Chapter 42-Unspoken Shadows

Windra snorted, curling up into a comfortable position as Narssia screeched in agony, trashing against the thick chains that had been fitted around her body and strapped her to the floor. Jormundur had fashioned the linked metal after what had been fitted around her during her capture following her killing of Raxmon in their future time, the bands having worked well for days now. Dragging her back to his cave hadn't been easy, but he hadn't been alone this time. Her son had been more than eager to help, even doing the pulling when Windra had to rest. He liked the greyling fine but he wondered sometimes what went on in its head, how it understood the need for such drastic measures to be taken to help Narssia.

Straining to get them off isn't going to help you any, he snorted as she tried to bite the chains, noticing the thick smoke that rose from her nostrils and the sound of her labored breathing.

I can't take it, she shrieked, clawing the ground as she shook her head, her gaze blazing with hatred over the situation. Get this off me! I have done nothing wrong! You've made a mistake!

Jormundur, from where he lay near the entrance to the cave, perked his head up, snorting in amusement. You tried to kill me, he pointed out with an emotionless tone. You went after past-Arxa with a bloodlust equal to her own. I'd say you're a threat to yourself, despite the fact that you're my mother.

I didn't mean it, Narssia growled, panting as she paused in her attempt to break free. I was enraged at Raxmon's death, Jormundur. I acted out of anger-

An emotion you let rule over you, Windra added, briefly glancing at Jormundur and giving him a growl of agreement.

You would have done the same, Narssia hissed, her eyes flickering to Windra and then back to her son.

I wasn't the one who offered their own body for the darkness to enter into, Jormundur snorted, so no, I wouldn't have done the same.

But Jormundur . . .

Windra growled, breaking off her plea as he stood, stretching as he felt the urge to go hunting. Watch her, he commanded as he turned to leave, passing Jormundur as he did so.

I will come with, the greyling snorted, eyeing his mother, and Narssia will be joining us as well.

But she can't . . .

Narssia growled, drowning out the rest of his words. She paused for a moment then hissed, shrinking back against the wall. She's here.

That's impossible, Windra growled. She has never gone out this far.

It is her. She seems to . . .

The ceiling above them suddenly shattered, revealing blue skies and a black dragoness hovering right above their heads. Narssia hissed, her vision painfully blinded by the light as Jormundur got to his feet and walked over to his mother, determined to shield her from any harm. Windra wasted no time in taking to the air and going after Arxa, ordering Narssia and her son to leave while he dealt with their intruder.

He barely passed where the ceiling had once been before Arxa screeched, blasting down a stream of red energy that he knew to avoid at all costs. Narssia had told him of the elements her children possessed and he figured she also knew how to wield them, more or less. Jormundur snarled and joined him a second later, already forming the beginnings of a cyclone in his open maw. Windra glanced at the greyling for a moment before he dived down, letting his claws turn bright green as he forced himself to draw upon his poisonous abilities. Once Jormundur had unleashed the windstorm, he launched himself up and came at Arxa from below while the cyclone hit her directly.

Dodging the current of wind, the dark dragoness flipped backwards and blasted Windra with a stream of black-tipped fire, the sudden attack making him stop his strike and take the full fury of her flames. A second later a blur of black rushed by him and he growled, thinking it was Arxa coming to attack him again, but relaxed when Jormundur briefly touched his mind to let him know Narssia was free and had promised to help them fight off the Corruption-controlled beast.

Windra hovered for a minute more then he flew upwards, meeting up with Narssia as she stared down Arxa. He had time to realize how closely matched they really were with both of them knowing the same elements, to an extent, and their size nearly the same. Jormundur joined them a moment later and instructed that they combine their elements together to fight off the evil she-dragon. Arxa struck first, however, by letting loose a stream of fear which Narssia countered with a blast of electricity, the excess power dancing over her wings as it had done when she first used the element against the darkness the first time.

Jormundur joined his mother's blast with a sphere of wind, showing Windra the greyling had better command of the element then previously thought. Not to be outshone by the younger dragons, Windra spat a ball of green poison, hoping Narssia could keep her electric current active for a few more minutes so he could figure out a way to manipulate the wind to where she wouldn't be hurt by her own power. He was disappointed when he saw her briefly end the stream to cough, the sound grating and showing how much the blast had taken from her to keep it going that long.

Arxa seized the moment of freeness to drop from the air, vanishing for a moment, and then reappeared behind Narssia, wrapping her tail around the future dragon's neck. Windra snarled, recognizing the use of time-bending to allow the dark dragoness to move so fast, and let a sphere of wind loose from his jaws as Jormundur growled and shot forward, using his control over the air to make his movements faster but not enough as Arxa shot a pulsing blast of fear at him and then contracted the muscles in her tail.

No! Windra growled as he felt the air around Narssia grow still as she tried to fight back, her movements becoming less erratic as seconds passed.

Mother! Jormundur's roar resounded through the air, the greyling dodging the blast as Windra sensed a calmness come over Narssia, an inner peace that grew and pulsed as if it was a living energy.

He recognized what she was trying to do a minute before she closed her eyes, black vapors swirling to life around her body. The energy strengthened as she opened her eyes, the yellow irises fading to white pools of nothingness as Windra growled, feeling the wind take on an icy chill. A low snarl rose from her throat as the shadows faded, her eyes returning to their normal yellow as she opened her maw. Jormundur spat another sphere of wind at Arxa's tail and the dragoness jerked herself and Narssia to the side, allowing the future black she-dragon to point her muzzle up directly at her foe.

A pulsing sphere of utter blackness rested in Narssia's maw and Windra let a puff of smoke loose seconds before she sent the raging blast of energy forth. The blast was enough to break Arxa's hold but Windra noticed that Narssia had already given up, closing her eyes as she slipped from her opponent's grip. He heard the painful snarl of the darkness-controlled beast but paid no attention to it as he shot downward, catching Narssia even as he felt a spear of ice slice through the back of his head . . .

Jormundur dove after Windra as soon as he noticed the jagged shard of ice embedding itself in the white dragon's head. He briefly felt the air to his left grow warm but ignored the strike by Arxa, manipulating the wind to speed up his downward flight. Tucking his wings close by his side, the greyling rushed toward his mother's former rider, determined to save both of them. He had seen the old-one grab Narssia so he only had to focus on getting to one of them in order to protect the two.

Windra, keep your grip strong, he growled, unsure if the dragon was already dying or struggling to stay alive long enough to make it to the ground.

Arxa tried again to blast him with fire but he banked to the right and sent another air sphere back at her, hoping the distraction would give him enough time to reach Windra. He noticed one of his mother's eyes opening as he fanned out his wings, slowing his descent as he came close, and let a brief growl loose. If she could fight then they might have a chance to escape and save the old-one from certain death.

Can you fight, mother? He asked as she met his gaze and broke a taloned foreleg free from her former rider's hold.

I can buy us some time but not much. The electric arc took most of my energy to pull off, not to mention the blast of Corruption I wielded for the first time without Windra commanding me to use its dark magic . . .

Narssia snorted, breaking free from Windra's grip and flying back up toward Arxa as Jormundur reached the white dragon and cushioned its fall with a column of air he quickly formed to aid it. He hoped his mother could last long enough to allow him to get to the ground and check on Windra, otherwise the death of her mentor was certain to bring out the shadows of her tortured mind . . .

Jormundur landed on the ground a moment later, allowing Windra to drift slowly to the earth as he glanced up to see how Narssia was faring in the fight. He had always wanted to see a fight between her and the darkness that had taken her over but he never realized he could make such an encounter possible. Overall she was doing well, holding off the dark spirit as much as she could while occasionally blasting the Corruption-controlled she-dragon with fireballs.

Mother, you can stop now! I'm safely on the ground with Windra.

If she heard him, she didn't reply, instead ramming into Arxa and pelting the dragoness with a barrage of tiny sparks of electricity. Jormundur realized she was determined to buy as much time as she could, even exhausting her energy completely if she had to. He regretted not trying to fight for her when the Compound dragons had come to capture her after Raxmon's death.

A minute later he saw Arxa dodge a strike and then turn and fly away, confusing him at first by her behavior. His attention turned to Narssia and then he knew. The dark pulses around her scales immediately gave away the thought he dared to not voice, that she knew Windra was either already dead or would die before the day ended. Concern for her nearly made him reach out to her with his mind but he held back, realizing she would come to him when her emotions calmed down and she could think things over.

Windra growled softly, opening an eye as Jormundur walked over to him, determined to make the dragon's last few minutes as comfortable as possible. She did it, the dragon hummed, his voice weak and strained.

Her control over the darkness isn't anything new, Jormundur scoffed, lifting his wings from his back to calm himself as he readied his mind for the task he was about to do, a task he knew Narssia would hate him for.

But she . . .

Jormundur hissed, lifting his tail and bringing it down on the blade of ice that rested in Windra's head. The resulting force shattered the ice, a faint wind current sending the pieces into the old one's neck, killing the dragon instantly. A faint trail of blood oozed from the dead beast's nostrils but the greyling ignored the remains of what he had done, instead lifting his wings and taking flight, passing his mother as he departed. She would see his carnage later, experience the pain he had been dealt when Raxmon had been killed.

Letting loose a roar, he circled around, heading towards where Arxa had fled, determined to finish the conflict he had started with her. If Narssia wanted revenge against him for killing Windra, she would have to overcome her own darkness to see into his.