The sudden warmth between Carrick and Tevin the next morning hadn't rubbed off on Mauve, who was still giving her brother the cold shoulder.

"May, I said I'm sorry." Carrick tried for the hundredth time that morning, but Mauve pretended not to hear him.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, and it wasn't long before they dismantled their camp.

Everyone was grateful that the rain had let up from yesterday. Still, the lingering fog clung to their exposed skin and formed droplets on their clothes. Considering how high up they were, Valda wondered whether the fog was bits of cloud, floating over the top of the mountain.

"This pass should take us right across the mountain and down to the other side," Carrick called out, his voice echoing off the high stone sides.

The path must have originally been worn down by some long ago dried-up river. It had cut into the rock, leaving a path wide enough for an army to march through but sides so steep they would be impossible to climb. It made them feel exposed, though Tevin wasn't complaining. Even the steep sides were better than the tunnel.

The lyrics of the Healers' Call kept worming their way through Valda's head. She was sure it had featured in her dreams, but now in the morning light she couldn't be sure. Everything felt indistinct, the figures were all blurry, but she had the feeling that they had been waiting for something. Or someone.

The sound of their footsteps ricocheted off the stone, providing a beat for their next steps. It became a rhythm that could have rivalled any heartbeat and made talking impossible. Which wasn't a bad thing, given the animosity between the siblings.

"The fog seems to thicken ahead. We'd better hold on to each other," Tevin reasoned.

Mauve went to his side, taking hold of his hand and pointedly not looking at her brother. Valda wanted to smile at Tevin's flustered face, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for Carrick. He looked like a wounded animal after his sister's snub.

Wanting to ease his hurt, Valda walked forward and grabbed his hand before putting her other hand on Tevin's shoulder. At least this way, both boys had the ability to reach for their swords if they needed to.

Walking through the dense patch of fog was like stepping into another room. The sunlight disappeared, taking all the warmth with it. Every time they breathed in, it was like breathing in little shards of glass. It seemed to suck out all of their energy.

"Something about this doesn't seem right," Mauve whispered, her hand tightening around Tevin's.

"I agree, Daughter of the Fae."

Valda held both her hands to her head, losing her grip on both boys. She wondered if she was going crazy.

The voice seemed to come from all around them, vibrating through her head like it was her own thought.

"What-what was that?" Tevin stuttered out.

Valda looked to her left, only just making out Tevin's silhouette against the fog. She'd only let go of him seconds before, and yet he was further away than she would have guessed. Panic seized her, and she turned to find Carrick, freezing when she found him almost hidden by the fog. She was sure he'd been standing right beside her a moment before.

"Allow me to shed some light, Son of the Fae."

Suddenly, a stream of fire split the fog. Wherever it clashed with the fog it sizzled, burning it all until fire was the only thing left.

Valda expected to feel some sort of relief with the fog gone, but there was none. Her eyes focused on the looming figures previously concealed in the fog, and her brain skidded to a halt. She looked up, her eyes widening as she took them in.

Large scaly bodies in various colours, with long necks and leathery wings, stood in front of them. Cold, calculating eyes stared down at them. More of them than they could fight.

The pure, unquestioning power of the black dragon in front of them made her shiver. Instinctively, Valda knew this wasn't a situation they could fight their way out of.

"Nobody move. Everyone just keep calm." She quickly spoke, hoping her friends were listening.

Relying on her instincts, she sank into a steep bow, praying the others would follow her lead. Of course, whilst she was doing this Carrick and Tevin had already drawn their swords and Mauve had grasped her sickles, knowing that her magic wasn't strong enough to do any damage to their thick hides.

Before Valda could scream a warning, dragons swooped down from above and gathered her friends up, wrapping their scaly fingers around them. The three of them could do nothing knowing that with one flick each dragon could end their lives.

"Well, what do we have here? Three Fae and something else." The black dragon stepped towards Valda.

It was hard for Valda to remain bowing the closer those vicious talons came to her. Still, she was the only one on her feet, so she only hoped she'd made the right choice.

"You did not attack. Why?" The black dragon's head moved so it was on the same level as Valda's when she straightened.

"You had not attacked us yet. I saw no reason to start a battle that was unnecessary." She didn't add how miserable the odds were for her and her friends. In a battle, it was more than clear who would be victorious.

"Children of the Fae do not show such restraint. What do they call you?"

"My name is Valda and I am not a child of the Fae. My father is human and my mother is Queen Orlaigh."

The other dragons became agitated, snarling and blowing plumes of smoke from their noses until the black dragon stomped his foot, making them stop.

"It has been many years since I have seen a halfling in Adiocion. What a shame it is that I and my children have to kill you now."

Valda blinked, shivering at the intent in the dragon's eyes. The other dragons roared in approval, loud enough to shake Valda's body.

"Wait! Why must you kill us?" She pleaded pathetically, too frozen with fear to move.

"Because the Fae are the ones to blame for banishing me and my kind to this mountain top where food is scarce. Our existence is a mere shadow compared to what we once had. My own cubs have never felt grass beneath their feet nor tasted the fruit of the Peepul tree, sacred to all dragons. All because of you Fae."

Jets of fire spewed from the other dragons, barely missing Valda, adding their voiceless agreements to the black dragon's. The Fae needed punishing for what they had done to them.

The yearning in the black dragon's voice was unexpected and caught Valda's attention. She had assumed that dragons would eat a mostly meat diet given what the others had told her, but clearly they'd been wrong.

Something about the dragons' plight spoke to her. They had had everything, land that had been theirs for generations until the Fae had come and chased them away. Looking around now, she noticed the rocks gathered in clumps here and there with fierce looking dragons standing guard over them.

Heads, smaller than she thought possible, peeked out at her. Their little bones were visible through their scaly skin, and their bodies listless. It was heartbreaking to see.

Though they didn't send her any of their thoughts, it was like she could still hear their hungry pleading. Pleas for something different. Their pleas for help.

Just like with Nisog, she felt an overwhelming need to help. But unlike Nisog, who only needed saving, the dragons needed something else. They needed a new way of life or they would never make it.

Valda could already see it. In a few hundred years there would be nothing left of these noble creatures.

"What if I could give you land similar to what you used to have? Would you let me and my friends go then?"

"Lies."

"Fae scum."

"Kill them."

The voices screamed in Valda's head, making her wince. She could tell her friends were hearing the same barrage of voices from their pained faces. The other dragons stamped their feet, their tails twisting and fangs gnashing with anger.

"Enough." The black dragon silenced them with one word, though Valda could still feel their fury simmering just below the surface. "Our lands have been destroyed by the Fae. There is nowhere else for us." Their fury turned to bitter sadness at this truth.

It pricked at Valda's heart. She hadn't seen a lot of Adiocion, and yet her heart was already falling in love with the land. She too had had to leave her home to save Lania. But unlike the dragons, that had been by choice. It hurt too much to think about being forced to leave her Dad, the only home she'd ever known.

Their misery was overwhelming. These beautiful creatures truly had nowhere left. And yes, although they held her captive, she regarded them as beautiful. Anyone who set their eyes on their glittering scales couldn't deny that.

The Fae had taken so much from so many other creatures with no thought beyond their own expansion. She clenched her hands. It wasn't right.

"Daddy, what's happening?" A squeaky voice spoke up.

Valda's head turned and spotted a tiny dragon peeking out behind the legs of a large gold dragon. Scars criss-crossed his little body and his milky eyes stared up at nothing. Flashes of someone else's memory streaked across her mind.

The excruciating pain of hunger. The desperate need to find food. Images of the little dragon leaving his nest and falling from the sky during a snowstorm. His eyes blinded and his body broken as he waited for death. She heard his call, a call that awoke something inside her.

Without thinking, Valda started walking towards him, humming under her breath.

"What do you think you're doing, Fae? Step back from my son." The gold dragon bared her fangs and stood firm.

"Easy, Fydat. I mean no harm to children of the great dragon Rendu." Valda barely considered where any of these names came from. It was like another part of her was talking, urging her on. But it seemed to have the desired effect.

Though the names meant nothing to her, they clearly meant something to the other dragons.

"Nandrin?" Fydat's gold scales glittered as she looked at the black dragon, nervously.

"Let the halfling be, Fydat." His body was tensed like he was ready to intervene in a second. But Valda also intrigued him. No creature outside the dragon race knew of Rendu, the very first of their kind.

For the first time in over a century, he felt a small spark of hope.

Valda approached the nest and lifted out the small dragon, being careful of his obvious injuries. He didn't even have the strength to resist and instead cuddled into her obvious warmth.

"You called for me, little Pandath. I'm sorry it took so long for me to find you, but we are here now. You will be safe, my little fighter."

A wave of power built up inside her, right over the place where her heart was. In that moment, the little dragon shared his mind with her. Showing her the life he had and the life he wanted. Such pure thoughts caused tears to form in her eyes.

She let the emotions pour out of her. Light surrounded her body and the words that had floated out of reach, now came to her easily. Lyrics so old they could have been created at the very beginning of time.

The lost words weren't just words but a feeling, a power, that came from deep inside her.

As she sang, the light around her expanded, covering everything. Deep below her feet she could feel the ancient river, desperate to see the light of day again. With a pop, it burst from the rocks and flowed through the centre of the dragon's territory. As it snaked its way along the stone, flowers burst from the water turning it into a carpet of grass.

Front the mouth of the spring formed a brilliant tree. The stream burst from the bottom of its trunk, two great powers combining to create something beautiful.

The tree rose high, its branches stretching out across the ravine, providing shelter over the precious nests. Purple, heart-shaped leaves spurted to life across its branches and fruit, as large as a Valda's head, formed in clusters.

"The Peepul tree. It's impossible," Nandrin was awestruck. The other dragons whipped their heads around, taking in the tree's perfumy smell, echoing his words.

"Valda? How are you doing this?" Carrick's words were almost lost in her song, but the other two heard him. Looking towards him with their own expressions of shock and hope.

But Valda's power was only growing. She glowed so brightly that all but one pair of eyes had to look away from her.

Pandath's milky eyes stared unseeingly at her. He was the only one who could raise his head to her light.

The scars on his body healed before her very eyes, and his eyes regained their colour; a brilliant gold, just like his father's. The once listless cub was transformed into the little dragon he should have always been.

Valda lifted his body, so he balanced in her palm. He spread his wings experimentally and flapped them with obvious glee.

"Thank you." He craned his head and put his forehead against hers in the traditional dragon greeting.

"Thank you, Pandath, for waking me." The light surrounding her diminished as she placed the dragon back in his nest.

Her legs were a little unsteady as she walked back to Nandrin. The effort of the spell was taking its toll on her.

"Valda, you're-"

"A Healer. I know." She cut Mauve off with a smile.

All of her friends were looking at her as if they'd never truly seen her until this point. It was a little intimidating, but she would deal with that another time. For now, she had to focus.

"Nandrin, leader of the dragons, I have given you your home back where your children may flourish. Will you grant safe passage to me and my friends?" Despite her body aching, Valda's voice rang with power.

Nandrin folded his front legs and bowed his head. The other dragons followed his lead, and bowed with him.

"You have my word, Healer, you and your friends are safe here."

Valda breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." Then she promptly fainted.