Kaleb stood, running a hand through his hair. “Thankfully, you won't have to. Someone in this mountain will help us—even if I have to drag them all the way to Pandling Grounds in my talons. Got it?” He started back into the mountain. “Let's see what the Generals have to say, shall we? Hopefully they've come to a decision. They love to bicker, but perhaps today they'll be reasonable and get on board.”
Minx gulped. If this falls through... then what's left?
Chapter 19
The trio made their stealthy return to the War Chamber, and were surprised to find the room still sealed by guards. Voices thundered within, showing no signs of peace or agreement. Kaleb paced outside the chamber for a time, listening in and shaking his head.
“What's happening in there?” asked Minx. “Are they still arguing?”
He nodded with a contemptuous grimace. “Seems that way. I knew this might happen, but... I was hoping they'd get their acts together. This isn't some minor request, it's life or death. Whether they like it or not, their opinions on the Fae don't figure into it. Once Torrent and the Wuffs are done with your people, they'll surely lash out at mine. This is our only opportunity to fight Torrent as a united front, and they're going to argue until the clock runs down.”
“W-Well, maybe if we give them a little more time...” Minx tried to retain her grasp on hope, but her grip was steadily slipping.
“I'm sorry, Minx. I wanted to prove to you that dragons are better than this, that they're more reasonable than the Fae stereotypes might have you believe, but they're making us all look bad. This shouldn't be a hard call to make, but old biases are hard for them to overcome...”
She didn't know what to say. Frustration and despair mounted within her, and she sank against one of the smooth walls outside the chamber, arms crossed. She'd pinned everything on this plan, had placed all of her hopes in Kaleb's promise. The rest of his kind didn't seem too interested in helping, though. I should have killed that dragon... I should have taken his hide while Kaleb was recovering. Then I could have given it to the elders and avoided all of this. Now, it's too late... Her stomach turned at the mere thought of killing a dragon; her fondness for Kaleb prohibited her from looking at such a hunt as anything but cold-blooded and evil. Her disgust couldn't hide the obvious necessity of such a killing, however. The simplest route, that of hunting a dragon, had always been the best one.
I hate to say it, but... I told you as much, said Mau. It was very noble of you to spare that dragon, to attempt a deal with Kaleb's clan. But now that it's fallen through, we're in an even worse position than before. It was a mistake to come here, to trust the dragons.
Don't rub it in, replied Minx, her shoulders quaking as a fresh wave of panic crashed down upon her. I feel plenty guilty already. I blew it, OK? I've not only disgraced my father, but my entire people. I'm not worthy of the title of Dragon Hunter—or Royal Fae, even. I feel like I've betrayed them all...
Kaleb approached one of the guards. “Stay put, Minx. I'm going to talk some sense into these brutes. Wait here, OK?” The door was opened, and he was admitted into the chamber, where the assembled dragon leaders were still shouting over each other. Fists were being shaken, curses were flying and heated disagreements appeared on the verge of becoming an all-out brawl.
Minx wandered several paces from the guarded doors and settled in a shaded corner of the outer chamber, on a stone bench, with Mau at her side. Do you think he'll be able to convince them? she pondered.
Don't count on it, was the Faelyr's reply.
Minx closed her eyes, recalling her last conversation with her father. Though she'd failed to bring him a dragon's hide, she'd promised to come through on this front—to return to Pandling Grounds with a winged army. The thought of these negotiations falling through and of her having to return home empty-handed again pained her so greatly she could hardly breathe. She had set aside her earlier mission out of weakness—a weakness for Kaleb—and had doomed her people in the process.
Struggling to hold it together, head in her hands, Minx grit her teeth.
That was when she heard it.
A voice.
She startled violently. This was not a voice she'd ever expected to hear in waking life. She opened her bleary eyes and looked about the vast chamber, searching for its source, but was not at all surprised when she was unable to find it. Am I hallucinating? she thought.
The voice, she was certain, had been that of the Lake. The light will be extinguished... The Silence...
Heilo Lake had reached out to her numerous times in recent dreams, but never before had she heard it call to her while conscious. She wondered if she was dreaming, tried to think of some other explanation for the disembodied voice that had reached her ear only moments ago.
No, you're not dreaming, she thought. It's real. The Lake is calling out to you even now. She tensed as she realized what this meant. Things must have taken a turn for the worse. We're out of time—the battle is going to begin. She held in a gasp. The army
