Chapter 22: A New Home
Elora felt her whole world spinning. And she'd thought travelling by portal had been bad at first. Nah, being spat out of Convexity was worse. She shook her head to clear it. Then, her clearing gaze fell on Spyro. She quickly crawled over to him.
"Spyro? Spyro!" she cried, shaking her brother. He didn't respond. For a moment, Elora feared the worst, given he'd clearly pushed himself, and he'd been stabbed. Was he dead? Quickly, she felt his neck. Relief flooded her when she felt a beating, albeit weak, pulse.
"Elora?"
The Faun girl looked up. The Guardians, along with Flash and Nina, was hurrying towards them.
"Oh thank the spirits you're all safe!" Aureole cried in relief, as Flash and Nina flew to hug their children.
Sparx groaned as he raised his head. "If you think escaping from a creepy void is safe..."
Terrador and Aureole saw that Cynder was there too and back to normal. The Wind Guardian's eyes filled with tears.
"Cynder! My little girl!" Aureole whispered, scooping up her daughter and hugging her tightly. "She's... she's a child again! How did you do it?"
"Spyro did it," Elora told them, nodding to her unconscious brother. "He... purified Cynder."
"Spyro!" Nina fretted, shaking her adopted son. "Is he... dead?"
"No, Nina, he's alive. But his pulse is weak, and he got stabbed."
"Let's get him back to the Temple," Ignitus instructed. "And quick, while the Dark Armies are absent!"
"Are you alright, Elora?" Flash asked his surrogate daughter.
"I'm fine, Flash. Cynder didn't get me. In fact, she didn't pay much attention to me. I hardly did anything in there..." The young Faun's voice trailed off; her eyes downcast.
"Well, at least you're okay, darling. And don't worry about what you could or couldn't do. You helped Spyro and Sparx more than enough throughout the journey," Nina assured her.
"And you took on one of the Dark Generals. That's quite cool." Sparx added. Elora smiled appreciatively, but she knew she'd stood a chance against Ripto thanks to the Peace Keepers that fought alongside her.
Spyro was floating in some kind of limbo; he couldn't see anything around him. "Where am I?" he wondered. "Am I... dead?"
'No, Spyro, you are not dead. Simply unconscious.'
Spyro started around him. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Spyro. Your mother, Sibylla. You have done so well, my son. Rest now. Your work here is done. You don't need to do anything more for Avalar."
"What? Mom? Where are you?! I need to find you!"
'Spyro... You don't need me... You have a family... Besides, where I am is too dangerous for you to be...'
"Why? Where are you, Mom?"
'I... can't say... you just have to trust me... as of now, your destiny is your own. Do not let anyone dictate what you do next. Please be wary for evil; and take care, my son...'
"Wait, Mom, don't go! Wait!"
The limbo turned completely black. Spyro was lying on his back on a comfortable surface, but his body felt heavier than ever before. He seemed to have been turned to stone. He opened his eyes blearily.
"Spyro! You're awake!"
Spyro blinked. He was lying in a comfortable bed with a strap on his left foreleg. The wound in his torso appeared to have been healed. Standing around him were Flash, Nina, Sparx, Elora, Cleem and Shabae.
"Where am I?"
"You're back at the temple, son," Flash told him, as his wife hugged Spyro's neck.
"Anyone got any water handy?" Spyro rasped.
"Here." Shabae held out a glass for Spyro to sip carefully.
"Thank you. How long have I been out?"
"Nearly three days," Cleem answered. "And you're not the only one." He nodded to the adjacent bed.
Spyro turned his head, which was such a massive effort (his head felt like a boulder), and saw Cynder, lying asleep, surrounded by four Peace-Keepers. Sitting beside her was Aureole, who was also asleep.
"Cynder! Is she all right?" Spyro asked anxiously.
"She's doing fine," a Peace Keeper assured, "but she's been out of it all this time. Guardian Aureole has been beside her all this time."
"What's with the protection?"
"It's not protection. It's security. She could be dangerous."
"But... she wasn't herself!"
"We know that's the official statement, but you can never be too careful. It might be a ruse."
"Yeah, I dare say it could be," Sparx agreed, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at Cynder.
Spyro frowned at Sparx, but said nothing, for Professor Mendelcomb and the Guardians entered what was unmistakably, now Spyro looked about properly, an infirmary.
"Ah, Spyro. You're awake," the Professor observed. "How do you feel?"
"Not well at all," Spyro groaned. He tried to sit up, but his foster parents gently forced him back down. "You see, when I was fighting Cynder, I know you told me not to, Ignitus, but..."
"We know what happened, Spyro," Ignitus cut in. "Elora and Sparx told us that you used the Fury Surge for a third time."
"Igni-Dad, I'm... sorry," Spyro lamented. "You warned me, but... I was desperate to stop Cynder and Malefor. I wasn't afraid to die by using the Fury Surge, if it meant saving you all."
"I understand. That's very noble, Spyro," Ignitus acknowledged.
"But... how am I alive? Why didn't I die from the Surge? You said it can overexert young Dragons."
"It doesn't matter. You're alive. Only thing is, it's clear your powers are completely drained; and crystals will only do so much. But your powers will return in time, young Dragon... they will in time."
"Thanks... Dad..."
At this, Ignitus sighed. "I'm sorry I never told you the truth, Spyro. I just don't feel worthy of being your father, when I did so little for you."
"You can start now, Father," pointed out Flame, who had just entered. He smiled at Spyro. "Welcome home, little brother."
Ignitus would've said more, but at that moment, Cynder stirred.
"Cynder, you're awake!" Spyro exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
Cynder didn't reply; she just nodded. Terrador approached his wife, waving his fellow Peace-Keepers down as he went, and gently shook her awake. Aureole raised her head to meet Cynder's eyes.
"Cynder, darling, do you know who I am?" the Wind Guardian asked quietly.
Cynder looked at her mother for several seconds, then nodded again, her gaze falling.
"Oh, Cynder," Aureole sighed, stroking her daughter's head, "ever since I failed that night of the raid, I've dreamed of this day. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you that day." She looked away, tears soaking the plumage around her eyes. "I'm sorry for everything you've suffered."
"It was not just you, Aureole," Volteer consoled, unusually solemn for once. "We all failed that night."
"We could've been prepared for when the Dark armies attacked," Terrador agreed.
"It would've been over for us, if it wasn't for Spyro and his friends," Cyril pointed out. "Thanks to them, we're united again."
"Agreed. Thanks to my son, we've regained hope," Ignitus smiled.
"Thanks Dad, but we don't know what's become of the Dark Master," Spyro remembered. "I destroyed the altar, but I don't know if it made any difference."
There was a moment's silence.
"No matter, Spyro," Terrador decided at last. "You did all you could in Convexity, and we're proud of you. For now, you deserve a nice, well-deserved rest after all your hardships."
"His hardships?" Sparx burst out. "Hey, don't forget about me! I've busted my light to help him and my sis out against the bad guys! Even without all kinds of crazy stuff coming out of my mouth!"
"Oh no problem Sparx, you were a big help! Very big!" Spyro assured.
"And for the record, a lot of crazy stuff does come out from that big mouth of yours." Elora added, playfully taunting Sparx.
"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" Sparx demanded, annoyed. "You know, maybe I should've stayed with those... Atlola people... no, no, Atwala... the Llama people; they gave me respect, but no, I chose to leave and help my brother. And what do I get? Nothing!"
"Hey, hey, calm down, Sparx," Nina soothed. "I'm very proud of you."
"Same here. And you've been a close companion to Spyro and Elora," Spyro added.
"Well, that's true. But I'm mostly seen as the sidekick who cracks jokes and stuff," Sparx lamented.
"My goodness, and I thought Volteer talks a lot," Ignitus exclaimed.
"Well you're not wrong!" Volteer admitted.
"Curious, I wonder if we've seen the last of the followers of Malefor?" Elora asked.
"No, Elora," Terrador rumbled. "They're still out there, planning their next move. But we'll be ready for them..."
"Maybe we should just go back to the Swamp!" Sparx moaned. "Return to our peaceful lives! Mom will make it good! She always does!"
"We've lost Cynder!" a battered and bleeding Sirorrialth exclaimed. "That purple pretender actually beat her!"
"I told you that she-devil would fail. It doesn't help I got beaten by a goat and a few puny lizards!" Ripto shouted. He too bore injuries from the battle at Concurrent Skies; burns and bruises.
"Oh shut up! It's not about you, you worthless lizard!" the Sorcerer sneered.
Ripto aimed his staff at Sirorrialth. "Quiet! I will not be scolded by a failure of a dragon. At least I can take my anger out on you!"
The two villains snarled at each other, until Gaul stepped in.
"ENOUGH!"
They started in alarm at the Ape King's roar.
"If you two keep this up, I swear I'll have your scales peeled, while you're both still awake!"
Sirorrialth and Ripto glared at each other, before staring angrily in opposite directions.
"It might seem that we've suffered a loss, given Cynder has been freed by that purple whelp, Spyro. But I think we'll be seeing Cynder again soon."
"You think so?" Sirorrialth asked.
"Of course," Gaul grinned. "Her destiny lies with us, whatever her mindset. Once Malefor returns, she'll be ours again!"
"You mean...?"
"Yes! Cynder succeeded in freeing Malefor's essence!"
"Excellent!" Sirorrialth exulted. "Our time is at hand!"
"Oh, goodie," Ripto muttered.
Gaul and Sirorrialth ignored him.
"There's still a few months until the Night of Eternal Darkness," Sirorrialth noted. "What do we do in the meantime?"
"We wait until our forces recover from our loss. Let the Dragons think they won this battle. Then, when they least expect it, we attack!" Gaul proposed.
"I like the sound of that!" Sirorrialth rhapsodised with a twisted grin. The two Generals chuckled evilly, while Ripto left the room.
"Not if I have anything to say about it..." he muttered to himself.
And he wasn't the only one plotting his own thing. In the Forgotten Realms, Deina had been listening on their conversation via a spell too. "So, they are taking their time to strike. This shall work perfectly into my plan," Deina grinned. "Bianca!"
Bianca entered the room with two Rhynoc guards.
"Yes, your highness?" Bianca acknowledged, bowing in respect.
"The Dark Generals are waiting for their next move. We should have a perfect opportunity to capture Spyro soon! I shall entrust this to you. Remember; I want him brought to me alive. In fact, bring both him and Cynder to me!"
Bianca looked anxious. "Umm, Mistress..."
"Yes?" Deina inquired, a touch of danger in her voice.
"Well, not that I'm questioning you, but isn't it going to be risky, infiltrating the Dragon Temple? They'll likely be on their guard."
"I am sure you'll think of something, you foolish girl!" Deina snapped, annoyed. "Otherwise you'll never be a powerful sorceress!"
Bianca sighed. "Yes ma'am..."
Deina nodded. "Very good. Now, set up your watch over the Temple, and await your chance."
Bianca bowed again, and departed.
Deina steepled her fingers. "You're out of your depth, Spyro. You've done well so far, but sooner or later, you'll be forced into a situation where you're not so fortunate. And that, young Dragon, is where I shall come in. He, he, he..."
Across the Dragon Realms, celebrations rang out to honour Spyro's victory over Cynder. Frankly, after all these years of war and loss, any victory was essentially a blessing to be cherished.
In honour of the occasion, some Artisan Dragons had decided to interview Spyro and the Guardians about how they managed to beat back the Dark Armies. However, the Guardians had insisted that they hold off on doing so for the time-being, as they all needed time to relax and enjoy some quiet time.
Spyro, having regaining enough energy to walk, strode out onto one of the Temple's balconies, and looked up at the sky.
He was thankful for the respite. After the hardship he'd endured, he just wanted to settle into his new home.
Yet, something was troubling him. He had never forgotten that voice he'd heard while flying out of Convexity. And he knew that this respite would not last.
He heard the sound of clacking claws. Cynder was approaching.
"See anything, Spyro?" she asked quietly. It was the first time Spyro had ever heard her speak since he'd purified her. It didn't sound like a younger version of the dark, smooth, seductive voice that the fully-grown Cynder had had. It had to be her true voice, and there was something... quite beautiful about it.
"No," Spyro replied. "But I've got a feeling..."
"Hmm, me too..." Cynder agreed. The two young Dragons gazed at the stars, wondering where destiny would take next.
The End.
And, at long last, we're done! The first story about Spyro in my tales about the League of Freedom is complete! It's been a pleasure writing this story. I would like to give special thanks to Erin-the-Gamer1990 for being my co-writer, and to EquinoxWolf for being our beta-reader, and helping to polish up the dialogue and grammar.
I also want to thank all the watchers and fans for following this story. And I look forward to returning to our favourite Purple Dragon in the near future with: Book 2: The Eternal Night.
Until then, take care, all of you.
Thomas Holmes II