Things were going well; if they kept up this pace, they'd run through the entire force in no time.
Minx fired ceaselessly, her quiver growing light as she advanced. Her furious volleys succeeded in claiming numerous targets, but the constant flow of new warriors from beyond the treeline promised of a larger force than either she or Kaleb had anticipated. They'd taken out a dozen hostiles, but their ranks looked anything but decimated. To the contrary, the dark forces seemed more robust than before.
I knew we were outnumbered, but this is ridiculous, she thought. I'm going to run out of arrows in a bit and we'll still have a hundred or more warriors to get through. I need to take out that spell-caster so that Kaleb can shift.
Minx was in the middle of putting together a plan of action when other activity in the woods stole her attention. Amidst the scurrying Wuffs and cautious archers, she spied the familiar form of the half-Fae lurking nearby. She was looking out at the fray from behind one of the trees, a sword in hand.
And most importantly, she was within range of the bow.
Sheer instinct saw Minx nock an arrow and raise it toward Alla. She drew her weapon forcefully, and was tempted to let it fly without regard for the consequences. No one else is going to be able to give us a vantage point into Torrent's recent moves, she thought, faltering. Pivoting to the right, she sent the shot into a sprinting Wuff and then nocked another, starting quickly toward Alla. I'm going to get some answers. And if I don't like what she has to say... The bow tensed in her grip.
The half-Fae realized that she was in the crosshairs and stepped out to meet Minx with a grimace. Running was futile; to turn her back would be to invite an arrow that she could never hope to outpace. She lowered her sword, uttering, “I know what you're thinking.”
Minx grit her teeth, grappling at every turn with the desire to fire her weapon. “Oh? You do?” She snickered. “Somehow, I doubt it.”
Alla took a few steps forward, eyeing the Wuff forces to her back and taking refuge behind the trunk of a great tree. Minx slipped into the woods to join her, and the pair were fairly isolated in the dark foliage. “I shouldn't be working with Torrent,” began the half-Fae, shoulders slumping. “I know that. But I didn't exactly have a choice.”
“Save it,” spat Minx. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take this whole thing personally. One good reason why I shouldn't treat you like these Wuffs and Krah.”
The half-Fae sighed, her silvery hair fluttering in the breeze. “I can help you, Minx.”
“With what?”
Alla peered over her shoulder again, ensuring their solitude. “There's a lot going on behind the scenes, and I can help you find information that'll help you find a solution to all of this.” She paused. “I know how this looks, but I only went along with it because I knew they wouldn't kill you—that they'd take you hostage instead. And I wasn't going to let them hurt you. After all we've been through...” Her gaze became distant as she reflected on their time together—on Minx's tireless service during her poisoning. “There's valuable information to be had, and I can help you get it. I didn't want to go with Torrent in the first place, but now I can act as your informant on the inside, Minx.”
The Fae huntress remained skeptical, but as she searched Alla's face for signs of duplicity, she came up empty-handed. Internally, she was pleased that the half-Fae hadn't been looking to kill her, and had only been working half-heartedly with Torrent's forces. “For a minute there, you had me regretting all of that healing magic,” she scoffed. “What kind of intel do you have?”
In the field, Mau and Kaleb were still grappling with the dark warriors. Without Minx in the mix, the mobs focused on the two of them more intensely. The chanting of the Krah spell-caster continued; Kaleb's powers were being kept in check by the incantations.
Alla cleared her throat. “Do you remember the hunter?”
“The hunter?” Minx stiffened as she thought back to Alla's poisoning. In the woods, the two of them had been ambushed by a group of Zuscha led by a human hunter of astounding skill. The masked hunter, boasting a bow and several other weapons beneath his cloak, had proven formidable. He and his dark Fae minions had departed under the pretenses of heading off Valry's forces. Minx had not crossed paths with him since. “The hunter who poisoned you with his goons? What about him?”
The half-Fae nodded. “Yes, that's the one. He's working with Torrent, and he's in possession of a powerful artifact—a magical amulet. I can't touch the thing... You see, it's being used to exercise control over all of the races. This amulet could be useful, don't you think?”
“That's well and good, but why are you telling me this?” asked Minx.
“Better that we have the thing in our control, rather than letting the hunter use it. Anyway, need I remind you that Torrent is after people like me—people of mixed dragon and Fae lineage?” Alla shook her head. “I can't touch it, but it's possible that you could. Take it from him and Torrent won't be able to make the races obey. It will be much harder for him to control his army. Do
