Minx grappled against the call of the lake for hours, writhing in her sleep, till she finally awoke around sunrise. Plagued with guilt from her first moment of wakefulness, she sat upright and put her hair back in a tight braid. Mau and Kaleb were snoozing peacefully, oblivious to her concerns.
She knew what was at stake, what she needed to do. It was imperative that she return to Pandling Grounds quickly, to drive off the invaders threatening its borders each and every day. This goal had never left the fore of her mind; in fact, it had only been a desire to fulfill that goal that had seen her leave Fae territory in the first place. Now, in the middle of nowhere with Kaleb and Mau, she lamented her lack of progress. For all her trouble, she'd only managed to take a mysterious amulet from the hunter—and she couldn't even be sure that it was the magical item that Alla had claimed. Upon setting out, she'd promised her father that she'd return with a force of dragons to help them defend the territory. That aid, of course, hadn't panned out...
If she'd gained anything worthwhile in this most recent journey, it had been an insight into the enemy's true strength. The dark army hadn't given up after their recent routing—they'd only been emboldened. They'd been foolish to underestimate Torrent, and even as Minx rested the dark mage was doubtlessly marshaling his forces all across the region. Alla had said as much, alluding to a planned attack of Pandling Grounds by segments of the reunited army. We have to hurry back home, dragons or no dragons. The forces at Pandling Grounds can only take so much...
Kaleb awoke, unable to keep the sun out of his eyes. Rolling over, he yawned. “Where am I...?” Then, reaching for the aching wound on his head, he laughed. “Oh, that's right.” Blinking at Minx, he grinned weakly. “I got clobbered pretty good, didn't I?”
The Fae huntress shrugged. “He hit you pretty hard, yeah. Any harder and I would have had to go looking up and down the hillside for your brain, in fact.” She returned his smile. “You crash landed out here and I patched you up.”
Rubbing at his temples, Kaleb sat upright. “It seems I owe you—again.”
“Well, I'll be more than happy to cash in this favor,” replied the Fae huntress. “Alla told me that the Wuffs are planning another massive attack on Pandling Grounds. Her group was planning to meet up with another. Torrent, too, by the sounds of it.” She fixed him in a sorrowful gaze. “Kaleb, my people have been suffering like you wouldn't believe. The losses have been numerous and the territory's defenses are faltering. That's why I traveled all the way to the Talon Range. We need your people to help us. There's just no way around it.” She pulled out the amulet, tossing it over to him. “And then there's this. I nabbed it back at the camp. The hunter was wearing it around his neck, and according to Alla it has magical properties. She claims that it can be used to subdue and control the various races, but... it looks like a simple stone to me. What do you think?”
Kaleb leaned against the slumbering Faelyr and studied the amulet in the new daylight. “To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of it. It looks like a common rock—maybe worth a few bucks. But if Torrent's forces suddenly mutiny, we'll know why.” He tossed it back to her. “Alla was back at that camp, huh? Why didn't she come with us? We could have flown her out of there.”
Minx shook her head. “I don't know, but I'm afraid it's because she didn't want to come with us. It's possible she fed me this whole story about the amulet just to fool me. I have no doubt that she's under Torrent's control, but the situation is probably more complicated than this dumb rock.”
Kaleb struggled to gain his feet. “Magic or no magic, the amulet isn't the important thing.” He stretched. “We're going back to the Talon Range and we're going to find some help. I'll convince the generals to give this alliance a real chance.”
“Oh?” After her reception at the Talon Range, Minx was more than a bit surprised at his willingness to help the Fae. “Is it personal now?”
Kaleb grinned. “Let's just say I've had a change of heart. This whole land is crawling with Torrent's guys. If the Fae fall, it's only a matter of time before the dragons get overrun, too. I've seen them with my own eyes, and I have the bruises to prove it.” He motioned to the wound on his head. “I'll make them listen. I shouldn't have sent you away the last time, Minx. I wanted to fulfill my duties, follow the laws. But the threat is greater than any of them realize.”
“Will they listen, though?” asked the Fae huntress.
Kaleb looked up into the brightening sky. “I'll make them listen.”
Chapter 12
That's twice she's saved me, thought Kaleb as they soared toward the Talon Range. I barely remember escaping the hunter's camp last night. If Minx hadn't been there, I may not have pulled through... He was mindful of the Fae huntress and Faelyr perched on his back, and after all of their adventures together, was becoming accustomed to flying with passengers in tow. Mau had more or less gotten used to flying; though she didn't enjoy it, she no longer gouged him with her claws. Despite the gravity of their mission, he was thankful to have this opportunity with the two of them. The quiet flight provided some much-needed
