Chapter 3: The Old Sage
The two Sumirodons leapt back in surprise as Lilac lunged at them. The two wildlife predators were used to their prey striking back, but not quite like this. Skulking about in the wild day after day, they had never before in their lives encountered a dragon, especially one that moved so fast like this one was doing now. They had only just had time to dodge as Lilac hurled at them, leaping away from the two steel crates full of food that they had found in the forest earlier. The crates were Lilac's food supply that she had stolen from a truck heading to Shang Mu yesterday and she was not interested in sharing it with them. They were her crates and she wanted them back now.
Lilac skidded across the grass as she hurled past the two Sumirodons. They were a little faster than she had expected but the dragon was still convinced that she could take them out. One of the Sumirodons crept towards Lilac, its teeth bared and its eyes full of rage and death. The dragon shuddered a little. She had never seen anything that looked so evil since Lord Brevon. Even his eyes looked friendly compared to the evil black slits that were the eyes of her feline, four eared opponent. The Sumirodon was getting ready to pounce but Lilac reacted first. She curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted straight at the wild animal, leaving a train of sparkles behind her as she rocketed towards it. The Sumirodon's eyes widened in surprise. Before it knew what was happening, Lilac slammed straight into the savage beast and sent it flying backwards through the air and into the bush that she had hidden behind a moment ago. The other Sumirodon had watched this with total disbelief as its partner landed in the bush and let out a whine of pain. Lilac flipped the strand of hair that hung over her right eye aside casually, supremely confident that she had this in the bag.
"Now you know what happens when you mess with a dragon!" Lilac crowed, "You mess with a dragon, you feel its wrath! Let this be a lesson to you."
The second Sumirodon ran over to its partner, clearly concerned for its well-being. The first Sumirodon was lying on its back in the bush, looking as if it was too weak to get back up. It was barely moving and the other predator sniffed at it, wondering if its mate was still alive. Lilac watched this tender scene and began to feel guilty about what she'd done. Had she brutally injured the Sumirodon? Had she even killed it? She wouldn't forgive herself if she had done. This was an innocent, wild animal. She couldn't go around slaughtering animals just for pinching her food supply! Lilac was many things, but a killer was not one of them. The death of Lord Brevon was the execption as in her eyes, he had to die for the good of Avalice. Still, if the Sumirodon was dead then Lilac would be disgusted with herself. Killing wild animals would barely help fix her damaged reputation. What would the kingdoms of Avalice think if they heard about this. But the dragon soon had nothing of the sort to worry about for the first Sumirodon twitched and then stood up, looking a little unsteady but otherwise, very much alive and still ready for a fight. Its mate purred with delight and then both scaly animals turned their evil gaze onto Lilac. The dragon was pleased that she hadn't killed the Sumirodon but she now began to fear for her own life. Would the two attack together? Would they be too strong for her? Lilac didn't care. She had to fight them off or be killed, simple as that. The first Sumirodon charged at Lilac, bellowing loudly as it ran towards her. Its mate followed her, its dagger like teeth bared and ready to stab down into the dragon's body and rip her to pieces. Lilac allowed them to come close to her, knowing that they wouldn't be smart enough to anticipate her next move. The dragon spun around on her tip-toes, performing her ever famous and very handy Dragon-Cyclone attack. The Sumirodons were foolish to get close to Lilac as her whippy tendrils scythed through the air around her. They leapt towards Lilac and were both singlehandedly whacked away by the cyclone. The Sumirodons yelped as they hit the ground, unable to believe what had just happened. Lilac stopped spinning and smiled confidently at them both.
"You guys have no chance." She sneered, "I defeated Lord Brevon himself, twice in fact! You're just a walk in the park you pathetic little pussycats!"
The Sumirodons seemed to take offence to this although as far as Lilac was concerned, they were just angry to have been smacked down by her. The second one got up first and came scampering towards its prey, its four feet moving quickly and carrying it swiftly across the grass. Sumirodons were fast runners and Lilac only just had time to react as it pounced on her and knocked her down onto her back. The savage creature's scaly face curled into a snarl as its mouth opened wide and it tried to bite down on Lilac's face. The dragon grabbed the creature by the neck and held it firmly away, its teeth just inches in front of her face. She could feel its hot breath on her as it tried to bite her. Her heart began to pound in terror. She was literally staring death directly in the face and if she didn't push the Sumirodon off of herself in time, its mate would be able to bite her and finish her off while she was tied up with this one. Curse the three kingdoms for causing this to happen to her! If she was back home in Dragon Valley now, this wouldn't be happening! Sumirodons didn't live in Dragon Valley after all. If she ever came back to the kingdoms, she would make sure to let them now that she'd gotten tangled up with Sumirodons and narrowly escaped death from them. That would make them regret their decision to exile her. Lilac pushed with all her strength, forcing the Sumirodon's head backwards and allowing her upper body to bend upwards so she was almost sitting.
"Nice try gruesome, but dinner's cancelled for you!" she declared.
She then let go of the Sumirodon's neck with one hand just as its mate began to close in on her. She socked the Sumirodon directly in the face, hitting it in the eyes and then hitting it again in the nose. They were sensitive areas and it was common knowledge to strike a Sumirodon in those areas should one attack you. The scaly sabre-tooth cat-like animal let out a roaring howl of pain as Lilac punched it and it backed away, allowing her to get back onto her feet just as the first one lunged towards her. Lilac reacted just in time and spun around on her heel, sweeping the air with her foot and slamming it into the tough hide of the Sumirodon. The creature cried out as it was hit and thrown down onto its side. Lilac panted and prepared for another attack as her two animal opponents picked themselves up and crept towards her. She felt bad having to do this to them. They were just animals trying to survive like she was. It was cruel of her to be attacking them for doing what they had to. But she needed the food more than they did. It was her food and they had no right to steal it from her. She would fight them off and then have her breakfast. Already she was imagining herself back in her camp and tucking into a delicious breakfast of eggs and bacon, just as she planned. It would be worth fighting them off for such a pleasure.
The two Sumirodons ran towards their draconian prey once again, roaring savagely as their teeth glinted in the morning sunlight. Lilac breathed out, looking totally relaxed as she made her next move. She ran towards the Sumirodons and then suddenly sprang into the air like a pogo stick. The teen-Avalician remembered a move Natalya had used on her and her friends last Christmas and she was using it now. She kicked one Sumirodon in the head and using it like a stepping stone, threw herself onto the other Sumirodon's head and kicked it. She spiralled through the air away from the creatures and landed on the ground. The two animals picked themselves up only for Lilac to Dragon-Boost straight into them both. This proved to be a very, very big error for her. Lilac hadn't noticed that she and the Sumirodons had been fighting on a clifftop the whole time. As she hit the two creatures, they hurled through the air and slammed into the crates of food. The impact was so heavy that the crates and the Sumirodons themselves were sent tumbling towards the edge of the cliff. Lilac let out a shriek of alarm as she watched the crates roll towards the edge. She ran forward to catch them but she was much too late. The steel crates tumbled over the cliff edge and came smashing down to the ground below. Lilac peered over the edge as she watched her precious food supply crash down the rocky slope of the cliff and smash into pieces, scattering their components everywhere. The crates were heavily dented and buckled by the time they reached the bottom and all the food inside had spread out everywhere, gathering soil and dirt from the surface and now certainly unfit to eat. Some of the contents such as tinned food and the eggs had smashed open. Lilac stared in total despair at what she had just witnessed. Two whole crates full of food gone to waste thanks to a big mistake and a heavy oversight! What more could go wrong for her?! Lilac's stomach now growled even louder as if crying out for the food it craved for. So much for breakfast!
"Damn it to hell!" Lilac cursed, "My food's all gone now! Oh just my rotten luck for it to be stolen by wild animals! Next time, I'm taking my food with me when I bathe in the lake so I can keep a good eye on it! I won't lose it then!"
She then suddenly had something else to worry about as a blood curdling snarl rang out from behind her. Lilac's blood ran cold as she realized that the Sumirodons hadn't gone over the cliff themselves. They had managed to save themselves from falling and now they were ready to feast on her to compensate for the loss of the two crates. The dragon turned around and saw the two monstrous beasts bending down low on their front legs, preparing to jump at her. It would be just as easy for her to Dragon-Boost out of the way and leave them to accidentally throw themselves off the cliff. But Lilac did not want the Sumirodons to kill themselves. They didn't deserve to die just for causing her to lose her food supply. So before they could pounce, Lilac Dragon-Boosted straight past them and ran back into the forest, leaving the bewildered creatures to stare in disbelief as if they were surprised at what had happened. They weren't stunned for long though. They both ran off after Lilac, determined not to let her get away. They were both starving, hence why they had stolen Lilac's food supply in the first place, and they didn't want to lose their second option of breakfast. The two creatures ran off, their legs moving quickly as they sprinted after their prey. But they had no chance of ever catching Lilac. The dragon was much, much faster than they were. It would take them a miracle to catch her now. Lilac looked over her should and smiled to herself as she saw how far away her pursuers were. She knew that Sumirodons were fast but not fast enough to catch her. Lilac continued running until she found a bush to hide behind. She didn't want to lead the two animals back to her camp or they'd know where to find her so she threw herself behind the bush and held her breath as the Sumirodons closed in. They hadn't seen Lilac jump behind the bush for they had been too far away to see her clearly so they ran straight past the bush like a charging rhino that's missed its target. Lilac waited until they had both gone away before stepping out of the bush and brushing leaves off of herself. She waited until she caught her breath back before walking off. The danger was over and she was safe again. But she was still starving and her stomach growled, pleading for her to feed it. Lilac rubbed her tummy sadly.
"I know, I know, you want food." she muttered, "But thanks to those stupid Sumirodons, I've lost my food supply! Where am I gonna get more food now? I doubt a delivery truck heading for any of the three kingdoms will be coming through here for a while now."
The dragon's face fell as she imagined herself going for days without anything to eat. She'd be a skeleton by the time a fresh supply of food came for her. The delivery trucks didn't come by regularly after all. Lilac sighed despairingly as she ventured off further into the forest, not heading back towards her camp as there was no point.
"Well, I guess I'll have to explore more of this place and see if I can find food anywhere else." Lilac declared, "I'm sure there's food to find elsewhere. Maybe outside of the Forest of Shards. With any luck, I might find some kind of civilization and the people who live there will give me some food. I just hope I won't end up starving to death…"
Lilac rubbed her empty stomach fearfully as she pictured herself wasting away into nothing. This wouldn't be a problem for her if the three kingdoms hadn't been so stupid and believed that she willingly committed the crimes the Dark Stone's energy had made her commit! Would The Magister, Mayor Zao and King Dail be happy to hear that because of their idiocy, Avalice's greatest hero had been reduced to a bag of bones? Hopefully they wouldn't be and they would regret what they had done. It wouldn't make any difference whatsoever though, she'd still be dead. It made Lilac angry just thinking about the three leaders now.
"I save all of Avalice from Lord Brevon twice and save Christmas…and this is how I'm repaid…" she moaned, "Scavenging for food in the wilderness. What a way for me to go. Avalice's biggest heroine…soon to die as Avalice's biggest loser! I hope those three idiots and their stupid kingdoms are sorry they've gotten rid of me!"
With nothing else to do except search for food, Lilac skulked off. She hoped that she would find something soon. Dragons could live a long time without food so she had more than enough time to find something to eat. But Lilac knew that dragons couldn't go on forever without food. They would eventually get too weak to even stand up if they weren't well-fed. She had to find food soon. And Lilac was sure that she would find something in the end. The forest couldn't possibly have nothing to eat after all…
The Royal Magister of Shang Tu was once again sitting on his decadent throne and playing over the events of last week in his mind. His throne had long since been repaired after the damage it had sustained during the fight between a Dark Stone possessed Lilac and Natalya but in The Magister's eyes, the damage done to his throne was minuscule compare to the damage done to himself. Ever since he had exiled Lilac, he had been sheltered and more closed off as if he didn't want to see anybody anymore. He was still deeply regretful for having to do this to the poor girl. Lilac was a heroine! She didn't deserve to be exiled, especially since she'd done so much good for the world, more good than anybody could ever have hoped to do! But due to the people of Avalice being convinced that Lilac was evil and accusing him of orchestrating some kind of conspiracy, he had had no choice but to exile her. He was still glad that King Dail of Shuigang had refused to vote on how to punish the dragon so that he didn't have to live with the decision he made like he was doing now. It still gnawed away at his mind every time he thought about it. As far as he was concerned, he would never be able to get it out of his mind. He hoped that Lilac was OK out in the wilds. A whole week had passed and he was still worried about her. What really annoyed him was that his guards, General Gong and Neera Li had searched far and wide for proof that Lilac was innocent and they still hadn't found anything to prove that the dragon wasn't evil. Whoever had done this to Lilac, they had sure covered their tracks well. He hoped that they would eventually find what they were looking for.
The Magister got up from his throne and stared out of the balcony, admiring his beautiful city once again. It was because of Lilac that he was still able to see a view like this. It was also because of Lilac that the world had lived long enough for his city to be repaired from the damages that Natalya had done to it three weeks ago. He couldn't enjoy the view of his city without thinking about Lilac now. The dragon should be allowed to roam through the city like everybody else. She shouldn't be forbidden from ever entering. The mysterious royal sighed loudly.
"What have I done..." he muttered, "The dragon blood shouldn't be in exile. She should be in civilization like us...I hope that she'll be able to return to us..."
He was then suddenly interrupted from his train of thoughts by a knock on his door. He wondered if it was General Gong or Neera Li or even both of them here with good news for him. Maybe news that they'd found evidence that proves Lilac is innocent and thus, would give him the perfect excuse to overturn her exile and bring her back into civilization. The Magister allowed his visitor to enter. The door opened up and both Gong and Neera walked in. Unfortunately, any hopes of good news were dashed apart as The Magister saw their grim faces. They looked as if they were about to deliver a very cryptic message. And in a way, they were. The two pandas walked up to their leader and bowed before him.
"Greetings your excellency." Gong said in his usual grizzly voice.
"We hope you're having a good morning sir." Neera said politely.
"You two look as if you're not having a good morning though." the blue-robed royal said stoically, "Is there something wrong?"
"You have NO idea..." the priestess panda sighed, "Memphis has turned out to be alive and he's taken over Shang Mu."
"WHAT?!" The Magister cried out in surprise, "But...he's been silent for six years! That surely had to mean he was dead!"
"Evidently not..." the general muttered, "He's alive alright and he's become the Mayor of Shang Mu. Apparently, Timothy was working for him the whole time and won the elections just so he could give the position of mayor over to him! Memphis has also revealed to Shang Mu that it was HIM who was responsible for Lilac's reputation being ruined to the point we had to exile her!"
"So we no longer need proof that she's innocent. Memphis has pretty much confessed." Neera said, "That means we can overturn Lilac's exile. Unfortunately, we do not have time to find her and get her back."
"And why is that?" the royal Avalician asked.
The two pandas looked even more grave as they were about to deliver their next bit of cryptic news.
"Memphis has made a demand. A BIG demand..." Neera mused, "Shang Tu and Shuigang are to fuse kingdoms with Shang Mu and become one big kingdom for him to rule. We have to swear allegiance to him. If we don't...he'll deploy Shang Tu's Sky Battalion and destroy our kingdoms. If we dare try to attack him, even with our own Sky Battalion, he'll use the Sky Battalion to blow us to pieces. He's giving us until tonight to make our choice. By the time we find Lilac and get her to help us...it'll be too late."
The Magister nodded understandingly. They couldn't bother finding Lilac while they had very little time to make Memphis's demand. They couldn't refuse or he would blow them all to pieces. He might even threaten the people of Shang Mu. And what of Mayor Zao? Memphis could easily use him as a hostage and render any attempt to attack him moot with his life on the line. They couldn't try and attack Memphis and they couldn't ignore his demands. But they couldn't just swear fealty to him. He was a criminal and he didn't deserve to rule Avalice! They had to stop him! And The Magister knew exactly what to do about that.
"Well...this is indeed most...most troubling..." the robed royal muttered, "Memphis has manipulated us from behind the scenes into getting rid of Lilac so that she can't get in his way...and now he's made a demand we cannot refuse..."
"We can't just give into him!" Gong protested, "We have to do something about him!"
"I know...which is why I propose this." The Magister announced, "Gong, you go and search for Lilac and tell her what's happened. Tell her also that her exile sentence has been over-turned for we now know she's innocent. Neera, you are to sneak into Shang Mu and infiltrate the kingdom. Freeze Memphis and bring him here so he can be locked up forever. With him frozen, his threat will be over and Lilac will come home to a happy kingdom."
"Yes sir. I won't fail you Magister." Neera swore, "I swear on the Ancient Dragon that blessed our world that I won't fail."
"I know you won't." The Magister said, his voice almost kind and soft as he spoke, "Go Neera. We're counting on you to save our kingdom."
The priestess bowed and left the room to carry out The Magister's plan. Gong bowed before The Magister and left to find Lilac. The general hoped that the dragon wouldn't be too hard to find. Being in exile, she wouldn't be easy to find as she could be anywhere but he was sure he knew where to start looking for Lilac. Most people who were sentenced to exile went to live in the Forest of Shards or any similar territory that was around. He would look there first. The moment the two pandas left to carry out their tasks, The Magister turned around to face the view from outside his balcony once again. He had the terrible image of Mayor Zao's airships flying over the kingdom to bombard it from bombs and missiles for refusing Memphis's demands. With any luck, this wouldn't happen. If only Lilac hadn't been exiled! She could help them deal with this situation right now! Maybe if they were lucky, they'd find Lilac sooner than expected and she would be home in time to give Memphis what for.
"Please be OK Lilac...and I hope you'll come home safely..." The Magister murmured.
The next few minutes were bound to be very tense for the royal as he waited to hear from his two right-hand pandas...
Lilac had been roaming through the forest for over an hour and she hadn't found anything to eat yet. It was nearly lunch time now and she still hadn't had breakfast! The dragon was beginning to get crankier as every minute she spent without food passed. She'd never been this late eating breakfast before in her life. She always had it at nine o' clock, which was the average time she usually woke up in a morning. This morning, she'd woken up at around half nine and had spent half an hour following the Sumirodons. Now it was eleven o' clock, an hour away from lunch time and she still hadn't eaten. It was something that the dragon never wanted to experience again. As she roamed through the forest, looking for food, she found herself hating The Magister, Mayor Zao and King Dail more and more with every minute that passed. They had caused this to happen to her. It was their fault she was so hungry. If she died of starvation, it would be all their fault for sentencing her like this even though it was clear that she was innocent and had no reason to do this to her.
Lilac had found herself walking out of the mass of trees that had surrounded her on all corners and she was now walking towards a huge wide open area with a round lake and an enormous mountain protruding up from the ground. It looked as if there was a cave in the face of it. The whole area looked extremely beautiful. Lilac was curious. Maybe there was food inside the cave. Probably some animal that lived in there. She didn't like the thought of killing a wild animal but if she wanted to eat, she would need to kill an animal and feed on its flesh. She couldn't have eaten the Sumirodons earlier as they were much too tough for her to penetrate thanks to their tough scales. Plus, she didn't have the right equipment for slitting them open. If there was an animal that lived in the cave, maybe it wouldn't be so tough and she'd have an easier time carving it up so she could eat it. But just as Lilac began heading towards the mountain, she noticed that the clouds were beginning to turn grey. It was going to rain. Lilac groaned. Was the world against her today or something? First she loses her food and now it looked as if it was going to rain! The dragon couldn't help but feel as if the world was trying to make her as miserable as possible. The dragon hurried forward, hoping to find shelter before the rain could start. She failed. There was a clap of thunder and heavy, fat drops of rain began to hammer down onto the ground. It was like somebody had turned on the world's largest shower and had focused it entirely on this area of the forest now. Lilac felt the drops splash down onto her body. They were cold and heavy. The dragon wasn't dressed for the rain and her clothes were instantly soaked. They clung to her like sodden rags and because of how casually she was dressed, the soaking rain made her feel cold. Her bare arms, shoulders, chest and legs crawled as the rain sent cold spasms running through them. Lilac hugged herself feebly, hoping to get some warmth into herself. It did no good. She was extremely hungry, soaking wet and freezing cold. What a rotten day this was turning out to be.
Lilac forced herself to head on towards the mountain. Maybe she'd be able to get inside the cave and out of the rain. But the mountain seemed to grow in size as she got closer and closer to it. it was as If it was taunting began to feel tired. She hadn't eaten for hours and she began to feel weak. It didn't help how the cold rain was draining away whatever strength she had. The dragon's feet began to feel heavier as she walked on. Lilac felt like she had to sit down and rest but she couldn't, not out in this rain. Being reptilian, being too cold for too long could kill her. Lilac reached the foot of the mountain but her strength gave away as she stepped onto a rock and slipped on it. She landed on her face, getting covered in dirt from the rocky surface beneath her. She managed to cut her thigh on a sharp rock as she stumbled. The rain mixed in with the bleeding cut and made it throb. The dragon winced and sat up. She tucked her legs up against her chest and hugged herself, trying to keep as warm as possible. She was freezing. She wanted to be warm and sheltered but felt too weak to reach the cave in the mountain. Lilac was stuck down at the foot of the mountain, unable to do anything but freeze to death.
"W-w-what a w-w-way t-t-to g-g-go..." Lilac shivered, "F-f-f-freezing t-t-to d-d-death in th-th-the c-c-cold and r-r-rain...th-th-thanks a-a l-l-lot M-M-Magister, Z-Z-Zao a-and D-D-Dail!"
She began shivering furiously, unable to feel her hands and feet anymore. The rain showed no signs of stopping and the wind began picking up, making her even colder. Lilac had never been so cold before. She wondered if she'd even be able to speak anymore. But just as it seemed it was the end for her, something strange happened. A robed man came levitating down from the cave in the mountain and lowered himself down in front of Lilac! The dragon's eyes widened in shock. Was she imagining things or was there actually a man in front of her. The man was wearing a dark green robe that concealed his body from head-to-toe. He had a hood up, concealing his face. He had a staff in his hand, ancient looking and wooden. He looked like some kind of wizard. Maybe he was considering the fact he had just floated down from a cliff. Lilac wasn't sure if she should trust the man. He looked highly suspicious and untrustworthy. But then the man held out a hand kindly.
"Hello there my dear child. What's the occasion? Are you lost?" he asked softly.
"I-I-I-I b-b-b-b e-e-e-e-e..." Lilac was trying to tell the mysterious man that she was exiled but she was too cold to speak. She could only manage single letters.
"Oh dear oh dear, you poor, poor girl!" the man exclaimed, "You're freezing to death out here! And you're only a child no less! Come on, I'll take you into my 'll be warm and sheltered in there."
Lilac didn't know what to do. Should she go with this stranger? Or should she stay put? Lilac suddenly realized that she was asking herself dumb questions. Of course she should go! She couldn't just let herself freeze to death out in the cold rain! Nodding, Lilac forced herself onto her feet and took the man's hand. The man waved his staff and then suddenly, he and Lilac were whisked up into the air as if an invisible force had grabbed them and was dragging them to the cave. Lilac gasped. She was actually flying! This was amazing! She managed to get a glimpse of the view from where she was as the man touched down on the lip of the cave mouth. The view would have been pleasing had it not been raining right now. The dull grey sky and the heavy raindrops sullied what should have been a nice view. The man walked into the cave with Lilac following him eagerly, still clutching herself and shivering. Water dripped down her body and hair. She felt as if she'd come out of an ice cold bath. She was relived to see that the cave had a fire blazing in the centre and there appeared to be some kind of cauldron with a rather delicious scent drifting up from it. It smelt like cooking food and it made Lilac's nose dance with joy to be smelling it. There was also a bed, curiously enough, standing at the end of the room. It looked as if it had been whisked out of a bedroom and somehow ended up in this cave. This man must live in this cave as if it's his home. Why though? Was he an exiled Avalician too? Lilac sat down in front of the fire and the man wrapped a blanket around her so she could dry off and get warm. The fire was utterly soothing, the lovely warm heat stroking Lilac's soaking body. It felt wonderful and the dragon felt so much better.
"Oh thank you sir! Thank you so much!" Lilac cried out, "I can't tell you how grateful I am for you taking me up here! Thank you so much."
"You're very, very welcome my child." the man said warmly, pulling his sodden hood back to reveal his face.
He was a wildcat just like Lilac's best friend Carol was. He had green fur that was darker than Carol's fur was and he had very fluffy cheeks. He had his whiskers styled in a way that looked as if he had a mustache rather than whiskers. He had one single stripe on his head. He had loving blue eyes that looked as if they'd seen many years go by. He was clearly old and yet he looked rather fit for his age. Lilac remembered how Carol had once told her she had a grandad who practiced magic. He looked a little like Carol and he clearly knew magic. Was this him? If so then this could possibly be the luckiest coincidence in the dragon's whole life. The old cat smiled at Lilac.
"Nice and warm are we?" he asked kindly.
"Very much so." Lilac said, her voice full of contentment, "This feels so much better. Thank you very much."
"You're very welcome child." said the wildcat happily, "Is there anything else you require?"
"Oh yes please sir." the dragon said, "I'm famished. I haven't had any breakfast yet. Please could I have some food?"
"Of course!" the old feline said briskly, "A woman as young as you needs plenty to eat. And I've got food to spare so don't worry about me. I often make too much anyway. When you're a wizard, you'll never go hungry once you know spells that create food for you like I do."
He walked over to the boiling cauldron and summoned a bowl to his hands with a snap of his fingers. He then dipped the bowl into the cauldron and filled it up with the delicious smelling broth that was inside. Lilac had seen this with amazement. The man was very magical indeed, being able to levitate and make things appear from thin air. Maybe that was how the cauldron and bed had gotten into this cave. He simply made them with magic. This man had to be Carol's supposed exiled grandfather, it couldn't be anybody else. The wildcat took the bowl over to Lilac and handed it to her. Lilac smiled at what she was given. It was a yellowy liquid that was full of meat and vegetable chunks and had a wonderful scent. It was Shuigang Chow Mien Soup, the best soup in the world and Lilac loved it whenever she had it for lunch back at home. Her mouth watered, eager to start eating the soup.
"Please sir, could I have some bread to eat with it?" the dragon asked.
"Not a problem." the wildcat said brightly.
He then snapped his fingers and summoned a roll of bread to his hand. It was sourdough bread, one of Lilac's favourite types to eat. It really was magical to watch and Lilac could see how this man had been able to get on so well in this cave. Why worry about food when you could just summon it to your hands? If only she had been so lucky to have such power. The man handed the bread to Lilac and the dragon broke a piece off to dip into her soup. The soup was warm and Lilac's tastebuds danced with delight as she put the soup-soaked bread into her mouth. It felt so good to finally be able to eat after so many hours without breakfast. Lilac swallowed and broke another piece of bread off to dunk in her soup.
"Mmm, it's good. Thank you so much." Lilac said appreciatively.
"You're very welcome dear." the wildcat said kindly, "I'm always happy to help those in need. Especially children. So tell me my little dragon, who are you and why are you out here?"
Lilac swallowed a mouth full of soup and bread before answering.
"My name is Sash Lilac the Dragon Girl." she explained, "And I'm here because I've been given a life sentence in exile."
The wizard looked stunned to hear this.
"Lilac? You're Lilac the Dragon Girl?! You mean THE Lilac the Dragon Girl who saved our world from an alien world conqueror who tried to steal the Kingdom Stone?!" he cried.
"Um...yes that's me." Lilac replied, "How do you know about this?"
"I grew concerned for the Kingdom Stone's safety so I used a magic portal to keep an eye on it." the wizard explained, "It was invisible to the naked eye of course so nobody knew it was there. I watched you and my granddaughter Carol fighting against this "Lord Brevon" person to stop the Kingdom Stone from being stolen. You were very, very brave that day and I admired you for stopping him from getting away with our valuable relic."
"Well...thank you." the dragon replied, "And by the way, you said "my granddaughter Carol". Carol mentioned me to you once. You must be her grandpa right?"
"That is correct Lilac."
"She said you were exiled for "witchcraft". You don't look like a bad man to me sir."
"Oh I'm nothing of the sort child." the wizard insisted, "I only practiced good spells like making food and the ability to teleport and even spells that could help fend off criminals. My name's Clifford the Wildcat by the way though I prefer to be called "Clifford the Sage"."
"It's an honour to meet you Clifford." Lilac said politely, "It's my pleasure to meet the grandfather of my best friend."
"You have no idea how much that means to me little dragon." Clifford said, looking as if he was going to shed happy tears, "I haven't seen anybody in over five years. It's so nice to see somebody again."
"You've been in exile for five years?!" exclaimed Lilac, "Man...no wonder Carol ended up needing to join the Red Scarves..."
"It really upset me to see my precious granddaughter working for those barbaric criminals..." muttered Clifford, "I watched her silently and unnoticed as she committed crimes and took part in fighting tournaments with those evil ninjas. I wanted to come over and stop her but I couldn't. You see, when I was sentenced to exile, I was forced to cast a spell on myself. I am unable to teleport into any of the three kingdoms. The old Magister that ruled before the one you know now made me do it just to be sure I couldn't come back and cast a horrible spell on them."
"But that's horrible!" Lilac cried, "You're not allowed to see your own granddaughter anymore just because some people thought you was gonna curse them! It's not fair!"
"I know it isn't..." the old sage muttered, "But as a wizard, I am bound to the rules of my sentence. I have to life my life in exile or be tried for treason. But enough about me, let's talk about you dear. Why were you exiled?"
"I guess you didn't see that?" Lilac asked, "It happened a week ago."
"I don't see EVERYTHING Lilac. I might have been sleeping at the time it happened to you and also, I don't always use my portals as I don't want to see too much of the world I'm missing out on. The Kingdom Stone and Carol's welfare matter most to me." Clifford explained.
"I see." the dragon murmured, "Anyway, somebody pumped me full of energy from the Dark Stone and turned me evil."
"They did not!" the old wildcat exclaimed, his face full of horror, "Tell me you're joking child!"
"I wish I was..." sighed Lilac, "Because of the Dark Stone's Energy, I ended up causing crimes such as taking over Shang Tu and making ridiculous demands that angered the other two kingdoms and because there was no evidence to prove I was innocent, the three rulers sentenced me to life in exile..."
She stared down at her soup bowl is if seeking solace in it.
"It's not fair! I've done so much good things for this world! And do you know why I do it?" the dragon complained, "Because I love my planet and will do anything I can to protect it! And this is how I'm repaid?! Accused and thought to be a villain and then cast out into the wilderness! I hate the people of Avalice! I hate them so much for their ingratitude! Same goes to the kingdom's three rulers! They've subjected me to the worst week of my life and all because of their stupidity!"
"Hmm...I see...that's very unfortunate..." Clifford sighed sadly, "But just take in mind that the people aren't going to know that you're innocent so they're hardly stupid for being unsure of something that's unclear to them."
"But I'm the heroine of Avalice!" Lilac snapped, "They shouldn't have any reason to doubt me at all!"
"Dear child, even the most pure-hearted of people can become victims of doubt." the old wizard said firmy, "Nobody is above suspicion you know. And I dunno what happened but I bet this person who filled you with Dark Stone Energy was probably a master manipulator. He or she probably manipulated the people in such a way that it was impossible for you to be above suspicion."
"Maybe so..." Lilac murmured, "A turtle named Timothy kept saying bad things about dragons and thinking I was evil and then somebody showed photographs of me and Natalya hugging to "prove" that I'm "evil". Before you ask, Natalya is good now by the way. And there was the Dark Stone Energy...and the person who pumped me full of it took it away so I had no evidence to prove I was good...yes...maybe you do have a point there. Whoever did this must have manipulated these events in such a way that the people couldn't possibly know I was innocent! And because they accused The Magister of "being in on my scheme", The Magister didn't really have a choice but to exile me to save face...maybe that's it. He did seem awfully upset about exiling me after all. I wonder if Dail felt the same way."
"Maybe he did." Clifford suggested, "You DID stop the man who killed his father after all."
Lilac nodded and ate some more of her soup and bread. Then she spoke some more.
"So maybe I shouldn't be TOO angry with the kingdoms for this..." Lilac thought aloud, "I'm still very bitter with the people for not even remotely thinking for a minute that there might be something fishy going on. Surely not EVERYBODY is that easily manipulated?"
"We'll never know my dear." Clifford said grimly, " For all we know, some people may have had doubts but were too scared to speak out against those that thought you were evil."
"Maybe..." the dragon mused, thinking the old wizard had a good point.
"Maybe." the wildcat said, "Well, we're both exiled Avalicians Lilac and because I think you deserve it, I invite you to live with me forever. I promise you that you'll be very well looked after in my cave Lilac and a woman of your heroism is more than deserving of my hospitality and kindness."
Lilac gasped in surprise. This was quite a turnaround for what a rotten day she'd been having so far. Meeting Carol's grandfather? And now being invited to LIVE with him? This day wasn't looking so bad after all. She'd be very happy living with Clifford. She'd never go hungry and she'd be well looked after. Her life in exile wasn't going to be so bad after all. Shedding tears of joy, Lilac put her soup bowl down and hugged Clifford graciously, the blanket falling off from her as she stood up. She was completely dry now and Clifford noticed how warm she felt against him.
"Thank you so, so much..." she whispered, "I can't thank you enough for your generosity. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Your smile is payment enough my child." Clifford said brightly, hugging her back, "It fills my heart with joy to have my granddaughter's best friend living with me now. I won't be alone anymore and I'll have the Heroine of Avalice to look after like a daughter. You've brightened my day very much Lilac."
"And you've done so for me." Lilac replied, "I'm so glad to be around somebody and that I won't have to be lonely anymore."
"Indeed not." the old sage said brightly, "Now then, finish your meal my dear. When the rain stops, I might take you to the lake for a meditation session. You look like you need it."
"Thanks sir, I'd like that." the dragon said, sitting back down in front of the fire and picking up her soup bowl.
She had half of the bread she was given left and more than enough soup to eat it with. She still had plenty of food left to fill her up. Clifford watched with a smile on his face as his new friend began to eat the rest of her food. It made him feel proud to be helping another exiled Avalician deal with her sentence and feel more comfortable. Also, Lilac was his granddaughter's best friend. In his eyes, having her around was the next best thing to having Carol around. For his granddaughter's sake, he'd take very good care of Lilac and make her feel right at home in this cosy little cave. Today was definitely the best day of his life since his exile and he was determined to make the most of it. And he was determined to give Lilac a very, very good day too...
Over in Shang Mu, Memphis was sitting in a study eating a cheese board that the servants of the palace rather reluctantly brought up for him. Cheese was Memphis's favourite food in the world and he always liked to snack on a few slabs of cheese before lunch. It was his idea of comfort. Of course when the board had been brought up to him, he'd sniffed the four cubes of cheese that were on the board, expecting them to be poisoned. But they were clean. Memphis assumed that Shang Mu wasn't brave enough, or foolish enough more like, to try and assassinate him. That was good. It meant that his position was certified and that he didn't have to worry about being attacked. Memphis's board had four different brands of cheese, all of them native to Shang Mu of course. He thought Shang Mu's cheese was the best kind. Memphis cut off a slice of an orange cube of cheese on the board and popped it into his mouth, closing his mouth around the cheese knife and pulling the slice clean off. This brand he was eating was called Mu Cheese, Shang Mu's most popular brand and Memphis's favourite. He swallowed what was in his mouth and then cut himself another slice, this time from a white coloured cheese. This brand was called "White Dragon" and was particularly strong, but not too strong for Memphis's taste buds. He ate the neatly cut slice and then decided to sip some wine that he had ordered to drink with his snack. Of course, he'd tested that for poison too and his excellent nose had told him that it was clean. The wine as known as "Red Dragon", the most popular brand of wine in Avalice. Every kingdom drunk it and Memphis could see why. The slightly bitter yet sweet and fruity taste of the wine made it a pleasure to drink every time. Memphis sipped it and then put the glass back down on the table beside him. He picked up his cheese knife, ready to cut another slice. He went for a yellow coloured cheese known as "Shang-Chu", a brand of cheese that the ex-Mayor Zao often enjoyed.
"Now this is the life..." Memphis purred as he cut a slice and brought the knife to his mouth, "Surrounded by luxury, completely at peace and with nobody to get in my way. My demands will be met and I will be the most powerful Avalician in the world."
He put the knife blade in his mouth and pulled the cheese slice off with his tongue. He allowed the cheese to linger in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. He was about to eat a slice of his fourth cheese cube, this one a mixture of yellow and white and known as the "Double Dose Cheese" since it looked like two cheeses mixed together but before his knife could slice through the cheese, there was a knock at his door. Memphis wasn't bothered by this. He was expecting this visitor. He brought his knife down through the cheese and turned his head.
"Come in." he ordered politely.
He inserted the Double Dose slice into his mouth as the door opened and in walked just who he was expecting, Spade the Panda. The ninja criminal had joined forces with him after the Red Scarves had joined Memphis and broke him out under his orders a week ago. He had been very grateful to Memphis for this and was now serving him faithfully, which was a sharp contrast to how he felt about Natalya under her rule. Memphis had treated him much better than Natalya ever did. It was like he was trying to prove he was better than her although Spade didn't know that Memphis actually knew Natalya. He was still proud to be serving him now.
"Hello master." he said, bowing politely to his draconian ruler.
"Greetings my young lad." Memphis said, "I trust your presence is justified by news of the delightful kind?"
"Sure is master." Spade said, "The Red Scarves have surrounded every inch of the palace. Nobody's getting near this place without being spotted. It's as simple as that. if anybody takes a shot at you, which they certainly won't do given your demands, they'll be spotted before they get within twenty yards. I even have men on roofs with binoculars to look out long distances. Just as you instructed."
"Do you have any men in the sewers?" the red-scaled dragon asked.
"Um...no? Why would I put men in the sewers?" asked Spade curiously.
"Why do you think you idiot?!" Memphis snapped, "Somebody might try and get into the palace via the sewers! I'm not taking any chances at this point in time! I've been working for too long and too hard to get what I want and I am NOT going to lose everything! Nothing can be overlooked my boy so you better get some Red Scarves prowling in the sewers before disaster strikes!"
"But...all my men are surrounding the palace...I haven't got any left." the panda protested.
"Then reassign some of your men to the sewers!" the dragon retorted, "Maybe about ten ninjas will do down there."
"That still leaves plenty to guard the palace." Spade said with a smile, "Very good idea master."
"Thank you Spade." Memphis purred, "Any other news you'd like to share with me?"
"Only that we've received NO response from Shang Tu and Shuigang yet." the Red Scarf announced, "I can't really see my idiot brother ceding to your demands if I'm honest. The Magister...maybe he will but I doubt it."
"It doesn't matter if they do ignore me." Memphis sneered, cutting a piece of Mu Cheese, "Cheese?"
"No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"Very well." the dragon said, popping the slice into his mouth, "As I say, if they ignore my demands, I'll wipe their kingdoms off of the face of Avalice with my Sky Battalion. The airships are nearly ready for launch after all. They have until the sunsets. If they don't accept...then they'll have ruination to deal with."
"I understand." Spade said, "Don't think I'll be too happy with you killing my brother though. I don't have any love for him but I never really wanted him dead. I hope you understand that."
"I do. I just hope you won't try and stop me should it be time to blow Shuigang to pieces." Memphis warned, "I could kill you before you even blink if you dare to defy me. But since you're loyal and all, I won't have to wipe blood off of my hands now will I?"
"No sir. That is all the news I have for you by the way."
"Then you may leave and join your men in guarding the palace."
"Yes sir."
"One more thing though..." Memphis said quickly, "Make sure Timothy never leaves this palace. I don't want him sneaking off and getting any ideas."
"And you haven't killed him yet why exactly?" asked Spade.
"I will do...in time." the dragon purred sinisterly, "But he's still useful to me. He knows Lilac's friends. If they ever come here for whatever reason, maybe to try and prove Lilac's innocence, he'll identify them for me and I'll know if I've got the right people."
"Ah, I see. But I can do that for you too." the panda noted.
"Then I have TWO pairs of eyes being useful to me." crowed Memphis, "Now, get back to your guard duty if you please."
Spade bowed and left the room, returning to his station which was directly in front of Shang Mu's doors. As soon as Spade left, Memphis cut himself another piece of cheese and ate it gleefully. Then he picked up his wine glass and stared into the purple liquid as if he could see a window to his future in it.
"Nobody can get in my way now..." he boasted, "I've left nothing to chance. Nobody will get in here without me knowing about it. And nobody will be able to stop me. Not even my ex-girlfriend...and my exiled niece. What I wouldn't give to see their faces if they could see me now..."
He chuckled to himself as he sipped some more wine. He was enjoying himself immensely. He was the new Mayor of Shang Mu...and soon...he would be ruler of the entire world. Little did he know is that he would soon receive some unwelcome visitors...Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela and Natalya had arrived at Shang Mu...and were waiting to make their move...
Yay, Lilac's found somebody she can live happily with so her exile isn't so sad anymore! :D But that's hardly anything to be happy about. Memphis is still in charge of Shang Mu and time is ticking! Will he be stopped? Can Lilac's friends infiltrate the palace successfully? Find out next time as we witness the "Infiltration"...