"Leaving the shrines may cause our powers to strengthen once more, but it seems I have lost my ability to fly without wings."

Otherwise, he'd have circled this world a few times already and found civilization by now. He's still tempted to at the moment, at the risk of terrifying the local populace who may not be used to seeing dragons fly overhead. Anything is better than festering away in these shrines with no food or clothing.

"Do the wards also compromise your own ability to fly as you are?"

He's unsure if that's added to this dragon's ire, but Malleus would also be rightfully upset if his wings were suddenly of no use.