It was at that moment, as they stood before one another, staring into each other's eyes, that Minx first noticed it.
The Elders had ceased chanting.
Turning with a start, she looked to the Fae Elders, still standing around Winterlimb, and found that their eyes were on her. They wore expressions of wild shock, and a few—weakened by their hours of spell-craft—fell onto the grass, quivering. Minx attributed this reception to her meddling, figured them upset at her intrusion, but it fast became clear that her presence had merely been the catalyst for the true source of their amazement.
The air all around her was infused with a great warmth, and she watched as both she and Kaleb were dressed in tongues of pale, bluish flame. These flames lasted only a short while before disappearing completely from view. These flames... this energy... what is it? she wondered, recalling a similar sight the prior morning when she'd awakened beside Kaleb.
But that wasn't all. As the blue flame vanished, there was movement overhead. The clouds ceased their churn and the lightning promptly died out. In the thin moonlight that surfaced soon thereafter, Minx caught sight of something incredible—something she'd never expected to see again. Where previously she'd glimpsed the warding spell surrounding the lands of the Fae and had been stunned by its degradation, she now gazed upon a dense psychical barrier glimmering in the light of the newly-risen moon. Gone were the holes and stress marks that had haunted the previous barrier; the spell was solid now, and the efforts of the Elders had apparently been solidified the moment she herself had stepped into the circle.
“The barrier...” she uttered. “Kaleb, the barrier! It's up!” She turned to the Elders, grinning in disbelief. “Do you see it? The barrier has been refreshed! The shields are raised again!”
One of the Elders, rising from the ground, peered about with arched brows. “It appears that the ritual worked... Even the dust storms are dying out!” He spared a toothy smile, kneading at his sore back. “Wonderful! Well done!”
Kaleb loosed a great sigh, still bound to the ancient tree. “I'm glad,” he managed, a bead of sweat rolling off his chin.
Minx went to embrace him again, her heart soaring, but stopped short.
Something was wrong.
“K-Kaleb...” The Fae huntress watched as the ropes around Winterlimb's trunk grew slack. These ropes, which had bound Kaleb to the tree, slipped toward the ground though they had not been loosened. The powerful arms and legs that they had been fastened to began inexplicably to fade from view. “Kaleb?” she cried, reaching out to lay hands on him.
The dragon shifter looked down at his own body, evidently as surprised as she was. With every passing moment, more and more of that muscled body was vanishing from sight. He was dissolving fast, dissipating with every gust of wind as though made of dust. Baffled by what was happening but never one to panic, he spared Minx another warm smile and closed his eyes. “I'm glad it worked. Take care of yourself, Minx...”
The Fae huntress was shaking as she attempted to hold onto him. “Kaleb, don't—!”
In the next instant, he was gone—her arms were empty and the warmth that had radiated from his body could no longer be felt. A tremor coursed through her as she stood before Winterlimb, her fingers wrapped around the limp ropes. Her heart spasmed in her chest and she felt as though she might collapse. Carefully, using the old tree for support, she looked to the Elders behind her, though they could offer no guidance.
“He's... he's vanished...” muttered one of the ancients.
“How can this be?” asked another. “Where did he go?”
The bearded Elder, tottering toward Minx and placing a hand on her trembling shoulder, shook his head. “I've never seen anything like it. The ritual worked. When you stepped into the circle, something changed—accelerated. But now... the dragon has disappeared. I don't understand why this has happened, but I am most thankful for his brave sacrifice. He knew the risks and still helped our people. We are forever in his debt.”
Minx was not mollified by this and pulled away from him. Mau, awakened by the ruckus, wandered over to Winterlimb. What's going on? Is the ritual over? Where's Kaleb?
I... I don't know. And neither do they! I stepped into the ritual with him and suddenly the shields were reinstated. The spell worked, but... Kaleb disappeared. I watched him fade away with my own eyes.
So... He's gone, then? chanced the Faelyr.
Minx shook her head violently. No... No, I refuse to believe it. It was true that she could no longer see him, and that the manner of his disappearance had been profoundly troubling. It would be all too easy to presume him dead—spent by the toll of the ritual. But her heart told her otherwise. I don't know what's happened to him. I can't see him anymore, but... I can still feel him, Mau.
Ordinarily, when separated from Kaleb by great distances, she would feel the stirrings of that mysterious pain in her breast. However, as she stood there, marveling at his disappearance, the pain was absent. In some intangible way—a sense that she couldn't articulate—she could still feel him nearby. Every trace of him was gone, and yet the longer she stood there, the more certain she became that he was lingering somewhere close—somewhere perpetually just out of reach.
I mean it, insisted Minx. I can't explain it, but... It's like he's still standing here, in some way. She pressed a hand to her heart. I feel connected to him, even though I can't see him.
Like a bond? chanced the Faelyr.
Minx nodded.
From the direction of the Trading Center, a handful of Fae warriors came running with news. “Minx!” cried out one of the archers. “The Wuffs and Plurn that were camping on the periphery have gone into a full-blown retreat! Something forced
