"Sir?" Clouse looked up to see Zane at his doorway.

"You spoke to the prisoner?" It was less a question and more a statement.

"Yes, sir."

"And?" The word lashed out.

Zane's calm demeanor didn't change. "He said he'll speak with you about how to make amends."

A predatory smile came to Clouse's face. "Excellent. You are dismissed and may return to your quarters."

At that the captain's eyes narrowed briefly and Clouse felt the temperature around him fall. "With all do respect sir it's outside of regulation policy to leave the dungeons without a captain on duty."

"I believe my presence will be sufficient to quell anyone who tries to step out of line." Zane didn't particularly seem to agree, but he didn't argue with his superior.

Still with him known for being a rule stickler... Clouse bit back the irritation rising toward one of the actually competent members of the guard- particularly one Clouse needed to keep close. He turned and opened a bottle of wine. Pouring it into two glasses he added a quick pinch of sleeping power to Zane's before handing it to the man. Zane frowned at the offering.

"It's not permitted for a soldier on duty-"

"Ah, ah, ah, but I'm telling you to go off duty. If I remember correctly you're training the princess in the morning so you shouldn't be on night watch anyway. When I leave the dungeon I'll alert the watch that a new captain needs to come on duty."

That seemed to grudgingly appease Zane. He accepted the glass and left Clouse's room. Clouse growled to himself. He did not have time to deal with Zane and the urchin tonight. Hopefully that wine would keep Zane dead to the world until Clouse could siphon his powers again. Drat the strength of a primary Element.

Clouse mentally shook himself and took a deep breath. One objective at a time. He had a prisoner to visit.

.

Kai had no way to track the passage of time, other than the fact it was still dark, but it felt like it had been a while when more footsteps came near. Kai's heart began to thump in his chest. He shoved down a grimace and attempted to keep his face neutral. That proved to be rather difficult when nearly six feet of definitely-fitting-the-vibe-of-a-dark-wizard entered the cell and towered over him.

Kai wished he could stand on his own two feet but didn't fancy face planting in front of the man. "Your guard said you had a job offer?"

Clouse didn't immediately reply and Kai tried hard not to fidget beneath the man's almost glare. "Hmph. You'll do."

"You sure know how to make someone feel special." Kai deadpanned.

Something snaked its way around Kai's abdomen and pulled tight, forcing the air out of Kai's lungs. Thrashing from side to side, an action that sent agony through his already aching torso, Kai fought for breath that wouldn't come. Darkness began to creep in the edges of his vision when the pressure suddenly vanished. He gasped and started coughing.

"In case I didn't make myself clear, there are others I can use. If you'd like to stay alive and return to your miserable existence I'd recommend you keep your droll comments to yourself."

Not that Kai knew what droll meant, but he got the gist. That didn't stop him from sending a real glare up at the advisor.

"Glad we're on the same page." Clouse struck his staff on the ground and a puff of purple smoke rose around the pair. An image of a cave opening formed in the cloud.

"The Cave of Mysteries. Years ago treasures from Ouroboros were stolen and disappeared. I've recently tracked them down to this cave."

"And why can't you get them yourself?" The question was out before Kai fully processed his words. Surprisingly Clouse didn't lash out.

"The cave was protected by enchantments that even I can't break. Of such there is a ward in place that hinders magic wielders from entering. You have no such barriers."

Kai felt vaguely insulted but didn't comment on it. "What about the inside?"

The advisor shrugged. "With no accurate visual of the inside I can't tell you anything that would be useful. Be prepared for traps."

Helpful. Not.

"And what's so important in there?"

"This." With a wave of Clouse's hand a new image appeared in the smoke. The projection of an old scroll with an ornate yellow lamp (or was that a teapot?) with green stones encrusted along the lid's base. Even in the picture the lamp looked old.

"There's no official name for this artifact. It is said that this illuminates the path for the one who wields it."

'Vague much?' Kai frowned, but didn't bother asking the questions that began clamoring in his mind.

"The king desires that this be returned so that Ouroboros will continue to prosper." At that a small snort escaped Kai's lips. Clouse scowled, "Succeed in bringing back the lamp and the Crown will grant you clemency for your crimes."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Kai asked. Clouse cocked an eyebrow. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Clouse pointed a finger at Kai and the chains around his wrists and ankles fell to the ground. Kai let out a small hiss of pain. Though it'd only been a few hours his skin had been rubbed raw. Gingerly Kai massaged his wrists but it didn't take away the stinging or the ache. He stiffly made his way to his feet and stretched to get the blood flow going again. The motion pulled at his throbbing ribs, eliciting a hiss of pain.

Clouse watched with a board look on his face. "You finished?" Kai bit back the first thing that came to mind, giving a stiff nod instead.

"Good." Clouse lifted his hand toward the wall behind Kai. A waft of purple drifted over and engulfed the wall. Kai stood frozen as what had just been stone turned into a portal of energy. "After you."

This time Kai did scowl. That didn't stop him from taking a deep breath and stepping through the portal.

A crackling energy rolled over him. For the second time in almost as many minutes Kai couldn't breathe. Dark spots covered his vision.

When Kai came back to himself he found he was lying face down on something soft and lumpy. Every fiber of his body throbbed like a giant bruise. Groaning, he struggled upright, feeling the ground beneath him pass through his fingers. 'Whaaaa-?' He forced his eyes open to see he'd been trying to grip sand. 'Where?' Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Kai sat up and looked around.

Shadowed forms of sand dunes gave way to a wall of rock that rose high into the sky, disappearing into the dark. Between the rocks and the dunes there was no way to tell which direction the city was. Kai's rudimentary knowledge of what lay beyond the city's walls didn't offer any suggestions on where he'd landed.

Chills ran down Kai's spine. While he had- arguably- already been, he was truly at Clouse's mercy now. Speaking of...

Clouse stood nearby, nose in the air. 'Okay okay.' Grumbling internally, Kai took several deep breaths and forced himself upright. On unsteady feet he walked toward Clouse. The advisor lifted his hand and a glowing purple sphere to shape. Once it was the size of a cantaloupe Clouse tossed it in the air. The eerie light illuminated a previously hidden cave opening. If not for Clouse saying it had importance Kai would never have thought such a nondescript hole in the rock would have anything beyond desert creatures harbored within.

"The Cave of Mysteries." Clouse had a grudging note of respect in his voice. "Stories say that many cursed items reside within these caverns." He turned and locked Kai in place with a glare. "Touch nothing but the lamp, otherwise I can guarantee you'll not make it out again. There are warnings of pressure triggers so step lightly ."

Comforting.

"I cannot grant you a light since my magic doesn't pass inside. You'll have to make your own way in there."

Walking into a dark hole without light. If Kai hadn't thought this was an elaborate ploy to get him killed before, he was definitely thinking it now.

Well, the sooner he started the sooner it would be over. Kai stepped toward the entrance. The mouth of the cave loomed over him, looking much like it wanted to swallow him whole. He paused for a second then, steeling his nerves, crossed the threshold.

Instantly a wave of warmth rolled over him causing him to stumble. He managed to catch himself but felt the prickling intensity of Clouse's stare on him. Refusing to look back Kai continued deeper mulling over what he'd just felt. The heat had been unexpected, but not unpleasant. There was some sort of magic involved with this cave, if Clouse was to be believed. Maybe the heat had just been the cave accepting him inside?

Kai shrugged and cautiously continued to put one foot in front of the other.

Only a few steps in and the sickly glow of Clouse's light could no longer be seen. The path beneath Kai's feet sloped downward but he desperately wished he could see what lay ahead. How was he supposed to find the stupid lamp if he couldn't even see his own feet?

Almost as if in answer to his thoughts several torches, fixed along the wall, lit up with red flames. Kai stumbled back a step, shocked, and blinked against the sudden onslaught. After a few seconds he could see that the rock path led further down for another city block's length before coming to another opening in the rock. Being able to see had an immediate effect on settling his nerves.

RAWRRRR!

There went that feeling.

'What in the name of the First Spinjitsu Master-!' Kai bolted down the corridor, adrenaline temporarily masking the pain gnawing at him. His heart hammered in his chest. While a small part of him realized it was very likely he was running toward the cry, he had no current cover. And he wasn't desperate enough yet to run back to Clouse without anything to clear his name.

The echoes of the cry bounced along the walls, sending the sound reverberating in Kai's mind. Something green flashed ahead of him and Kai skidded to a stop before the new doorway. Another roar, closer this time, shook the tunnel. Kai looked back at the cave's exit but the path but the path had been swallowed again in the darkness.

He couldn't go back.

Swallowing against the bile rising in his throat, Kai slowly crept forward. Torches lit as soon as Kai poked his head through the archway. Inside he could see a large cavern with a crevice in the middle. The path skirted the edge of the pit before disappearing behind another doorway in the rock wall.

As Kai began to move into the room a burst of green shot up from below.

A warped form of curiosity swept over him and edged closer. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dim interior but soon a hulking form appeared in the gloom.

'D-D-DRAGON!' Kai stopped breathing. Below him lay a brown scaly beast, easily the size of an elephant. It's head was thrown back and another burst of green light came- shooting from its mouth.

'No way-' Kai's thoughts were stuck in a loop. Dragons were real. He had to still be dreaming.

The dragon cried out again before letting its head crash to the floor. In the ringing aftermath Kai heard the sound of chains clinking. 'What-?' Sure enough a large iron clamp encased both the dragon's hindlegs.

Despite the terror that coursed through his veins, Kai was struck by the wrongness of the situation. Something, that Kai couldn't quite name, protested such a great beast held like a common dog. Then that begged the question- what in the realm was strong enough to capture a dragon? Kai wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Kai cautiously began his way along the path but the dragon didn't seem to notice him. 'What is the point of a dragon that can't be a guard?' Kai continued to shoot furtive looks over his shoulder, but the dragon didn't make any more sounds. Fatigue and pain crashed back into him once it became apparent the dragon had no interest in him.

Forcing himself onward, and to leave thoughts of the dragon behind, Kai looked around this next room. Here he began to see the dangers Clouse was talking about.

Heaps of old relics, gold and jewels lay strewn about. Kai felt his heart sink. If he had to search through all that it would take forever. And if they were cursed... this might kill him before any more Ouroboran soldiers had a chance. 'Nope, nope, nope. Nya and Cade are counting on me.'

He wandered deeper into the cavern, everything dazzling in the torchlight making Kai's head hurt. Still he forced his eyes to skim the piles. As he searched the room a path appeared to be made within piles. Kai walked deeper into the cave, anticipation building within him. When he turned a corner he saw it.

At the top of a pedestal the lamp sat, gleaming brightly.

The surge of adrenaline at seeing it faded as quickly as it came. Kai frowned. Who had set this up and why? If the lamp was so important why wasn't anyone here? Sure there was a dragon but it wasn't an effective guard chained to the walls. This whole thing was seriously smelling like a trap.

He walked toward it anyway.

Nothing stirred as Kai made his way up the path to the lamp. Kai carefully studied the path in front of him, but none of his steps triggered any adverse reactions. Had Clouse said there were traps just to throw him off kilter?

And yet it felt like an invisible cord was drawing him to the lamp. In a blink, that his sore body should not have been capable of, Kai found himself at the top of the pedestal staring directly at the lamp.

He lifted it carefully. The stillness held.

Kai began to pick his way back down the path. Something tight within his chest loosened. He really was going back not only that he was going back to Nya and Cade- assuming Clouse kept his word.

He'd almost made it out of the treasure cavern when a small pile of coins near the entry caught his attention. Ouroboran currency. He hesitated, Clouse's warning running through his mind. There'd be no way Clouse would know, and just a few of them would feed his siblings for nearly four months.

Kai bit his lip and made his decision. He scooped five into his palm. Something shifted in the air around him. Kai froze to the ground.

The floor split open beneath the pile of coins. Kai stumbled backward, a strangled cry escaping his lips. A dragon's roar came in response.

The entire cavern began to shake. Rocks fell from the ceiling and lava bubbled up from cracks in the floor. Kai scrambled back to the dragon's cave- in time to see a large boulder snap the chains holding the dragon.

The beast bellowed, chilling Kai's blood. Large golden eyes blazed upward and zeroed in on Kai's. The dragon spread its wings and shot a blast of green energy. Kai screamed. He ducked just as a blast shot over his head.

'It's going to kill me!'

"No!"

It took several seconds for Kai to realize he hadn't been the one to shout out.

A small figure darted out from the other cave entrance, arms waving frantically. Kai blinked, sure he was hallucinating because there was no way Cade could be running between him and a freaking DRAGON.

More than that the dragon had stopped. And was staring at Cade. The floor shook and the dragon snapped out of its stupor. Flapping its wings the dragon darted toward Cade. Both Cade and Kai screamed. The dragon grabbed Cade in its claws before launching itself at Kai. In seconds Kai found himself surrounded by sharp claws.

The floor gave way to a red pit of lava. Rocks fell but the dragon evaded them. Through blurry vision Kai saw the red lava dim but he couldn't see why. Then came a sensation of falling and solid ground. The pressure around his abdomen released and Kai fell to the ground. His vision darkened and for several seconds Kai fought off unconsciousness- again.

Small arms suddenly snaked around Kai's torso, grounding him, and a reddish-blond head buried itself in Kai's chest.

"Cade? What in the realm-?" A giant huff of air swept over the pair causing them to freeze.

Slowly Kai looked up, directly into a snout of a dragon. Kai shoved Cade behind him, waiting for teeth to shred into him or whatever that green energy was burn into him.

Instead something wet and rough rubbed against his cheek and then Cade's. Cade laughed, a somewhat hysterical sound. There came a great thump and Kai looked up to see the dragon sitting on its haunches.

"They're real. I knew dragons were real!" Cade wriggled out of Kai's arms

"Cade!" Kai hissed but it went ignored.

Cade stood and looked up at the dragon. "Hi there. Thank you for saving us, and not eating us." The dragon looked down at them, a strange intensity burning in its eyes. "I knew you were real!"

"Cade, it's a dragon."

"Duh. And the dragon's a he."

Kai didn't bother asking why Cade sounded so sure about that. Another tongue lick and Kai felt fairly sure that the dragon wasn't going to eat them. At least not at the moment.

With his fear mildly abated, Kai scanned the cavern. The pit was completely gone, a massive mess of stones in its place. Additionally the falling rocks had completely blocked both entrances. 'Great.' He and Cade were stuck in a cave with a dragon. And Nya had no idea about any of this.

Kai lowered himself back onto the ground and rubbed his pounding head. "What are you even doing here?" He realized he interrupted Cade talking to the dragon.

"Uh, I'm not completely sure." Cade sat next to Kai. "I didn't- well I didn't leave when you told me to."

"Really?"

"Well I was- I was- I wanted to make sure the soldiers didn't try anything." Cade pulled his knees tight to his chest. "And I heard what that one guard was saying to you so I waited. Then he came and I was leaning against the wall. Then the wall just... got squishy? I fell through but ended up in the desert?" Cade paused again. "I- I felt... pulled to the cave. He wasn't paying close attention and I darted down the hall- just in time to see a dragon try and attack you. And you say I get into trouble." Cade muttered the last sentence.

"To be fair this is waaaaaaay outside our usual for trouble." Kai held up his hand, which somehow was still holding the lamp after everything that had just happened. The coins were long gone.

"So that's what the creepy guy wanted?"

"Guess so. Matches the drawing he showed me."

"What's so special about it?"

Kai shrugged. "Other than wiping my slate, no clue. And not very worth it since it's gotten me and you stuck here." Kai rubbed a hand along the face of the lamp, debating on whether he should chuck it across the room and be done with it.

That was even before the lamp started shaking and spitting gray smoke. At that Kai did throw the lamp. The smoke exploded outward filling the cavern. Kai and Lloyd coughed heavily. Seconds later another blast of air came from right next to the boys. The dragon settled his wings back to his body and swung his head in the direction of the discarded lamp.

A figure rose out of the smoke and Kai shoved Cade behind him. "Who's there?"

Kai didn't know what he expected, but the small brown haired boy- who looked barely older than Cade- glaring up at him definitely wasn't it.

"Oh great." A squeaky voice snapped up at Kai. "Who are you and what do you want?"