A bright light shone into Hercules' eyes. He blinked and squinted, turning
his head away from the source, barely realizing it was warm. Through a
slowly disappearing haze, he heard a familiar voice. "He's waking up. I
think he'll be all right."
He tried sitting up, but one hand on his left shoulder was enough to keep him down; the dull pain in his other shoulder caught his attention and he stayed, lying down. He asked to no one in particular, "What's going on?"
The next voice was more recognizable. Cheiron's. "From what Jason and the others told me, Ares took you to the secret tunnel where Kel was. When I went to search for you, I found you alone, lying unconscious in a clearing with an arrow buried in your shoulder. I brought you back as quickly as possible; I had suspected that the arrow had been poisoned."
"And it was," the first voice confirmed. "But that is a mystery in itself."
Hercules turned his head enough to see Dalin, the chief physician, come up to the side of the table Hercules was lying on. "What are you talking about?"
"From my analysis on the arrowhead, the poison used is a common herb, found all over the Grecian Peninsula. But it's not deadly, it's only used as a tranquilizer, a sleep-inducing agent. Anyone with even the least bit of knowledge about herbs would know that it wouldn't kill anyone."
Hercules was confused. "Then why would the Dragons shoot me with an arrow that won't even kill me? Reskal said that the point of it was to kill me."
Silence pervaded the infirmary, until Cheiron made a suggestion that everyone was thinking, but thought impossible. "Perhaps they did not wish you to die. Only to make it seem as though you were."
Jason said slowly, "If it was only for show, then who were they trying to fool- Kel? Make her think Herc's dead?"
"Or maybe not all the Dragons knew about the arrow not being deadly," Lilith suggested. "Maybe there was one who didn't want him to die and just made it seem like he did."
Cheiron looked down at the wounded demigod. "Hercules, we need you to tell us everything you remember since you disappeared from here. Perhaps it will shed some light onto this mystery."
Hercules was able to sit up without too much pain in his shoulder and explained everything he could as best as possible. When he finished, there was a prolonged silence in the infirmary. Hercules broke the quiet with a question to Dalin. "How long before I can get out of here?"
Dalin looked up from some herbs he was mixing. "Your shoulder wasn't too badly damaged and is healing well on its own; you can leave right now, just be careful with that shoulder for a while."
"Let's just hope that it's not too late," Hercules said under his breath.
"Too late for what?" Iolaus asked a bit absently.
"You're still gonna try to rescue Kel, aren't you?" Jason asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Of course, they're gonna kill her!" Hercules exclaimed. He hopped off the examining table he was sitting on and turned to Cheiron. "Sir, I have to go. She'll die if I don't."
The centaur calmly countered Hercules' anxious request. "And if you go, you will most likely die as well."
Hercules started to protest, but Cheiron held up a hand to stop him. "But something here tells me that this is different from anything we've ever encountered before. Therefore, I will let you go."
"Thanks, Cheiron." He turned and started walking towards the door.
"Hey, Herc!" Jason called out. "I think you're forgetting something!"
The demigod turned to see the other three cadets, lined up, side by side, expectant looks on their faces. It didn't take Hercules too long to realize what Jason meant. He instantly started to shake his head while inching towards the exit. "No way. This is way too dangerous to drag you all into."
"Not as dangerous as it'd be if you went alone," Iolaus remarked.
Hercules was about to protest again when Lilith noted, "Hercules, time's running out; for us and for Kel. We don't have time to debate this with you and we won't take 'no' for an answer."
He took a breath to say 'no', but thought better of it. Slowly exhaling, he smiled at his friends' loyalty. "All right. Here's the plan. Lilith, get four horses from the stable. Iolaus find some dark cloaks so we can blend in with the night. Jason and I'll bet weapons from the armory. Everyone, meet out front. We're going to Corinth."
The peaceful quiet that night was broken by the galloping of horses. The cadets set off at a quick pace to Corinth, handling their mounts so that they would reach the city as fast as possible without killing their horses with exhaustion. All four wore long black cloaks, mostly to blend in with the night, but it also wouldn't do for anyone to recognize Jason.
Shortly after they got underway, Iolaus called out, "So, Herc, how are we gonna find Kel when we get to Corinth?"
Hercules called back, "I'm not sure. You still have friends in Corinth, don't you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Maybe someone could provide us with some information about the Dragons."
"And how are we supposed to get her away from them, if we do find her?' Jason yelled out over the loud pounding of the horses' hooves on the road.
"I'm not sure about that, either. Start coming up with some ideas."
"Great," Lilith mumbled. "I've volunteered for a suicide mission."
They rode in silence for the next few hours, stopping occasionally to let the horses rest, and to share any ideas they had on how to rescue Kel.
When they arrived in Corinth, it was still night, but sunrise would come soon, an hour, maybe two, judging by the faint blue light on the eastern horizon. They stopped along the outskirts of the city, securing their horses in an empty stable. With their hoods up, they carefully approached the city. It was extremely dark, save for a few lights in the inns for travelers. They paired off. Lilith and Iolaus went to try a find a friend of his who might be of some help. Jason and Hercules went into some inns and tried to see if any of the innkeepers knew anything.
They had only been in a few inns and it seemed either that the innkeepers didn't know anything about the Dragons or were too scared to say anything. After they exited the seventh one, they saw Lilith and Iolaus running up, the former thief dragging along a figure by the arm.
"Hey, guys, I found one of my old friends. Meet Gevrin- he says he can take us to the Dragons' meeting place."
"Mind you, I can take you near it, but I'm not stepping one foot closer to that place than I have to," he added, furtively looking around, his large pale blue eyes taking in his surroundings cautiously. "I'm not one of their biggest fans; I spend as much time avoiding them as I do the Corinthian guards. Come on."
As he tuned to lead them out of the city, the four cadets saw the outline of a long jagged scar along the edge of his left jaw, illuminated by the full moon above.
Gevrin led them out of the main portion of the city to a large barn within sight of the empty stable where they had left heir horses. They hid among some bushed a good distance from the barn, but it seemed pretty old; the light that came from inside, showed that new wood planks had been nailed over the old rotting wood. He informed them, "That's where they usually meet; it's isolated, and it's big enough for their numbers."
Hercules asked a bit worriedly, "That barn is huge! How many do they have?"
Gevrin smirked slightly. "They have almost eighty men altogether, how in Hades you're gonna do what you have planned, I have no idea." He started slinking away back to the city. "It was nice seeing you again Iolaus; I'll be sure to say something nice at your funeral."
The four friends quietly crept up towards the front doors of the barn, three of them asking Iolaus how Gevrin had gotten such a gruesome scar on his face.
"He got it when the Dragons tried to recruit him as a thie- um, businessman. He refused; he has a high price for his talents and revenge isn't a profitable business, especially against a people you don't know and who are legendary for their fighting abilities, too. Now he avoids them at all costs; he barely escaped with his life, taking the scar as a reminder."
Once they got to the front of the barn, they shed their cloaks and looked inside through a few holes in the older wood planks.
There were lanterns everywhere, giving the whole building a well- illuminated stetting; almost cheery, if it wasn't for the over-six-dozen men all over the place. All of them wearing different clothing, but all wearing the same headband- black with a fire breathing dragon centered on the forehead, they were everywhere in the barn, some perched on various columns of baled-up hay, others lounging about on the dirt floor, but all of them had their attention focused on two figures in the center of the barn. One was standing and circling the other one like a shark circling its prey, the other lying weakly on the floor, dust flying up from her fall, using one arm to sit herself back up, the other arm to try to staunch to fresh blood flowing from her lower lip. Hercules caught his breath when he saw Kel's pained expression; from the bruises that were all over her body, he could tell that she had taken some severe beatings in the short hours she had been there. The other figure, a tall, menacing man dressed in black with a small scar that ran over his right eye, began to speak.
"You're no different from the others, Rekelen. You think that even with all your skills, your powers, you should uphold the name of honor. You don't realize the potential you have, the potential that could make you one of the most powerful warriors in the known world. But you were foolish- to think that you and the rest of the Shang could defeat us. Corlen and the others were foolish, too, and they paid for it with their lives," he finished scornfully.
Kel still sat on the ground, braced on one arm. She glanced up and coolly remarked, "The only one foolish here is you, Jetar. They knew the risks of what they were doing, and we'd all gladly go through it to stop you and your Dragons, even if we had to die."
Jetar backhanded her viciously. She was flung back on the ground by the force of it, but was still able to sit back up. The cadets could tell she couldn't take too much more.
"Charming guy, " Jason muttered quietly to the others. "How are we gonna get her out of there?"
After a few moments' silence, Hercules sighed worriedly. "All right then. I suggest we start thinking fast."
They turned their attention back to Jetar and Kel.
"I'm getting a little tired of this, Kel. This is my final offer- your life will be spared if and only if you join us. Is that clear?"
She glared up at him contemptuously. "I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged." Jetar said coldly, his blue eyes hard as ice. "Bekor, my sword."
A young Dragon, no more that sixteen years old, stepped forward with a huge broadsword and pressed it into Jetar's outstretched hand. Outside, the cadets' hearts started beating faster; Kel didn't have much time left.
Hercules looked at the others. "Anything?"
They shook their heads.
"Ok, then, here's what I've got, even though we probably won't live to see the end of it."
After a quick huddle, they stood up in front of the closed doors, all of them tensing up for what they were about to do.
"You know," Jetar reminisced cruelly, "This is the same sword I've had ever since I could wield one. I'm sure you remember it, don't you?"
Kel sat wordlessly on the ground, refusing to be prodded in the direction he was taking the conversation.
"I see you do. If it's any comfort to you, in a way, I'm giving you your last wish. Say hello to Liam for me."
Kel glanced up, golden eyes hard as stone. "My last wish is to see you dead, Jetar."
The Dragon gave an amused chuckle. "I'm afraid I can help you with that. Goodbye, Rekelen." He started to swing the sword at Kel.
The doors burst open with a loud bang. The Dragons nearest to the door were immediately set upon by the four cadets, who fought with all their strength. They managed to take down half a dozen who that had been caught off guard but were outnumbered severely. When the dust settled, a few Dragons were seen getting up on their feet and the cadets were all on the ground, aching from the sudden fierce thrashing they had just received, evident by the rapidly appearing bruises and bloody scrapes.
"What's this?" Jetar scoffed. "A rescue attempt? How pitiful. Bring them over here."
Kel, still immensely sore from the last few hours of beating, could only watch as a handful of Dragons ruthlessly dragged the cadets over to Jetar, who stood in between then and her. Even through his black eye, she could see the embarrassment and humiliation in Hercules' face at not being able to help her.
Jetar chuckled humorlessly. "Friends of yours. Kel? I take it these are the people you met at that centaur's academy Reskal told me about."
"Where is that gutless snake, anyway, I think I'm actually starting to miss him."
"Where he is is no concern of yours. But I think your companions would want to know."
Jason looked up at him warily, trying to ignore his bleeding lip. "What are you talking about?"
Jetar's face slowly broke into an evil grin. "He went back to your precious Academy; before the sun rises, it should be burnt to a nice little crisp."
"What?!" Kel and the cadets all yelled in surprise.
"Not that you can do anything about it, you'll be dead before sunrise, too."
He looked don at Kel, who had a haunted look in her eyes. "I know Reskal promised not to hurt the place but a Dragon has different priorities than a mindless Shang. One of those is to eliminate anyone who knows too much, and the Academy has people who know too much, undoubtedly from you. Now where were we? Oh, yes, I believe it was something about goodbyes."
He watched Kel's indifferent reaction. She knew that she would be dead with the next few moments, so she didn't bother trying to use up the energy she didn't have by giving Jetar a reaction he would've wanted.
"Hmm; perhaps I could send you some company first before you see Liam." He walked around and behind the four cadets, who were still recovering from the attack, his sword in hand. The cadets were scared for their lives but put on a brave face.
"Let's see," Jetar went on, "Which one first?" He paused for a moment behind Lilith. "Ladies first?"
Iolaus. "His hair's certainly long enough for a lady."
Jason. "The crowned prince of Corinth? I'll have to think about that. A ransom might prove better than a long battle with the king's army."
Hercules. "Well, well, well, how about you?"
One of the older Dragons, who was leaning back on a bale of hay nearby, suddenly sat up, a confused expression on his face. "This can't be possible."
Jetar turned his head towards the short man who had spoken. "What are you talking about, Eamon?"
Eamon replied bewilderedly, "When we ambushed Kel at the end of the tunnel, he was with her. Kovius shot him with a poisoned arrow. It should've killed him."
"Oh, really," Jetar said mockingly. "He doesn't look killed to me. No matter, I suppose I'll have to have a talk with Reskal later about finishing a job properly."
Lantern light gleaming off his sword as he raised it above his head, Jetar said in a loud voice to all the Dragons, "My brothers, let this day-" He broke off with a sharp yell of pain that came from the arrow that just imbedded itself in his arm, which clanged to the floor behind Hercules.
Suddenly, the whole barn grew alive with the sounds of fighting, Kel, the cadets, and even the Dragons were temporarily stunned by the sudden attack, but the Dragons had to recover quickly, because they had to fight for their lives against the Shang warriors who had appeared out of nowhere. There were less than thirty Shang, but they were able to handle things pretty well; even Jetar was joined in battle. Seeing who the Shang was, she smiled grimly; she had a chance to avenge Liam's death. She quickly crawled over to Hercules, who, along with his friends, was starting to stand up to guard the front door to prevent the escape of any Dragons. He saw her approach and also the look in her eyes as she held out her hand. He knew what she had to do and took her hand. This time, the exchange was extremely fast; the other cadets saw a bright flash transfer from Hercules to Kel through their joined hands. When they let go, the cadets had to support Hercules, who was on the verge of falling asleep.
Energized by the transfer from Hercules, Kel got up and started walking purposefully towards Jetar and his opponent, ducking once when a Dragon went flying over her head. The tall, blond Shang warrior who was fighting Jetar looked over at Kel and smiled- he had actually just been stalling him, preventing his escape in the midst of the chaotic fight; He said something to Jetar, immediately backed off and found another Dragon to fight with. Jetar, apparently confused by the Shang's remark, was caught off guard when Kel tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, she dealt him a severe blow that knocked him on his back. While he struggled to get back up, he stared into Kel's clam face that betrayed the fire blazing in her golden eyes, knowing she would probably fully avenge Liam's death. He took a moment to take a few deep breaths, neither him nor Kel aware of the gradually waning battle. More and more Dragons were being downed all the time and the Shang who didn't have anyone else to fight stopped to watch the fateful battle.
Jetar launched himself at Kel, his full body weight nearly slamming into her body if she hadn't neatly sidestepped. As he flew past, she whirled around and slammed her leg downwards into his back. Although he fell quicker than he wanted to, he rolled out of the leap cleanly. They circled each other, both looking for an opening to attack, Kel living up to her title, her head almost seeming to move like a snake's, moving side to side. The Shang watched silently, knowing what would happen in the end; their youngest wasn't given her title early for nothing, and she had been wanting to avenge Liam's death for two years. The Dragons, those few who were still conscious, fervently hoped that Jetar would win; they believed that if the Cobra were to be victorious, then their lives were forfeit.
The fighting resumed as soon as Jetar found an opening.or so he thought. Even as he spun into a flying roundhouse kick, Kel was ready. She ducked when his leg flew over her and when he landed in a crouch, she drove a low sidekick into his shoulder, knocking him off balance. He landed on his hands and knees, facing away from Kel. However, when she attempted to a flying kick into his unprotected back, Jetar turned at the last possible second, grabbed her foot and twisted it. Kel twisted with it, protecting her entrapped foot, and using her hands and Jetar's face with her other one to keep her momentum up. He let go, a hand up to his broken nose. Then disregarding almost everything, he attacked her with a will, punching, kicking, anything, but Kel always countered whatever he gave her and usually returning the blow even harder on him. At last, Jetar slowed his assault; he was starting to wear out. After Kel knocked him spinning to the ground with a fist to his eye, he used his last trick up his sleeve. Grabbing a handful of dirt from the ground, he jumped up and threw it at Kel, knowing her eyes would be watching him closely. But Kel had seen it coming and dodged the barrage, delivering a spinning kick to his chin so hard everyone in the barn could hear the audible snap in this neck. Jetar fell down to the ground limply.
The whole barn grew silent. The Dragons who were still standing surrendered totally; without a leader, it was pointless to fight. The cadets were stunned. Kel sat a short ways from Jetar's body; she looked up at the cadets. "It's ok, guys."
In the complete silence, her voice could be heard by all.
"It's over."
He tried sitting up, but one hand on his left shoulder was enough to keep him down; the dull pain in his other shoulder caught his attention and he stayed, lying down. He asked to no one in particular, "What's going on?"
The next voice was more recognizable. Cheiron's. "From what Jason and the others told me, Ares took you to the secret tunnel where Kel was. When I went to search for you, I found you alone, lying unconscious in a clearing with an arrow buried in your shoulder. I brought you back as quickly as possible; I had suspected that the arrow had been poisoned."
"And it was," the first voice confirmed. "But that is a mystery in itself."
Hercules turned his head enough to see Dalin, the chief physician, come up to the side of the table Hercules was lying on. "What are you talking about?"
"From my analysis on the arrowhead, the poison used is a common herb, found all over the Grecian Peninsula. But it's not deadly, it's only used as a tranquilizer, a sleep-inducing agent. Anyone with even the least bit of knowledge about herbs would know that it wouldn't kill anyone."
Hercules was confused. "Then why would the Dragons shoot me with an arrow that won't even kill me? Reskal said that the point of it was to kill me."
Silence pervaded the infirmary, until Cheiron made a suggestion that everyone was thinking, but thought impossible. "Perhaps they did not wish you to die. Only to make it seem as though you were."
Jason said slowly, "If it was only for show, then who were they trying to fool- Kel? Make her think Herc's dead?"
"Or maybe not all the Dragons knew about the arrow not being deadly," Lilith suggested. "Maybe there was one who didn't want him to die and just made it seem like he did."
Cheiron looked down at the wounded demigod. "Hercules, we need you to tell us everything you remember since you disappeared from here. Perhaps it will shed some light onto this mystery."
Hercules was able to sit up without too much pain in his shoulder and explained everything he could as best as possible. When he finished, there was a prolonged silence in the infirmary. Hercules broke the quiet with a question to Dalin. "How long before I can get out of here?"
Dalin looked up from some herbs he was mixing. "Your shoulder wasn't too badly damaged and is healing well on its own; you can leave right now, just be careful with that shoulder for a while."
"Let's just hope that it's not too late," Hercules said under his breath.
"Too late for what?" Iolaus asked a bit absently.
"You're still gonna try to rescue Kel, aren't you?" Jason asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Of course, they're gonna kill her!" Hercules exclaimed. He hopped off the examining table he was sitting on and turned to Cheiron. "Sir, I have to go. She'll die if I don't."
The centaur calmly countered Hercules' anxious request. "And if you go, you will most likely die as well."
Hercules started to protest, but Cheiron held up a hand to stop him. "But something here tells me that this is different from anything we've ever encountered before. Therefore, I will let you go."
"Thanks, Cheiron." He turned and started walking towards the door.
"Hey, Herc!" Jason called out. "I think you're forgetting something!"
The demigod turned to see the other three cadets, lined up, side by side, expectant looks on their faces. It didn't take Hercules too long to realize what Jason meant. He instantly started to shake his head while inching towards the exit. "No way. This is way too dangerous to drag you all into."
"Not as dangerous as it'd be if you went alone," Iolaus remarked.
Hercules was about to protest again when Lilith noted, "Hercules, time's running out; for us and for Kel. We don't have time to debate this with you and we won't take 'no' for an answer."
He took a breath to say 'no', but thought better of it. Slowly exhaling, he smiled at his friends' loyalty. "All right. Here's the plan. Lilith, get four horses from the stable. Iolaus find some dark cloaks so we can blend in with the night. Jason and I'll bet weapons from the armory. Everyone, meet out front. We're going to Corinth."
The peaceful quiet that night was broken by the galloping of horses. The cadets set off at a quick pace to Corinth, handling their mounts so that they would reach the city as fast as possible without killing their horses with exhaustion. All four wore long black cloaks, mostly to blend in with the night, but it also wouldn't do for anyone to recognize Jason.
Shortly after they got underway, Iolaus called out, "So, Herc, how are we gonna find Kel when we get to Corinth?"
Hercules called back, "I'm not sure. You still have friends in Corinth, don't you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Maybe someone could provide us with some information about the Dragons."
"And how are we supposed to get her away from them, if we do find her?' Jason yelled out over the loud pounding of the horses' hooves on the road.
"I'm not sure about that, either. Start coming up with some ideas."
"Great," Lilith mumbled. "I've volunteered for a suicide mission."
They rode in silence for the next few hours, stopping occasionally to let the horses rest, and to share any ideas they had on how to rescue Kel.
When they arrived in Corinth, it was still night, but sunrise would come soon, an hour, maybe two, judging by the faint blue light on the eastern horizon. They stopped along the outskirts of the city, securing their horses in an empty stable. With their hoods up, they carefully approached the city. It was extremely dark, save for a few lights in the inns for travelers. They paired off. Lilith and Iolaus went to try a find a friend of his who might be of some help. Jason and Hercules went into some inns and tried to see if any of the innkeepers knew anything.
They had only been in a few inns and it seemed either that the innkeepers didn't know anything about the Dragons or were too scared to say anything. After they exited the seventh one, they saw Lilith and Iolaus running up, the former thief dragging along a figure by the arm.
"Hey, guys, I found one of my old friends. Meet Gevrin- he says he can take us to the Dragons' meeting place."
"Mind you, I can take you near it, but I'm not stepping one foot closer to that place than I have to," he added, furtively looking around, his large pale blue eyes taking in his surroundings cautiously. "I'm not one of their biggest fans; I spend as much time avoiding them as I do the Corinthian guards. Come on."
As he tuned to lead them out of the city, the four cadets saw the outline of a long jagged scar along the edge of his left jaw, illuminated by the full moon above.
Gevrin led them out of the main portion of the city to a large barn within sight of the empty stable where they had left heir horses. They hid among some bushed a good distance from the barn, but it seemed pretty old; the light that came from inside, showed that new wood planks had been nailed over the old rotting wood. He informed them, "That's where they usually meet; it's isolated, and it's big enough for their numbers."
Hercules asked a bit worriedly, "That barn is huge! How many do they have?"
Gevrin smirked slightly. "They have almost eighty men altogether, how in Hades you're gonna do what you have planned, I have no idea." He started slinking away back to the city. "It was nice seeing you again Iolaus; I'll be sure to say something nice at your funeral."
The four friends quietly crept up towards the front doors of the barn, three of them asking Iolaus how Gevrin had gotten such a gruesome scar on his face.
"He got it when the Dragons tried to recruit him as a thie- um, businessman. He refused; he has a high price for his talents and revenge isn't a profitable business, especially against a people you don't know and who are legendary for their fighting abilities, too. Now he avoids them at all costs; he barely escaped with his life, taking the scar as a reminder."
Once they got to the front of the barn, they shed their cloaks and looked inside through a few holes in the older wood planks.
There were lanterns everywhere, giving the whole building a well- illuminated stetting; almost cheery, if it wasn't for the over-six-dozen men all over the place. All of them wearing different clothing, but all wearing the same headband- black with a fire breathing dragon centered on the forehead, they were everywhere in the barn, some perched on various columns of baled-up hay, others lounging about on the dirt floor, but all of them had their attention focused on two figures in the center of the barn. One was standing and circling the other one like a shark circling its prey, the other lying weakly on the floor, dust flying up from her fall, using one arm to sit herself back up, the other arm to try to staunch to fresh blood flowing from her lower lip. Hercules caught his breath when he saw Kel's pained expression; from the bruises that were all over her body, he could tell that she had taken some severe beatings in the short hours she had been there. The other figure, a tall, menacing man dressed in black with a small scar that ran over his right eye, began to speak.
"You're no different from the others, Rekelen. You think that even with all your skills, your powers, you should uphold the name of honor. You don't realize the potential you have, the potential that could make you one of the most powerful warriors in the known world. But you were foolish- to think that you and the rest of the Shang could defeat us. Corlen and the others were foolish, too, and they paid for it with their lives," he finished scornfully.
Kel still sat on the ground, braced on one arm. She glanced up and coolly remarked, "The only one foolish here is you, Jetar. They knew the risks of what they were doing, and we'd all gladly go through it to stop you and your Dragons, even if we had to die."
Jetar backhanded her viciously. She was flung back on the ground by the force of it, but was still able to sit back up. The cadets could tell she couldn't take too much more.
"Charming guy, " Jason muttered quietly to the others. "How are we gonna get her out of there?"
After a few moments' silence, Hercules sighed worriedly. "All right then. I suggest we start thinking fast."
They turned their attention back to Jetar and Kel.
"I'm getting a little tired of this, Kel. This is my final offer- your life will be spared if and only if you join us. Is that clear?"
She glared up at him contemptuously. "I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged." Jetar said coldly, his blue eyes hard as ice. "Bekor, my sword."
A young Dragon, no more that sixteen years old, stepped forward with a huge broadsword and pressed it into Jetar's outstretched hand. Outside, the cadets' hearts started beating faster; Kel didn't have much time left.
Hercules looked at the others. "Anything?"
They shook their heads.
"Ok, then, here's what I've got, even though we probably won't live to see the end of it."
After a quick huddle, they stood up in front of the closed doors, all of them tensing up for what they were about to do.
"You know," Jetar reminisced cruelly, "This is the same sword I've had ever since I could wield one. I'm sure you remember it, don't you?"
Kel sat wordlessly on the ground, refusing to be prodded in the direction he was taking the conversation.
"I see you do. If it's any comfort to you, in a way, I'm giving you your last wish. Say hello to Liam for me."
Kel glanced up, golden eyes hard as stone. "My last wish is to see you dead, Jetar."
The Dragon gave an amused chuckle. "I'm afraid I can help you with that. Goodbye, Rekelen." He started to swing the sword at Kel.
The doors burst open with a loud bang. The Dragons nearest to the door were immediately set upon by the four cadets, who fought with all their strength. They managed to take down half a dozen who that had been caught off guard but were outnumbered severely. When the dust settled, a few Dragons were seen getting up on their feet and the cadets were all on the ground, aching from the sudden fierce thrashing they had just received, evident by the rapidly appearing bruises and bloody scrapes.
"What's this?" Jetar scoffed. "A rescue attempt? How pitiful. Bring them over here."
Kel, still immensely sore from the last few hours of beating, could only watch as a handful of Dragons ruthlessly dragged the cadets over to Jetar, who stood in between then and her. Even through his black eye, she could see the embarrassment and humiliation in Hercules' face at not being able to help her.
Jetar chuckled humorlessly. "Friends of yours. Kel? I take it these are the people you met at that centaur's academy Reskal told me about."
"Where is that gutless snake, anyway, I think I'm actually starting to miss him."
"Where he is is no concern of yours. But I think your companions would want to know."
Jason looked up at him warily, trying to ignore his bleeding lip. "What are you talking about?"
Jetar's face slowly broke into an evil grin. "He went back to your precious Academy; before the sun rises, it should be burnt to a nice little crisp."
"What?!" Kel and the cadets all yelled in surprise.
"Not that you can do anything about it, you'll be dead before sunrise, too."
He looked don at Kel, who had a haunted look in her eyes. "I know Reskal promised not to hurt the place but a Dragon has different priorities than a mindless Shang. One of those is to eliminate anyone who knows too much, and the Academy has people who know too much, undoubtedly from you. Now where were we? Oh, yes, I believe it was something about goodbyes."
He watched Kel's indifferent reaction. She knew that she would be dead with the next few moments, so she didn't bother trying to use up the energy she didn't have by giving Jetar a reaction he would've wanted.
"Hmm; perhaps I could send you some company first before you see Liam." He walked around and behind the four cadets, who were still recovering from the attack, his sword in hand. The cadets were scared for their lives but put on a brave face.
"Let's see," Jetar went on, "Which one first?" He paused for a moment behind Lilith. "Ladies first?"
Iolaus. "His hair's certainly long enough for a lady."
Jason. "The crowned prince of Corinth? I'll have to think about that. A ransom might prove better than a long battle with the king's army."
Hercules. "Well, well, well, how about you?"
One of the older Dragons, who was leaning back on a bale of hay nearby, suddenly sat up, a confused expression on his face. "This can't be possible."
Jetar turned his head towards the short man who had spoken. "What are you talking about, Eamon?"
Eamon replied bewilderedly, "When we ambushed Kel at the end of the tunnel, he was with her. Kovius shot him with a poisoned arrow. It should've killed him."
"Oh, really," Jetar said mockingly. "He doesn't look killed to me. No matter, I suppose I'll have to have a talk with Reskal later about finishing a job properly."
Lantern light gleaming off his sword as he raised it above his head, Jetar said in a loud voice to all the Dragons, "My brothers, let this day-" He broke off with a sharp yell of pain that came from the arrow that just imbedded itself in his arm, which clanged to the floor behind Hercules.
Suddenly, the whole barn grew alive with the sounds of fighting, Kel, the cadets, and even the Dragons were temporarily stunned by the sudden attack, but the Dragons had to recover quickly, because they had to fight for their lives against the Shang warriors who had appeared out of nowhere. There were less than thirty Shang, but they were able to handle things pretty well; even Jetar was joined in battle. Seeing who the Shang was, she smiled grimly; she had a chance to avenge Liam's death. She quickly crawled over to Hercules, who, along with his friends, was starting to stand up to guard the front door to prevent the escape of any Dragons. He saw her approach and also the look in her eyes as she held out her hand. He knew what she had to do and took her hand. This time, the exchange was extremely fast; the other cadets saw a bright flash transfer from Hercules to Kel through their joined hands. When they let go, the cadets had to support Hercules, who was on the verge of falling asleep.
Energized by the transfer from Hercules, Kel got up and started walking purposefully towards Jetar and his opponent, ducking once when a Dragon went flying over her head. The tall, blond Shang warrior who was fighting Jetar looked over at Kel and smiled- he had actually just been stalling him, preventing his escape in the midst of the chaotic fight; He said something to Jetar, immediately backed off and found another Dragon to fight with. Jetar, apparently confused by the Shang's remark, was caught off guard when Kel tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, she dealt him a severe blow that knocked him on his back. While he struggled to get back up, he stared into Kel's clam face that betrayed the fire blazing in her golden eyes, knowing she would probably fully avenge Liam's death. He took a moment to take a few deep breaths, neither him nor Kel aware of the gradually waning battle. More and more Dragons were being downed all the time and the Shang who didn't have anyone else to fight stopped to watch the fateful battle.
Jetar launched himself at Kel, his full body weight nearly slamming into her body if she hadn't neatly sidestepped. As he flew past, she whirled around and slammed her leg downwards into his back. Although he fell quicker than he wanted to, he rolled out of the leap cleanly. They circled each other, both looking for an opening to attack, Kel living up to her title, her head almost seeming to move like a snake's, moving side to side. The Shang watched silently, knowing what would happen in the end; their youngest wasn't given her title early for nothing, and she had been wanting to avenge Liam's death for two years. The Dragons, those few who were still conscious, fervently hoped that Jetar would win; they believed that if the Cobra were to be victorious, then their lives were forfeit.
The fighting resumed as soon as Jetar found an opening.or so he thought. Even as he spun into a flying roundhouse kick, Kel was ready. She ducked when his leg flew over her and when he landed in a crouch, she drove a low sidekick into his shoulder, knocking him off balance. He landed on his hands and knees, facing away from Kel. However, when she attempted to a flying kick into his unprotected back, Jetar turned at the last possible second, grabbed her foot and twisted it. Kel twisted with it, protecting her entrapped foot, and using her hands and Jetar's face with her other one to keep her momentum up. He let go, a hand up to his broken nose. Then disregarding almost everything, he attacked her with a will, punching, kicking, anything, but Kel always countered whatever he gave her and usually returning the blow even harder on him. At last, Jetar slowed his assault; he was starting to wear out. After Kel knocked him spinning to the ground with a fist to his eye, he used his last trick up his sleeve. Grabbing a handful of dirt from the ground, he jumped up and threw it at Kel, knowing her eyes would be watching him closely. But Kel had seen it coming and dodged the barrage, delivering a spinning kick to his chin so hard everyone in the barn could hear the audible snap in this neck. Jetar fell down to the ground limply.
The whole barn grew silent. The Dragons who were still standing surrendered totally; without a leader, it was pointless to fight. The cadets were stunned. Kel sat a short ways from Jetar's body; she looked up at the cadets. "It's ok, guys."
In the complete silence, her voice could be heard by all.
"It's over."