Confirmation.
Someone gives Duke some information, which confirms his own feelings.
Duke watched the sunrise and smiled, since he had joined the team, life had only improved, life on Earth was good, and it was his second chance. As the shadows of the night disappeared he felt it, it was faint but it was still there, and his eyes went wide when he realized who it might be. "Wraith," he whispered.
It was the sign that meant only one thing – Dragaunus was still alive or that the old wizard was. He had to warn the others but then he sat back down again. They would question him about how he knew and his family's secret would be revealed he just couldn't really tell the others, but well notched hints would let them know that the wizard was still around.
The roof's door pushed open and Duke turned to see Wing standing there. "If you came up for the sunrise, Wingster, you're late. It has already risen. The morning people seem like wraiths all cloaked in shadow."
"I just came up to reflect and get away from everyone Duke."
"Look if it's about the gateway generator; do not worry about it. It's not over yet." he said as he walked to the door to the stairs down.
Wing turned to ask Duke what he meant by that but by the time he did Duke was gone.
It was mid morning when Duke stepped out onto the streets of Anaheim; there was something he wanted to do, before he dropped any more hints. He found what he was looking for after about an hour of walking, it looked similar to the Necromancer temples back on Puckworld.
He entered, the priest that was getting things ready for mass was shocked to see a duck in the church, but he thought he might as well make the best of it. "So what brings you here, my son?"
Duke looked around, it wasn't quite what he expected, there was a lot different. "I was just curious if this place was similar to the temples back home, unfortunately it doesn't seem like it."
A blond stranger entered in a white trench cloak, jeans, and sweater. The next thing Duke knew, the priest was frozen.
"This is a church; it's dedicated to the one that made me, though she is no longer around. So what was it you wanted to ask?"
Duke looked at the stranger, he looked human, but the eyes told him that he was not. "Is Wraith and the other Saurians alive?"
"I can't tell you if the Saurians on Earth are still alive, but I can tell you that Wraith is, frazzled but still alive."
Duke smiled, "Now that you've told me what you want in return for this information?"
The stranger thought for a moment. "An answer to a very simple question,"
"Which is?" Duke was a little nervous; Trinity had taught him that if he ever needed anything he could ask Morningstar, but to remember that he would have to give something in return.
"How are you different from Wraith? After all, you both are under my banner."
Duke thought hard about it. "Maybe because of our morals,"
"Wraith's morals are very similar to yours, beyond that you are fighting on different sides, that is not a difference."
"I do not know, beyond the fact that I am trying to stop someone from conquering a planet," Duke said. He really didn't know the answer to the question that he put forth.
Morningstar put his hand under Duke's chin and made him look him in the eyes. Duke was trembling he couldn't give Morningstar the answer he wanted.
"The difference is, you're honest to yourself and those who you trust. Wraith isn't," he removed his hand from Duke's chin and vanished.
The priest became unfrozen and he looked at Duke with acceptance. "Will you be staying for Mass, my son?"
Duke shook his head. "No, not this time,"
"Very well, God speed you on your journey, my son," the priest said as he walked towards the candles and made sure that there was fresh ones for those who would come and light one for their prayers.
Duke watched him as he did so, something in him made his hand go to his wallet and pull it out. He opened it and saw a hundred dollar bill there. He folded it up and walked over to the deposit to help keep the church candles there and placed it in. The priest saw the amount of the bill before it was pushed into the box.
"Bless your soul, my son." The priest said, with a smile on his face.
Duke smiled, as he walked out of the church and headed for the Pond to drop another hint to the Ducks. Dive had seen Duke come from the church from the comic shop.
"See you guys later," he told Thrash and Mookie as he went to catch up to the old drake. "Hey Duke, what gives? I never knew you to be the religious type."
"I'm full of mysteries, my young lizard lips," Duke said, as he hurried off.
Dive wondered why Duke just called me lizard lips. "Wait a minute, Duke!" Dive raced after the older drake.
Duke waited for him at the next corner. "Yes, lizard lips?"
"Why are you calling me that name, you usually reserve that for Wraith or Siege?" asked Dive.
"Figure it out, my young lizard lips," Duke said, as he headed back to the Pond.
Dive was ready to tackle Duke; the old drake must be off his rocker. Dive watched as the old drake walk back. Then, he remembered what he had said at breakfast about that old lizard is not gone yet and now he's calling me lizard lips. Was it a hint of something? Dive just couldn't tell. Maybe the old drake was teasing him like he used to do so with him.
Dive walked into the recreation room about ten minutes later, he was still puzzled by Duke's comment about lizard lips. "Hey, Duke, do you think they are still around?"
"Who?" Duke asked.
"The Saurians," Dive replied.
"What do you think Dive? Is he alive and if so is the Raptor still around?"
"I don't know. He's too silent to be alive. Dragaunus would never remain totally silent this long without a good reason."
"Water pressure would be a good enough reason."
"True, he might have pooled what remained in his ship to his engines to power off from the bottom of the ocean," Duke said.
"But if he did that, wouldn't we know?" asked Mallory, now walking over to their side.
"Maybe, unless he intends to stay down where we can't get him, it would make things easier to plot would it not?"
"True, but they need oxygen to breath and I doubt that the old sorcerer would be able to create oxygen for them to breath with a lot of trouble," Dive said.
"Then, perhaps they are dead." Tanya suggested. "And that Wraith is barely alive."
"That possible," Dive admitted.
The thought of the book hit Tanya. "Either that or they have someone helping them," she said as she took the book out of her pocket and showed it to them. "It's from someone named Tec."
"Who is Tec?" Dive asked as he looked at the book.
Duke took the book and read the note, and then he noticed the copyright date. "The Tec, Dive a less studied person in history, as controversial as Lady DuCaine, she worked with the Saurians but was also the maker of Drake DuCaine's mask. The question is what is she doing on Earth?"
"That I have no clue to," Tanya said. "But from what she left me, I might be able to get the gateway generator built."
"How long do you think it would take you?"
"A few years, I'm only starting to grasp some of the major theory behind dimensional travel, and it's written in an old dialect."
"Grand," moaned Dive.
"At least we have a chance Dive, it is not hopeless anymore."
"True, but I would have liked to be home sooner than a few years. We have been here like two years."
"We all blame only one person for that mess, Dive, your brother Wing." Tanya stated. "If he hadn't done what he did, this planet would have been under Dragaunus's control."
Dive sighed. "You sure you couldn't get it done any quicker?"
"Not without help Dive, and unless we can actually find Tec which I doubt, then you'll just have to be patient."
Dive sat down in the chair. "Thanks a lot, Wing,"
"Thanks for what?" asked a voice coming from the door.
Dive turned to see Wing standing there. "Thanks for stranding us here on Earth,"
Duke bopped Dive on the head. "Can it Dive, Wing did what was necessary, we'll get back just be patient, you never know, maybe all this was meant to happen, why I don't know but I don't think it was mean to make us suffer."
"You sound like an Ancient Duke,"
"Don't insult me Dive."
"I'm not," Dive said.
"I lost my eye because of them and their stupid war, to this day Dive I suspect that they were behind the deaths of my parents and uncle…"
"So why are you all blaming me for stranding us all here?" asked Wing.
"Because you destroyed the gate bro,"
"Would you think that I would allow that Saurian to conquer this planet like he did to Puckworld if I could do something about it without destroying the gate?" snapped Wing. "Do you know what I lost to that Saurian? I lost more than my freedom! I lost my world that I grew up knowing. That world can never be returned to me or us! You remember her don't you Dive, my girlfriend who died in front of me! She died protecting me! If I didn't stop Dragaunus from conquering this planet, then her death would have been in vain as was all those other ducks that died at the hands of the Saurians!"
Dive shut his beak, he had forgotten about that.
"We have the last game of the Stanley Cup to play tonight and we need to win this game to win the Stanley Cup so let's put this anger away and play like the team we are. One day, we will return home to Puckworld," Wing said.
They nodded their heads as they headed for the locker room to suit up for that night's game. The other team didn't know what hit them as the Ducks took the ice to win the game and the Stanley Cup, not just for themselves but for Puckworld.