Chapter 43-Battle for a Life

Mhetra turns his attention to an approaching figure. As it nears, he realizes that it is the Legendary Guardian of Light and his human partner.

What are they doing here? Mhetra wonders.

The black dragon shakes his head and soars into the forest below, hoping to lose the approaching dragon and human.

Mirage and Santerous follow the blackened form of Mhetra as he twists and turns through the forest. Mirage is impressed by the dragon's speed.

Mirage hurry up! Santerous snaps at his dragon as Mhetra pulls farther away.

Would you like to crash into a tree? Mirage growls. If not then stop telling me to go faster!

Santerous quiets down and begins to a have a nagging feeling that something bad is going to senses his master's concern and questions the Atlantean. Santerous merely tells his dragon that it's nothing but deep down Mirage doesn't quite believe him.

I've known him for over ten thousand years and yet he doesn't trust me. Sure Meta tried to turn him against me for a while but our light binds us together, Mirage hums as he continues to fly over Twilight Forest.

Santerous remains quiet as Mirage begins to slowly circle to the ground, seeing the black dragon that they've been chasing for the past two hours.

Mhetra turns to view the approaching dragon and human. It is the Legendary Guardian of Light and his human partner. Mhetra sighs at the fact that it might come down to a battle between the two dragons.

I would truly hate to harm the Guardian of Light, but it must be done, Mhetra growls as he walks toward Mirage and Santerous.

Welcome, Mhetra growls as he stops before the two.

Mirage dips his head in response and Santerous does nothing, well except for placing his hand around his sword should he need it. Mhetra senses the hostility toward him coming from the human and quickly decides to do something about it, but what?

Mirage growls softly at Mhetra and Santerous looks at his dragon with worry.

I'm fine, Mirage growls. But that dragon isn't going to be so lucky.

Tamli halts at the entrance to the Guardian chamber, his hands sweaty and his body rather tense. Finca has nearly died because of the Great Leviathan's attack on her neck and the best the healers could hope for was maybe a partical recovery but she would still be severely at a disadvantage when it came to strength and reflexes later on.

At least Finca wasn't in this condition before she laid the eggs, Tamli think as he walks down the central hall that leads to the chamber's interior, where Finca is.

As he enters the chamber's interior, Tamli finds several of the healers grouped together. As he nears, they turn and look at him, their faces saddened.

Master Tamli, we are trying our best to give your Guardian a full recovery but it seems impossible for someone as injured as her to make a complete recovery, a purple dragoness by the name of Vera says.

"You think that's good enough?" Tamli asks.

Vera shrinks back at his outburst.

We are trying everything we know but it's just not working, Vera tries to explain.

"Not working?" Tamli roars as his light aura rises up around him like a shield. "Something must be working if she's still alive!"

Vera jums back at Tamli's rage as she senses his fear at the thought of losing his dragon.

We will try one last time Tamli and if it doesn't work then I shall alert you about it by telepathy, Vera says as Tamli's aura lessens at her words.

"Very well Vera but don't fail me," Tamli says as he walks off.

I won't or I'll be paying the price: my life, Vera thinks as she watches Tamli leave.

Vera then leads her team back to where Finca is, determined to save her or else they might be dead before sunrise, knowing Tamli and his powers.

Several hours later Tamli is told to go and meet with Vera and her team. He arrives and expects to find that they failed. When he sees them, however, he is stunned to find that his Guardian is alive and she wishes to speak with him.

"Show me the way," Tamli says softly as Vera turns and leads him down a narrow chamber into one room at the end.

The room is a pale yellow and rather small compared to what the Guardian chamber in Atlantis had been like for injured dragons. Finca lays in a white bed, her eyes closes and her breathing shallow. Tamli is almost reduced to tears as he sees his dragon like this.

Finca? He asks.

Finca doesn't reply but a blue egg comes tumbling out of the bed that she lays in.

Of course, Tamli says as he walks over and picks up the egg.

Tamli gazes down at the egg that he holds on to.

Finca gave me this as her last wish, he mutters to himself as the egg begins to quiver.

It finally starts to rock back and forth and soon it splits open to reveal a small, blue dragon. This dragon is different though, it's eyes aren't open. Tamli attempts to stroke the dragon's head and it merely growls at him. The dragon seems to sense that its parent is nearby and so it shrieks in an attempt to receive food. Tamli's purple eyes blaze with disgust at the newborn dragon, it growled at him and now it's trying to awaken Finca, who needs her rest.

Silence! He roars as he feels the hatred that had come upon him from back in Atlantis when his father abandoned him to spend time with Santerous, who he thought was more important than Tamli was.

Tamli closes his eyes and tries to fight his desire to slam the newborn dragon into a wall.

No, Finca gave me this little one to teach me to be calm and respective of others. While I have been spending my time with only Finca, she thinks of others above me. Why would she? After all, haven't we been together since we were bonded those thousands of years ago? She even followed me when Santerous and I shared one body, Tamli thinks to himself as he allows peaceful thoughts of Finca to invade his mind.

He suddenly realizes that he isn't the one who is thinking of so many of the images, Finca is. Tamli opens his eyes to find that the newborn dragonet has crawled over to Finca's side. Finca has opened her eyes and is slowly tending to the needs of her child.

You finally understand, she says, that the wounds of the past mean nothing to us, but yet our minds draw them back to us constantly. We must, then, forgive ourselves for what we have done in the past. Only then will we truly be at peace with our emotions and our anger.

Tamli stares at Finca as her words soak into him like water.

Yes, yes, you're right, Tamli says, you are right, you are truly correct.

Trust in your heart and mind to guide you master, Finca says as her voice begins to fade away.

Finca! Don't leave please! Don't . . . don't die! Tamli cries out as Finca fades further away from him.

Never forget . . . the promises of your past, Finca says before she closes her eyes and sighs, giving up her life.

FINCA! Tamli screams as he collapses to the floor, tears streaming down his face. Finca NO! Don't leave . . . don't leave me!