The Middle of Nowhere
Night fell and the swamps gave way to a jet-black landscape completely devoid of hill or gully. Flat as a swordblade, it went off in all directions under the star-filled sky. Far off, though, they could see something like a large fire burning. They flew towards it, and it felt like hours passed before it got any closer. There was absolutely nothing out there except for that fire.
On closer inspection, it wasn't exactly a fire. It was a pair of wings; each burning feather a tongue of flame. The wings sprouted from the shoulders of a humanoid figure who was sitting on the black ground, its forehead pressed to its drawn-up knees and its arms wrapped around itself.
"That must be it," Rynn heard Ebontyne say. "Think we should go down?"
It felt strange having the woman ask her opinion on a course of action, but Rynn didn't hesitate to reply. "Yes."
The dragons descended through the windless air and landed before the winged being. Even sitting and hunched over, it was equal to either dragon's height.
"What do you want?" a soft and melodious voice demanded.
Rynn remained seated on Arokh, and called, "I want to find someone within the Rift. Two people," she amended with a glance at Ebontyne. "We were hoping you could open a window or something so we could see where they are."
"This is a paltry task," the voice whispered contemptuously.
"Nevertheless, it's why we're here," Ebontyne told the being. "Is there a price?"
"Always." It was silent for a moment. "I will do as you ask for the soul crystal of a living elder dragon - one that lives, breathes and flies, one that is neither dead nor sleeping in stone." It raised its dark head. Pinpoints of silver light blazed where its eyes should be, and they regarded Arokh and Morghus with an intense, expectant hunger. "Do you accept?" it whispered.
Rynn suppressed a shudder, but Ebontyne didn't. The price was a dragon's soul crystal. A dragon's soul. "That's... still a high price," she ventured.
"Even the fallen must eat," the angel said in its soft voice.
There was bound to be a dragon out there they could take a soul crystal from. An evil dragon, like Werokh. Rynn considered. "I accept the terms."
"I will await delivery." The angel lowered its head to its knees again and folded its fiery wings around itself like a huge bat.
"I hope you don't intend to use my dragonstone," Morghus snarled at Rynn. "How could you agree to something like that?"
"We'll find a bad dragon," Rynn reasoned. "One that's-" she caught herself before suggesting a dragon in the Dark Union, figuring that wouldn't go down too well, "-one that's just... evil."
"Pah!" The black dragon turned its head away in disgust. "The price is too high. Bartering away a dragon's soul for the life of a humanling and the death of the Betrayer."
Ebontyne said, "Apart from Morghus and Arokh, there are only three living elder dragons that I know of. We already told you about them before, Rynn. Nashiva, Kang-shi and Gholek."
"You're going along with this?" Morghus growled at her.
"I am. And so will you."
Morghus fumed, then glared at Rynn. "As Ebontyne said. Of those three, only Gholek is unbound. Nashiva, Kang-shi and their riders broke from the Dark Union like we did when you defeated Navaros. I don't know about Gholek. She might be 'evil', but..." he looked at Arokh uncomfortably.
"But she's our sister," the red dragon supplied quietly. "What do you want us to do, Rynn?"
Rynn hesitated. She was this close to finding her brother. This close. "Let's pay Gholek a visit. Then we'll decide."