AN- That's right, I'm writing again. It's summer, so I took a little sabbatical. I'm back, though, and here's the next chapter!

Chapter 9: Battle in the Glade

"Are you almost done?" Globox whispered to his hidden cellmate, whose name happened to be Sam.

"Hush!" The teensie whispered from underneath his bed. He had been working on an escape tunnel for several days, and he was almost through with it. It had been hard to dig through the rock of the prison, but he had succeeded.

"Hey Sam!" Globox whispered urgently. "Guards are coming!"

"Distract them like you always do, Globox!" Sam replied as he continued to dig.

At that moment, two burly soldiers walked up to Globox's cell. One of them carried a spear, and the other one carried a tray with some bread and water. "Food!" The soldier with the food yelled.

"Err…" Globox stammered, trying to keep them outside. "Could you slide it in here?"

"Why?" the other soldier asked suspiciously. "Is there anything you don't want to tell us?"

"No, no!" Glonox said nervously. "It's just that, um… my friend is really sick!"

"Sick?" The soldier asked. "Well, let us come in there and see what's wrong with him."

"Err…" Globox stammered, trying to find a way to answer that. "He's, well…"

"Dying." The teensie's moaned from under his bed. "I'm dying, and it's not a pretty sight. I can't come out of here because I don't want to get any of you sick."

"Let's go." The soldier who brought the food said nervously as he quickly slid the food through the cell's bars. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Alright." The first soldier sighed. "We'll be keeping an eye on you and your 'dying' friend. And we're going to cut your rations as well; dying slaves don't need as much food." At this, he walked off down the corridor.

As soon as the soldiers left, Globox went over to the bed with tears in his eyes. "Don't die, Sam!" He cried. "Don't leave me like this!"

Sam popped his head up from the tunnel. "I'm not dying, Globox." He sighed. "That was just an excuse to get the guards to leave. Anyway, the tunnel should be able to hold us both now, so get in!" At that, Sam disappeared into the newly completed tunnel.

*******

When Rayman left the Temple, his friends noticed that he had changed. Like the time he went into the chamber in the Cave of Bad Dreams, Rayman looked older and more tired after going into the Temple. His eyes, too, reflected a new sense of purpose and determination in the hero.

"I see the Heart told you many things, Rai' Muana." Elkian told Rayman. "Did it tell you where you need to go?"

"Yes." Rayman nodded.

Elkian was silent for a minute. "Rayman, as a Guardian, I don't get involved in the affairs of men. But Janus is the greatest threat to peace the world has ever known. Because of this…" At that, the Guardian closed his eyes and spread out his hands. Rayman watched as Elkian began to glow until it was too bright to watch. When Rayman opened his eyes, Elkian was gone. In his place was a magnificently large Golden Eagle.

"I will take you where you need to go." The Eagle that Elkian turned into told him. "Get on my back."

"Thank you, Elkian." Rayman nodded. "First, though…" He paused, turning towards Simon, Orchid and Murfy. "I need to speak to my friends."

Rayman's eyes were solemn as he addressed his friends. "You three are some of my best friends in this world. You saved my life and comforted me when I needed it most. And because of that…" He sighed. "I need you all to stay here.

"No, Orchid, don't object." Rayman said as his friend began to protest. "You all know that Janus is a sadistic madman with no respect for life. If he found you all and learned that you were my friends, you would be in terrible danger. I'm asking you all as a friend to stay here."

It was Murfy who first broke the silence. "What?" Murfy snorted. "You're kiddin' me, right? You think I'm goin to let you go up against Janus all by yourself? You must be off your rocker!"

"Murfy's right, Rayman." Orchid said fiercely. "We've gone with you this far, and we're not going to leave you because of danger! We're your friends, Rayman! Friends stick with one another!"

"And I have to see that my daughter is alright." Simon said. "Also, Rayman, you've been a good friend to this old man. You aren't going to get rid of me that easily."

Rayman turned away to wipe a few tears from his eyes before he spoke. "It's… it's good to have friends as devoted as you. Alright… I'll let you go. But you have to promise me you'll stay out of danger."

"You know us, Rayman!" Orchid told her friend. "We aren't going to frolic off into danger!"

"Alright." Rayman nodded. "Elkian, we're ready to go!" At that, he and his friends got on the Golden Eagle's back. Elkian gave a harsh call as he stretched his wings in anticipation of flight.

"Where to, Rai' Muana?" The Guardian asked.

"The Fairy Glade." Rayman replied. "Janus is in the Fairy Council!"

Elkian nodded. "Hang on to my feathers." He said. "This flight may be bumpy!" At that, he rose into the sky towards the destination that Rayman knew by heart

*******

Rayman was shocked. The Glade had changed so much under Janus' iron rule that it shocked the hero. The Glade, once fertile and full of life, was now filled with dying trees and scorched earth. Not even so much as a bird could be sighted in the grim wasteland that used to be one of the most beautiful places in Rayman's world.

"This is horrible." Rayman said sadly.

Murfy was also distraught by the devastation he saw. "This can't be possible!" The normally plucky Greenbottle, breaking down into tears. "What happened to my friends and my family and…"

"It's okay, Murfy." Rayman said, trying to comfort the Greenbottle. "I'm sure they'll be okay!"

Even Elkian was moved by the sight he saw. "This isn't natural!" He roared. "Someday, Janus will pay for what he has done!"

"Hey Elkian, did you hear something?" Rayman asked his friend.

"No, not… wait! I did! It sounds like the beating of wings!"

Rayman turned his head and gasped. Right in front of him was a gigantic, red dragon. Its large wings beat the air effortlessly as it flew closer to the eagle, and its red eyes shone forth through the dark sky.

"Don't worry, Rayman." Elkian told his friend as his hands inched towards his staff. "I'll handle this." At that, he shot towards the dragon like an arrow, raking its chest with his talons. The dragon roared in pain, gashing at Elkian with one of its claws. The two competitors continuously lunged at each other, attacking each other with great speed and ferocity.

Rayman watched nervously as the dragon slashed Elkian's left wing. The eagle screeched in pain as he jabbed at his foe with his curved beak. The dragon appeared to be overwhelmed by the ferocity of his foe's attack, allowing Elkian to batter it with his wings and talons. Suddenly, Rayman saw a gleam of light in the dragon's eyes.

"Elkian, look out!" He yelled. It was too late; Elkian couldn't dodge the spray of magma the dragon shot at his chest. He shrieked as the dragon came towards his, clawing and biting. Elkian, exhausted and wounded, fell from the sky like a stone.

The fall from the eagle's back was jarring for all the friends. Rayman slowly got up as the dragon descended to the ground for the kill. "Elkian," Rayman whispered, "I hope that this helps." At that, he raised his staff. A golden light shone forth from the staff, descending to the eagle and spreading throughout his body. As Rayman watched, the wounds inflicted by the dragon began to disappear as Elkian's bones and began to mend. Elkian opened his eyes, staring defiantly at the dragon as he lunged at it.

The dragon was taken by surprise by the intense fury of Elkian's attack. Clawing, jabbing and battering the dragon, Elkian seemed everywhere at one time. The dragon, bleeding and exhausted, fell to the ground and closed its eyes forever.

"Rayman," Elkian said, "you have saved my life. Th… thank you."

"It was nothing." Rayman told his friend. "You would have done the same for me!"

"Yes, you're right." Elkian replied. "Rayman, head north. The council and Janus are that way."

"Thanks!" Rayman replied. "I'm going there right now."

Elkian watched as the four friends marched towards their destiny. "Good luck… my friends."