Chapter 10. "Sign of the past"

The next two weeks passed very slowly for the wyverns. Brute, Octava and Decimo were spending almost the whole time hidden in a small house in the center of Teria. Sable, Tercera, Atroz and Segunda were training in a small underground hall. They were training how to fight in buildings and narrow corridors. This skill was meant to be really useful soon. Meanwhile, Primero was using his connections to find out what was happening in Warfang and eastern and northern cities.
"Primero, has anything happened?" asked Sable. Primero sighed deeply, while watching the eastern city. It was so small from that point of view...
"Tell Atroz that he will have to join Viento in the western city. He will need help there."
"I see that you're worried about something." Cuarto noticed.
"Indeed. In the northern city, there is some fire dragon, Flush. He's a detective and in the last two months he collected quite a lot of information about Venganza. He still doesn't know what their point is, but discovered that we exist and it's much enough. But don't worry Sable, we will use him to get our targets."
"Don't you think that's...risky?" Sable obviously didn't like the idea of involving more dragons in this.
"Yes, it is, but I've planned everything already."
"Will that Flush be our ally?" It was hard for Sable to believe that. After all, he was finding dragons very honorable.
"That is the plan."
"You know that dragons don't betray their race so easily."
"Sable, trust me, I've known Flush for quite a long time." Primero replied. "He has one weak point."
"Which is?" Sable asked curiously.
"Fear. He's scared of death, coward ready to sacrifice even his best friend to survive. And so, he will do."

At this same time in Warfang, those two weeks were a time for rest. All hatchlings were playing various games, completely forgetting about the last events. Candice was lying in her bed for the whole first week, after that she started walking, running and finally flying, thanks to Ember's intensive efforts. Ice guardian's wing was still fragile, but there was no problem about flying. All the adult dragons were helping other dragons living in Warfang and moles in planting new trees in place of the burnt ones during the first week. The second week passed in just relax, without any incidents or worries. After that time, they decided that it was time to fly to the eastern city. Tremor and Flames wanted to see their friends and spend some time with them, before they would have to take up conversations about unknown project of the elders of the eastern city. They all, thirteen dragons, started their journey in the morning. Their travel proceeded calmly until the midday of the second day.
Ember heard a quiet groan beneath her. The pink dragoness looked down but she didn't notice anything. Then, she heard someone crying.
"Someone's beneath us. I'll check this out." Ember dove and disappeared in thousands of leaves. She landed and looked around. "Come on here!" All the dragons followed her. Most of the trees around them were burnt or frozen. Two dragons were lying on the ground, neither of them was moving. Ember crouched checked their state.
"Are they alive?" asked Cynder with a worried voice. Ember nodded.
"Yes, but they are in a critical state. That's strange, but they were hurt by the elements they're using." Indeed, the red male had his whole torso burnt and the ice dragoness's arms were pierced by small ice spikes. Then, Flame noticed some movement behind him. The fire breather walked around that place and looked around. There was hidden a small red dragoness. Her eyes were in tears, she was crying silently.
"Come on here. You're safe." The fire guardian smiled warmly. She watched the guardian unsure what to do. Then she bobbed her head quickly, stood up and followed the red dragon. Then, he noticed that she was shaking with fear. Flame watched her with pity. The youngster glared at the dragons that Ember was healing.
"Mom, dad!" She shouted and ran to them. She started crying loudly. The pink dragoness turned at her and smiled.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine." Ember assured her. The lying fire breather cracked his eye and looked around. "You're very lucky, that we were around." Ember remarked. "And now, don't say a word, you're making healing harder."
"Yeah, I guess, we're lucky indeed. What's your name, dragoness?"
"Ember. I've already told you, you should save your words." She tried to persuade him.
"Ember, I think, you should know what attacked us."
"You're not helping me. You can tell us later."
"There may be no other chance." The pink dragoness rolled her eyes. She knew he wouldn't give up and the less he spoke, it'd be better for him.
"Alright, tell us then." All the guardians got closer to the fire breather.
"That was a dragon, or something similar to a green dragon. He was using ice and fire at this same time. He was holding one element in one paw and the second one in the other." The fire breather made a pause to take a breath. That several seconds of silence gave all the dragons time to wonder how that was possible. "And I guess, that he's capable to use other elements as well. No matter what that thing was, you need to be careful. From what he said, he was searching for you. We're alive only because there appeared another, bipedal one, who stopped him." The fire breather closed his eyes and lost consciousness. Ember stood up.
"I did all I could. We have to take them to the city." Tremor nodded and gently took the fire breather on his back. Spyro did this same with the ice dragoness, Ember took the youngster in her arms. "Let's go." The pink dragoness suggested. All the dragons jumped in the air. They were flying in silence, which was interrupted only once.
"That's Venganza, right?" Infernus asked, Stella nodded.
"No doubts about that. The bipedal one must have been that Sable." The lightning guardian admitted.

After about two hours they saw the first buildings. When sentries saw the critically wounded dragons, they showed them the way to hospital. Medics quickly took care of them. When the guardians were leaving the building, eight dragons were waiting in front of them , one of them was just a hatchling. Spyro lowered his voice. "Five of them are elders. But who are those ice dragonesses?"
"Viola and her sisters." Tremor and Flames explained him simultaneously. Then Douten noticed Tremor. He obviously was completely dumbstruck.
"It's great pleasure to see you in our city. Let me introduce myself and the elders." The alchemist started speaking after several seconds. "My name is Douten. Here are the elders of the city: Ray of lightning, Lady Ardora of fire, lady Itara of ice and Blizzard of earth. And those are Blizzard's daughters, Viola, Froza and Ciri." The young ice dragoness bowed slightly. It was the first time Spyro watched them carefully. Viola was at the age similar to the guardians. Almost the whole of her body was clearly azure. Her belly was a bit darker, her narrow and long tailblade and talons were white. She had no similarity to her father. Even her eyes weren't green like his, but pale blue. Her sisters had the same colors, but Froza was about five years younger and Ciri was eight or so.
Then Spyro introduced himself and his friends the dragons started conversing. Tremor, Flames, Ray, Viola and Froza were talking about the old times, before Flame and Tremor left them. Spyro, Candice and Infernus were explaining to Itara what happened the last week and Stella and Ember were talking with Blizzard and Ardora. The hatchlings were joking with Ciri. Douten stood in front of Cynder.
"Welcome, black dragoness." He smiled warmly, but Cynder noticed, there was something sham about his behavior.
"All the pleasure is mine." She replied. "This city is so beautiful." Then she looked at his eye and noticed an awful scar covering it. "How did you get that scar?"
"It's my...sign of the past. When I was a hatchling, an ape attacked me. Those were bad times. My parents were killed by Cynder, Terror of Skies." He sounded, as if he mentioned that accidentally. "Twenty years ago. I still remember that day. My mother shielded me with her own body. She was stabbed in the heart, so I could see Cynder's tailblade in my mother's back. Dad was fighting her so long, that we all, hundreds of dragons, who she was going to kill, could escape and hide. That was several years before she was defeated by Spyro. I lost whole my family back then." The black dragoness didn't know what to say. Again, her past hit her right in the face, when she thought that she had won that fight a years ago.
"They were...good warriors and dragons. I'm...I'm sorry." That was all she could say.
"I'm afraid that even the most honest apologies will not bring them back. It happened. You can't change or ignore it." The alchemist was enjoying that moment. Then Tremor noticed Cynder. She was so ashamed, she couldn't say a word. Her cheeks were blushing with embarrassment. Her lowered eyes were slowly becoming wet, but nobody saw it except the earth guardian.
"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment." Tremor left his company and stood right next to Cynder. "It's good to see you Douten!" He smiled in a silly manner.
"Tremor! I see that you were lucky enough to be still alive. So who was that second poisoned dragon I helped?" Douten asked curiously.
"You will be really happy and proud of yourself, because the antidote was enough for both of us. You saved me and Cynder!" The earth guardian said it with such voice, as if it was very good news for Douten. The elder couldn't say a word. Tremor smirked. He knew that even by hitting him he wouldn't hurt him so much.
"That's... good news." The alchemist mumbled.
"Yeah, very good news." Tremor admitted. All this time, he was speaking like he had no idea that Douten hated Cynder and him. But then, his voice changed. "I don't understand, why you are making our poor dragoness so sorrowful. All the things that happened during the war weren't her fault. She was corrupted. She hadn't been given a choice. Think about this, before you talk with her again." He was about to leave him, when some idea emerged in his head. "Oh...Right, I almost forgot about that." Douten looked at Tremor curiously. Then the earth guardian knocked him out with a powerful blow of a paw. It was so fast that the alchemist hadn't even twinkled. He was lying on the ground groaning. He spit out a broken tooth. Everybody turned to them surprised to see what had happened. "This is for risking Cynder's life to kill me!" Tremor hissed angrily.
"Easy Tremor! Calm do...!" Douten, who was still lying on the ground tried to make him cool down.
"Shut up!" Tremor interrupted him. All the dragons watched him so surprised, that no one interfered.
"Why are you mad at me?! I'm sure, that's not Cynder is the cause of that!" Douten desperately tried to find a way to calm him down. "You think that I still hate Gaia because of some incident?! My flowers are lying on her grave..." That was the worst mistake Douten could make. Mentioning Gaia.
"Don't even talk about my sister!" Then the earth guardian hit the alchemist right in the belly. Tremor's eyes became wet with tears.
"I put flowers on her grave!" Douten repeated this sentence, as if it would change anything for the better.
"Quit that crap, you..." Tremor shouted. He was about to attack him again, when Candice finally interfered.
"Tremor, stop it." The first tear left Tremor's eyes. He looked in ice dragoness' eyes and flew away from everybody. Douten stood up, wiped blood from his lips and hid his smile. Then, he was knocked out again. This time, by Candice. "Are you proud of yourself now, Douten?! I don't think that talking about Gaia put him in a good mood!" Itara stood between her and Douten and watched the alchemist carefully.
"Douten, I suggest you should go back to the tower and wait for all the elders there. We will talk about what happened later."
"Understood." He turned away and flew in the direction of the center of the city. Candice was about to look for Tremor, when Viola called her.
"Lady Candice, can I talk with you?"
"Maybe later, please. I have to find..."
"Tremor will be fine and besides, he wants to be alone for a moment as I guess." Viola noticed. Candice wanted to follow her mate immediately, but she knew that she was right.
"Fine. We're this same age. Call me Candice." The ice guardian asked her. The azure dragoness nodded slightly.
"Can I talk only with you?" She pointed at the dragons.
"Sure...Let's take a walk." Candice and Viola started departing from the elders and guardians. When the dragonesses were alone, Viola sighed deeply. "What's on your mind?" Candice asked.
"I heard that you met a bipedal wyvern." Viola started, a bit unsure, what to say.
"Yes, so?"
"What do you think about him? I mean the character." Candice started thinking about him.
"He was really...courteous to us and it's hard to make him annoyed, even if that small dragoness tried her best."
"So he hasn't changed at all." The ice dragoness smiled.
"Do you know him?" Candice asked, a bit surprised.
"I met him...once. Only once." Viola started blushing and refusing quickly.
"Only once?" The guardian repeated, not believing her.
"It's a long story." Viola explained evasively.
"We have time," said Candice.
"He saved me once and...he spent in my house a day. That's all." There obviously was something more, but the guardian didn't ask. Viola was such an untalented liar that guardian would feel awkward taking advantage of it.
"I believe you. You don't have to refuse so intensively."
"What do you think about him?" Viola quickly changed the subject of conversation.
"If he and that dragoness weren't our enemies, I would even like them."
"Yeah, it's hard to hate Sable." Viola smiled.
"You seem to know him pretty well." Candice noticed. The ice dragoness blushed again.
"He was very talkative, so I know a lot about him, but I can't tell anything about this anybody, even guardians. I promised him." She explained, avoiding ice guardian's sight.
"I understand. Can I help do anything more for you?"
"No, that's all that I want to know. Thank you. By the way, no worries about accommodation, lady Itara will show you later, where you will live from now. Goodbye, Candice." Viola said farewell to her.
"Goodbye, Viola." Candice went back to her hatchlings, took them and started looking for her mate. She perfectly knew where he was. The cemetery. After five minutes she found him. He was sitting in front of Gaia's grave and crying silently.
"Tremor? Are you alright?" The earth guardian jerked his head to see his family.
"No. Nothing is alright."
"Don't forget, that she's still with you. Even when she isn't with us anymore, she still looks after you."
"Daddy, that was your sister, right?" Tundra looked at the grave curiously. Tremor smiled slightly.
"Yes, my twin sister."
"Was she like you?" Sierra jerked her head curiously. "What was she like?"
"She was always smiling and making everybody around her smile too. Thanks to her I fell in love with Candice."
"I thought you had always loved mommy." said Tundra, a bit dumbstruck.
"Yeah, me too." Sierra said. Both adult dragons started laughing.
"Right, you don't know that story yet. At the start, I and your mother hated each other from the bottom of the heart. Before her death, Gaia told me to be nicer to her. And then I fell in love with her."
"I think we should go back to all, Tremor." suggested Candice.
"Let's stay here for a few minutes longer."
"Fine." All the four dragons were watching Gaia's memorial and four verses of text written there. Tears stopped falling down from Tremor's eyes and he started smiling gently. All he needed was to see this small grave once more. He finally found his peace of mind.

"Mommy?" Zealous and Spyro saw Cynder lying in bed in her room and crying silently.
"What happened, sweetie?" Spyro glanced at his mate worried as he and his daughter cuddled the black dragoness.
"Nothing."
"When we were coming to the tower, you were almost crying," Tremor said that Douten had said something wrong to you I didn't want to ask you, because I felt that you needed to think about this... Tell me, what happened." He pleaded her.
"Douten told me... the story of...his...his childhood." Because of the sorrow, she could barely speak. "A few years before I met you first, I...I killed...his parents." The purple dragon cursed in his mind. That alchemist knew, how to hurt Cynder.
"It wasn't your fault. You were corrupted, you couldn't decide what to do." He tried to persuade her.
"But I killed them! Every time I think that I forgot, it comes back! There's always something, that makes me remember it! Some...some..." Then she thought about Douten's words. " Sign of the past. An indelible, eternal sign, that every day will make me remember."
"Don't say that, mom." Zealous asked her, while nuzzling her cheek.
"Yeah, sweetie." Spyro confirmed his daughter's words. "Things like this happen sometimes, but you will forget. Trust me. You will forget." Cynder smiled gently as Spyro kissed her cheek.
"I trust you."

Viola was flying to her house very fast. She was so excited that she couldn't wait to see if it's already there. She flew to her room through a balcony and looked at her desk, where she expected it to be. There it was; a small letter with one word written in dragon's scripture: "Viola". She opened it and started reading the message. After she had read the last word, she didn't know what to say. She was just wondering about this same thing, as always: how had he got to her house?