Another late night had come.
Flamaedelus sighed as he leaned over the balcony of the fortress. He sighed as he overlooked the FTC employees as they unloaded supplies from the locomotive and onto a series of carriages across the way. His time in Aeroshard was short, and he intended to make it even shorter as soon as he got the chance.
Once, Aeroshard was the kingdom of the wind dragons. It was well-renowned for its natural formations that surrounded the city's walls, through which winds frequently blew and created musical notes. It was also just far enough outside of the desert for grasslands to grow, allowing for more natural farmlands and fruit-bearing trees. Aeroshard was known as the Whistling City and was one of Spyro and Cynder's favorite places to visit during their tour of the realms. Oh, how the wind dragons adored playing music for their heroes: they invented flutes, clarinets, trumpets… Flamaedelus wished he'd gotten the opportunity to hear the lovely songs and ballads that wind dragons wrote.
And that's why Flamaedelus's blood boiled when he looked at what Aeroshard had been reduced to. He clutched his telescope so hard, that he nearly cracked its surface with his talons.
The natural formations around Aeroshard's perimeter were mostly destroyed in a joint campaign by King Gaius and King Oceanus. And once the wind king, Boreas, was slain, the earth dragons seized Aeroshard as their territory. All of the wind dragons vanished without a trace, and Gaius ordered the whistling city to be refortified for military purposes.
Great walls were erected here, stone bridges were placed there… and a lot of the trees were torn down to be used as firewood. The notes on songs and ballads about Cynder were burned to ashes, and every statue of Cynder was torn down or remodeled to depict her as a monster. All of Aeroshard's beautiful history was just… brushed aside in favor of outdated propaganda.
But that wasn't what got Flamaedelus's blood boiling. No, what filled him with fury was the state of the populace. Saul declared himself the de facto ruler of Aeroshard just after his exile from Glenhaven… and he made sure to remind every citizen living there of that fact. Posters and statues of Saul were erected all over the streets depicting him as either a war hero or some kind of savant.
And while Saul and those of the noble class lived quite the high life, and the soldiers were well provided for… the same couldn't be said for those remaining. Plenty of the poorer dragons were sickly and starving here and there. Younger dragons wore rags to keep warm and frequently tried to rob the various food carts and the few stores.
Flamaedelus watched as one particular youngster attempted to pick the pocket of one of Saul's soldiers. It didn't take long for the soldiers to spot the teenager, and soon they were upon him. After a quick chase, they pinned the dragon to the wall, hefted up a baton, and… it made Flamaedelus turn away in disgust; he had to put the telescope away.
If Bergan saw this, he'd be furious. The red drake growled in his throat. What kind of ruler allows his people to fall into such disarray?
"Do you plan on joining us back in the dragon realms, Flamaedelus?" Saul's voice asked from behind. "We're waiting for you!"
Flamaedelus rolled his eyes and snorted in derision. He turned around to look back inside the planning room of the fortress.
Like most chambers of Saul's headquarters, it was lavishly decorated. The floor was a fine redwood, and the carpet was large and eloquent. The table that sat upon it was round and surrounded by gaudy cushions for dragons. Saul sat in one seat at the head of the table, while Nymph sat to his left. Richard the dragonfly hovered overhead and waited for Flamaedelus to take his spot to Saul's right before he landed on his dragon's shoulder.
"Enjoying the sights of the windy city, are we?" Nymph asked with a smirk.
"About as well as I can, from way up high." Flamaedelus shrugged his shoulders. "Though I'm not sure I'm about to take a look around on the street level."
"Oh?" Saul smirked.
"I just have a feeling that I wouldn't be particularly… safe." Flamaedelus declared as he adjusted himself in his seat.
"I can assure you that my soldiers are the most-trained in all the continent." Saul declared. "Some of them are even veterans from Glenhaven's military, who declared their loyalty and migrated here for my sake."
"Ah, how charming…" Richard said with a slight grunt.
"I've got to say that I've seen a few of the soldiers in action." Nymph declared. "And I find your soldiers to be positively primeval."
"Hmm… thank you very much." Saul gave a slight grin. Flamaedelus just rolled his eyes at that, while Richard covered his mouth to avoid scoffing too loudly. Though judging from the look that Nymph shot Flamaedelus and Richard, she was evidently hoping that Saul would have gotten a clue. Such a pity.
"Alright, let's go over my battle plans one more time…" Saul gestured down to the map of the southern continent. "I have several battalions ready to be deployed at just about any time. But for four years, they've mostly stayed stationed here in Aeroshard to defend it against anyone attempting to seize the land for dragons unfit to walk here."
"You mean dark dragons, I presume," Richard said.
Saul snorted. "It will be a rainy day over the desert before I allow dark dragons to take this fortress. But, that's beside the point…" He grasped a figure representing a dragon and lightly pushed it across toward Glenhaven. "I know Glenhaven's defenses better than anyone. The natural walls surrounding the city make it impenetrable by land for earth-bound beings; there are four narrow gateways out of the city in all four cardinal directions, meaning that cheetah and canine soldiers would be forced into bottlenecks. So, naturally…"
"You want to send dragons over the skies," Flamaedelus said as he clasped his forepaws together.
"Exactly." Saul grinned. "My draconic forces can march westward on food, camping here and there along the edge of the grassland areas. But once we're within flying distance of Glenhaven, they can take to the skies, and easily swoop down to seize the city. And by staying just out of sight of Glenhaven, they can evade any snooping gazes of scouts who would alert the Guardians to my army's presence."
"Mhm…" Flamaedelus and Richard nodded in unison.
"Naturally, I didn't initially take into account the scores of those… crepsculi-summoning gauntlets." The earth drake bit his lower lip. "If they lack the convexity crystals needed to power them, then we'll have to leave them on the sidelines for now."
"Alternatively…" Nymph placed her forepaw on the table. "You could delay your westward invasion by a few days. Why not give Bergan time to supply you with the convexity?"
Saul scowled. "Because I've waited long enough to retake my city! I demand that I retake my birthright from the wretched Elders who backstabbed me."
"I think it would do you some good to delay it by a few more days, at least." Nymph declared. "Need I remind you that the Day of the Bonds is almost here?"
"Yes, Yes, I've heard it all before." Saul rolled his eyes. "You want to spend time with that sister of yours and leave before things get messy."
"There's also the fact that Glenhaven's military would be relaxed during the festivities, you know." Nymph continued. "If you spring into action just before the holiday starts, then the soldiers will still be ready to counter your invasion-"
"Liberation!" Saul interrupted. "Glenhaven is MINE by right."
"Sure, sure, liberation…" Nymph rolled her eyes. "The point is: if you wait for Glenhaven's soldiers to stuff their bellies and satisfy their romantic desires, then by the time your forces arrive, they won't be able to mobilize fast enough to properly fight back." She tilted her head and gave Saul a patient smile. "And besides: wouldn't you rather that the people of Glenhaven take you back in open arms, and look back on that day with a dash of bitter-sweetness?"
"Hmm…" Saul wracked a talon on the table.
"Nobody's going to be too pleased if you storm the city during one of their favorite holidays," Flamaedelus said with a flourish of his cloak. "They'll be frustrated that you ruined it for them, and will resist your attempts to reclaim your crown all the harder. Furthermore…" The red drake cleared his throat. "You need to take into account the location of your son's wedding ceremony. Surely you'd want him to get married back home in Glenhaven, during a time of peace, yes?"
"Of course," Saul said with exasperation. "There's no better time for a royal wedding."
"Then you need to practice some PATIENCE." Flamaedelus grasped the dragon figure and pulled it further away from Glenhaven. "You need to stop and think things through."
"Are you implying that I haven't got any patience?" Saul sneered. "I've been waiting YEARS for the moment to retake my home."
"Then what are a few weeks more?" Flamaedelus declared. "Wait for some kind of sign. Wait for Bergan to bring you the supplies for those gauntlets. Wait for the chance to use a new form of weaponry to scare the soldiers of Glenhaven into submission. You might even be able to take back your home with minimal bloodshed if you handle diplomacy right."
"Ugh…" Saul scoffed. "You think diplomacy is going to work with those old fools seated in Glenhaven Palace? They're not going to just give me back my crown and kiss my paws for forgiveness."
"Maybe not…" Flamaedelus adjusted his collar. "But at the very least, Bergan wants us to wait for his instructions to become clear; he doesn't like it when his subordinates try to be too pragmatic."
"I am NOT his subordinate; I'm his EQUAL." Saul scowled. "Don't insult me again by implying otherwise!"
"Fine, fine…" Flamaedelus sighed. He stood up from the table and cleared his throat. "In any case, I need to be ready to leave for Glenhaven. I want to catch the same carriage that Nymph is taking."
"Ah, I promised my family that I'd ride with them tonight." Nymph stuck her snout in the air and chuckled. "We want to discuss the contents of one of the letters that arrived recently from my sister."
"You got a letter?" Richard asked curiously.
"Oh, yes." Nymph's eyes beamed. She reached within the confines of her fancy purse and pulled out a small scroll. "It just arrived via dragonflymail this morning. Seraph's been telling me all about how proud she is about Blankridge and Nellie. One of them is preparing to-"
"Alright, alright, save it for later," Saul grunted. "I've got some work to do still; even if they're not marching on the morrow, I need to be sure that my battalions are ready for the long trek across the prairies toward the west."
"Well then… Flamaedelus turned toward the door. "This is where we take our leave of you, then."
"Hmm, quite right." Nymph nodded. "My family's waiting for me before we board the caravan."
"Well, then…" Saul tapped his talons on the table. "It may be some time before we see each other again. Take care… friends."
"I certainly will." Nymph declared. She looked at Flamaedelus. "I'll be waiting for you on the street level, you two."
"We'll be with you soon enough…" Richard stretched his arms over his head as he floated beside Flamaedelus's snout. The red drake nodded and rose to head out of the room with the dragonfly… but then he came to a stop and snorted. He just had to get things off his chest now, while he still had time.
"There's one more thing I want to bring up…" Flamaedelus looked back at Saul with a slight sneer. "It would behoove you to take better care of the citizens of Aeroshard: They're your people too."
Saul scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that a lot of them are poor or starving. Bergan doesn't like seeing anyone suffer like that…" Flamaedelus cleared his throat again. "And he definitely wouldn't like it if you try to hide it from him, either."
"I'll… keep that in mind, Flamaedelus," Saul said with a grunt. "Just be off on your way, already."
In one ear frill, out the other, Flamaedelus thought with a sigh. He just made his way out of the war room, walking just slow enough for Richard to keep up. I don't understand why Bergan chose HIM of all dragons to be an ally.
"Well, that was charming as always." Richard grimaced.
"Let's get out of here before he says something I'll regret." Flamaedelus scoffed.
It wasn't much longer before Flamaedelus and Richard were making their way down the front stoop of the fortress, which sat in the center of Aeroshard. Nymph was across the way, speaking with her husband and son before pushing open one of the carriage doors to get seated. It wouldn't be long before the caravan would take off down the main road to head out through the city gates. Flamaedelus and Richard stopped before their own carriage and pulled it open; the red drake decided he wanted a bit of privacy away from the haughty water dragons for the rest of the trip. Once inside his carriage, Flamaedelus sat down in his seat and gave a long sigh. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he yawned; he'd been awake for far too long. Having Saul talk his ear frill off for most of the day didn't help matters at all.
"What shall we do once we arrive in Glenhaven?" Richard asked.
"Well, that depends…" Flamaedelus reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll. "Let's just see what the scroll says."
The drake read it to himself for a moment; his face became a mask of unease. Richard frowned at that. "Uh… what does it say?"
"Not much." Flamaedelus put the scroll down. "We're to lay low, and stick to the shadows as much as possible. Let Nymph have her happy family fun time with her sister. And then…" Flamaedelus gave a long sigh. "We keep an eye on Glenhaven Palace. There's a certain… something that Bergan wants us to acquire."
"Mhm…" Richard scratched his chin. "Well, here's hoping that all goes well."
"Aye…" Flamaedelus sighed as he gazed out the window. "Here's hoping."
After a bit of time, the carriage rumbled to move forward. A few moments later, the rest of the carriages began strolling forward along the main road. Flamaedelus gave another yawn as he settled into his seat, and watched the many fortified buildings roll on by.
For a brief moment, Flamaedelus saw a few more of the local orphaned dragons wandering about the empty side streets. There were more of Saul's soldiers out and about as well, corralling the orphans away from the main road. There was a young fire dragon amongst the crowd; he was trying to reach for an apple that had rolled underneath a food cart beside the road. A soldier spotted this… and was quick to pounce with ferocity. Cries of "urchin" and "thief" rang up and down the street; it made Flamaedelus's scales crawl. It was all he could do to keep from leaping out of the carriage to relieve the soldier of his horns for beating that child.
"I hope the boys are okay." Flamaedelus frowned.
"Me too…" Richard sighed.
~~…~~
The rain poured down harder and harder than ever before. The little dragoness shivered as she struggled to curl up in a ball within the fat side of an overturned log. Lightning crashed down a short distance away, making her squeak in fright. She cried as she held a wing over her muzzle, and she shivered all over as the terrible cold wracked her scales.
The night-time had lasted for what seemed like an eternity. No matter where the dragoness ran, she couldn't find the sun. And that terrible lightning and booming thunder hounded after her wherever she was. She was trapped in an eternal storm… ALONE.
Why…? The little dragoness whimpered. Why was I left all alone? What did I do wrong?
Thunder boomed again; it was very loud. Then it boomed again, even louder than before. Then it got louder and louder… and LOUDER! It was right behind her, ready to assault her ear frills and leave her deaf!
The thunder was so loud that Tyrrany quickly sat up in bed with tears in her eyes. But almost immediately, Flame was by her side. The red drake scrambled to drape a wing over her body.
"F-Flame?" Tyrrany asked in surprise.
"You're safe…" He whispered as he pulled her close. "It's just a little rain. You're in a bedroom at an inn in a town. You're not all alone."
"Okay…" Tyrrany said quietly.
Gradually, Tyrrany calmed down, and she looked around at her surroundings. They were in a room with a single bed; all of the two-bed rooms had been taken by the time they'd arrived. The curtains over the windows were pulled tightly shut; Tyrrany could just barely hear the pounding of rain just beyond them. Arthur was curled up in a little makeshift bed on the end table across from the bed. Tyrrany had changed out of her dark robes and washed off her makeup hours ago, while Flame chose to stay clothed in his brown cloak and goggles across from her.
"Are you okay?" Flame asked worriedly.
"Yeah…" Tyrrany rolled over and curled up into a ball. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need more sleep."
"If you say so." Flame nodded. He shifted to roll over to have his back facing away from her. "Just remember; You're among friends, Annie."
"I know…" Tyrrany gradually closed her eyes and yawned. "Among friends."
She gave a low yawn and curled up in a ball. Flame scooted up close to her and wrapped his limbs about her back. Tyrrany flushed a little; she probably should have told him to get off of her… but she just wanted to feel someone hug her, for once. She carefully closed her eyes, and hoped to dream of something better this time…
Tyrrany had barely been back to sleep for fifteen minutes before a loud pounding came at the door. Immediately her eyes shot wide open and she fell over onto the floor in a panic.
"Hello?" Harlon's muffled voice asked outside the door. "Miss Tyrrany? Mr. Flame? Are you two still here?"
What's HE doing here so late?! Tyrrany thought with a gasp. She hurriedly scrambled to hide inside the little washroom around the corner and slammed the door shut. She fumbled over herself to pick up her black cloth to throw it over her body.
Flame had finally woken up about this time, as did Arthur. The two of them grumbled as they slowly sat up and faced the pounding door. Flame then looked back at Tyrrany and frowned. He motioned toward the door with a talon; his face was asking whether they should pretend to all be asleep.
"I'm sorry if this was a bad time," Harlon said. "I just wanted to talk to you with a bit of privacy before you all left for Glenhaven. And I wouldn't have any other time to come talk to you before or after this evening.
Oh, for the love of the Ancestors… Tyrrany groaned. She stuck her muzzle out and harshly whispered. "Arthur, come help me while Flame deals with this guy."
Flame and Arthur nodded in unison and sprang to work. The red dragon stood before the door to open it, while the dragonfly quickly flew into the bathroom. The dragoness reached into her toiletry bag and fetched her purple makeup, which she had Arthur help apply to her face. Meanwhile, Flame carefully opened the backpack after positioning himself to stand right in front of where the bathroom was, before finally and slowly opening the door. Harlon was standing outside, naturally, but so was Lillia to Flame's surprise. The young dragoness yawned as she struggled to keep herself awake.
"Err… hello." Flame said awkwardly.
"I… don't think this was a good time, Dad." The dragoness muttered.
"As if any time would have been a good time…" Harlon sighed.
"Well, in the middle of a stormy night has to be the worst possible time to try and speak with me privately." Tyrrany sneered as she spoke through the crack in the bathroom door. "Please go away."
"I promise that it won't be long." Harlon frowned. "There are just a few things I want to be sure of. And I want to prove to you that you can trust me."
Tyrrany rolled her eyes as Arthur applied a layer of makeup to her cheeks. "Fine, but make it quick. And stay away from the bathroom."
"Very well…" Harlon nodded.
With a shrug, Flame opened the door a bit to allow Harlon and Lillia to step inside. He then quickly shut the door and locked it before whirling around to eye them suspiciously. Tyrrany, meanwhile, tensed up as she struggled to get the makeup on faster.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Flame demanded.
"Well…" Harlon took a breath. "It has to do with white dragons, and how they often go into hiding."
A chill traveled up Tyrrany's spine, and anger burned in her throat. Already her mind raced with all the awful things this guy could be up to; was he going to try and extort something out of them? She wondered if she had to call upon her magic to deal with the nomads.
"Start making sense." Flame demanded of Harlon, who sighed.
"I'll be as blunt as I can be…" Harlon shifted around a bit. "Lillia… show him."
His daughter gasped. "Are… Are you sure, Dad?"
"I need her to understand that we mean no harm to white dragons."
Tyrrany flinched. She held her tongue as a shiver ran up her spine. Did… Did he know? Did he figure out her secret? How? What was he going to do to…? Another shiver ran along her spine. Wait… no harm?
Tyrrany held her breath as she listened to Lillia sighing. There was a moment where the dragoness ruffled her nomadic robes and held something before herself. There were a few magical noises, which made Flame gasp. And then, seconds later, Tyrrany heard Flame very carefully creeping toward the bathroom door.
"Annie… I think you'll want to take a look at this." He said as he grasped the door. "It's… it's quite the surprise."
"What are you talking about?" Tyrrany demanded.
"Just… Just come look." Flame said with wide eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I just told you."
With a frustrated groan, Tyrrany covered herself about as much as she could and pushed the door slightly open. Flame backed up against the wall, while the dragoness turned to look at Harlon and Lillia… and boy did she get a surprise. Tyrrany almost didn't recognize Lillia… with that white-scaled face.
"You..." Tyrrany's stammered as her eyes widened. She fell backward onto her haunches and looked upon the worried face of the younger dragoness with unease and trepidation. "You're a… a… a white dragoness?"
Lillia shivered at the way Tyrrany balked at her. The younger dragoness backed up to hide behind her father's wing. Harlon just sighed and shifted his wing to hug his daughter against his side.
"Yes. She always has been." Harlon said softly. "And I'd do anything for my daughter."
"Dad…" Lillia said with a brief flash of embarrassment. "How can we be sure we can trust her with our secret?"
Tyrrany could hardly believe what she was hearing. Even if she'd known that other white dragons existed in secret across the realms, she never imagined she'd get so up close to one. However… that didn't mean that she instantly trusted this Harlon. He was already a strange and shifty dragon during the whole ship ride. And his daughter Lillia was annoying at times. She couldn't trust them. And yet… she couldn't help but be curious. She stepped partially forward out of the bathroom, with Arthur flying out to come to a landing on Flame's snout.
"Wow, another white dragoness?" Arthur asked in amazement.
"Another…?" Lillia repeated curiously. She peeked out from behind her father's wing and looked in Tyrrany's direction. Tyrrany shivered and pulled her cloth against her body all the more to protect herself.
"Why do you come to me?" Tyrrany demanded as she locked eyes with Harlon. "Why reveal your daughter's secret to us?"
"Well, I wanted to show that, if you revealed your own true form, then we wouldn't tell anyone," Harlon said. "And no, I wasn't spying on you, Miss Tyrrany." He flapped his wings. "I just happen to know that you're the daughter of Bergan… and Bergan would do anything to keep you safe." Harlon lowered his head and frowned. "Which is why I can't help but feel concerned that he'd send you so far outside of his reach. I understand that you're not a child… but you're still a bit young to be on your own."
Tyrrany sneered. "What I'm doing on my own is none of your business, Harlon."
"I know, I know…" Harlon sighed. "But please understand; you're not the only one in seclusion. There are other white dragons out there who are hiding from extremists."
"And what would you know about hiding from awful dragons?" Tyrrany demanded.
Harlon bit his lower lip. "More than you might expect…"
The drake looked down at Lillia, who had stayed silent for a while now. Tyrrany couldn't help but glower at the younger dragoness. But the more she looked at Lillia, the more Tyrrany was in awe of how perfect her disguise was.
"How… How did you hide your scales?" Tyrrany demanded curiously.
"With a shroud of darkness," Lillia replied. "Lots of the nomads know how to use them. I just use it for… well, different reasons."
Tyrrany wracked her brain to remember what her father told her about recent events over the years. Plenty of dark dragons were in hiding from the Order of Culmubrae for nearly two decades, and they accomplished that with a bit of dark magic. But never had Tyrrany ever heard of white dragons being capable of the same trick. She was tempted to ask; tempted to just throw down her dark clothes and beg to learn how to pull off the magic. But no…. she shivered as she stayed her forepaws. There was always the chance that this was an elaborate hoax. Anyone could have been waiting outside the bedroom… waiting for just the chance to catch the true form of Bergan's daughter and expose it to the world.
"Whatever." Tyrrany snorted. "Is that all you wanted of me? To show me that you're a white dragoness? Well, you're done now." She flapped her wings. "Have a good evening."
Lillia frowned and looked down at her paws. Harlon just patted his daughter on the shoulder and tried to give Tyrrany a warm face.
"There's no need for hostility, Miss Tyrrany," Harlon said. "We won't be long. But before we go, could you at least tell us what Faeshrine is like these days?"
"Faeshrine?" Flame repeated uneasily. "You've been to Faeshrine before?"
"Yes, but not for a long time." The adult drake nodded his head. "It's been many years. And my clan has gotten so used to our counter-clockwise trek across the realms, that going off the beaten path for even a week would throw them off for months." He slumped backward onto his haunches. "So, all I can do is ask about what life is like over there these days."
"Well, I don't know what Faeshrine was like before my father became its ruler." Tyrrany huffed. "There are a lot of bright lights, giant mushrooms, trolleys, and various things that my father's students invented."
"Students?" Harlon repeated curiously.
"Yeah: The students of Faeshrine Academy." Flame added. "It's a fancy-schmancy school for young dragons."
"I see…" Harlon grimaced. "So, he's brought certain dragon-made innovations to the ancestral home of the dragonflies."
"I guess you could say that." Arthur shrugged as he flew around Tyrrany's head. "The dragonfly clans have grown in size over the last decade, thanks to the gradual removal of frogweeds and toadweeds." He came to a landing on Tyrrany's snout. "If anything, I'd say that Bergan's been doing the dragonflies a favor."
"Mhm…" Harlon tilted his head to look down curiously at Arthur. "Are you… bonded with Miss Tyrrany?"
"Actually, no; he's bonded to me." Flame declared. "Arthur just likes to help Annie out a bit during most days."
"Ah…" Harlon nodded.
"He's very pretty…" Lillia said as she stepped out from behind her father again. Arthur balked in surprise as the younger dragoness stepped closer to look at him in awe.
"Uh… th-thanks?" Arthur asked cautiously.
Lillia turned to look up at her Harlon with a soft smile. "Will I ever be bonded to a dragonfly, Dad?"
"That's not how it works, little one." Harlon shook his head. "You'd have to be hatched in the Mushroom Forest, and you've never even been there."
"Aww…" Lillia pouted, much to Arthur and Flame's amusement.
Tyrrany, however, was not amused. She was growing increasingly suspicious of Harlon's behavior as time went on. Why would he be so invested in Faeshrine's development if he hadn't been there in years? Harlon seemingly had no dragonfly of his own; he couldn't have been born there. And just look at those red scales; his mate must have been from Faeshrine if they were to have a white dragon as a child. Unless…
"Are you wearing a shroud of darkness, too?" Tyrrany demanded of Harlon.
Immediately the drake's expression turned uneasy. "Err…"
"Remove it." She stamped her paw. "Reveal your true form, if you're so keen on revealing secrets."
Harlon sucked in a quick breath, and he did his best to stand his ground. He pulled Lillia backward to have her stand at his side as he put on a stoic face.
"No, I will not." He said with a shake of his head. "I prefer to keep it on."
"Err, what's the problem?" Flame asked cautiously. "I mean, you revealed your daughter to us. If you're a dark dragon, we're not all that bothered by it. Right, guys?"
"Meh…" Arthur shrugged.
Tyrrany just glared up at Harlon. "If you're not going to reveal your true form, then get out."
"Excuse me?" Harlon blinked.
"Get. Out." Tyrrany spread out her limbs and glared harder. "I don't want you around me."
"Please, I mean you no harm or offense." Harlon frowned. "It's just that I prefer to-"
"You'd parade around your daughter to strangers while keeping your own identity a secret?" Tyrrany glowered at him. "You're an irresponsible moron!"
"Hey…" Lillia pouted as she stood up closer. "Don't insult my dad like that."
"Oh, shut up!" Tyrrany snapped, making Lillia flinch. "The both of you have wasted enough of my time. I need to get some sleep before we continue onwards on our journey. So stop making us stand around yammering about nonsense!"
Lillia lightly gasped, and then drooped her ear frills. "Why do you have to be so mean? I just wanted to be your friend."
Tyrrany leaned her head back momentarily; she wasn't expecting a remark like that. However, rather than let that hang in the air for long, Tyrrany put on her nastiest scowl and flapped her wings proudly.
"I don't NEED new friends." She declared. "Just get out."
Lillia had a hurt face as she backed up to stand beside her father. Harlon comforted her with a wing while looking down at Tyrrany with a dour face.
"Please… we never meant you any harm, Miss Tyrrany," Harlon said cautiously. "We can provide you help if you need it."
"Get out," Tyrrany said.
"Do you need transportation? We can get you a cart."
"Get out," Tyrrany said again.
"If you don't know how to make a shroud of darkness, I can teach you-"
"GET OUT!" Tyrrany screamed.
Harlon just sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Lillia put your shroud back on."
"Okay…" Lillia glumly held her forepaw before herself and created a small sphere of dark energy. The energy soon spread across her foreleg and most of her body, before she shifted to take on the form of a blue-scaled dragoness once again. She then rose onto all fours and followed behind her father as he approached the door.
The moment Harlon pulled the door open, the boom of thunder broke through the air, making Tyrrany flinch. Harlon looked back worriedly at her, but Tyrrany simply put on her scowl and clacked her talons on the floor.
"Leave." Tyrrany snapped. "Never bother me again."
"Very well…" Harlon carefully pushed the door open so Lillia could scoot on by him. Harlon then carefully made to follow behind her, but not before glancing back at Tyrrany. "I wish you the best of luck, Miss Tyrrany."
With a scowl, Tyrrany marched forward and slammed the door in Harlon's face. She then pressed an ear frill to the door to listen as his footfalls gradually moved away from her door. Tyrrany felt a shiver on her back, and then she cautiously sighed in relief as she made her way to the bathroom.
"Arthur, help me get this makeup off my face." She ordered. "Now."
"A…Alright," Arthur said quietly.
As the dragonfly followed Tyrrany to the bathroom, Flame just walked around to the other side of the bed to sigh.
"Did you really have to shoo them away so abruptly?" He asked.
"YES," Tyrrany said bluntly.
"But it kinda seemed like they were on the up and up." Flame continued. "At the very least, we could have used a carriage to speed our trip to Glenhaven."
Tyrrany was in the middle of pulling down her hood as he said that. She flinched and worriedly bit her lower lip as she considered her options. Maybe he was right. Maybe Harlon could have given them some help to get out of Crossbolt all the faster.
But then she thought about the terrain of the area; there were many hills and valleys through the Concurrent Skies, with barely any roads for non-dragons. She snorted and continued to remove her hood.
"It would have only slowed us down." She declared.
"Were you planning on flying south, then?" Arthur asked as he picked up a rag.
"Shut it, you." Tyrrany poked him in the gut. She ran the water and fell back onto her haunches. "Just focus on getting my face washed off."
Arthur just sighed as he got to work. Flame, meanwhile, just slumped into bed and sighed.
"At the very least, that shroud of darkness could have been useful." Flame said. "It would have helped you speed up your disguises without the need for your makeup or cloak."
Tyrrany's eye flinched again. She glanced over at her makeup case, and down at her stockings and hood. They were always so sticky, and heavy… and her wings ached from being weighed down all the time. She looked down at her forepaw and held it out to try and concentrate on the dark sphere she saw in Lillia's paws. Oh, what she would have given to pull off a magical trick like that. She could finally walk around in the sun… flapping her wings to take off for flight into-
Thunder boomed outside, making her jolt. Immediately Tyrrany grabbed her cloak and pulled it over herself to shiver. Arthur gasped and flew down to her snout to pat it.
"Hey, hey, take it easy…" The dragonfly said soothingly. "It can't get you, Annie. You're safe."
Tyrrany just snorted and lightly flicked Arthur off of her muzzle. She then straightened herself out to try and stand tall.
"Just… Just help me get clean." She ordered.
Arthur sighed and got back to work again. Tyrrany put down her cloak and frowned at herself in the mirror. Part of her didn't trust Harlon… but another part of her cursed herself for shooing him off before he taught her that magic. She also imagined Lillia's white face frowning at her in the mirror. All that girl wanted was to be friends. Friends with… another white dragoness? Did this Lillia want some kind of kinship?
It's too late to patch things up, she told herself. I'll just have to avoid them in the future.
~~…~~
Rune scowled; why did he always have to have trouble sleeping?
He tossed and turned as he struggled to get comfortable upon his straw mattress. The last few nights t sea had been brutal on his mind.
Too many things kept passing through Rune's subconscious; the extremists, the Sons of Culmubrae, Dona's weird scheming, Bergan lurking somewhere, Rune's sister attacking his brother, the fact that the other students at the Dragon Spire were afraid of him, the fear of descending into becoming a monster… and all through it, Rune was trapped on a boat in the middle of the sea.
Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts… he told himself.
Seraph was waiting to hug him. Blankridge and Nellie wanted to play with their foster brother. His friends wanted to celebrate the holiday with him. And Roxanne… Roxanne glared at him. She hated him for breaking her heart. And he had to spend another half a year being unable to make things right with her. Everything was coming crashing down again.
Damn it… A tear streaked down his face. Nothing he ever said or did make things right…
He stuck his talons into the mattress and tore some straw from it. He forced himself to sit up and stretch out his wings. This wasn't working; Rune would never get any decent rest if his own mind kept plaguing itself with fowl memories. There had to be something he could do; something to get his mind off of things.
First, Rune thought of his meditation. He looked over at his satchel, where all the supplies for speaking with his Ancestors sat ready and waiting. Rune took a step toward them… but then stopped and shook his head.
What's the point? Rune frowned. Talking to Spyro and Cynder won't help me while I'm stuck out at sea. Cynder will probably just say the same things she did last time…
Rune sighed and turned to look at his mirror. He put his paws on the floor and walked over to look at his reflection. And as he focused on his reflection's eyes… they gradually turned a sickly yellow. Soon, Rune was scowling, while his reflection gave him a sardonic grin.
Ah, need your better half for advice? Runefor chided.
Rune gave a glare. You're all that I have right now. Don't get used to it.
Oh, I'm so flattered. Runefor held a forepaw dramatically over his head. Finally, maybe I can convince you to stop wasting time and go deal with the jerks that have only caused you grief.
They're all an ocean away. Rune snorted. The Sons, the extremists… even Saul is far out of my reach. There's nothing I can do.
There is ONE thing… Runefor's eyes beamed sinisterly. A certain someone we owe a visit to!
I thought you said to just forget about Dona. Rune snapped.
Oh, no… Runefor chuckled out loud. We'll deal with someone who's deserved a beating for a long time.
Immediately memories of a certain earth prince tormenting a younger Rune flooded through his mind. Rune growled at those memories… and then at Runefor.
He's locked up in a cage. Rune tapped his talons on the floor. He's already on his way to facing the consequences of his actions. Hurting him won't do any good,
I disagree. Runefor grinned. But in any case… you could always get some answers out of him.
Rune blinked. Answers?
He might know something; something he didn't tell Mother. Runefor continued. He also hates your guts… so he might just be easily tricked into gloating about some evil plans. At the very least, you can get some petty vengeance for the shit he's caused you.
Rune paused to scratch his chin. Maybe… Maybe you're right.
There, you see? Runefor grinned. I'm not some scary monster; I'm only looking out for YOUR best interest.
Don't think that this means I like you. Rune snorted as he turned toward his door.
Rune took a step… and the wood creaked beneath his paw. He winced; the last thing he wanted to do was alert anyone to what he was doing. Rune held still, shut his eyes, and channeled some magic. After a moment, his shadow opened up, and he carefully slunk down into it. He nudged the edge of his shadowy pool forward toward the edge of the doorway.
Rune very carefully slunk down into his shadow and crept up to the edge of the doorway. He sank as low as he could and gradually slid through the crack in the wood. He then carefully poked his head out to look around. With the coast clear, Rune proceeded to slide his way down the hallway.
Rune very briefly took the opportunity to check on his shipmates. Hontus was fast asleep in his quarters; safe and sound. Voden and Dona were asleep as well; he didn't want to intrude on their bedroom, so he went no further than the door. Rune made his way toward the back of the hall and gradually slid down the stairs. The brig was to be found at the very bottom of the hull, where there was potential for dragons to get the most seasick.
Do you think Johnny gets seasick? What color does a green dragon turn when he has to throw up…? Runefor snickered. Quite the mystery, huh?
Shut up. Rune snorted.
The prince's shadow slid down to the bottom of the stairs, and he floated forward toward the lowest section of the ship. And there he was; splayed out on the wooden floor of his little cage. Jonathan snored lightly as he sat curled up in a tight ball in the center of the cell. Rune felt his anger burning a bit as he looked upon his former bully, but he shut his eyes and took a deep breath.
Aww, isn't this just precious? Runefor grinned maliciously. Sleeping like a little hatchling after a long day of being locked in a box.
Rune took another deep breath as he tried to ignore Runefor. He slowly slid forward, until he reached the edge of the cage. Rune looked back the way he came to make sure the coast was clear. It was quiet and empty… and yet Rune couldn't help but feel like something was a little off. There was a weight in Rune's mind; it was subtle but noticeable. It was just a bit harder to keep his shadowy pool formed. Rune looked all around, but he couldn't quite place what was wrong.
Oh, quit wasting time. Runefor snapped. Focus on Johnny-Boy!
Rune snorted and slowly rose out of his shadows to stand on the wooden floor. Maybe Rune's mind was just playing tricks on him. He took another breath and turned to grasp the bars of the cell to rattle them.
"Wake up," Rune ordered.
The green drake grumbled as he slowly woke up. Rune fought to keep himself calm, while Runefor cackled in his mind.
"Breakfast time already…?" Jonathan asked as he yawned. "I'm starving…"
Jonathan blinked a few times and then gazed up in surprise at the black prince. And then, the green prince gave a sardonic grin as he rose to sit back on his haunches. "Well, isn't THIS a surprise?"
"Hello… Johnny." Rune said with a snort.
"Geez, you're a lot uglier than I remember." Jonathan snorted. "Though I have to admit; those scars all over your body are a nice improvement."
Rune's eye twitched, but he kept his gaze serious. "You and I need to talk."
"Oh, do we?" Jonathan chided. "And just what does my dear Desert Beetle wish to talk about? Are you hoping that I'll tell you where all your little brother bugs have scurried off to? I know you haven't seen your real family in a long time."
The green prince gave a shrill laugh, much to Rune's frustration. He could feel his anger for the bully building up again. His talons dug into the floor. But Rune couldn't let himself give in to anger; he had a mission, and he needed to focus…"
"Scarab."
Jonathan blinked and stopped laughing. "What?"
"The beetle that lives in the desert is called a scarab." Rune blew smoke from his nostrils. "Maybe you'd know that if you ever bothered to pay attention in your classes."
"Oh, I learned well enough." Jonathan snorted. He grabbed the bars and grinned. "And besides, it doesn't matter what the name is, so long as it eats SHIT day in and day out. Just like YOU." Jonathan looked Rune up and down. "You certainly LOOK the part: You are what you eat, mom always said!"
Runefor growled while Rune took a deep breath. He locked his legs firmly in place as he wracked his talons on the floor.
Teach him a lesson. Runefor whispered in his mind. Show Johnny-boy here just what happens when you mess with a black dragon!
"What's with you, Sand Dune?" Jonathan snickered. "Forgetting how to talk? Too bad your mommy isn't here to teach you."
Rune blew smoke from his nostrils; dealing with both of these two at once was insufferable. At the very least, Rune could take this opportunity to let off a little steam. Rune leaned forward to scowl into Jonathan's eyes.
"You attacked my brother."
"Hmm… that I did, that I did." Jonathan snorted.
"And you spat in my mother's face, too," Rune growled.
"Guilty as charged." Jonathan gave a playful shrug. "I wonder if your sister knows about that? I'll bet it'll make her all toasty inside; she thinks that Elenar is a bitch, just like I do."
Rune's eye twitched. Slowly but surely Jonathan was getting to him again. But Rune had to keep a level head, or he'd never get any information.
"Think what you want of her…" Rune puffed out his chest. "She still locked you in a cage, and is shipping you off to Glenhaven."
Jonathan's laughter stopped, and he glared a bit. "So what?"
"So, your grandfather, Telus, is going to have some very select words for you…" Rune tapped the cage. "You're in for a world of hurt, Johnny."
"Oh please; I'll figure something out." Jonathan snorted. "Sooner or later, I'll have the means to spring myself. Just you wait, Desert Beetle. You and that whore mom of yours are-!"
Rune suddenly reached through the bars and grabbed Jonathan by the neck. As Jonathan gagged in surprise, Rune filled his foreleg with earth magic and pulled forward to slam Jonathan's face into the bars. Rune then let go, so that Jonathan fell backward and hit the cage floor. Rune could hear Runefor cackling in delight, while Jonathan coughed and rose onto his paws.
"You fucker!" Jonathan snapped. He stomped forward and tried to grab at Rune through the lock, but his wrists were still bound; he could barely slam them against the bars.
"Stop insulting my mother, Jonathan." Rune scowled. "I'm not taking your garbage anymore. I had to hide my elements when I was pretending to be a fire drake. But those days are long gone."
Rune held out his forepaws: He let lightning dance across the talons of his left forepaw, while icy mist surrounded his right one. Then he slammed both forepaws down, turning the magic into pools of shadowy mist, which he sank into. Rune then emerged on the other side of the cage, much to Jonathan's alarm.
"I'm a black dragon, Jonathan," Rune said forcefully. "Just like my brother… whom I heard swiftly defeated you and two of your little goons. I might be more of a pacifist, but I WILL defend myself to the fullest of my ability if you try to start a fight."
"Oh, fuck off," Jonathan growled. "Fuck you and your extra-special magic powers. You're just a big fucking blowhard, just like your dad was."
Rune's eye twitched as he had his magic fade away. He sucked in a breath, not wanting to talk about his strained relationship with Baneth. But that only made Jonathan grin.
"Didn't have the best ties to your daddy, did you?" Jonathan cackled. "Luckily, I've got both of my parents who adore me. And my dad won't hesitate to spring me out of jail when he finds out what's happened."
Rune could taste Runefor's hatred on his tongue. The words formed, but Rune wasn't sure if he dared to speak them. And yet that smug look on the earth prince's face was burning him up inside… wait, his face…
Ancestors forgive me for what I'm about to say…
"You know, I think General Grail did a pretty good job."
"What are you talking about, Sand Dune?" Jonathan snorted. Rune felt a sardonic grin spread as Runefor gradually influenced his words…
"He made your face a little prettier."
Jonathan flinched and brought a forepaw to the scars along his muzzle. Oh yes, finally Rune had a way to get at him. He could hardly contain his sardonic giggling as he stepped closer.
"Yeah, I'll bet you've had trouble getting the girls to like you before." Rune continued. "I think you tried to get Nellie to be your girl, didn't you? Maybe now she'll stand to look at you."
"Shut up!" Jonathan growled.
"To be fair, I got scarred a bit myself…" Rune walked around the cage and swayed his back from side to side. "But I was lucky: most of MY scars are on my back. I never have to acknowledge them when I look in a mirror…" He stopped and grinned at Jonathan. "And, all the girls think they're super-cool battle scars. You should see me whenever I'm in the Dragon Spire: I've got an entire harem following me around every day!"
I've told you, they're not a-
Just let me have this!
"Alright, listen up, you black-faced shit!" Jonathan slammed his bound forepaws against the bars and snarled. "I'll have you know that I still get ALL of the girls' attention! More than half the ladies in the Crazy Aces have the hots for me! And you know what ELSE?!"
"What?" Rune scowled.
Jonathan gave his own sardonic grin as he sat up straight. "I'm engaged to your sister!"
Rune blinked in surprise; even Runefor was caught off-guard. As Rune looked at Jonathan in confusion, the earth prince cackled again.
"That's right! I'm going to make your sister my wife!" Jonathan grinned. "And then I'm going to pound her supple white arse all night long! Night after night!"
Jonathan laughed in Rune's face… who just shrugged his shoulders and snorted lightly.
"Go ahead," Rune said flatly. "I've never met her: Why should I care?"
Jonathan's laughter immediately died down; perhaps he was hoping for a bit more impact in his revelation. In any case, Jonathan just sneered at Rune… while a spark of realization went through the black prince's mind.
"Hold on a minute: You're going to marry my sister?" Rune repeated curiously. "Wouldn't that then mean that my mother would become your Mother-In-Law?"
"Err…" Jonathan grimaced.
"If anything, it sounds like you're looking to be related… TO ME." Rune snickered. "Looks like Saul didn't think things through when he made the arrangement, did he?"
"Oh, fuck you!" Jonathan yelled again. Once again the earth prince slammed against the bars to no effect.
"Sounds like you're running out of insults?" Rune gave a sardonic grin. "Maybe you should try calling me Sand Dune again?"
"I'll kill you!" Jonathan screamed. "Mark my words, Rune! Once I'm busted free, I'm going to hunt you down, bound and gag you, and haul your ass off to my father, where we'll have a father-son bonding moment as we SLIT YOUR THROAT!"
Bingo. Runefor snickered.
"Yeah, sure you will." Rune snapped. "Maybe you can just-"
A little whimper interrupted the prince. Jonathan heard it too; he looked around Rune and gaze at the floor across the brig. Rune stood puzzled for a moment and then turned around to see the source of the whimper… and he just couldn't believe it.
A small pair of eyes were gazing at Rune from the shadows off to the left. The little dragonling was shivering as she sat in a pool of dark magic. Rune had to rub his eyes to double-check. He had to be seeing things; that just couldn't be real…
"What's the kid doing here?" Jonathan asked.
It was real.
Rune growled under his breath, and he had to withstand the urge to slap his face. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around to focus on the little dragonling as she hid beside a box in the shadows.
"Riven…" Rune whispered with exasperation. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I…" The white dragonling squeaked as she slowly emerged from the shadows. "I… I couldn't sleep."
"That doesn't mean you can just…" Rune groaned and shook his head. "How did you even get out of your parents' room?"
"I…" Riven stepped a bit closer and shook. "I rode with you."
Rune reeled back. "What?"
"You were doing that funny magic…" Riven gestured to his shadow. "I wanted to go with you. I… I did the magic, just like you did."
Rune took a step back as his jaw fell open. He thought a moment; that weight on his mind from earlier… maybe that was her? But how did Riven pull it off? The other day, she didn't have any magic at all! And shadow-jumping wasn't something that any regular shadow dragonling could just start doing as they got their magic. This shouldn't have been possible!"
Jonathan suddenly snickered, drawing Rune's attention. "Looks like the white dragon has left you dumb-founded, Desert Beetle!"
"Shut it." Rune scowled at the earth prince. Riven suddenly whimpered, and a pit formed in Rune's stomach. He took another breath and then frowned down at her. "Riven… it's not safe for little girls down here. You need to go upstairs."
"But…" Riven shrank down and shivered. "I… I'm scared."
Rune sighed and shook his head. "Riven, there's nothing to be scared of. All you need to do is…"
Suddenly Riven darted forward. She sprang across the chamber and hid between Rune and Jonathan's cage. The earth prince looked down at her in confusion, while Rune instinctively draped a wing over Riven's back to shield her.
"Hey, hey, take it easy…" Rune said softly. "You're okay. Everything's okay."
"Geez, what's with her?" Jonathan snorted. He lifted his head to sneer at Rune… and then flinched.
"What?" Rune demanded with a whisper. "What is it?"
Jonathan didn't answer: he looked away and bit his lower lip as his eyes avoided looking at either Rune or Riven. Rune scowled at Jonathan… and then the scales on the back of his neck tingled. Something was behind him, and it was making Riven afraid.
While hugging Riven, Rune turned his head to gaze around the chamber. He didn't anyone else; the brig was just barren as it always was. Except… Rune's instincts were flaring up. His eyes darted around, but it seemed like something was always just out of view. Rune snorted angrily; he glanced back at Jonathan just briefly enough to yell at him without giving whatever else was in the room the chance to strike.
"Tell me what you saw." Rune snarled between gnashed fangs.
"No way." Jonathan shook his head. "I don't owe you shit."
"I'm scared…" Riven cried as she hugged Rune tighter.
Rune almost scolded her for coming down here in the first place… but he just couldn't. He put all his thoughts on protecting the dragonling as he reached into his shadow to create a pool to get away.
Wait. Runefor suddenly said.
What? Rune demanded.
The corner. Runefor urged Rune to look out of the corner of his eyes. Light up the corner.
At first, Rune didn't know what he was talking about... but maybe Runefor had a point. Rune casually turned toward the corner and reached within himself for the one element that made it difficult to create shadows.
Rune parted his jaws… and golden light formed behind his fangs. He inhaled sharply, spat out a glowing orb, and then immediately shielded himself and Riven from looking at it.
Jonathan balked. "What the fuck are you-?"
FLASH!
Jonathan cried out, while Rune winced and Riven screamed. The whole brig was filled with a great burst of golden light for a split second. But beneath it all… someone snarled and fell over.
"Ack, you ASSHOLE!" Jonathan slammed the cage as he snarled at Rune.
Rune did his best to comfort Riven as she cried, as his eyes adjusted to the fading light. He looked around the brig again and spotted a dragoness that had fallen over behind another cage. It was… Dona?
"What…?" Rune's eyes widened in confusion. What was she doing here? He almost let go of Riven to investigate… but something wasn't right.
Dona steadily rose to stand, with a forepaw clutched to her face. She was wearing plain, ugly clothing; a far cry from Dona's usual flair. She stomped forward a few paces and snarled, as she continued to nurse her injured face. The dragoness stood up tall (taller than Rune remembered) and put her paw down… to glare at Rune with furious, murderous intent… with scales that were fading in color from dark grey to dark red.
That's not Dona.
Riven almost looked at the dragoness, but Rune covered her eyes. He pulled her tightly against his body and called upon his shadowy magic. The dragoness snarled furiously and lunged forward. Rune and Riven sank into the floor and took off as fast as Rune could push his magic. The dragoness roared angrily and opened up her own pool of shadows; soon, she was chasing after Rune across the surface of the brig.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Riven cried. Rune kept her eyes covered.
"Riiiiiiiveeeeeen…" the assailant spoke with a deranged voice as she snapped her fangs at the dragonling. "Come heeere, Riven…"
"Don't look!" He urged as he held the dragonling close.
As Rune fled from the assailant, his mind raced to figure out how everything had gone so far off the rails. Why didn't he notice Riven could use shadow magic? Was it GOOD that she followed him? What if the assailant snuck into her parents' room? And why did she use a shroud to…? Rune nearly felt sick to his stomach just thinking about the implications of the dragoness disguising as Riven's mother.
Rune took a breath as he swung around the assailant and fled up the stairs. The dragoness hissed behind him as she fled after him. Rune had to think; he needed to get Riven to safety, but he also couldn't risk letting the assailant out of his sight; she could hide somewhere and wait to try attacking Riven again! No… he had to fight this dragoness and hold her off…
Rune turned his shadowy pool toward the nearest porthole and fled through it. He threw it open and carried Riven outside. The moving vertically along the walls made Riven wince, but Rune held her close as they went out into the open sky. As soon as Rune had moved upwards toward the deck, he heard the dragoness hissing before chasing after them through the porthole. Rune swerved his magic around to fall flat onto the deck, and he moved out toward the center where there was plenty of room to move around.
Rune and Riven rose out of the shadow, while the assailants hurtled right toward them. Her claws stuck out to try and grasp Riven… while Rune parted his jaws and unleashed beams of light.
FLASH!
The dragoness shrieked as she got a face full of golden light. She was forced out of her shadow, and she scrambled around on her sides as she tried to wipe her eyes. Rune's magic blasted away more of the shadowy shroud from her face, revealing more of her true crimson form beneath.
Rune briefly sighed in relief; with the disguise ruined, he could let Riven look at the assailant. But it wasn't for long, because she was already rising to her paws to try and snarl at the prince. Before she could even think to open another shadow, Rune unleashed another golden orb to fill the air with light. The dragoness had wizened up at this point and kept her eyes shut tight as she charged forward. Her ear frills shifted about, keeping track of every step that Rune and Riven took.
Rune stood up tall to protect the dragonling as he filled himself with earth magic. He stood his ground as the dragoness slammed into him. She tried to slash at him with her claws, but he forced her back and struck her across the muzzle.
"Give her to me!" The dragoness shrieked as she fell backward.
"You're not hurting her!" Rune hissed. "I won't let you!"
The assailant tried attacking again, but Rune rammed into her to knock the air out of her lungs. She groaned as she collapsed, only to force herself onto her paws yet again. Rune opened his maw and blasted her with an earth bomb, forcing her back even more. After one more earth bomb, the assailant was slammed into the back wall, where she collapsed to the floor and groaned weakly. Rune took a breath of relief.
"Alright…" He slowly turned around. "Riven, it's safe to-"
Riven screamed. Rune looked back in time to see a shadowy pool forming around her. The dragonling looked all around in horror; she flapped her wings instinctively, but she didn't know how to fly or glide.
Rune's eyes filled with horror, and he charged forward to unleash another golden burst… only for a clenched fist to punch him upside the muzzle from below. Rune was then hit several more times along his underbelly, filling him with pain and sending him collapsing to the floor.
The prince groaned as he picked himself up to look around. Another shadowy pool had formed on the floor, and another dragoness emerged from it. A third dragoness had emerged from the pool surrounding Riven. Both of them had crimson scales, and they kept their faces hidden beneath ragged hoods. Rune tried to call upon his healing magic, but another swift blow to his underbelly filled him with more pain.
"Stay down, prince…" The dragoness hissed. "If you know what's good for you!"
Rune was about to hiss and open a shadowy pool, but the dragoness quickly struck the back of his head. He cried out in pain as all of his magic failed him, and he collapsed in a heap once more.
Riven screamed again across the way; she looked for a way to escape the pool, but the darkness engulfed her paws and dragged her down. The dragoness behind her struck her against the back of the head. Riven fell over and went limp, and she cried as the two dragonesses bore down on her.
"Kill it." The first one snarled. The second one nodded and lifted her talons before the dragonling.
"No…" Rune's eyes went wide with horror. "No, no, NO!"
He limped forward and spat out as much golden light as he could muster. He flew forward and splashed the assailant in the eye. She winced and then snarled at Rune stuck a forepaw toward the dragonesses, trying desperately to call upon his shadow magic to get Riven out of danger. This only angered both of the assailants; the first sent the second over to strike Rune across the face. Rune cried out and fell over in pain once again.
"We'll deal with YOU in a minute." The first assailant hissed, as her partner rejoined her.
Rune watched helplessly as Riven was knocked over, and the dragonesses prepared to trace a sharp talon across her little neck...
When a fireball flew overhead.
Orange light filled the air as the flames struck the dragoness on the face. She stumbled back and screamed, while her partner looked on in shock. The first dragoness suddenly jerked her back, as if something struck her from beneath. Her pool of shadows became unstable, and she promptly sank out of view.
The assailant reappeared across the way, tumbling sideways out of a pool and slamming onto the floor. Rune looked over in confusion… and then saw the blood spilling from her flank. The other dragoness flinched and moved to help, only for her shadows to open wide and engulf her legs. She flinched and struggled to crawl out, but was soon swallowed by her own shadow. She then reappeared across the way… in the air above the injured dragoness.
The two assailants cried out as one collapsed atop the other. They tumbled over each other, and the first steadily rose to try and support her injured partner… all while growls filled the air.
Rune struggled to rise onto his paws. He winced as he trudged forward to try and get to Riven, who was still crying and looking around fearfully. Rune managed to take a couple more steps before his body gave out and he collapsed from the pain…
But it wasn't long before a red paw reached down to pick him up. Rune barely had time to process things as Hontus helped to get him standing again.
"Are you alright?" The Guardian asked worriedly.
Rune blinked in surprise. "Wh-What's going on?"
Hontus looked like he wanted to ask the same thing, but he instead focused on keeping Rune supported. The prince motioned with a forepaw toward Riven… and then looked and saw Voden gliding across the fading pools of shadow. The scholar scooped Riven up in his forelegs, and he rested her head on hers as he whispered to her. She cried and hugged her father, while Rune and Hontus shambled over to them.
Rune took a few moments to look around. The doorway below the ship was wide open; the Guardians must have burst forth when they heard a commotion. And they weren't the only ones who came; Rune heard a growling coming from somewhere across the deck.
By this point, all three of the dragoness assailants had managed to rise onto their paws. The bleeding one hissed as she fought through it, while her two allies scowled across the way at the Guardians. They took a few steps forward… only for a pool for another, greater pool of shadows to emerge before them. And out of it came a furious, snarling Dona.
The grey dragoness spread her wings and extended her talons fully as the three assailants spread out to surround her. They all snarled and hissed, but Dona just snarled even louder. She surrounded her body with a shadowy aura, and she opened a pool of shadows faster and wider than Rune had ever seen before.
Done suddenly re-emerged beneath the dragonesses, and slammed into them to knock them off their paws. They hissed and slashed at her with their talons as they were sent sprawling, but Dona wasn't phased. She rose above the assailants, and then clashed down to slam her body against their backs. Dona tucked and rolled away to get back onto her feet, and then immediately slashed at the closest assailant across the eyes.
The dragoness screamed and clutched her bleeding face as Dona moved on to attack the other two. She slashed and clawed, tearing away at their muzzles and eyes. They tried to open pools of shadow to escape, but she grabbed them and forcibly pulled them out before striking them in the backs of their heads.
Rune shivered as he leaned against Hontus. He'd never seen Dona behave so viciously. But looking over at Voden, he could see a worried expression on the scholar's face; he must have seen it once before.
By this time, more passengers on the ship had heard the fighting on deck. Many sailors emerged to investigate, followed by civilians. They all gathered around to watch as Dona mercilessly beat and slashed the three dragonesses.
"Dona!" Voden called out.
The grey dragoness was in the middle of slashing again, but she stopped herself to scowl back at him. The scholar was carefully stepping closer, with the terrified Riven clutched in his grasp.
"You… You've won." Voden said nervously. "Sh-She's safe. Riven's safe."
Dona looked at her terrified daughter; her eyes widened, and her heart sank. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, before turning to sneer at the three assailants. They were all beaten and bloodied; too weak to rise to try anything else. Two of them were even beaten into unconsciousness, while the third took shrill breaths as she spat blood at Dona's paws.
Dona's blood boiled; she reached down to grab the dragoness by her mane to pull her up to eye level.
"Who sent you?" Dona demanded.
The bloody dragoness scowled at Dona… and then cackled. She leaned up to whisper her ear frill. Dona was still for a moment… and then she slammed the dragoness's face against the floor, making several sailors cry out in shock. Dona then backed up, took another breath, and turned around to look at Voden and Riven. Dona looked down at the crying dragonling, and her own eyes teared up.
"It's okay, little one…" She said soothingly as she took Riven in her forepaws. She turned around and hugged Riven close so that the dragonling only saw Voden. "You're safe."
"M-Mommy…" Riven cried as she buried her face in Dona's shoulder.
"I'm here…" Dona whispered as she stood up. "I'm right here. Mommy's here."
Dona carefully cradled Riven in a foreleg as she marched forward. She briefly nudged Voden, who leaned over to kiss her. The scholar then scowled at the three assailants and signaled for the sailors to spring into action.
"Lock them in magic-negating muzzles!" Voden ordered. "Trap them in the heaviest-duty cells and keep them under constant surveillance!"
"Yes, Sir!" The Sailors saluted.
Across the way, Rune and Hontus stepped forward to face Dona. The dragoness rocked Riven back and forth until the dragonling fell asleep. She then sighed in relief… and sneered down at Rune.
"You…" She said through gritted fangs. "Why did you lead my daughter into DANGER?"
"I-I didn't…" Rune stammered. "I was just… just… I mean, Riven snuck up on me. When I was…"
"Rune…" Hontus said calmly. "What were you doing out of bed in the first place?"
Rune shivered under the dragons' scrutinizing gazes. He racked his brain as he tried to figure out what to say. Dona looked ready to snap Rune's neck, but she had to control herself as she supported Riven in her grasp.
"We'll deal with him tomorrow, Hontus," Dona said with a huff. "After we've ensured that the three whores are locked up, then we'll sit Rune down and question him on everything that's happened…"
Hontus winced at her harsh language. "V-Very well… Queen Dona. As you wish."
Dona strode past them to venture down into the hull of the ship, leaving Rune alone with Hontus. The red drake just looked at him uneasily before motioning with a forepaw.
"I really hope you have a good explanation," Hontus said.
"So do I." Said Voden from behind. Rune turned to see the scholar walking up to them. He frowned at Rune and then sighed. "For what it's worth… thank you for trying to protect my little girl."
"I…" Rune turned his head down and sighed. "I wish I could have done more. I'm sorry."
"You bought us all enough time to get out onto the deck." Voden teared up as he patted Rune on the shoulder. "She… She's still alive thanks to you."
Rune's eye twitched and he tried not to think about what might have happened. He shuddered, and then briefly hugged his teacher with a wing.
"Alright… I need to go tend to my girls…" Voden turned to wander below deck. "See you both in the morning."
"I'll handle the restraints of the assailants." Hontus gave a salute. "Just leave it to me."
The scholar nodded and made to head within the ship. Rune stood beside Hontus and shivered as he looked up at his foster father. Rune couldn't feel any pride in helping to save Riven; she might never have even been targeted, had she wandered out from her parents' quarters.
"What… What should I do?" Rune asked.
"Rune… just head back to bed," Hontus said sternly. "Be safe; there could be a fourth assailant lurking around, for all we know."
"I… I understand." Rune nodded. "I'll see you in the morning. And… I'm sorry."
Hontus sighed and patted Rune on the shoulder. "I'm just glad you both are safe. Goodnight, son."
Rune turned to venture down into the ship, right back to his bedroom. He looked back briefly to watch as the three dragonesses were locked in chains and forcibly dragged forward. One of the dragonesses looked his way and scowled hatefully. Rune bit his lower lip and vanished from view; he could feel Runefor's anger burning up inside his mind.
We should have finished them off! He roared. They'll try killing the girl again if they're left alive!
That's not our call to make… Rune bent his head low.
What if Hontus is right?! What if there are other extremists on board?!
Then we'll do our best to put up a ward to keep them out of our room. Rune sighed. Dona's probably doing the same to protect Riven.
Riven… Runefor glowered. It doesn't make sense; how could a girl so young sneak up on us like that?
I don't know… Rune shook his head. I just don't know.
There was a lot that Rune had to think about as he returned to bed. His heart had sunken deep into his belly, and he hung his head in shame as he put up his wards.
Everything had spiraled out of control in such little time… and it might have been prevented entirely if Rune hadn't snuck out to question Jonathan. He couldn't even blame Runefor for being a bad influence… it was all him. Rune was the one who went that night.
Riven was almost killed, and it was all his fault.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
The new stuff I wrote for this chapter was quite lengthy, wasn't it? I guess I wanted to break up the long stretches of characters talking with something more suspenseful. This is the end of the first half of Act 2, after all, and there needs to be plenty of interesting stuff to dilute talking scenes.
That, and I also wanted to strengthen the extremist subplot. They were off in Warfang all this time, and I needed to remind the viewers that they were still out there, looking to cause trouble. So… why wouldn't they stalk after Dona to hunt down her daughter? Why wouldn't they lie in wait, for the perfect moment to strike?
Well, with this chapter finished, we shift focus back to Glenhaven for a while. Here's hoping you like what happens next!
Tenebra Ecce Veritas