The Legend of Spyro: Darkness of My Soul

Chapter 2- Lady Nubia the Spirit Seeker by OnyxtheDragon17

Nubia belongs to Onyx the Dragon17

Firestorm padded toward further through the village toward a large stone hut. As he approached, the fire dragon peered thoughtfully through the curtain of beads in the doorway. The interior of the room was dark despite the sunlight from the outside and was illuminated by a couple candles. To one corner there was a cluster of pots and a shelf of herbs, spices, and even skulls. The heady scent of burning cinnamon and wood wafted through the air, making it difficult to breathe.

"Lady Nubia," he said quietly walking through the darkness. "I've come to ask for your help. Lady Nubia?"

"Ah, welcome, young friend," a soft voice said. "It is good to see you once again in the most uncertain of times."

Firestorm started silently as he approached a dark brown dragoness meditating in the darkness. She sat cross legged on a mat of leaves with her wings unfurled, eyes closed, and breathing in and out while the candles around her flickered. Then, with one last exhalation, she opened her orange eyes and peered curiously at Firestorm.

"Welcome, Firestorm, I wondered when you would return," Nubia smiled, "to visit an old friend like me."

"I could never forget the leader and village that raised me," he said smiling. He sat down on his haunches, earnest to ask for her help.

"True. But something seems to be troubling you. Tell me what ails you?"

"Well, I want to help find someone who's missing, and I need to know where to look."

"You're searching for Spyro, yes?"

He stared at her in astonishment which soon faded. "How'd you know it was him I'm looking for?"

Lady Nubia chuckled. "Rumors travel like a herd of deer, my friend. Though, I fail to believe that he is truly perished from this world."

"I know," Firestorm said. "Mostly everyone thinks he's dead, but I don't. Not when I found Cynder back at Dante's Freezer."

Lady Nubia considered this for a moment and then said, "Ah, so you've found the shadow dragoness whose skin is like that of the night sky and heart is now changed. Interesting. Where is she?"

"Back at the temple, I found her encased in ice and she seemed weak. But she's at the Dragon Temple recovering."

"Hmm. So now you wish for my help to find Spyro, correct?"

"Yes." Firestorm nodded.

They two dragons said nothing in complete silence and a tired look seemed to wash upon Lady Nubia's features. Firestorm hoped that she could help him in some way. He wanted to help Cynder find Spyro before the unspeakable could happen. He waited for a few moments until; she sighed deeply and spoke again.

"It's been ages since I've used my spirit powers, but I will contact those from the Spirit Realm and see if they can provide you with the answer."

Before the fire dragon could respond, Lady Nubia closed her eyes and tossed her head back. Her beaded necklace began to jingle violently, and her body convulsed into a series of spasms and jerks. To him it seemed like she was dying, but to the tribal leader it was her only method of contact. Her intense shaking continued as she began to chant words Firestorm didn't know.

"Spiritus Evokalo! Spiritus Evokalo! Beyond the pit of death and past the cradle of life, come forth spirits to give answer to this unknown chaos and strife. Answer my request and honorable plea, come forth and tell us what to see. Spiritus Evokalo! Spiritus Evokalo!"

Firestorm watched his tribal leader with a twinge of fear and excitement. He saw her beads shake even more wildly as if they would break free from her neck and attack. Her convulsions continued and worsened as if she were being possessed.

Suddenly, the candles flickered out. But no breeze had entered the room and Firestorm, anxious to get answers, waited patiently. He hid his uneasiness of what he might see as darkness obscured them both. Then, in the midst of it all, Lady Nubia gave a piercing shriek and her shaking stopped. He squinted hard at her to notice her head lolled forward and how motionless she was.

He hoped that she was still alive. To his relief he noticed that her chest was still moving in and out with deep breaths, and she continued to move. But something caught his eye when he reassured himself she was still okay.

A luminous white specter was seeping from her body into the air. It floated high into the air like a puffy cloud as Firestorm continued to watch. However, after a couple minutes, the shape reformed into a ghost of a large dragon with transparent horns, wings, and a tail that had was trailed by a gaseous vapor. Not to mention the gold halo that floated above his crested head.

"Who dares contact Animagus, Guardian of the Spirit Realm," the ghost dragon bellowed.

The words died on Firestorm's lips as he stared into the ghost's silver eyes. But Lady Nubia wasn't taken aback and sat up and spoke to the spirit in a casual voice, as if they had been old friends.

"It was I who continued, Animagus, Lady Nubia."

"Why have you disturbed my duties?" Animagus asked calmly, looking down at her.

"My friend Firestorm and I wish to ask if you know where Spyro is," she replied. "We've heard rumors that he has perished from this earth, is it true?"

For a couple minutes, the spirit dragon glowered at the two dragons, his silver menacing eyes darted from Lady Nubia to Firestorm like a lion trying to pick which prey animal to attack. Silence, save for the murmur and chatter of village dragons outside, filled the dark house. Animagus finally spoke in a deep voice.

"No one by that name has entered my realm."

The young dragon was about to speak with vigor, but thought better of it. He seemed to be right so far, now he had to find and prove that Spyro was still here, somehow. He listened quietly, rooted to the spot as Animagus continued.

"However, I do not know the exact location of where he dwells," he said, "but I do know of a path that will lead to him."

"Can you tell us," Firestorm said abruptly. Nubia shot him a look, and the fire dragon added, "Can please tell us how to find him, Animagus, sir?"

Animagus glared at the fire dragon for his impatience but ignored it and spoke in a mysterious voice this time.

"Through the forges of fire

Steam, coal, and lava

One must journey and never tire.

Over the canyons and field of flowers

Old rock and new earth

Wise is it to never eat the hours.

Beyond the caves of darkness and spite

In the crevices and cracks

Dangers lurk with more than bite.

To the swirling deserts and dusty peaks

A forgotten soul

This is what one must search and seek."

Before he could ask where he was to start or what the words meant, Animagus had already transformed into the puffy white cloud. It shot into Lady Nubia's chest and the dragoness jerked upwards as if struck by lightning. Her orange eyes widened for a moment, then, softened taking in Firestorm's perplexed expression.

"I understand your disappointment friend," Nubia murmured gravely. "None of the spirits I contact are clear when heard. But remember the riddles, Firestorm; they are sure to guide you in your journey to find Spyro."

"But I don't know exactly where to start," he said. "I don't exactly understand the riddle completely."

"In time, you will, my friend." Nubia shifted back into a meditative position and breathed in and out once more. Closing her eyes, the tribal leader said nothing for a moment gathering her thoughts.

"Can you contact another spirit?"

"Alas, I cannot my friend. Once I've summoned one spirit, I cannot contact another for a couple days. My body will need time to recover, for every summoning saps my energy. I'm sorry; Firestorm, but you must piece together this puzzle yourself. Remember and decipher the riddles and they will lead you straight to Spyro."

Firestorm nodded solemnly. "Okay. I understand. Goodbye, Lady Nubia."

"Good bye, Firestorm." Lady Nubia said opening her eyes with a genial smile. "I wish you safe passage home."

At Coral's Clinic

Once the mole had finished his appointment and left the clinic, the dragoness nurse opened the door to the consultation and stared at Cynder, clipboard in hand.

"Miss Cynder, Miss Coral will see you," she said.

"Well, time to get this leg healed," Cynder muttered.

Volteer stayed where he was a watched her follow the dragon nurse into the room. Then he reached over and picked up a magazine that seemed to catch his eye. Meanwhile, as Cynder padded into the room she noticed a soft lime green bed and stone desk filled with tools and a clump of luminescent blue crystals above glowing faintly.

"Good morning, you must be Cynder," said the doctor, a dragoness with deep pink scales with a lavender underbelly and wings and curved yellow horns. "Correct?"

"Yes, it's me."

Around her neck she bore a necklace of colorful gold and crimson beads and tribal markings such as curves and serpentine stripes ran parallel along her body. She smiled kindly at Cynder. "My name is Miss Coral and I'll be your doctor today."

Coral gestured to the bed and Cynder reluctantly sat on it. She still smiled with such friendliness and warmth that the shadow dragoness felt a bit uncomfortable.

"So what seems to be the problem?" Coral asked.

"My left hind leg, it's broken."

"A broken limb, huh?" Examining the new bandages on Cynder's hind leg with keen amber eyes, Coral gingerly put pressure on it.

"Ouch! That hurts, you know." Cynder winced in pain.

"Sorry, sorry, I was only checking," Coral said softly. She gazed down at the bandages once more and than turned back to her patient with an apologetic smile. "Well, I know the perfect treatment that should alleviate the pain and heal gradually heal your broken limbs. I had to do the same thing for Firestorm once when he broken one of him limbs."

"Wait a minute, how do you know Firestorm?" Cynder asked.

Coral felt the color rise in her cheeks and her tail swish absentmindedly through the air, accidently knocking over a vase of flowers. Hurriedly, the dragon doctor cleaned the mess and turned back to Cynder with a sheepish smile.

"Firestorm and I are childhood friends," she explained. "And we grew up in the same tribal village together. He was always quite charming and daring one, exploring the unknown, fighting for what he believed in, and practicing his powers and fighting technique. More so, he even had a soft spot for me since we were so close."

"You two were close?" Cynder asked. "So how did you two meet?"

"Well," Coral blushed again and looked down at her toes. "It was the Harvesting Season and I was curious to learn what kind of herbs healed what and was exploring the Enchanted Forest when a strange beast rushed me and tried to kill me. I was scared for my life and didn't know when Firestorm erupted from out of nowhere and started to fight the beast. He fought, bit, and clawed the beast nearly to death harboring wounds of his own until the creature turned and fled. Once it was gone, he trudged over towards me and asked if I was fine. I said, 'yes' and he smiled and collapsed."

"What happened next?"

"I rushed to his side and began tending to his wounds. And I while I helped him, he told me about ever since he had first seen me, he thought he had died and gone to heaven."

Cynder laughed. "Hmm, he does sound like a charmer when you say it like that."

"Indeed," Coral nodded with an amused look. "He even admitted to day dreaming about me whenever he was in the middle of training and crashed into things whenever he saw me."

"Reminds of someone special I know," Cynder smiled reminiscing on the times she and Spyro spent together during the war. She remembered how he was distracted by her beauty and made a couple mistakes.

"But enough about my love life," Coral said. "Let me tend to the broken leg."

Subsequently, the dark pink dragoness bustled over to her desk, opened one of the cabinets, and pulled out a vial of glistening blue liquid and a clump of Aloe Vera leaves. She returned to Cynder holding the leaves in her left paw and vial in the right.

"What's that?" Cynder asked eyeing the vial suspiciously.

"A remedy called Nymph's Kiss, made from water nymph saliva," Coral replied. "It should take away the ache and encourage the development and the healing process. But I must warn you, it burns a little."

"Oh goodie," Cynder said with a sarcastic smile.

To Be Continued….