Wow chapter 30 :O. I have no idea how long this thing will be when it's done. This point in the rough draft is about halfway through. Dun dun duuuunn!

Time for a twist, mwaha.

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They arrived in Bale a few days later. Leaving Kitty once again in the forest, they entered the welcoming city, exhausted and very much desiring soft beds and good food. But they weren't given a chance to catch their breaths, as they were soon accosted by Happy Tail, who insisted that King Albert wanted to see them right away. So off they went to Indels Schloss, where Niira was practically pounced by Reezy and Alakyl.

Albert frowned as he surveyed the weary travelers. "Where's Marach?"

"Dead," Lavitz said simply. "He died to give us a chance to get back to Bale."

"I see." The king was quiet for a moment. "Reezy thought he might have some information that would be of use to us."

"What kind of information?" Niira inquired.

Albert was reluctant to answer that question. "Did you find you dragoon?"

"We did." Niira was thankful that her father was taking on the duty of talking.

"I won't even ask where you picked up Meru."

"Hey now Al, that's no way to talk to your friends!" Meru waved her arms frantically.

"What would Marach have known that you need?" Niira repeated.

"I thought he might know about the Fireborn," Reezy said.

"What? Why do you need to know about them?"

"They...um...we think they took something of great importance to the king."

"What do you want to know?" The sound of Shadow Hunter's voice stopped all other noise.

"Where they are, for starters."

"We're in Hellena."

There was an almost tangible recoil as she said those words. "We?" hissed Reezy in his native language. "You're one of them?"

"Hellena?" Albert asked from his throne. Niira could hear the same fear in his voice that Lavitz had expressed in relation to the old prison.

"Yes. That's where I ran into this little group."

"Whoa, you ran into the Fireborn and survived?" Reezy gaped at Niira.

"No, we were more like running from them, actually," she mumbled.

"What was this thing that was taken from you?" Shadow Hunter asked.

Again the king hesitated. Niira knew him to only do that when he was hiding something. "It's called the Moon Scintillation. A powerful neutral-magic item."

Shadow Hunter shook her head once. "Nothing like that had come to us when I left. That doesn't mean much though. They move around often. If one of the scouts has it, he could be waiting for us--the Fireborn, I mean--to move to the next location."

"Where would that be?" questioned the king.

"I don't know. Those things aren't decided until right before leaving. But they like to stay near fire. Hellena had an open volcano beneath it, that's why they chose that spot. You don't happen to have another volcano in Serdio, do you?"

Lavitz and Albert stared at her.

"Well?"

"We passed one while we were on Niira's dragon," Lavitz said. "Volcano Villude."

"That would be the most likely place the Fireborn will be going next, then. They won't stay in Hellena long since you know about it now. But you'd be a damn fool to try to march into their camp again."

"Your advice is accepted, dragoon," Albert said, "but I don't have a choice in the matter."

-----

Happy Tail perched himself on one of the outer gates of the city, soaking in the lay rays of the setting sun. Things had become stressful ever since Niira and her group had returned. Not only was the Seventh impossible to get along with, but Albert's mysterious illness had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. He was so weak that he often had to turn away his advisors, and sometimes even his own children.

So Reezy and Haschel had been the ones to explain the reason behind the king's illness to Lavitz, Niira, and Meru. And none of them had taken it well, the First Knight especially. He had become so distraught that he often neglected his duties to his knighthood in favor of being with his king and friend. The people of Bale had so far been kept in the darkness about their leader's condition, but it was unknown how long that would last. Alberet was deeply loved by the people of Serdio, and his absence would not go unnoticed for much longer.

Happy Tail could still remember the reaction of the populace when Albert had been taken to Hellena, and then seemingly disappeared for a few years to help the dragoons in the Second Dragon Campaign. It was not something he wanted to see again. The avian sighed and ruffled his feathers. One could only take so much excitement in a week.

Something stirred below his perch. He blinked a few times, looking down, trying to see what it was. Like humans, avians' eyes were better adjusted to seeing color than seeing in the dark, so it took him a moment to find what he was searching for. He gave a frightened squeak and almost fell from the gate. Standing below him was a musteliform, dressed in a uniform that identified him as one of Phoenix's messengers, complete with the carved stone staff clasped in one hand.

"About time you woke up," the creature said with a malicious grin. "I was wondering if I'd have to come up there and bite you."

How...how did...where is Phoenix now that he can send messengers to Bale? Happy Tail made an effort to compose himself. "No need for biting. What business do you have in Bale?"

"I have come to bargain for the life of your king."

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His head spinning, Happy Tail made a mad dash around the city. After informing Albert of the messenger's presence, he had to fetch all the dragoons currently in Bale, along with the young knight who had been so involved with the state of affairs recently, and Reezy. Albert did not trust the situation at all, which was his reason for calling all of the warriors to his throne room. Reezy was Happy Tail's own decision to invite. Messengers from Phoenix would only speak to those of high importance, or at least if such people were present. Which in this case meant the most important people in Bale, King Albert and Reezy. Reezy's status as a warrior-bard made him very important indeed.

This meeting also meant that Albert had to leave his bedroom, where he had retired early in the day due to his pain and exhaustion, and he was not enthusiastic about having to be active again. Shadow Hunter had been surprisingly kind to the king, offering to use her dragoon spirit's power to ease the pain. He had eagerly accepted.

When everyone had been notified of the situation, Happy Tail returned to the gate to fetch the messenger, who had waited patiently for his return. Then he led the rat-person to Indels, using back roads to make sure nobody who was still awake would see the strange duo marching to the castle.

Nobody in the throne room was happy about the impending meeting. Reezy especially was nervous. He had never dealt directly with one of Phoenix's messengers before, and he worried that the exchange would not go well.

And then the messenger entered. He walked across the room with an arrogant stride, his stone staff tapping on the floor in tome with his steps. Reezy recognized the object immediately. The stone of the lower half was carved to be a long, leaf-shaped blade, while the other end was covered in swirling flame designs. It was as much of a status symbol as a lethal weapon.

Halfway across the throne room, the messenger stopped. He was taller than the rat-people Coen and Reezy had run into in Rogue, but he was still shorter than anyone in the room, Alakyl excluded. He pulled himself up as tall as he could, one hand resting on the staff, the other hooked in the large arm hole of his vest.

"What do you want?" Reezy growled.

The messenger sniffed reproachfully. "You cats are always so rude."

Reezy rumbled low in his throat.

"What is your business here?" Albert addressed the rat-person this time.

"Begging your pardon, human, but I am currently talking to the young priest here."

Lavitz and Coen both gripped their weapons, offended that anyone would dare address their king in such a manner.

"Then get on with it," Reezy said.

The messenger cleared his throat. "We, the servants of Phoenix, have...come into possession of a rather interesting object." He looked at Haschel and Kongol. "It is our impression that this object holds great importance to the human king."

"So you do have it," Niira heard Coen say under his breath.

"Significant," the messenger continued, "to the point of it being a matter of life or death, am I correct?"

"You already know the answer to that," was Reezy's reply.

"Hmm. Phoenix has no wish to pull the humans into this pointless war."

"My ass, he doesn't." It was Niira's turn to make a remark on the situation.

"He offers you a bargain. A life for a life." The musteliform glanced at Alakyl briefly.

"I can already tell you our answer, but let's hear about this bargain just for kicks." Reezy was tense, as if about to pounce.

"Phoenix will surrender to you this so-called Moon Object, and therefore, the life of your king..." He raised his staff. "If you hand over the half-blood." The staff's pointed end was directed at Niira.

She froze.

Reezy roared, a sound that rang around the room. "We do not play with lives as bargaining chips!"

"Suit yourself." The staff was lowered again, clicking against the floor. "If you change your mind, Phoenix will be willing to go through with the trade. The half-blood must go alone. West from Bale to the mountains, then two days south. Our guides will take you from there. She comes alone, and we will send you the Moon Object. Attempt to take her back, or to get the Moon Object by force, and we will burn this city to the ground. The wrath of Phoenix is swift and merciless." He paused for emphasis. "If she has not arrived by the end of the week, we will destroy the Moon Object." He turned silently and walked out of the throne room, leaving behind a very shaken group of friends.

"I'll go," Niira said softly.

"What? are you crazy?" Reezy faced her angrily. "They'll kill you."

"I know. But what other choice do we have?"

"We'll find another way," Lavitz said as he joined them.

"There is no other way." She felt defeated.

"I'm not going to let you go again," said the knight through clenched teeth.

"Wuff!"

"I'm going."

"What'er you talkin' about?" Meru scrambled to them. "It won't do anybody any good."

"I don't like this situation at all," Reezy commented.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let him die." Niira glared at him.

"Neither are we. There has to be another way. There always is."

"Reezy, you know as well as I do that there is no other way. They'll burn Bale until there's nothing left."

Her cousin only turned an ear back as a response. Instead, Niira was chided by everyone else--Haschel, her father, Alakyl, even Kongol. Eventually, the argument included only the Northlanders, who knew more about such dealings than the rest of the group. They eventually were speaking more in growls and hisses than actual words, angry over the whole situation.

"Ruhe!"

Niira blinked, momentarily forgetting where she was. She sheepishly let her gaze wander up to Albert. Though normally a laid-back man with a soft voice, he could certainly make himself heard when he felt like doing so. It never ceased to startle her.

"This is getting us nowhere," the king said in a low, forceful voice, wheezing slightly. "We still have time before they destroy the Moon Scintillation."

Niira lowered her head. She already knew what she was going to do.

-----

He knew exactly what Niira would do. His plan depended on it, and the reaction of those closest to her. If the Seventh decided to intervene, well, that would only call for a slight change of details.

It was all coming together so perfectly. He had only to wait until he held the key to Serpent Mother's destruction in his very hands.

Yesss... He looked down at his hands. And all I have to do is crush her between my claws. Then Serpent Mother will be exposed. She has already moved too far from safety to go back now. Not even her dragoons can protect her anymore. He grinned slowly.