Chapter 10: Defying the Dragon's Rule
"Slaves!" Lilac barked louder than she needed to, "I want my hair massaging if you don't mind!"
"Yes Magister…" muttered Carol grimly.
"Anything for you your majesty." said Milla quietly as if hoping that she was talking in a manner that Lilac was OK with.
"Good girls." the corrupted dragon crooned, "And remember, nice and gently otherwise I'll have you both beaten. Comprende?"
"Yes Lilac." both wildcat and dog said in unison.
Lilac sat back in her throne and relaxed as Carol and Milla took a tendril each into their hands and began gently caressing it with their hands. Sometimes when the dragon was in a bit of a bad mood, she'd let Carol or Milla stroke her tendrils to calm her down. The two didn't mind this; they liked the feeling of their draconian friend's soft, scaly tendrils in their hands. It was like stroking a tame snake in their eyes. Milla herself often compared the feeling of Lilac's tendrils to rope. Carol herself didn't really see why Milla thought Lilac's hair felt like rope. While the cat and dog liked getting to stroke their friend's hair, they didn't like the fact they were doing it as her slaves.
Lilac was sitting in the throne of the Royal Palace, the very place where the Royal Magister would have sat himself. The Magister himself had been unfrozen and thrown into a cell in the dungeons underground. The same had happened to General Gong. Carol and Milla had been chained to the throne with shackles around their wrists connected to each side of the opulent chair by a chain. Then chain was long enough for Carol and Milla to at least massage their former friend's tendrils. The shackles were very tough and the chain was strong. The cat and dog weren't going anywhere in a hurry. They could only run their fingers up and down Lilac's tendrils gently, making sure they didn't accidentally pull on them or do anything to give the evil dragon an excuse to hurt them. She'd already punched Milla for crying as she was chained to the throne and had slugged Carol in the stomach for sticking up for the dog. They didn't want Lilac hitting them again. The evening was getting darker and Lilac could just see the soft glare of the sunset outside through the balcony from where she was sitting. She wondered what tomorrow would be like when the run rose up again, beginning a new day for her on the throne of Shang Tu.
A couple of minutes passed before Lilac received a knock at the door. Her red eyes glared at the door as if angry that it had disturbed her peace. But she knew what was going on and relaxed.
"Come in Neera." she ordered.
The door opened up and in walked Neera Li. The priestess looked ashamed of herself as she entered the room and strode up towards her new Royal Magister with a tray of food in her hands. She was dressed in a pink bikini and a long flowing skirt with splits near the middle for her legs to show. She wore a couple of bracelets on her wrists. The panda was not used to dressing so casually and wearing these clothes right now made her feel almost naked and very humiliated. The Magister would never have done this to her. Lilac watched Neera Li walk up to her with the food tray in hand, seeming to admire the woman's more exposed body. She'd never seen Li wearing anything else before. Neera Li was carrying Lilac's dinner, which consisted of a medium-cooked steak with lots of vegetables and a side of mash. The food had been smothered in gravy. The dragon had requested this meal herself and looked pleased to see it being delivered to her. Neera held the tray out and Lilac took it.
"I hope you enjoy your meal." the priestess muttered bitterly.
"Oh liven up will you Neera? You're spoiling the mood for me." sighed Lilac, picking up her knife and fork and preparing to tuck into her dinner.
"Would you prefer it if I left?" Neera snorted.
"If you're gonna be a grumpy little girl then yes, I would." the dragon snapped, "Get out of here until I'm finished."
The panda bowed and then walked away, looking a little more keen than Lilac would have liked to leave the room. Ignoring her, the dragon cut into her steak and was about to pop it into her mouth when she suddenly stopped. She eyed it suspiciously and then sniffed at it. Carol and Milla wondered why but they supposed the dragon was just making sure Neera hadn't poisoned her food. They knew she wouldn't do that since they wanted Lilac saved, not dead. They were sure that Neera believed that Lilac had been corrupted and probably wanted her saved, and thus wouldn't have dared poison the girl's dinner. It wouldn't have worked anyway for Lilac had an excellent sense of smell. She'd have sniffed the poison out a mile away. Lilac sniffed one last time, deciding that her food was uncontaminated and she popped the steak piece into her mouth, chewing it slowly and savouring the succulent taste of meat and gravy. The smell of Lilac's glorious dinner made Carol and Milla's stomachs growl. They were starving but Lilac hadn't told Neera to fetch them any dinner yet. Milla in particular was eying Lilac's steak as if it was valuable to her and wanted to taste it ever so badly.
"P-please L-Lilac…c-can m-me and C-Carol have some food?" the anxious puppy asked.
"If you think I'm gonna share my dinner with you, forget it!" snapped Lilac, "You two will get your meals once I've eaten, now don't you dare ask me again!"
"Sorry!" whimpered Milla.
"You will be if I decide to have you beaten for this insolence!" the dragon snarled.
"Lilac, I think you've made your point…" Carol said cautiously, knowing that what she'd said could well make Lilac flip at her.
"I should hope I have! Now be quiet and let me eat in peace!" Lilac growled, pointing her knife at Carol threateningly, "If you two say another word before I've finished, I'll hang you upside down from the balcony all night. Is that understood?"
The dog and cat nodded, not wanting to push the dragon's buttons any further. They did not like the idea of hanging upside down all night one little bit, especially from the balcony. The two kept their mouths closed and continued massaging Lilac's tendrils as the dragon girl continued to eat, cutting another piece of steak with her knife. The strange thing was, despite how ruthless Lilac had become courtesy of the Dark Stone's Energy, she ate quite elegantly. She held her knife and fork perfectly and chewed slowly with her mouth shut. It was as if when dining, Lilac had become a totally different person. Carol and Milla just watched, perplexed by how lady-like Lilac's eating was. When she was her old self, she NEVER ate so beautifully. It reminded Carol of Natalya when she had been evil. She'd eaten elegantly when Lilac and Carol had been forced to dine with her despite her evil personality and ruthless demeanour. Did all villains eat elegantly despite their personalities? Carol couldn't quite imagine Lord Brevon or Serpentine eating like this.
Lilac had just eaten half of her steak and was just cutting another slice when suddenly, somebody knocked on the door. Sighing, Lilac put her knife and fork down and snapped.
"Go away! I'm having dinner!"
The door opened anyway and Neera stuck her head in nervously. She didn't show it on her face but she was a little unsure about how Lilac would react to her bursting in like this.
"Do forgive the interruption your majesty, but the Red Scarves are here. They want to see you apparently." the panda said stoically.
"The Red Scarves?!" Carol and Milla shrieked in surprise.
"How incredibly interesting…send them in!" Lilac ordered, "I wonder what they wanna see little old me for."
She grinned delightedly to herself as if pleased to think that the notorious criminal gang, the Red Scarves, wanted to see her. She was also interested in knowing what prompted them to want to see her. Neera Li disappeared again behind the door and for a moment, there was silence as on the other side of the door, Neera told the Red Scarves that they were allowed in. The door opened again and in walked Spade and his fellow ninjas. Carol and Milla were gobsmacked to see Spade. How had he gotten out of prison?! He couldn't possibly be here now! Lilac on the other hand didn't at all seem surprised to see the Red Scarfed panda before her. It was possible that the Dark Stone Energy in her mind had messed up any memories of good deeds she had done, such as getting Spade arrested yesterday. The Red Scarves all bowed down before Lilac as if she was an old friend of theirs. In a way, she was since she had once been a member of the group. Lilac chewed on another piece of steak, waiting for Spade to announce himself.
"So, I hear from the news that you've turned on Avalice and taken over Shang Tu." the panda purred.
"I wouldn't say "turned" on the world since the world turned on me more like." Lilac muttered, spearing a small clump of mash potato with her fork, "Honestly, this stupid world doesn't appreciate poor, special me enough I tell ya! So I've decided to take over the world and MAKE it appreciate me. So far, I've not done too bad. Even Neera Li respects me now."
"I was kinda surprised to see her in such scant clothes." Spade sneered, a dirty smile spreading out on his face, "Was that you?"
"I ordered her to dress like that and she did so." the dragon boasted, clearly pleased with herself, "If I can make somebody as cold and serious as Neera Li do as I say, who knows what else I can do?!"
"Indeed." the panda gloated, "Anyway, due to your desire to take over Avalice, we'd be interested to know if we could…work for you in your plans to take over. We'd serve you faithfully and punish anybody who gets in your way."
Lilac popped some peas and carrots into her mouth and chewed slowly as she pondered on this interesting proposal. Carol and Milla pleaded to her with their eyes to say no. Lilac's reputation would be proper down the drain if she ended up throwing her lot in with the Red Scarves. Nobody would ever trust her again. It was bad enough that she'd made a crazy demand to the crowd of Shang Tu about Shang Mu and Shuigang surrendering themselves to her but letting the Red Scarves join her would just be the final nail in the coffin for their draconian friend. The world would have every right to believe she was evil. Little did they know was that the Red Scarves had lied to the news about their allegiance to Lilac, saying that they had broken Spade out on her orders. The world likely already thought that Lilac and the Red Scarves were together. But now, they were going to be together for real. Memphis of course had told the scarves to do this in order to make their pretence more credible. It all counted on Lilac accepting their offer, which she looked as if she was well ready to do. The dragon swallowed what was in her mouth and she grinned delightedly.
"You know what Spade…I love that idea." Lilac purred, "You and your group will be very helpful to me in my position as the new Royal Magister of Shang Tu. I could send you to assassinate Zao and Dail if they dare to say no to my demands tomorrow. I assume you heard about them?"
"We did." replied Spade, "You want Zao and Dail to hand over their kingdoms to you. If they refuse, we'll put them in their place. Though don't ask me to kill Dail. I won't ever kill my brother…"
"It's fine, you can get one of your buddies to do it for you." Lilac said, "You can kill Zao if he refuses. That big-head deserves death at your hands Spade-y boy."
"I'd be happy to finish that egotistical nut job off…" the panda growled as if thinking about the short-heighted red panda made him want to punch somebody.
"So we're agreed then. You work for me now and if you work for me faithfully and loyally, I'll pay you handsomely for your work." the corrupted heroine said kindly, "And that's a promise I intend to keep."
"We're happy to hear that." Spade crooned, "So what do you want us to do?"
"Stand guard around the Royal Palace for the night." Lilac ordered, "I want to feel safe when I go to bed tonight. I'm expecting some lunatic to take a shot at me after I made my demands. Maybe Zao or Dail will hire an assassin to take me out. You will keep an eye out for ANY intruders. Kill them on sight. Let NOBODY inside my palace."
"It will be done "Magister"." Spade declared, "We won't let you down Lilac."
"If you do then I might have to reconsider who I hire to be my bodyguards…" the dragon said coldly.
It won't matter if you're dead… Carol muttered worriedly in her head.
Spade nodded understandingly, taking in Lilac's orders. He then turned on his heels and left the room with the rest of the Red Scarves following him closely behind. They all filed out of the door and Neera promptly closed it, leaving Lilac, Carol and Milla alone together once again. Lilac continued to eat while Carol and Milla looked nervously over at each other.
"Do you think somebody will actually try to kill Lilac?" the dog whispered worriedly.
"I don't think so." the cat whispered back, "But if somebody does get in here, we'll have to wake Lilac up. She won't return to normal if she's dead…"
Milla nodded agreeably. Even though her best friend was evil, ruthless and cold-hearted now, they couldn't just let somebody take a stab at her. They wanted her back to normal. They wanted to try and get the gas out of her body so she'd be good again. And that meant having to keep her alive. Lilac herself seemed totally relaxed as if she knew that nobody would ever get near her tonight. She finished off her steak and began eating the rest of her dinner, not a care in the world as she ate. She'd sleep peacefully tonight and tomorrow, she'd find out if Dail and Zao were willing to hand over their kingdoms. But little did she know…was that she was about to receive a visit…from three people that she'd forgotten about completely…
It was night time. The moon had risen up into the sky, a big glistening white ball that somehow looked beautiful due to is soft, radiant glow against the pitch black of the night sky above. Very few stars twinkled. Most of Shang Tu had already gone to bed, though very few people would actually be able to sleep tonight given the horrors of today. Lilac had warned them that strict punishments would be in hand for them if they dared to defy her and the very thought had many people climbing into their beds still worrying about what Lilac was going to do if they dared to say no to her. Some people wanted to rebel but weren't sure if they were brave enough to try it.
The Red Scarves were positioned in strategic areas all around the kingdom of Shang Tu. Most of the gang was either inside or outside the Royal Palace. The remaining members were out prowling through the streets and keeping an eye on things. Some people had seen them patrolling the area through their bedroom windows and grew more nervous. If Lilac thought any of them was plotting against her, she could have the Red Scarves burst into their house and then slaughter them. The red-hooded ninjas already looked as if they were waiting to stab somebody. They'd probably react if somebody so much as whispered something. It was quite clear that the oppressive dragon was leaving nothing to chance tonight. The Royal Palace was surrounded and the streets had ninjas crawling in and out everywhere. Nobody was getting near the palace or even out of their homes or into Shang Tu itself without somebody spotting them.
Such facts were notified by the spying Natalya the Dragon as she and the Basset parents Miguel and Lela were sitting in a tree and observing their surroundings with night-vision goggles that they'd purchased from Shuigang earlier. King Dail had been happy to see that the three were going to try and prove Lilac's innocence once again and that they believed she'd been corrupted like he had. Natalya had obligated against telling Dail that it was the Dark Stone that did it. She'd rather he think it was still gone for good. The night vision goggles were very powerful, able to see from far distances and the vision was very clear. The world they saw through them was all varying shades of green but everything was still easy to make out. Natalya had sighed when she'd seen that the Red Scarves were walking around Shang Tu. She had hoped never to see the very group she'd formulated again until they had been thrown behind bars. She hadn't spotted Spade anywhere though. Perhaps he was in the palace? If he was then she'd personally beat him up herself for ignoring her order to disband the group two weeks ago.
The dragon switched her goggles off and put them in a pocket inside her trademark leather long coat. She'd decided to put it on again in order to blend into the shadows easier. The long coat would make her silhouette harder to see in the dark of the night. Miguel and Lela put their goggles away too. They were dressed in black from head to foot. They both looked like burglars about to break into a house, or in Natalya's eyes, like stereotypical ninjas. The two hadn't thought they'd be wearing black again after the events that took place last Christmas. It made them think unpleasantly about their time as members of the Red Scarves. It seemed ironic that they were teaming up with their former leader and now trying to find a way past the Scarves themselves. The two waited for Natalya to speak, wondering what the dragon had in mind since the whole operation was her idea and she'd told the two to leave the planning to her. It made sense since Natalya had once been the leader of a criminal gang of thieves and assassins. Breaking and entering was one of her specialities. A few seconds of silence hung in the air before Natalya finally spoke.
"OK…it looks as if my beloved Lilac isn't leaving anything to chance…" the reformed dragon murmured, "She's got Red Scarves patrolling the streets and guarding the palace. I'm willing to bet there's even Red Scarves inside the palace. She definitely doesn't want anybody near her tonight…"
"I suppose that's a problem?" mused Miguel.
"Well not for me." Natalya gloated, "I could take all of the Red Scarves out with my bare hands. I once took on 200 soldiers in Shuigang during my…criminal life. I beat them all and walked away with only a shoulder wound."
"You're joking!" Miguel gasped.
"Ask the Red Scarves, they'll tell you the same thing." Natalya chuckled, "They saw me do it."
"So is the plan simply to just charge into Shang Tu and beat our way through the Red Scarves?" asked Lela curiously.
"Oh no, that'll alert Lilac to our presence." the black-clad Avalician said, shaking her head, "We need to get into the palace unnoticed. If Lilac knows that there's intruders coming, she might harm the staff of the Royal Palace…and possibly Carol and even Milla if she's got her too. She might even use them as hostage bait to make us back down."
"I hope Carol and Milla are alright…" Lela said as if suddenly remembering that the two were likely Lilac's prisoners since the dragon had been caught on camera holding Carol over the edge of the balcony earlier. If Lilac had harmed them both, it would be very hard for her to let it go, even if Lilac had been corrupted by the Dark Stone.
"I'm sure they will be." Miguel said reassuringly, "So Natalya, what's the plan to get inside the palace?"
"A relatively simple one." Natalya explained, "We'll sneak into Shang Tu, keeping well to the shadows so nobody sees us. Once we reach the palace, I'll knock the guards out and then we'll break inside. Once we get inside, you get Carol and Milla out safely and then I get Lilac. I'll give her a sharp blow to the head and then we'll take her to a doctors to see if they can find a way to remove the Dark Stone's energy. I want my adopted daughter back to normal…it pains me to see her this way."
"If all goes well dear then you'll get your wish." the female Basset hound said kindly, "Lilac will appreciate what you're doing for her."
"I'm sure she will." the dragon replied, "Well, let's go then you two. Remember your training when you were Red Scarves. It'll help you be stealthy and slip by unnoticed. Remember what I taught you."
The two hounds nodded. They hadn't enjoyed their times as Red Scarves but they still possessed the skills that Natalya had taught them during their time as members of the gang. They preferred not to use them but right about now, they were all too happy to put them to the test tonight. They wanted Lilac back to normal almost as much as Natalya herself. It worried them sick to think what Lilac might do to Milla now she was corrupted and evil. They wanted to make sure she was safe, and that meant doing whatever it took in order to do so.
With their plan formulated, Natalya and the hounds dropped down out of the tree and ran silently towards Shang Tu. The grassy meadow that led to the kingdom dampened the sound of footsteps so anybody who was listening out for them was very unlikely to hear them coming. They'd need absurdly good ears it they were to hear their footsteps and the three knew full well that the Red Scarves's hearing wasn't that advanced. Not even Spade's. Surely enough, the trio made it into the kingdom unnoticed and started creeping through the streets, deliberately choosing dark alley ways and heavily shrouded areas of the city so nobody would see them. Natalya was beginning to enjoy herself as she was going through with this. It strangely felt good to be doing something exciting again after two weeks of being locked up in prison. It was like being leader of the Red Scarves again, only Natalya wasn't interested in seizing the throne of Shang Tu. She was on the kingdom's side this time. And it felt good to be doing this for a good cause for a change. Natalya was already beginning to enjoy the life of a heroine, the life she would have lived had Memphis not ruined everything for her.
The trio made it past a good few houses but they knew full well that the Royal Palace was still many paces away. They'd take a few minutes to reach it at the very least. Maybe longer depending on how often they'd have to stop and hide. Natalya poked her head out from behind a two-storey house and observed her surroundings to see if the coast was clear. The street was dimly lit with street lights that emitted a yellow glow that didn't really flatter the city. There was nobody around. Smiling, Natalya crept forward and headed towards another house. Miguel and Lela followed them as quietly as possible. They had chosen not to wear any footwear as they thought walking around barefoot would make it less likely that their footsteps would be heard. Their soft paw pads cushioned any sound their feet made. Natalya still had her boots on but she was a master at stealth and thus, didn't need to cushion the sound of her footsteps. She was already good at making no sound when she walked. As soon as the trio had made it to the other house, a Red Scarf ninja walked by. He thought he'd seen a slight movement and although he was sure he had seen nothing, he went over to check anyway. He walked up to the house and poked his head around the corner. The last thing he saw before he was thrown into unconsciousness was a mauve coloured hand lashing out and seizing him by the face. He hadn't even felt the blow to his head that knocked him out. Natalya left the unconscious ninja lying against the wall and put a finger to her lips, warning Miguel and Lela to stay silent. The attack could have drawn attention. She looked around to see if any ninjas were coming. The team was lucky, there was nobody around and nobody had heard what had happened to the ninja.
With the coast clear, Natalya, Miguel and Lela pressed on. They moved swiftly from one building to the next, staying very close to the shadows and allowing moments between movements to stay still and keep a cautious eye out for danger. They made it to a noodle shop, the three picking up the sweet smell of sweet and sour sauce as they neared. Natalya glanced over the corner of the noodle shop and saw two Red Scarves armed with spears coming towards her. They hadn't seen her, her face was shrouded in shadows. They were keeping a careful look out and if they came any closer, they might see her. Lela however had an idea. She dashed around to the other side of the noodle shop and picked up a stone that was lying on the ground. She remembered a tactic she'd learnt from Natalya herself. The woman had taught her to use whatever you can to keep your enemy from finding you. She glanced over the corner as she saw the Red Scarves walk by the front of the shop. She then ran up to the end of the wall on her left side and threw the stone as hard as she could behind the Red Scarves's backs. The stone clattered onto the road three times before rolling to a noisy stop. The two ninjas had heard the noise and turned around to see what was happening. The sound had come from up the road so they ran to the spot to see what was going on. Seizing their chances, the three Avalicians ran away from the noddle shop and into another dark alleyway. Once they were hidden in the dark, Natalya gave Lela a thumbs up though the hound couldn't see it because of how dark it was in the alleyway.
"Well done." Natalya whispered, "That lesson was always one of my favourites to teach and you used it perfectly."
"Thank you." Lela whispered back, pleased with herself.
Miguel smiled at his wife. He wondered if he'd get a moment to shine like she had. He'd soon find out as the three crept out of the alleyway and ran towards another house. It surprised Natalya that they'd barely run into the Red Scarves so far. Had she just been incredibly lucky and was choosing places where they weren't? It was almost as if the Red Scarves were deliberately making sure they didn't come across her and were keeping out of her way. The dragon was pleased. Maybe this whole operation would go off without a hitch. It was the most she was owed at this point. The trio settled down behind the house and waited once again. Three Red Scarves walked by, oblivious to their presence. They had searched the house five minutes ago and wouldn't need to search it again. They carried on, looking for another place to search. Natalya and the hounds moved on again, reaching another house that faced the Royal Palace. It had taken them half an hour but they had finally reached the perimeter. They were staring ahead at the famous building itself, the very home of the Royal Magister and now the home of Lilac the Dragon Girl as she had taken it over. The grounds were surrounded by Red Scarves. Many ninjas were dotted around the perimeter of the palace. There were even guards at the door. There was no way in without the red-hooded mercenaries seeing them. Natalya observed them grimly.
"Any ideas on how to get past?" Miguel whispered.
"Unless we want to attract attention, no. I'm not sure how we'll get into the palace unnoticed given how heavily guarded it is." Natalya murmured, "If we could distract the guards somehow, that would be wonderful."
"What about the drainage tunnels?" Lela suggested, "Surely they'd take us inside the palace?"
Natalya rolled her eyes as if the hound had said something stupid.
"I blew them up two weeks ago remember?" she sighed, "There's no way we'd be able to get into the palace through them. They'd all be blocked!"
"We should know…we were nearly killed by the resulting cave-in until Milla saved our lives." Miguel mused.
"But surely they've been cleared out by now?" Lela blurted defensively.
"Not a chance. Nobody clears up a wreckage in a sewer THAT fast…" Natalya sighed, "Your plan won't work Lela…"
"So what can we do?" Lela asked desperately.
"The only thing we can do…" Natalya muttered.
She put a finger to her lips, ordering Miguel and Lela to be silent while she went and did something. The hounds obeyed, intrigued to see what Natalya's plan was. It wasn't obvious but they were sure she had some kind of plan in mind. The former crime boss stood up and marched out of the shadows towards the Red Scarves. Miguel and Lela stared incredulously at their comrade. What was she doing?! Wasn't she trying to get into the palace UNNOTICED?! She was advertising her presence to the gang! But the two canines kept their calm. Natalya obviously had a reason for this and it had to be part of her plan, whatever it was. The Red Scarves saw the leather-clad dragon walking towards them and they all stared in horror as if the very sight of their former leader was the most horrifying thing they had ever seen. Natalya somehow looked scarier than she'd ever looked before. Her face contorted with anger and she walked in a manner that suggested every single ninja was in for the chop any moment now. Natalya stopped and glared at the Red Scarves furiously.
"Well, well, well…what's this? My wonderful ninjas are still together and working as a criminal group?" Natalya snarled, "I explicitly ordered you all to disband two weeks ago. Why haven't you done so already?"
"S-S-S-Spade t-t-t-told u-u-us th-th-that y-y-you h-h-had a-a-abandoned us!" whimpered one ninja, "W-W-W-We d-d-didn't k-k-know of th-th-this o-o-order o-o-o-of y-y-yours!"
"So Spade lied to you all did he?" the dragon growled viciously, "Well just remember this Red Scarves! I am your master, not him! You do as I say and nothing more! When I order you to disband, I ORDER you to disband! Now get out of here and don't ever let me see your hideous faces again! If you don't do as you're told…I'll punish each and every one of you severely…including Spade! Do you want that to happen you disgusting criminals…?"
"You can't order us around anymore! Spade's our leader!" barked one of the Red Scarves, pointing a katana at Natalya, "Threaten us all you like, we're not going anywhere!"
The ninja didn't even know what had happened. One moment he was pointing his katana at Natalya. The next, he was lying on the ground face down with Natalya pressing her foot into the small of his back. The other ninjas recoiled in fright, amazed at how quickly Natalya had taken this one ninja down. Even Miguel and Lela couldn't believe how quickly things had happened. The dragon gave them all a frightening gaze that chilled the blood. She looked as if she'd come out of a nightmare and was about to consume everybody in sight.
"Listen…I'm a martial arts expert. There are a million different ways that I could kill each and every one of you right now, and you'd all be too slow to react as I unleash them on you." Natalya snarled, "And every single death I inflict on each of you will be quick, painless…and silent. Nobody will ever know what happened to you all. So unless you want to know how many methods I know that will kill you…get out of here. Tell the entire group to flee for the mountains and to never return. If you don't…then you won't live to regret your disobedience…this is NOT a hollow threat…"
The Red Scarves all shook with terror at the sight of their former leader. Never in their lives had they been so scared. Natalya had been a scary boss for them, but she'd never frightened them this badly. They no longer cared about Spade, Lilac, Memphis or even their mission. They only cared about one thing: survival. They wanted to get away from Natalya as quickly as possible. Bowing respectfully to the sinister woman, the ninjas quickly fled for their lives, almost expecting Natalya to suddenly bring them all down one by one. Natalya merely stood there and waited until the ninjas had all left. She smiled dryly to herself. There was a little part of her that felt glad to be able to be ruthless and threatening again. It was almost as if she was her old self. Except it had never been her old self, just a monster that had been unleashed after Dawn's horrific death at the hands of Memphis. Now that the coast was clear, Natalya whistled over to Miguel and Lela. The hounds ran up to her, impressed smiles on their faces.
"Wow, that was great!" Miguel cried out in amazement.
"You sure sent those puny ninjas running away with their tails between their legs!" Lela laughed, "I swear the look on their faces was worthy of being framed on the wall!"
"Thank you very much." Natalya said modestly, "I knew that the Red Scarves would turn tail and flee from me. They feared me when I used to be their leader so I used their fear of me to my advantage. And now we're in the clear."
"I sure hope we didn't wake anybody up in the palace…" Miguel murmured concernedly.
"We're about to find out…" Natalya mused, "Let's go inside and save my adopted daughter my friends."
Miguel and Lela nodded, eager to get the whole thing over with. They wanted Lilac saved and Carol and Milla free from whatever captivity they were likely in at this moment. With nobody to stop them, Natalya, Miguel and Lela ran towards the door and let themselves into the Royal Palace. For a moment, the trio allowed themselves to be amazed at the sight they were met with. They were standing in the hallway of the palace. The hallway was huge with a staircase that led to the upper floor of the building. The whole room radiated luxury from the materials used to make it to the polished floors and staircase banister. Natalya felt strange to be back in the palace so soon after being released. At least this time she wasn't going to be locked up in a cell. There were no guards in the hallway, something that made Natalya feel suspicious.
"Hmm…this is a little odd…" she whispered, "No guards. They must be hiding in less obvious places…"
"What should we do?" asked Miguel quietly.
"Split up." Natalya ordered, "I'll search up, you two search down. If you find Lilac, call me immediately. If you find Carol or Milla or both together, get them out of here immediately."
"Got it." Lela whispered.
The trio split up with the two hounds sticking to the ground floor and the dragon heading upstairs to the upper floor. Miguel and Lela headed towards a door at the end of the room and promptly opened it. They knew full well that they wouldn't find anybody in the hallway. They could see for themselves that it was empty aside from them. They opened the door and found themselves looking at a staircase that led down to a door with a barred window. They knew where they were. This was the dungeon. If Lilac was keeping Carol and Milla prisoner, they were likely in there. The two had found a good place to start looking. Miguel and Lela sneaked silently down to the dungeon door and Miguel reached forward to open it. He gripped the handle and tugged on it. The door didn't budge. It was locked just as he'd suspected.
"OK…how do we open this door?" Miguel muttered.
"I know." said Lela eagerly.
She walked up to the door and rapped on it as loudly as possible. Miguel stared at his wife as if she had gone crazy. What the heck was she doing knocking on the door?! What good would that do?! He soon realized his wife's plan for after Lela had loudly knocked, somebody stormed up to the door and inserted the key into the lock. The hound had suspected there would be guards inside the dungeon so she'd knocked to get their attention. And now they were opening the door for her and her husband. The door was unlocked and it swung open, revealing a furious Red Scarf ninja wielding a nunchaku. He didn't look particularly pleased to see the two former Red Scarves before him.
"What do you want?!" he snapped.
He didn't receive an answer for Miguel and Lela seized him and threw him hard against the wall. His head sharply knocked against it, knocking him out instantly. The ninja slumped against the wall and lay still. Miguel swiped his keys, knowing that he'd be needing them if Carol and Milla were indeed locked up in a cell down here. With nobody else in sight, Miguel and Lela sneaked into the dungeon and peered into the cells as they walked through the blockade. They even walked by Natalya's cell but didn't know for they didn't know which cell she'd been locked up in after she'd allowed herself to be arrested. They past a few cells before coming across a surprising sight. They'd found a couple of cells containing prisoners, but they weren't Carol or Milla. They were The Magister and General Gong. The two didn't look particularly pleased to be locked up in a cell each. Miguel went up to The Magister's cell and Lela went up to Gong's cell. The two looked up, surprised to see that they had visitors.
"Hi Magister." Miguel said brightly.
"How fortuitous…it seems that we've got help." The Magister murmured, his voice betraying any attempts at enthusiasm.
"You're the little dog girl's parents aren't ya?" asked Gong, staring at Lela as she looked at him through his cell door.
"We are and we're here to save Lilac from herself." Lela announced, "Natalya has worked out what's wrong with her. She's possessed by energy from the Dark Stone. She knows this because of her red eyes."
Gong felt as if he's been slapped across the face.
"Of course! That's it! How did we fail to work THAT out?!" he exclaimed, "It was dead obvious why the dragon girl was all crazy and demented! Nothing else could have done that to her!"
"We should have known that the Dark Stone wasn't destroyed…" The Magister muttered as if he was angry that he hadn't worked it out either, "The Kingdom Stone changed form when it was destroyed. It's now a swirling mass of stars and energy that keeps us living day after day. The Dark Stone was an ancient relic of the dragons so it should have been obvious it would have the same effect…"
"We couldn't have known." Miguel said casually, "Oh well, we know what's up with Lilac and we're going to save her. Hopefully we'll save her reputation too."
"I hope everybody believes us when we tell them what's wrong with her…" Lela sighed nervously.
The male hound nodded as he inserted the key into the lock of The Magister's cell and opened it. The door slid aside to let the captive royal out. Miguel handed the keys over to Lela and she opened Gong's cell. The panda gleefully ran out the moment his door opened, clearly delighted to be free.
"Ok, now we're free, what's the plan?" asked Gong curiously.
"Natalya's upstairs looking for Lilac." explained Lela, "She'll try and knock her out and then take her to a hospital so a doctor can see to getting rid of the Dark Stone Energy inside her."
"It's times like this where energy conductors would be useful…" The Magister mused, "If they weren't illegal, we could use one of them on her."
"But they are your Excellency so we can't use them." the panda said grimly.
"Either way, we have a plan and now we've gotta get outta here and see if Natalya requires any assistance." Miguel declared, "Sure she can take care of herself but Lilac's no slouch in a fight as we know..."
"I agree. Let's go and find her." Lela said, "Do you two wanna come?"
"I'll gladly help to save the dragon girl from the evil she's been subjected to!" Gong declared "But this is no place for The Magister. He should leave here so he doesn't get hurt."
"Indeed general." the royal Avalician agreed, "I'll leave the palace and wait until you've completed your mission. So I know that you've succeeded, come to the balcony and call down to me, I'll be waiting for you."
"Good idea your majesty." Miguel said brightly, "We'll see you later."
The Magister bowed to his rescuers and waited for a moment as the Bassets and General Gong left the dungeons. Once they'd gone, he left the dungeons himself and took the opportunity to leave the Royal Palace. Luckily for him, no Red Scarves were around. They were patrolling the other rooms of the palace, the grand hallway was unguarded. The firm but fair ruler just caught a glimpse of his loyal general and the two hounds running upstairs and disappearing through a door. Confident that they and Natalya would have every thing in under control, The Magister walked through the palace doors and left the palace behind. All that was left for him to do now was wait for the signal that Lilac had been subdued and everything was all right. He wondered for a moment how Lilac had even gotten some of the Dark Stone's energy in her. Had somebody put it in her? And if so...who had done it...and why...?
Upstairs, Natalya had roamed through the corridors and had looked in many of the rooms that the upper floor provided. She had come across a study, a library, the bathroom and a bedroom where she'd seen a sleeping Neera Li snoozing peacefully in her bed. She assumed there would be more bedrooms than one on the upper floor. She hadn't even seen The Magister's bedroom yet. The dragon roamed through another corridor, wondering what other rooms she would find in this huge palace. Why did royal people feel the need to make their habitats in huge, spacious environments? Didn't they ever get lost in these big places? Maybe not if they knew the layout well. As Natalya headed down the corridor, she passed a row of portraits on the walls that showed off previous Magisters that had ruled Shang Tu before the current one. Unlike the current Royal Magister though, these Magisters didn't conceal their faces. It was as if they had nothing to hide in comparison to their successor. One of the portraits showed the Magister that had last ruled Shang Tu before his successor took over. This Magister was clearly come kind of bird with protruding feathers on his face and a headpiece with two pieces protruding upwards, making him look like he had huge ears. He had a rather cold look in his eyes, just like his predecessors and his successor. Was this a trademark of The Magisters passed down from generation to generation? Why did none of them ever look friendly? Natalya shook her head, ignoring the portraits. She felt as if they were somehow watching her with their cold, hard eyes and that made her feel uneasy. She never understood why royal people felt the need to hang up pictures of their ancestors, even a large amount of them like they always seemed to. Did royal people just like the idea of their ancestors watching them roam from room to room from their framed portraits? Possibly.
Natalya made it through the corridor and came across another one that led down to a rather grandiose looking door with blue and gold paint and markings. The door looked too extravagant to be real. The Magister clearly wanted every inch of his home to look grand, even something as basic as a door. Natalya wondered what the door led to. She crept down the corridor...and threw herself down onto the floor as something suddenly whizzed towards her. The thing missed her by a mile and embedded itself into the floor. It was a card, an Ace of Spades. Natalya wasn't surprised to see it. She had expected her former second in command to be lurking up here. If Lilac wanted protecting then she'd obviously have the best Red Scarf on the upper floor. Spade the Panda emerged from the shadows and stood guard in front of the door. He had five cards in his hand, two jacks, two kings and one queen, and he prepared to throw them. Natalya stood up and glared at Spade, unable to believe he had the gall to dare challenge her.
"Too slow as usual Spade." Natalya sneered, "You missed."
"Well Natalya...long time no see." Spade muttered, "What's the matter? Got tired of hanging out with Lilac and her fuzzy buddies and decided to come crawling back to the Red Scarves?"
"Not in the slightest." the dragon growled, "I'm here to save Lilac from the curse of the Dark Stone's power! I assume YOU had something to do with it no doubt!"
"Wrong actually." the panda snorted, "Our client is responsible. You see, we're working for somebody and me and my buddies are just there to stain Lilac's image further, by making people think she's dabbling with us."
"Who is your client?" asked Natalya, "That wretched turtle who keeps bad-mouthing dragons?"
"You're an idiot if you think I'm telling you that!" snarled Spade, "All I'm saying is you'll never guess who it is!"
"Oh I'm pretty sure I do know who it is..." the red-eyed Avalician growled menacingly, "Now get out of my way Spade before I slit your throat!"
"You want Lilac? Then face me first traitor!" the ninja shouted, "I owe you a violent death for trying to disband us!"
"And I owe you a violent punishment for refusing to disband when I told you to..."
Natalya then suddenly lunged at Spade as if she'd been fired from a gun. Spade didn't even have time to react. He raised his hand but didn't get the chance to throw his cards as Natalya slammed into him and threw him against the door. The panda grunted in pain but he'd somehow managed to hold onto his cards. He threw them at Natalya but not a single one of them hit her. The dragon dodged them all with ease more graceful than Lilac could ever have hoped to achieve. Spade then decided to throw a punch at the reformed crime boss. His fist was aimed at her chest but he never hit home as Natalya grabbed his wrist and sharply twisted it to one side, numbing his hand. Spade screamed in pain and Natalya suddenly spun around on the balls of her feet and roundhouse kicked him onto the floor. The ninja cried out as he was hit. His head was swimming and his body ached in protest. He was committing suicide daring to fight Natalya! He knew he couldn't beat her. But he didn't want Lilac to be too angry with him if he failed so he refused to give up. Natalya headed for the door and was about to open it until Spade leapt up and grabbed her by the coat. He hauled Natalya backwards, nearly pulling her down onto her back. The dragon tugged back, wrenching her coat free from Spade's grip. She spun around and whipped the panda with her long, scaly tendril. Spade's head careened to one side, his cheek throbbing in agony as he was stricken. It was like being whipped, maybe even worse. Spade recovered and threw a kick that should have taken Natalya's let out from underneath her but the dragon had anticipated the move. She moved to the side and back-handed Spade in the nose.
"You forget Spade...I taught you everything you know. There isn't a move you have that I won't foresee. You're too predictable." the dragon gloated.
"You taught Lilac everything she knows and yet she still beat you!" the panda shouted, clutching his nose.
"Lilac is a dragon. She's going to be more potent than you are. Dragons are always the better fighters." Natalya crowed.
She then suddenly karate-chopped Spade in the solar plexus, winding him heavily and bringing him down onto his knees. Spade's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. Natalya smiled proudly. She'd never really been very fond of Spade so it felt good to be beating him up again. She still remembered how she'd brutally whipped Spade is punishment for trying to take over her position and ridiculing her. Natalya didn't regret it one little bit.
"All too easy..." the dragon gloated, "Now to see what's behind this door."
She walked by Spade's unconscious body and opened the door. Maybe this room was Lilac's bedroom and she'd be rewarded with the sight of her beloved dragon sleeping peacefully in her bed. Though the fight with Spade would surely have woken, especially since he'd shouted a few times. But as the dragon entered the room, she was briefly disappointed. This room wasn't a bedroom and Lilac wasn't in it. But she was pleased nonetheless. This was the throne room and she could see Carol and Milla chained to the throne by their wrists and staring at her, dumbfounded as if a miracle had just happened. They had been sleeping but the sound of the fight outside had woken them up and now they were seeing Natalya standing before them, looking pleased to see them. Natalya had found Carol and Milla and thankfully, the two were alive and seemed unhurt. How fortuitous a find this was! And how wonderful that Lilac hadn't hurt them! The dragon ran over to the astonished cat and dog, looking surprisingly eager to see them.
"Carol Tea! Milla Basset!" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're alright!"
"Hi Natalya." said Milla sweetly.
"How did you get in here?" asked Carol curiously.
"Me and the Bassets sneaked into Shang Tu and got past the Red Scarves." the dragon explained, "I fought Spade outside this room and now here I am."
"I'm glad you've come to save us." the wildcat said graciously, "I never thought there'd be a day where I'd actually be pleased to see you." she added, chuckling.
"Me too." laughed Milla.
"OK kids, hang tight for a moment, I'm going to get you free." Natalya said, drawing a dagger out from up her sleeve.
Carol had expected that. She knew Natalya very well, well enough to know that the dragon always hid a dagger up her sleeve. She was pleased to see she hadn't lost that trademark after her heel-turn. Natalya grabbed the chain linking Carol's shackles to the throne and she stuck the blade into it. She twisted the dagger several times until finally, the chain snapped in two and freed Carol from the throne. She did the same for Milla, the dog looking very grateful as Natalya cut her loose. The dog and cat picked themselves up and rubbed their wrists better.
"Thank you." Milla said happily, her tail wagging.
"Welcome." Natalya said kindly, "It feels good to be saving people...very good indeed." she added with a warm smile on her face.
"That's good to hear Natalya old girl." Carol said brightly, "So what are you here for? Did you hear about Lilac turning evil?"
"The news showed and told me everything." the dragon explained gravely, "But unlike the idiots who think she's turned evil, I actually know what the problem is. She's been possessed...by the Dark Stone's energy. There's no other way to explain her change in behaviour and her red eyes."
Carol and Milla stared incredulously at Natalya as if she'd said something crazy. The Dark Stone! Of course! What else could have corrupted Lilac so easily?! The purple gas that she'd been sprayed with was obviously energy from the Dark Stone itself! That was why she'd turned evil!
"Oh my gosh, that's it!" cried Carol, "Somebody's got the energy of the Dark Stone and sprayed Lilac with it!"
"It's true! Me and Lilac were looking for Carol and Lilac started coughing so I asked what was wrong and she said she'd been sprayed by a purple gas!" Milla piped, "The purple gas must by the Dark Stone's energy!"
"So I was right..." Natalya muttered, "Somebody must have gotten an energy conductor and absorbed the stone's energy. But who...?"
"Doesn't matter. Let's get Lilac and free her from the stone's power!" the wildcat cried out eagerly, "She's been corrupted by it already, she doesn't deserve to be corrupted by it again! Besides...she might become all monstrous again if that power gets any worse."
"No Carol, she'd have turned into a Dark Stone Dragon immediately if she got the Dark Stone's full power." Natalya said matter-of-factly, "But she hasn't. She's just got red eyes and a different personality. She hasn't been given a big enough dose of energy to become a Dark Stone Dragon. Just enough to mess up her mind..."
"Poor Lilac." Milla said sadly.
"But we're going to save her." the dragon declared, "We're going to get Lilac out of here and take her to a hospital so that a doctor can get the energy out of her. An injection might do the trick. Any ideas where she might be?"
"How about right here?!" snarled a familiar voice that made everybody jump about a foot into the air in surprise.
The trio turned their heads and got a nasty surprise. Standing before them, looking very angry, was Lilac the Dragon Girl. She had been asleep just moment ago but the fight between Spade and Natalya had woken her up. She'd gotten dressed and stormed down to the throne room, annoyed to see an unconscious Spade lying on the floor outside. Now she was in the room, glaring at Natalya, Carol and Milla and looking about ready to kill.
"So...somebody's broken into my palace and has freed my slaves huh?" Lilac snarled viciously, "Well I guess I'll have to punish you most horribly Natalya! Prepare to become an example of what happens to those who defy me!"
Oh dear...Natalya's been caught red-handed! Will she be able to stop Lilac and save her from what's been done to her? Or will Lilac have another slave? Find out next time...