11. Sneaking Out

Spyro paced backwards and forwards across the cold Atrium floor, his brow furrowed in thought. The Guardians watched him anxiously, waiting for his reaction to what they had just told him. Terrador had led them to the Atrium to be sure they weren't overheard, worried that the news might spread panic throughout the city. Cynder watched Spyro as he paced, curled up on the floor opposite the Guardians.

"So let me get this straight," Spyro spoke, continuing his pacing without looking at the guardians. "Feldun and his search party have been gone two weeks and you've heard no word from them? You expected them to be back within the week and began suspecting that something was wrong about a week ago, right? However, you decided to keep that information from Cynder and I. Why? Didn't you think we'd want to know?"

The purple dragon stopped his pacing and stared hard at the four guardians, his anger barely kept in check, "Didn't you think that we deserved to know?"

Behind him, Cynder snorted in agreement. Terrador heaved a sigh as the other guardians exchanged shamed glances. Desperately, the Earth Guardian searched for an excuse, for a reason why he had decided to keep something so dire from the purple dragon.

"Listen to me, Spyro," he begged helplessly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to worry. You are still so young and you deserve to live a life without everyone's cares rested on your shoulders. You've done so much for us. Just let me, let us," he gestured at the other guardians, "deal with this. We may be old, but we are not useless."

Spyro's shoulders relaxed as he let go of his anger, sighing out a puff of pale smoke. He shook his head slowly and fixed Terrador with an exasperated look.

"I understand you don't want me to have to act as this world's hero forever, but," he drew a deep breath, "I am the purple dragon. Whether I want to or not, I am destined to protect this world. Wasn't that what the prophecy stated? Or were you expecting me to die after I freed the world from Malefor? Did you think that once I destroyed the Dark Master, my duty to this world would be over? I have protected this world, ended the war that has plagued us for so long, and even pulled the world back together when it crumbled. But, there's still so much to do. And, as the purple dragon, I am the one who has to protect this world. I was born to hold the cares of the world on my shoulders, wasn't I?"

Cynder stared in awe at the purple dragon standing before her. His very scales seemed to radiate with light, his head held high with a sort of pride that she'd never seen before. The guardians could only stare at the young dragon, filled with admiration. Never had any of them heard Spyro speak like this. Terrador looked long and hard at the purple dragon, whose own violet eyes stared back at him with determination and pride.

"The purple dragon of the prophecy," the earth guardian sighed, "how foolish to think that I could forget such a thing. The prophecy never foretold what would happen to the purple dragon, if it were ever fulfilled. But, Spyro, you must know that the prophecy was very vague. It spoke of a purple dragon who would bring peace to the world, but that did not necessarily mean you, Spyro."

Terrador's eyes were solemn, "Had you failed to fulfil the prophecy, Spyro, if you had died or turned to darkness, like Malefor, then the prophecy would wait for another purple dragon to be born. And if that purple dragon failed…then the cycle would continue until the prophecy was fulfilled. Spyro, the reason why you are the saviour of this world, is because you chose to fulfil the prophecy, not because the prophecy chose you."

"Let's not forget, Terrador," Cyril added, "that it is easy enough to misinterpret the meaning of a prophecy. Perhaps the prophecy meant for this world to be destroyed, to create a new world of peace. Perhaps Malefor was the prophesised dragon and not Spyro? Perhaps he was meant to destroy this world and craft a new one."

"Very true, very true," Volteer agreed, "fortune-telling is a very imprecise practice. Truly, it is the one who fulfils the prophecy who decides what the prophecy was foretelling."

"Spyro chose to bring peace to this world, through the death of Malefor, because that was how he interpreted the prophecy," Thasos nodded. "Had he decided to join Malefor, to destroy this world and craft a new world of peace, the prophecy would have been fulfilled differently. Perhaps we may be correct in thinking that Spyro and Malefor were both the purple dragon that the prophecy spoke of, who somehow managed to cross paths in their attempt to fulfil it. And yet they interpreted it differently and ultimately the stronger of the two won and fulfilled the prophecy in his vision."

Spyro's head spun as he attempted to keep up with what they were saying. It hardly made any sense to him and left him feeling quite confused. However, their words brought up a memory that Spyro had almost forgotten; something that Malefor had said to him.

"The destiny of the purple dragon," he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else, "was to summon the Destroyer and end this world, to begin a new world and a new age…Was Malefor lying? Or was he telling what he thought to be the truth? Could he have been the purple dragon the prophecy spoke of? Was I not supposed to stop him?"

His own voice suddenly came back to him and he heard it as clear as day, the words he had yelled at Malefor.

'No! I don't believe that!'

He was right, he didn't believe it then and he didn't believe it now. But the very thought that the prophecy could have occurred either way was enough to make his scales curl.

"But we've gone off track," Terrador's voice brought him back to reality. "The prophecy was fulfilled by Spyro and this is the outcome. Let us not think on what could have happened. Spyro is, and remains, the saviour of the world. We guardians seem to have failed to acknowledge that… Forgive us, Spyro."

For a moment Spyro said nothing, his eyes staring blankly at the ground as he attempted to get his head around all that had just been said. Cynder stood up slowly and slunk hesitantly to his side, nudging him, concerned.

"Spyro?" she asked. "You okay?"

Spyro's head shot up quickly, his expression startled, as though he hadn't realised he'd been drifting off. Noticing that Cynder and the Guardians were all staring at him anxiously, the purple dragon quickly stuttered an excuse.

"I-I'm fine!" he gasped, flashing a forced grin. "I was just…thinking."

"All of this prophecy stuff goes straight over my head," sighed a voice, before anyone could say anything else. "Don't think about it too much, Spyro buddy, you'll hurt your head."

Sparx grinned as the dragons all turned to look at him. He spread his arms and shrugged.

"What? You can't expect me to spend all day entertaining that pink dragoness, can you? Whatcha all doing in here, anyway?"

Terrador stared sternly at the dragonfly, "How much did you hear?"

Sparx raised an eyebrow, "Something secretive, is it now? All I heard was some crazy prophecy talk. Everyone knows Spyro's the special once in a purple thing, so what's the confusion? And why are you hiding out in here?"

Spyro shook his head, smiling, "Don't think too much about the prophecy, Sparx, you might hurt your head. That wasn't what we came here to talk about, anyway."

The dragonfly ignored the fact that Spyro had turned his own words against him and folded his arms across his chest, "Oh yeah, then what are you in here for?"

Spyro looked up to the guardians, "Can I tell him?"

"As long as he doesn't blab to anyone," Cyril replied, glaring at the dragonfly. "We don't want him spreading panic around the city, do we?"

"I don't blab," Sparx argued indignantly, but his words were ignored.

"Listen, Sparx," Spyro sighed. "There's a big problem going on and you can't tell anyone in the city…at least, not yet. Like Cyril said, we don't want anyone to panic."

"So, what is it?"

"The third search party," Cynder explained, before Spyro could speak, "they've gone missing."

"We think something bad might have happened to them," Spyro added, his expression anxious.

Sparx stared at them, shifted his gaze to the guardians for a brief instant, and then stared at Spyro and Cynder again. They waited tensely for his reaction. Suddenly the dragonfly let out a noise of disbelief.

"Pfft," he laughed, waving a hand. "You guys are always assuming the worst. What 'bad'could they have run into, huh? The war's over, remember? The big evil dragon is gone, dead! You've saved the world, man! Enough with the doom and despair, they've probably just gotten lost!"

"We all wish that you were right, Sparx," Terrador sighed, "but it isn't that simple. Malefor may be gone, as are the apes that once served him, but we have no way of knowing if some of his army survived and if they are still hostile. This world will not be completely freed from danger by the death of one dragon, no matter how influential he was. You mustn't let your guard down, none of us should."

Sparx faltered, his hand falling limply to his side, "So…you're saying that there's still evil monsters that want us dead wandering around out there? Oh man, I knew I should have stayed in the swamp."

Spyro sighed, part of him agreeing with Sparx. He turned his gaze to Terrador, willing up the last of his determination.

"What should we do?" He asked, already half-knowing the answer.

The guardians stared down at him and answered together, "We have to find them."

Cynder half-grinned, caught somewhere between amused and irritated, "I thought you'd say that."

Thasos looked anxiously at the two young dragons, "Cynder, Spyro, no one is forcing you to take part in this search…"

"I know," Spyro said quickly and Cynder nodded in agreement. "But it wouldn't feel right if we didn't help. We'll take a small group and find the missing search party, I promise. You don't have to worry."

One look at their determined faces and the guardians knew there was no arguing with the two young dragons. Sparx folded his arms, pondered for a moment, and then stated that there was no way they'd be leaving him behind. Terrador stared hard at the trio and finally let out a resigned sigh.

"Very well, you three. I can see there's no arguing with you. Follow me to the western courtyard. Thasos, bring Seriphos. Volteer, Cyril, gather a few reliable dragons to assist, but tell only them. I don't want panic spreading throughout the city. Quickly now. Be at the courtyard within half of an hour and try not to bring attention to yourselves."


Not more than twenty minutes later, ten dragons and one dragonfly were standing in the centre of the western courtyard. Delos, Naxos and Chios stood beside Seriphos; the former pair occasionally shooting glares at one another. Thasos, Volteer and Cyril had run into the four dragons moments after exiting the Atrium. Although Thasos had tried to extract Seriphos from them to ask him in private, the other three had eagerly insisted to know what was going on. When Seriphos agreed to the plan, the other three had insisted on going too. Cyril and Volteer had caved in. After all, it saved them from having to wander around the city to find suitable dragons to assist in the search.

Spyro and Cynder weren't bothered by having those four along for the ride. In fact, Spyro was quite pleased. He'd grown to like Seriphos and Naxos and knew that Cynder was on good terms with Chios. As for Delos, he'd never really talked to the red dragon. Spyro just hoped he wasn't as hotheaded as Flame.

Terrador looked them over with a stern, calculating eye, causing Chios to shift uncomfortably. But after a moment, the Earth Guardian gave a nod of approval and the three dragons relaxed.

"You believe you are up to this?" Terrador asked, and all three nodded in confirmation, "Very well, you shall accompany Seriphos, Spyro and Cynder on this search."

Naxos whooped in excitement, slapping Delos in the back of the head with his tailblade. Whether he did it on purpose or not, Spyro couldn't tell, but he couldn't help but chuckle when the red dragon snapped at him.

"Quit it!" Delos snarled, baring his fangs.

"What?" Naxos grinned. "Don't blame me, my tail has a mind of its own!"

"I could solve that problem by cutting it off," Delos snapped, raising his lethal claws.

Chios forced herself between them, wrapped her wings around their heads and pulled them close to her.

"Many problems could be solved by cutting off your heads, boys," she said thoughtfully and then gave an exaggerated sigh, "but then who would I have to keep me company?"

Naxos grinned widely, flashing brilliant white teeth, as Delos rolled his eyes and emitted a puff of smoke. Terrador glared at them and nudged Cyril.

"I expected you to bring more experienced dragons," he muttered, annoyance gracing his tone.

Cyril sniffed indignantly, "It wasn't my decision, Terrador. Those three insisted and we couldn't shake them off. I would have refused them, but Volteer—"

"Now, now, Cyril," Volteer chided, "let's not go blaming each other like immature hatchlings. What's done is done. I'm sure those three won't be too much hassle, right Seriphos?"

The green dragon gazed at the three dragons that would be accompanying him. Delos and Naxos were now attempting to snap at each other, while still pinned either side of Chios by her wide green wings. Sparx was chuckling to himself as he watched them, and even Spyro and Cynder were tittering at their antics. Seriphos couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth.

"No," he said. "They'll be no trouble at all."

The guardians exchanged dubious glances, but didn't argue. Terrador gazed up at the sky, where the sun was now edging down towards the horizon. It was about mid-afternoon and the Earth Guardian wanted them to leave before dark.

"Alright, now," he called, catching their attention. "It will be dark in a few hours. I want you to leave as soon as possible. I want you back by tomorrow afternoon, whether you find Feldun and his search party or not. We can't risk losing you, too."

'Understood," Seriphos nodded, "but first, where did you send this search party? We'll need to know where to look for them."

"Beyond the dam," Terrador said. "I told them to search the plateaus and forests beyond there, but what exactly you'll find there, I'm afraid I cannot say. Spyro knows the way to the dam. From there, I'm afraid you'll have to use your instincts. Spyro, Cynder, do you think you can lead the way to the dam?"

The two young dragons nodded, "Easy."

"Alright then," Terrador turned once more to look at the sun. "You had best leave straight away if you want time to search before nightfall. Now then, the six of you—"

"Seven," Sparx corrected, holding up a hand, "don't forget me!"

"Yes, the seven of you," Terrador nodded, "are to head straight to the dam, no detours. If you encounter any danger, I want you to head back here and report to us. If you find the missing search party—"

For the second time the Earth Guardian was interrupted, this time by something most unwelcome. The bushes to their left suddenly seemed to explode as two young dragons burst out of hiding, startling everyone and causing Sparx to give a great squeal of fright. Flame glared at the ten different faces that stared straight back at him, Ember crouched hesitantly behind him. Terrador's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you—?" he began, only to be cut off once more.

"We're going too," Flame growled.

It wasn't a question. For a moment the guardians would only stare in surprise, until it dawned on them just what the young dragon was demanding. Terrador glared down at them, his eyes like stone.

"I don't think so, young dragon," he growled sternly, "and definitely not when you demand it so forcefully."

"Have some respect," Cyril snorted, "you can't just barge in here and demand something. This is a private meeting!"

Flame's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "A private meeting? Right here, in the open, where anyone can see you? I thought you guardians were idiots, but I didn't think you were this stupid. We heard the whole thing, didn't we, Ember?"

The pink dragoness nodded quickly, cowering under the stern glances of the guardians and glad that Flame was between her and them. Terrador didn't seem impressed.

"That, young dragons, is called eavesdropping!" Terrador growled, "Regardless of how secret a meeting this may be, you should never spy on your elders!"

Spyro and Cynder exchanged guilty glances, knowing that they'd already eavesdropped on the guardians more than once. Flame snorted in defiance.

"What does it matter?" he huffed. "The point is, we heard and we want to help, okay?"

Ember nodded quickly, backing him up, "That's right! We really would like to help and I'm sure we could be of some use! Please, Terrador, sir?"

The earth guardian hesitated as he gazed at her pleading face. He'd already made up his mind to refuse them, but somehow her pleading eyes made him waver. He turned his stern gaze on Thasos instead.

"What do you think, Thasos?"

The unofficial Fire Guardian hesitated and, although he hated refusing Ember when she looked so pleadingly at him, he shook his head.

"I don't think so, Terrador," he sighed, "Those two are too young and inexperienced for something like this. It could be dangerous and they don't know the land around here. I think it best that they stay here."

"Very well," Terrador agreed, "I would have said the same thing."

Flame seemed to swell with anger, his hackles rising and his wings unfurling as his red scales seemed to glow with fire. Ember took a hesitant step away from him, as though he was a volcano ready to blow. And that he was.

"That isn't fair!" He roared, so loud it almost rattled the scales of the dragons around him. "Why should he get to go and not me, huh?"

No one questioned whom he was talking about. They all knew that he meant Spyro, and the purple dragon stood his ground as Flame flashed him a dangerous glare.

"He's just as young as I am!" Flame roared, not bothering to keep his voice down. "So why should he get special privileges?"

"Spyro is no ordinary dragon," Terrador countered, raising his voice to combat Flame's. "He has had far more experience than most dragons in this city and far more than you! But this has nothing to do with Spyro! I cannot allow a young dragon such as you to put yourself in danger in unfamiliar territory! It is not safe and it is most definitely not wise, young dragon!"

"Don't speak about wisdom, old one!" Flame countered, snarling with anger. "You're lacking in it!"

"I will not have you speaking to the guardians like that!" Thasos roared, before Terrador could reply. "Grow some respect, Flame, and for the love of the ancestors grow up!"

The stones cracked as Flame slammed a burning fist into the ground and Ember stumbled back with a squeal of shock. Delos and Naxos yelled at the young dragon, angrily ordering him to get a grip. Spyro positioned himself in front of Cynder, tensing his shoulders for action.

"Don't tell me to grow up!" Flame yelled, fire licking at his jaws. "Don't start acting all pompous just because you've been given the title of Fire Guardian! You know you're not a real guardian, anyway! And you never will be! You got that, Thasos? You're not a real Fire Guardian and you've got no right to order me around!"

The words seemed to slap Thasos in the face and he sat looking stunned, unable to come up with a retort. Flame wasn't finished.

"We're going with them!" he roared. "Whether you want us to or not! And there's nothing you can do to stop it!"

"Flame…" Ember quivered, terrified by his anger.

"I'm not going to sit down and let you order me around!" Flame continued, ignoring the pink dragoness. "And I don't damn care about how special this purple freak is, he's still just a self-centred hatchling! So stop treating him better than everyone else!"

Cynder threw herself on Spyro as he attempted to leap at Flame, pinning him to the ground before he could reach the red dragon. Naxos and Delos went for him at the same time, furious at the way he had yelled at Thasos, only to be stopped as Chios planted herself firmly in front of them. Thasos said nothing, staring blankly at the ground as though he'd been slapped. Seriphos took a step forwards, the stones cracking beneath his paws, as the power of the earth element seemed to escape from him in his anger.

"ENOUGH!" Terrador's yell was so loud that it rattled everyone's bones and drowned out everything else.

As the echoes of his yell died away, everyone sat in silence with their ears still ringing from the noise. Cynder clambered off Spyro, shaking her head to clear the ringing, allowing the purple dragon to get back to his feet. Ember cowered on the ground and edged closer to Spyro, ignoring Cynder's glare. Terrador glared down at Flame with more anger than Spyro had ever seen in his eyes before.

"That is quite enough!" he boomed, furious. "Flame, Ember, neither of you will be leaving this city to help with this search. That is final! Flame, you should be ashamed of yourself, speaking in such a way to your elders!"

Flame snarled at him, "I'm not ashamed! And you can't stop me from going!"

"I think I can," Terrador replied, quivering with anger. "Volteer! You and Cyril will escort this young dragon to his room. Find two dragons to guard both his door and his balcony. He is not to leave his room until Seriphos and the others return tomorrow afternoon! Understood?"

"Understood, Terrador," the two guardians chimed together and positioned themselves either side of Flame.

Though the red dragon struggled, he was no match for the two larger dragons and was led forcibly back to his room. Terrador waited until they were gone before he gazed down at the pink dragoness trembling beside Spyro. He gazed sternly at her, causing her to quiver even more.

"I trust I don't have to imprison you in your room, Ember?" the earth guardian asked, to which she quickly shook her head. "Good. You must understand that for an inexperienced young dragon such as yourself, a trip like this would be far too dangerous. You are not to accompany them."

Ember nodded, bowing her head, "I understand."

"Good, you may go then."

The pink dragoness slunk away with her head down, giving Spyro one last helpless look, and disappeared around the corner. Terrador paused and considered the six dragons in front of him, all of whom were still shaking from the heated argument. He sighed and turned around to see Thasos still sitting there with a mournful look on his face, his brown eyes staring blankly at the ground. Terrador approached him carefully.

"Come now, Thasos," he coaxed. "Now is not the time to lose hope."

"He's right, though," the orange dragon sighed, still staring at the ground. "I'm not a real Fire Guardian and I never will be. Oh, how foolish a dragon I am to think otherwise…"

Spyro approached Thasos after a moment's hesitation, moving to Terrador's side.

"That's no way to think," the purple dragon scolded. "Ignitus wouldn't think like that, would he?"

Thasos raised his head in shock, surprised at Spyro's words. The purple dragon glared at him, although it felt a little odd to be scolding a dragon that was so much older than him.

"Remember why you are doing this," Spyro insisted. "It's to finish the job that Ignitus started. You are filling in for him because he cannot be here to do so. You were, and still are, his best friend. If anyone should take over the position of Fire Guardian, it is you. Regardless of whether the title is official or not, you are still the Fire Guardian. You can't afford to wallow in your own pity, when you have dragons who are counting on you to take on the role of guardian!"

"Y-You're right…" Thasos hesitated, "of course you're right."

Terrador interrupted, "Spyro, the afternoon wears on. You must leave straight away. Let me deal with Thasos, I'm sure he'll be fine. You need to get going."

Spyro hesitated, but nodded after a moment and turned to see if his comrades were ready. Naxos, Chios and Delos nodded in confirmation and Cynder supplied him with a strained sort of smile. Sparx offered a shaky thumbs-up, still quivering from the fight that had occurred not moments ago.

"We are ready, Master Terrador," Seriphos confirmed.

"Good," Terrador looked to the skies, where the sun was inching ever so slowly towards the horizon, "you'd best be off. Remember, be back tomorrow by evening whether you find them or not. If you encounter danger, return here immediately. I bid you safe passage. Good luck and… bring them home."

"Got it!" The six dragons roared at once, as Sparx punched the air.

"Let's go!" the dragonfly yelled eagerly.

"We'll be back soon, Terrador, Thasos," Spyro promised.

"I'm sure you will, Spyro."

There was no more hesitation. With eagerness and excitement filling their hearts, the seven companions leapt into the sky and headed towards adventure. Wherever this missing search party was, they were sure that they were going to find them. Terrador watched them as they flew towards the sky, Spyro and Cynder in the lead as the young dragons led the group towards the dam. Terrador could only hope they would find the missing search party. He could only hope that he was wrong and that danger had not found Feldun and his group. But one could never tell what lay beyond the protective walls of Warfang.


The instant Ember turned the corner, her timid demeanour seemed to vanish and she raised her head high with an annoyed look on her face. Flame had blown their chance at being allowed to go and she'd really wanted to. And now the hotheaded fool had got himself imprisoned in his own room for his actions. Ember had planned to sneak out after Spyro and the others if they'd been refused permission to go with them, but she wasn't about to leave without Flame. Puffing smoke in annoyance, Ember turned aggravated circles as she tried to think of what do to.

Gazing upwards, the pink dragoness beheld Spyro and the group flying into the sky and heading away from the city. They'd already left. Ember scowled. There was nothing for it, she would just have to find Flame and break him out of his room. Without stopping to think over her plan, Ember headed straight for Flame's room.

Cyril had ordered Sestos and Milos to stand guard outside Flame's room. Milos had been stationed outside his door, while Sestos sat stiffly on the balcony to ensure that Flame didn't escape out the back. The dark blue dragon sat swishing his tail backwards and forwards, listening as Flame rampaged around his room. A loud crash told him that Flame had knocked over the bookshelf and Sestos sighed as Flame's cursing reached his ears. He watched the sky as the dragons, led by Spyro, slowly became black dots in the distance and wondered where they were off to.

The blue dragon was just getting bored when a small pink dragoness landed beside him. He blinked and stared at her as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Hello, Sestos," Ember greeted, attempting to look innocent.

"Well, if it isn't young Ember," Sestos smiled, looking kindly down at her. "What can I do for you?"

"I wonder if you'd let me see Flame?" the pink dragoness asked, feigning shyness.

But Sestos shook his head apologetically, "Sorry, Ember, but I've got orders not to let anyone in or out of Flame's room until Seriphos and his group return. That includes you, unfortunately."

Ember's hopes fell a notch, but she wasn't about to give up so easily. Putting on her best innocent face, her expression as sweet as honey, she tried to reason with the blue dragon.

"Oh please, Sestos," she begged, blinking up at him with sparkling sky blue eyes, "only for a little while. It won't do any harm, I promise!"

Another crash echoed from the room and Sestos winced as Flame cursed and, from the sounds of it, charged the wall. He sighed and shook his head again.

"Sorry, Ember, but Flame seems to be doing plenty of harm on his own," Sestos shrugged. "I've got orders, kid, I can't let you in."

Annoyance rose within her and Ember gave a bad tempered pout, emitting a puff of smoke. Sestos couldn't help but chuckle at her expression.

"Fine," Ember sighed. "I'll just have to find something else to do. Thanks anyway, Sestos."

"Anytime, Ember," the blue dragoness called as Ember leapt off the balcony and soared away. "Sorry I can't help!"

Circling over the city, Ember noticed that Terrador and Thasos were still talking in the western courtyard. She flew over them, turned a wide circle, and then flew back to land not far from her own room, which wasn't far from Flame's. Beneath her own balcony, Ember began to pace. There had to be a way to get Flame out of his room without Sestos and Milos knowing. She knew that the balcony was her best bet. All she had to do was distract Sestos for long enough to get Flame away. And by the time he realised Flame was gone, the two of them would be long gone.

But how was she going to distract Sestos? Ember spent the better part of two hours thinking on that. After about half an hour she flew up to her balcony and lay there, pondering the problem as she watched the sun sink lower and lower. It was almost dark by the time Ember formed a plan that she hoped would work. It was a long shot, but she had to try. So, still formulating the plan in her head, Ember got up and leapt off her balcony.

Sestos was almost dozing off, watching the setting sun with a lazy eye as he wondered how long he'd have to wait here. The blue dragon blinked and turned his eyes to the city, gazing lazily at the orange light that was coming from the far garden. At first it didn't click in his mind, but suddenly Sestos realised just what he was seeing. There was fire in the gardens. The blue dragon leapt to his feet, for he had been curled up on the balcony, and stared hard at the steadily growing orange light. Suddenly the sound of wings caught his attention and a small pink dragoness landed in front of him.

"Sestos!" Ember cried, flustered. "Please help! I was practicing in the gardens when I accidentally set one of the bushes on fire! I don't know what to do! It'll destroy the gardens if we don't put it out! What do I do?"

"Calm down," Sestos ordered, as swiftly and kindly as he could, "I'll take care of it. You just head back to your room, okay, Ember? No visiting Flame, promise?"

Ember nodded quickly, her expression panicky, "Okay, I promise! Please, just do something about it before it gets out of control!"

Sestos smiled reassuringly, "Have no fear, Ember. Off you go to your room now."

The pink dragoness knew he was reluctant to leave while she was still there, so she gave him a quick smile and leapt off Flame's balcony, gliding towards her own. Sestos watched her until she had landed on her balcony and quickly leapt into the sky, heading for the glowing orange light in the gardens. Ember waited, watching as Sestos headed for the fire she had started, and made her move. As silent as the darkness itself, the pink dragoness leapt from her balcony and glided back to Flame's. She kept low and slunk into his room, which had long since fallen silent.

Flame cracked an eye open when he heard someone in his room and his head shot up in surprise when he saw who it was.

"Ember! What are you—?"

The pink dragoness jumped on him, clamping his mouth shut with a paw, shaking her head furiously.

"Hush!" she hissed, silencing him, "Milos might hear! I'm going to get you out of here, but you have to be quiet!"

Flame stared at her with wide golden eyes before giving a quick nod. Ember was about to speak again when the clack of claws on stone outside told her that Sestos had returned. As an ice dragon he must have put the fire out very quickly. Cursing softly, Ember leapt towards the orange cushions lined up along Flame's wall. They were covered with scratches and some of the stuffing inside was poking out, but they were good enough to hide a small pink dragoness. Leaping into them, Ember scrambled beneath the cushions and stayed as silent as possible.

Flame caught the drift and laid his head down on his paws, feigning sleep. Just as Ember suspected, Sestos poked his head around the curtain that covered the doorway into Flame's room from the balcony. The blue dragon glared around the room, checking to be sure that nothing had changed since he'd left. Flame cracked an eye open and glared at him.

"What?" he growled, lacing his tone with irritation.

Sestos glowered at him, "Merely checking, young dragon. Go back to sleep."

"Whatever," Flame growled, "not like I can do anything else."

The red dragon watched as Sestos removed his head from the room and moments later he whispered for Ember to come out. The pink dragoness poked her head out from under the cushions, looking around just to be sure, and saw that Flame had destroyed much of his room. The torn cushions were just a first.

The bookshelf had been tipped over, the books strewn all over the floor, some with their covers torn off and pages torn out. There were dints and scratches along the walls and even a burn mark or two. The chest that had been in the corner of his room was now tipped onto its side, its contents, consisting mostly of old battered armour, lying in a mess on the floor. Flame himself lay in the middle of the chaos, on top of a cushion that had been almost sheered in half by his sharp claws.

"You sure made a mess of this place," Ember muttered dryly, keeping her voice low, careful not to be heard.

"Shut it," Flame growled softly. "What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Ember slunk to his side. "I'm going to get you out of here and we're going to go after Spyro and the others. Or don't you want to? Aren't you brave enough?"

Flame glared at her, "Of course I want to. I'm no coward. But how are you going to get us out of here. Sestos and Milos are guarding both exits. Unless you can turn us invisible, I fail to see—"

"Shush!" Ember hissed as Milos moved outside their door.

The two young dragons waited tensely until they were sure they had not been heard. Ember glared at her friend.

"Have some faith in me, Flame," she scolded, "I'll think of something. All we need to do is wait until Sestos falls asleep. He can't stay awake forever."

"That's your plan?" Flame snorted, "And here I thought it would be something clever."

Ember merely rolled her eyes, "Sometimes the simplest plans are the best. Just sit tight, Flame. Sestos is old. He'll fall asleep in no time."

"Not as old as Thasos," Flame muttered, but said nothing else.

In silence the two young dragons waited, deciding not to talk in case they were heard. Ember stayed close to the balcony, listening for when Sestos would fall asleep. Flame laid his head upon his paws, bored, and almost fell asleep himself. Outside the sky became steadily darker as the sun sank below the horizon, casting Flame's room and its inhabitants into shadow. Ember sighed quietly and laid her head down on her paws, blinking furiously in an attempt to stay awake. The minutes crawled by as she sat in the darkness, listening as Sestos moved every once in a while. After a while she began to lose hope. There was no way Sestos would fall asleep before they did.

Suddenly, Ember heard Sestos stand up and quickly leapt into the pile of cushions, hiding herself just in time. The blue dragon poked his head into the room and stared at Flame for a while, who was almost asleep and looked as though he was. After a moment, Sestos pulled his head out of the room and Ember heard him take off from the balcony.

Hardly able to believe her luck, Ember crept to the doorway and hesitantly pushed the curtain aside. Sure enough, the balcony was empty. Quickly, the pink dragoness hurried to Flame's side, shaking him roughly.

"Quickly," she whispered urgently, "Let's go, Flame! Sestos is gone! This is our chance, come on!"

Flame growled in irritation and stood up slowly, stretching. Ember led him towards the door, shaking with eagerness, and he followed behind. The red dragon gazed around the balcony, confused and curious.

"Why'd he just leave?" Flame wondered aloud, before voices reached them from outside Flame's door across the room. The two young dragons froze.

"He's asleep," Sestos's voice said, "did Cyril say we have to watch him all night?"

"He wasn't clear on that," said Milos's voice. "Maybe we'd better stay, though, just in case."

"Alright," Sestos sighed, "but I don't see the point."

Ember's eyes widened in alarm as she realised that the blue dragon was coming back.

"Quickly!" she hissed, diving off the balcony with Flame hard on her tail.

The two young dragons flew as fast as they could away from Flame's room, diving low to hide in the shadows of the buildings. Ember came to a halt beneath an overhanging awning far from Flame's room and gazed back towards it. Sestos had just alighted back on Flame's balcony and had settled down to wait out the night. The pink dragoness breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't checked to see if Flame was still in there. She grinned triumphantly at Flame, who was looking much more alive now that he was free.

"Okay!" she grinned.

"Let's go," he grinned back and the two of them slunk through the shadows, keeping low to make sure that no one saw them.

It was only when they decided they were far enough away from Flame's room that the two of them took flight. Flame turned dubious eyes on his companion as a sudden thought hit him.

"Hey, Ember," he muttered, "Do you even know which way they went?"

The pink dragoness nodded, "I know, I saw them fly this way. Terrador said they were heading for the dam, right? I'm sure we'll be able to find it if we follow them."

"But they're long gone by now," Flame pointed out.

"I know," Ember sighed in exasperation, "But they'll have had to stop somewhere for the night. Come on, if we keep flying this way I'm sure we'll run into them. I just hope Seriphos doesn't try to send us back."

"He won't," Flame smirked, "he'll be too afraid that we'll get lost on our way back. Let's go, Ember!"

"Alright!"

Together the two young dragons flew into the darkness of the night sky, in the same direction that Spyro, Seriphos and their small group had gone a few hours before. Whatever was out there, neither of them knew, but that was part of the experience. Flame and Ember weren't about to sit back and let Spyro and Cynder have all the fun. But neither of the two realised just what they were flying into, or what the consequences of their actions would amount to.

A/N: Quick update, shorter chapter. I've had this one planned for ages, so it's a relief to finally write it! I'd have gone longer, but I decided this was a good place to stop. I hope the whole 'prophecy' stuff doesn't confuse you too much. I'm getting really excited about this, finally getting into the main storyline! I've said it before, but I'll never stop appreciating them, so thank you for the reviews! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. ^.^