Temple Academy

Chapter 36

Arcanel cursed and snapped at the three Dragon Elders. Lost beyond the threshold of sanity, he had become nothing more than the Stigma's puppet. Struggling against the bonds that tied him down to the bed posts, he thrashed about like a trapped, wounded animal. His violet eyes narrowed. Foam poured from the corners of his mouth.

"What should we do with him now?" Cyril asked.

"First, we must inject him with the Dragon Bane," Terrador replied. "If the medicine does nothing to cure him, we have no choice but to perform surgery."

"What if we were to wish away the blasted parasite?"

Terrador shook his head. "Wishing isn't going to help. In fact, it won't work."

"Not unless we give it a try!"

"It's pointless Cyril," Volteer said softly. "It's only logical that wishing won't cure Arcanel."

"To hell with your logic! We will give it a shot anyway." Turning to the young dragon, the Ice Guardian concentrated. He narrowed his powerful sapphire eyes and stared at the struggling dragon. "Arcanel, I wish for the Stigma was gone from your body. Forever."

Nothing happened. There was no purple cloud, no action, or movement.

"I wish the Stigma disappeared from Arcanel's body."

Still, there was no reaction.

"Stop it, Cyril," Terrador growled. "Wishing isn't the solution. We must go through with this, as much as it pains us."

"I know that," Cyril snapped. "Dragon Bane and surgery are horrible options."

"Trust me. This is just as hard for me as it is to you or Volteer. But if we don't do this now, Arcanel will die."

"Fine…Give him the Dragon Bane, but a small dose."

Terrador nodded quietly. He understood Cyril's concern for his students as headmaster. However, his emotions blinded his judgment sometimes, but it pained the Earth Guardian to see one of the students in agony. Reaching into a leather satchel he had brought in from his room, he pulled out a small flask filled with dark green liquid. Small crystalline chunks floated inside the liquid as he held the bottle in one paw.

Slowly, the earth dragon approached Arcanel. Ignoring their conversation, the young wish-granting dragon struggled. The poor thing was under so much influence that Terrador wondered if the Dragon Bane would actually cure him. The concoction was very potent and effective, but the side effects yielded harsh consequences. Still, it had to be given.

"Hold him steady," he ordered. Nodding, Cyril and Volteer moved forward grabbing Arcanel by the paws and head.

"Stop! Stop!" Arcanel screamed, starting to panic flailing his limbs about like a person drowning. "What are doing to me?"

"Giving you your medicine," Terrador replied. "It will remedy your illness."

"What? No, it isn't. You're trying to kill me!"

"We are not."

"Yes, yes you are!"

"Just relax, Arcanel. It will be over soon."

Removing the cork with an audible pop, Terrador knelt down, pried open Arcanel's mouth, and poured the liquid into Arcanel's mouth. Tipping the flask, he forced Arcanel to swallow the medicine. Gulp by gulp, Arcanel swallowed the liquid against his will. Arcanel tried to spit out the liquid, but more and more of it flowed down his throat. His thrashing slowly lessened, his screams ebbed down to muffles and whimpers, and his body started to relax. As Terrador pulled the flask away, he reeled back and corked the bottle. Half of the flask was left, but the elixir seemed to work its magic.

Arcanel stopped his wild movements and his curses. Now…the young silver dragon lay there on his back with a dazed look on his face. As his eyes drooped, he gave a small yawn and fell into a deep slumber. His skin flakes still covered his bone white body and the bed linens. His skin twitched now and again from pain. His body turned a couple times. From what Terrador observed, the Dragon bane would take some time to work. He worried about what effects the medicine would place on his body and his mind.

Terrador wasn't certain what would happen now.

"What must we do now?" Cyril asked. "The Dragon Bane appears to be working."

"Now, we wait and care for him," Terrador replied. "One of the side effects of the Dragon Bane is a prolonged period of sleep. That means that Arcanel won't wake up for days, weeks, or even months."

"What? But he will fall behind in his classes. And the semester will end in three weeks," Cyril said. "What if he never wakes up from this sleep?"

"Only time will tell. For now, we must check on him daily to make sure he is fine. For now, he lies in the talons of fate."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the morning hours began to melt away, the students prepared for the Talent Show. Some of them talked about the upcoming acts while decorating the Grand Chambers. Other students complained loudly about not receiving a spot in the show, but they willingly helped to clean the stage and set the curtains. Those who were in the show practiced their acts constantly with excitement and nervousness.

Spyro couldn't blame them. Anyone would want to put on the best show possible. Performing acts of entertainment seemed exhilarating, but his responsibilities as a warrior and a savior proved to be enough fun for him. He didn't want any more trouble than he could handle.

Spyro sat on his haunches and waited patiently for the show to begin. He didn't want to miss out on any of the performances, especially Cynder's. The black dragoness had some uncanny talent he didn't know about, and he was eager to see it. But Cynder kept the talent hidden from him since the auditions. She refused to tell or show him. Whatever it was, it had to be unique.

Shifting in place a bit, he squinted at the circular stone clock. Hanging by a short metal chain like a pocket watch, it swayed above the stage. Even though the clock's display had been caked with dust, he could still read the time. It was two thirty.

"Almost time for the show to go on," Sivu said.

Spyro looked started for a moment. He had forgotten the Leo Astrolo dragon was even there.

"Yeah…When does it start?" he asked.

"Six o'clock."

"That's still a long time to wait."

The lion dragon shrugged and chuckled. "Big deal. The Talent Show will come quicker than the Dark Master. You just have to learn some patience, Spyro."

"I know."

One of the doors to Grand Chamber opened. Digit walked down the row of stone seats, carrying a strange device. It was a wooden box. A hand crank jutted from one side of the box. A thin metal tube with a glass lens on the tip projected from the front, and by the look of elation on the earth dragon's face, he had perfected the contraption. Spyro considered asking Digit about the device, but he remained still and continued to wait for the show to start.

To occupy his time, the purple dragon told Sivu about the epic battles he fought. He told these stories with such vigor and emotion that the Leo Astrolo dragon only nodded. It soothed him that he could pour out his life story and his struggles through life. Somehow, someone could relate to all the agony he endured, all the killing he did, and the traveling he did. Finished with his tales, Spyro fell silent. Then, Sivu told about his life.

What surprised Spyro the most was the similarities he and Sivu had. The lion dragon had been orphaned as an egg and raised by foster parents who were sand cats. He even had a kid foster brother that he grew up with in the desert. However, Sivu didn't fight evils like apes when he was younger. The evil creatures he fought were sandworms, crawlers, and scavengers. They sounded deadly as the apes the way Sivu described them.

After Sivu had finished his story, both dragons fell silent. The only sound that echoed through the Grand Chamber was the plip-plop of dripping water and their breathing. But the silence was interrupted by the creak of the stone doors to the Grand Chamber. Turning to the sound, Spyro saw students entering the chamber. Then he swiveled his head to stare at the clock.

"It's time already?" Spyro asked.

"Seems so, my friend," Sivu said, grinning. "Time flies by when you have a long, interesting chat."

"That was quick."

"Yep." Chuckling, Sivu rose to his feet and trotted up to the stage. "Enjoy the show, Spyro. You'll get a kick out of it."

XXXXXXXXX

The Talent Show was a success. Spyro thought it would last much longer, but with only eight performances, the special event ended quickly. He sat through the entire grand show, noticing how the students cheered and whistled and applauded. There were even flashes of white light in the darkness where Digit was sitting. He clapped his paws at the performances, but he saved his excitement for the performance Cynder would give. Suspense wormed its way through his young body as he watched one performance after another.

Shimmer was the first to perform onstage. The light dragoness seemed to hold the audience in awe as she sang three songs. Her voice was sweet and pleasing. Spyro almost found himself falling asleep, but he bit his tongue and pinched himself to stay awake. He continued to listen to the lullabies, feeling all the love, sorrow, and pain. Try as he might to hold back the tears, the young dragon cried silently, thinking of his father Ignitus. If only he were still here, Spyro sighed ruefully.

Once Shimmer had finished her routine, she bowed and left the stage. Lupe came onto the stage next with a big grin on his face. Changing from his normal tone to a gold hue, the dragon launched into a series of odd comedy routines, doing voice impersonations of the Dragon Elders, slapstick routines, and knock-knock jokes. Ember, two dragonesses, a dragon, and Jinx soon performed their routines after him, waiting for the crowd to quiet down. And when Jinx performed an act of juggling and ring-tossing, Digit cheered louder than anyone and held up his invention, shooting white flashes of light while turning the hand crank.

"Go Jinx!" Digit cheered, earning him a couple glares.

Spyro chuckled at that, enjoying himself.

When it finally was Cynder's turn to perform, Spyro leaned forward in his seat. Gripping the arm rests, he fastened his eyes to the Grand Chamber's stage. Whatever she had planned for the show, he knew it would be the best. Cynder had many talents, and this one was one worth seeing.

Spyro waited for an agonizing ten minutes until a dark figure padded onto stage. Standing in the crystalline light, which outlined her body, Cynder gazed out at the waiting crowd. Her emerald eyes sparkled, and suddenly, her body twisted, turned, and rolled in a strange alluring dance. Her wings followed her movements, rising and falling in time.

Spyro wasn't sure if it was an actual dance or something else, but it captured everyone's interest. As her legs shuffled, her wings folded and unfolded. Most of the dance consisted of twirls, turns, rolls, and flips. However, when she launched herself into like a rocket, she opened her mouth and shot out orbs of blue sparkles. As she moved about, the sparkles rained onto the stage and fizzled and crackled. This is new, Spyro thought. She seemed pleased with herself. Spyro had never seen her happy before. The simple fact alone made Spyro smile and his heart flutter. She deserved to be happier anyway.

Once she finished her performance, Cynder waited for applause. There was a considerable moment of silence. Some students were wide-eyed or agape. Others couldn't find the words or gestures to respond. However, Spyro knew exactly now. Lifting his forepaws his over his head, he began to clap. Craning her head to look at him, Cynder smiled. Even though he was the only one clapping at that moment, she didn't mind. She took a bow. After minutes of silence, the entire crowd erupted in a raucous cheering. Cynder blushed as the noise reached her and bowed a couple times. Her eyes locked on Spyro's, shining with affection.

"Thank you, my love," she mouthed.

"You're welcome," he said, blowing a kiss and grinning.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. More to come. I'll make sure to keep the POV between Spyro, Cynder, and Digit.

Digit, Nubia, Lupe, Faerie, and Arcanel belong to me. Spyro, Cynder, Ember, Flame, and the Dragon Elders belong to their creators. Shimmer and Midnight and Sivu belong to Midnight the Dragon.