Chapter 51. "Furious magic"

Vixen opened her eyes slowly to see the irregular ceiling of the cave. She watched it carefully. "Did I expect to see anything else?" She wondered. The black dragoness looked around, but through the entrance to her "room"- cave's branching off long for four meters- she saw no one else. The dragoness yawned deeply and tried to sleep again, when she felt smoke. This disturbed her. She stood up, though very reluctantly, and stretched up slowly, straightening her wings and legs. The dragoness headed to the entrance of the cave with sleepy, uncertain step. She stood at its entrance and yawned deeply, opening her jaws widely.

"Oh, there you are, sleeping princess." Sable noticed, smiling cheerfully.

"Princess. Very funny." She repeated, smiling ironically and she turned her eyes on the east, looking for the sun.

"It's a midday already." Her brother informed her. The black dragoness focused back on Sable and other dragons sitting at the fireplace. Everyone was already there, Dante and Tris warming their scales on warm sunlight, Sable, Viola, Stella, Cynder, Tremor and Candice sitting around the plans of Celeste Tribu and discussing their strategy of the attack. Zheek and Farady were swimming in the narrow river and Ivory sat on its shore, watching the crystal clear water carefully, most likely lost in her thoughts or playing with magic.

"Midday, you say?" Vixen asked skeptically. She toddled to her brother, laid her head on his shoulder and watched their notes. She yawned deeply again, as if she wanted to expose everyone two rows of those pure white, little sharp daggers called her teeth.

"What were you doing in the night?" Sable asked, watching her carefully.

"I really tried to fall asleep, but someone kept walking in and out the cave so I couldn't sleep." She said, unsure who should she blame. Cynder was the first one to shrug, as if she had no idea who was guilty for that.

"And I thought I had shallow sleep." Tris, hearing the dialogue, noticed.

"And one question more." Vixen watched all dragons carefully. "Who snores in the night so loudly?" The black dragoness watched suspiciously Tremor, but the guardian bravely faced her sight putting a mask of absolutely innocent dragon. Vixen sighed deeply. She closed her eyes and her head fell at Sable's shoulder. After several seconds, there could be heard silent snoring. All the dragons laughed silently.

"Vixen?" Viola called her. There was no reply.

"Vixen." Sable moved his shoulder, waking his sister up rapidly.

"Wh...what?" The black dragoness watched the dragons sitting before the plan with unconscious sight.

"You'd better wake up." Cynder suggested.

"Tell me about it." Vixen muttered. Then, she stood up and walked for several meters from the other dragons in order to stretch up a little more. The dragons returned to the plans, except Tremor, who watched small dragoness turned at them with her back. Then, he grinned, as some idea appeared in his mind. He enclosed to Sable and whispered him something. The lightning dragon smiled, barely stopping himself from bursting out with laugh. The earth guardian took little stone and threw it at Ivory's back. The white dragoness turned at them and then, Sable placed a finger on his lips, singing her that she should remain silent. He pointed at her, then at the stream and later, on Vixen. Ivory shrugged. Both Tremor and Sable sighed deeply and rolled their eyes. Tremor pointed at Ivory again. The white dragoness placed a finger on her chest. The guardian nodded. Then, he pointed his mouth. The medic pointed at him. Both males shook their heads. Sable pointed at her. Ivory placed a finger on her jaws and males nodded with satisfaction. The lightning dragon made a gesture, as if he breathed his element. Ivory jerked her head, watching him strangely. All the dragons, except Vixen of course, already watching silent discussion, giggled silently. Tremor repeated the gesture. Ivory raised her paw and for a second, there glowed an azure magical aura. Both males nodded quickly. Then, Tremor pointed at stream and Sable at his sister. This part was obvious. Ivory opened her jaws widely and nodded her head slowly, as if she wanted say "Oh... " as she realized their plan. Ivory focused for a second, she made a magical barrier, which raised some of water from the river. The magical bowl of water was floating in the air slowly, enclosing to Vixen.

"Sister!" Sable called the black dragoness.

"Huh?" She asked with sleepy voice, as she was turning to them. Then, all the cold water from barrier was poured exactly in her face. And there was very much of it, so it wetted her completely. Vixen gasped deeply, surprised by freezing water and watched the dragons, already laughing, with widely opened eyes.

"For ancestors' sake!" The black dragoness shouted, vexed. She was already awake, watching her companions hatefully.

"Nice shot, Captain." Sable grinned to Ivory, laying on the ground and laughing. The black dragoness took a deep, slow breath, calming down. She smiled bitterly to all of them.

"Yeah, very funny." She said angrily. Then, Zheek stood before her. He was the only dragon who smiled not with amusement, but pity.

"Let's go, we'll gather some wood for the bonfire." He suggested. Cynder smiled slightly. She had to admit that Zheek had perfect timing in that moment. Vixen nodded slightly.

"Yeah, let's go." She agreed and nuzzled the fire breather thankfully for that he was the only one not to laugh. Two dragons quickly disappeared in the forest. Tremor sighed deeply with amusement.

"Candy, let's hunt something, shall we?" He suggested. The ice guardian watched the bonfire carefully. They had run out of all the meat already.

"Mhm." She agreed and both dragons stood up. "We'll be back in an hour or two." Candice promised. Two dragons headed into the forest. Ivory watched them, her eyes locked on Tremor. She felt magic growing in her.

"What's happening to me?" She asked herself. For unknown to her reason, she wanted to follow them, as if some invisible force was pushing her to move. "Stop." She whispered. No effect. "Stop." She repeated. But something in her didn't listen her at all. Ivory sighed deeply.

"I'll take a walk." She informed the others. Then, she stood up and headed to the forest in similar direction as Tremor and Candice, but much slower.

The fire dragoness yawned deeply. It was already the midday, so why was she sleepy? She wondered about it for several seconds. Tris turned her head on her mate, having a nap. Was it just her or was everyone sleepy? The others, not only guardians, Sable and Viola, but even Farady, sitting in circle and discussing the plan looked quite weary as well. "I guess it's this weather." She said to herself, watching the sky. It was gloomy, covered in dark clouds, through which, sun could be barely seen. And it had been so beautiful earlier. She sighed deeply. "You can't have everything, huh?" She muttered. Then, she felt her mate moving. The fire dragoness jerked her head at him and nuzzled him. The poet yawned deeply.

"Good morning, sweetie." Tris greeted her mate, nuzzling him.

"Morning? Isn't it a midday by now?" Dante noticed. The fire dragoness just shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You know, I think that we should talk about something." The poet started. "I am concerned about you." The fire dragoness jerked her head, dumbstruck.

"Concerned, you say?" She asked, honestly surprised.

"Well, I can risk an assumption that saying that putting it mildly, I'm concerned about you, would be belittling the seriousness of this situation." Dante clarified. Or rather, meant to clarify it.

"Ok..." Tris watched her mate carefully. "What concerns you so much?" She asked.

"I'm worried about our baby." The poet said.

"Is there something I don't know?"

"No. But your attitude..." Dante sighed deeply. "Don't you think that you should be more careful about it?" He asked. He had already talked with Sable. The lightning dragon didn't refuse in the first place only because he believed Dante would convince her to quit this idea. "I mean, until now, we've been escaping, fearing about our lives every day. We made it through that battle, even though it wasn't easy. You know how I felt about whole this journey from the very beginning." Tris nodded slightly, perfectly realizing that her mate never liked the idea of her coming there. "And now, they plan to attack Celeste Tribu. I understand them, but do we really need to take part in it? Don't you think that we'll be a ball and chain to them?" Dante noticed.

"What?!" Tris jerked her head rapidly, watching her mate in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"You are pregnant, practically just about to lay an egg." The poet reminded her. "And you willingly put yourself in danger."

"It's not like this!" The fire breather refused. She stood up rapidly and so did her mate.

"It's exactly like this." Dante riposted.

"It's not! I am here to help my friends!" The dragoness was already shouting loudly, ignoring all possible watchers.

"And how can you help them? You're having problems with your magic, don't you?" The earth dragon noticed. He knew that Tris couldn't use her medical spells as well as just several months ago, to put it mildly and he knew that it meant her child would be talented in magic. In fact, all the dragons were surprised that she still could use some of her magic at this stage of pregnancy.

"I know that I practically can't use it already. But still, there are other ways." The fire breather argued and her mate gave her skeptical sight. "Don't glare at me like that! There are!"

"Which are..." Dante was really curious what she would say.

"I can fight. Sable learnt me a lot, you've seen for yourself. Besides, there's still alchemy, it may be very important, if we fall in troubles." Tris enumerated.

"And how would it help us?" The poet asked doubtfully.

"How can I know what situation will we be in?! It can help!"

"I can hardly believe that. Not speaking of your fighting skills." Dante said.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Tris hissed angrily.

"They aren't really... great, you know? The word developed would be exaggeration as well, as I guess." The poet explained. Oh, that vexed the fire dragoness.

"Exaggeration?! Sable has been teaching me for last four years! I know how to fight!" Tris defended her argument. And then, she attacked. "Oh, maybe it's you who feels useless?! Because you're no medic, no one really taught you how to fight and..."

"That's ridiculous! I would..." Dante didn't let her finish the sentence.

"Don't interrupt me!" Tris scolded him.

"And what have you done you egocentric hypocrite?" The poet riposted.

"You did it first, so I had the very right to..."

"Oh, really?! Wasn't it you?"

"My tail, me. It was you!" Tris watched him angrily. "Really!"

"You're so ignorant and reckless..."

"Egoistic liar!" The fire dragoness interrupted him.

"Now it was you that..." Dante hissed angrily when between them, there appeared Viola.

"Both of you, calm down." She interrupted them with begging hint. For a second, both mates watched her in silence. "Don't you think that it's not a time for arguments? We all are..."

"It's none of your business!" Both young dragons scolded the azure dragoness simultaneously. They looked at each other and their sights met for a second. Both of them laughed silently. Dante shook his head in disbelief. Viola smiled with relief. Two dragons were laughing silently for a moment, when their eyes met again. They look each other very carefully for a second or two. Then, both of them realized that for a moment they weren't fighting and quickly improved that temporary buried hatchet. Both dragons turned at each other in ostentatious gesture and walked in opposite directions, entering the forest. Viola looked at two dragons for several seconds, dumbstruck.

"The idea was good." Sable noticed. The azure dragoness smiled bitterly.

"Yeah. But I can't say this same about realization." She said with disappointed voice and walked back to other dragons. "So, what have we finished at?" She asked curiously trying to clear her mind from that lovers' quarrel.

The earth guardian sighed with disappointment as he saw a deer which had noticed him a moment earlier and ran away quickly. He didn't follow it, but turned in another direction. He was already tired with playing with that clever animal for already two hours. He was sneaking, smelling and looking around all the time, hoping to find something to hunt. He had never been hunting in Celeste Tribu, but from what he noticed, local animals were pretty smart. Or he just was terribly unlucky to find the smart one. Fact that an animal had been playing with him really hurt his male pride, didn't it? Tremor was sneaking for several minutes already when he heard some steps behind him. He sighed deeply.

"Candy, be more silent, you're scaring all the animals off." He pleased, not even turning around. In several seconds, he heard no reply. "Candy?" He pleased.

"Tremor." The dark, female voice doubled by magic said. The guardian felt creeps all across his body and he quickly jumped away. He saw Ivory. Around her, there could be seen an azure aura, floating around her. There were appearing something like circles on the ground. Her sight was cold, hateful. Tremor had already seen her like that, many years ago, when Flush died.

"Ivory?" The guardian asked silently, uncertain what was happening.

"So many years." The white dragoness whispered with ominous voice. "You thought you'd remain unpunished to the end of your life?" She asked with disbelief. The dragoness stopped several meters from the guardian and started making circles around him. Tremor was stepping slowly, all the time having an eye for her. He knew that if she attacked, he had to be very fast. He remembered even too well how her previous fury looked like.

"I thought you were done with whole this hatred." Tremor noticed. "You've already killed those wyverns years earlier and as I remember, you felt terribly about it." He recalled.

"What I felt terribly about was that I killed them, but not you." Ivory explained. "It's all your fault. You were supposed to meet with Mar and Fuerzo. You were supposed to die, not Flush." Ivory hissed angrily. Tremor watched her carefully. He opened his jaws to say something and then, he jumped on the side, rolling for several meters across the ground. The instinct didn't fail him. As he realized, it saved him from painful death of being crushed against Ivory's magical barrier. Ivory swung her paw, releasing another wave of magic, straight at Tremor. The guardian, surprised a little that she learnt to do it with her right paw, knew that he wouldn't roll away on time. Instead, he made a wall of earth, the thickest one he could in this short time. He heard loud slam. The wall cracked. Ivory shot the barrier again, Tremor made another wall. The first one turned into pieces with loud noise and the second one cracked. He saw Ivory taking a deep breath. This time, he jumped away, behind him, there flew rocks, as the magical energy pierced through the stone. Tremor leaned down involuntarily, right above him there flew another barrier. Ivory was now on his left, she made some swing with her paw. And then, Tremor felt force pushing him to her from his right. He cursed silently and as he managed to lay his paws on the ground, he jumped in the air rapidly, just in time to avoid getting crushed by two walls coming from opposite sides. Tremor dove to the ground, this time hiding behind the tree. Another wave of energy flew next to him. He had to attack her, if he wanted to make it alive. But he hardly believed, if he could stop her without killing her. Still, he had to try. "What's wrong with you, Ivory?" He asked himself, not understanding why she had attacked him all of sudden. If only he had something to buy himself a second or two... Then, something moved in leaves above Tremor. Ivory shot there a barrier, but Tremor appeared to be still on the ground, now running to her.

"Earth ball as a decoy?" Ivory asked, surprised. Tremor grinned. He jumped in the air turning rapidly to avoid another her attack and then, he fell at her. Ivory blocked his paws with her, two dragons faced each other and Ivory started losing to him.

"Stop, Ivory!" The earth guardian shouted at her. "Calm down!"

"Why should I?" Ivory opened her mouth and there glowed the magic. "You're dead." Tremor cursed and hit her with forehead. Ivory dropped him, rolled away and stepped back for several meters. The guardian was about to attack again, when dragoness threw him back with the blow of energy. It was weak, she barely had time to charge it. Tremor grinned. He almost had her. Ivory's head hurt terribly, but she stood still, charging another amount of magic. And then, next to her, there appeared some white dragoness who jumped on Ivory, turned her over and rolled with her. Tremor grinned as he recognized her. It was Candice. Two dragonesses stopped. The guardian was laying on Ivory, holding both her paws. Ivory tried to shoot her with magic, but ice guardian pressed her head to the ground with forehead so magic flew in completely different direction. She held her other paw with elbow.

"What are you doing?!" Candice shouted at her.

"I'll kill him! It's because of him that..." Ivory was yelling furiously with doubled voice.

"Ivory, stop! Is this what Flush would wish you to do?!" The ice guardian asked. The white dragoness glared deeply into Candice's eyes for several second. She lowered her sight, there appeared tears. The magical aura around her disappeared. "Ivory?" Candice called her, but only silence replied. She dropped Ivory's head slowly. The white dragoness released herself rapidly from under her with magic, rolled away and took flight.

"Ivory, wait!" The guardian called her. She and her mate jumped in the air and followed her.

"Ivory!" Tremor called her, but he heard no reply.

"Are you alright?" Candice asked with worries. For the first glance her mate seemed fine, but still...

"I'm worrying more about her than me." The earth dragon said.

"You could be bleeding to death with all your limbs broken and you'd be worrying more about the others than yourself." The ice guardian noticed. Tremor smiled slightly. He didn't argue.

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming." He said. Two dragons were flying in the silence, following Ivory. After about fifteen minutes she rapidly disappeared from their sight. But they found her quickly. The white dragoness was sitting at the shore of this same river they had their cave next to. She was watching the flowing water, whimpering quietly. Two guardians landed behind her.

"Ivory." Candice called her.

"Leave me alone." The white dragoness pleased.

"Ivory." Tremor said with such a voice that it was clear that they wouldn't.

"Just get lost!" Ivory turned and scolded them. From her eyes, there fell tears. Then, she turned back, hung her head and continued crying. Two guardians walked to her and sat at both her sides. Neither of them said a word, they waited for Ivory. Five minutes, ten, fifteen, twenty... The time was passing unbearably slowly. And they were there, sitting by her sides. As if nothing had happened.

"Miserable, am I not?" Ivory finally interrupted the silence. Neither of guardians said a word, but watched her carefully. "I am just an ordinary dragoness. Or maybe even worse. Shy, controlled by emotions, weak, lacking talent to even use ice." She sighed deeply. "Why me? Why am I Lian's ancestor, why was I given this magic?" She asked, begging for an answer, but only silence answered her cry. "It grows with my body, the older I am the more of it I have. But I'm losing control on it, it lives its own life. Under negative emotions, when I get mad, angry or even recall something unpleasant, it tries to take me over. And it succeeds, just like now. It's ironic strength, isn't it? I was too weak to save my friend, but I have enough of it to try to kill another one."

"You can change it." Candice assured her. "It won't come just like that, but you can learn how to fully control it."

"If you train much, you'll manage to keep your magic within yourself, even in such uneasy mood." Tremor said, sure about his words. Ivory watched both of them carefully.

"You don't know how Lian died, do you?" She asked.

"She used exchange of lifes to save her son, didn't she?" Candice recalled.

"And do you know why was Lian's son dying in the first place?" The white dragoness watched the guardians curiously, but both of them just shrugged. They had no idea.

"What happened?" Tremor didn't know this story at all.

"You see, Lian was really talented magician." Ivory started. "At the end of her life she had potential much greater than mine. But she had similar problems as I do. In her diary, she described it as if her magic had its own spirit, which was trying to take her over whenever she would fall into some negative emotions. She told about it only her closest family and friends, because everyone else would say that she was mentally ill, even though it was not mental disease. This spirit existed on its own, it was magical being, artificial soul possessing its own energy. Anyway, Lian lost control on herself. It was something about her son's mate, she never liked her. And she... the spirit took her over and wounded Lian's son, wasting up whole the magic she had. Once she returned to normal, she saw that her son was dying and the only way to save him was using exchange of lifes, she had ran out of magic. And so, she did it." Ivory sighed deeply. "No one ever really spread the story. Lian was great dragoness and it was the only unfortunate accident with her magic." The white dragoness watched her friends. "I inherited this spirit with Lian's talent as a wizard. And I'm losing to it. Even Lian couldn't face it and I..." She interrupted, as she felt that both guardians hugged her friendly.

"But you will." Candice whispered. "You know what you fight. You can defeat it."

"Candice..." Ivory wanted to refuse.

"No, she's right." Tremor interrupted her. "With your friends' support, you can face it and control it. You have to do it for your son. For Flush." The guardian noticed.

"This attack moment earlier was nothing, Tremor." The medic warned. "It still wasn't the full power of that spirit. Yes, the big part of it, but the spirit will try again, stronger. And I can't promise if next time several words will be enough to bring me back. I don't even know if it won't take me over permanently."

"We all believe in you, Ivory." Candice assured her. The medic really wanted to say "If only I did".

"You have to promise me something." Ivory begged.

"What is it?" The ice guardian asked.

"If it happens again, if it takes me over, kill me. I won't be able to face it, just kill me." The white dragoness wiped out a single tear. "It will be better for all of us."

"No, we won't promise you that." Candice refused.

"But..."

"We will not kill you, whatever happens, even if you wanted to kill us." Tremor said firmly. "We will bring you back, but we will not kill you. Death is not a solution." He said. Ivory watched both guardians with disbelief. Candice nodded slowly, confirming her mate's words. The medic smiled sadly and shook her head with disbelief.

"What helpless optimists you are." She said to herself. "But, if you say so, I'll give my best to control myself. I can't let it happen again." The white dragoness agreed, watching the stream flowing slowly. She sighed deeply. "Thank you. Just be careful about me." She warned. Both guardians smiled to her optimistically and nodded. Ivory had a feeling that they misunderstood those words. Indeed, they did.