black robes, entered a twilit scene. The Fae and the dragons listened to his hushed speech, were taken in by his poisonous tongue, and looked to one another for the first time with fear and suspicion. Where once the two races had been the best of allies, they now found themselves divided. Dragons banded against Fae, Fae grew hostile toward dragons—and all the discord was owed to the meddling of this pitch-black figure in the shadows.
This, she knew, was the Dark Mage—that timeless malefactor whose legend was sometimes whispered by the Fae and dragons even to the present day. This great divider, rupturing a once-close alliance for his own gain, began to grow in power. The folds of his black cloak swelled as if his body was becoming engorged with new energy.
Minx had enjoyed the pleasant first act, and had been subjected to the hideous evil of the second. Now, for the finale, a new scene came to the fore.
She was reunited with the charming dragon and his young Fae lover from the earlier vision. There was a feeling of incredible antiquity in the scene—a sense that she was witnessing something that had taken place beyond recorded history. Unlike her last glimpse of the happy couple however, things were more solemn, now.
The young, beautiful Fae had passed away and the Great Dragon held her in his arms, unbearable pain etched across his once Arcadian features. Minx had mercifully been spared the cause for the poor creature's death, but felt her own heart seize with pain as the dragon mournfully laid her to rest. Her body was placed carefully in a large valley, and as the dragon sat down nearby to meditate on his loss, the trickling of water broke the silence. The body of the young Fae was covered by cold, clear water, the level of which began to rise till the entirety of the valley had been filled. The dragon, deep in his mourning, never moved; instead, untold years seemed to pass with his position remaining firm beside the flooded valley. In time, his body grew grey and rigid, and he glacially metamorphosed into a towering mountain—a permanent fixture.
Minx was vaguely cognizant of another shape dwelling nearby, in her periphery. The Dark Mage, still clad in black, stood ankle-deep in the water. He spoke in low tones, hands outstretched. The calm waters began to scream once more as he sought to absorb their powers. His gnarled hands twisted in odd configurations and his body hitched as he bent the lake's mystical properties through the force of sheer will.
The waters of Heilo Lake, she realized, nearly awakening. The scene fell briefly out of focus and she was faced once again with darkness. The water... is our magic. Once again, the lake came into view, and her ears rang with its screaming. She watched the waters churn and froth as though the lake basin were a cauldron, and snapped awake with a gasp.
Minx felt two strong arms wrapped around her as she came to. She struggled against them at first, but was held so tightly she couldn't resist and eventually relaxed. Opening her eyes, she looked upward to find Kaleb's face hovering above her own. She tried to speak his name, but managed only a feeble croak. The weight of the visions had left her crushed. They dwelt in her still, like long-held memories finally unearthed. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes and she buried her face against Kaleb's chest.
The dragon shifter held her lovingly, calling to mind the dragon in the visions. “I thought I'd lost you for a minute there,” he whispered, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “You collapsed and then stopped breathing. I thought Torrent had done something to you. He slipped away while I was taking care of you.” He smiled to hide his anxiety. “You, uh... all right?”
Minx remained in his arms a long while before finally sitting upright. They were still near the lake. It was as Kaleb had said; Torrent and his cronies had gone, leaving the two of them alone near the lake's placid shore. She nearly broke down a second time as she looked out over the waters and recalled what Torrent had done. “How could we have been so blind? He outsmarted us and made it to the lake. We let him have precisely what he wanted,” muttered Minx, squeezing a handful of sand in her fist. “How much power does he have now?”
“I don't know,” conceded the dragon shifter. “He was working some kind of magic out there. That's all I know.”
“Do you think... that he's the return of the Dark Mage? Is he... is he the Dark Mage?” she chanced, lips trembling.
Kaleb sighed, taking her hand in his. He didn't respond, but his eyes transmitted a hint of fear that said, “That's what I'm afraid of, too.”
Chapter 16
There was no time for rest. Before Minx had fully regained her strength and begun the trip back to Pandling Grounds with Kaleb's assistance, the land itself seemed to cry out in terror.
The great quake began with a mere quiver—a minor shrug of the land beneath their feet that the dizzy Fae initially mistook for her own unsteadiness. Kaleb, though, halted in his tracks, supporting her with one arm and bracing himself against a tree. “What was that?” he muttered.
Within moments, the whole of Aleio was being rocked by an earthquake of unparalleled violence. Neith
er dragon nor Fae had ever witnessed such a rude geological shock as this, and the two of them were promptly thrown to the ground along with numerous trees in the forest. The soils seized, and ancient stones fractured to reveal yawning chasms; old hills were flattened and surrounding plains were raised up in the horrific upheaval. Barely able to dodge the tumbling trees, Kaleb was unable to take to the air and had no option but to lead her toward the nearest clearing.
The duo fought their way back to the edge of Heilo Lake and waited for the shaking to cease. For several breathless moments the sands beneath them shifted and the waters of the precious lake surged. Minx remained on all fours, watching the destruction unfold dazedly. It felt like a nightmare—like a terrible dream she'd soon wake from. It had all the appearances—and terror—of Heilo Lake's visions, but she knew as the quaking petered out that this one had been real. Scanning the distance, she spied a plume of dark smoke rising high into the sky. “W-What is that?” she asked, still trying to orient herself. She was uncertain which direction the smoke was coming from, and feared that the Trading Center had been brought to ruin.
Kaleb slowly gained his feet and singled out the smoke plume with his finger. “It looks like...” He nodded gravely as if to reassure himself. “Yeah... It looks like the smoke is coming from the top of the mountain.”
At this, Minx shot up. Still unsteady, she clung to Kaleb's arm and sought out the peak of Gloirs Mountain against the horizon. The mountain, a place of immense import to the Fae, was visible from the shores of Heilo Lake; in fact, on certain days, the shadow of the mountain sometimes touched the waters of the lake itself. The encroachment of the great mountain's shadow upon the waters of the lake always coincided with days of sacred festivities amongst the Fae, and to see its far-off peak now dressed in a plume of blackish smoke filled her with dread. “What's happened?”
How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2) Page 12