Chapter 14

"Hello?" Vala said into the darkness. "Anyone there?"

No answer came and it still was silent around Vala.

Where am I? Vala thought. Her night vision wasn't working so she couldn't see anything around her. She heard no noises from anything, no running water, no footsteps, just complete stillness. Vala decided to try to walk around to see where she was but she immediately ran into a wall.

Ow, that hurt, Vala thought. She was feeling the wall with her claw when something popped into her mind. Wait, this wall may take me somewhere if I follow it. I just have to keep my right claw on it and follow it around. So Vala put her claw onto the wall and started walking forward, making sure she didn't lose the wall. Even with this though, Vala felt like she was getting nowhere.

Come on, there has to be something here, Vala thought and then she felt the ground under her disappear and she felt herself falling through the air. She couldn't control herself and couldn't fly because of her sprained wing and could only wait for whatever was at the bottom of this hole. All of a sudden Vala felt herself land on something sticky and she saw light in front of her at the end of the tunnel. Vala looked below her and realized that she landed on a web.

Argh, it's all sticky, she thought. I don't understand how Webwings can deal with it. Vala looked at the light in front of her and realized it led down a tunnel. Vala got herself up off of the web and followed down the tunnel.

Where on earth am I? Vala thought. Where is Thunder, Abrax… Nova, anyone! Where did Dredge send me?

Vala's mind was still in a jumbled mess. What on earth happened back there. Dredge… saved her? No, that doesn't sound like Dredge, he must have some reason for doing it. But Queen Ash looked genuinely shocked, like that wasn't supposed to happen. Maybe Dredge was genuinely helping me. But why?

Vala looked in front of her and saw the light at the end of the tunnel open up and she found herself in a massive cavern. But the thing about this cavern was that she recognized it. The water falling from all the walls, the island in the middle, it was the area that the past queens and king had envisioned them in. But why would they show her and the rest of her friends this?

Because this is where the artifact used to be, a voice came through her mind. Vala looked around in a panic but didn't see anyone.

Who was that? Vala asked in her mind.

Even though the artifact isn't here anymore, it's power lingers which allows us to talk to you even when you aren't asleep.

Wait, Vala thought. Is that you Blade?

Yes, King Blade said. I'm so glad you finally found this place, and Vala saw King Blade materialize beside her.

"Woah," Vala said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Only where the artifact's power is can we do this," King Blade said. "But even then only a few dragons can ever see us."

"Wait who?" Vala asked and then she heard some voices coming down the tunnel.

"Oh looks like they made it here as well," King Blade said. Vala then saw who came down the end of the tunnel and she felt the most happy that she had ever been. Thunder, Abrax, and Nova appeared from the tunnel.

"Guys!" Vala screamed and ran over to them, throwing Abrax into a hug.

"Woah, Vala!" Abrax said. "How are you here?"

"It's hard to explain," Vala said. "But I'm just happy that all of you are good."

"Yeah, but where did you go?" Nova asked. "Once you and Abrax dived into the tunnel and the rocks subsided, we saw Abrax, but you were just… gone. You weren't there anymore."

"Yeah, what happened?" Thunder asked. "And uh, Vala?"

"Yes?" Vala said.

"Who's that behind you?" Thunder asked, pointing at King Blade. Vala then saw Nova and Abrax see the dragon as well. Abrax jumped in front of them and got into his battle stance.

"Stay behind me, I've got this," Abrax said.

"Wait Abrax, he's a friend, not an enemy!" Vala said.

"Huh?" Abrax said, relaxing his stance.

"She's right," King Blade said, stepping closer. "Come join me and we'll tell you what's going on."

"Trust him," Vala said. "He's here to help."

"Ok," Abrax said. "If you say so."

So Vala sat down with Abrax, Nova, and Thunder and King Blade got the rest of her friends up to speed on what was going on.

"Wait, wait, wait," Abrax said. "You are saying that the Spikewings used to have kings instead of queens?"

"And that Queen Helen is your daughter?" Nova asked.

"Don't forget that she also apparently has dragonets as well," Vala said.

"Yeah that too," Abrax said. "I'm sorry, this just sounds hard to believe."

"It may be," King Blade said. "But that is the truth."

"So everything could have been different if you and Queen Beta got that treaty signed?" Thunder asked.

"Yes," King Blade said. "Maybe this war wouldn't be going on."

"And this area is where the lost artifact is?" Thunder said, excitedly.

"Used to be," King Blade said and Vala saw Thunder's excitement go away. "An event caused it to move and now we don't know where it is."

"The event with Jerboa casting that spell that got rid of all animus magic," Vala said.

"Yes," King Blade said. "It seemed to activate a sort of emergency mode with the artifact and it disappeared from here without a trace. Now no one seems to know where it went. Except for us."

"Wait, where did it go?" Abrax asked.

"We don't know the exact location," King Blade said. "But all we know is one spell that Dredge casted onto the artifact when he first got his powers.

"And what was that spell?" Vala asked.

"Whenever this pillar is in trouble, have it teleport to my genes."

"What?" Nova said. "Is that it?"

"Yes," King Blade said. "We don't know what the spell exactly did but it must be responsible for it to disappear from here. But we don't know where."

"Wait, is that the answer to the riddle that you just gave us?" Vala asked.

"What riddle?" Abrax asked.

"Yes it is," King Blade said. "To be honest, the riddle was just to prepare you all to go against Dredge and his group, we would have never been able to send you in the right direction to where the artifact is. It's just too hidden."

'Well at least you tried," Vala said.

"Yeah, but what happened to you Vala?" Abrax asked. "How did you end up here?"

"Well, Queen Helen brought me, I guess into her dream or something," Vala said.

"What, how is that possible?" Abrax asked.

"She had a dreamvisitor that she stole from my pouch that wasn't even my pouch," Vala said.

"Wait, you all have dreamvisitors?" Thunder asked.

"Yes?" Vala said. "Wait, how do you know about them?"

"Um, I just heard about them," Thunder said.

"Hmm," Vala said. "Anyway, it then felt like I was ripped out of the dream when Queen Ash started to choke me with her magic."

"Queen Ash is here as well?" Thunder asked.

"Ok, what are you not telling us?" Vala asked. "How do you know all these things?"

"Yeah," King Blade said. "First Queen Ash shows up and now you are here. What is going on?"

"Uh… uh…. Uh…"

"Thunder," Vala said. "We'll all friends here, just tell us."

"How about I tell it for him," a voice came and Vala saw Queen Ash appear with Queen Helen. Vala saw Thunder get scared and try to hide behind her.

"Queen Helen," King Blade said.

"Oh look at that," Queen Helen said. "Looks like you dragons have been getting help from my dad. Too bad his help won't come to you fast enough."

"You had no right in becoming queen!" King Blade said. "It's always been kings, why did you break the tradition?"

"You are stubborn," Queen Helen said. "Our tribe was weak, I gave them power!"

"No, you just forced your authority over them!" Vala said. "They don't want you as queen!"

"Oh is that so?" Queen Helen said. "Well I guess I will just have to find the traitors, thanks for telling me about them."

"It also looks like I've caught a traitor as well," Queen Ash said. "I should have expected this though, especially from the Stormwings."

"Stormwings?" Vala said and then looked at Thunder. "That's the tribe you're a part of?" Vala saw Thunder nod his head.

"Yes and guess who their queen is?" Queen Ash said. "Me."

"What?" Vala said. "But you're a Lavawing!"

"Oh so it seems like you know what I am as well," Queen Ash said. "No biggies it won't matter once all of you are all dead."

"But you can't be the queen of two tribes! Each tribe deserves their own queen." Vala then looked at King Blade. "Or king."

"Not the ones I rule over," Queen Ash said. "All four of them."

"Four?" Vala, Abrax, and Nova said.

"She means the Lavawings, Stormwings, Divewings, and Earthwings," Thunder said, still hiding behind Vala.

"You better shut your mouth," Queen Ash said. "And then I may consider not killing you or your family once I figure out who you belong to."

"We won't allow you to do that!" Vala screamed.

Queen Ash laughed. "As if you had any power against me," and then Queen Ash lifted her claw and Vala felt herself get pinned to the ground, along with Abrax, and Nova, leaving Thunder exposed. King Blade tried to attack Queen Ash but he just fazed right through her.

"Ah what's wrong dad?" Queen Helen said. "Not able to defend them with a real body?"

"You are the worst daughter I could ever have had," King Blade said.

"Well I don't care about you either," Queen Helen said and walked away from him. Vala saw Queen Ash walking towards Thunder and Vala tried to get up but she felt Queen Ash push her back down and then Queen Helen stepped on her with her claws to her throat.

"You better not move sweetie," Queen Helen said. "Then maybe your death will at least be short and painless."

"Don't you touch her!" Abrax shouted.

"Shut up!" Queen Helen said and pushed him to the ground as well beside Vala. "You two are a disgrace and an embarrassment!"

"You're evil!" Vala said.

"I know," Queen Helen said. "Which saddens me that you two didn't come out the same way."

"Wait what?" Abrax said. "What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Queen Helen said. "It's right there in front of you."

"Oh no," Vala said and then saw King Blade. "Is it true?"

"I didn't want to say," King Blade said.

"Say hi to your mom," Queen Helen said. "Because you and Abrax are my dragonets."