Chapter 7:
Nexus sat tapping a claw impatiently against the hard stone floor of the cavern, illuminated only by the dim glow of a pair of torches he had lit with his fire breath upon entering the vast subterranean chamber. The steady rhythm of his talon clicking against stone was the only sound within the large empty space, but Nexus himself was entirely unaware of it. His mind was elsewhere, far elsewhere.
So, Spyro, how do I turn you? he asked himself for what must have been the hundredth time over the span of the last hour. How do I bring you back?
While he had been mulling over this question incessantly for the past several weeks, Nexus had made frustratingly little progress on finding a solution. His discovery from earlier that day was the only real step he had achieved toward accomplishing his goal since arriving in the Dragon Realms, but even that was only a tiny shift forward in a problem that seemed to grow more complex with each passing day.
As he had deduced already, Spyro's tie to this world was his companions. Even despite his immense power, he relied on them entirely. On the one hand this provided Nexus with a point of entry, a vulnerability that he knew he could somehow exploit in the future, if only he could determine how. However, at the same time it was also a tremendous hindrance. So long as Spyro had his friends to draw strength from, Nexus was forced to come to terms with the fact that Spyro would never leave this world.
To get to Spyro, Nexus would have to somehow get his friends out of the picture. That much had been certain since he'd witnessed Spyro and his friends entering the city. But how?
The young purple dragon gave a frustrated snarl and rose to his feet, beginning to pace restlessly along the length of the cavern, a round trip that took him almost a full minute to complete.
This is impossible! he grumbled inwardly. How do I make someone leave when they already have everything they want?
His mind began racing furiously as he tried to come up with a solution, all the while attempting to keep his mounting frustration in check. He tried to remember his training, everything his master had drilled into him over the course of his life, subconsciously reciting the single line that the powerful purple dragon had repeated countless times.
"Cold and focussed," he muttered, his voice so low it was barely audible, and slowly the frustration that clouded his mind began to fade away, suppressed by his sheer force of will. "Cold and focussed."
The first thought that came to his mind was to try and appeal to Spyro's curious side. Perhaps if he revealed himself to Spyro somehow, the other purple dragon would come to him hoping to learn more about his own kind, thereby giving Nexus the chance to get Spyro alone. After all, Spyro only knew what the guardians and the Chronicler had told him, which really was nothing at all, claiming that he was some prophesied saviour meant to counteract the evil of his predecessor, Malefor, the first purple dragon.
Nexus snorted with what was almost laughter at that. The first purple dragon, he thought disdainfully. Idiots.
Nexus, on the other hand, could offer his counterpart some real answers, tell him everything he wanted to know. If Spyro was anything like Nexus thought he was—and Nexus was of the opinion that he knew the other purple dragon quite well—then he was lonely, secretly longing for something or someone that he could claim a true connection to, and the chance to get to know a dragon like him could hold strong appeal for him. Maybe that would be enough...
But then Nexus frowned and shook his head, realizing that there was no way it would be so simple. Spyro might be curious, yes, but he would almost certainly be wary as well. After all, he had been told in no uncertain terms by dragons that he trusted and respected that he and Malefor had been the only purple dragons to ever exist. The sudden appearance of another would more than likely cause him to react defensively and suspiciously. What made the situation worse was that the only other purple dragon he had encountered had been a genocidal, power-hungry maniac that was the complete opposite of everything he believed in. His first thought upon seeing Nexus, then, would most likely be: 'Is he the same?'
Besides, even if Nexus could eventually gain Spyro's trust, he doubted he would ever be able to alleviate the suspicions of Spyro's friends, especially if he began trying to pull Spyro away from them. They would resist, which would inevitably cause Spyro to resist. It was an unwinnable situation.
He also immediately discounted the idea of trying to overpower Spyro in a direct confrontation and bring him back to the Dark Realms as a prisoner. While Spyro would have no choice but to submit to their master's rule once there, Nexus knew inside that getting him there at all would be next to impossible. Spyro was powerful. While he was nowhere near as well trained as Nexus was, his natural ability was nothing to be trifled with. On top of that, Nexus had to consider a simple fact. While he and Spyro may currently find themselves fighting for reasons that were completely opposing in nature, Nexus held within him a firm belief: Spyro was not his enemy. To make an enemy of him now would only hinder his cause and create more difficulties in the long run.
This, however, only brought him back to the same conclusion he'd come to at the very start of his mission: Spyro would have to choose to forsake his friends and follow Nexus willingly. This, of course, presented a tremendous problem. Just as Nexus knew himself to be loyal to his master and any who he could claim a bond to, Spyro was unwaveringly loyal to his friends, and they in return held complete faith in him. They were like an anchor, one that held Spyro firmly in this world and that was unbreakable by any outside force.
But just as he made this conclusion, Nexus suddenly faltered and came to an abrupt halt back in the center of the chamber.
Unbreakable by any outside force, he repeated in his mind.
In that instant it suddenly became glaringly obvious what he had to do, and Nexus couldn't help but laugh deeply at his own blindness. Of course! It was so obvious that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before! Within his mind, already the first workings of a plan were beginning to form.
The sound of something scraping against the stone floor suddenly reached his ears, and Nexus immediately rounded on the source and settled into a fighting stance, ready to leap into battle at the slightest provocation and unleash the torrent of power that he contained within him. However, just at that moment he saw a group of familiar figures emerge from a dark passageway in the wall and he slowly relaxed, his face settling into a mild scowl. The grublins had arrived.
The small creature at the head of the group—which Nexus immediately recognized as the same one he had spoken to earlier that day and that he had selected to serve as a representative for the rest of the species—hurried ahead of the others and emitted a string of guttural chattering sounds; the grublins' form of speech. Nexus frowned as he strained to listen to the rapid string of noises, determining that the grublin's words roughly translated to, 'Everything is ready.'
"I'll be the judge of that," Nexus replied in a warning tone. "Report."
The group of six grublins drew to a halt about a half-dozen metres from the purple dragon, daring to venture no closer, and Nexus frowned disapprovingly at the sight of them. Ever since learning of the existence of the creatures he had despised them. They were imbecilic, unruly, and on top of it all they were just downright ugly! However, even Nexus was forced to admit that, in bulk, they constituted a useful means of power projection, and it was no secret that grublins were not at all lacking in numbers. Malefor had used them successfully to spread terror throughout the world for three entire years, driving all who opposed him to near extinction. Nexus's own plans for the creatures were significantly more focussed, but he knew they would prove useful nonetheless.
He listened grimly as the six grublins one by one reported on the status of the various collections of troops that had gathered within the mountain, relaying such information as their forces' general readiness to deploy right down to their supplies of weapons. All in all, Nexus was more or less satisfied with what he heard. With the inevitable few cases of blatant incompetence and even a couple of small-scale inter-clan skirmishes, it seemed as though the army of dark creatures was ready to move out whenever their new leader gave the word.
"I suppose that will have to do," Nexus sighed when the lead grublin concluded the report several minutes later. "It looks as if it's time to begin the next phase of this little operation, then."
The grublins cocked their heads curiously, and Nexus rolled his eyes with a groan. The leader made a brief inquiring noise that Nexus understood to mean 'What phase?'
"Come here," he told them, beckoning with a paw and turning to face a low stone platform that he had created a number of weeks before with his earth element to serve as a table, upon which he had been steadily engraving a map of the surrounding lands based on his own memory and whatever information his grublin patrols brought back to him—which he made certain to double-check in all cases. The grublins reluctantly obeyed him, anxiously edging closer until they stood around the far side of the stone map, gazing curiously down at the markings upon it.
"The next phase is destabilization," Nexus explained. "The dragons are in a very vulnerable state right now, and they know it. Communication between the settlements is at a near impasse because of their own fear for abandoning their 'secret' shelters. If I am ever going to be able to get access to Spyro, we need to unbalance them enough that the dragons in Warfang will have no choice but to leave their city personally to prevent a complete breakdown of peace."
The lead grublin chattered excitedly, overtaken by a sudden eagerness.
"No!" Nexus roared angrily, smacking a forepaw down against the top of the map table and causing the grublins to jump back in fear. He was rarely one to lose his temper, but dealing with the grublins had rapidly driven him to the end of his patience. "Not an attack against Warfang! Attacking the city directly at this point will only make them turtle back within it, at which point I'll never be able to accomplish my mission. We need to draw them out." He pointed with a talon at the three circles he had etched into the map that indicated the three outlying dragon villages. "If we threaten their settlements, the dragons in Warfang will leave their city to defend them. Once they're spread out and vulnerable, then I can start my real work."
The grublins made a number of confused noises, and Nexus groaned.
"I want the army split up into three divisions," he explained. "After that, one division will move out toward each of the settlements. They are not to attack, though. They are to move close enough to the villages to make the inhabitants uncomfortable, but not so close as to prompt a retaliation." He leaned in closer, his expression darkening into a firm glare. "Now listen closely, because this is very important. The dragons must not know the true size of these divisions. The main body of the armies must not be discovered. Let the dragons see a few scattered patrols here and there, and nothing more! I want them to know that there are grublins roaming the lands, but I don't want them to know how many and where. Is that understood?"
The grublins all nodded their heads vigorously, muttering nervously in their own language. Though Nexus was still slightly doubtful that they would be competent enough to actually carry out his orders without some kind of screw-up, it was the best he had.
"Relay the orders," he instructed in a tired tone. "Once in position the divisions are to await my order to advance on any of the dragon settlements. No kind of advance is to be made until I say so!"
The grublins all nodded again. Then the leader among them took a hesitant step forward and addressed Nexus.
"What am I going to do in the meantime?" he repeated so as to be certain he had understood the creature's difficult language correctly.
The grublin nodded.
"I have my own reconnaissance to perform while you get your forces in position. Now, get moving! I want you all to return here in a week's time to report on the readiness of the divisions. I will not hear anything from any of you before then. Now go."
The grublins hastened to comply, fearful that any dallying might result in another angry outburst from the purple dragon. Within moments they had all disappeared into the depths of the mountains, all sound of their footsteps soon fading away into the darkness. Nexus sighed and rubbed a temple before turning away from the map and rising to his feet.
"I think it's time I paid Warfang a little visit," he muttered to himself.
Gathering his power into one of his forepaws, he slashed at the air and opened another miniature convexity portal—his favourite means of travelling any significant distance. Not all purple dragons could do it. So far as he knew, he was only one of a few to ever possess this particular gift, but ever since arriving in the Dragon Realms he had been making extensive use of it, jumping back and forth across the lands to monitor both Spyro and the state of Warfang over the past few weeks. It only made things easier now that both of those targets happened to be in the same place.
He jumped easily into the portal, emerging from its twin only a second later to find himself standing to the south-west of the city, the massive outer wall looming overhead in the distance, the entire city seeming to glow yellow and orange from the light of the setting sun. As he had done many times over the course of the month, Nexus was forced to admit that Warfang was a truly impressive sight, and it was no wonder Spyro had been so anxious to return to it. Nexus thought that, if given the choice of where he wanted to live, Warfang would probably be it.
"Focus," he scolded himself, shaking his head roughly. "How to get into the city?"
He sat back on his haunches for several minutes, staring out at the city's wall and pondering just how he was going to get into the city undetected. Of course he could use his Dragon Time to slip in without anyone seeing him, but that left him the issue of how to move about the city inconspicuously afterwards. He couldn't be using his time control every time he wanted to change positions, and in between he was still running the risk of being spotted, no matter how carefully he hid himself. In a city this large, no matter where he went he was liable to have eyes on him, so he needed to blend in. But how did one blend into a city that was still so on edge after a war?
A less determined dragon might have been discouraged by this seemingly impossible task, but Nexus knew that he had no choice in this matter. If he was going to determine how to get Spyro on his side, he had to know more about the other purple dragon, and that meant observing him extensively. He had to get into the city. And besides, he had one advantage in this situation that no other dragon did.
"Well, I guess I go for the obvious solution," he muttered. He frowned thoughtfully, "Let's see..."
He craned his neck around to examine himself, judging the proportions of his body and running a number of possibilities through his head. It only took him a moment to come to a decision.
"Fire, then, I suppose. Alright, here goes nothing."
Taking a deep steadying breath, Nexus closed his eyes and concentrated, first on emptying his mind, then on the task at hand. This was where focus became critical, for it was an incredibly precise process that he was about to undertake. One lapse in concentration could mar the result to the point where he would have to start all over again.
Keeping his breathing slow and steady, Nexus allowed his most mysterious power to surface. Within moments he could feel a strange tingling throughout his entire being, his scales itching uncomfortably, his bones sending up the occasional twinge of pain. Nexus barely acknowledged the sensations, keeping his thoughts focussed solely on his task. He was finished in only a few seconds, though because of the itching and aching it had felt considerably longer. Letting out a long breath, Nexus opened his eyes and looked down at himself. Almost immediately a pleased grin spread across his muzzle, a feeling of giddy satisfaction sweeping through him.
Perfect!
This was by far his most unusual power, and it had been by far the most difficult for him to learn to use. His master had told him that it was in fact one of a kind, that he was the only purple dragon that had ever existed that could do what he just had. This knowledge always filled Nexus with a tremendous feeling of pride, for what a useful power it was! He had never used it outside of practice and training before, but the potential had always been as clear as day. With it he could travel to the same village or city a hundred times and not a single being would recognize him between trips. It made him a natural master of disguise.
Now, as he looked himself over, he saw not his usual bright purple scales with streaks of bronze. Instead they had all turned a vibrant red, while his normally bronze wings and tail spade had turned an almost golden yellow. He couldn't see his crest or horns, so just to double check he froze a small patch of ground beside him into a polished sheet of ice and looked down into it—smirking as he did so, wondering what would be the reaction of any passers by seeing a fire dragon breathing ice. As he had suspected, his crest and horns were the same yellow as his wings. His eyes were no longer dark purple tinged with red, just red. He had left his body structure unchanged for the most part, though his power allowed him to adjust this at will as well, and if he had wanted to he could have made himself appear completely unrecognizable. As it was, the only real structural change he had done was to enlarge his snout slightly to eliminate some of his natural resemblance to Spyro.
"Alright, Warfang," he chuckled, his expression twisting into a smirk of dark pleasure. "Here I come."
With a renewed confidence about his actions, he strode out from behind the cover of the trees outside the wall before freezing time and taking to the air, beating his wings rapidly for the centre of the city, soaring past the guards on top of the wall completely unseen. Once within the city walls he descended into the streets, soon locating a shaded alleyway and ducking back inside it before allowing time to resume its normal course. Afterwards he paused for a moment to regain his breath before turning back toward the street and stepping out into the light of the setting sun.
He had to work to hide his satisfied grin as he walked freely through the streets of Warfang, earning hardly a glance from any of the moles and few dragons that he passed along his way. He did still receive a few curious stares, mainly from the dragons. After all young dragons were somewhat of a rarity in the city at the moment. However, Nexus knew for a fact from his previous observations that there were in fact a few dragons around his age within the city already—probably eggs with parents that felt too insecure to send their unhatched offspring with the guardians to the old temple in the swamp when they had departed with all the eggs from the city. As such he was subjected to nothing more than a few mildly curious looks before the looker would resume their own path, leaving him free to wander the city undisturbed.
As he drew closer to the centre of the city, Nexus caught sight of a somewhat older ice dragon walking slowly in the opposite direction down the street. Deciding that it might save him some time searching the city on his own, Nexus altered his course to head the other dragon off, schooling his features into a soft, innocent smile and clearing his throat for attention.
"Why hello, young one," the elder said brightly when he noticed Nexus approaching. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Is it true?" Nexus said in a slightly hushed tone. "They say Spyro's back!"
The older dragon's smile grew wider, as if amused by the youngster's enthusiasm, and Nexus felt a tremendous swell of pride in his own acting skills.
"Why yes, indeed it is true," the dragon nodded, chuckling. "I'm surprised you didn't know already. There was quite a fuss raised about the whole matter."
Nexus shrugged. "Yeah, well, my parents said they heard fighting and told me to stay inside while they checked it out. They haven't come back yet, so I decided to come out and see what was going on for myself."
"Did you now?"
Nexus nodded. "So where is he?"
The elder laughed. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see him, if that's what you're getting at. But in any case, he's at the temple of course, speaking with the guardians I assume. I'm sure he has quite the tale to tell."
"Thanks!" Nexus exclaimed before skirting around the larger dragon and rushing up the street toward the city's upper levels, leaving the ice dragon chuckling to himself and shaking his head at what he took to be nothing more than a young dragon off to create some kind of mischief.
Too easy! Nexus laughed in his mind. The old fool!
It took him several more minutes to wind his way through the many streets of Warfang, climbing steadily higher into the city's upper levels before finally arriving at the level just below the temple grounds. Once there Nexus circled around until he was on the north side of the temple, where the main doors were located and where he was certain Spyro would come out once he had finished speaking with the Guardians. Then he once again ducked into a dark alley before freezing time and taking to the air, flapping straight upward until he had located a high rooftop that offered him a good vantage point while still being well hidden. Only once he had touched down and found cover in the shadows did he release his hold on time, allowing the world around him to continue on its way as if it had never been interrupted.
And now, to wait, Nexus thought to himself, settling in on the stone rooftop with his eyes fixed on the temple doorway.
He didn't mind waiting. He had spent his entire life doing it, waiting for his chance to one day enter the world and carry out his master's wishes. As such another few minutes or even hours would hardly matter to him. It filled him with excitement just to think of how close he was. For the next seven days at least he would be watching Spyro's every move, and the purple dragon would never even know he was there.
Soon, Spyro, Nexus though with dark pleasure. Soon, everything you know will change forever. I sure hope you're ready.
One thing was certain. Whenever that time came, Nexus definitely would be.
*.*.*
The silence within the large stone chamber was almost unbearable, but none of the dragons within the room seemed to have the heart to break it. The three guardians were sitting stiffly in a half-circle in the centre of the floor, their faces grim. Hunter stood off to the side, his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest, his face impassive, though the tension was obvious in his body. Spyro, meanwhile, was staring at the floor in front of his paws with a painful lump growing in his throat, unable to meet the gazes of anyone else in the room. He felt Cynder shift closer to his right side and rest a comforting wing over his shoulders, but he didn't move at all. He could also hear Sparx hovering just off to his left, but the dragonfly wasn't moving or saying anything either.
"So our fears were correct after all," Terrador sighed heavily after almost a full minute had crept by, his voice hollow. "Our old friend has indeed passed."
Spyro's heart lurched at those last words, and he cringed and shut his eyes tightly as he felt the first sting of tears welling up. Cynder noticed immediately and pulled him closer, trying to console him, but at that moment Spyro felt that nothing could lift his spirits. He hadn't imagined that Ignitus's death could hit him this hard, especially after so much time had already passed. However, up until this point he'd never truly had time to feel sorrow; he had either been occupied fighting Malefor or trying to return to the city. Now that there was nothing greater pressing on his mind, it seemed as though his mentor's death was finally able to catch up with him, threatening to overwhelm him.
"Why didn't he let us help him?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
"Spyro, there was nothing you could have done," Cynder told him gently.
"How do you know?" Spyro asked forcefully, his tone pleading. "How can you be so sure?"
"I just am," Cynder replied, softly but firmly. "He made his choice."
"But we didn't even do anything!" Spyro exclaimed, with such a sudden force of emotion in his voice that Cynder actually jumped away from him in surprise. "We just let him die! You wouldn't even let me go back to help him!"
"Cynder is right, Spyro," Terrador cut in, his voice stern. "Ignitus knew what he was doing when he took you two into the Belt, and more than that he knew what his odds were."
"Then why did he go?" Spyro demanded angrily. "If he knew he wasn't going to make it out, then why did he take us in there in the first place?"
"He knew there was no other way."
"There had to be another way!"
"Spyro, enough of this!" Terrador snapped suddenly, his temper flaring unexpectedly, and Spyro jolted back in shock. "You know as well as anyone that Ignitus would never come to a choice like this rashly! He did what was necessary for the survival of this world, just as I'm sure you yourself did. Trying to find blame where there is none will not bring him back!"
As the earth guardian's words slowly sunk in, Spyro felt a rush of shame unlike any he had ever known and he dropped his gaze once again to the ground. Of course Ignitus had known what he was doing, and though it pained him tremendously he realized that his sacrifice had indeed been necessary. He had given his life because he had known that there were countless other lives depending on the defeat of the Dark Master, just as Spyro himself had been ready to give his life in the effort of pulling the world back together. Heaving a large sigh, he glanced up for a moment to see that all eyes were turned toward him, as if waiting anxiously to see how he would react next. Cynder, especially, was gazing at him with a wary look in her eyes, her body turned slightly away as if to protect herself. It was only too clear to Spyro what she feared in the face of his angry outburst, and this realization only deepened his shame.
"What is done is done," Cyril said with a note of finality in his voice, as if declaring that it was best if the conversation were brought to a close. "It is a most unfortunate turn of events, but an unavoidable one I think. Let us take some comfort in the fact that the young ones have returned safely, at least, as Ignitus would have wanted."
Terrador, Volteer and Hunter all nodded their heads in agreement.
"Indeed, the time for grieving is not now," Terrador grunted. "There will be time later, but there is still much work that needs to be done before that is possible. Our world is still in a fragile state. Perhaps now that you two have returned, we can turn all out attention on bringing back some stability."
"For now, however, I think some sleep is in order," Cyril noted as Spyro gave a sudden, unexpected yawn. "After the events of this afternoon, the both of you must surely be utterly exhausted."
"Oh yes, the hour has become late indeed, hasn't it?" Volteer added, glancing up toward the windows high in the wall above, through which the sun's rays were no longer visible. "I am certain that all of us could benefit from some rest."
"That does sound like a good idea," Cynder said, and when Spyro looked at her he could see her eyelids and wings drooping, the excitement of the day having taken a heavy toll on her, and he could only imagine what he looked like.
"Yes, you both have certainly earned yourselves a long, undisturbed sleep," Terrador nodded. Then his eyes widened as if from realization. "And something to eat as well, I expect. Neither of you have eaten at all this evening, have you? I hadn't even realized we'd kept you here this long."
"I doubt I would even have the energy to eat anything right now," Cynder groaned, and Spyro nodded his head in agreement. "Maybe in the morning..."
"Well, I expect we can have the moles bring you something in your rooms if you change your minds."
"Our rooms?" Spyro repeated, puzzled.
"Well, you didn't think that after a month we would have absolutely no accommodations prepared for you, did you?" Cyril snorted. "Come now, young dragon! Chambers have long since been prepared for you both in the residence just beyond the temple grounds to the north-west, ready for your return."
"Oh, you should really see this room, Spyro," Sparx said eagerly. "It's really something!"
"Um, okay," Spyro said hesitantly, still processing what he had been told. He glanced at Cynder, who merely shrugged. "I guess we'll go over there now, then."
"A very good plan," Terrador said approvingly. "Don't either of you worry about being up at a specific time in the morning, either. I think that tomorrow would be best spent recuperating after all the trials you have endured recently. Perhaps during that time you'll find a chance to tell us the rest of what happened on your journey to face the Dark Master. I for one am quite curious about how the rest of this story plays out."
"As are we all," Volteer added quickly. "I'm sure it is a spectacular, enthralling tale."
"Spyro, I'm sure Sparx can lead you to your rooms," Terrador told the purple dragon. "Cynder, your room is along the way to Spyro's, a couple of doors down. Sparx will be able to point it out, I'm sure."
"If I have to," Sparx sighed. "Right this way, kiddies."
"Sleep well," Terrador told them as Sparx began fluttering toward the main exit of the assembly hall. "And welcome back."
"Thank you, Terrador," Spyro said before turning to follow after his brother, Cynder trailing right behind him.
The going was mostly silent as the group of three exited the temple and began traversing the main courtyard on their way to the stairs that would lead them to the next level down in the city. Though the sadness brought on by the memory of Ignitus's death still weighed heavily on Spyro during the walk, the calm, cool night air and the knowledge that he was at last safely back within Warfang was enough to reduce the pain to little more than a dull ache that was much easier to push to the back of his mind. Once they had left the temple grounds behind them Sparx made a turn to the left and guided the two dragons toward a large, elegantly constructed building with walls that curved around each other in a gently flowing pattern, several round balconies and widows dotting the exterior while an arched open doorway stood invitingly ahead, the warm glow of lantern light spilling out into the darkened street from within the greeting hall. Sparx didn't hesitate at all before fluttering inside. The only other souls within the open atrium that served as a greeting hall and lounge were a pair of mole attendants that greeted the three of them warmly when they entered. Spyro and Cynder both nodded their heads graciously in thanks while Sparx made for the winding staircase without so much as a word.
"Alright, here we are," he declared a minute later when the three of them reached the very top floor of the building. "From what I'm told, we pretty much have this whole floor to ourselves."
"Really?" Cynder said in surprise, glancing around the wide hallway.
"Yup," Sparx nodded proudly. "Pretty sweet, huh? Anyway, I guess I'll point out your room first, Cynder. Right over here..."
He moved ahead into the hallway. Spyro followed slowly, looking around at the open corridor in admiration. The other floors they had passed on their way to the top floor had all appeared fairly similar, with a long stone hallway leading along the length of the building and wooden doors leading into the varying rooms along both walls. This floor was much more elaborately constructed, however. The hall was of a much more spacious nature, with a vaulted ceiling covered with decorative imagery painted onto the stone, a thick brightly coloured rug stretching the length of the hall beneath their feet and a number of potted plants along either wall between bedroom doorways. Clearly this level was for the residence's more distinguished patrons, and Spyro felt mildly embarrassed at the thought of receiving such special treatment. Sparx, however, was clearly unconcerned as he zipped across the hall to the second of three doors on the left side of the hall.
"This is you," he declared. "I'm told everything's all set up and ready for you. I can't say I checked, so if it's not true then don't come after me about it."
With that final note he turned and zipped off farther down the hall. Cynder stepped forward and pushed lightly against the polished wooden door, causing it to swing open a crack before she peered inside. Before entering, however, she turned back to face Spyro.
"Goodnight," she told him before leaning forward quickly to nuzzle him affectionately under his chin. Then, after flashing him one final light smile she entered her room and shut the door behind her.
"Goodnight," Spyro muttered dazedly to the closed doorway, feeling a rush of warmth in his cheeks. He hardly registered the disgusted noise Sparx made from farther down the hall.
"Alright already, Romeo," the dragonfly called impatiently. "Get your tail in gear. You really want to see our room."
"Alright, Sparx, I'm coming," Spyro said, rolling his eyes.
Sparx watched with his arms crossed disapprovingly, a scowl on his face, as Spyro slowly strode down the hallway to stop in front of the final door where Sparx was hovering. His mind elsewhere, it took the purple dragon quite some time before he finally noticed the way his brother was glaring at him.
"What?"
"How could you do this to me?" Sparx demanded, his voice a low hiss.
"What?" Spyro repeated, thoroughly puzzled. "Do what to you?"
"Fall for her, that's what! After all that she's put us through—"
"Oh, Sparx, not this again," Spyro groaned.
"I'm serious! I get chills every time I see her, and you knew that, but now I'm never going to be able to get away from her! Why?"
"Why?"
"Yes, why! I mean, you saved the world! You could've had any girl, anywhere, but no! You have to go for...for..."
The dragonfly looked as if he was about to have a complete breakdown, and normally Spyro would be enjoying his antics greatly but as it was all he wanted was to lay his heavy head down somewhere and sleep for a week.
"Sparx, do we really have to talk about this right now?" Spyro grumbled tiredly. "I feel like I'm about ready to fall over here."
Sparx heaved a tremendous sigh and growled, "Fine, but in the morning you have a lot of explaining to do, big boy."
Without another word Sparx turned sharply about and shoved open the door to their room, surprisingly able to move the heavy looking door completely on his own. The door swung open soundlessly and Spyro followed his brother inside before pushing the door closed behind them, finding to his surprise that it took hardly any effort at all to do so. Then he turned around to face the room. As soon as his eyes fell on what lay before him, however, he gasped in shock.
"Not bad, huh?" Sparx chuckled, unable to hold back a grin when he noticed his dragon brother's stunned expression.
"This...this is all for...us?" Spyro said weakly.
The room was the largest bedroom Spyro had ever laid eyes on. Their chambers were cordoned off into three separate areas, all brightly lit by warm lanterns hanging from the curved stone ceilings and all magnificently decorated. Upon entering the room Spyro found himself standing in what looked to be a sort of private lounge. It was a roughly circular space with two sets of deep purple cushions piled on either end of a thick rug. Against the left wall a low, wide wooden bookshelf was built, the two levels of shelving large enough to accommodate almost any book as well as any other possession Spyro may want to store there. Higher on the wall, four tapestries were hung bearing the colours and emblems of the four base elements.
On the far side of this common area a couple of stone steps let up to a slightly raised section of floor leading to the large balcony opening. Like the lounge this space was round, however it was much more simply set up than the common area. Aside from another, smaller rug, the floor was left bare and the walls had no shelves or other furniture against them. The only other thing in this space was a small wood-burning fireplace set into the left wall. Clearly the purpose of this room was just a simple sitting area for relaxing, whether by a fire or in the light from the sun through the door to the balcony, and Spyro immediately got the impression that, if he ever had the time, he could easily see himself spending a day doing absolutely nothing in that space.
The third and final area sat off to the right of the lounge and was the smallest of the three sections of the room. A half-ring of small shelves was built into the wall of the back half of the room, obviously meant for personal possessions. A single deep purple banner hung off the back wall. The centre of the floor was dominated by a large circular patch of cushions and blankets.
"Wow," Spyro breathed in awe, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sight of the chambers. "I can't believe this."
"I know, right?" Sparx said happily. "Finally, a little proper appreciation!"
"This can't really all be for just us, can it? You could fit everyone from our village in here!"
"Hard to believe, right? But there's no mistake here. This is all just for you and me."
Slowly and uncertainly, feeling almost as if he didn't belong in this grand space, Spyro advanced into the lounge area and began a slow circuit of the room, examining every detail, his weariness forgotten in the moment. He tried to take in everything all at once, from the feel of the cushions to the smallest detail on the elemental banners.
"Obviously there was nothing of yours to put in here," Sparx said as he hovered along by Spyro's side, watching his brother examining the room. "So the guardians brought in a few things to fill up some of the empty space, I guess."
He gestured with a tiny hand at the bookshelf, and Spyro paused in his rounds to peer at the small collection of books that had been placed in the centre of the upper shelf. He quickly scanned over some of the titles, and a smirk spread on his muzzle as the selections of each individual guardian became immediately clear.
'Histories of Dragon Nobility'
'The World We Live In: An Ecological Study'
'Honour and Heritage: Determining Your Lineage'
'Tales of Glory: Heroes of the Warfang Rebellion'
'Practical Applications of Elemental Magic'
"I didn't really have the heart to tell them that you would probably never read any of this stuff," Sparx grunted. "But what the heck? At least you look brainy to visitors."
Spyro gave an amused snort before moving on in his tour.
His next stop was the balcony, and he was immediately struck by the sheer size of it. It was almost as spacious as the entire main lounge of the room with a low, elegantly carved railing running along the outside. The railing itself seemed to serve nothing more than a decorative purpose, for falling was rarely a concern for a dragon. Judging by its height, it was more likely there for the benefit of any mole visitors to the room. The view off the balcony was breathtaking, even during the darkness of night, and Spyro could hardly wait to see what it looked like in the morning. Then, as he was returning inside, Spyro caught sight of something poking out from the stone wall on the left side of the entryway and went to investigate. What he found was a kind of stiff, woven fabric covering that could be pulled out from the wall across the entire balcony entrance, thereby sealing off the room from the outside air in case of cold nights. When he closed it experimentally Spyro was surprised to find it incredibly airtight, as well as quite effective at blocking out any noise from the city. However he found that the outside air wasn't cold enough to warrant sealing off the room, so he quickly opened it again.
Last of all he climbed the few stone steps to the sleeping area, and he was immediately aware of the cozy atmosphere of the small space. A thick purple curtain could be drawn over the entryway for privacy, but even without it the space was enclosed enough to feel secure. The walls were bare except for the purple banner and the shelving that ran around the entire circumference of the room. What surprised Spyro, however, was that while from outside the cushions on the floor had appeared to be nothing more than a thin layer placed on top of the floor, upon closer inspection he found that in actuality the floor was actually recessed, then filled to the brim with soft cushions and assorted blankets, creating a sort of oversized nest. It looked like the very definition of comfortable, and Spyro couldn't wait to curl up in its centre. Still he restrained himself long enough to examine the rest of the room first. The shelves here were almost completely bare, with the only exceptions being a small collection of varying spirit gem pieces and, to Spyro's surprise, a set of gleaming silver ceremonial armour.
"What's this for?" he asked curiously.
Sparx merely shrugged. "Beats me. The guardians probably have some big event planned or something and they want you to look all proper and whatever. Maybe when they pick the new fire guardian?"
Spyro faltered midway into reaching for the shining helm, his gaze quickly falling to the ground as he gave a strained sigh.
"Oh," Sparx said quietly, guiltily. "Listen, buddy, I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to Ignitus. You holding up okay?"
Spyro sighed again before nodding slowly. "Well enough, I guess. I never really stopped to think about it until today. I guess that seeing the rest of the guardians here without him makes me realize that he's really gone."
Sparx nodded stiffly before floating over to rest a small hand on his brother's shoulder. "He did it for you, and for the world. At least you were able to make his death worth it."
Spyro nodded again before looking down at his brother gratefully. "Thank you, Sparx."
"Hey, what are brother's for?"
Spyro chuckled meekly and smiled, wiping his eyes with the back of a paw before looking around the room again. Then a small frown came over his features when he realized something.
"Um...Where do you sleep?" he asked, looking over at Sparx curiously.
"Oh yeah!" Sparx exclaimed, almost as if he had forgotten all about his own sleeping accommodations. "Check this out."
He zipped over to the edge of the large purple banner on the wall and grabbed the corner in his hands, backing up and pulling the fabric with him to reveal a recess in the wall that had been previously invisible, illuminated by what looked to be a miniature shuttered lantern containing a brilliant shard of blue spirit gem. Within the small space were a padded bed and other various dragonfly-sized furnishings.
"The moles built this all in one day," Sparx said in a pleased tone. "Now we can stay together while still having our own space. Pretty neat, huh?"
Spyro grinned, rearing up and placing his forepaws on top of his shelf to get a better look inside Sparx's miniature room.
"It looks great," he commented.
"Yeah, the moles really outdid themselves with all this. It's like we're royalty or something! I tell you, I could get used to this."
Spyro chuckled. "So you're not dying to get back to the swamp any time soon?"
Sparx snorted loudly. "As if. I mean I love it there, but after everything we've done I feel like we deserve a little more. Is that so unreasonable?"
"No, of course not."
Sparx frowned at him when he caught the sarcasm in the dragon's voice, but he made no further remarks on the matter and instead turned back toward his own room.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'm about ready to hit the sack," he declared.
"That sounds like a good idea," Spyro agreed, yawning loudly and rubbing his eyes drowsily. "I feel like I could sleep for days."
"Yeah, well, good luck with that."
With that Sparx slipped past the banner that doubled as a curtain for his room and disappeared from sight. Spyro, meanwhile, turned toward the nest of cushions and stepped up to the edge, pressing experimentally on the soft surface as if to judge how supportive it was before venturing out onto it. Once he reached the centre he flopped over on his side and gave a loud, contented sigh as he felt himself sinking into the soft, warm blankets. It was without a doubt the most comfortable thing he had ever been on, and there wasn't a single doubt in his mind that he would sleep soundly that night.
"Goodnight, Sparx," he called.
"Goodnight Spyro," his brother replied, his voice muffled by the thick fabric of the banner. There was a slight pause before he added, "It's good to have you back."
A smile stretched across the purple dragon's features, and he felt a swell of warmth that all but chased away the pains and troubles left over from the long, trying day. Feeling content and safe, Spyro succumbed almost immediately to a deep and restful sleep, drifting off into the wonderful and mysterious realm of his dreams.
*.*.*
"That's right. Go ahead and settle in. You must think you deserve it."
A lone red dragon snickered quietly to himself as he lay hidden on one of Warfang's many rooftops, watching through the wide balcony doorway that opened into Spyro's luxurious chambers as the purple dragon climbed the short flight of steps into the smaller side room and disappearing from sight, no doubt to settle down for a night of long-awaited rest. Little did he know that as he had been touring his new rooms, a keen pair of dark red eyes had been watching his every move.
Now that his quarry was out of his sight, Nexus silently rose to his feet and made his way stealthily down from the rooftop onto a small upper balcony of an unoccupied residence building. By the blocked-off main doorway Nexus had deduced that this particular building had been uninhabited for some time, no doubt as a result of the city's dwindling dragon population. As such he thought that it would be an ideal place to make his temporary home for the duration of his stay in the city, especially since it lay so close to both Spyro's room and the temple which were the two places Spyro would most likely be the majority of the time. Once inside, Nexus positioned himself so that he would be awakened early by the light of the rising sun the next morning and curled up on the cool stone floor for a night of rest, grinning to himself all the while.
"Enjoy it while you can."
Well, shorter chapter this time. Still, I really enjoyed writing it. For some reason I really like writing chapters with Nexus in them! Don't know what it is about the guy...
Bet you didn't see Nexus's shapeshifting power coming! X) A little too weird? Let me know what you think! Any feedback at all would be hugely appreciated. It's hard to know how I'm doing on this story when I don't hear anything for 2 or 3 chapters. I like how it's turning out, but an outside opinion is always helpful!
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who's been reading up until now. I hope you continue to read as the story develops!
