Legend of Spyro - Four Pillars of Aether Book I

by Blazcowitz43

Twelve years after the Temple raid, the four survivors of that dreadful night live a happy, carefree existence. They are Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember; the four who lived. Spyro is a rare purple dragon who has been taught his whole life that great things await him, but as darkness approaches can he and his friends truly stand up to the evil that threatens the world? Book II soon.

16. Chapter 15: The Last Day of Peace

Chapter 15 The Last Day of Peace

The next morning...

The unease which had gripped the city the previous day continued on into the next. As the sun had risen it had illuminated the now densely packed ramparts as hundreds of Mole at Arms and dozens of dragon warriors lined the city walls, anxiously watching in every direction. Throughout the night there had been a heightened state of alert as the entire garrison was mobilized and the number of dragons patrolling the skies above and around Warfang had intensified around the clock. The Doxantha remained stationary in the clouds high above the centre of the city as her crew battled the cold and thin air as they awaited the arrival of the Ape King. Every second that past by that morning was laden with suspense at the prospect that they might arrive at any time and what it could mean for the citizens of Warfang and all the realms.

Ignitus stood along with the other Guardians on the roof of Castle Hill with its great dome behind them as they stared out across the city and the green western horizon they expected Gaul to come from as it was the most direct path from the Mountain of Malefor. On each side of the roof were two moles peering through their large spyglasses, scanning for any sign of Gaul's approach. The Fire Guardian looked to his right across the line of his friends and colleagues as they all gazed across the sky expectantly but also with trepidation. Far outside the city they saw another patrol of six dragons flying back to the city as another formation of six flew out to greet and relieve them. It was the first time in twelve years the city had seen such an amount of military activity and it had, as Ignitus had said, bought back memories and feelings that had been numbed and forgotten by much of the citizenry and soldiers below. It only further confirmed their beliefs that the conference was a hasty, dangerous mistake.

Messengers had been hurriedly dispatched to every region the previous day to inform them of the planned conference, inviting representatives of the Atllawa tribe of Tall Plains, The Manweresmalls of Boyzitbig and the Cheetah's of Avalar to attend. The Manweresmalls were a community of Moles native to the volcanic island and were the distant relations to the Moles of the mainland who had left the island thousands of years ago. The Guardians had been informed of the two parties agreeing to attend the conference during the night, but as of that morning had heard nothing from the Cheetahs.

It was around midmorning with still no word that the Earth Guardian finally let loose his frustrations, "Has Prowlus become so infuriated that he won't even dignify us with a response?" asked Terrador crossly as he bought the subject up as he had during the night before they had gone to bed.

"At this rate it probably won't matter," Cyril remarked grumpily, "Gaul could be here any minute."

"It boggles the mind!" Volteer exclaimed, "It's completely nonsensical that he wouldn't want his people to be represented at this conference, especially since the trouble started in Avalar!"

"The trouble started at Mount Malefore and it spread to Avalar," Ignitus said firmly, "We can only hope it will not spread any further."

"It might be too late, Ignitus," said Cyril cautiously, "If Spyro saw what he believes he did, then they are already conspiring against us."

"I don't believe they ever stopped," the crimson dragon replied flatly. As he looked forward at the two moles in front of them looking through their spyglasses, the one on the right suddenly perked up as his posture stiffened at something that caught his eyes.

"Sirs!" he called, "Looks like a messenger Falcon coming in!"

"Where?" Ignitus called back as he ran towards him, hurriedly cutting across in front of his colleagues who all followed him in turn.

"Just off to my right, sir!" the mole pointed his tiny hand out towards the outside of the city, "Looks like it's coming right to us!"

The latter detail was unnecessary as all messenger birds were trained to come straight to Castle Hill, but still the four Guardians strained their eyes to try and make out the approaching falcon which they assumed was the reply from the Cheetahs. Moments later, a golden shimmer flashed out in the sky and as it faded the silhouette of the bird came into view. The shimmer was the sun reflecting off the tribal sigil carried by each of the Cheeth's falcons.

"There it is! You see it, sir?" asked the mole excitedly.

"I see it, well done," Ignitus replied as they all watched the falcon swoop around and travel on a direct course to Castle Hill and the balcony the Doxantha had formally been docked at. Without warning, Ignitus leapt out over the edge of the castle and dived into a glide, followed by the others. They swept down the walls of the castle and pulled up at the last moment, their massive wings fanning out and bringing them to a controlled but firm landing on the balcony.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" called a mole sentry who was already on his way as he passed between the four dragons and waddled quickly to the end of the balcony as they all heard the shrieks of the approaching falcon. The Guardians followed behind the mole as he reached the railing as the bird made its final approach. The majestic falcon came to a graceful stop right atop the stone railing, its sigil and the small message capsule on its leg glistening like gold. The mole sentry strained his arm to reach up as the bird knowingly lifted its left foot and dangled it down towards the mole as his hands grasped towards it. The mole unclipped the capsule from the birds leg and worked to uncurl the message within.

"What does it say?" Ignitus demanded quickly. The mole pulled the tiny roll of parchment from the capsule and carefully rolled it out between his fingers.

"Message from Chief Prowlus, sir. It's addressed to the council."

"Read it out to us, if you please," Ignitus requested shortly.

"But sir..."

"That was an order, read it out!" Terrador snapped harshly, his booming voice enough to unsettle even the most powerful of dragons, let alone moles. The sentry gulped nervously as he held up the message close to his eyes, pulling down his magnified spectacles to make out the tiny words as he read aloud,

"To the Warfang Council from Chief Prowlus of Avalar.

After much deliberation and discussion, I have seen fit to accept your invitation to the aforementioned peace conference at Castle Hill. However, I want it to be clear that this in no way diminishes my belief that the recent events that have caused turmoil for my village can be rightfully blamed on the dragons just as much as the apes.

Therefore, my current ban on dragons freely entering the valley without prior permission shall remain in effect until further notice. Hunter of my village has, at his own persistent request, been chosen to be our representative for this conference and is making the journey on foot at this moment. However, I have reminded him that his only obligation is to attempt to protect the interests and safety of our tribe and not to be swayed by any attempts by either the dragons or the apes to further their interests at our expense.

I hope this conference will be fruitful and lead to a lasting peace,

Yours,

Chief Prowlus of Avalar."

The mole sentry looked up at the faces of the four dragons the way a worm looked up at a bird about to pluck it from the ground. Their faces were a mix of surprise or indignation at the provocative tone of the message. After a few nerve-racking moments, Ignitus locked eyes with the mole and nodded to him,

"Thank you. Best you go and deliver it to the council now."

"Yes, sir!" the mole nodded as he hurriedly rolled up the message.

"And send word to dispatch a courier to find Hunter. We want him here as quickly as possible."

"Of course, sir!" the mole nodded quickly as he took off running in-between the four dragons towards the huge doors to the castle. As he left, the Guardian dragons finally let their tongues loose.

"It's a disgrace! Borderline treachery!" cried Terrador, "Where is his honour?"

"Well, at least he's agreed to even communicate with us," said Volteer mirthlessly.

"It's a bally awful show," snorted Cyril. Ignitus tempered his frustration and suggested with a shrug, "Seems that it was a last minute decision by him. I'm sure Hunter did his best to persuade him."

"Maybe so," Cyril added crossly, "But I'd say Prowlus has done his best to make this a difficult as possible for us! Imagine sending poor Hunter off on foot like that! It simply isn't done!"

Terrador grumbled, "He knew we'd send someone for him as soon as we read that. I just wish he had the courage to come himself rather than have Hunter take his place."

"Indubitably!" concurred Volteer. As the others continued to discuss their dissatisfaction with the conduct of Chief Prowlus, Ignitus turned to his left away from the group and walked over towards the southern side of Castle Hill. He stared out across the open sky as he followed the path around the bandstand towards the edge of the plateau. He heavily breathed the heavenly scent of the flower garden as the path took him through them, but it did little to settle his anxiety as he reached the edge and looked out across the city. His eyes veered over to the airdock across from the observatory and settled on the second of the three levels of the tall building. From where he stood he could see the blocky silhouette of a merchant airship sitting still on the southwest corner of the dock. A ship he had long expected to be gone by now.

"They still haven't left," Ignitus muttered to himself crossly. He turned his head to the right, his eyes darting across the sky for any sign of the imminent arrival of Gaul, his heart thumping anxiously. He looked back towards the airdock and then back over to the other Guardians who were beginning to stroll over towards him. Ignitus then looked back at the dock a third time, cursing under his breath that the ship was still not underway.

"What in the world are they playing at?!"

Spyro was wondering the very same thing as he and the rest of the four survivors hunched low inside a large wooden crate on the lower deck of the merchant airship. It was dark inside with only faint light coming through the holes which had been drilled in the top of the crate to make it easier to breath. Just before sunrise they had been awoken by Ignitus who had then escorted them down to the tunnel that ran through the plateau of which Castle Hill was built where they had been greeted by the other Guardians and a single mole wearing an oversized green tunic and leather cap standing beside an ox drawn cart. On the back of the cart was the crate of which they had now been inside for over three hours and were promptly given the rundown of what was going to happen to them. For the sake of security, it had been decided that the four young dragons would be taken aboard the merchant airship inside the crate rather than simply board it as the crew or passengers might, a proposition none of them were pleased with.

"In there?" Cynder had raved, "Why are we being packed like fish off to market?"

"No one but us knows you are leaving," Ignitus had explained to them, "Captain Remy here has not even told his crew you are coming. You're leaving the city must remain secret until you are well clear of Warfang."

"So we have to go in that?" Spyro had asked incredulously.

"We are sorry for the suddenness of it," Terrador had said apologetically, "But we can't take any chances."

Without any further disagreements from them, the four who lived had clambered onto the cart and inside the crate. The lid could be slid back easily enough and the bottom of the crate had been lined with an old carpet to give at least a modicum of comfort. But even then it was not a pleasant thought being confined inside a crate normally used for cargo. Cynder had intentionally made herself the last the climb inside as a final protest, but as she finally did Spyro was overcome by the strange feeling like they were not going to be returning soon. As he sat with Flame, Ember and Cynder with their heads sticking out from the crate, the Guardians had all watched them with reassuring expressions that only gave away to him how uneasy they were about all of it.

"I'm sure you'll be in good hands with Cyril's relatives," Volteer smiled to them, to which Cyril had of course replied with a pompous,

"Of course they will!" and barely stopped himself from starting another bickering session with the Electric Guardian.

"Okay well, I guess we'll see you guys later," Flame had blurted out loudly in an impulsive attempt to appear calm. Spyro, Cynder and Ember all raised their eyebrows at him as Terrador said, "Safe journey to you all. We'll send a message about the conference at the end of the day. You should be properly accommodated by then."

"And do not fear the cold!" Cyril added pride fully, "Respect it!"

"We will!" Ember beamed excitedly, turning to Spyro with her smile ear to ear. He smiled back, unable to avoid its infectiousness. But looking past her back to Ignitus, his orange eyes stared fiercely back into his as if to remind him of the promise he had made the night before. He heard the Fire Guardians voice in his mind as if he were speaking to him telepathically;

"If anything happens between then and now, if anything goes wrong; you must take the others and get away. If you cannot make it to Freezer, you must find somewhere to go. If Warfang is not safe, try and make it back to the temple with all due haste. Don't stop or wait for anyone, not even me. Go there and wait until help arrives. Am I clear, young dragon?"

"Goodbye, Ignitus. Goodbye everyone," Spyro announced solemnly, glancing at their eyes one last time before he and his companions hunched down inside the crate. Captain Remy hopped up and peered down to them, passing down a large white bundle to them before holding his finger up to his mouth to shush them.

"Apologies, my friends," he said in a thick French accent, "But you cannot make a peep until we are out of the city. Here is some bread and cheese for you. Once we are clear of the city, you'll be free to wander the ship, oui?" he said.

The four who lived had no clue what the last word of his sentence meant, but assuming it was variation of 'Yes', Spyro replied with a, "Uh... Yes?"

"Tres bien," he said readily. With that he pulled the lid overtop of them and closed the crate, the air holes now the only view out of the outside world. Spyro and his friends had all shared uneasy glances with each other in the sparse light they had as the cart began to rumble out of the tunnel and across the viaduct. Just before they had arrived at the airdock, Captain Remy had reminded them to keep quiet while the crate was being loaded and when it was taken down below. The four of them had done so, despite of how much the crate had been roughly carried and bumped during the loading process and the harsh language of the workers complaining of how heavy it was.

"Do we really have to stay in here 'till he says so?" Flame had whispered a few moments after they had been placed below the deck of the ship.

"You heard what they said, nobody knows we are leaving the city," Ember whispered back coldly, "Besides, we should be leaving soon. We won't be here for long."

"Now you've definitely jinxed it for us!" Cynder hissed at her. It seemed as though her accusation had been prophetic, for three hours later they were still crammed inside the box and the ship hadn't moved.

Spyro sighed, sitting back against the corner of the crate with Cynder in the corner to his right with Flame opposite her and Ember opposite himself. He arched his neck back and breathed in close to the holes in the lid, even though the air below decks was stale and stuffy. They could hear the muffled commotion of voices and coming from upstairs, but there was no sign of the Captain who had come to check on them after they had been taken aboard but not since. He had readily assured them they would be soon underway, but again, that was three hours ago.

"At least they gave us something to eat," Flame remarked optimistically as he pushed the last of the cheese into his mouth.

"Yeah, but nothing to drink. I'm thirsty," Cynder replied coarsely. Spyro sat up as he heard the creaking of the stairs they had been carried down, holding up his paw to remind the others to be quiet as the steps became louder. A pair of feet dropped down onto the deck and started slowly tapping across the timber floor, coming ever closer to them. The young dragons all looked up at the airholes anxiously as the unseen figure strode up beside the crate.

"Are you alright in there?" asked Captain Remy in a hushed tone as he clambered onto a smaller crate beside them and pulled back the lid. The mole scratched his nose as he looked at the four disgruntled faces awaiting an explanation.

"What's going on, Captain?" Spyro asked sharply.

"So sorry, my friends," he apologised, "But we have some er... trouble with the constabulary, you see? Some of my crew, they have a little too much of the drink last night, eh? Did not show up for work. I had to go... how you say? Bail them out?"

Ember promptly snapped her paw over her eyes disbelievingly as Cynder said, "Hey, speaking of drinking, any chance you could bring some water down to us?" she asked glaringly, "I'm thirsty."

"Ah, of course! Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Remy, "Just a moment, mademoiselle Cynder," he said as he dropped down and ran off somewhere amongst the cargo. The four young dragons all took the chance to peek their heads out of the crate and take in their new surroundings for the first time.

The area below decks was packed with crates and barrels of varying sizes. Almost straight across from them was the staircase leading to the upper deck where bright sunlight streamed down on the deck.. Other than that, the cargo hold was lit with several candle lamps hanging across the walls while a few small portholes lined the sides of the ship. After hearing the sounds of crates being shifted and clanking bottles, Captain Remy appeared from around a pile of barrels with a flagon in his hands.

"Here you go," he said as he quickly waddled over and climbed up once again, passing down the flagon to Cynder, "Now hush once more, eh? We will be underway shortly. Then you can come out and meet my crew. They will be happy to see you, oui?"

Without waiting for a reply, Remy closed the lid back over and hopped down, scurrying back up the stairs as Cynder drank took the flagon in her paws and drank from it liberally.

"Not if their language was anything to go by," Ember remarked tersely, to which Flame nodded nervously in agreement. Spyro said nothing as he leaned back into his corner and sighed with boredom. He lazily turned his eyes to Cynder as she lowered the flagon from her maw and let out a satisfied exhale, water dripping from her snout. A smirk suddenly danced across his face.

"Better now, mademoiselle Cynder?" he asked, impersonating Captain Remy's accent.

"Shut up, Spyro," she replied icily.

At Castle Hill...

They heard the signal rocket launch before they saw it, but Ignitus and the other Guardians followed their ears and rushed out from the bandstand towards the front of castle. As they ran to the end f the balcony, they saw the brilliant red flash lighting above the western gatehouse as the lookouts scrambled to make out what had caused it. A dragon warrior with a mole at arms holding onto the spines on the back of his neck rushed between them and in front of them. The mole hopped onto the dragon's head, holding onto one horn with his right hand and holding his spyglass in his left, staring out to the western approach of the city. After only few moments, what he saw became faintly visible to all those watching behind him.

"Dreadwing formation on approach! Seven of them! They're flying white flags, but the centre one appears to have a royal insignia!"

"Its him," Terrador said gravely, eyeing the distant silhouettes scornfully. Ignitus scowled before turning to a nearby mole at arms and saying,

"Inform the council. Make ready for reception."

"Yes, sir!" he replied before he ran off towards the door, the Fire Guardian looking side to side at his fellow Guardians as bells and gongs began to ring out across the city to announce the arrival of the Ape King.

"Hunter has still not arrived!" Volteer said in dismay.

"Nothing to be done about it," Cyril remarked, "If Gaul must repeat himself to him then so be it."

Ignitus felt his scales quiver as he sensed that in that moment, the entire city held its breath. Breathing deeply, he looked up to sky above, mumbling softly, "Ancestors, please be with us this day..."

As he tilted his head down, his expression became firm as his eyes quickly shot side to side once more to his colleagues.

"Shall we?" he asked.

As they all nodded in unison, Ignitus stepped forward, the others waiting until he was his body length in front of them. The edges of his mouth lifted to reveal his glistening fangs as his wings extended to their full length and in one leap, took to the air. Volteer, Cyril and Terrador followed after him as formations of dozens of dragon warriors from all over Warfang began to form and follow them as had been planned; a show of force to dissuade the party of apes of trying anything impolite. The four dragon Guardians soared upwards as the aerial armada amassed around them. Looking over his shoulders, Ignitus saw the colourful formation form up behind them, creating a massive flying umbrella that covered the ground below as they soared over the city walls and followed the viaduct out of the city. Ahead of them, he could see the formation of seven Dreadwings beginning to descend low, aiming for the far edge of the viaduct that connected the two great hills that proceeded Warfang's western approach.

The first four flew in two pairs in front of the larger one in the middle whilst the last two flew behind. It was obvious the central, larger monster was Gaul's mount, owing to its size and the figure on its back clutching a royal banner. As the dragon formation flew halfway above the viaduct, Ignitus gave two hard downward points of his right foreleg, the other Guardians nodding firmly just before he dove down towards the end of the viaduct. The rest of the formation continued flying straight on as the Dreadwings swept down and landed as a group on the grass a short distance beyond the viaduct. Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril and Terrador flew four abreast just above the viaduct as they watched the visitors distrustingly.

The apes were in the act of dismounting their foul beasts, the shadows of the dozens of dragons above covering the landscape as the Guardians approached them. Climbing from the larger Dreadwing was Gaul, his horned helmet towering over his subjects as he clutched his staff in his left hand. The other apes formed a protective line in front of their king, dressed in full plate armour and helmets, clutching menacing poleaxes in their hands. Ignitus fanned his wings out to slow himself as did his colleagues as they came to a stop and hovered just on the other side of the viaduct before letting themselves drop gracefully on their feet. The four dragon Guardians stood firm as they looked across at the party of apes standing just over fifty feet from them. The titan that was Gaul glared across at them in turn, his brow lowering into a hateful scowl as the swarm of dragon warriors filled the sky above him, their Dreadwing mounts screeching and hissing nervously. Ignitus felt his heart become stone cold as he looked into the Ape King's face; a face that he had not seen since the night of the temple raid twelve years ago. A large part of him wished only to lunge at the wicked despot and tear at him with his claws and fangs for all the suffering and pain he had been the author of. For the loss of all those who had perished that night. For Pyra.

Feeling his blood burning like the fire in his belly, Ignitus strode forward formally but cautiously as he refused to take his eyes off Gaul. Volteer, Cyril and Terrador all stepped in line with him as they approached Gaul and his entourage. His bodyguards gripped their weapons even more fiercely, but Gaul pushed past them and stood out in front of the group, squeezing his right fist down by his side as he held up his staff on his left side. The dragons flying overhead began to circle like vultures over a carcass, alertly watching the meeting below. The four Guardians stopped just a few feet in front of the Ape King, Ignitus drawing a deep breath as he suppressed his inner most feelings and worries behind a resolute exterior. They stared each other off as the other apes watched their king and the four dragons tensely.

"Your majesty," Ignitus managed to say softly, barely able to hide how bitterly the words rolled from his tongue, "It is our duty to escort you within the walls of the city of Warfang."

"Why so formal, Ignitus?" Gaul chuckled coldly, "I am not some unfamiliar diplomat. We know much of each other, do we not?"

Ignitus continued on rigidly as though he hadn't detected the trap he was trying to lay out to him, "I must inform you that not all the representatives of the realms have yet arrived. The spokesperson for Avalar is still on his way to the city."

"No matter," Gaul replied shortly, "I'm sure they will understand the due course of events when they join us," he said in a voice that gave the Fire Guardian great concern. He quickly glanced across to his colleagues who all it seemed noticed the subversiveness in his tone. With a hard swallow, Ignitus retained his composure and said,

"However, the conditions of entry state that neither you nor your guards can bring weapons with you into the city. You will have to leave them out here or surrender them to our troops at the main gate."

"You expect me to enter a city full of warriors without weapons?" asked Gaul indignantly yet calmly.

"It is the law," Terrador remarked bluntly, "And all who enter Warfang must obey."

Volteer and Cyril nodded sternly as the Ape King remained unmoving from his spot, his face wearing a look of being deep in thought. After a few silent moments, he snapped his head to the left and stretched out his staff arm its full length. At once, one of the bodyguards behind him dropped his poleaxe and hurried over to him, taking Gaul's staff in both hands. The Guardians watched him suspiciously as Gaul flexed his clawed fingers as he slowly lowered his arms to his sides. Then with reflexes seemingly too fast for his size, he reached behind his back and drew his pair of massive blades, causing the guardians to flinch readily. He held the blades out to his sides as if at the ready, the fangs of his bottom jaw leaning forward. Ignitus and the others extended their claws out into the grass, mouths slightly ajar ready to unleash the power of their respective elements.

Gaul smirked, letting out a short laugh as he spun the handles of his two blades, flipping them over before slamming them into the grass in front of him with a hearty grunt. He slowly let go of them and lifted his hands away, the blades still quivering as they sat imbedded in the earth. Ignitus scowled as he took a shallow breath of relief, but his claws remained ready to pounce. Two of the other ape bodyguards marched up beside their king on his right and readily dropped their weapons onto the ground. Gaul held out his hand and the guard holding his staff handed it back to him before also disarming himself.

"That too must remain here," Ignitus said sternly, eyeing the green crystal atop the staff scrupulously.

"You would also force me to go without my royal staff?" Gaul sneered coldly, "Your law allows exceptions for ceremonial attire, does it not? You would insult me by denying my right to carry it?"

'I would do so much more,' Ignitus thought darkly, but he knew, as much as it pained him to admit, that Gaul was right about the law regarding ceremonial attire. But it was clear to all of them that it was also a magical staff and not merely a ceremonial trinket, likely the same one the four who lived had described which had sapped them of their mana. But the reality was that ceremonial staffs were often also magical by design and under the law were considered on par with blunted ceremonial weapons.

"Please give us a moment," Ignitus said formally as he beckoned the other Guardians to follow him. Gaul snorted impatiently as they turned way and walked back towards the viaduct until they were out of earshot. Ignitus looked over his shoulder at him, watching him look up at the armada circling above and assuming Gaul was deciding that trying to attack them while their backs were turned would be a foolish and fatal move. Cyril let out an exasperated groan and remarked, "It would be a very bad idea to let him bring that into the city. I wouldn't trust him with a quill, let alone a magical staff!"

"I agree, Ignitus," Volteer added.

Terrador nodded his large head heartily, "He cannot be trusted, Ignitus. Royalty or not, he should not be allowed into our city with anything he could use against us."

The Fire Guardian sighed regretfully, "You know I agree with all of you. But alas, we do not write the laws. Such objects have been allowed in our city before and we know our laws must be enforced equally, even for the apes."

Volteer sighed moodily, "The complete lack of nuance and common sense is absolutely incredulous, stupefying, nauseating, infuriating and...ah!" he scoffed.

"If the worse come to pass," Cyril added gravely, "Who do you think the Council will hold responsible? Themselves or us?"

"If the worse comes to pass," Terrador said heavily, "There may be no one left to be held responsible."

Meanwhile...

There was a sudden upward momentum accompanied by the shouts from the deck that the airship was finally underway, but Spyro and Cynder, Flame and Ember barely noticed it as they had been sitting inside the crate in a state of fearful anticipation ever since the alarm bells had rung a few minutes ago. The sound of the bells had vibrated against the hull of the airship and down the open staircase to the cargo hold like dreadful wind chimes in a hurricane. The fact that they were supposed to be well on their way to Dante's Freezer long before Gaul's arrival unsettled them greatly, but none more than Spyro as he thought of Ignitus and the other Guardians who were surely aware of this fact as well. Suddenly the inside of the crate felt less annoying to him and more dangerous, like they were fish caught in a net just waiting for the inevitable. Unable to stand the trapped feeling and anxious for a glimpse at their nemesis, Spyro suddenly reached up and pulled the lid off the crate with his claws, hoisting himself up over the edge.

"Hey, where are you going?!" squealed Flame as the purple dragon pulled himself out and pounced onto the cargo hold floor. Without pause or reply, he ran past the numerous packed goods towards the nearest porthole on the starboard or right side of the ship, jumping on top of a barrel to see through it. Behind him the others poked their heads out from the crate as they looked to see where he had gone. Spyro peered through the glass porthole as the airship slowly moved forward and rose simultaneously, watching Castle Hill slowly drift from view out of the porthole. In the few moments before it did, his eyes looked ahead and saw the masses of flying dragons out toward the west of the city, but could not make out Ignitus or any of the Guardians. The airship then began to turn to port, his view sweeping away from the western side of Warfang towards the sea to the south. With his heart racing, he spun around and leapt off the barrel, completely ignoring Cynder, Flame and Ember who had left the crate and had been standing behind him.

"Spyro, what's the matter?" he did hear Cynder ask as he ran for the stairs, too impatient to simply hide below decks like had been requested. The others ran after him as he galloped up the steps, a mole suddenly appearing in front of him as he reached the top. The mole's eyes bulged as he screamed as the young dragon bowled him over and jumped overtop of him.

"Stowaways! Stowaways!" the mole cried out as the other young dragons clambered up and around him.

"Sorry!" Spyro yelled back as the other crewmembers all turned and stared in shock at the sudden appearance of the four adolescent dragons. After apologizing to the mole as well, the others all followed him behind, the purple dragon ran up the steps of the portside towards the helm, the mole crewmembers shouting and looking on in disbelief as they did. Spyro crested the steps onto the poopdeck where Captain Remy stood on a tall podium behind the wheel and glared at him furiously.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, "We are not clear of the city yet! Mon Dieu!"

Ignoring him, Spyro pounced on top of the railing above the stern as Cynder, Flame and Ember arrived behind him. He gazed out across the city towards the flying shapes in the distance, straining his eyes as he tried to discern what was dragon and what was Dreadwing. Several members of the crew walked up onto the deck, demanding an explanation from there Captain as Remy tried to calm them.

"Please, please, my friends, they are not stowaways! Let me explain..."

As this began, Cynder, Flame and Ember all crept up cautiously behind Spyro while the ship continued to fly further and further to the east.

"Why'd you give us away like that?" asked Ember crossly, "We were supposed to wait 'till we were out of the city!"

"Well, we didn't have to follow him," Flame pointed out uneasily.

"You should have stopped him from leaving the crate!"

"Me?" the red dragon exclaimed, "You were closer to him!"

"Well, Cynder was closer than all of us," Ember scowled coldly.

"Quiet!" Cynder growled back, "Gaul would find us just from your whining!"

As all this turmoil was going on behind him, Spyro continued watching the distant sky as he saw a new concentration of figures rising from the ground and heading back towards the city. They were too far away for him to make them out distinctly, but he knew what it had to be; the Guardians were escorting Gaul towards Castle Hill! Spyro felt his heart drop into his stomach. Despite knowing this had already been decided upon, some part of him had held out hope that they would find some reason to deny the Ape King entrance to the city. He couldn't possibly imagine any useful resolution would come from it, only that it was part of Gaul's insidious plan to resurrect the Dark Master.

"Spyro?" he heard Cynder call from behind, "What's happening?"

"Its Gaul," he replied despairingly, "He's almost in the city! Ignitus wanted us gone by now! Something bad is about to happen, I just know it!" he said as he began to pant fearfully.

"You mean they really let him in?" asked Flame incredulously as he suddenly leapt up onto the railing to see for himself.

"They're heading for Castle Hill now," Spyro replied gloomily as he slowly turned around and leapt back down on the deck. Flame sheepishly followed behind as Ember and Cynder both walked up to him. The purple dragon looked at his front paws and shook his head dismally, his wings drooping down low. He saw the feet of his three friends come into view as they gathered around him, making him look up and gaze around them. Ember swallowed nervously and remarked softly,

"We just have to hope for the best. That's all we can do right now."

Spyro grimaced, "That might not be enough," he said forlornly. He looked over to Cynder as she stared at him in silence with her unspoken fears brimming in her eyes. Her cheeks tightened as she bit the inside of them grimly, Spyro looking back to Ember and her normally bubbly face now weighted with anxiety. Taking it as his own, he then looked across to Flame as he frightfully looked all around, sure something was about to leap out at them like a fairytale monster. Flashbacks to their near demise in Gaul's throne room assaulted Spyro's mind, along with the fears he and Ignitus had discussed since then. He decided now was the time to tell them what he knew he may not get a chance to say after today.

"Guys..." he said emotionally, drawing a breath as they all paid attention to him, "Whatever happens... we're family right?"

Cynder, Flame and Ember all looked surprised. For a moment he feared he had somehow made a mistake, that he had overstated their relationship. He could never recall the four of them ever calling each other family, not even the Guardians. But the thoughts about the family he never knew that had resurfaced the last few days had caused him to rethink how he saw the three friends he had spent his whole life with.

"Yeah," Flame answered brightly and unusually first, "You've always been like my big brother, Spyro."

"That's how I always thought of us," added Ember plainly. Spyro's surprise was as bright as the sun as he turned to Cynder to await her answer. There seemed to be a hesitation from her as she looked over her companions, but answered shortly,

"Yeah, always."

Spyro smiled weakly, even though he found her behavior curious. He nodded gladly as they all gave kind smiles in return. "Okay," he declared, "Now that we got the fuzzy stuff out of the way, let's worry about..."

A sound like rumbling thunder suddenly rocked the air, causing the airship to quiver as if it felt fear. The arguing among the crew suddenly halted as all attention was drawn to the city below.

"What was that?!" somebody called out. The four who lived rushed towards the stairs, gliding onto the deck and running to the portiside as the other crewmembers ran up beside them. The rumbling below suddenly turned into an enormous roar like an avalanche as a huge explosion of dust and earth blossomed from the streets. Spyro gasped as he heard the screams of the inhabitants below as pieces of cobblestones and rocks flew into the air. More distant explosions filed the air as several huge dust clouds erupted like volcanoes all across the city, each one happening moments after the other. The dust was so great it obscured view of great portions of the cityscape and whatever had caused them, but it was clear it was all happening at street level.

"Is it an earthquake?" asked one of the frightened crewmembers.

"It's not an earthquake..." Spyro remarked with what could only be described as despair. He looked over to Cynder who in turn looked over to Flame and Ember as they all looked between each other and knew in their hearts what was happening. A new sound from behind suddenly caught their ears, causing the four who lived to look back towards the now obscured edifice of Castle Hill. In that moment, Spyro saw a blinding flash of green just before it swept over the ship like a tidal wave as he screamed as his bones felt like they were on fire.

Two minutes earlier...

Ignitus led the formation of dragons and Dreadwings over the gates of Warfang towards Castle Hill. He and the other Guardians flew in a diamond formation around the accursed monsters, Volteer on the left, Cyril on the right with Terrador watching the apes from behind while the dozens of other dragon warriors flew in two massive sheets above and below the Ape King. Gaul had opted to enter the city with only four of his six bodyguards, reasoning it was necessary to leave the last two outside to guard the weapons they had been forced to abandon before entering the city. Ultimately though, the Guardians had reluctantly followed the word of the law and allowed the Ape King to bring his staff with him, despite their reservations.

Ignitus grinded his teeth against themselves as they fast approached Castle Hill. There was a large reception awaiting their arrival, the Fire Guardian looking behind him over the two smaller Dreadwings to the larger creature being ridden by Gaul. The colossal Ape smirked at him, evidently enjoying the discomfort the crimson dragon was showing. Every fibre of his being told him that this was a mistake and that they were playing right into Gaul's hands, yet still here he was, blindly sailing forth like a ship without a rudder. That thought sent his eyes across to the airdock and the airship that Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember were stowed aboard. He saw the ship was just getting underway, hours later than it should have been. He cursed under his breath at the poor fortune of the day. Cursed that his arch nemesis was behind him and taunting him. Cursed the fact that the ship had not left before Gaul's arrival. Ignitus felt like cursing the whole world for just how wrong everything was that day.

As they made the final approach, the dozens of escorting dragons warriors began to break away in two large clusters around either side of the castle, the Guardians staying in formation as they eyed the approaching balcony. From its end all the way to the castle's main entrance were four doubled up ranks of mole at arms and dragon warriors waiting to receive them. The first two ranks on both sides were comprised of moles armed with spears and short swords while the next two were made of dragons of each of the four main elemental battalions, Fire and Ice on the left and Lightning and Earth on the right. Above them on the castle ramparts were rows of archers staring down with crossbows raised in readiness. It seemed insane that Gaul and his mere four bodyguards would try anything with such a force at the ready, but Ignitus had learned the hard way never to underestimate him. He fanned his wings out, looking behind a last time at his erstwhile 'guests', and prepared to land.

'What is his game?' Ignitus asked mentally as his feet touched down, followed by those of his colleagues and the five Dreadwings. The creatures snarled in the presence of so many warriors, the mole at arms and dragons all glaring coldly at the apes as they cautiously dismounted their flying beasts and placed their feet on ground never before stepped on by their kind. Ignitus turned around stiffly, watching Gaul closely as he climbed of his mount and reached over his back, slowly pulling out the menacing staff from its sheath. He took it into his left hand and grasped it with an almost affectionate hand, his claws clenching around its handle confidently.

"We will escort you into the Council chamber," the Fire Guardian said flatly, "We will, however, still have to wait for the Avalarian representative to arrive..."

"Yes, yes, very well," Gaul grumbled impatiently, scanning over the dozens of eyes all watching his party coldly. The Guardians all noted his anxious behavior as he seemed to fidget as did his bodyguards. It might have been the overwhelming show of force that was unsettling the party of apes, but Ignitus had the sense that they were looking for someone or something that hadn't appeared yet. Was he looking for Spyro? Did he suspect that he was away or on his way out of the city?

"I see the whelping isn't here," Gaul remarked, confirming Ignitus's suspicions.

"He's no concern of yours!" Terrador snapped harshly. The Ape King looked over his shoulder and smirked, slowly showing it to each of the Guardians as they stood around him with cold scowls.

"I would have thought you would never let him out of your sight," he said darkly, "I wouldn't, if my entire survival depended on it."

"Follow me," Ignitus told him venomously, turning about towards the door and narrowly preventing himself from unleashing his fire upon him. He heard a short chuckle from Gaul, but paid it no heed as he marched forward, tilting his eyes apologetically to the dragons and moles who had to bear the indignity of apes in their domain. Gaul and his bodyguards walked slowly, deliberately more so than Ignitus at the head of the group. Terrador stepped up behind them in an effort to move them on, but the apes defiantly kept up their sluggish pace. Ignitus felt his heart beginning to strain, his stomach tightening as the wary feeling he had told Spyro of last night told him that catastrophe was imminent. He struggled to keep his composure, his eyes beginning to zip around like flies, looking for any hint of Gaul's intentions. He could no longer see the airdock or the airship containing his four young charges. He closed his eyes as they approached the door to the castle, only hoping that they were clear of the city.

A roar like a lightning strike made his eyes shoot open, Ignitus stopping in his tracks as the whole plateau shuddered as if from an earthquake. Everyone in the ranks jumped in surprise, almost losing their footing as a great cloud of dust suddenly rose in the east far behind Castle Hill.

"What the blazes?!" someone shouted as several more blasts erupted from all across the city, dirt and masonry scattering across the skyline. Out of sight were the sounds of falling buildings and terrified screams as the blue sky disappeared behind the dust. The Fire Guardian instinctively looked to Gaul as did the other Guardians, knowing his suspicions had to be right. The Ape King and his guards stood planted amid the sea of confusion, the only ones who did not look surprised at the sudden turn of events. Gaul barred his teeth menacingly as he took his staff in both hands, his bodyguards taking a defensive stance, even though they were unarmed.

"Seize them!" Ignitus roared as another shudder nearly threw him off his feet. The four ape guards formed a square around their king and faced the Guardians, recklessly disregarding their lack of weapons as they stood with claws at the ready. As the moles and dragon warriors rushed Gaul, he let out furious roar as he raised his staff, Ignitus gasping in terror as he slammed it down. An earth shattering noise louder than any volcanic was unleashed on their ears, the crystal head glowing like a green sun that blinded Ignitus. A green cone of sickly light shot into the sky from the crystal, causing a great shockwave that threw all those outside the castle off their feet. Ignitus struggled to see as he was knocked to the ground, barely making out Gaul's shape as at that moment the green cone exploded into its own shockwave.

A colossal, shimmering wave of energy blew out across city like a giant, magical tsunami. Ignitus was knocked down again, his cries of pain joining all those around him as his body seized up like he had been struck by lightning. His lungs shrivelled and thorns seemed to grow from his veins as the fire in his belly was snuffed out like a candle. "By heavens!" he exclaimed with barely the strength to talk. Still blinded, he expected to feel cold steel piercing his body any moment. He felt his heart fading as his thoughts went out to the four who lived, hoping they would be spared his fate...

That same moment...

Spyro was thrown across the deck like a dice across a board game as the airship bounced like it was riding on a stormy ocean. He caught glimpses of the others and the mole crewmembers tumbling around him as the green wave blasted over the ship, tearing through the sails and blasting lose debris over the side as she swayed out of control. The searing pain in his chest and nerves he felt before, as he finally tumbled to a stop on the other side of the deck, the horrific realization of what had happened clawing at his heart.

'Gaul just drained the whole city!' he thought in horror as he lay gasping for breath, his already injured body shivering in pain. His left paw flinched up against his chest, suddenly feeling what felt like broken glass scratching against his scales. He looked down and realized that the healing crystal around his neck had shattered, not from being thrown across the deck, but by the magical green blast. He pulled on the leather strap it had been tied to with his claw and eyed it disquietly. His concentration on it was swiftly broken as Spyro heard the cries and groans of pain of the crew and his friends. He let the empty strap fall back around his neck as he struggled to find his feet, seeing Cynder and Flame and Ember laying painfully on the deck near him among many of the moles. He lashed at the air with his claw, hoping it would pull him over as he tried to force himself up through the pain the crystal had been suppressing which was now brutalizing him.

"Guys!" he called out hoarsely, finally dragging himself to a sitting position as his back legs wobbled.

"Spyro?" answered Cynder as she winced, straining to pick herself up as Spyro dragged himself towards them.

"Oh, he did it again! My fire's gone!" Flame cried mournfully.

Ember whimpered as she held her paw to her chest, "It feels like my hearts been ripped out!"

"They say it gets easier with time," Flame replied with cold sarcasm.

"Shut up!" Ember cried viciously. Surmising they were in no worse shape than himself, Spyro ran uneasily towards the helm of the ship. He ran past several moles attempting to help there crewmates as chaos echoed from the city below. Climbing the steps, he saw Captain Remy was still at the wheel, trying desperately to control the ship as its torn sails rippled in the wind.

"Spyro!" he exclaimed in relief at the sight of him, "What is happening?"

"Gaul has played us!" he replied gruffly as he with some effort pulled himself up onto the back railing on the stern and looked out across the city. The scales of his face turned a pale purple as his mouth dropped open at the sight.

Across the city he saw several huge plumes of dust rising from great holes which had been blown from beneath the ground. From each one, billowing out dozens at a time like Bees from a hive were Dreadwings, their demonic cries filling the air. The bat-monsters blackened the sky in huge swarms as they fanned out above the city, every second one it seemed carrying the huge metal containers that were used to carry and drop troops directly into battle or for dropping explosives. Spyro was paralyzed in shock as he saw the first containers being dropped down into the city, in the streets and on the rooftops. He saw the scraggily silhouettes of ape soldiers pouring out of them while others detonated in great fiery blasts, black smoke and debris scattering across where they fell. Forcing himself to look closer he hunched down and looked down at the streets below. From the base of the nearest dust cloud, he could see streams of ape soldiers pouring out like ants from their nest into the streets with mole and dragon civilians fleeing from them in terror.

"Ignitus was right..." Spyro whimpered distraughtly, "They tunnelled right under us, right under the city!"

He looked up towards Castle Hill where the green flash had originated but it was still obscured by the dust cloud. He knew only Gaul could have caused the draining flash that had swept over the city and that the Guardians would have been right in the center of it. He hoped to see any sign of them, but all he could see was dust and shrieking Dreadwings.

"Spyro, what's happening?" he heard Cynder's voice from behind. He looked over his shoulder and saw her and Flame and Ember just at top of the stairs. Before he could answer, he saw their eyes shrink and mouths gasp in terror.

"Lookout!" they shouted, Spyro turning back just as a Dreadwing suddenly appeared, swooping towards him. He let out a cry of fright as he jumped off the railing and next to Captain Remy, the Dreadwing smashing it to splinters as it soared over the helm. Captain Remy screamed as he clutched the wheel for dear life as two more Dreadwings dived from above and aimed straight at them.

"RUN!"Spyro shouted as he grabbed Remy's shirt with his teeth and pulled him from the wheel, Cynder and Flame and Ember turned and leapt down the staircase as Spyro and Remy followed hot on their tails. The purple dragon and mole Captain made a spectacular leap from the helm as the two Dreadwings came crashing down behind them, their snapping jaws and bulky forms destroying the wheel as they swept barely an inch over the helm. Spyro and Remy landed on the deck as the two Dreadwings split up to avoid the mast, the crewmembers running about in panic as the other young dragons joined them.

"We have no control!" cried Remy as he and Spyro picked themselves up from the deck. With control to the rudder gone, the airship rocked violently, Spyro and the others trying to stay upright as the ship banked and swerved dangerously. Crates and barrels rolled across the deck and the rigging lines danced like wheat in a gale. Several more Dreadwings flew past the ship as it suddenly swung around hard to port, heading back into the city. The airship began to lose altitude and past dangerously close to buildings.

"What are we gonna' do?" Flame exclaimed frightfully as the group struggled to maintain their footing.

"Just hold on!" Spyro shouted as he spaced his feet out and tried gripping the deck with his claws. The crew tried grabbing hold of whatever they could as the airship creaked and groaned as if in pain.

"Above us!" cried Cynder as she pointed her nose straight above them. Spyro and the others looked up as a high formation of six Dreadwings flew ovetop of the airship just as they released their heavy steel barrels, each one emitting a bone chilling whistle as they fell.

"Get down!" shouted Remy as he covered his head with his hands, the four who lived each instinctively ducked their heads and folded their wings over themselves, though they knew it wouldn't save them if they were hit. Spyro's heart was bounding out of his chest as the first barrel plummeted past the starboard side, exploding atop a nearby building and showering the deck with debris. The others fell in quick succession, their terrible whistles slashing his ears before they each exploded on the nearby buildings or in the streets below. The explosions juggled the ship from side to side, the starboard side scraping the edge of a building and tearing off chunks of masonry.

"This is crazy!" Ember screamed as more debris landed across the deck, showering the group in fragments. The airship suddenly lurched upward, Spyro peeking out from behind his wings as the view ahead of the ship was suddenly filled with the approaching stature of one of Warfang's many stone towers.

"Brace for impact!" shouted a mole running from the forecastle as the other crewmembers began stampeding towards the rear of the ship. The others all turned and looked as the building's shadow loomed over the deck as they approached.

"Get cover!" shouted Captain Remy. Spyro and Cynder, Flame and Ember ran and dived down the stairs, followed by Remy and the stampede of moles. Spyro hit the lower deck and tumbled over, as did the others as they landed on and around him as the ship rammed into the tower. A sound like an avalanche roared as the bow smashed through the wall, splintering and smashing it as the whole ship shuddered from the impact. The noise was terrifying, all those on board convinced the ship would disintegrate around them. Spyro dared look over the mound of prone bodies as a huge swell of dust and smoke flooded down the stairs into the cargo hold.

"Close your eyes!" he yelled out as he felt the taste of dust in his mouth. A terrific crack as if made by a giant whip made his heart jump again as the mast was snapped as it collided with the building. Spyro hugged the deck harder as he heard the groan of it toppling over towards them, followed by a teeth shattering impact as the mast crashed down on top of the rear of the ship. The deck above them cracked as they were all thrown forward across the floor as the ship finally came to a hard halt. Barrels and crates were thrown about the hold and bottles shattered as several of the crew cried out in fear. Spyro finally let himself breathe as he lifted his head, his eyes turning red from the dust and smoke still thick in the air. The whole ship creaked and shuddered, still reeling from the impact. The sound of explosions and shrieking Dreadwings still filled the air outside while the groans and whimpers of those below decks filled the hold as the purple dragon pushed himself to his feet. Through the dust he saw Cynder's emerald eyes look up at him as the numerous moles began lifting their heads cautiously.

"Come on!" he said to rally them, "This thing might break apart any second!"

"You heard the dragon!" coughed Remy as he pulled himself up, "Abandon ship!"

Without any further hesitation, the moles began jumping to their feet and scrambling up the steps, some struggling with injuries as they were helped by their shipmates. Captain Remy stood by the base of the stairs to usher to crew upward as Spyro turned to check on his companions.

"You guys okay?" he asked as he watched his companions get back on their feet, looking them over carefully as they did.

"We're fine, Spyro," Cynder answered for them, "Let's just get out of here!"

"Okay then, follow me!" Spyro looked up and clambered up the first step, the others following closely behind as they filed in behind the moles already making their way up. The mole in front of him slipped and hit his chin on the next step, the purple dragon quickly grabbing the back of his tunic with his teeth to help him back up.

"Come on, you're almost there!" he encouraged and nudged him forward as they pushed through the smoke and dust as Remy followed Flame at the back of the group.

"Out! Everyone out!" he shouted as Spyro finally made it to the top and back onto the deck. He gasped and came to a halt at the sight which befell him; the mast had fallen back and crushed the poopdeck, nearly slicing through the rear cabin like a knife through bread. There was some glimpses of sunlight behind them, but the rising smoke and dust rendered it of little use to them. Spyro was hastily shoved forward as Cynder and the others clambered up behind him, the purple dragon taking in the rest of the sight as he moved on. The airship had ploughed straight through the side of the tower, great chunks of brown sandstone had fallen across the deck and he guessed were helping to keep the wreck from tumbling out into the streets below. Following the moles ahead, the dust finally thinned enough for the four who lived and Captain Remy to see the destruction to the interior of the building.

"I sure hope nobody was home," Flame remarked anxiously as they made their way towards what was left of the bow where they could see a fiery orange glow coming from the other side of it. They had collided with the upper half of the tower, just over half the airship imbedding itself into the building with most of the bow having been bent upwards when it had slammed through the outer wall. Spyro followed the moles as they clambered over the portside near the front of the ship and onto the cracked stone floor. He paused and looked over the side as they clambered down, the ship had driven itself through the floor like a wedge, the edges of the cracked stone forming almost snugly around the ship's shattered hull. Fortunately the room was quite large and open, the orange glow belonging to a great fireplace that was still burning across from the ship. Following a quick look behind at his companions, Spyro stood atop the broken railing and hopped down to the floor. The ornate dragon sized furniture that was now scattered and broken all around showed this was likely a luxury social club for the Warfang elite, with the walls alongside the fireplace comprised of huge bookcases, the impact having knocked a great deal of their contents to the floor. Spyro suspected that there would be no social gatherings here for some time to come.

"Lets go! Come on!" he cried as he stood aside and looked back up to where he had jumped. Cynder hopped down beside him, followed by Ember, Flame and finally Captain Remy, dutifully being the last to leave his stricken ship. The rest of the crew were gathering in the left hand corner of the room away from the wreck, where there was a wide open staircase headed further up the tower. Spyro and the others stepped towards them as another distant explosion rocked the building.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Remy aloud as he stepped ahead of the group to meet his crew. Many of them were nursing injured limbs and cuts and bruises as he approached, lifting their heads as they all stared at each other to look if anyone was noticeably missing. Some called out names which were swiftly answered to as the four who lived stood back and watched them pitiably. Spyro particularly felt remorse for them, even though he knew far worse things had to be happening to the inhabitants outside. The whole building shook from another explosion outside, the airship wreck letting out more cries of agonized timber.

"Everbody back up!" he shouted as the wreck shifted, causing everyone to back up against the walls as it dropped down a few feet further into the hole it had made. The four young dragons walked cautiously backwards as more debris fell from the ceiling across the deck, the ship suddenly tilting at the rear, seemingly poised to fall out and tumble to the ground.

"She's breaking up!" Remy cried distraughtly as he clawed at the hair on his head, "I did not even finish paying her off!"

There was a loud crack as parts of the hull began to splinter, everyone bracing for the inevitable catastrophe. A new sound then pierced the air which threatened to make it more than just a financial disaster for the hapless mole Captain and his crew; "Help me!" said a voice from somewhere on the wreck, "I'm trapped! I need help, please!"

Spyro's heart spiked by another hundred beats when he heard the voice call out from the doomed airship.

"Someone's still on board!" he shouted to those behind him, the moles all stood aghast at the realisation that not all of their crew was accounted for. The rear of the ship dropped down another several feet as the desperate voice was nearly drowned out in the thunderous rattle.

"It's about to collapse!" Flame shrieked in panic. With a stout breath, Spyro suddenly took off in a dash towards the ship, fighting through the emboldened pain in his body and the numerous voices calling him back.

"Spyro, stop!" Cynder called out even as she unconsciously ran after him, followed by Flame and Ember who hypocritically chastised their companion's recklessness as they themselves partook in it.

"Wait, it's too dangerous!" Ember called as Spyro used his wings to jump back onto the ship as did Cynder following behind him.

"You'll get yourself killed!" exclaimed Flame as he and Ember followed them in the same manner, apparently not noticing the disconnect between their words and their actions. As Spyro landed on the deck, he only just began to sense the danger he had put himself in. The deck was shaking as the creaking of the ship grew more ominous, the wreckage and collapsed stone hiding any sign of the trapped mole.

"Where are you?" he shouted above the groaning of the ship, letting out a quick gasp of surprise when he finally realized that his three companions had followed him. Before he had a chance to chastise them, the voice answered back from somewhere in front, "Over here! Here!"

All four sets of eyes looked across the deck as the voice came from towards the stern.

"Come on!" Spyro commanded as they dashed off in unison like four champion runners. Prancing over broken crates and chunks of stone, the four who lived honed in on the voice as they approached the broken starboard stairs of the poopdeck. They ducked under the fallen mast as the ship sank down another few inches as they finally found a source of life.

"Please, help me!" cried the mole he tried to reach up to the four young dragons that appeared before him. Spyro narrowly avoided gasping as his eyes fell upon the stricken mole who evidently had not made it below decks just before the crash. He was trapped just below where the starboard stairs had been, flat on his belly with a stray piece of stonework pinning him beneath a pile of shattered timber. He had been so close to the doorway and yet in the panic and confusion nobody had even noticed him.

"Let's get him out. Come on!" Spyro said urgently as they stepped up to the trapped mole and studied the lumps of stone that was pinning him down. The largest was about the size of the mole himself with a few smaller loose chunks overtop the wood that was also piled on top of him.

"Alright, get ready to shift this!" he announced to his friends as he stood near the mole's left shoulder, balancing on his hind feet and placing his front paws against the stone, the others circling around and doing the same. Cynder went opposite Spyro while Ember shifted beside her and Flame moved to Spyro's right.

"What's your name?" asked Cynder with a kind smile as she tried to reassure the poor mole as he looked up at them desperately.

"Aldus," he croaked weakly, "Aldi for short."

"You'll be okay, Aldi," Ember said brightly, "Spyro is here to save you!"

"Me too," Flame added dryly as the ship's groaning became evermore volatile.

"We've got to lift it off him, back towards the cabin, alright? Don't drop it!" Spyro told them seriously, "Altogether on three, alright?" he said loudly as Cynder, Ember and Flame nodded firmly, "One, two, three!"

The four young dragons upturned their paws and grasped under the rock, pushing themselves up with their hind legs and their tails pressed down firmly behind them. Aldus let out a nervous whimper as the stone began to lift, the four dragons heaving their chests as their hind claws began to dig into the boards of the deck.

"I can't keep this up!" Flame exclaimed as his eyelids clamped down hard.

"Straight over back!" Spyro cried through his gritted teeth as he suddenly heard the patter of feet behind him. Before he had a chance to look, Captain Remy suddenly appeared beside him, standing almost overtop of Aldus and pushing his hands under the stone to help push it up and over. As he did so, Cynder quickly ducked and pressed her head underneath, pushing with her legs as the rock finally stood vertical on the deck. Flame and Ember shifted around and forced their shoulders into it, the rock falling over and slamming hard against the deck, clear of Aldus.

"Hurry!" cried Remy as he knelt down and grabbed hold of Aldus's hands as Spyro and the others pulled away the broken timber still piled on him. As they threw off the last piece, Remy pulled Aldus up, the injured mole wailing in pain as he grasped desperately at his Captain's shoulders. Spyro looked across his companions commendably just before the airship shuddered again, but this time did not stop. The whole group let out a gasp of terror as they realized they had run out of time. The stern dropped again, the deck now rising to a steep angle as the floor beneath the hull began give way.

"Let's go, come on!" shouted Spyro as they felt the ship beginning to slip. Remy grabbed hold of Aldus and turned towards the bow but in his heart, the purple dragon knew that they wouldn't make it off before the airship dropped out of the building.

"Cynder, grab Aldi! You guys grab Remy!" he ordered as he rushed forward and grabbed the injured mole off of Remy, holding his left arm with the black dragoness following his lead as Flame and Ember took hold of the mole Captain's arms.

"I got him, Spyro," Cynder told him firmly.

"What are you doing?" Remy demanded as Flame and Ember handled him.

"Go!" Spyro shouted as he and Cynder opened their wings together. Aldus cried out as his eyes bulged as he was suddenly lifted from the deck, dangling from the two dragons who held him by the hands as they soared upwards. Remy was similarly taken by surprise as Flame and Ember leapt into the air, carrying him along. As his feet cleared the deck, the entire ship collapsed at the stern, the wedge it had created in the floor finally giving way. The airship began to tilt and slide back as it lost its support at the rear, the bow of the ship rising sharply before the four dragons, forcing Spyro and Cynde to soar upwards to clear it with Aldus screaming the whole time. They swept over the bow with barely an inch to spare and dived down sharply as Flame and Ember cleared the ship and followed behind. With a groan like a thousand trees falling at once, the airship toppled over backwards, the stern smashing into the outside wall and breaking off yet more huge pieces of it. The broken mast fell clear as the ship rolled over on its back as it plummeted from the tower, leaving a massive, gaping wound in the side of the building. A sickening crash swiftly followed as the ship shattered and flattened out across the street, sending splinters and debris flying all across the small buildings at street level.

The moles crowded in the corner all cheered as the four who lived hovered above them with Aldus and Remy wide eyed in shock that they were still alive.

"Thank you! Thankyou!" Aldus cried cheerfully as he was gingerly lowered down as a pair of moles rushed over to take hold of him. Spyro and Cynder carefully dropped down as Flame and Ember deposited Remy to another pair of the crew who came to assist. The rest of the crew, even the wounded, waved and shouted praise to the four young dragons as they stood together, breathing heavily from the adrenaline pumping through their bodies.

"What a group! You're all heroes!" someone shouted, causing them all to blush as they reaped the praise of the ecstatic moles. Only in Spyro's case, his reddened face was not caused by the celebration of their audience as he dipped his head and gasped heavily for breath.

"Spyro, are you okay?" asked Cynder with great concern as he suddenly stepped away and wandered unsteadily towards the fire place, each movement bringing him more pain. He fell on his haunches and leaned against the wall between the bookcase and the fire, panting intensely. The pain which his healing gem had numbed and which he had fought through was all coming back to him like a dangerous fever, burning through his entire body.

"What's wrong?" he heard Ember say fearfully as they stepped up behind him, Spyro lacking the energy to look at them or reply.

"You okay, buddy?" Flame asked dolefully, the purple dragon sucking a breath through his teeth as his eyes turned upwards across the ceiling and back over the fireplace. As they drifted down, something made his eyes stop right above the mantle as they spotted an empty steel ring that he knew should have housed a fire crystal. Tiny red specks glittered over the mantle from the flames as his eyes traced down and saw the remains of it scattered across the floor, glistening like diamonds. The fireplace had been undamaged from the crash and crystals such were extremely resilient. He looked at the empty strap around his neck, tugging it with his claw as he felt a chill run down his spine as he put it all together.

"Spyro?" he heard again, this time from right beside him. He turned his head and saw straight into Cynder's emerald eyes, the sight of them alone almost enough to take his breath away again. She looked down and saw his claw holding the strap, apparently only just noticing the healing gem was gone.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Look," he said, nodding towards the fireplace. Flame and Ember crowded up to him and followed his direction. After they saw the scattered remains of the fire crystal, he held up the empty ring of his strap for them to see, turning himself so that his back was to the wall.

"The crash didn't cause this, that green wave did," he said painfully, "It shattered when it hit me and knocked me off my feet. Blew to pieces like a cannon ball had hit it."

"Then we need to find you a new one," Flame suggested, Spyro shaking his head crossly.

"No! Don't you get it?" he cried exhaustedly, pointing back to the remains of the fire crystal, "That crystal was destroyed too! Gaul didn't just sap our powers, he just destroyed every Spirit Gem in the city!"

"What?" Ember exclaimed as she and the others all wore expressions of horror, "But there's no way he could do that!"

"Why not?" Cynder burst out cynically, "His armies just burrowed right under the city! That's why he wanted to us to have a peace conference, knowing we'd have to let him in the so he could unleash his sorcery on us!"

"But then that means we've got nothing to fight back with!" Flame said in a shaky voice, "That means no dragon in the city can use their powers!"

Spyro nodded gravely, "Now you know how much trouble we're in."

There was grim pause as the four who lived mentally processed the dire straits they were now stuck with. Through the newly formed cavern in the side of the tower they could see a small part of the chaos reining throughout the city. Dreadwings and dragons swept past the building, chasing after each other with the dragons unable to use their powers and having to rely solely on teeth and claws. Screams of terror and the sounds of clashing blades rose from the streets below as more explosions rocked the city. Countless plumes of black smoke began to rise from countless fires springing up throughout Warfang.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Flame despondently.

"We've got to get out of the city, get back to the temple," Spyro replied readily, still grimacing.

"Through all this? How?" Ember asked tensely.

"And what about the Guardians? We should try to find them!" Cynder remarked resolutely.

The purple dragon shook his head sadly, "No, we've got to get clear of the city. Get back to the temple, it's what Ignitus wanted."

"But Ignitus could be hurt, Spyro. They all could be, or worse! We have to help them!" Cynder pleaded.

"We can't!" he snapped back, "Ignitus told me last night that if anything happened, he wanted us to go to the temple and wait for help, no matter what. I promised him that."

"How do we know the temple is safe?" Flame interjected, "And how are we supposed to get their through all this?"

"I don't know, but we have to try," Spyro replied uneasily, lifting himself to his feet, "First we've got to clear this building before it comes down on top of us," he said as he walked past Cynder, ignoring her doubtful look and passing between Flame and Ember on his way to Remy with his crew. The moles were still gathered in the corner by the doorway leading upstairs, tending to each other and lamenting their current situation.

"Captain!" he called out, getting Remy's attention. The mole waddled over to him as the crew and began cheering for Spyro and his friends again. "Yes, mon ami?"

"We can't stay here. Gaul is going to turn the city upside down looking for me. You need to get your crew out of here."

"But Warfang, she is in flames!" Remy protested, "And my livelihood is destroyed! Where can we go that is safe?"

"I don't know," Spyro admitted sadly, "But it's safer for you not to be around me. They'll stop at nothing to assassinate me. My friends and I are leaving now."

"But you can't go out there by yourselves!" Remy cried hastily, "You will be sitting ducks!"

"We've got to, it out only chance," Spyro replied tersely, laboring his breathing to try and steady the aches of his body. He looked behind himself to see Cynder and Flame and Ember standing readily by. He thought they might as well form a pyramid on his shoulders for he was now feeling the weight of their lives upon them. His heart was steadily climbing up his throat as he thought of what might have happened to Ignitus and the Guardians. As much as he wanted to follow Cynder's advice and look for them, he knew he had to keep his word to the Fire Guardian and get his friends and himself out of danger.

"Take your crew downstairs and keep an eye out," Spyro advised Remy, "Try to make it to the eastern gate. Hopefully it's safer that way."

Remy sighed disapprovingly, looking behind to all the wary faces of his crew, including Aldus whom he had helped to save. Brushing his hands over his face and patting his moustache, Remy stiffened his back and reached a hand out to Spyro.

"We'll do our best, mon ami. I'm sorry things didn't plan out today. A thousand thank to you all."

Spyro lifted his paw and shook the moles hand, "Good luck, Captain," he said warmly. Remy nodded and then turned to his crew and said,

"Alright, boys, we are heading downstairs. Move past the fire in single file and keep your eyes open!"

The four young dragons stepped back to allow the moles to pass, each one of the crew nodding and or saying thanks to them as they shuffled by. Among them they saw Aldus being helped along by two other moles with his arms over their shoulders. They paused in front of the dragons, Aldus weakly turned his head to them and stared, his eyes lively with the excitement of barely escaping with his life.

"Thank you, friends. I owe you my life," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Spyro said with a smile.

"Happy to help," Cynder nodded.

"Oh its nothing. All in the line of duty, you know," Ember said vibrantly, raising her head triumphantly.

"Uh, yeah, sure" Flame remarked shortly. With his final remark, Aldus was carried off with the rest of the crew as they began to step cautiously across the narrow remains of the floor in front of the fireplace, headed towards the stairway on the other side. As they watched them go, Cynder turned to Spyro and asked,

"So, what do we do now?"

"We head up. We need to get a fix on what's happening. Come on," he answered swiftly and took off as quickly as he could bear towards the stairs headed up with his friends following behind him. Another close explosion rocked the building, speeding up their sense of urgency. The staircase was typically large and wide with huge steps that required them to clamber up each of them one at a time. It spiralled into a corkscrew that winded up towards the roof, the young dragons panting as they clawed their way up each massive step. As they ascended, Spyro's mind was struggling to think clearly as he battled the pain that was burning his limbs, trying form a plan of how he was going to get himself and the others safely out of the city. There was always the chance Gaul's attack would fail, even with his troops already roaming the streets of Warfang, but he had promised Ignitus he would get them out. Staying and fighting or finding somewhere to hide in the city was out of the question.

He saw light ahead of him as the spiral finally straightened out into a straight rise out to the roof. By habit Spyro looked behind him again to see that his friends were still with him, looking ahead after he saw they were. The small patch of blue sky they could see was deceptively tranquil as the sounds of war still played outside like a nightmarish orchestra. Cresting the steps, Spyro found himself immediately ducking down as he emerged out of the back corner of the roof out into the open. While most of Warfang's towers were circular or octagonal in shape, this one was rectangular with a wide open rooftop, with plush green trees in raised white gardens lining the perimeter of the roof, even sporting an elaborate water fountain in its center.

"Stay low!" he told his companions as they filled out after him, brushing up against the garden bed and hoping the trees would give at least some concealment. High above there were vicious dogfights between dragons and Dreadwings as Spyro peeked up to get his bearings, stopping about halfway across the rooftop and putting his paws on the edge, as did the others.

"By the Ancestors..." Spyro croaked weakly. At once their breath was taken away as they looked out across the city. In what seemed like no time at all, Warfang had become a Warzone. There was a seemingly never ending blanket of Dreadwings soaring overhead, diving down or dropping troop carriers and explosives across the rooftops and into the streets. From where they were they could see masses of Ape and Mole infantry alongside Dragon warriors clashing with each other in the streets. Cannons roared and fires burnt out of control now that there were no Ice Dragons able to use their powers that could quickly put them out. The building that the four who lived were atop of was several streets back from the airdock they had left, with the observatory to the left of its southern corner. Part of the dome of the observatory was been destroyed and collapsed inwards with black smoke billowing out, nearly obscuring view of Castle Hill ahead of it. Spyro's first thought was to Mason, hoping the eccentric mole was unhurt. His second was to Ignitus and the Guardians as he tried to look through the smoke towards Castle Hill.

"This is a nightmare! It's gotta' be!" Flame cried distraughtly. Ember's eyes were watery as they gazed disbelievingly at what had become of the Dragon city.

"This can't be real... this can't be real..." she sniffled, dropping her head down onto her paws helplessly. Cynder looked at her and felt her heart pain like it had been struck like a gong.

"Ember..." she began, but then Flame suddenly seemed to gain some composure and shuffled closer to her, dropping his wing right over her as she found herself brushing up against him. The young red dragon's eyes flashed across at the black dragoness as he comforted Ember, but only for an instant. Yet in that instant, Cynder saw something like spite in his eyes as if she were encroaching on something that was his and his alone. Her puzzlement quickly went to the back of her mind as she turned to Spyro who remained gazing out across the city, wide eyed and open mouthed.

"Spyro," she said calmly, "The apes are spreading all over the city. We can't stay here for long. What do we do?"

He didn't answer. Spyro's head slowly rocked back and forth as every detail of the calamity in progress weighed down his heart and mind . He heard Cynder's voice, but he just couldn't make sense of her words as he listened to the sounds of war raging all around him. Explosions, battlecrys, the crackling of uncontrolled flames, the howls of the dying and screams of the citizens trying to flee the carnage. He felt paralyzed, sickened. Guilty. Helpless.

"I..." he forced out hopelessly, his glossy amethyst eyes soaking up the chaos painfully. Through the smoke he saw a pair of flying gondolas weaving unsteadily, their decks full of passengers as they navigated the deadly hailstorm of screeching bat monsters and flying ordinance. Spyro lacked even the ability to gasp as he saw a swarm of Dreadwings diving down and swooping at the helpless gondolas, their riders relishing the chance at numerous easy kills.

"I don't know..." he finally sputtered mournfully, just as he began to feel the ground beneath him shudder as the sunlight faded away as a huge shadow suddenly loomed over him from behind. He heard the others scream as he turned towards it, Spyro's eyes filling with the incoming behemoth as it came bearing down on them. Knowing this was it, he slammed his eyes closed and ducked, knowing he couldn't bear to see the imminent demise of his friends, but knew he would still have to endure their screams.

End of Chapter 15

Next Chapter: Warluck

Note from the author:

Sorry that there was a delay, but I wanted to try and give myself more time to get ahead so hopefully I can keep up the steady flow of monthly chapters. Problem is the chapters have been getting longer recently so I might end up writing two chapters worth of words but only for one chapter. I do try to to make these chapters as least worth the wait in their length so that you feel you are getting something worth your time, especially with the standard practice being one chapter a month. Of course, any feedback is much appreciated and thank you again for your patience.