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,
