The First arched a thick brow, his gaze growing steely. “I see... So they are threatening Pandling Grounds and they toppled the Trading Center. Is there anything else?”
“There is,” continued Valdar. “I am sorry to say that I am no longer fit for your service. The strain of losing my wife has been difficult to shoulder... but the recent tainting of Heilo Lake has rendered me unstable.” He laughed again, this time in a self-conscious way, head low. “I have transferred my title of Silence to my daughter, Minx. I have no doubt that she'll be able to fill the role. Would that I could do it myself... but I have made a mess of things and no longer feel of sound mind.”
“I understand,” began the First. “These are trying times...” He glanced at Minx, asking, “Do you feel up to the challenge?”
She nodded—not because she was certain she could rise to the occasion, but because she couldn't find it in herself to refuse. “There is another matter I'd like to discuss,” she began, offering a bow of her own. “My friend Kaleb here, a dragon of the Pyra Clan, has been very helpful recently. But while we were flying over Pandling Grounds, I noticed something.” She pointed upwards. “The warding spell over these territories is failing. I could see it in the sunlight—it looked like a worm-eaten patchwork. Can anything be done to repair it in the short-term? Are the Elders aware of this damage?”
“As a matter of fact, they are aware, yes...” began the First. “And if memory serves, Valdar here sent you to seek out a fresh hide that would keep the ward going. Or am I mistaken?”
Minx blanched, averting her gaze. “Y-Yes, it's true.”
The First inhaled sharply through his nose, turning to pace through the room. The clacking of his metal boots produced a peculiar, almost musical sound as he stomped about. “If only the barrier were stronger... then we might have been able to resist these latest attacks. Because we have allowed our defenses to become weakened to this extent, we will soon be overrun. The wards over Pan itself are likely just as threadbare as what you saw elsewhere. We have run out of time. Perhaps we will have to evacuate—take the survivors far from here and become a nomadic people...”
Here, Kaleb piped up. “W-Wait, you're going to abandon these lands?”
The First shot him a firm glance. “It's a possibility. The alternative is less appealing. We can either abandon our homelands and live... or suffer total extinction.”
“And you're saying that a dragon's hide would fix this?” continued Kaleb. “A dragon's hide will strengthen the shields and save the people living here?”
“That's right,” replied the First. “It would have been easier had we attained a hide from the very start.” He spared Minx a sour look. “Our failure to reinforce the wards has led to our ultimate ruin.”
Kaleb, stewing briefly in a thoughtful silence, finally replied, “What if I were to offer myself?”
The question took all in attendance off guard.
“What are you talking about?” blurted Minx, cracking a smile. “You can't offer your hide.”
“Suppose I could,” continued the dragon shifter, peering at the First. “I'm a Royal dragon of the Pyra Clan. I could fill the need, couldn't I?”
The Fae huntress, shuddering as she listened, began to get the impression that he wasn't simply kidding. We've been over this before. A dragon's hide may be necessary, but Kaleb is the last person I'd ever take one from! What's he going on about?
This line of thought appealed greatly to the First, who met him with a firm nod. “You'd like to offer yourself, then—to offer up your hide for this important role?” His eyes lit up. “Am I hearing this correctly?”
“No, he isn't really—” began Minx.
But Kaleb had other plans. “Yes,” he replied. “To protect these lands and your people, I would like to offer myself to the Elders.”
Minx felt as though she'd taken a punch to the gut. She couldn't even argue with him or talk him down; she was rendered speechless at this request of his. He's just going to lay down his life? After everything we've been through, he's just going to... No, he can't do this! I understand that we're desperate right now, but this isn't going to work.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Valdar, equally in disbelief.
“I am,” replied Kaleb. “For the good of the Fae, I'll submit to the spell of the Elders. The magical ward needs rebuilt. There's no other way. If I don't do this, the lands of the Fae will soon be utterly ruined and your people will surely die.” He offered Minx a sheepish smile. “We tried things my way for a long time. Now... it's time to do things your way.”
The First was ecstatic. He shook Kaleb's hand furiously and then motioned to a few of his guards stationed near the door. “Fetch the skinners and the Elders, at once—we have a dragon's hide!”
“Hold on,” added Kaleb before the guards could stride off. “I'd like to offer myself up, but skinners won't be necessary.”
“What's that?” asked the First, taken aback.
“I'd like to offer myself as a living creature.” He grinned. “Don't just shear off my hide, use me as I am.”
Silence fell over the group. The First seemed to be making a series of mental calculations. Minx, still reeling at his willingness to go along with this long-resisted plan, couldn't find her tongue. Valdar, white in the face, was considering the logistics of such a thing with a knotted brow. Only Mau, in the silence of her telepathic link
