“Minx—”
“No, Kaleb,” shot back the Fae huntress, rising to her feet. “I had a job—a job to do for my people. And I failed them. I failed my mother. I failed everyone. I shouldn't have gone off into the forest looking for a dragon that day. I should have taken on Valry right then and there. Maybe my mother and the rest would have survived then. At the very least, I would have gone out with a fight! Instead...” She sucked in a deep breath. “Instead, Pandling Grounds is about to be crushed by Torrent and the Wuffs. And here I am, about to come home empty-handed again.”
Kaleb shook his head. “No, not empty-handed.” He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “The Generals were unable to come to an agreement, but I convinced a handful of warriors to join us. They're coming of their own volition to help us in the fight. It's a smaller army than we anticipated, but we'll still find a way to win.” He gazed into her eyes, the powdery light from above rendering them a glowing yellow. “If this message is true... if they really did kill your mother, then I'll show them no mercy. I promise you that.”
Minx drew away from him, hastily wiping her tears. “They've agreed to help, then? How many?”
“I've got seven. Seven dragons.” Kaleb motioned back to the chamber. “And they're willing to leave immediately. I told them to meet us on the platform outside. We can leave within minutes. It'll be difficult, but we'll fly back to Pandling Grounds as fast as we can. If the wind conditions are favorable, perhaps we'll shave some time off the journey. Are you ready to go?”
Minx adjusted her quiver and slung her bow over one shoulder. Mau rose, standing firm beside her. “Yes. Let's go.”
In grim silence, the three of them pushed through the mountain, arriving once again at the vast outer platform where they had earlier touched down. Already waiting there were the seven dragons, a ragtag bunch of shifters on the younger side. These warriors, she was told, had been moved by Kaleb's appeal. The younger set lacked many of the ingrained prejudices against the Fae that their elders still clung to, and had been more willing to participate. Kaleb shared a few encouraging words with them before they took off, priming them for battle like a general on the front lines. Minx thought to thank them, to ask them their names, but could not find her voice. White-hot rage boiled up within her; there was no room for pleasantries.
Kaleb shifted, and the others followed suit in quick succession. The platform, which had seemed so immense and empty only moments ago, was now filled with eight tremendous dragons, their scales glimmering in the warm sun. Minx and Mau climbed onto Kaleb's back, and with a great stirring of wings, the army set off from the mountaintop.
Minx looked down at the peaks of the stony fortress, at the clearing below.
The ride to Pandling Grounds would be long, and she knew that the fight awaiting them would be the greatest of her life. The prospect of facing Torrent a second time, of taking on the Wuff army, had previously inspired great fear in her.
But fear was the furthest thing from her mind as they took flight.
Her anger was incandescent.
She couldn't wait to let the arrows fly.
Chapter 21
They had been flying at full-speed for hours when Minx uttered the order.
“You want to go where?” growled Kaleb. His great yellow eye shifted as if in appraisal of the Fae riding on his back. The other dragons soared behind them, beating their mighty wings and weaving between the clouds.
“Heilo Lake,” she repeated. “I don't know what state we'll find things in, but it's possible the enemy has made it there. I want to start there and ensure the Lake's safety, if I can.” The Lake's insistent calls to her, even in waking life, had weighed heavily on her mind. “The elders will be there, too. I want to know how the warding spell is holding up... if it hasn't collapsed completely by now. Perhaps they'll have some other ideas.”
You can't let the dragons access the Lake! exclaimed Mau. Are you crazy? It would be a crime—a clear breach of the treaty! The elders would never allow it. They'll have your head if you even think about—
“We'll go to Heilo Lake,” she reiterated. “If the Lake is safe, we'll check on Pan and the Trading Center. But the Lake comes first. Do you understand?”
Kaleb proved reticent. “You know what they'll do to us if we land there, right? I wouldn't mind visiting the Lake, but your people are going to go ballistic. Are you sure it's a good idea?”
“Positive,” replied Minx. “The stakes are too great. The elders can either deal with your presence, or they can risk the Lake's total destruction at Torrent's hands.”
“Fair enough.” Kaleb adjusted his course slightly. “Next stop... Heilo Lake... If you're really, really sure, that is...
“There's a beach there,” continued Minx. “We can land on it, and I'm sure the elders will come out to meet us. The sight of several dragons standing at the water's edge is sure to get their attention.”
Oh, it'll get their attention, added Mau. And they might drop dead of heart attacks, too. Did you ever stop to consider that?
These dragons are risking their lives to help us, Mau. If they're good enough to die in service of the Fae, then they're good enough to help us protect the Lake. The sooner we ensure the Lake's safety, the better. Am I wrong?
The Faelyr had no reply to this and resumed her terrified crouch on Kaleb's back.
Kaleb took the strain of the flight in stride; he slowed when the pace became too taxing, and glided a great distance. When the winds were right and he felt strong enough to gain speed,
