"I'm doing all that I can," Jake finished, his voice hoarse as he spoke the lump in his throat. "But, Mom, I'm so afraid that it's not going to be enough."

After searching fruitless for Lao Shi, after checking in with many of the creatures who said they'd look (but who'd also been unsuccessful), Jake had realized just how hard it was going to be to find his grandfather. (He was ignoring what the Oracle Twins had said; he would find Lao Shi, alive, and he'd do it soon.) But it was late, he was exhausted, and he knew that it was time to tell Susan and Haley what had transpired.

He'd kept silent because he didn't want to worry them but he could no longer justify not telling them. With Jonathan out with his bowling league for the evening, he knew the time had come to discuss the magical world and the reappearance of one of its biggest enemies: the Dark Dragon.

He'd told the tale, of the broken Fu and his kidnapped grandfather, but he told it without the Oracle Twins.

"The Dark Dragon," Haley whispered.

She had seen him, once. She'd just glimpsed his noble head and inky black scales but it had been more than enough. She'd felt his darkness; suffocating and never-ending as it was. It was just that glimpse that had her terrified of the villainous dragon. It was the stories Lao Shi had told her about the Dark Dragon's deeds and how hard he had been to fight. She also remembered when Jake had to battle the black reptile. He'd returned broken and bloody. Haley had thought he was going to die. The only day she'd been more afraid for him was the day he'd been taken to the hospital due to his meth use.

Jake nodded solemnly.

"I have full faith in you," Susan told her son. "I know you're doing all you can, Jake. Even –" here, her voice wavered, "-if the worst outcome becomes the reality, I know you did all you could. Gramps knows that too."

Jake shut his eyes. He couldn't think of the worst outcome; the one the always-accurate Oracle Twins had already told him would come to pass. Lao Shi simply couldn't die.

Jake needed his grandfather far too much.

(-.-)

It was going to happen soon, Lao Shi thought. He had not given Theron, nor the Dark Dragon, any of the information they had desired. He hadn't updated their information on magical creatures – the Dark Dragon's intel was sorely outdated, though he knew an unnerving amount about the recent happenings of the Dragon Council. Lao Shi wished he had a way to tell the Council that they had been infiltrated; he wished he could tell the world Theron still lived; he that he were able to tell Jake about Rose's deceptions.

There were many other things Lao Shi wished for (to know Fu was all right; to see his daughter again; to tell his son-in-law that he really did think that he was the best one for Susan; to watch his grandchildren grow a flourish) but the three things he'd thought of before were the most important things for the world to know. Lao Shi was a protector before he was anything else and he knew that, without this information, people were certainly going to die. He felt an overwhelming amount of guilt; knowing that he had information that would save lives but that he had no way to pass it on.

He tested his sphinx hair bonds again, though he knew that it was a fruitless endeavour. He was entirely sapped of strength.

He rested his aged head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes. He was hoping for a few moment of peace, but the door opened before peace could be found.

This is it, Lao Shi thought, surprisingly calm. This is where I die.

He waited: for Theron to speak; for the Dark Dragon to speak; for a final crushing blow to come … but none of that happened. Someone spoke, yes, but it was neither of their voices that Lao Shi had expected to hear.

"Lao Shi?"

"Kyle?"

It made sense. If Rose was still on the dark side, her companions surely would be too.

Yet, the African-American teen seemed shocked to see Lao Shi captive and bound. He rushed forward, tearing the sphinx hair from the old man's body.

"What happened?" Kyle hissed feverishly.

"I was kidnapped by the Dark Dragon," Lao Shi explained. "What are you doing?"

If Kyle was in league with Rose, why was he removing the sphinx hair?

"Rose has gone rogue. I was snatched by the Dark Dragon. I think she murdered Nicholas," Kyle rushed on, unwilling to dwell on his friend. "I'm making my escape tonight. I can't risk them wanting to keep me around much longer."

"I have messages," the Chinese Dragon rasped, "that I need you to pass on to Jake."

Kyle looked confused. "You're coming with me," he stated.

Lao Shi shook his head. "I'm going to ensure it's possible for you to escape. Now, I need you to tell Jake that the Dark Dragon has infiltrated the Dragon Council – though I don't know how; make sure he knows that Theron's alive; and tell him that Rose is untrustworthy, though you could probably provide more details on that than I could. He won't want to believe it, but he has to."

Kyle nodded. "I'll tell him if I can get near him. I can't imagine the Huntsmistress is letting him out of her sight."

"You must try," Lao Shi urged. "Now, are you ready to run?"

Kyle nodded again.

"Good." Lao Shi forced himself to transform. He turned his scaled head to look at the Huntsboy. "And, Kyle, tell him I'm proud of him."

Kyle swore he would and watched the old dragon slither his way down the hall. Not willing to waste this chance or Lao Shi's sacrifice, Kyle ran for it. He heard shouts coming from behind him, several dragon roars, and, a few times, a flash of fire came. Though he was weak, Kyle pushed himself, knowing Lao Shi was weaker.

Finally, he popped out of the underground lair. He didn't even stop to savour his first breath of fresh air in days. He just kept running. He knew he should be running toward Jake's; trying to talk to him before the Huntsmistress realized that Kyle had gone missing, but Jake's was not where Kyle was going.

Kyle ran to the Huntsquarters. If, by any miracle (and it would be nothing short of a miracle), Nicholas was still alive, he would be here. And, if Nicholas was still alive, Kyle had to find him immediately. Nicholas was his best friend, his brother, and Kyle just couldn't allow him to be alone any longer.

He approached the Huntsclan slowly, cautiously. He didn't know if he would be allowed to approach. If Rose had identified him as an enemy in the security system, Kyle knew that he would be shot at. The security cameras would spot him, identify him as a threat, and that would trigger the defense systems. If the defense systems were triggers, guns would appear and shoot to kill.

Kyle froze as one of the security cameras focused on him. He stared at the piece of technology for a long moment and then the guns appeared. Kyle dove to the side as they began to fire. Scrambling to keep his feet under him, he felt a bullet graze his upper arm. He gritted his teeth against the bloom of pain. His eyes darted back and forth, seeking out a safe place to hide. When he spotted a place that looked suitable, he lunged for it, successfully dodging the hail of bullets.

Knowing this place would keep him protected, at least for now, Kyle looked down at his arm – which was bleeding profusely. With shaky hands, he ripped off the bottom of his shirt. Using his teeth and uninjured arm, Kyle tied the makeshift bandage as tightly around his arm as he possibly could. He wished it were better, but it was the best he could do right now.

Shifting, Kyle was about to check and see if it was safe for him to leave, but then he noticed a door. He'd missed it; being more concerned with his own safety than taking his surroundings into account. He debated for a moment on whether or not it was safe to open, but decided to do so. It might be a way into the Clan, he thought, one so old even Rose doesn't know of it.

He twisted the knob. It was, of course, locked, but one doesn't become second in command to the Huntsmistress by being good-looking. Within a minute, he'd unlocked the door and let himself in.

The tunnel was dusty and grimy; quite disgusting, really. Kyle noticed the dust on the floor had been disturbed, however – someone had been here recently. He moved cautiously, waiting for something to jump out at him, but he didn't seem to be triggering any alarms. Whatever this place was, it didn't seem to be on anyone's radar.

Eventually, Kyle encountered a room. This door was unlocked. He opened it slowly, half-expecting the Huntsmistress to be seated there. She wasn't, of course. Rather, it was Nicholas, chained to the wall, not moving at all. Fear leapt into Kyle's heart; Nicholas looked bloody and dead.

Wound forgotten, hands shaking, Kyle rushed forward. Nicholas couldn't be dead; he couldn't. Kyle had feared that his friend had died, had thought over and over again that no one could have survived the Huntsmistress, but he hadn't believed it; not really. No matter what he had told Lao Shi, he had never brought himself to even slightly accept that Nicholas was gone forever; that he would never talk to Nicholas again.

Until now, when it looked like there was a body.

He touched his hands to Nicholas' pale neck, searching for a pulse. At the contact, Nicholas started; his eyes fluttered and he twitched, bringing slight relief to Kyle. Nicholas was in a dire condition but he was alive. Kyle could heal a wound; he couldn't revive the dead.

The lanky boy was struggling away from the hands, not seeing that it was Kyle who was in front of him, not the Huntsmistress returning to finish the painful job she had begun days previous. Realizing this, Kyle began to soothe his panicking friend.

"Shh. Shh. It's just me, Nic. It's Kyle. I'm here, I'm here ... I'm going to get you out of here."

After spending days chained in the dark – frightened, in agony, and alone – the sound of a friendly voice was overwhelming to Nicholas. He leaned forward, resting his head on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle rubbed Nicholas' back, savouring the fact that Nicholas was alive. Once, this kind of contact – friendly reassurance – would have been unthinkable in the Clan. No touching was one of the main rules that the members lived by. Even after the fall of Theron, and the rise of Rose, most members had refrained from contact.

Now, though, a hug was just what the duo needed.

Eventually, Kyle had to lean away.

"I'm going to break the chains," Kyle explained. "Then we'll head to the bunker and I'll patch you up, okay?"

Nicholas nodded.

"The bunker" was a place Nicholas and Kyle had built together during Rose's disappearance. It had served as both a distraction and a security measure. They hadn't told anyone the location of the bunker. Even Rose had never heard of the place. It was safe, it was stocked with food and medical supplies, and, at this point, it was the only option. Kyle couldn't leave Nicholas behind but Nicholas wasn't strong enough to make it to Jake's – which may not be a safe place for them to go.

Kyle inspected the shackles that encompassed Nicholas' ankles and wrists. They were old and would probably break easily, if Kyle had anything to break them with. He wasn't worried. He reached under his shirt, pulling out his chain. He had picked up a while ago. On the end of the chain was a device specifically created for picking locks. He tugged the chain over his head and inserted the device into the key holes of the manacles.

With a few flicks of Kyle's wrists, Nicholas was free.

I don't own anything recognizable.

~TLL~