Shadow Hunter paced around the outside of the temporary camp. Her plan to assist the escape of Niira and the knights had worked wonderfully. She still couldn't really figure out why she had felt the need to do it, so she just attributed it to the fact that Serpent Mother still needed all of the dragoons right now. Niira's death would serve no purpose to Shadow Hunter. For now, at any rate.
The sudden appearance of the Serdian troops as well as the three dragoons--Haschel, Kongol, and Meru--had certainly startled Phoenix's army enough that the humans were safe in their forest camp for the moment. It was hard to judge from here when the enemy would decide to regroup and come after them.
Shadow Hunter had stayed in the forest during the fighting. There was no need to announce just yet that she was here. She was a Fireborn still, and her influence amongst the followers of Phoenix might still be needed if something went wrong. They couldn't know just yet that she had left, turned traitor on them.
Or they could. Shadow Hunter narrowed her eyes. She would have to remember to ask Niira later, if she had seen any Fireborn in the fort. If so, then any chance that the enemy soldiers didn't know about her was destroyed.
At least the Serdians didn't need her help. Once she and Alakyl had explained Niira's runaway act to the ailing King Albert, and that Lavitz and Coen had gone after her, the king had been more than willing to send help. Alakyl had stayed behind at Shadow Hunter's urging. She above all must not be lost. The knights now were tending what wounds they had received in the mad rush of the battle that evening. As of yet, no musteliform scouts had been sent after them, and none of the avians flew overhead. Still, sitting so close to the enemy was unnerving to many of the men, and sleep was hard to come by.
Shadow Hunter knew the feeling. Something wasn't right. They should have been attacked again by now. Something besides fear of the dragoons was keeping Phoenix's army within the fort. Something important enough that they can just let us go.
She cut across the middle of the camp, not intending to walk anywhere in particular. The humans were quick to move out of her path. Ignoring them, she instead went to one of the groups that was huddled around a campfire. Niira sat in the firelight, next to her cousin. Reezy had insisted on coming along. Shadow Hunter couldn't figure out why he would want to, but such things didn't bother her. Across from them sat the lieutenant of the First Knighthood. Shadow Hunter couldn't remember his name, only his rank, and that was what mattered to her.
"What are you scowling at, Fireborn?" Reezy asked as she approached.
Maybe he came to 'protect' the others from me. The priests are one of the few who can even resist the strength of Fireborn magic. But I have no reason to harm those I asked for help. Meh. What idiots. Shadow Hunter wrinkled her human face into something resembling a sneer. "We aren't being followed. It's been far too long, they should have come after us again by now. Something's wrong."
The lieutenant knight spoke up. "I'll tell you what's wrong. Where's Lavitz and Coen?"
They all stared at him. Shadow Hunter sighed heavily in the silence. Don't tell me...
"They didn't make it?" Niira's voice was distant.
"Didn't make it back here," the knight corrected. "Coen was wounded and Sir Lavitz went back for him."
They should have made it back then. Unless they were captured.
"We've got to go look for them," Niira made to stand, ready to go right then and there.
Shadow Hunter hissed. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To get them back."
"I don't think so."
"Why not?" Reezy interjected.
"Because they were probably captured and are in the prisons now. There's no way you'd make it back in there a second time." Why are they being kept prisoner though? Neither of them are of any significance to outsiders like Phoenix. Unless Coen managed to find that Moon Object like the king told him to. And he did something with it that means it's out of Phoenix's reach, so for now he has to be kept alive... She pondered this, wondering why the fire lord was so intent on holding onto the Moon Object. Well, it's certainly an easy way to kill the king. Although you have his armies coming after you. Which of course wouldn't matter when you have enough troops to sustain such losses without it mattering. She frowned. If that was the case, Phoenix's army had greatly increased in size since she last checked. Such things usually did not matter to the Fireborn, who typically had the same number of members throughout time.
"You have a better idea?" Reezy asked her.
"I'll go."
Reezy growled. "What makes you think you can get in?"
"I...was a Fireborn, remember." She grinned darkly at him for effect. Looks like I'm going to have to put myself to work after all. The life of the human king is still necessary at this point. "They have to let me in. It's getting back out that may be a bit of an issue."
"They have to, huh?"
"That's right." She had a plan. She always had a plan. Turning from the group, she look up at the treetops. The first gray light of morning was already visible through the leaves. All night gone without any trouble. This Moon Scintillation must be very important indeed to Phoenix. "If I'm not back by tomorrow evening, I doubt I'll ever get back. Run your men the hell back to Bale. And then get ready to fight against the might of Phoenix." If my plan is discovered, his retribution will be swift. And the humans will be the first to go.
-----
She was by the old front gate of the fort by the time the sun had risen. She stood waiting for the soldiers to realize she was there; she had come so quickly, in the shadows and smoke the way the Fireborn did, that the soldiers within hadn't had a chance to see her approach.
Eventually, she heard shouts from the other side of the wall, from the avians who watched the surroundings from their high tower. Soon came the patter of mustelid feet over the stony ground, and then she could see them making their way over the rocks to her. The leader of thee hastily-gathered group was dressed in the garb of a messenger, although he was not the same one who had visited the castle in Bale.
He glared up at her as he approached. "What business does a traitor have here?"
Traitor? So they do have a Fireborn here. There's no other way they could have known that I left. The Fireborn shared the same telepathic skills that Shadow Hunter used. The one in the fort must have been informed by those who had been in Hellena with her. Damn it. Oh well. "I have...information. About the humans. They've been in contact with Serpent Mother." It wasn't exactly true. In fact, she had just made that up off the top of her head. But she needed to get inside the fort.
"Really?" The rat-person laughed once. "So the traitor's turned traitor, has she? How can we trust you?"
"How can the Fireborn be traitors to anyone when they only serve themselves?" She tried to make it sound as smooth as possible. "So maybe Phoenix has their support, but not their exclusive loyalty. We serve ourselves. Each individual serves him or herself. I do what I want. The information I have is true. I'm not in the habit of lying to myself." She hoped all that babbling would either confuse or scare the messenger enough to allow her in.
He grunted. Then the rat-people turned away from her, stepping far enough away that they could converse without her overhearing. Within a few minutes, they returned. "We'll allow you in. I'm sure our commanders would find this information useful. They have business to attend to this morning..." Shadow Hunter assumed he meant they had to figure out what to do about the Serdian knights sitting on their doorstep. "They can see you at sundown."
Shadow Hunter smiled to herself and stepped forward.
"But you will be accompanied by two guards at all times."
She hissed. "What?"
The mustelid narrowed one black eye at her. "You did turn on your fellow Fireborn in Hellena. You may trust yourself, but we don't. Plus, you're a dragoon, correct? Don't bother answering that, our magicians know this is true. Dragoons are, in the end, loyal to Serpent Mother, and we see no reason why your case is any different. Now, you can either cooperate and just allow us to have guards follow you, or you can give up your dragoon spirit. It's your choice."
"Fine. I'll go." Nobody touched her dragoon spirit and lived.
-----
Killing time until the officers could see her was driving Shadow Hunter crazy. Her first task was to find where Lavitz and Coen were being kept. Trying not to make her target too obvious, Shadow Hunter made a show of inspecting the camp, figuring out where certain things were kept, where the barracks were in relation to the avians' tower. While she intended it to look like she was just acquainting herself with the layout of the camp, she was actually searching for the fastest way out of the fort. Which seemed to be directly over the northeast corner of the fort. From the prisons, that meant crossing in front of the avians' tower, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. Lavitz was a dragoon, as was she, and they could fly through very quickly. Coen would have to be carried over, but that wouldn't slow them too much.
The prisons were the last place she visited. Her Fallen guards had been reluctant to let her in there, but she won her way in the end, threatening them with some painful Fireborn magic. Only when she was within the caves did she feel safe enough to start searching around with her telepathy. Wherever the other resident Fireborn was, it would not be in the mountain. Even Shadow Hunter found the surrounding rocks oppressive and constricting to her magic.
She searched every cell with her mind, while trying not to let on to her actions to the guards. The rooms were empty...except one. Two lives flickered within. One seemed to be fading rapidly and yet, it was melded with a strong magic Shadow Hunter didn't recognize. Hmm...the Moon Scintillation, perhaps?
Ignoring her fascination with this new magic, she spoke into the mind of the other. Sir Lavitz, I presume?
The knight's reaction was one of pure shock.
Don't speak. I am being tailed by some guards. Just think, I'll hear you.
It took a moment for the man to figure out exactly how that worked. ...Shadow Hunter?
Correct. I'm still not sure why I came back for you two. Are you all right?
Another hesitation. I'm fine.
Shadow Hunter turned down another hall. She wanted to lose the Fallen guards somehow, in any method, but that would bring her more trouble than it was worth. What's wrong with the other? Why is the magic of the Moon Object almost all I'm feeling?
Coen...was wounded. He tried to host the Moon Scintillation himself.
She tried not to make any visible sign of her disgust. What an idiot. What good will that do anyone? she thought to herself. Then, mind-speaking to Lavitz again, Listen, I can't stay in the camp for long before they find out I lied my way in. I will try to find a way to get you and the boy out of here in a few hours. Be alert. With that said, she hurried out of the prisons, back into the open air.
-----
She spent several hours shuffling through the various supply stores in the back of the fort, just to give herself something to do while she thought about how to free the knights. She was coming up with nothing. At least I still have a few hours. I have to get out of here before that meeting with the officers though. Otherwise there's no chance at all.
That was when she heard the shouts from across the fort. Shouts of joy. Jeering. The gleeful, screeching cries of the avians. The deeper yowlings of the Fallen. And the nearly overpowering sounds of the musteliforms' eerie barking. Curious, Shadow Hunter moved towards the noise, soon encountering a rapidly-growing crowd near the center of the fort.
Seeing a chance to escape her guards, she dove into the mass of soldiers, weaving her way between them. When she was satisfied that she had lost the two Fallen, she shifted into her reptilian form and dashed out of the mob, running up the side of the mountain. Finding a suitable hiding spot, she slid behind it, then looked back down on the scene below, only her head showing above the rocks. Anyone who was looking for her would be hard-pressed to spot her black scales against the dark stone.
The crowd was gathering around a platform in front of the officers' quarters. Shadow Hunter had examined it earlier in the day. It was an execution stage. She narrowed her eyes. Who were they so excited to see die?
The answer was soon made clear. A large, black-striped Fallen made his made to the platform, stepping up onto it with ease. Behind him, two more Fallen pushed and kicked something toward him. It was Lavitz. He stumbled up onto the stage, devoid of his armor and tunic, hands tied behind him, and bearing more than a few feline claw-marks across his back and face.
The striped Fallen lifted his whiskers in a snarl. "You thought you could get away with rescuing your precious dragoon, did you?" Shadow Hunter could hear him even where she was. The feliform lifted a heavy foot-paw and kicked the knight in the knees. The man fell down immediately, his face momentarily twisted in pain. The Fallen put his foot on Lavitz's shoulders, putting his weight on it to force the human to stay on the ground.
Shadow Hunter growled to herself. They were going to kill the knight and make a show of it in order to work themselves into a blood rage, to give them the murderous energy to go out and kill the nearby knighthoods, and then probably continue on to Bale. She had seen it happen before. The armies would kill anyone and everyone in their path once in a blood rage.
But this also meant she only had a matter of seconds to figure out how to rescue the knights before they could be killed for this display.
The head Fallen lifted his halberd into the air; the soldiers howled and shrieked with glee. Lavitz sat in silence, his face set in a determined look. Even still, Shadow Hunter could see him shaking. She knew, even if he didn't, that once they were done with him, they would go after Coen. Who still housed the Moon Scintillation within his body.
The army below was growing into a frenzy. They want blood? They'll get it.
In a burst of dragoon magic, Shadow Hunter flew from her hiding spot, diving at the soldiers. She skimmed over the mob, heading straight for the striped Fallen. Before he knew she was coming, she had tackled him to the ground. She whipped one arm forward, slicing his throat open with the blades that extended from her gauntlets. Not even pausing to survey her work, she spun around and sliced through the ropes that bound Lavitz's wrists.
He was far more unsettled by this whole thing than she had realized. It took him a moment to get to his feet, and he was panting, as if terrified.
"Come on!" she shouted at him over the din of the surrounding army. "What's your problem?"
But he only shook his head, bringing himself back. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up."
"No time for that," she said. "Get out of here."
"How?" he snapped.
"You're a dragoon, you can fly out."
"Not if I don't have enough energy!"
She snarled. "Then figure something out before the army realizes what's going on!" Then she was in the air again, speeding for the prison. Humans are far more trouble than they're worth.
There wasn't enough room for her in her dragoon armor to navigate the tunnels of the prison. There wasn't enough time for her to do so anyway. She stopped well away from the mountain, gathering magic to herself, collecting it in a shadowed, yet glowing sphere that hovered before the gem set in her breastplate, that grew in size until it engulfed her. Then it seemed to explode in a blinding flash of light. From any outside view, it would appear as if Shadow Hunter had detonated herself in some strange idea of suicide.
But the force of the blow was directed at the mountain. The ground shook from the impact, entire boulders vibrating out of their spots. After the minor landslide had ended, Shadow Hunter flew into the remains of the prison. She had to move aside several rocks in order to reach the cell Coen was in. The young knight was still there, laying on the floor, unconscious. The Moon Object's magic thrummed through the air around him, buzzing in the dragoon's ears. She ignored it, scooping up the man in her arms. Taking a moment to make sure she had a secure hold on him, she once more took to the air.
Arrows whistled past her. Sneering at them, she continued on her way as the weapons simply bounced off her armor and wings. What kind of fools are they to think they can stop me with arro--
She was suddenly assaulted with a barrage of magic. Unable to dodge it on such short notice, she simply dropped to the ground, hiding herself behind one of the makeshift houses. Damn magicians, how could I forget about them?
She had no idea where Lavitz was, but she figured he could take care of himself. But with him lacking armor and a weapon, and her own dragoon magic slowly draining away, escape was looking less and less likely. The knighthoods are too far away to hear or see the battle here. I doubt the dragoons would have been able to sense my magic either. Shadow Hunter concluded that help from the resting army would not be coming any time soon. In fact, they would if anything be going back to Bale in a few hours, as she had instructed them to do.
They were trapped.
She was utterly shocked when she saw three dragoons in the air above her, diving for the enemy. But they weren't Haschel, Meru, and Kongol. In fact, she didn't recognize them at all, in their green, dull aqua, and yellow armor. She couldn't make out their features as they moved and returned the magicians' magical attack. Who the hell...?
But she wasn't about to complain. Risking exposure, she made a dash for the next nearest house, hoping to make her way to the outer wall and conserve as much as her dragoon energy as possible. She ducked behind the building, then looked back out to the battle. The magicians must have retreated, for she didn't see them or their magic anywhere.
Her vision was suddenly blocked by something quite large that landed in front of her in a shower of bluish sparks.
The two dragoons stared at one another, neither recognizing the other. He's a wind dragoon, I can feel it. But...Lavitz wears green armor, not dark blue...
Realization dawned on her. Of course this wasn't one of the dragoons of Endiness. It was a Northlander that stood before her. He was one of the Three, the trio of dragoons who had been asleep ever since the Northlanders came to this world.
Shadow Hunter smiled darkly. She didn't know how the Three had known to come here, but she did know that Phoenix would not be happy about it at all, and he would be far more cautious with his dealings with the followers of Serpent Mother from now on.
The blue dragoon was taller than just about anyone Shadow Hunter had ever met, besides the Giganto dragoon Kongol. The black fur on his thickly-muscled arms glistened in the sun. He reminded her of the unicorns that had come down from the Moon That Never Sets when it had fallen to Endiness.
The unicorn-man was eying her curiously. "Topaz Dragoon, I believe?" His voice was low and commanding.
"And? Which of the Three are you?"
"Three? Oh..." He scratched at his ear. "I am Guilao. Storm Dragoon."
"Really. Well, nice meeting you, but we have to get out of here." She indicated the unconscious knight in her arms. Almost as if on cue, her muscles began to burn from the strain of holding the man for so long.
Guilao seemed to sense this somehow. "Need help?"
Shadow Hunter merely walked to him, feeling relief flood her arms as the other dragoon took Coen from her. "Now come on." She spread her wings.
"Where are we going?"
"To find Lavitz first."
"That human who was fighting off the musteliforms?" Guilao easily kept pace beside her.
"Yeah, him."
"Heja found him I believe."
Who the hell is Heja? Whatever. "Then, north to the knighthoods waiting in the forest."
"All right." Guilao gave a sharp whistle, a command of some sort.
As if from out of nowhere, his two companions flew up to them. The yellow dragoon--Heja, Shadow Hunter assumed--had her bird-like feet wrapped unceremoniously around Lavitz's upper arms. The First Knight was disgruntled by this, but he allowed himself to be carried in that fashion. The last dragoon, clad in green armor and flying in the rear, struck Shadow Hunter as somehow odd, but she didn't dwell on it. She led the dragoons over the wall of the fort and out across the rock-strewn prairie.
Only once they were over the forest did they dare descend. As their feet touched the ground, their dragoon armor dissolved into nothingness. Shadow Hunter stared for a while at the strange green dragoon. Something had changed about him after the dragoon energy had left him. Damn it. This is going to drive me crazy. It'll have to wait for later though.
They trotted through the trees, following Shadow Hunter. Lavitz managed to catch up to her. He was still lacking his shirt and armor, and he apparently hadn't found his favored spear again, but nobody was willing to go back into the hands of the enemy simply to fetch supplies. "Who are these...people?" he asked her.
"They are the Three."
"Niira said something about them... Why are they here now?"
"I don't know. But it's not a bad thing." Shadow Hunter sped up. Behind her she could hear the dull hoofbeats of Guilao, and the lighter step of his companions. Ahead, the smells of steel and old blood from the Serdian camp.
-----
Phoenix's personal messenger cringed, jumping to one side as the immortal Northlander ranged about his chambers, spewing fire from his feathers. "She what!"
"Who did what, my lord?" the mustelid whimpered.
"She dared to waken the Three?" Clawed feet stamped against the stone floor in agitation.
"She woke the Three?"
A bolt of fire towards the unfortunate messenger caused him to dive behind a large chair for safety. "That's what I said! You idiot!" Heat was making the air waver like water. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"N-no, my lord."
"She is coming. Herself!"
"But, my lord...surely even she cannot stand against you any longer. You have the Fireborn. And you yourself..."
"Don't try to patronize me!" Phoenix shrieked.
The messenger curled up into a quivering ball behind the chair.
"She may not be able to stand against me any longer, but that doesn't mean she can't still cause problems. Problems, my measly underling, that could destroy a good deal of the progress I've made since our last meeting." He hissed, then sighed, the physical energy fueled by his anger exhausted for the time being. He flopped down into his stone throne to fume and plot in silence.
So close...but I must deal with her dragoons with caution now that they have all been found once more. So close.
-----
That was very exhausting to write. I hope it wasn't too confusing, what with the addition of yet more OCs and all.
Okay, I'm off to get like, coffee (I wish).
Speaking of heading off somewhere, in a few days I'll be leaving for a two-week-long trips overseas. So there won't be any updates, as I won't be bringing my computer. I'll probably do a lot of art though, most likely stuff from Legend of Dragoon and my fanfic (because I'm trying to work on some art challenge stuff), so check back with my deviantArt account (http/teh-dino. in about two and a half weeks and hopefully there'll be a big bunch of stuff.