Within moments, the whole of Aleio was being rocked by an earthquake of unparalleled violence. Neither dragon nor Fae had ever witnessed such a rude geological shock as this, and the two of them were promptly thrown to the ground along with numerous trees in the forest. The soils seized, and ancient stones fractured to reveal yawning chasms; old hills were flattened and surrounding plains were raised up in the horrific upheaval. Barely able to dodge the tumbling trees, Kaleb was unable to take to the air and had no option but to lead her toward the nearest clearing.
The duo fought their way back to the edge of Heilo Lake and waited for the shaking to cease. For several breathless moments the sands beneath them shifted and the waters of the precious lake surged. Minx remained on all fours, watching the destruction unfold dazedly. It felt like a nightmare—like a terrible dream she'd soon wake from. It had all the appearances—and terror—of Heilo Lake's visions, but she knew as the quaking petered out that this one had been real. Scanning the distance, she spied a plume of dark smoke rising high into the sky. “W-What is that?” she asked, still trying to orient herself. She was uncertain which direction the smoke was coming from, and feared that the Trading Center had been brought to ruin.
Kaleb slowly gained his feet and singled out the smoke plume with his finger. “It looks like...” He nodded gravely as if to reassure himself. “Yeah... It looks like the smoke is coming from the top of the mountain.”
At this, Minx shot up. Still unsteady, she clung to Kaleb's arm and sought out the peak of Gloirs Mountain against the horizon. The mountain, a place of immense import to the Fae, was visible from the shores of Heilo Lake; in fact, on certain days, the shadow of the mountain sometimes touched the waters of the lake itself. The encroachment of the great mountain's shadow upon the waters of the lake always coincided with days of sacred festivities amongst the Fae, and to see its far-off peak now dressed in a plume of blackish smoke filled her with dread. “What's happened?”
“I'm not sure,” he replied. “If I had to wager, I'd say that we haven't seen the worst of it, though. The Trading Center, and even Pan, may have sustained great damage. I've never felt such a powerful quake before.” He took a deep breath. “I think we should hurry back and see how they're faring. Do you feel well enough to fly?”
Minx nodded. “Sure. Just... take it slow...” She watched as Kaleb took on his dragon form on the lake's edge and carefully situated herself between his wings.
With all the care such a terrifying beast could muster, Kaleb rose into the air with a few flaps. Ascending gingerly so as to not disturb his passenger, he hovered over the lake for a beat and then cut back toward the Trading Center, remaining low to the ground so that they might assess the damages as they went.
And sure enough, there were plenty of damages to account for.
Minx surveyed the ground below with a lump in her throat. The tree city of Pan, though still standing, had sustained no few injuries. Some of the younger trees—and the habitations built into them—had been uprooted or altogether toppled in the quake. The narrow paths between the trees were crowded with nervous Fae, many of them cowering in wait of aftershocks. Old Winterlimb and other ancient trees remained firm and upright, thankfully, but she could scarcely feel relief about this as the edges of the Trading Center entered into view.
The Pandling Grounds Trading Center had taken the worst of it, without doubt. Minx felt her heart skip a beat as the stone walls of the Trading Center became visible below—or whatever remained of them, that is. In places where the walls had lately been weakened by dark marauders, the stones had utterly given way. Massive bricks littered the area, shaken from their ancient grooves by the forceful quake, and allowing at least three routes of ingress to any outsiders. Buildings within the confines of the Trading Center had collapsed, most of them mercantile operations, and members of the Fae armed forces—only minutes ago celebrating their unexpected victory against the dark army—were now wheeling about the dusty square in search of the dead and missing.
All of this destruction... How can we recover from this? The Trading Center is vulnerable, the lake has been tainted by Torrent, smoke is rising from Gloirs Mountain... Minx sought out Mau in the crowd below. The Faelyr was huddled near the main gate, still petrified for the unexpected shock. Is this it? Is this how we lose? The odds have always been against us, but I thought we'd find some way to pull through. After this, though... can we hope to succeed?
Kaleb didn't touch down. Instead, he remained in the air, gliding about the territory and taking in the full extent of the damages. “This reminds me of something,” he began with a sigh. “There's an old tale often repeated amongst us dragons. A legend. Seeing the mountain like that, all wreathed in smoke, reminded me of it. Before the Fae arrived on the continent... back when the Great Dragons still roamed, there was a dragon who came to love a woman—a woman who was not a dragon.
“This love of theirs brought them a fair bit of trouble—negative attention—but they cared so deeply for one another that no amount of outside pressure could tear them apart. But one day, the woman passed away unexpectedly, still in her prime. The dragon didn't take this loss very well—he grieved for the rest of his days, and in his sadness and desperation he attacked the Earth itself, making a great hole to bury his love in. There, he wept for years
