CHAPTER EIGHT:

Neither set of Xiaolin Dragons quite knew what to think of the other. Master Fung seemed slightly irritated himself, and Klydiss's lip curled away from her tiny white teeth as if something was bothering her. She was looking at Master Sarkoth as if he had broken some unspoken rule, but he did not look back.

The first of the younger dragons, Geoffry, came forward without pause. He offered his hand to each of the visitors in turn to shake.

"Geoff, Dragon of Fire. Pleased to meet you," he said brightly. The other three took his lead and the introductions were brief. They also wondered where the fourth of the Eastern Dragons was, and that had to be explained a second time. Then everything went to awkward silence, neither party really knowing what to say to the other.

"Raimundo, Omi, Clay, we are going to the archives," called Master Fung after a few more moments of discussion with Sarkoth. The two masters were heading for one of the larger buildings within the temple walls.

"Master, should we come as well?" asked Rachelle.

"No, that is fine my students. Continue your training."

"But it's Saturday!" whined Geoff.

"Yeah, that's not right!" added Miguel.

"We have Saturdays free!" protested Logan. Sarkoth stopped and turned around.

"Indeed then, you are right. Carry on with what you were doing before!"

"Will do, sir!" cried Geoff cheerfully. With a devilish grin, he seized the CD player from Rachelle and set off at a run back through the temple with it, laughing. The other three gave chase, Rachelle in the lead screeching various minor epithets in French.

"That was weird," said Raimundo as he, Omi, and Clay followed the older men into the archives.

"Tell me 'bout it," muttered Clay.

The archive of the Western Xiaolin Temple was a large, circular building filled with shelves of books, scrolls, and papers. It was warm and dry, heavy with the smell of old wood and books that is to be expected of a well-aged library. A thick quiet lay over the building almost like its blanket of dust. It was the sort of place where you swore that, if you strained your ears enough, you could hear the soft whispers of written words calling from their leather bindings and scroll cases. Omi felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He had been in the archive of the Eastern Xiaolin Temple often enough, but this was different. Something in here felt alive.

"The information you're all looking for is deeper in, we do not venture this far into the archives often. As long as Klydiss or I am here, though, you have nothing to fear of the protection spells we keep," explained Master Sarkoth as they went.

"What sort of protection spells?" asked Omi, curious.

"Notthhhinnnggg toooo dannnggerrrousss, jusssttt minorrr sssspirrrritt guarrrrddsss and trappsss," Klydiss responded from her perch on Master Sarkoth's shoulder. She could turn her head about a full three-sixty on her long thin neck to look at Omi, and it was a little unsettling. Then the red looked upward suddenly, eyes focussing on something on the shelf. "Therrrre isss onnne abovvve yourrrr headdd, Earrrttthhh Drrraggonnnn," she added, a note of amusement in her hissing voice.

Clay jumped and looked to see a ghostly figure crawling along the edge of a bookshelf. It looked like a large gecko with long, thin limbs that looked would have fit better on a monkey than a lizard. It examined them all with cold yellow eyes, but upon seeing Sarkoth and Klydiss the spirit calmed and gave them all an approving nod. It then clambered up to the top of the shelf and, presumably, down the other side to check that row for intruders. It was enough to seriously creep you out. Klydiss chuckled, a rusty rattling noise deep in her throat, and turned to the front again.

Suddenly, there was a loud thumping noise on the roof.

"DAMN YOU GEOFF GET BACK HERE!" shouted a muffled voice girl's voice. There was a great scuffling of feet on the roof, apparently the four younger dragons were all up there. There was the distinct sound of Geoff laughing, then a loud thump followed by the ceiling groaning in strain.

"Logan, get off! It won't hold both of us here!"

"Then give it up!"

"Never! Rarr!" There was more thumping and scuffling.

"Hey, he bit me!" Logan shouted.

"Geoff, you know the rules! No biting, no scratching, no spitting!" called Miguel, from the sound of it he was a ways off from the other three. Master Sarkoth looked up at the ceiling, irritated.

"Klydiss, can you go tell them to get off-" He didn't get to finish the sentence. At that moment there was a particularly loud thunk!, and Rachelle, Geoff, and Logan came crashing down through the ceiling. They all yelled in alarm, but in seconds Klydiss, with an annoyed hiss, had leapt into the air. The red dragoness suddenly was the size of a small building, carefully balancing so as not to topple any bookshelves, and caught the four children on her snout, glaring at them with cold green eyes. There was the sound of running and Miguel, the Dragon of Water, peered down through the fresh hole in the roof with a look that was a mixture of amusement and concern.

"You guys okay down there?!" he yelled.

"I think I've broken something," grumbled Geoff. Klydiss lowered her head and allowed the three to climb off of her face, then returned to her smaller size and leapt again to Master Sarkoth's shoulder. Rachelle, sweeping her now dusty hair out of her face with one narrow hand, marched purposefully over to Geoff, roughly seized her CD player in one hand, punched him with the other, and gave him a look that could have melted the ice caps. Geoffry just grinned innocently, managing not to wince at the blow. Sarkoth, on the other hand, looked positively livid.

"You lot, all of you," Sarkoth also looked up at Miguel, who quickly ducked out of view uncomfortably, "should be ashamed! Is this any way to behave in front of our esteemed guests?" The three didn't meet his gaze. Geoffry finally plucked up the courage to say something smartassed though.

"She started it," he said, halfheartedly pointing at Rachelle.

"I do not care who started it, Geoffry. All I care is that it was done, and you all have brought disgrace to the temple," Sarkoth hissed, "Now get out of here, and find Miguel. I shall talk to all of you soon enough."

The three young dragons left with heads hung in shame and muttered "Yes, Master"s.

"Please excuse my students, they are still very young," sighed Sarkoth, instantly calm again. He turned to the bookshelves. "Yes, this is the section you want right here. Pardon me, I must go speak with the children." Sarkoth politely took his leave. Klydiss hopped down from his shoulder, apparently intending to stay with the guests. The little red waited until Sarkoth was gone, then sighed.

"I apolllogizzzee forrr the masstterrrr. Hee hass a ssshorrrttt temmmperrr wittthhh the younnnggglllinnnggsss, annnnddd I fffeaarrrr he hasss littttllle ressspeccttt forrr the olllddd waaayysss."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Raimundo suspiciously.

"Master Sarkoth should not have let the young dragons meet you, it will make them feel pressure in their training to accomplish more than they are able to," explained Master Fung. "He may even have hoped they would learn something from you, when he should know all too well what happens when the temples share their fighting styles."

"You're sayin' there were guys over here done with their trainin' before us? How's come we couldn't meet 'em?" asked Clay.

"Noooo, you lllottt arrre the firrsssttt drrraaggonns innn cccenntuuurrriesss. Besssidesss, the wayyysss offff the Easssttt and Wesssttt mussttt nottt blllennnddd. Nooowww commme, weeee musssttt finnnddd whaattt you caaammme forrr," Klydiss said firmly, ending the discussion. The visitors turned to the bookshelves and began to search.


Yay! That's all of it for now! You'll have to wait on my to finish Outpost Delta for any more, so until then... well, go find good things to read in the place of Chaos Reigns! (grin)
-Your friendly neighborhood White Wolf Zita