Four years later . . .

A thunderclap shook the air over Possibility. It wasn't often that rain fell in the twin cities, now made one, but when it did, the heavens burst asunder, like all the missing rain from the desert to the west decided to focus itself here. This time, the Great Five-Tail River had finally broken free of its walls, and had flooded the stores and houses along the banks. Extensive repairs would be needed for the buildings along there. The SandWings and SkyWings owners would have to pay hefty fees. Fortunately for Goanna, her father had had the sense to buy their tavern a fair ways up from the riverbanks.

Goanna slammed a mug of ale in front of a SkyWing at the bar. He took it with a snort, not paying her as much as a 'thank you.' Goanna glowered, and twisted one of the rings on her claws. Five years ago, the SkyWing would have been cowering in fear, groveling before her just for this drink. Not that she'd ever would have been found serving then. But that was five years ago, before her father had been murdered in cold blood. Goanna's brother had told her how lucky she was at the time, to have been with him on a trip to Burn's court instead of in her father's place, but luck was the last thing Goanna had felt.

Since then, Goanna had been biding her time at the urging of her brother. As she continued twisting the ring on her claws, his words reverberated through her ears. "What would Father had wanted? Remember what Father said, if you keep your mind and your powers under lock and key, no one can harm you." Well, that had certainly worked well for Father, hadn't it? Her brother had told her that it was Father's overuse of his powers that led to his demise, but Goanna disagreed. He hadn't used them enough. Father had hidden in the shadows like a coward, whereas if he had taken charge and put an end to his enemies once and for all, he could have ruled Possibility like a queen. Goanna knew why her brother didn't want her to use her powers. He was jealous. She had been the one to receive Father's abilities, not him. She was always Father's favorite. She, Goanna, would have inherited his empire. If he hadn't died.

"Hey, Goa!" a SandWing yelled from across the room. "Fetch us another round!"

Goanna growled quietly, and he and the other dragons at his table laughed. Her blood boiled as she heard her father's name tossed around. They were glad he was dead. They had benefited from it. That's what everyone said, his and Evergreen's deaths had been the greatest thing to happen in the history of Possibility. But if they knew what she could do, they wouldn't be laughing. They would prostrate themselves, and plead for her generous mercy. One day, Goanna would be more powerful than her father ever was.

Still, Goanna got to work, loosening the tap to fill up the mugs. Carrying three of them in one of her front claws, she teetered on three legs to the table. One of SandWings gave her a nasty grin, whereas the snout of another clenched up in displeasure as she came closer. She placed the mugs on the table and started her return to behind the bar.

"Why did you take me here?" the second SandWing muttered under his breath. "You know what Gila did to my sister."

"Oh c'mon, lighten up," the first snickered. "Think of it this way, you get to order his daughter around. If that doesn't give you a little satisfaction, what will?"

Goanna whipped around, the barb on her tail twitching, wanting to stab the SandWing through the brain. She shot a glare through him. He gave her tail an instinctive glance of alarm, but quickly relaxed to his ordinary expression of schadenfreude. "What?" he asked with a chuckle. "You know he deserved it."

Goanna's scales shook in rage, the claw with her ring twitching. She could use it, just to show him how much power he really had over her. It wouldn't be the first time. A SandWing who'd mocked her father mysteriously drowning himself in the river. A SkyWing who'd worked for Evergreen impaling himself on a SandWing who'd abandoned Goanna after her father's death. No one knew the real culprit of course. How could they? But not here. Not in front of everyone.

"Well?" The SandWing growled, his smile starting to fade. He leaned a little closer to Goanna, his tail twitching. "You have something to say to me?"

Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the dim room, a crackle of thunder shaking through the building. Goanna turned towards the doors of the tavern as the doors slammed open. A SeaWing ducked his head through the doorway, the top of his horns just barely missing the wooden frame. Rain dripped from his scarred gills, and a worn leather strap fastened itself around his torso, a sheathed dagger hanging from it. Goanna froze up.

"A SeaWing?" the SandWing snorted. "Don't see many of your type around here. Did you accidentally take a wrong turn and swim halfway around Pyrrhia?"

The SeaWing frowned, and cocked his head, examining the SandWing up and down. He turned his gaze to Goanna, and placed his claws against the hilt of his dagger. Immediately, the two SandWings and the SkyWing at the bar stood up, their muscles stiffening, preparing for a fight. A few of the other dragons in the background watched warily.

"I'm only here for her," the SeaWing growled, his voice low and reverberating.

The SandWing that had first spoken to him let out a hearty laugh, and relaxed, waving his wing in a friendly motion. "Aren't we all? But you have to admit she pours a good drink, and it's far more fun to keep her like this. If you squint hard enough, you can even pretend you're ordering her father around! C'mon, sit down for a moment. It's pouring out there, and I'm sure Goanna would be glad to start you a tab."

The SeaWing was unmoved by this gesture. "I'm not interested in revenge," he carefully stated, his words slow.

"I know who you are," Goanna hissed, the hint of fear in her voice clouded by the burning rage.

The SeaWing turned his head back to Goanna, tapping a claw on the hilt of his dagger, the webbing between his talons wrapping around the end. "Do you now?" he asked, a wisp of exasperation in his voice.

Goanna bristled, the fin on her spine jittering in fury. "Your name is Torrent. My father's murder is on your claws," she seethed, raising out her talons. She pointed the one with the ring she had been fidgeting with earlier straight at the SeaWing.

Torrent frowned for a moment, thinking. Her father's murder? He thought back to the dragons he'd killed. Her father would be a SandWing. The numbers had grown in the past four years, but based on her being in Possibility, he thought he had a pretty good idea of who she was referring to. "Gila?" he questioned.

"Die for me, you bastard!" Goanna roared, with a flick of her ringed talon.

Torrent stared back at her, unimpressed. A few of the other dragons snickered.

Goanna glanced down at her talon. Why wasn't the ring working? She moved her talon again, but still no response. Had she enchanted it wrong? It had worked every other time she'd used it.

"Not going to work on me," Torrent snorted, by now used to this. He finished drawing out his dagger, holding it firmly within his claws. Two gems were inlaid within it, easily in reach of his talons, alongside an empty hemispherical indentation in the handle.

Goanna gritted her teeth, looking to her side. The SandWing that had been laughing was standing there, somewhat unsure at what was going on, and what his place was in it. He was soon to find out. Goanna took a step backwards, and pointed her talon at the SandWing instead. His body immediately stiffened up, and he let out a short yelp of surprise as his limbs started moving on their own. He stumbled towards Torrent, and with a rigid, unnatural movement, his claws swept at the SeaWing's throat.

Torrent stuck his dagger out, slashing it across the space in front of him, bringing the blunt of the blade down on the SandWing's claws. Immediately, the SandWing relaxed and crumpled to the ground, confused at what had just occurred. Goanna glowered, and pointed her ringed claw again at the SandWing. This time, his body didn't respond.

"As I said," Torrent muttered, "that's not going to work on me."

As much as Goanna wanted to stab through the SeaWing's throat with her barb and tear out his heart, she knew that she was at a disadvantage without her enchantments working. She glanced backwards. Close to the bar was a staircase leading to the upper floor of the tavern, where her room and belongings were. Torrent took a step forward towards Goanna, and she whipped around, scrambling for the stairwell. As she looked back to see the SeaWing slowly continuing forward, she stretched out her talon again, and quickly dragged it from the second SandWing to the ground in front of Torrent. Lifted up by some invisible force, the second SandWing yelled in surprise as he flew across the room, practically flying at Torrent. As he approached the SeaWing, the force disappeared and his body collapsed, skidding across the wooden floor. Goanna did the same for the SkyWing at the bar and a third SandWing before clambering up the staircase.

Torrent looked down at the dragons at his feet, and stepped over and around them as they tried to get up. None of them attempted to stop Torrent, too confused and frightened by what was occuring. As he slowly followed Goanna up the staircase to the rooms above, the dragons remaining in the tavern scrambled for the doors, pushing each other aside to rush into the storming night, the wind and flood seeming more hospitable at this point.

When Torrent reached the top of the staircase, he saw a short, dimly lit hallway in front of him, doors lining the right side. He raised his dagger up, pointing it towards the right, and nudged a talon against the purple amethyst. As he slowly walked along the hall, the amethyst warmed, indicating that he was getting closer. He reached the final door of the hallway, and pointed his dagger at it. This is where Goanna would have fled to. Another thunderclap shook the tavern.

Torrent opened the door, pushing it open. Goanna was at the opposite end of the room inside, furiously digging through a small drawer, throwing out small pieces of jewelry and scraps of scrolls. Torrent sighed, still in the doorway. "Whatever you're looking for, it won't work on me," he muttered.

"I'm not looking for something to use on you," Goanna growled. She found the target of her search, and pulled out a small green diamond, glinting in the faint light of the room. Torrent's eyes opened wide as he saw it, and it took him a moment too long to rush forward, trying to get close enough to Goanna to prevent the enchantment from working. Goanna glared, and crushed her claws around the diamond. Unlike a normal gemstone, it immediately crumbled into dust. Torrent leapt forward at the SandWing, but landed only on the wooden flooring. Goanna had disappeared into thin air.

Torrent roared in frustration as more thunder crashed. He lifted himself up, and looked back down. Where Goanna had been, only sparkling green dust remained. The SeaWing slowly dragged a talon through it, pushing it aside and drawing a line through what remained. Just a little too late. Again.