“If these goons managed to get this deep into Fae territory, do you think Torrent might have marched in along with them?” asked Kaleb. “Maybe we should take a look at the lake, just to make sure he's not messing around again.”
Minx agreed. “Yes, that's true. Do you think you can fly?”
Kaleb stretched, massaging the crick in his neck. “I suppose so. My ears are still ringing, but I think I'll be all right.”
“Please take us by Heilo Lake. If everything is well, we'll head back to the Trading Center to assist the others. I have a feeling that our forces are all tied up in the Trading Center right now, and that there's no one left to look after the lake.”
In the newly-made clearing, Kaleb transformed. His wings spread out over the splintered trunks of trees and his long, scaly neck stretched up toward the canopy. Minx and Mau hurried onto his back, and within moments the three of them were aloft, hovering over the border of Pandling Grounds. The dragon shifter made a sudden turn to the right, his wings beating furiously as he struck out toward the lake.
Smoke was rising from the direction of the Trading Center, and from above, the sounds of battle—earlier muffled—could be clearly heard. Minx looked on in terror as they departed for the lake. Is this how it ends? We held them off for so long, but now they've finally infiltrated our lands. And once again, I wasn't there to prevent it. She watched the plumes of smoke drift upward, and noticed—with a fresh jolt of horror—that the skies were home to something else.
Ordinarily, the shielding spell over the territory could not be seen with the blind eye. The invisible barrier, long-generated by the hide of a Royal dragon, protected the lands of the Fae from exterior threats. Now, with the generative powers of the old dragon's hide on the wane, the edges of this magical defense system were visible in the sunlight. The barrier appeared ragged and patchy; starved for energy, holes had begun to appear in the magical framework. Soon, it would collapse altogether.
The jarring sounds of war rang out from every quadrant of Pandling Grounds, and without even having glimpsed the damages Minx knew that her people were being overwhelmed. For weeks they'd had their backs to the wall, and now the remnants of the dark army had coalesced and made their move. She hated that she hadn't been there to fire the first arrow, that she had enjoyed a blissful night's sleep while the enemy had been on the march. The night before, she'd been utterly exhausted, and would have had nothing left to offer her people after a day of ceaseless service. Nonetheless, guilt haunted her—and the sight of the dimming barrier over the territory only intensified her feelings.
Kaleb brought them to the lake in double-quick time, descending as the shore came into view. He soared over the clear water while Minx and Mau scrutinized the dense forests. During their last visit, Torrent had waded into the lake after striking down the Fae guards. This time, thankfully, the lake was quiet. All was still. Every Fae was currently locked in battle, and no soldiers had been spared to monitor the lakeside. Furthermore, although Torrent's forces had marched upon Pandling Grounds, none had yet made it to the lake. It was a small comfort, but on a disastrous day like this one, Minx would take whatever wins she could get.
“They're not here... yet,” announced Minx. “Take us back to Pandling Grounds. We need to help drive them out.” Knowing the mess that awaited them, she felt her ordinarily steely resolve faltering. This is too much. My people are being overrun. How many have been slaughtered already? The soldiers, the archers... how many will survive? What about my father? Her heart, still tender for the loss of her mother, ached terribly at the thought of her father falling in battle.
Kaleb made a sharp turn and barreled back toward Pandling Grounds, his scaly belly nearly touching the tops of the trees. His yellow eyes narrowed, scoping out the plumes of black smoke far ahead. “There seem to be many fights going on. Which one are we going to visit first?”
The question was maddening to her. The diffusion of dark warriors throughout the territory ensured maximum destruction. The three of them couldn't defend the entire territory at once; the best they could do would be to hop from sortie to sortie, taking out a few warriors at a time and hoping that they'd eventually exhaust the enemy forces. “Just take us to the first battle you find,” she replied, exasperated.
Kaleb acquiesced, sailing downward into a furious clash between a legion of vicious Wuffs and a handful of Fae lancers scrambling to maintain a defensive formation. The Wuffs lobbed arrows at the lot of them and closed in, pressing them to the edge of a Trading Center building that had been set aflame by an earlier attack. Smoke billowed from its windows and its roof had collapsed, leaving a swaying pyre peeking from its summit.
The dragon shifter descended with such wicked speed that the mere momentum of his wings was sufficient to call up a punishing wind that lifted various of the Wuffs feet from the ground. The furry marauders ceased their attack, terrified now at this threat from above, and clumsily set about firing arrows into the sky. None had any effect, however, and as they gazed upward in abject terror, the Fae huntress atop the dragon's back began to loose a flurry of her own, striking down several dark warriors.
Encouraged by this aid, the lancers took the initiative and made a coordinated run at their foes, their weapons either rending leather armor or successfully driving away those that wore it. Minx picked off
