Chapter 20
Dredge, Dredge.
As in the Dredge that initially found the artifact two hundred years ago with the queens. He was one of the four dragons that knew its location.
But then how is he alive? It's been hundreds of years, he should be dead!
I should be dead but I'm not. It is a special thing that I found out that has kept me alive.
"You," Prancer said. "You've been the voice in my head!"
"Wait, he's been talking to you?" Ocho said.
"Yes, I have been. I've been trying to help him out with picking the right path to make sure he lived. You know, your plan was very bad, daughter, you should have known it would fail. I saw that it would fail."
"How?" Ocho said. "How did you know?"
"Oh, I have my ways to tell," Dredge said.
"You aren't on our side!" Ocho yelled. "Why did you want our plan to fail?"
"No, I never wanted it to fail, I just wanted Prancer to live and it would have been very unsettling if he died there. The queens would have killed him, who do you think teleported all those soldiers there?"
It then clicked to Prancer. "YOU DID! BUT HOW?"
"Again, I have my ways," Dredge said. "But back to the point. I need your help to find the lost artifact again. Think about it, we could find that artifact and give it to our tribes to exterminate the Cavewings. They are the reason for the war, anyway."
"NO THEY ARE NOT!" Ocho screamed and lunged at Dredge.
She extended her claws at him but then froze in the air, unable to move.
"What the?" Ocho said and then she disappeared in front of Prancer.
Prancer was shocked. His sister was just in front of him a moment ago and now is gone.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Prancer yelled, ready to attack Dredge.
"Now, now, don't do that. I know you want to attack me but I assure you, she is safe. I would never harm my daughter, I just had to put her somewhere else so that she didn't interfere with the plan."
"You're a liar," Prancer said. "You don't want to give the artifact to the Webwings, you want it for yourself."
"Are you sure about that?" Dredge asked.
"Yes I am. It takes a trickster to catch a trickster."
"Hmm," Dredge thought. "I'm glad to see that some of my traits were passed down throughout the generations. But please tell me, Prancer, what are you going to do to stop me?"
"I'LL KILL YOU," Prancer yelled.
"Really?" Dredge said. "Do you want to go where I teleported your sister? That would be unfortunate for me because I would have no one to help me out."
"You don't scare me!" Prancer said. "You can't hurt me with threats like that!"
"Hmm," Dredge thought for a moment. He then made his way around Prancer to his friends who were still frozen in place. "Then how about I threaten these friends of yours?"
"You better not!" Prancer said.
"What are you going to do about it?" Dredge asked. "I mean look at you, a useless hybrid trying to end a war that has been going on for centuries. Do you really think that YOU can do anything?"
Can I? Prancer thought. Or am I just as useless as he says.
Maybe you don't have to be though, Dredge said to him in his mind.
"You know that is very rude listening to dragon's thoughts," Prancer said.
"Oh don't worry I can only read Webwing thoughts, not Cavewings or Drillwings."
"That's reassuring," Prancer mocked.
"Listen, I know what you want, to end the war so how about we make a deal. I really don't want to teleport you away and I don't want to kill your friends because then you will never listen to me. I just need your help. So, you and your friends find the lost artifact and return it to me, and I will help you end this war between the tribes for good."
Prancer thought about this for a moment.
"How do I know you aren't lying to me?"
"Please Prancer, I know you don't trust me but tell me, what do you want more, to distrust your fourth-great-grandfather or end the bloodshed between two tribes so that the continent can be back at peace. And think about how much you will benefit Tulsi's tribe."
Prancer looked over at Tulsi.
It would be nice for her tribe to live back in the caves. The surface seems rough for them, they are not used to it.
It would be nice for them and that is what I will help you achieve, only if you help me.
It doesn't seem like I have a choice either way.
I wanted you to feel like you had one, but you're right, you have to help me.
"Fine, I'll help you, now unfreeze my friends so we can get going.
"Ok, but first let me transfer you the knowledge of where I last knew the artifact was. Maybe your group will have a better chance at finding it than I did."
Dredge touched Prancer's head and Prancer's mind got filled with all the information of where the artifact last was.
"Good luck," Dredge said. He started to teleport away but then stopped.
"By the way, don't tell your friends about me. I would have to do something I'm not proud of if you did and I don't want to harm them in any way, they seem like nice folks."
"How will you know if I tell them?" Prancer asked.
"I can read your mind, remember?" Dredge said.
"Oh, yeah," Prancer said.
"I'll still keep in touch with you though, talking to you in your mind, helping you out. I want to see you succeed."
"Ok," Prancer said.
"Stay in touch," Dredge said and disappeared into thin air.
Around him Prancer's friends got unfrozen and shook themselves awake.
"Ugh, what happened?" Flint asked.
"I can't seem to remember anything from the past ten minutes," Tulsi said.
"Prancer, are you good?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Prancer said. "I seemed to learn something just now."
"What's that?" Tulsi asked.
"How to find the lost artifact," Prancer said. "And end the war."
