Chapter Eleven: Warding Off
Cynder gasped and stared in horror at the White Dragon. She didn't know how he could have gotten ther without anyone else noticing. Looking at the others, they hadn't realized he'd just arrived. Not yet, at least. But they saw her gasp and they saw her stare of horror. They whirled around and saw Aemus there. Each one of the other Skylanders hurried to protect Cynder.
"What's the matter, Cynder?" Aemus asked. "I'd have thought you would be expecting me by now. Why is it that I always seem to get you by surprise? Does it have to do with my speed, or my agility? I do not think so. I think you just want to continue living your little life, and begin forgetting me, as if I'm nothing more than some figment of your imagination. Well, let me tell you something, princess, I'm one hundred percent real, and nothing will ever be able to change that!" He threw back his head and cackled. Some of his soldiers appeared at his side.
"Don't you dare come near her!" Spyro yelled at him. "You've hurt her before, but this time we'll stop you before you can lay a claw on her!"
"Oh, little leader, I want you to realize how easy it would be for me to take you all down right now. You would all be defeated before you'd have the chance to blink! But, I've decided not to use that ability just yet. I've decided I would rather just go ahead and battle you all to see who would be the most powerful! How does that sound?"
Spyro couldn't take it anymore. He dashed at Aemus and collided into the White Dragon's side. Having not expected him to do such a thing, Aemus attempted to recover himself before Spyro could make another attack. But when he felt hot, burning Fire, he realized someone else was attacking him. He looked over and saw Sunburn releasing torrents of his Fire at Aemus. The White Dragon didn't know what he was supposed to do now. He hadn't been expecting the hot Fire from him. But then an idea popped into his mind, and the evil smile came once more.
Cynder saw what he was about to do, and she was about to shout something out, but it was by then too late. Aemus released millions of tiny shards of Ice around him. Cynder was shielded by Sonic Boom and Flashwing. When the attack was over, Cynder looked over to Spyro and saw he and Sunburn had been knocked back into rocks. Cynder was automatically worried for her mate, but then some small relief seeped through her when he turned his head toward her and gave her a wink. But then she saw Aemus preparing another attack. Spyro looked over to her and yelled, "GET HER OUT OF HERE! NOW!"
Sonic Boom and Flashwing did as they were told, which Cynder both loved and hated. She wanted to remain by her mate's side, but they were taking her away from him! She knew they were only trying to protect her, which she cherished, but she didn't care as much for her safety as she did for the safety of her mate. Why couldn't Sonic Boom and Flashwing see that already?
"What are the two of you doing?" Cynder yelled at them once they'd taken her away from the battle against her will. "Sonic Boom, your mate is still out there! Sunburn needs your help! Spyro needs my help! We have to go back! We have to go back and save them, can't you see that?"
"Cynder, we're trying to protect you!" Sonic Boom told her. "If we don't protect you, then Spyro won't be very happy towards us!"
"I know he won't, but that's a risk you're going to have to be willing to take!" Cynder yelled at her. "I need to be there for Spyro! I know the danger my life is in, but frankly, I don't give a crap! I need to be there so that he has the strength to keep fighting! I don't want him to be badly hurt at all! Please, just see that, Sonic Boom! You're supposed to be my best friend, not some idiot! Please, I'm begging you to allow me to go and help them!"
Sonic Boom didn't know what she was supposed to do. She understood what Cynder was saying to her, and although she heard the "idiot" part, she realized that Cynder was only saying it, and she knew that she didn't really mean it. There was a reason behind her words there, and though Sonic Boom couldn't think of the answer.
"I can't allow you to fight, Cynder," Sonic Boom told her. "Please, Cyn, I'm only trying to protect you. Spyro wants you to protected, so please realize I'm doing this for him!"
"I don't give a crap!" Cynder yelled at her. Suddenly Sonic Boom saw tears in Cynder's sapphire eyes. She realized it was hard for Cynder to say such a thing, which did not surprise her. It would be hard for her if she was forced to do so. But Sonic Boom didn't care. She took Cynder and forcefully dragged her. Flashwing followed suit, taking looks over her shoulder fearfully.
Aemus looked over to one of his soldiers. "Go after the three females," he said. "But leave the black one with the blue eyes to me. Cynder and I have much to talk about."
The soldier nodded. He saw the Black Dragoness, the Griffiness, and the Gem Dragoness running, although it seemed the Black Dragoness was reluctant. As he followed, he realized that the temperature around him had changed almost drastically. It was so wild that at one moment, it was blazing, and then the next it was freezing.
Spyro realized this. He wanted to stop this from happening. Cynder won't be able to take the cold. I need to keep it warm for her. I just hope she can find someplace to hide.
"Sunburn, try to heat the place up!" Spyro yelled to him. "If we're going to protect Cynder, it can't be cold!"
Sunburn nodded at him. He did not have any expression on his face. Spyro couldn't blame him. It seemed the only expression anybody had was anger, both from the Skylanders and from Aemus. Spyro felt anger at Aemus for wanting to kill Cynder.
"Come on, leader," Aemus taunted. "You want to keep your little girl safe, but what about the darkness that is hidden inside her? It's just wrong. If anyone can love that piece of crap, then I should be the king of Skylands!"
"She isn't a piece of crap!" Spyro protested. "She's done the most out of any of the other Skylanders. If you dare to call her a piece of crap ever again, then I'll rip you apart!"
Aemus laughed. He was suddenly in a mood that surprised Spyro. It almost seemed he was happy. But the Purple Dragon looked closer and realized he was feigning it all. That wouldn't fool Spyro. He'd lived among inhabitants such as that. He remembered Malefor had once done such a thing during their first battle. But Spyro had never fallen for it. And thanks to the aftermath of that battle, Spyro now had Cynder as his beautiful mate. And now I have to protect her. I can't allow her to be hurt because of some stupid mistake I might make! I can't make any mistakes here, because her life is on the line. Something good should come out of this soon enough.
Aemus charged at him. Spyro dodged and released Fire upon the White Dragon. Aemus screeched, but he did not fall to the ground. Spyro could see something was powering him up, but he didn't understand what that could be.
Spyro ran at Aemus, hoping to quickly pass him and then release even more Fire. But Aemus was too quick for him and sent him flying into the Core with a slap of his long tail. Spyro's vision flickered. He saw Aemus coming toward him, laughing in an evil way. Spyro closed his eyes and thought to himself, Please forgive me, Cynder.
Meanwhile Cynder, Flashwing, and Sonic Boom were sitting behind a rock. Cynder was sweating, hoping Spyro was okay. Flashwing and Sonic Boom were attempting to comfort her, but Sonic Boom understood what she was fretting about, as Sunburn was in the fight as well.
"Cyn, please, don't be like this!" Flashwing said. "Spyro will be fine, there's no doubt about that! Please, don't worry yourself too much!"
"It's too hard, Flashwing," Cynder told her. "Spyro means too much to me! I want to be fighting with him! But he won't allow me, because he believes I'll get hurt if I do such a thing. If only he could see that I'll be fine."
"You can't blame him, Cynder," Sonic Boom told her. "He loves you too much. It'd probably be the same with Sunburn, but since Spyro gave me the order to watch you, that's probably the main reason why."
"Sonic Boom, I—" Cynder yelped out in pain for no apparent reason. She guessed it had to do with her broken leg. She made sure to not sit on it just in case. "I don't think we should be sitting behind this rock! I should—" She yelped out again, and now Sonic Boom and Flashwing were wondering what was happening. "What in the name of God is happening? Why am I—" She yelped once more, and then suddenly her sapphire eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed.
"Cynder!" Sonic Boom exclaimed. She checked her pulse to make sure if she was okay or not, and she found the Black Dragoness still had a pulse much to her relief. But then she saw Cynder's eyes open wide again. It seemed as if she were in some sort of a trance. Neither Sonic Boom nor Flashwing knew what they were supposed to do. This event was scaring them both.
Cynder was going through intense pain, and she was seeing flashes of things she'd never seen before. She had no idea what was happening, and it was all scaring her. She couldn't even normally think. That just added to her deep fear. Sonic Boom and Flashwing heard her breath coming out in gasps, though they were fortunately not rugged. That had been one of their worst fears.
She saw a large white room. She found herself standing in front of some large beast draped in shadow. She couldn't tell if that person was supposed to be that way, or if it was just how her dream was. But it was still something that scared her. She had no idea what was going on. But before she could even take a closer look, she saw something around her size…something a little taller. But then she realized it wasn't something, but that it was someone. She had no idea who they were, which added two people to that list. But then she realized that they were a Dragon, and her heart felt deep pain. It was Spyro, but he was draped in shadow, which led her to believe he'd been corrupted, something she'd never wanted to happen. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and then…Spyro attacked. Blood dripped from an open wound in her chest, and everything faded.
But then she found herself in another place. This time it was cold. She didn't understand what was happening, but she decided to go with it for the moment and see where everything would go from then on out. But the world she found herself in was freezing. She couldn't move for some reason. She guessed it had to do with either her exposure to the frozen wasteland, or possibly fear. She guessed it was both, as soon enough Aemus came into her line of vision. She saw him smiling, which was never a good sign. She felt pain…saw the blood pooling in the snow, turning it from white to red. She felt sick, but it no longer mattered. She felt his claws tear into her heart…and everything faded once more.
She opened her eyes and found herself in the real world. She found Sonic Boom and Flashwing staring at her with deep concern. Cynder didn't know what she was supposed to explain to them. She didn't start crying, much to her surprise. She didn't feel like doing so. But she hugged them both, happy that they were still okay. She looked around, trying to see if Aemus was around there, but much to her relief, he was not.
"Cynder, are you okay?" Sonic Boom asked. "What happened? We just heard you yelping in pain, and then…you passed out. What the heck happened? Are you okay?"
"I think I'll be fine, Sonic Boom. But for right now, I think we need to help Spyro and the others," Cynder told her. "I know, I sound stupid, especially after the last time I decided to try to help someone. But I think he needs my help more than ever. Please, I need you to listen to me!"
Flashwing placed her paw on Cynder's shoulder. "Cyn, if we do that, Spyro will get mad at us!" she told him. "Do you really want that to happen? You have to understand his concern for you! As your mate, and due to the fact Aemus wants you dead, he only wants what's best for you! We all want you to be safe! Please understand what we're trying to tell you! If you get hurt again, we don't know what Spyro might do. Please, get what I'm trying to say!"
"I know what you're trying to say, and I love you for it, but I don't care. I'm going out there to save Spyro, and if you want to stop me, then you'll just have to come along!"
Cynder ran out of the hiding spot, nearly running into a soldier who was waiting for them. He smiled at her crazily. "Hi there," he said. "Time to bring you to Aemus!"
"That won't be happening!" Cynder yelled at him. She prepared herself and released a blast of violet Electricity. The soldier was taken down, but he did not die. So long as he lived, Cynder knew she was in a good amount of danger. If he remained alive, he could call Aemus, something Cynder did not want. She wanted to catch Aemus by surprise, which would allow her to possibly kill him. She prepared herself once more, and released the Electricity. This time it was combined with Sonic Boom's sonic scream, and Flashwing let loose her crystal shards. The soldier was impaled by the shards, killing him instantly. Now that it was done, Cynder sighed and hurried onward. I have to make it to Spyro before he gets hurt. Sunburn, Whirlwind, Hex, and the others are most likely there as well, and I can't allow any of them to get hurt! It's my fault for Whirlwind's injuries. I won't allow something like that to happen any longer.
She found herself near the fight, seeing many soldiers, as well as many of the Skylanders. None of them noticed her, Flashwing, or Sonic Boom, as they were too busy with the fighting. Cynder hid behind a rock and took a peek behind it to see where Spyro and Aemus were. When she found them, her eyes widened in deep and unnerving horror. Spyro was about to be killed by Aemus. Cynder wouldn't allow it. Despite Sonic Boom and Flashwing's low whispers of warning to her, Cynder ran out of the hiding place.
Spyro saw the claws coming down. His mind was still on Cynder, hoping for her to be his last thought. As the claws of the demonic White Dragon descended upon him, something black crashed into his side. Spyro saw blood dripping from Aemus's shoulder. He looked for whoever had crashed into his shoulder, and found Cynder standing on the other side. Aemus was looking around for who had done it, as well, and had so far not found Cynder. Spyro looked at Cynder with fear.
Aemus stuck his nose up into the air and breathed in. "I smell you, Cynder," he said. With this she froze in place. "I know you're there, and now I have the chance to kill you!" He whirled around on her. She didn't move a muscle. "Nighty night, you piece of crap!" He aimed his claws, but Cynder dodged with her Shadow Dash and came out on another side. Aemus aimed his claws on that side, but she used the Shadow Dash again, and once more failed. He cursed as she clawed his side. But that was the last time she would be able to hurt him, he believed. This was where he would end her.
But then he realized most of his soldiers had been defeated. He looked around and stared in horror at the approaching Skylanders. All of them were coming toward him. It seemed all of them wanted to hurt him now.
"This isn't over!" he roared at Spyro and Cynder. He turned his gray eyes onto Cynder. "You may have gone through this battle without injury, but I will kill you, Cynder. Believe me, I will kill you!" He laughed maniacally as he disappeared in a blast of Ice.
Cynder sighed and turned to look at Spyro. He was not smiling, and she couldn't blame him. After all, she'd gone against what he'd wanted. But then he smiled at her and stroked her cheek. "You did well," he told her. "Now come on. I think we're done here."
As they walked away, Sunburn and Hex joined them, and then Sonic Boom, Flashwing, Camo, and Whirlwind appeared. Drobot came not long afterward. "Are you okay?" Sonic Boom asked Cynder with a concern.
Cynder smiled at her. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied. "I was able to save my mate, fortunately, and we were able to ward Aemus off. Hopefully the next battle against him will be as easy as this. I don't know how much more I can possibly take."
"Well, the good thing is, you weren't hurt," Sunburn told her. "I think you were still a little insane when you appeared near Aemus. I felt like I wanted to scream at you to get the heck out of there, but I refrained myself from doing so, because he would find out even easier."
Cynder nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Now I wonder what we should do. Everything is spinning around in my mind. Especially…" She stopped speaking, as something came into her mind. The thoughts of the visions came to her mind, but she put them all back in the recesses of her mind and continued walking. She came up with an excuse. "Uh, sorry, my mind went blank. I guess I'm just so darn tired at the moment."
"That's okay, Cynder," Hex told her. "We're all tired, I'm sure. But we'll be able to rest for a little while now."
The group went to the healing tent. Though none of them were injured, they needed to talk with Cali. She was waiting for them there. She looked them all over and sighed with relief when she saw none of them were injured.
"Oh thank God," she said. "Where did Aemus go after he was defeated? And who was it that defeated him?"
"He escaped, but we don't know where to," Spyro said. "And it was Cynder who defeated him this time."
Cali looked at Cynder with surprise. "Well done," she congratulated. "What did you do to defeat him?"
"I clawed his side," Cynder said. "I had to defeat him this time, because Spyro was in trouble." She turned to Spyro. "I'm sorry I came out of hiding. I just saw that you were in trouble, and I didn't know if anybody else would do it."
Spyro placed his paw on her shoulder. "It's not your fault," he told her. "If I'd been you, I would have done the same exact thing. All that matters now is that we're together still."
"So that means we're good for now," Cali said. "Now you can all go and rest. Hopefully we'll have some sort of a break. As for me, I'm going to sleep now. Fortunately, there were no injuries during all this. This'll be the first time that's happened in a very long time. Now, goodnight."
She left the group to speak amongst themselves for a small amount of time. Soon enough, however, all the others with the exception of Spyro, Cynder, and Hex remained.
"What's going to be happening next?" Cynder asked Spyro.
"I'm not sure," Spyro admitted. He stroked her cheek again. "I'm so happy you weren't hurt, Cyn. I can't afford for my love to be hurt ever again." They kissed.
"Well, I'm going to be alone for a while," Hex told them. "I'll see you two later!" She waved and left the two Dragons alone with each other.
Spyro and Cynder began making their way to their treehouse. Cynder had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She looked to Spyro and decided it was best she revealed her visions to him.
"Spyro, I have something to confess." Spyro turned his head to look at her with concern. "While we were hiding, I had this sudden pain. I didn't know what it was, and then I collapsed and went into unconsciousness. I don't understand why that happened, but I know I had visions afterward. And both of them were terrible."
"What were they about?" he asked softly. "What did you see?"
"The second had me in this large, snowy place. I was freezing, and Aemus appeared. There was a fight that broke out between us, and I couldn't see really anything after that. The last thing I did see was the snow becoming red. I think the red was my own blood. Oh God, it was so terrible."
Once she finished, they found themselves under their treehouse. They opened their wings and went up to the balcony, then went to their bed. They climbed into it, and Spyro looked at Cynder. He saw tears in her eyes.
"You know I won't be allowing that," Spyro told her lovingly. "I love you way too much for something like that."
"I know, Spyro," Cynder told him.
"So what was the second vision about?"
The question hit Cynder hard. A pang of guilt rose in her heart, and she felt her lip beginning to quiver. She saw Spyro out of the corner of her eye, looking at her in an understanding way. Tears were forming in her eyes.
She finally looked over at her mate apologetically. "I'm sorry, Spyro," she told him. "I can't tell you. Not now."
Spyro hugged her. "I understand," he whispered to her. "You don't need to tell me until you're ready. I love you way too much, and you're my mate, and because of that, I need to have a lot of trust in you. Just go to sleep, Cynder. You won't have to tell me anything until you're ready."
"Thank you," Cynder said. She snuggled up to him, and he kept her very close. "At least I got the chance to save your life today." She giggled, and that just gave Spyro all the more reason to hug her even closer.
"You know, when people say there's nothing in the world left to love, I think they're quite wrong," Spyro said. "After all, how can that be possible when you're right here next to me?"
Cynder smiled at him one last time before falling asleep. Spyro knew it was time he joined her. But before he could do it, he couldn't help but wonder about the vision. But then he sighed and fell asleep alongside Cynder.