Creeping Darkness and Dread
"It's safe, trust me! And if in doubt I bet Timber could convince the vines to grow and fill in holes," Windy said happily once the platform had arrived at the city. She was the first to bound off it and prance eagerly into the etheric beauty that was the city consumed and yet strangely preserved by the forest. "Come on, come on," she urged. "You guys don't know what you're missing!"
"Ladies first," Polo grinned to Lunar. She glared at him but went ahead anyway. He repeated it with Mystic, Ashlina and Sprint as well.
"And bowling balls before men!" Scorch laughed as he head butted Polo and made the round little Skylander roll head over tail past the ladies with a squeal much like a little girl's. "Was that him or one of them?" Scorch snorted in laughter.
"You are such a jerk," Sprint scoffed before she jogged up to where Polo had finally stopped rolling.
"Quit being a punk, Squirt," Timber grumbled and flicked the Spyroling in the head with a knobby finger. He walked past Scorch and nearly pushed the smaller dragon off the thick tree limb.
The dragon flinched and shook the cotton feeling he had out of his head after the flick, that had really smarted. "Just make sure your ten ton butt doesn't cause the branches to break."
"I will take you with me if they do," the hulking ent promised.
Polo felt like his eyes continued to roll when Ashlina and Sprint finally reached him to steady him. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick."
Sprint moved so fast it was like she hadn't even been there in the first place. The dark dragon's eyes grew wide and she propelled herself up into the air to avoid the possible mess. "Not on me, aim for Scorch!" Ashlina pleaded.
The Wrecking Balling looked so pitiful as he sat heavily on the thick tree limb path. His normal color was blue but he had an obvious tinge of green to his face at the moment. "Get him close enough and I think I can manage." Polo's cheeks puffed up before he belched obscenely loud. "False alarm!" the grub exclaimed happily. "Oh I needed that."
"I didn't," Mystic replied with one hand pinching her nose as the other waved the stench off. She was ever so grateful Ashlina was in the perfect position to dispel the odor.
"Hey, what's wrong Timber?" Ashlina's concern for her friend was displayed clearly on her face when she landed near the ent. He stood so still he seemed to have become a tree again.
"We're not alone," Timber said at last. He turned his head to look behind him and ushered the other Skylanders in close. "Windy, were you aware of the drow in the city?"
"Drow?" the Whirlwindling's head shot up and turned quickly to survey the area. "Where?" She was panicked; the drow couldn't be in the city. They were the reason it was dead after all!
"That's why the trees were confused," Timber murmured more to himself than anyone else. "They do not separate drow from other elves, drow still respect nature."
"When were you here last?" Steek asked urgently. His hand went to the hilt of his blazing sword, ready to draw in a heartbeat.
"Yesterday," Windy replied with wide eyes. "Just yesterday! They weren't, there were no drow here then! Camo said the trees missed the elves and they were so happy to see us. How do they know it is drow?"
"The spirits told them," Ashlina blinked. She and Lunar seemed to be staring at something that wasn't there. "Oh Windy," the Cynderling said sadly, "The spirits of the elves are so angry and scared. There are spirits of children here!"
"I can't see them," Windy nearly cried as she turned around in quick jerky motions. "I saw them last time, why can't I now?"
"Windy, calm down!" Lunar hissed at the Whirlwindling. "Do you want the drow to find us? The Fallen are trying to keep us hidden but can only do so much. If you don't still your tongue you'll give us away!"
"Why can't I see the spirits?" Windy asked again. "I can't hear them either. Why?" She looked from Lunar when the Hexling averted her gaze to Ashlina.
"They wanted you to see them last time, if you see them now then so too will the drow," the dragon replied. Ashlina sighed and lowered her head, "They want us to flush the drow out but there are far too many of them for us to manage. The Fallen don't understand how they arrived so quickly and settled into the city without the rest of Tour being aware. They are a threat to Haven and will travel to the other city when they are satisfied Uzern is theirs uncontested. From there who knows where they will set their sights."
"It had to be through portals, the energy signatures are strong here," Mystic replied while Scorch and Polo nodded their agreement. Some were very new and fresh. "They must have been lurking about and picked up interest in the area when you originally came here, Windy."
The Whirlwindling's ears fell. "I wasn't supposed to be here again, if I tell Seraphina she will be upset with me."
"You have to!" Sprint urged her. "The drow are a threat to all of Skylands. You found them when no one else even knew they were around. Tell your friend, she'll understand. She seemed reasonable enough to me."
"Sprint, I want you and Mystic on reconnaissance now," Steek ordered them as he slipped back into his pre-Skylander training. "You will not engage the enemy. You are there strictly to collect information." The Ignitorling turned his attention to Ashlina and Lunar. He cocked his head to the side as he appeared to think about something. "Lunar, go with them as their link to the spirits. Guide them, have the spirits help you find the information you need."
"I can be of use as well," Ashlina stepped forward. She wanted to protect the spirit children; even if the drow couldn't physically hurt them they did frighten them.
"No," Steek shook his head, "You will remain with us. If something befalls the recon team the spirits can relay the information to you and the rest of us in turn."
There was one other important thing to see to. Steek turned to face the Whirlwindling and knelt down to make sure she looked at him, "Windy, I want you to find this princess of yours and inform her of what happened here."
"Oh Steek, I can't," Windy trembled. "She trusted me with the location; I wasn't supposed to give it away."
The Ignitorling shook his head, "In this case it was good that you did, how long would it have taken for the drow to be found?"
"Seraphina was going to return soon! In a day or two," Windy squeaked. She was terrified of upsetting the royal family. "She still will..."
"Win, honey," Sprint said softly, "Two days is a long time when you can move undetected and don't want to lose the advantage. She will forgive you and thank you for bringing warning. Hopefully by the time you return we'll know what the drow are up to."
The dull thump of massive feet drew attention back to the giant Tree Rexling. "Steek, I want to return to the forest floor with a team," Timber said. "The trees can carry messages to the Fallen who can then communicate with Lunar and Ashlina. We need someone down there to see how they're moving and where they may have another camp."
Fires flickered a deep red through Steek's helmet as he thought. "Take Polo and Scorch with you."
"Aw, really Steek?" Scorch complained, "I'd rather go with Windy to find the princess. Is she hot?" he asked the Whirlwindling.
"She's a Hexling," Windy blinked at him. "You are such a shoob!" she narrowed her eyes at the one track mind of Scorch.
"I'd rather you go off on your own on a kamikaze mission," Polo grumbled to Scorch. "But we can't always get what we want."
"Move out now," Steek said firmly to all the groups. "Windy, you follow Timber's party back down the lift and set out from there. Wait until you are a fair distance away before you use a portal. There's a chance they already know we're here so be careful everyone."
"Steek, what are we going to do?" Ashlina questioned.
"That building over there," he pointed to one that might have been some form of public meeting location like a city hall or library, "is our base camp until we have better information about what we're up against. You bring the princess back and whoever else she calls to our aid, Windy. We'll exchange information then."
"This wasn't supposed to be how the trip went," the hybrid dragon sighed heavily.
As soon as the platform touched the forest floor Windy had taken wing and was racing through the enormous trunks of the elfwood trees. For her the trunks had twenty or so feet between them, plenty of room for her wings to stretch out. For the trees though that much space was akin to standing only a foot away from another. Windy didn't know where she was going; she just wanted to put as much distance between her and the drow as possible before she called on Krystal to open a portal. All it would take would be a drow that was aligned with the element of magic to sense the portal and she could doom her friends.
The hybrid's heart was pounding, partly from her break-neck flying speed but mostly from the fear of confronting the princess with the fact she had gone behind her back and led others into Uzern. Windy careened to the side and tilted her wings perpendicular to the ground as she swooped around a large bush full of red berries of some kind. There was more sun suddenly, enough to let the bush grow. With the sun came the absence of the phosphorescent plants that had been the only source of light deeper into the forest. Windy could see the bright light of open space ahead of her and knew the drow wouldn't be found out in the open. That would be where she called to Krystal.
Windy cringed and shut her eyes when she burst out into the bright late-morning sunlight. Compared to the dark forest she had just been inside it was glaringly harsh and uncomfortable. The hybrid cracked her eyes open, she was still flying after all. The Whirlwindling was surprised to find herself on the bank of a lake and no sooner had she realized where she was did she end up right over the water. She watched the glassy surface ripple under the current of her passing and beat her wings to gain altitude. There was an island in the middle, well a sandbar or rock outcropping at least. Once she reached it she would call on her Portal Master. A lump had moved to the hybrid's throat, what was she going to tell Seraphina? The princess had never given her a reason to be afraid of how she might react but Windy was more worried about disappointing her than upsetting her. She didn't want Seraphina to think she couldn't be trusted.
"Ugh, I am the biggest shoob in the history of shoobs!" Windy scolded herself as she alighted on the island. Her blue and white wings were folded at her sides before Windy kicked at a rock in front of her and inhaled deeply for a sigh. She took some solace in the fact that she had not told her other friends of the temporary transformation the party she had originally traveled to Uzern with had undergone into their true selves. Her transgression could still be salvaged. For the first time since she had exited the elfwood forest Windy turned around to see it from the outside. Her jaw dropped when she saw the white trunks shining like pillars of light in the sun and the beautiful canopy of purple leaves that swayed in the breeze spread out as far as the eye could see in either direction. The trees were enormous! They stretched up so high they met low level clouds that obscured parts of them before they broke the top and climbed up higher into the sky. And there with the blue of sky between the impossibly high tops of the trees and the upside down mountains was the city-island Haven. The height made Windy who was a Skylander used to flying dizzy. How was the air even breathable that high up?
The anchor vines that had been as thick as tree trunks when Windy saw them up close looked like strands of thread woven around pebbles. A waterfall cascaded down into the elfwood and Windy saw the tributary that it formed meet the lake she was in the middle of. That waterfall meant that somewhere in the elfwood was another waterfall, one that defied gravity and flowed up to feed Haven with the water needed to supply the city as well as form the waterfall Windy could see. The blue hybrid shifted on her feet as she enjoyed the scene a moment longer. The forest was just as impressive when seen from the outside as it was from the inside. She might never have ever seen Uzern if she hadn't been in the right place at the right time on Fetter Foothold hub.
"Krystal," Windy called at last, "I need a portal to Meir Valan." She closed her eyes, almost hoping Krystal wasn't active in Skylands at the moment. Her heart sank when she felt the familiar pull of an open portal and saw the changing colors on the backs of her eyelids. Reluctantly Windy stepped into the portal, she knew she had to warn the elves of Tour but just wished she didn't have to admit she brought outsiders in.
Sprint moved silently through the dead city with Lunar and Mystic. Mystic had retreated to her djinn bottle for the time being and was nestled on Sprint's back. It wasn't that she couldn't be stealthy; it was just that she was so large it was hard to take cover behind the smaller objects Lunar and Sprint could duck under.
Lunar held one slender, black nailed finger to her lips and pointed to the corner of the building. The spirits had warned her of a drow patrol. Quickly she pointed back the way they had come to an open window. Sprint nodded and dashed off to it in haste. She deposited Mystic's bottle inside before she vaulted up into it herself and scurried away from the window into the gloom of the building.
Lunar flipped through the window herself and motioned again for Sprint to follow her. Once they had reached the far wall of the building they found another window that would allow them to watch the approaching drow without being seen themselves. The vines that grew thick over it had the barest spaces for them to peer out into the half-light of the city. Mystic emerged from the bottle and hovered over the smaller two Skylanders to peer out the vines as well.
Without a care in the world the drow carried on a conversation with one another. Their voices carried in the silence and sounded all the louder for it.
"Kinda funny how hard the eirian fought to keep our ancestors from taking the city from them and here they abandoned it themselves," one drow soldier dressed in light leather armor with a bow slung over his shoulder said to another.
His companion was dressed in the divided robe and trousers of a warlock, the drow version of a battle mage. The warlock had a face that seemed to be chiseled from stone with the color to match and hardly appeared to blink as he walked so smoothly he gave the appearance of floating like a Hexling. "The city is not abandoned," the warlock snapped. "I and other casters can feel the magic of recent portals. Even if whoever uses them is not currently here we would be fools to assume we're unfound."
"I bet the nearby kingdoms have Skylanders," the drow archer shrugged. "Probably visiting old haunts."
"It doesn't matter," the warlock chided, "If they are allowed to return with word of our occupation then we will be ousted. Asmodeus wants to remain in the heart of Tour as per Kaos's instructions."
The archer snorted and made a show of tossing his head, "You really think Asmodeus is going to follow Kaos forever?"
"No," the other drow said with the first change in his expression. The grin he gave was rather sinister and foreboding. "I have no illusions about Master Asmodeus remaining an underling. Now that he has that pet of his things will be different."
The archer held up a hand and began to tick off items, "So first we locate the gargoyle clans. Second we take command of them and then use them to subdue the rulers of Tour thereby putting the combined might of the armies under our control. I'm confused though, Breen. At that point won't we have to inform Kaos Tour has fallen? There are those among us still faithfully loyal to him."
Breen laughed a harshly. "Asmodeus is counting on that! If Kaos attempts to strike back at us the armies of Tour will protect their continent. It won't look at all out of sorts with the people or Skylanders. While Tour is fighting Kaos our own infiltrators can move in and systematically erase the current rulers and position themselves in power before the armies are forced to turn on the Skylanders. Kaos loses any edge he thought he could attain and Skylands falls to the force of Tour's armies. Kaos gave up on the darkness when he thought it failed him, he doesn't understand how it works. The fool," Breen shook his head.
Lunar suppressed the gasp that tried to escape the hand she had long ago clamped to her mouth. She turned wide eyes to Sprint and Mystic and allowed her hand to move at last, "That's enough. We have to return to Steek now. The spirits said the drow know we are about and are going to keep talking in an effort to make us reveal ourselves," she whispered furiously.
"Is what they said true?" Mystic narrowed her eyes at the backs of the retreating duo. "Why have we heard nothing of this Asmodeus if he is such a key player in Kaos's forces?"
"Treat it as you heard it but expect something more and different," Sprint murmured. "Have the spirits lead us out, Lunar. Spread the word to both Steek's group and Timber's. I wish we could pass it to Windy as well." The Stealthling picked up Mystic's bottle and slung it back over her shoulder before the Ninjiniling retreated into it.
"Is recon always this easy?" Lunar asked quietly as she led Sprint through a different series of rooms.
"Only when we're being baited," the Stealthling replied with narrowed eyes. "How can they be so sure we're here?"
Timber had barely received the message from the trees and relayed it to Polo and Scorch. Timber knew things had been lost in the translation from spirit to tree and then to the ent but he translated it as best he could. Return to Steek; the drow know we are here, was the basis of the message and had been what Timber told the other two. But Scorch wasn't in the mood to play it cool. The impetuous dragon had gone looking for trouble and found it.
A unit of drow had surrounded the three Skylanders in the dark forest under Uzern. Goliaths, archers, warlocks and witches made up the force that had outnumbered the Skylanders eight to one.
"Bravo Scorch, bravo," Polo snarled at his fellow Skylander. The Wrecking Balling puffed his cheeks out then flicked his long, sticky and barbed tongue out at the blades one of the witches had summoned. Rather than swallow them like he normally did Polo curled his tongue back in and just before it reached his mouth he flicked it out again to throw the projectiles back at the drow.
"Run!" Timber commanded as he raised his arms above his head, arched his back and slammed both fists into the ground. The strange red gauntlet-like bark on his right forearm grew barbs that shot out upon impact. The force of his slam alone sent shockwaves through the earth that knocked a few drow over and at least made the others fight for footing amid the surprise spikes the Tree Rexling had dispatched.
Scorch had taken to the air and used the opportunity to swoop past the drow and spit fire at them to confuse them and make them focus on him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Polo retract his tongue and drop down from the tree trunk he had clung to in order to avoid Timber's shockwave. The little grub continued to roll like a ball that effectively knocked down unsuspecting drow. He rolled right through them before a tree root stopped him and the blue Skylander hopped back to his feet to flick his tongue out rapidly at drow as Scorch resumed his fire attacks.
One of the warlocks cast a lightning spell that hit Polo's tongue and arched down the length to rattle the poor grub. His chin hit the ground, his tongue still extended and the mewling sound he made was heart-wrenching when combined with the fact the Wrecking Balling's face and tongue were covered in crimson blood. Much to Polo's horror when he tried to stand his tongue stayed behind. The Wrecking Balling spat out blood in disbelief, he had bitten his tongue off! The shock lasted for only a moment before his expression hardened and the little grub puffed himself up with air and violently bounced himself at the drow before he belched out a cloud of noxious green gas. If they thought he was done for they were wrong. His tongue would grow back soon enough; the magical qualities that imbued his little armored body guaranteed it. At least Polo thought that was the case. He had heard other Wrecking Ballings had tongues grow back but he had never lost his before.
"What is that awful stench?" one of the witches gagged. Next to her a warlock had actually vomited and seemed to be incapacitated. "Snap out of it," she hissed and kicked him. The warlock fell over in the puddle of vomit and didn't even register it had happened. The witch growled and reached down to grab him by the collar but never made it, a green lance of energy took her hand and part of her arm off in a searing blast that had her scream cover up nearly every other sound.
Another nearby witch threw out a dozen blades to try and catch Timber in the blindside. He held onto his cannon attack and the beam decimated the blades before they could reach him. The witch flung herself quickly behind one of the two goliaths with them to bide her time.
"Idiots," Scorch muttered to himself when he swung back around and saw drow cowering behind a goliath. They were sitting ducks, he grinned. Scorch's jaws opened and three balls of fire shot out at once. The dragon wheeled up in alarm when an arrow raced by his snout and hissed in pain when another took him in the shoulder. Three more arrows narrowly missed him before the dragon realized he was the most vulnerable to the archers with nothing to block him from their sight. He angled his wings to take him to the left before he tucked them in against his sides and went into a dive that ended with his horns smashing into the back of an unsuspecting goliath's head.
Timber pivoted on his left foot and fired another blast from his photosynthesis cannon. He turned again for yet another one, he knew instantly he wasn't imagining it. The drow were multiplying. There had been none wielding swords or lances in the beginning but now he saw them among the others. Scorch had pulled one of his classic bone-headed moves. The only person he ever really listened to was Krystal and since the Portal Master wasn't around he was up to his old tricks. "You fool!" Timber yelled when he spotted the Spyroling bowling over a group of lance men that thought they were a match for the dragon.
"Fight harder!" Scorch yelled back. "Put your backs into it ladies!"
Polo rolled up to Timber and slammed into his leg. The giant kept the crowd back as the little grub recovered and shook out his head. "We ah in wuble," he mumbled.
"What was that, I didn't catch it," Timber said as he focused on the drow all around. Where were they coming from, there had to be at least sixty! The giant glanced down long enough to see Polo retract what was left of his tongue and Timber felt a pang of guilt. He was the leader of the group; he should have held Scorch under better control. "Scorch has the right idea," Timber muttered. He had to stop using his cannon to scoop Polo up with that arm before he shifted the little grub to the other arm. Timber then raised his gauntleted hand before him and charged with a bellow at the drow. Not even the goliath dared to stand their ground when the giant whose foot falls shook the earth bore down on them. "I don't think we're going back up to the city. I'll get us out of this, don't you worry."
Ashlina wouldn't accept defeat. Even though they had subdued Steek and the Ignitorling wasn't moving she wasn't about to let the drow subdue her. They held catch poles, nooses on sticks, for the express purpose of restraining the dragon. How had they known to meet her and Steek with them to begin with? Ashlina hissed and screeched at the drow that had her backed into a corner where she tried desperately to protect Steek. She swatted out with her claws, one of the drow had silenced her other abilities with some kind of charm she could see hanging around his neck and left Ashlina with only tooth, claw and tail. The Cynderling lowered her head and let out a menacing hiss while her thickly corded muscles bulged in the preparation of a lunge. The drow prepared for it by moving out and leaving an opening to tempt her. Ashlina knew their ploy and surprised them when she whipped around instead and sent the barbed end of her tail sailing at the head of one of the handlers. The drow blocked with the pole while the other managed to slip the end of his over her tail.
Ashlina's tail pulled back on her unexpectedly, when she arched her neck around she saw the noose tightened around her scales. She was surprised by the horrible electric current that followed and cried out in surprise and pain as her legs gave out and she hit the ground with her belly.
"Her neck, her neck!" the drow that held her tail called. He jolted her again to keep her mellow and give his companion time enough to slip the second noose over her horned head and tighten around the dragon's delicately arching neck.
"Ah-ah," the drow that had the noose around her neck grinned wickedly. "You pull too hard and the wire will bite into those pretty little scales of yours." He gave her a jolt of electricity to remind her that he held all the cards. "On your feet, mongrel," the drow hissed.
Ashlina whimpered and complied. She looked back to Steek, his flames were so soft and he lay so still. Why hadn't he retreated to Earth if he was that wounded? In a moment of shame Ashlina tried to do the same thing but was alarmed to find she couldn't.
"She tried it!" the drow at her tail laughed. "Oh man can Asmodeus call 'em or what?"
"Where the hell's backup?" the drow at Ashlina's head spat. "There's no way we're gonna be able to take them both like this."
"Get the lizard to carry him on her back. Make her do the heavy lifting."
Ashlina hissed at the nearest drow and got an electrical jolt for the trouble. "Wanna try it again? I've got a wager with my friend that I'm itching to see realized. I wonder how much of a current you can take before you urinate and defecate on yourself. He says it's gonna take both of us using our poles. I say only one of us can manage it. Give me an excuse to test it," the drow grinned lewdly.
Ashlina blinked the tears out of her eyes, never had she been so scared before. Around her were spirits of the Fallen of Uzern, the poor elves were helpless to do anything and Ashlina knew that their vow to protect the city would be powerful enough for them to interact with the drow. She kept hearing the same thing over and over from them, we cannot harm them. Something very powerful is keeping us in check. What could be powerful enough to hold the spirits of the dead from carrying out the vow they had made?
"Hurry up, wench," one of the drow grunted at her. "Pick up the fire starter and let's go."
How could the drow keep Skylanders from retreating to heal? Was it now possible for them to die if wounded gravely enough? If this Asmodeus was behind it and he served Kaos, did that mean Kaos had another trick to use against the Skylanders? Ashlina couldn't help but tremble in terror as she struggled to lift Steek up onto her back.
Windy didn't care that she was causing a scene, since she hadn't specified where in Meir Valan Krystal should send her the Portal Master had opened a portal in the countryside beyond the westernmost gate. Rather than call to her again Windy had chosen to take flight. She raced past rumbling carts and elves pointing skyward at her. The Whirlwindling didn't care as she sped through the gates and ignored the shouts of the guards to halt. She gained altitude to skim the tops of buildings and weave around taller structures in the city all without taking her eyes off the palace. She hoped with every fiber of her being that the princess was inside, if not she would lose the nerve to speak to her.
The palace grew to fill her whole field of vision and Windy set down in an action that looked more like a dive than a graceful landing. She hit the ground running and panted hard as she at first stumbled but quickly regained her footing.
A familiar face had just exited the palace and she stared slack jawed at the blue hybrid charging her.
"Lady Morwen! Lady Morwen!" Windy cried out with tears streaming down her face to match. She tripped over the stairs leading up to the palace and remained prone on them as she sobbed. Morwen knelt by her side and tried to help her up but Windy made no effort to budge.
"By the light, Windy, what is the matter?" Morwen asked with a tremble in her voice.
"Where is Seraphina or any of the other Skylanders? I need to see them; they need to know that drow are in Uzern!" Windy balled.
All color drained from Morwen's face, she looked white as a sheet. "On your feet, Windy. You are a Skylander, for shame going to pieces at a time like this!" Morwen said with firmness in her voice that shocked Windy into compliance. "Come with me, quickly now! They are meeting with gargoyle emissaries from the Marble Clan."
Windy composed herself and rose to her feet again, her chest and chin were numb from where they had hit the edges of steps but the Whirlwindling chose to ignore it in favor of hurrying after Morwen.
"Alpha Nephilim will send an embassy to the other clans," Wraith was informing the king and queen of Meir Valan. With him was Nivaeus and Ginny-Li as well as all three of the royal children and the other Skylanders Meilyr and Crevan. Niall was absent and most likely still in Hawk Ridge. Commander Roghallach and Captain Avon stood in the back of the room in roles as witnesses only and would not be involved in the discussions unless addressed first. Wraith held both hands out and raised them alternatingly as visuals for the points he was about to make, "If things in Uzern and the events of this morning's drow sighting are any indication then we may find ourselves overwhelmed with visitors. I don't think I need to express to you our desire to remain a largely unknown element. The gargoyles will retreat in on themselves if the rest of Skylands takes an interest in Tour, specifically Uzern." The gargoyle finished by drawing his hands in close to his heart as if he were protecting something.
"We too want nothing more than to keep the events of the city under wraps," Hayden agreed. He was still having a hard time seeing the three giants as the gargoyles he knew them to be. He had accepted his children and their companions in a heartbeat but the gargoyles were harder to swallow for some reason. "We will also offer to shelter any gargoyles that have traveled far from home in the event we see an increase in non-Tour persons."
"Trade will have to cease for a while, I'm afraid," Ginny-Li sighed. The Ninjiniling held one gauntleted hand up and pointed back towards the door of the audience hall, "The merchants from other regions so far haven't stirred up anything about the gargoyle traders they've seen but that's not to say an interest in Tour won't suddenly loosen their lips about some of our more unique aspects."
The Swarmling Nivaeus nodded his agreement, "Aspects that even though the gargoyle traders know not to speak of could be learned by other means."
"Forgive me," Seraphina said suddenly, "I feel this has some relevance and must know; what have we learned from the goliath in custody?"
"That he is part of a larger force," Hayden replied tersely. "And that they are here somewhere on Tour for reasons we cannot yet extract from him."
"I could," Seraphina said simply. She raised her hand the moment both of her parents as well as siblings began to protest all at once. "I could," she reiterated, "but I cannot for the obvious reasons. If we do not intend to kill the drow in the dungeons he will have a tale to tell. I cannot break his mind either, that is no different than death."
"Allow me to interrogate him, King Hayden," Wraith bowed to the elven king. "There are methods that perhaps you have not tried." The Hot Headling flexed his fingers then balled them into fists.
"If you aim to torture him," Hayden warned, "I am not sure I can condone that."
"And you think they would not do the same to anyone of your people that they capt-" Ginny-Li started to say when the door to the audience hall opened without warning and a hybrid Skylander with panic in her eyes burst in followed by Lady Morwen.
"Forgive me," Morwen curtsied hastily. "This could not wait."
"Drow! There are drow in Uzern! Oh princess I am so sorry!" Windy sobbed. She thought she had her emotions under control but upon seeing the whole of the royal family and the other friends she had made gathered in one place she couldn't fight the overwhelming sensation of guilt. The three giants were unknown presences but the way they studied the Whirlwindling made her skin crawl with the feeling of being a mouse in a room of hungry cats.
Roghallach and Avon both moved further into the room and stood behind Windy almost as a means to keep her from leaving suddenly.
"Where did this information come from?" Roghallach questioned quickly.
"How do you know, you went back after we stressed the importance of maintaining secrecy? You led them in?" the prince demanded. Anicetus's flames turned blood red and he went for his sword. Meilyr's enormous paw was the only thing that kept him from drawing his weapon.
"You should have known you could not trust someone who did not share our heritage," Eloryn barked at Seraphina.
"Hold your tongues!" the eldest princess snapped at her siblings. "Let her finish!"
Avon spoke up from behind Windy about then, "I agree, there is more to the story and it needs to be heard."
"What more do you want? We were betrayed," Anicetus snapped right back. He turned back to Windy, "How many of your friends did you take sightseeing? Where are they now?"
"I cannot believe you would trust an outsider on our holy grounds. You! A High Priestess and you are to be the Queen of Haven!" Eloryn said in disbelief.
"I made a choice to help rebuild relations between Meir Valan and the Core Skylanders!" Seraphina replied. She faced down her siblings alone, Meilyr restrained her brother and Crevan held back Eloryn. The princess wished she had Niall's support, his age and wisdom would have understood where she was coming from. At least she hoped so, he might have frowned upon the situation with Uzern as well. In the back of her mind the princess wondered why no one saw fit to make sure she didn't try to lunge at her siblings the way others held them from doing it to her.
"I want to hear the whole story," the king boomed. "Speak now, how do you know of the drow?" Hayden asked Windy loudly over the sounds of his children arguing. He watched Delyth rise from her seat and silently move herself between their three offspring. With their mother's face darker than a thunderhead the trio fell silent and turned their attention to Windy. Hayden too took the opportunity to rise and stand alongside Delyth.
"I," the hybrid swallowed hard. Morwen was still next to her and Windy found herself subconsciously scooting closer to the lady for protection. She could feel the eyes of the commander and captain on the back of her head. "I took eight others of Krystal's Skylanders with me. I didn't tell them about how Uzern made us our true selves! I just wanted them to see the city, to see that the legends of an abandoned city in the trees were true! Maybe even to see the spirits but I wasn't going to take them to the temple! I was going to keep my promise!"
Delyth held up her hand when she heard one of her children draw in breath to speak. Anicetus muttered but didn't complete his thought. "Windy, Uzern is holy ground and under the jurisdiction of Queen Elanniah Alistair. You unknowingly trespassed onto her land." There was no accusation in the queen's tone; she was simply stating a fact as gently as possible.
"I didn't know!" the hybrid squeaked, "No one told me! I thought it was safe because Seraphina led us there!"
"I am so sorry, Windy," the princess sighed with downcast eyes, "I should have stressed to you the rules. As elven royalty I am allowed to enter Uzern at will, as a priestess so too can I enter if on a pilgrimage. I invited you, Cynder and Camo as a sign of goodwill. I did not expect you would return with others. I had thought however that it was agreed to keep Uzern quiet."
Windy shifted nervously from foot to foot, she couldn't exactly blame the princess for not warning her. Windy had read between the lines and decided that she had agreed to protect the secret of Uzern from escaping. Bringing others into the city was harmless if they never set foot in the temple and never interacted with the Prime High Priest. However, while she wouldn't admit to it she had chosen her group in hopes of a repeat of certain events if not the exact one she had experienced her first visit.
"I just thought the city was the cheese," the hybrid heaved a sigh and turned a face contorted with shame and guilt on the members of the royal family. Seraphina looked apologetic; Windy could tell she was blaming herself. The queen looked passive while Anicetus' red flames and rigid posture said he was furious. Eloryn held a dark look and her tail was thrashing behind her like an angry cat's. The king could have been made from stone for all the indication giving of what he was thinking. That thought terrified Windy more than the obvious anger from his two youngest children.
The hybrid looked to others in the room for help. Crevan and Meilyr looked straight ahead as if they couldn't see her and the three giants she hadn't yet met had their heads bowed and hands clasped in front of them. They almost seemed removed from the situation and while it was obvious they weren't going to take part in the proceedings they didn't look the least bit uncomfortable by being left out. Windy glanced up to see Morwen too had her head bowed but she gave the barest nod to let the Whirlwindling know it was alright. Windy was too terrified to look behind her at the two officers lest they think it was an effort to escape.
"When we arrived," Windy continued without a prompt, "Timber, a Tree Rexling, commented that the trees were confused by something. It wasn't until we were in the city streets did Lunar the Hexling and Ashlina the Cynderling learn of the spirits and the drow in the city. I was sent away to warn you. Please, we have to go back! My friends could be in danger!"
"They should not have been there in the first place," Hayden said so coldly it made Windy shiver. His eyes flicked around the room to the gathered Skylanders. "I will let this transgression slide," he said much to the chagrin of Anicetus and Eloryn, "Only because your disobedience led to a discovery that would not have been made without it. You will return to Uzern after first visiting Queen Elanniah and informing her of the threat on her doorstep. If any retribution is to come to pass it will be by her hand."
"I will visit Queen Elanniah alone," Seraphina said. Her siblings protested and did so loudly. That time the queen couldn't calm them nor could the king. The group was taken by surprise when all of a sudden all sound from the youngest members of the royal family ceased.
Anicetus continued to make gestures that indicated he was ranting and Eloryn's jaw was working furiously as her body language complimented the words no one could hear. Hayden and Delyth both looked back to Seraphina in unison.
"Let them vent," she scowled. "I will raise them up off the floor if they try to advance on me after realizing I have silenced them. Ah good, that took less time than I thought," she said when Anicetus and Eloryn looked at each other in surprise upon noticing they couldn't hear the other yelling.
"I will go visit Queen Elanniah," Seraphina said once her siblings had stilled themselves and been released from their silence. "The two of you will lead Windy and the others back into Uzern," Seraphina pointed to her siblings. "Wraith, I implore you to lend your services. The strength you and the others hold will be greatly appreciated."
Wraith clapped a fist to his chest and bowed. "Then you shall have my services, Soothsayer," the Hot Headling replied using the title granted to the gargoyle holy man. Each clan had only one so it was a great honor to be given the title especially since Seraphina wasn't a gargoyle. Nivaeus and Ginny-Li followed his example and put fists to their chests before they too bowed.
"And how do you expect to gain access to Queen Elanniah looking as you do? No one will recognize you and you have no time to convince them." Roghallach questioned Seraphina. "With the group of you together you could impress importance upon the queen and at least get an audience with Prince Ceron."
"You are coming with me," Seraphina said simply. The whole of the room was surprised by that.
"He's not a Skylander, he can't use the portals! And the ships don't travel fast enough to get you there in time!" Windy was the only one to say what everyone thought.
"Leave the details to me," Seraphina said simply. "Call on Krystal to take you back to Uzern, Windy. If I cannot hail Sean then I will have one of you try for your own on my behalf."
"I want you back here as soon as the issue is resolved, all of you. Do you understand?" Hayden swept his gaze and a pointed finger over every single Skylander in the room and only put his finger down when they nodded in return.