Maybe father is a little justified in what he's doing...

Rune had taken off his training armor and tossed it randomly about the room. He wasn't sure what time it was when the guards came to bring him his dinner. But it was the same bread and fruit they'd brought him over the last few nights. And once again, they seemed remorseful that the youngling was left alone in his room.

Rune halfheartedly ate as he kept his eyes on the cloudy sky behind the magical barrier. His father's words were bouncing around in his mind. Rune was now well-aware of the black king's plans, and his revenge against the Order of Culmubrae.

The Order took away our home, and tore our family apart, Rune sighed. And they must have done something to cause my amnesia. I just don't know what yet. The youngling finished his bread and moved on to a sour apple. Father said he wanted to take back our ancestral home... but wasn't Warfang the home of Light dragons too?

When the subject of Light dragons came to mind, Rune's thoughts instantly drifted to everyone he knew in Glenhaven. Rune's anger grew, and he dug his talons into the apple.

I have family and friends in Glenhaven! None of them should be forced into being transformed! And he doesn't have a right to hurt any of them! Rune took his apple and tossed it against a wall. It crashed into a portrait of his family and landed with a splat on the floor. Rune glared at it for a moment, but then sighed and shook his head.

What am I doing? Getting mad at fruit? That's not going to help me get out of here. Rune pushed his dinner tray up against the door and turned towards his bed. I'm trapped until someone comes to get me again. I might as well just get a nap in.

Rune made sure his dreamstone was placed on the dresser beside the bed. He then spread himself out on the mattress rested his head on a pillow. Rune shut his eyes and relaxed. Time lost all meaning as he returned once again to the dreamless realm of sleep.

But a muffled voice outside his door woke him up.

Huh? Rune lifted his head up from bed. Was that Aegis?

"We can't just leave him here." Another voice said. It sounded like Albanion. Rune sat up and rubbed his eyes. He carefully pointed an ear frill towards the door to listen as a third voice chimed in.

"But think about what we'd be doing, Albanion." Elza's voice said.

"I would think you of all dragons would want to get him out of here." Albanion snapped.

"Yes, but he's safe and sound now. He's back at home!"

"You call this a home, Elza? He's spent several days locked up in this fortress."

Rune's eyes widened. Were they going to let him out? He carefully stepped over towards the nearest piece of his armor. Rune wasn't sure why; he just felt like he'd need it.

"Albanion, the consequences would be dire." Aegis insisted. "The boy's father would be furious if we-"

"I won't stand by and leave the prince trapped for a day longer." Albanion snapped. "Now be on your way, Aegis."

"If you say so, Albanion." Aegis replied. "I'll try to 'borrow' a carriage in decent time. I'll see you later..."

Rune sat on his haunches as the doorknob unlocked and turned. Rune looked up in time to see Albanion open the door and peer inside.

"Rune?" Albanion asked in surprise. "I didn't think you were awake."

"Uh, Hi, Uncle Albanion." He said sheepishly.

Albanion pushed the door a bit further open to step inside. He was soon followed by Elza, while Aegis closed the door behind them. Rune looked between Albanion and Elza as they sat down on their haunches around the bed.

"What are you doing up this late?" Elza asked.

"I couldn't sleep." Rune said, fluttering his wings. "I couldn't help but think about everything father said."

The two Deep Shadows exchanged concerned frowns. Albanion sighed and stretched out a wing.

"Well, it's for the best that you're up." Albanion motioned towards Rune's satchel. "Pack your things. We need to get you out of here."

So I was right... Rune reassured himself with a nod, then looked back up. "Where are you taking me?"

"I don't know yet." Albanion sighed. "All I do know is that we can't just leave you locked up in this room. You need to be taken somewhere far away from Warfang; it's only going to become an even worse war zone in the coming weeks."

"Well, I guess you're right about that." Rune straightened himself. "We need to head north. I have to-"

"No, Rune." Elza stamped her paw. "You can't go to the Well of Souls."

"What?!" Rune exclaimed.

"You heard me." Elza tapped her talons on the floor, her expression serious.

"But what about the-?!"

"Shh." Albanion said through gritted fangs. "Keep your voice down. You don't want the guards to hear, do you?"

Rune cupped a wing over his muzzle for a moment, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. But after a minute, he cooled off enough to continue arguing with whispers.

"What about Cyrus?" Rune asked, looking at the pair with desperate eyes. "What about the Revival Ritual? Don't you want to help bring back my mother?"

"Rune..." Elza began, her expression weakening. "I miss your mother Elenar every day. As much as I've missed you, and King Urobos. But this ritual... it's seeped in dark magic."

"But-" Rune stammered.

"Darker magic than any of us are used to." Elza interrupted. "None of us are even sure if it'll work. And if it does, we don't know if there are dire consequences. And just the journey there could be-"

"Dangerous, I know!" Rune shouted.

Elza yelped in surprise and stepped back in shock. Rune stood up tall and angrily fluttered his wings.

"Look, I already understand the dangers of making such a journey! I put myself and my friends in jeopardy by running away from Glenhaven. We were attacked by both Crepsculi AND members of the Order!"

"Wait... 'friends'" Albanion repeated. "There were others with you?"

"Yes, Uncle." Rune turned towards him. "Some of my closest friends came with me from Glenhaven on my journey to the Well of Souls."

Albanion's face paled. "Please, tell me they weren't also..."

"Younglings, like me." Rune said with a nod. "And PLEASE don't lecture me about it; I wanted to leave on my own, but they all insisted on joining me. But we got separated in a fishing village when the dragoness called Rose found me."

The drake gave a low groan. He brought his forepaw to his muzzle to rub it. "Younglings..."

"I don't know where they are now." Rune said with a frown. "But knowing Blankridge, he wouldn't want to give up on his 'adventure' and head home. He's probably leading the three girls to the Well of Souls."

"Is this boy prone to doing these things?" Elza asked curiously.

"It's his first time outside of Glenhaven's walls." Rune looked at her. "So it's most likely, Aunt Elza."

"So, four other younglings have gone and endangered themselves at the worst possible time..." Albanion growled. He shut his eyes, tilted his head back, and took several breaths. Elza didn't fair much better. Rune grew uneasy, so he sat back on his haunches.

"Listen..." Rune said quietly. "I need to continue north to the Well of Souls, even if just to make sure my friends are okay."

Albanion finally looked back down to look at Rune, his eyes showing sympathy.

"Rune, I can understand your desire to ensure that your friends are safe and sound." Albanion lowered his head down to eye-level with the youngling. "But none of you should have ever left Glenhaven."

"I know it was dangerous, alright!" Rune shouted. "Don't repeat to me what I already know! I don't need another lecture on that!"

"Rune, listen to me!" Albanion snapped. Rune yelped and stepped back. Albanion took another breath and continued.

"Rune, none of you could have known the nightmare that's been brewing across the Dragon Realms. Glenhaven was an ocean away from the literal STORM brewing, and even THAT may not be far enough away. But now you and are in the HEART of the storm. You need to be taken as far away from here as possible."

"But what about my friends?" Rune demanded. "I can't just abandon them."

"They're not going to be abandoned, Rune." Albanion shook his head. "The you father is going to tell our companions Wraith and Lilith to search the Well of Souls for Cyrus. There's a slim chance that they'll come across your friends. But the chances may be slim."

So, I'm just supposed to leave my friends' fate up to chance? Rune frowned and looked down at the floor.

"Rune..." Albanion lifted the younglings' chin up. "I'm sorry, but we can't risk putting you anywhere near the Well of Souls. But we'll do what we can to get you to a safe place in the south. Do you trust us?"

Rune looked between Albanion and Elza. Albanion's expression was ambiguous, while Elza was more welcoming. The youngling sighed and stood upright.

"Okay, I trust you." He said. "But how am I supposed to get out of Warfang without being seen?"

"Don't worry; I've been developing a plan." Albanion replied. He turned towards Elza, who nodded and went about to gather Rune's training armor. "First and foremost, I need to know what elements of magic you possess. How skilled are you, my prince?"

"I studied up on fire magic while in Glenhaven, but I know a bit of the other three light elements." Rune said, fluttering his wings.

"Do you know how to use the shadow element?" Albanion asked.

Rune shook his head no. "I don't even know how to learn them."

"I see..." Albanion scratched his chin. "In that case, you're going to have to learn to use dark magic rather quickly."

"But isn't that going to take too much time?" Rune asked. "You wanted us to get on the move, right?"

"Yes... but it will take time for Aegis to complete his end of the plan." Albanion replied. "He's making some... arrangements for us to ride out of here in an iron carriage. But the tricky part is giving him enough time while also getting you out of here in decent time. Do you follow me?"

"I guess I do..." Rune shrugged.

"We'll help you along the way, Rune." Elza said. She walked up to the youngling with his armor and satchel. "Here, put this on."

"Okay." Rune spent a few moments reattaching his armor. As he did that, Albanion opened the door and carefully peered outside at the hall.

"It's uncharacteristically vacant out there tonight." He said with a sneer. "While that's helpful for getting you out of here, my prince, it unnerves me that no one's on active duty."

Rune nodded as he adjusted his shoulder-guards. When he stopped to think of it, it was odd that nobody came by to retrieve his dinner trey; it still sat there on the floor by the door.

"We need to get out of here while we've got the chance." Elza said. "Here, Rune, put your satchel on."

"Don't forget my dreamstone." Rune motioned with a wing towards the swirling sapphire.

Elza curiously picked the stone up to examine it in the dim light. "A Dreamstone? What do you have one of these for?"

"It's a long story..." Rune finally finished putting his armor on. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

"Very well." Albanion opened the door. Elza put Rune's satchel over his neck, and the two followed Albanion out into the hallway. Albanion locked the door behind them, motioned towards a staircase. While Rune followed Albanion, Elza turned another way and dashed out of a window with a burst of wind magic. With a flap of her wings, she was gone almost faster than Rune could blink.

"Move quickly, and be quiet." Albanion whispered to Rune.

Rune followed Albanion down the staircase and into a hallway. Albanion went on ahead a short distance, peering around corners to see if anyone was coming. When the coast was clear, Albanion motioned with his tail for Rune to follow. Rune thought about what his friends would think if they were in this situation.

Blankridge would probably get bored and run off. Rune snickered. And Emerald would pout and hound after him. Rune mellowed out. Nellie and Roxanne might be a little scared of running into dark dragons again. I hope all of you guys are okay.

Albanion eventually came to a stop on what Rune assumed was the "ground floor" of the fortress. He stuck his head out the window for a moment, but then looked left and right down the surrounding corridor.

"Aegis is should be waiting for us with that carriage soon." Albanion said as he dashed around a corner. He motioned for with a talon for Rune to look out a window. "Elza and I can head out with little difficulty, but we can't risk anyone seeing you."

By the time Rune got to the window, he saw Elza passing by a short distance away. She was standing in the middle of the courtyard of the fortress, keeping a lookout for other dragons.

"What you need to do, Rune, is use the shadow-jump technique." Albanion said.

"How do I do that?" Rune tilted his head curiously.

"I may not be as magically adept as Wraith is, but I know the basics on how a young black dragon learns to use the elements." Albanion turned to look down at Rune. "Just follow my instructions, Rune."

"Okay." Rune nodded his head.

"Good. First off, close your eyes."

Rune carefully closed them, sitting back on his haunches to keep balance.

"Take slow... deep breaths." The Deep Shadow instructed. Rune felt Albanion tapping his chest over his heart. "In and out, in and out. And reach within yourself to find the core of your magic."

Rune inhaled and exhaled, keeping his body calm and serene. His mind looked within himself to find his magic.

"Every thing that exists casts a shadow." Albanion said. It is the darkness that blankets all of creation. The true self. Push beyond the physical barriers of your body, and travel to the space between spaces. You do not merely cast a shadow; you are the shadow."

"I... am..." Rune spoke softly as his mind wrapped around the core of his magic. "The shadow."

Rune felt himself sinking into the ground as if it were a pool. He kept sinking until only his head was above the surface. He lost all sense of gravity as his paws swatted about in a formless void.

"Don't be afraid, my prince." Albanion said. "And keep your eyes shut until you're completely submerged in your shadow."

Rune kept his eyes shut, but couldn't help but take a gulp of air before his head sunk beneath the surface. Instincts tricked him into thinking he was about to splash into a body of water. But instead, Rune opened his eyes to find that he was "swimming" in an endless body of darkness. He looked up to see Albanion looking down into the pool with a nod of approval.

"Good work, Rune." He said. "You can use this technique to 'slide' across floors and walls. And you can emerge as long nothing's blocking your pool."

"But what if it closes behind me?" Rune asked worriedly. "Wouldn't I be trapped in here?"

"You have nothing to worry about." Albanion reassured. "All you have to is concentrate."

"But... what if I..."

Albanion sighed. "Rune, I'm here to keep a close watch on you. If you're afraid that the pool will seal you inside, I'll reach in and pull you free. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, Uncle." Rune shook his head.

"Alright." Albanion nodded. "Now, make your way through the window and emerge. Go!"

Rune "swam" his way along the floor and up the side of the wall. He passed harmlessly through the glass and "dived" down lower to reach the grass. Rune didn't move to rise out of the darkness until he saw Albanion open the window and fly out. As Albanion landed his paws on the grass, Rune emerged just to the side of him.

Albanion looked down at him with a nod of approval, while Elza smiled brightly. Rune smiled back; it felt good being able to wield a new element of magic. He just might put it to good use later.

Albanion quickly shut the window again and turned around to whisper. "That was just the first step in our trek out of here. What we do next might be a bit more complicated, but if you pay attention, we should be fine. Got it, my prince?"

"I understand, Uncle." Rune fluttered his wings.

"Good." Albanion stepped forwards. "Here's what you're going to do next..."

~~...~~

General Grail snorted as rain droplets landed on his muzzle. He shook it about to knock the excess water off.

I understand the importance of making flight difficult for our enemies, he thought, but blast it all, I'm bound to catch a cold!

Grail marched down the main road of Warfang. He was patrolling the area around the inner roads surrounding the Dragon Spire. Two dozen soldiers followed behind him in lock-step. He had a grim face as he made his way south.

Grail had become concerned over a series of rumors that were travelling quickly amongst his soldiers. It started when a few of his Poison dragons reported that the Deep Shadow Wraith had passed through Warfang. Wraith apparently warned them that a secret entrance out of Warfang had been discovered by an "anonymous source." After Wraith passed on to the north, his words passed from soldier to soldier about the secret entrance. Some speculated that it had to do with the old ruins beneath Warfang. When Grail learned of it himself, he went to report to the king immediately. But Bane was evidently busy planning and dealing with personal matters. So, the General decided to take matters into his own paws.

"Where should we search first for the tunnels, sir?" One of the soldiers asked.

Grail turned and looked over his soldiers. He scratched his thick chin in thought for a moment, and then clicked his tongue.

"I want the shadow dragons to search every building in the slums." Grail ordered. "Fewer dragons lived there, so that's a perfect spot for secret passages. Go, and report back to me in two hours!"

"Yes, sir!" Eight soldiers said as they saluted. All at once, the shadow dragons surrounded themselves with auras of black mist. They all dived into their shadows in sync, and in an instant they were gone. Grail grinned in satisfaction.

"Sir!" One of the dragons spoke up from the back.

"Eh?" Grail shifted so his one good eye can look behind his men at the dragon who spoke. It was Marcus, the young poison dragon that the king had entrusted to spy on Richteriel.

"Ah, it's you." Grail raised the eye ridge of his scarred eye. "What do you want, Marcus? Shouldn't you be doting on that brother of yours?"

Marcus leaned back, his purple mane ruffled. Grail gave a stoic face, even if he internally chuckled at the fervor in Marcus's eyes.

"General, it doesn't matter that my recon mission has ended." The drake pounded his chest.

"That's good, because I don't recall anyone relieving you of duty." Grail smirked. "But if you've got something to say, step forwards, Marcus."

Marcus stepped a bit closer, though he kept his steps in line with his fellow soldiers. He pounded his chest hard to salute.

"The Aeroshard Battalion is currently searching for one of the secret passages into Warfang, my General." Marcus. "If you'd pardon this lowly grunt's opinion, the light dragons won't be frightened by our king's crepsculi forever. I say we take the initiative and launch a sneak-attack on those light dragon bastards."

Grail looked about at the faces of his soldiers. Most of them held that thousand-yard stare, though a few glared at Marcus for speaking out of line. Grail decided to turn around to consider his options.

It wasn't exactly the best etiquette for a soldier to tell his commanding officer a battle strategy. But the General DID give him permission to speak his mind. After all, Marcus performed a great service by spying on the enemy in the name of the black king. All in all, Grail decided to cut Marcus some slack.

As for sneak-attacking the light dragons' camp... If Grail sent too few soldiers, they'd be overrun and most likely killed. If Grail sent too many, it would trigger a large-scale battle against the Aeroshard Battalion. And King Bane seemed adamant on biding his time until the Eternal Night arrived before unleashing the wrath of his army of darkness. But having SOME dark dragons hiding in the battalion could prove useful...

"Thank you for your input, Marcus." Grail turned back around. "But a full-on attack is out of the question."

"Y... Yes, sir." Marcus said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Forgive me, General."

"But if it's any consolation, perhaps I can put your talents to good use once again." Grail focused his eye on the poison drake. "I'm assigning you to another recon mission on behalf of the king."

"Sir?" Marcus tilted his head curiously.

"You and three others shall spy on Commander Saul and his advisors." Grail looked out amongst the soldier. "Reven, Stein, and Akora. You'll accompany Marcus on his spying mission."

"Yes, General!" The three dragons saluted in unison. Marcus glanced back at them, then quickly faced the General and saluted as well.

There we go. Grail grinned. A full set of poison, wind, shadow and fear.

The General cleared his throat and yelled, "The four of you have your mission. Now off with you!"

"Yes, Sir!" The four dragons declared. They reached into their satchels and produced small purple gems. They charged the gems with dark energy and tossed them at the ground, where small geysers emerged. The foursome charged through the energy and vanished from sight.

With any luck, we'll fine some useful information.

"Now, that just leaves the rest of you." Grail addressed the remaining twelve dragons. "We shall inspect the inner rim of the city for secret tunnels. The last thing we need is an opportunity for the light dragons to retake the Dragon Spire."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers saluted again. Grail never got tired of seeing that. In all his years as the general of the black king's army, nothing gave him more confidence than seeing a line of well-oiled war machines ready to fight for honor and glory.

Grail led his squadron down the eastern rode, and marched in a counter-clockwise pattern around the inner rim. When he came to a connecting minor rode, he'd send a pair of his soldiers to fly through and inspect the buildings that faced the Dragon Spire. Each soldier was assigned a partner, and the pair had control of at least six crepsculi thanks to their convexity crystals. All dark dragons were told to stick together; if any soldier's partner suddenly disappeared or went silent, they were to use their convexity crystals to alert the whole squadron. Light dragons still outnumbered them by at least twenty to one; every loss of a soldier was a heavy one.

Eventually, Grail found himself alone with a pair of wind dragons. They summoned no less than a dozen crepsculi, all snarling and darting their beady little eyes this way and that.

They're hideous beasts, but they're perfect for sniffing out light. Grail smirked.

Grail led the way towards a set of stables that were situated across from the gardens beside the Dragon Spire. This was where iron carriages were maintained in case provisions needed to be sent to the walls of the city. Only a few carriages were currently parked for maintenance, with four wind dragons hurriedly scrubbing away. As Grail passed by, the dragons stopped what they were doing and saluted him. He scanned their faces for a moment and snorted. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary...

And that's when Grail saw HIM at the very end of the stall. A rotund dragon that SOMEHOW had the right to wear the same dark robes as any other Deep Shadow. He was carefully clearing out the spare parts from within the carriage for some reason.

Grail approached from behind and snorted. "...Hello, Aegis."

Aegis seemed to be on edge, as he nearly leaped out of his scales. The dark-brown dragon spun around, using his telekinesis to lift up several large boxes. But when Aegis saw Grail's face, he gasped and put the boxes down.

"Oh, Good evening Grail." Aegis said as he scratched the back of his head with a wing-thumb. "Didn't realized you were out patrolling at this hour."

"Of course I am, fool." Grail snorted again. "I always have to keep an eye out for... enemies."

"Ah, right, right..." Aegis stood up and straightened himself out. Aegis was fatter, but still just as tall as the General. Aegis nervously scratched his unsightly beard and wiped the thick rat's nest of a mane out of his eyes.

What was Bane thinking? Grail snarled internally. It was one thing to use this fat tub and his family as test subjects for his transformation ritual... but to elect Aegis AND his wife to the role of Deep Shadow?! What had they done to deserve that right? How did one act of service to the king measure up against years of loyalty?!

"...Uh, General?" Aegis asked dubiously. "Why are you staring like that?"

"What are you doing in Warfang, messing about with one of the carriages of all things?!" Grail demanded. "Weren't you with Albanion's group searching for the prince?!"

"Calm down, Grail." Aegis said uneasily. "The three of us arrived in Warfang a few nights ago."

"Oh, Really?" The General asked sarcastically as he narrow his eye. "I never received word of their return."

"That is because, my General, I take orders directly from Albanion." Aegis stretched out his one wing. "And Albanion decided that we would take a few days to gain our strength before continuing with our mission."

Ah, of course. More of the disjointed hierarchy of the Deep Shadows. Grail internally snarled. I am of equal rank as a crippled old far, and I take orders from a dragon half my age. I should be the leader of the Deep Shadows, not that emotionless salve-maker!

"And as you can see, Grail..." Aegis motioned towards the carriage. "I am sprucing up this carriage for use on our travels, since our old one was lost in Glenhaven."

"You lost a carriage?!" Grail snapped. "Those things were precious recourses, Aegis! I pray to Lady Cynder that you didn't leave behind vital information those desert-dwellers can use against us!"

"C-Calm your bones, my General." Aegis said, trying to hide a stammer. "The king already knows about what happened down there and planned accordingly."

Grail sneered. Loyal as he was to the bloodline, he hated it when the young king made decisions without at least consulting him. Nothing was like this when Urobos was king...

"General, you're staring again." Aegis said with a concerned face. "Do you need to sit down?"

"Hmm?" Grail's eye widened. He shielded himself with a wing. Why did he let himself trail off so much?

"I'm as healthy as an ox, thank you very much." Grail spat. "Just... Don't you DARE make any more mistakes wherever you're headed next. The Eternal Night is almost upon us. There's no telling what will happen to a dragon like... you."

"Well..." Aegis grimaced. "Thank you for your, uh... concern, Grail."

Grail snorted yet again. He turned around to leave, only to be stopped by Aegis's next question.

"How is your grandson Chalice doing?" Aegis fluttered his wing. "Has he gotten over that cold yet?"

Grail came to a stop, his eye widening partially. He had been so caught up in his service to patrol the city that he'd neglected to think about Chalice. At only twelve years old, the boy was Grail's only remaining family after the attack on The Hive. It was hard raising a grandson while leading an army.

"...The boy is fine." Grail said, shutting his eye. "Once he recovered, he was put in the fortress to rest with the other younglings."

"Ah... Right, of course." Aegis sighed. "I had almost forgotten about that step of the plan."

"It's quite unfortunate that your wife decided to bring your daughter with her to search for prince Cyrus." Grail said as he turned back around. "Your little Tina might soon be the only youngling to remember the harsh world that the dark dragons have liven in for years. Of course..." Grail glared. "It's quite a coincidence that your whole family left The Nexus a month prior to the king enacting his plans."

"Yes. Quite." Aegis gave an awkward cough and looked away. "A coincidence."

"I'm done here." Grail turned to walk away, signaling for his soldiers to follow. "Good luck in your endeavors, Aegis. And always watch your back."

"Um... Goodbye, General." Aegis replied nervously. "And I'll, uh, keep that advice in mind."

Bloody artificial "dark" dragon, Grail snarled. I can't believe I'll have to live with many more of them soon.

The General continued on into the rainy night. He had so many more streets to inspect...

~~...~~

Getting out of Warfang undetected proved to be rather tricky.

From what Rune could understand, the Deep Shadows couldn't use their crystals to teleport because the convexity was tied to directly to the black king; he'd sense them using it to leave and be after them in a heartbeat. And neither Albanion nor Elza wanted to deal with the stress of answering too many questions if any civilians saw them.

Rune spent most of the trip hiding inside Albanion and Elza's shadows. One would fly off ahead a short distance, and then the other would coordinate a quick shadow-jump for Rune to teleport across the way. He'd only emerge just long enough to get a quick gulp of air. He didn't need it, but it still felt therapeutic.

It was quite a strange feeling, stepping in and out of shadows all the time. Rune could just barely keep up with Albanion and Elza as they flew or dashed across buildings. The constant barrage of rain didn't help at all. Several times when Rune emerged from a shadow, his muzzles twitched and he sneezed. It grew worried that he was going to catch a cold.

I wonder what the Chronicler is thinking right now, now that I'm going AWAY from the Well of Souls... Rune sighed. I should turn back and find my way north... but then I'd be alone...

Rune kept following the Deep Shadows until they arrived at the edge of the southern wall. Aegis was waiting by an opening in the wall. The burly drake had prepared an iron carriage just beyond the opening.

"All according to plan..." Albanion sighed in relief.

Rune emerged from a shadow once Albanion and Elza came to a landing. Immediately the cold air of the night bombarded his scales, making him shiver allover. Aegis was startled at first, but then took a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Prince Rune." Aegis chuckled nervously. "I wasn't aware you knew how to shadow-jump."

"I just learned how to do it." Rune shrugged. He sneezed and wrinkled his nostrils. Though the strange sensation of floating in the void was gone, the feeling that he'll get sick was even more disheartening.

Albanion stepped up to Aegis and patted him on the shoulder. "Were you followed?"

"For the most part, no." The burly drake said. "But I fear that General Grail might suspect me of something. That drake has never liked me."

"Don't worry; it's rare for the cyclops to like anyone." Elza snickered.

"Even so, we must make haste." Albanion quickly grabbed the side door. "Hurry, my prince; get inside."

"Alright..." Rune hopped up the steps into the carriage, his tail striking the door in his hurry. He grabbed his tail with a wince as he sat down; he should've been more careful.

As the youngling tended to his bruise, Elza stepped in after him. She looked over him with concern. "Are you alright, Rune?"

"I'm fine..." Rune said, though he winced again as he sat on his haunches. He shivered again and folded his wings over his body.

Elza looked down at him in concern. After she closed the carriage door, she sat down by Rune's side. She outstretched a wing, offering it to Rune as a blanket. Rune gently grasped her wing and held it around his back.

"Th-Thank you, Aunt Elza." He said.

"You're very welcome, little one. " She smiled.

Rune heard Albanion sit in the rider's seat beside Aegis at the front of the carriage. As the wheels started turning, the carriage shook and bumped on its way. Rune had to struggle to keep from being tossed from side to side.

Elza looked at him and lightly chuckled. "Have you rode in many carriages during your time in Glenhaven, Rune?"

"Not really." Rune fluttered his wings. "I usually just... flew around, you know?"

"True, but I doubt anyone would have the patience to fly in a storm like this." Elza pulled down the window to look outside. Rune saw the carriage rapidly emerging through the hole in the wall of Warfang. Once it was outside, loud thumps rang out as Aegis climbed up to the roof of the carriage. There was a flash of green magic, and tons of debris lifted up from the ground and quickly covered the hole in the wall. Rune gasped as the wall was repaired in seconds.

"Wow!" He exclaimed.

"You didn't think we'd leave a hole in the wall, did you?" Elza asked. "We couldn't give the Aeroshard forces an opportunity to sneak inside."

"Right..." Rune looked away, becoming uneasy again.

Elza frowned. "What's wrong, my prince?"

"Aunt Elza..." Rune looked up at her. "Do you approve of what my father did to Warfang and its dragons?"

Elza's eyes widened, and then her features drooped. "My prince... It's a little hard for me to say..."

"Why is that?" Rune asked. "It's just a simple yes or no."

"Rune, the dark dragons had a lot taken away from them because of the war." She said. "We were betrayed by the few light dragons we thought were our friends... The king wants to take back what's ours."

"So it's okay to hurt countless innocent people?" Rune demanded.

"I didn't say that, Rune." Elza sighed. "What your father is doing... it's all an act of vengeance. Paying an eye for an eye. And a lot of the king's followers have the same idea."

"But, then that's just doing what the Order did to us." Rune said. He angrily gripped down on Elza's wing. She winced and pulled his wing away, making him gasped and looked down. "Uh, sorry about that."

"It's okay..." Elza flapped her wing a few times before draping it over his back again. "And I suppose you're right about your father's actions. You're very smart for a thirteen year old boy."

"If what father is doing is wrong, then why don't any of you stop him?" Rune flapped his wings. "He's going to hurt so many dragons!"

Elza's ear frills drooped. "It's complicated, Rune. Even if we'd be doing the right thing, other Deep Shadows may perceive it as treason. It could incite a power struggle between the factions serving under the king." The dragoness nervously wracked her talons against the floor. "And that's the last thing any dark dragon would need with Aeroshard sitting on Warfang's doorstep."

"But..." Rune bit his lower lip. "Surely there's a way for the dark and light dragons to find a middle ground to discuss things..."

Elza shook her head. "Listen, my prince. Just because something might be the right thing to do, that doesn't make it a smart thing to do. For better or worse, the dark dragons have taken Warfang. Things cannot be repaired just by trying to sit and talk. You'll understand this better someday."

"Alright, Aunt Elza..." Rune said with his head facing the floor. He didn't want to believe what she said, but he couldn't help but fear the worst.

I'm in way over my head, aren't I?

~~...~~

"I just still can't believe it, sir." Voden said with a frown.

He and Jules were walking around the northern side of the camp. They had spent the better part of the day speaking with some of Saul's soldiers. Many of them had never met a Guardian up close before, and were enthralled to hear Jules' stories. Jules recounted some of his days serving as Elder Telus's apprentice in combat, while Voden explained the intricacies of studying to become as knowledgeable as the fabled Guardian Volteer. Jules new the stories were a bit of a snore, even if the soldiers put on the show of being entertained.

Once the war-stories were finished up, Jules and Voden were invited to patrol about the camp grounds as some of the soldiers did their rounds. Not wanting to just stand around all day, Jules and Voden "happily" obliged. And here they were, walking here and there around the edge of camp. It was a rare moment when the soldiers left the two Guardians alone. They finally had time to speak on more personal matters.

"What are you talking about, Voden?" Jules asked, having been distracted from looking at the sky.

"Warfang... taken by Dark dragons." Voden shook his head and sighed.

"Well, there's the proof of the matter." Jules said as he pointed a gauntlet towards the storm-clouds over the city. "Magical clouds summoned by the black king. It's as clear as day, ironically."

"I know that." The scholar snorted. "It's just that Warfang was once the most sacred city for the dark dragons. I remember Nerona telling me about how she had family there once."

"Ah... Her." Jules grunted. He recalled the story Voden and Seraph told him about the elusive assailant. "That dragoness is more proof of the matter, this time how dragons can change drastically. Perhaps even an entire sub-race can chance their tune on how precious a city is."

Voden became uneasy. He glanced away, nibbling his lower lip, before looking back. "She used to be such a friendly dragoness... But I guess that war did terrible things to people."

"Aye..." Jules nodded. "Some for the better, some for the worse."

The two Guardians came to a stop by a vacant tent near the northeastern edge of the camp. They looked up at the sky as storm-clouds started forming on the horizon, independent of the ones over Warfang. Jules grimaced at the sight. As if the outskirts needed any more rain. Jules took off one of his gauntlets and stretched out his forepaw. He had it on for so long that it was starting to itch.

"So, Captain..." Voden said quietly. "What do you make of Commander Saul?"

"I can't stay for sure." Jules said as he wiped his gauntlet down. "He's extended family on my wife's side. He's also in charge of retaking Warfang. But I can't say I know him personally."

"Did he make any impression on you?" The scholar turned to look at Jules. "What do you think of him as a dragon?"

"Excuse me, Voden?" Jules turned towards the scholar and raised an eye ridge. "As far as I'm concerned, Saul is someone who exists. I've had minimal interaction with him, and I'll likely rarely speak with him again once this whole mess has been dealt with."

"So, you're just going to brush this whole encounter under the rug? Why, Sir?"

"It's not like I have any grudges or ulterior motives, Voden." Jules shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe an event will happen in the near future that will have me communicated with the Commander on a more personal level. But until that happens, I'm content with Saul and I mutually respecting one another."

"Well, I can't claim to know the future..." Voden stretched out his back. "My goodness, we've been walking for quite a while. I think I'd rather go have a nice sit down somewhere nearby. Care to join me, Captain?"

"No, it's fine." Jules straightened up. "This back of mine was made for marching and standing for hours on end."

Voden chuckled and walked away. "Suit yourself, Captain. I'll see you at dinner."

Jules grunted in response and turned to resume looking at the stars.

For the first time in a long while, he was alone. The Captain fanned out his wings, letting the hustle and bustle of the camp die down. He tilted his eyes downwards to look at the surrounding outskirts. He felt a fire of anger growing in his belly the longer he stood there.

Blast it all, Emerald. Jules sneered. Letting yourself run off on some insane "adventure" with the prince of the dark dragons... Jules started to growl, but forcibly stopped himself. No, we didn't know that about Rune before this whole mess. Clearly you still think highly of your friend if you'd want to help him accomplish... whatever it is he wants. But I can't believe you'd endanger yourself like this! When I find you, I'm gonna... I'm gonna...

Jules felt water running down the side of his cheek. And it wasn't the rain.

The captain took a step back, struggling to compose himself.

Blast it all, Jules. He snarled at himself. You are a soldier! You are a CAPTAIN! You may not be an earth dragon, but your mettle is stronger than any rock! You can't let yourself succumb to... worry...

Jules took a few steps back, clutching his face. He closed his eyes tight, trying in vain to fight the tears. As Jules thought about Emerald and her friends, he began to think of what sort of predicament they'd found themselves in. Maybe they were surrounded by hordes of nightmarish creatures. An eerie, siren-like noise filled the air. The younglings were stranded in an ever-thickening red fog. He could almost see their faces frozen in horror as they had no hope of escape. Jules's breathing became erratic. He raced as fast as he could to get to the children, his forepaws reaching out to them.

"Daddy, help us!" Emerald shrieked. "Save us, PLEASE!"

I've got to... rescue... the children! Jules howled as he raced towards them.

But no matter how close he ran, the children always stayed beyond his reach. He tried to spread his wings to fly, but his back was too heavy. He was weighted down by an endless stream of failures. While Jules he could only watch at the creatures overtook the children, clawing and grasping their limbs to drag them away.

No! Jules shouted. Emerald, I'm COMING!

As Jules ran forwards, he heard several hissed and shouts behind him. Jules came to a stop and turned to look back. Hontus, Voden and Seraph were standing behind him, along with Telus and Mimet. Their faces were blurred, save for their glares of disdain.

What are you all doing?! Jules exclaimed. Help me save the children!

"And why should we lit a talon to help you?" Hontus demanded. "You're the Captain, Jules! It should be YOUR responsibility to ensure the safety of the younglings."

What?! Jules was taken aback. But... But they're YOUR children too!

"As Captain, YOU are were in charge of rescuing them!" Voden spat. "If you can't accomplish the task, why are you even HERE?!"

You... You can't be serious... Jules stepped back fearfully as the other Guardians descended on them. He could still her the shrieks of the children, and the siren-like wail.

"The children are DYING." Telus snarled, his glare piercing right through Jules's spirit. "They have fallen prey to the dark dragons, because of YOU.

Elder Telus, wait! Jules howled. I did all that I could!

"You're a disgrace to the Guardians, and your father's legacy." Telus snarled. "Get out of my sight, and go back to smoking your precious pipe!"

Jules's entire being shook in fear. His heart beat like a drum. Telus and the Guardians circled around him, all of them chanting in unison.

"Disgrace, Disgrace, Disgrace..."

No... Jules bent his head low and wrapped his tail about his legs. His armor had vanished, leaving him alone atop a pile of broken pipes. Telus and the Guardians faded away along with the sounds of the children. He was left stranded with nothing but the sound of the siren-like wail...

Which he suddenly realized was coming from BEHIND him. Droplets of water splattered on Jules's face, rolling down his armor and onto his paws.

Wait a minute... Jules opened his eyes, finding himself stranded in the outskirts again. It was still raining, but the red fog was still there. Jules growled a bit. When had he ever doubted himself THAT MUCH? And just where was that wailing coming from?

It took the sounds of quiet steps to alert Jules to the presence behind him. As the Captain spun around, he noticed four pairs of eyes hiding in the darkness of the night. The closest pair had a wide-open maw, out of which came the insidious wailing noise.

Jules's eye twitched. He leaped back, spreading his limbs out. It was fear magic!

"Dark dragons!" he hissed.

The captain's shout was met with a twirling cyclone from one the second-closest dragon. Jules leaped back and squinted as more wind-elemental attacks crashed against his body. When he recovered, he saw the four dragons leaping through the air, all of them preparing their own elemental energy. They slammed down on the ground in a semi-circle around Jules, all of their bodies brimming with magic.

Without another word, Jules jumped backwards and took a deep breath. He reached within himself and summoned forth his lightning. The captain spread his limbs out in an attack formation. His entire body hissed and crackled as lightning danced across his scales and armor.

The wind dragon once again unleashed a furious flurry of cyclones in the captain's direction. Jules conjured an arc of lightning in his maw. He opened his maw just enough to unleash a single stream of electricity forwards. With but his will and a slight turn of his head, he bent the lightning this way and that to strike through the smaller cyclones.

The fear dragon flew around the side and tried to strike Jules with his wail again. The captain used his whip to grapple the dragon's muzzle, forcing him to swallow the wail before slamming him into the ground. The dragon twitched and thrashed as his eyes clouded over with red fog.

"Reven!" One of the assailants shouted before snarling at Jules.

That must be one of their names. Jules decided.

While Jules was distracted, the shadow dragon emerged from beneath him in a pool of darkness. The captain was knocked off his feet, but he didn't lose his grip on the electro-whip. The shadow drake vanished in his pool, only to emerge again by Jules's side to claw at his thigh. Jules merely leaned back and kicked the dragon HARD in the chest with a hind leg.

As that went on, the poison dragon leaped across the way to slash at Jules's neck. The captain jumped to the side, his armor taking the brunt of the attack. Jules twirled about, swinging his electro-whip around in a wide arc. The poison dragon was knocked onto his side, but the others managed to fly out of the way.

The shadow dragon sent his forepaws through a pool to grab at Jules's hind-paws from a considerable distance away. As Jules struggled to shake free, the wind and poison dragons went for his wings. Jules had to dissipate his electro-whip so he could launch lightning-bolts towards his attackers. Once they were forced back, Jules finally managed to kick his hind-paws free and pull himself out of the pool of darkness.

It was at this time that the fear dragon finally recovered from his own wail. He hissed and snarled at Jules, though didn't make a run for him. Instead, he filled his talons with dark red energy, making them glow. The wind and shadow dragons got the same idea, while the poison dragon hung in the back.

I can't keep fighting a four-on-one fight forever, Jules snarled. There's only one way to handle this...

Every fiber of Jules's being was filled with elemental power. He dug all of his talons deep into the dirt. He took in the deepest breath he could as the energy reached its boiling point. The three dragons came charging forwards, ready to sink their fangs into his sides. All at once, Jules let the power run free.

There was a massive flash of yellow light all throughout the camp as Jules unleashed his Fury. A massive burst of lightning flew into the air in the blink of an eye, which immediately rained down as countless smaller bolts. Jules heard his opponents scream as they were bombarded with elemental energy.

And in an instant, the fury was gone. The battleground had loose sparks running along it before they all died away. Three of the dark dragons were collapsed on the ground, twitching and moaning as lightning danced wildly across their bodies.

That should be enough to take the fight out of them, Jules sighed. Nearly took the fight out of myself by doing that.

And so it was down to just two: Jules, and the lone poison dragon. Both were panting from the stress of battle, their armor dented and stained. Jules could feel himself growing tired; he had little magical energy left to fight. But Jules's opponent was much worse for wear; he could barely stand up without collapsing back onto the ground with a twitch. The dragon's eyes were filled with desperation as he glanced around at his allies.

This battle is already over, Jules decided. He took a deep breath and straightened himself out.

"This doesn't have to end in any more violence." Jules said, taking a slow step forwards.

"What are you getting at?!" The dragon snarled, once again failing to get up.

"I mean you and your allies have been defeated." Jules motioned with a wing towards the others. "Lay down and surrender yourself, and you will not be harmed any further."

"Do you take me for a fool?" The dragon snarled, barely managing to stand up. "Light dragons never take prisoners."

Judging by the way the dark dragon was limping on his hind-paw, he was liable to collapse again. But he hobbled forwards anyway, wincing and snarling in pain with each step. Jules frowned and stepped out of the way as his "opponent" pathetically collapsed while trying to swipe at him. Jules couldn't help but feel pity for the young fool. The captain stepped forwards and placed a forepaw on his opponent's back. The young drake tried to wrestle free, but could only glare up in anger at Jules.

"You're in no condition to fight." Jules said, looking the dragon in the eyes. "You and your companions are in need of medical attention. As long as you surrender peacefully, you will all be provided the necessary care."

The dragon glanced over at his companions once again. His expression weakened, and he sighed in defeat.

"I give in." The dragon sighed. "As the only active member out of my squadron, I surrender."

"Very well." Jules backed up to let the dragon stand.

It was at this time when Voden finally arrived with at least half a dozen of the Commander's soldiers. The soldiers quickly scrambled to surround the dark dragons, their muzzles filled with snarls and crackling magic.

"My goodness, what happened?!" Voden exclaimed. "We heard and saw the fury!"

"What are dark dragons doing here?!" One of the fire dragons hissed.

"Hold your fire." Jules said to them. "These dragons have surrendered."

"What?!" The nearest soldier exclaimed. "Surely you can't be serious!"

"I speak the truth." Jules insisted. He pointed a talon at the young dark dragon. "I'd advise that you restrain this one and bring him to your Commander for questioning."

The soldiers exchanged glances. One of them shrugged and produced a series of chains and a magic-negating muzzle strap. Jules observed that the soldier almost gleefully locked the dark dragon in chains.

"What do we about the rest of them?" Another soldier asked as he looked into the eyes of one of the dark dragons. "Are they dead?"

Jules grimaced at the action, but said nothing. "Give them medical attention."

"We're supposed to just make them better?!" The soldier argued. "Why would we want to do that?!"

"Because there's a chance that some of these dragons might know something about the black king's plans." Jules said.

"But where are we supposed to put them?"

"Don't you have a brig on standby?!" Jules demanded. "Find a place to detain the prisoners. But again, none are to be physically harmed in any way as long as they're held captive."

"And why should we do what you say?" The soldier snapped. "You're not our commanding officer!"

"But he IS a Guardian." Another soldier said. "And a CAPTAIN at that. We would be wise to listen to him."

Jules nodded in satisfaction. He didn't expect to have to throw his rank around on this journey, but at least things weren't going south too fast. He watched as the downed dark dragons were picked up one by one and put into shackles. The earth dragons used their increased strength to carry the three prisoners on their backs. Jules followed them from behind, while Voden stepped to his side.

"My goodness, what a turn of events." Voden grimaced. "I hope you didn't wound the outskirts too badly with that lightning, captain."

"Aye." Jules snorted. He turned towards the poison dragon and stared. "Before we move on, I just have one question for you: What is your name, boy?"

The dark dragon glared back silently for a moment, but then sighed.

"Marcus." He said quietly. "My name is Marcus."

~~...~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

Once again, I have to say I'm sorry for being later. But at the very least, I still managed to post a chapter on the correct date. One possible idea would be to take some time to write a bunch of chapters in bulk... but to be honest, I just don't work that way. I'm always second-guessing myself on what scene goes where, and if I can fit everything into a decent chapter length or if I'll have to split it and add more scenes.

But hey, there's only one chapter left in Act 2, and then things go south. Will Rune find a deus ex machina to get himself back on track to reunite with his friends? What will the Guardians do now that Jules has captured dark dragon spies? Tune in next time to find out!

Tenebra ecce Veritas.