The Legend of Rune: Forsaken Blood

by Deeth Irteen

Four years have passed since the Malefor Ordeal has ended. Rune is enjoying life in his new home. However, things are not peaceful; new conflics have arisen across the dragon realms. The largest of which is Bergan, a purple dragon, and his daughter Tyrrany, a mysterious white dragoness. Rated M for mature themes and violence.

29. Act 3, Chapter 2

When Bergan and the Crazy Aces were away, it was finally time for the younglings to play… at least, that's what a lot of them hoped. They did their best to keep each other from feeling too sad or worried… but it was hard to stay positive when HE was on the prowl.

Many of the students and younger dragons spoke in hushed tones and kept their heads to the ground whenever General Cyrus was skulking about. He was left in charge after Bergan whisked himself away to deal with whatever was going on in the dragon realms. And Cyrus was rarely in a good mood.

He stomped his way down a corridor after leaving the chapel. Behind him strode Elza, silent and stiff as always. Some younger dragons gasped upon seeing him and shivered in place as he approached. A few others called out to Elza, hoping to break her of her trance and stir her to action. Cyrus simply rolled his eyes and pushed past them with hardly a care as he continued on his way.

Cyrus blew black smoke from his nostrils as he flexed his wings. For the first few days, lording his newfound power over the younglings around him was a dream come true. Finally, they had to acknowledge his presence… and his MIGHT. Finally, the students respected him as the great black dragon he was. And finally… he was noticed. And yet, despite all of that, he was bored.

Cyrus had hoped that some of the braver (and stupider) students would attempt some kind of uprising. Maybe they'd rise and challenge Cyrus to fight for the freedom of all the others. But nope; none of them made any attempts. Either they were too afraid, or didn't want to risk gaining Bergan's ire by causing a ruckus in the fortress.

Damn them… Cyrus thought with a scowl. It would have been so satisfying to mop the floor with some of the more obnoxious ones.

Without anyone to do battle within the fortress, Cyrus found himself trying to look forward to helping Bergan whenever he was preparing a new batch of convexity gems. Cyrus couldn't help but admire the light show that went off every time Bergan set to work with the machinery. The sights, the smells… it made him shake with excitement. The power… such glorious power. But alas; Bergan always kept the crystals to himself. And every time, when he was finished, he'd whisk the day's creations off to parts unknown.

The frustrating part is that Bergan never had Cyrus do anything other than heavy lifting. Every time, Cyrus spent most of the procedure just standing around and watching. Sometimes Bergan would tell a little story, but otherwise, Cyrus found it frustrating. He could watch, he could smell… but he could never TOUCH the convexity.

Bergan can be such a tease… Cyrus huffed. As he rounded a corner, the black drake began to think about the last story Bergan told… the one concerning sibling rivalry gone wrong.

A sibling growing so envious that they'd try to kill their brother… Cyrus sucked in a breath. Sure… as if I'd ever become THAT envious of him.

All of this random walk-around was getting Cyrus nowhere. It was time to make his way to his favorite spot to relax: Tina's cell.

"Come on, Aunt Elza," Cyrus said behind himself to the wind dragoness. "Let's bring Tina a nice meal."

Ten minutes later, Cyrus and Elza arrived at Tina's cell. The wind dragoness brought along a little cart covered with trays of food. Elza held it carefully while Cyrus stepped before the door. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a ring of keys; specially designed for the dungeon cells with all of his prisoners. He set to work unlocking the door, paying no mind to Tina as she looked between him and Elza.

"Cyrus?" Tina asked cautiously. "It sure took you a while to come back."

"It's been a busy day." Cyrus declared as he pulled the cell door open. "Elza, bring her the meal."

Elza wordlessly grabbed a tray from the cart and stepped into the cell. She leaned down to place the tray at Tina's paws. As the wind dragoness lowered her neck, Cyrus thought he saw something out of place. Something about the confines of her dark robes… they weren't quite as bumpy as they usually were. But what could be the matter?

"Cyrus?" Tina asked again, drawing his attention. Cyrus snorted and shook his head; he was overthinking things when he could be spending time with Tina. After Elza stepped out of the cell, he slid down onto his haunches and tapped his talons. Tina halfheartedly picked up part of a sliced apple and bit into it.

"I hope you're doing alright today," Cyrus said calmly.

"Oh, yeah…" Tina huffed as she shook a shackled forepaw. "I'm doing just fine and dandy."

"Alright, no need to be all catty…" Cyrus said. "I'm aware that this isn't exactly the executive suite."

"Hmph…" Tina scrunched up her muzzle… but then sighed and shook her head. She took a moment to silently eat more of her apple slices, all under Cyrus's watch. The burly black drake wracked his talons upon the stone floor, quietly watching Tina eat with mild interest.

And as Tina ate… she very carefully glanced behind Cyrus's head at Elza, who stood silent and still outside the cell. She had an uneasy grimace upon her muzzle and looked eager to make a move to do something to spring Tina from her confinement. But Elza knew, just like Tina knew, that this would blow their cover immediately. No, they needed the right moment… and a distraction.

Tina put down her slices and looked Cyrus in the eyes. "Hey, I've been doing some thinking while you were away."

"You have?" Cyrus raised an eye ridge. "About what?"

"About… well, you." Tina put on a sweet smile and glanced around at Cyrus's various muscular limbs. "Your new look is really… growing on me."

"Oh, it has, hmm?" Cyrus grinned. "Finally coming around to my transformation?"

"Oh, absolutely," Tina said with the best sweetness she could muster. She shook her wings as well as she could in her restraints and fluttered her eyes in a dainty way. "You've become quite the hunk of a dragon, Cy!"

Ugh, I feel so gross… Tina growled internally. Luckily, the big black drake put on a satisfied grin; he was buying it wholesale.

"Well…" Cyrus flexed his forelegs and swung his tail from side to side. "How about a better view of it?"

"Sure thing, Cyrus." Tina grinned happily.

Scalp me.

Cyrus continued to put on a little show of showing off his muscled body. He turned this way and that as best as he could in the little room he had in the door. Tina did her best to clap her forepaws together despite the restraints, and made little chirps, ooh's, and ahh's for Cyrus's delight.

But during Cyrus's macho show, a miracle happened. The keys on his key ring were jostled from side to side; a few of them were especially close to flying off. And as Cyrus strutted about, the keys began to rattle. Tiny bursts of wind came from nowhere and surrounded the keys, flicking them around one by one with serious focus and skill. Tina glanced behind Cyrus at Elza… and nearly laughed in delight. The wind dragoness was using her magic to subtly manipulate the air around the keys, until…

Three little keys were plucked from the ring and hurtled through the air. One by one, Elza directed the keys so that they'd go flying right for her, and into the sleeve of her robes. And just as little jostling noises began, Tina quickly stomped her paws on the floor and bounded up and down in her restraints.

"Amazing! Incredible!" Tina cheered as she made a racket. "The best show I've ever seen!"

Elza struggled not to groan in annoyance at the exaggerated enthusiasm. Cyrus, however, gave a sigh of happiness and a bow of his head; he took to the praise like a fish to water.

"Thank you, Tina." He said eagerly. "I've wanted to strut around for you like this for a long, long time."

"Oh, I can tell…" Tina said as she fluttered her eyes again. She forced herself to look Cyrus in the eyes and put on the biggest, most eager face she could. "Say, uh… Cyrus, would it be alright if you… kissed me?"

Cyrus's eyes widened in delight, and he preemptively puckered his lips. "Oh, it's more than alright, Tina."

Without warning, the great black drake brought his snout down upon Tina's; he pushed her back a bit against the wall. Tina's face flushed red; even if it was her plan of distraction she still wasn't ready. Cyrus pushed as passionately as any drake could, while Tina just stood awkward and stiff. And she wasn't the only one; as she peeked an eye open, Tina could see Elza grimacing out in the hallway. Still, with the distraction provided, Elza double-checked on the three keys she'd swiped from the key ring. All three were for the cells marked for Chalice, Lantel, and Ozul. She nodded in satisfaction and gave Tina a thumbs-up.

At least it's for a good cause… Tina thought with a shiver. Also, he's not the worst kisser in the realms.

When Cyrus broke the kiss, he leaned his head up to smile down at Tina. The dark-yellow dragoness took a calm breath and forced herself to smile as she looked him in the eyes.

"Oh, I've wanted to do that for a long time." Cyrus declared. "Here's hoping we get to spend more time together in the future, Tina."

"Right…" Tina said awkwardly as her spine tingled from weird sensations. "Say, uh, Cy?"

"What is it?"

"I've, uh…" Tina tapped her talons on the ground. "I've got one other thing in mind if you're willing to listen."

"Go ahead." He nudged her forehead. "You can tell me."

"Okay, it's like this…" Tina stood up taller to focus on Cyrus's gaze. "Cyrus, if you're going to serve under Bergan in whatever schemes he's got going…" Tina took a deep breath. "Then I want to do the same."

Cyrus blinked in surprise and then glared at her skeptically. "You… want to go along with him now? Why?"

"Well… so we can be together." Tina declared.

Cyrus just rolled his eyes at that. "Don't give me any of that BS, Tina. You don't like Bergan. You wouldn't suddenly want to go along with his plans."

Tina couldn't believe it. Cyrus would gladly accept that Tina had a romantic interest in him in a heartbeat, but he'd question whether or not she'd go along with Bergan's plans to be with him? She struggled not to gnash her fangs; this was so aggravating! She'd need to think up the right thing to say if she wanted to throw him off the scent.

"Well, at the very least, I'm willing to go along with whatever you want." Tina fluttered her eyes. She reached out and placed one of her forepaws atop his. "You can be my, uh… my Master."

Cyrus leaned his head back in disgust. "No, no, no. I didn't want to make you into a SLAVE, Tina."

Tina snorted; at the very least she was glad to hear that. But then she looked down at her shackles and chains, and then sneered up at Cyrus. "I certainly LOOK like a slave."

Cyrus just sighed and shook his head. "It was only ever going to be a temporary thing. Do you think I want you to spend the rest of your life locked up? Of course not." He slid a forepaw closer to her. "I just need to be sure that you understand why I'm working with him."

"I know, I know. It's just…" Tina sighed and felt a few tears fall down her face. "While you're quite the eye candy now, I still kind of miss the old you a little." She put on a smile. "I just hope that you didn't rush too quickly into taking on this new form. I… I just want to be sure that you're okay. That the convexity isn't doing something to hurt you on the inside."

Tina felt tears forming; genuine tears. She tried to keep a smile going as her vision blurred a bit. Cyrus sighed as he looked down upon Tina. He used a talon to carefully wipe the tears from her face.

"Tina… I LIKE this new me." Cyrus said. "I finally feel like a real dragon. Like I'm the mighty black drake I was always meant to be. And I don't ever want to go back to feeling like the weak, pathetic…" He gnashed his fangs and growled lowly. "…thing that I was before."

Tina felt part of her sadness get replaced with anger. She couldn't stand arguing about this. Just how deep did that convexity seep into him: Was his brain twisted and pulsing with weird magic as the rest of his body was? There had to be something she could do… something to get through to him… But most importantly, she needed to get out of this damn cell.

"If you don't believe that I could go alongside whatever Bergan is planning… then let me out of here anyway." Tina pleaded. "Even if I have to stay locked in chains, at least let me walk around the grounds. I don't want to be stuck locked up in a smelly little jail cell day in and day out. And besides…" Tina looked over his fat wings. "I know you're just dying to show off what your new form can really do, aren't you?"

Cyrus scrunched up his face. "Your attitude regarding the new me is certainly flip-flopping a bit."

"Please?" Tina asked as she fluttered her eyes again… and crossed her talons and hoped he didn't see through her deception.

"Seriously, something is different now…" Cyrus tapped his talon.

"What's different is that my legs are aching." Tina sighed. "Please… just for a little while. Let me walk around out there. Prove to me that I'm not really a slave or a prisoner."

Cyrus stood up a bit taller and sighed. "Oh, very well. We'll head out onto the courtyard for a bit."

"Thank you, Cy." Tina gave him a soft smile.

Cyrus stood up taller and looked outside. "Elza, please come help remove some of the binds on Tina's limbs."

At once, the green dragoness stepped into view and set to work removing several of the shackles. Tina soon found she could move, but not very fast. Elza was about to unshackle Tina's wings, but Cyrus stopped her.

"Oh, come on." Tina protested.

"Not yet." Cyrus scolded. Tina just snorted and sat back on her haunches as Elza worked with the last of the binds.

But as the wind dragoness set to work, she briefly had her back faced toward Cyrus. At that moment, she flashed a quick wink to Tina; just a small sign to let her know that she wasn't completely alone.

As Elza leaned back up, she turned to step out of the cell… only for Cyrus to abruptly block her path with a wing. Elza flinched in surprise but quickly made to take her stoic stance, while the black dragon brought his face down toward hers.

"Hmm…" Cyrus sneered as he inspected Elza's face and neck. "Something's not right."

Elza did the best she could to keep staring forward; she didn't want to shiver or shake, no matter how badly she felt the urge. She couldn't give herself away… and yet her instincts were telling her that danger was imminent.

"Ah, I see what's wrong now…" Cyrus leaned his head upward. "Where's your necklace?"

Elza didn't respond, although Tina lightly gasped. She shut her eyes and shuddered in anticipation of a growl or a snarl…

"One of the Crazy Aces must have stolen it," Cyrus said with a belligerent snort. "I'll bet it was that Bulb." He gnashed his fangs. "What a prick: I don't get why Bergan would want him or any of those other shits working for him. Oh well…"

Tina almost breathed a sigh of relief… only to be unceremoniously tugged forward by the chain on her collar. She growled in frustration as Cyrus led her forward, but quickly swallowed that up so she didn't set the black dragon off. Instead, she just took careful breaths and followed after Cyrus. Elza took the rear of their little group, and that at least gave Tina some sense of security; she was still on her side, willing to help out.

That's the first part of the plan done, Tina sighed.

As Cyrus and Tina strode forward down the corridor, Tina brushed herself up against Cyrus's side. The black dragon looked down at her and smiled another genuinely happy smile. Tina picked up the pace a bit and forced herself to stay as close to Cyrus as possible.

"Well, it's nice being this close to you again." Tina fluttered her eyes again. "I really wish you'd treat me better all the time."

"I will," Cyrus replied as he draped a wing over her. "Given time… I definitely will."

As Cyrus and Tina walked together in the corridor… Elza lagged behind. She picked up her feet, slowed her pace, and watched as Tina showered Cyrus with affection and kind words, all for the sake of getting the black drake to forget that Elza was there. And soon, as Elza slowed to a complete stop, she watched the two dragons turn a corner and vanish up a flight of stairs. Elza was alone at last.

The wind dragoness took only a single sigh of relief, before turning on her heels and sprinting back the other way as fast as her magic could carry her. Time was NOT on her side.

~~…~~

Lantel tried for what must have been the hundredth time to break through his restraints. And yet again, all it got him was sore wrists and an aching back. He fell back against the wall and did his best to tend to his aches and pains.

"Give it a rest already, Lantel." Chalice scolded from the cell across the corridor. "It's not going to work."

"Oh, shut up." Lantel snapped. "You don't know for sure!"

"Keep it down, you two." Helianne sneered in the cell next to Lantel's. "I'm trying to sleep."

"This isn't the time for naps, Helianne." Chalice replied. "We need to think up a plan to get out of here."

"A plan? A PLAN?" Helianne snapped. "Nothing we can possibly do is ever going to work! In case you've forgotten, we're all LOCKED UP, and trapped in some kind of weirdo dimension!" The princess hopped up and down in her restraints as she shook in a panic. "How are we supposed to find a way back home, let alone get out of these cells?!"

"Hey, snapping at me isn't going to help matters." Chalice scolded. "We can't give up hope."

Helianne collapsed into a heap on the floor, while Chalice simply sighed at her. Lantel looked at his sister worriedly as his heart ached. But all he could do was rest against a wall and get lost in his thoughts.

The golden prince had all but lost track of time. He, his sister Helianne, and their acquaintance Chalice had been stuck in the deepest part of the dungeons for far too long. The rest of the imprisoned dragons were across the way in separate cells. None of them were ever visited by anyone, save for Lady Elza, and that was because she was bringing them food in her trance-like state. Otherwise, they were all alone. Not even any of the other kids in The Nexus tried to come to see them.

Lantel could hardly believe it. Not a single other student tried to bust them out of their cells. Not even from Lantel's own gang of friends? Was he really THAT unpopular with them lately? At the very least, they could have at least TRIED to the three of them out instead of leaving them to rot!

Or… were they just scared scale-less at the idea of that big-muscled drake knocking their heads around for trying. Yeah… Yeah, that had to be it. Lantel sucked in a breath and did his best to keep that line of thinking going.

Lantel shifted onto his haunches and looked himself over. He was fit, he was well-toned, and he was an ace in the combat training classes… and yet he was woefully outmatched time and time again. He thought he could take on a black dragon prince… but he never expected Rune to go BERSERK and nearly gouge one of his eyes out. Just thinking of those talons, and that GRIN… made Lantel's eye ache. And after Lantel finally got out of the medical ward… he was hoping for empathy, but instead got dirty looks from the dark dragon students.

And then there was Cyrus… ugh, that was an entire issue all to itself. But seeing that arrogant drake mutated into a hulking beast would shrivel up the spine of any lesser dragon. And yet, Lantel couldn't be afraid… he SHOULDN'T be afraid. He was the golden prince, the future of Aether-Sol. His family had already taken enough humiliation in the past; how could he add to it any further?

I have to figure things out… Lantel thought. I have to find a way to break free, and get everyone to remember who I am!

"Hey, Lantel!" Chalice called. "Realms to Lantel! I'm talking to you!"

Lantel snorted and shook his head. "What?"

"I was asking if you had any ideas." The dark grey dragon replied.

"I… I don't know." Lantel huffed. "I've got nothing."

"So… that's it, then," Helianne said quietly. She leaned against a wall and sniffled. "We're stuck. So… get used to it, I guess."

Chalice just sat down and rolled their eyes, while Lantel sighed in defeat. There was nothing they could do, but wait for Elza to arrive with their next meals.

But it turned out they didn't need to wait very long at all. Immediately all three of them heard the sounds of sprinting. They perked their heads up and gazed out of their cells in time to see a dark grey blur appear before them. A few blinks later, they all realized that Elza was now standing between all of them.

"Lady Elza?!" Chalice exclaimed.

"What in the…?" Helianne blinked.

Elza quickly brought a talon to her lips and shushed all of them. With a frantic face, she drew two of her three keys and unlocked the cell doors for Chalice and Lantel. Elza then sprang into Chalice's cell and set to work unlocking their restraints.

"What's going on?" Lantel demanded.

"Hush," Elza whispered angrily. "We don't have all day."

Lantel grumbled irritably as he watched the shackles fall from Chalice's body. The dark-grey dragon stretched their limbs and groaned a bit before following Elza out of their cell.

"What's going on, Miss?" Chalice asked quietly as they stepped toward Helianne's cell.

"We're going to bust everyone out of here," Elza whispered as she removed the restraints on Lantel's body. "Bergan and the Crazy Aces are away. We don't know when they'll be back, so we have to move as fast as we can."

"Sounds fine by me." Lantel snorted.

"Hey, what about me?" Helianne asked as she stepped toward her locked cell. "Didn't you get a key to free me?"

"Sorry, I wasn't able to get a key…" She turned and gave a slightly sly grin. "But I managed to get the next best thing."

Before any of the teenagers could ask what Elza meant, a pool of shadows began to form in Helianne's cell. She flinched at first but took a steady breath as she watched the shadows widen… until a crimson head poked out.

"Uh… Hi." Ozul said to Helianne. He stepped fully out of the shadows and got to work removing her restraints. "I guess you're not spooked by shadow magic?"

"Well…" Helianne chuckled awkwardly. "I'm… more than a little used to the magic."

"Uh-huh…" Elza raised an eye ridge.

Ozul offered Helianne a paw, which she cautiously accepted. Lantel's eye twitched as he watched her sink into the crimson dragon's shadow. The shadows slid across the floor and passed under the bars, and soon the two dragons slowly emerged on the other side.

"Good job, Ozul." Elza nodded. "Are the others free?"

"Uh-huh…" Ozul turned to salute the Deep Shadow. "Holly, Brisa, and Ricin are already making rounds throughout the fortress to warn everyone."

"Perfect." Elza declared as she stepped forward down the hallway. "Let's go join them, then."

The teenagers formed a single file as they followed Elza through the corridor.

"What are we going to do to escape?" Chalice asked. "None of us have the power to teleport. And we don't even have the means of figuring out how far away the dragon realms are."

"Maybe not…" Elza bit her lower lip. "But Cyrus does."

Immediately all four of the teenagers looked at Elza like she was crazy. Lantel clasped his forepaws together and shook his head.

"There's no way in a thousand years that Cyrus is going to set us loose." The golden prince declared.

"Well, it's not foolproof, but we have a plan," Elza said as she whirled around. "And part of that plan is: the four of you are going to gather up as many of the students and white dragonlings as you can, and bring them to the front of the fortress."

"Got it, Miss." Chalice and Ozul nodded to the dragoness. Lantel and Helianne, meanwhile, just exchanged dubious glances.

"And what, exactly, are we supposed to tell them?" Helianne asked. "And how are we supposed to get around without Cyrus catching wind of us?"

"Don't worry: Tina's got Cyrus distracted," Elza said as she nudged Lantel in the direction of the nearest stairwell. "Now get going, before time runs out."

"Fine…" Lantel sighed. "But that doesn't mean that I have any confidence in this plan…"

With a huff, Lantel marched his way toward the stairwell. Helianne was about to follow behind him, but Elza stopped her.

"Go another way." Elza insisted. "Find kids in another part of the fortress."

"Ah, yes, sure… divide and conquer." Helianne put on a faux smile. "That way Cyrus can more easily pick us off one by one."

"This is no time for sarcasm!" Elza hissed, making the princess shake. "It's the best we can do on short notice. Now GO!"

Helianne winced and then sneered. "Alright, alright, I'm going…"

The princess turned down another corridor and sprinted away. Chalice spread out their limbs and took off in a third direction before Elza could even say another word. Lastly, Ozul sank into his shadows and zipped off faster than any of the others could run. Elza sighed, and then spun about to take the fourth direction to make her way toward the nursery.

I need to make sure the white dragonlings are safest of all, she thought as she rushed off. And as she sprinted… she panted heavily and tried to keep her balance. Sure, she had wind magic to thank for her high speed, but that didn't mean her baby belly was completely immune to the effects.

As soon as all of this is over… she panted. I need to lay down somewhere before I aggravate the eggs.

~~…~~

Another evening had come in Aeroshard, and still no sign of Bergan.

The room was quiet as Saul sat quietly at his table. The only sound was the rhymic pattern of the bulky earth dragon strumming his talon. He waited, and waited… just as he had for the fifth night in a row.

Just like all the other nights, Saul had a pot of tea prepared in the center of his table. But he didn't drink it; he hated the stuff. No, it was reserved for a certain merchant to make his appearance. There was much to be done, and Saul couldn't do a lick of it without the approval to move forward.

Saul heard a knock on the doorway, and his face perked up. He looked over and cleared his throat. "Who goes there?"

"It's just me, Saul." Came the voice of Olivia from behind the door. "I just wanted to check up on you."

The drake sighed and slumped back in his cushion. "Alright… come on in, dear."

The earth dragoness walked in carefully and shut the door behind herself. She was dressed in her evening gown and walked carefully over to Saul as he rose to greet her. Saul extended a wing to hold his wife's back, though she seemed just a tad hesitant at first. Saul frowned; it wasn't like her to be so cautious around him.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"I'm just… a little concerned." Olivia frowned. "Several days have gone by, and you've done little to enjoy your time at home."

Saul bit his lower lip. "And just how can I relax? I've got a war battalion to keep in pristine fighting condition."

"But you've had no time to spend on the Day of the Bonds festival," Olivia replied. She lightly nudged Saul's cheek with her nuzzle. "This might be the first time in a long while when Jonathan wasn't around to make a ruckus."

"I know, I know…" Saul hugged his wife just a bit closer. He glanced down at his desk, where all of his plans and strategies were neatly arranged upon scrolls and maps. He sneered a bit as his eyes turned toward Glenhaven, and he lightly let go of Olivia.

"But we're not home, Olivia." He said sternly. "Aeroshard is fine… but it'll never be Glenhaven."

Olivia looked down at the map and winced a bit. She wracked her talons on the carpet as she looked sadly between the map and her husband. She tried to relax against Saul, but the General could see the worry and fear in her eyes.

"Olivia… we need to do this." He insisted.

"Uh… I…" Olivia bit her lower lip.

"Don't you want to return to our real home?" Saul asked. "Don't you want to walk down the path through the gardens like we used to? To sit and enjoy the breeze in the prairie? To watch matches in the arena?"

"Of course I do, Saul," Olivia exclaimed. "I miss my home every day!"

"Well, we can all go back soon. Very soon!" Saul flapped his wings. "As soon as I have the final piece of the puzzle, we can march for Glenhaven and take back what's rightfully ours!"

"But… But think of what might happen when we get there." Olivia pleaded. "Our soldiers grew up in Glenhaven. There are friends and family over there…. Including our family."

Saul very briefly went pale; he thought about all the smiling faces of the extended family. Mimet… Jules… Emerald… Attonita… he hadn't seen them in years, but could still remember them vividly. But then his thoughts turned to the one drake he hated more than anyone else: Telus. And just like that, Saul's trepidation turned to rage.

"Your family, maybe," Saul said through gnashed fangs. "But I can never forgive Telus for betraying us, Olivia." He flapped his wings and sat down in his cushion once more. "I understand that he's your father, but he's also a filthy usurper. He's responsible for our exile…. For denying Jonathan his birthright!" He slammed his fist upon the table. "Never forget that!"

"But, Saul…" Olivia shivered a bit.

"We are marching on Glenhaven as soon as possible!" Saul declared. "And when we get there… for your family's sake, they'd better surrender quickly!"

Olivia flinched again, as a few tears formed in her eyes. She immediately turned on her heels and ran for the door. Saul's anger broke down a bit as he watched her grasp the knob.

"Olivia, wait…" He pleaded. But it was too late; she was out the door and crying down the hallway. And Saul was alone once again, with a big weight in his heart. He sighed and shook his head; he'd have to talk with her more softly the next time he saw her.

But he couldn't go after her; not this late at night. Not when there was a chance that the shipment would finally be here. Saul's regret melted away as he glanced at the wall clock.

Where is he? Saul thought bitterly. He rose from his seat and walked over to the balcony. He scanned the various streets, hoping for some kind of fancy carriage to make it clear that Bergan was on his way. But alas, the streets were quiet. No signs of purple dragons anywhere.

Saul was so close to launching his liberation efforts. He had the army, as well as most of the recourses. All he needed was the go-ahead from Bergan to finally march. Saul had tolerated a delay to the westward march to give his people in Aeroshard some time to celebrate the coming arrival of the Day of the Bonds. But the holiday was practically here already; he didn't want to waste another second.

I'm so close… Saul thought with a scowl. He grasped the banister of the balcony and slightly dented it. Years have gone by, and I've dreamed of taking my kingdom back ever since. How can I just stand around and wait when I'm at the very edge?!

Saul wanted a better life for himself, his wife, and his son. They all deserved it, after the humiliation they had to endure. He allied with several powerful dragons: Faeshrine and Frostwryng were backing him on this. He'd delayed so that Madam Nymph could tend to her sister. He tried to be patient so that his soldiers could grow accustomed to the curious new gauntlets that Faeshrine provided.

They were finally complete. Not counting the prototypes Flamaedelus had demonstrated, Saul was now sitting atop a stockpile of one hundred freshly forged gauntlets. Unfortunately, they weren't properly tested yet; Aeroshard was lacking a certain… ingredient for their true purpose to be unleashed. But only one dragon could provide Saul with that ingredient. So why was he waiting around for so long? What was Bergan doing? Didn't he WANT to help things along? Where was he-?

"Good tidings, my good friend."

Saul flinched and quickly whirled around. Sure enough, there he was, standing in the shadows with his red eyes shimmering in the light of the room. He lifted a bowl to his muzzle and casually took a drink of some of the tea.

"Ah, delicious." Bergan gave a hearty chuckle. "You should be paying your butlers more for their work, Saul."

"Yeah, yeah…" The General stepped into the room, closed the balcony door, and tapped his forepaw bitterly upon the table. "It certainly took you long enough to come to see me."

"Well, I've been very busy, Saul," Bergan said as he put the glass down. "Had some chores to do here and there… and they were quite bothersome." He clasped his forepaws together. "Now, is it safe to assume that Flamaedelus and Richard delivered the shipment, so to speak?"

"Indeed…" Saul sat down and continued to tap on the table. "They showed me a rather impressive prototype, but I've yet to see anything substantial in action." He leaned forward and sneered. "So, any idea when the supplies to get the gauntlets up and running are going to get here?"

"Hmm…" Bergan pulled out a pocket watch and looked it over casually. "Well, you might be in for a little surprise if you glance down at the table right now."

Curious, Saul immediately looked down. Sure enough, there was a small object wrapped in a cloth sack. Saul carefully picked up the sack and emptied its contents onto the table. A purple light emerged from the sack's opening, and his eyes widened as the majestic surface of a violet crystal slid out.

"It's…" He said in awe. "It's a convexity gem."

"Of course." Bergan nodded.

Saul grasped the crystal and held it up in the light. The light cast a multitude of hues through the convexity's surface and filled his mind with warmth and wonder. He turned it this way and that; there wasn't an imperfection to be found.

"Amazing…" Saul said. But soon his joy gave way as he steadily did the math in his head. The General sneered, and then cast an annoyed look at Bergan. "Is this it? A single crystal?"

"Well, aren't we the choosing beggar?" Bergan huffed. "Not enough jewelry for you, Saul?

"You know what I mean." Saul snapped as he put the crystal down. "How is a single crystal supposed to power an entire army's worth of magical gauntlets?"

Bergan balked. "Did you honestly think that I would be bringing you only a single crystal? What kind of fool do you take me for, Saul? This is MY plan, after all."

Saul simply adjusted his cloak and sat back in his cushion.

"No, no, that crystal there is simply an extra one, for YOU." Bergan insisted. "All the rest are in storage. In fact, I've asked some friends of mine to bring them in. Observe…"

Bergan gave a calm clap with his forepaws, and the doorway to the room was pushed open. Saul sprang onto all fours and tensed up as someone intruded. And then, to his surprise, he immediately recognized several teenaged dragons stepping into the room… or rather, he recognized their pale masks.

"The Crazy Aces…" He said in bewilderment.

Saul watched as the teenagers carried a series of large cloth sacks into the room and placed them in piles all around him. As this went on, Bergan helped himself to another bowl of tea.

"What are they doing here?" Saul demanded. "Aren't they supposed to be in Warfang right now?" he looked all around and shivered. "And… Where is Johnny?"

"Things have been quite busy like I said." Bergan nodded. "But you shouldn't be too worried about your son. He's quite alright. You'll be seeing him again soon."

"I will?" Saul asked. He then took a sigh of relief and sat down. "Well, if you say it so, then it's so…" He glanced around once more at the sacks. "So… is that what I think it is?"

"Is it indeed…?" Bergan chuckled. "Would the lot of you be so kind as to show our General here the merchandise?"

At once, the gathered teenagers set to work opening their respective sack cloths. Various shades of purple flooded into the room, filling Saul with shock and awe. The General looked all around; there were so many gems gathered up in those sacks; there had to be dozens of them. A smile tugged at the edges of his muzzle, and a triumphant laugh escaped his throat.

"Ah, is our King Saul pleased with the shipment?" Bergan asked curiously.

"This is perfect." Saul declared. He held up the largest gem into the light once more, and his eyes were dazzled by the purple light. "More than enough I need. There could be one for every soldier in my army!"

"Not quite," Bergan said as he stood up. "There's one for every gauntlet. And bear in mind; they've been distilled and properly shaped to fit specific slots. It would be a bad idea to guzzle them down yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind…" Saul lowered his gem down and stowed it away in his cloak. "I just hope that it's everything I need for the war effort."

The General whirled around and pulled his door open to call upon several guards. Immediately they ran in and stood at attention, only to be surprised at all of the mask-wearing teenagers in the room.

"What's going on, Your Grace?" A brown earth drake asked. "What are they all doing here?" He gasped upon seeing Bergan nearby. "And what's HE doing here?"

"Yeah…" The other guard, a fire dragon, looked around at the glowing sacks. "And is that… Convexity?"

"Focus, soldiers!" Saul snapped. He stamped his foot and pointed around at the sacks. "I want these sacks transported to the carriages of the war party. Keep them under a heavy watch, and make sure NOBODY swipes any for themselves."

"Y-Yes, Sir…" The soldiers saluted Saul. The fire drake stepped out to call more guards to help, while the earth dragon set to work arranging the sacks.

Before long, Saul was watching in delight as several soldiers were gathering the sacks to transport them out to the war party. With giddy paws, the General walked up to his desk and opened one of the drawers to peruse its contents.

"My, you certainly seem excited," Bergan said from across the way.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Saul asked. "There's finally nothing left to delay the march."

"Hmm, I could think of one thing…" The purple drake scratched his golden beard and stood up taller. "Might I remind you of the Day of the Bonds celebration?"

"I know, I know…" Saul groaned. "Still, I've waited for quite some time to get things underway. I shouldn't waste too much time sitting around in the fortress."

Saul pulled out a large horn from the drawer and held it in the light. It was long, slick, and adorned with the family seal of the Earth dragon royal family: the green inverted circle. Saul held the war horn close to his chest as he slammed the drawer shut.

"My, that's a fascinating little instrument," Bergan said with a chuckle.

"It's a new war horn I prepared specifically for the westward march." Saul grinned.

"It certainly looks like it's in pristine condition." The purple drake nodded. "I'll bet you looking forward to giving it a toot, hmm?"

"Indeed…" Saul grinned as he patted the war horn and placed it down on the table. "Now, I need to fetch Olivia. She needs to get ready for the journey."

"You're bringing Olivia along?" Bergan asked curiously. "She's not the fighting type."

"Glenhaven is her kingdom as much as mine." Saul declared. "It wouldn't be right to leave my queen behind as we liberate her home from the usurpers."

"Hmm, an interesting way of looking at it," Bergan said as he stroked his beard. "Well, here's hoping that you don't bite off more than you can chew."

"As if I had anything to worry about…" Saul snickered as he adjusted his cloak. "With you on my side, what could go wrong?"

What indeed… Bergan thought. The purple drake clasped his forepaws together and bowed his head. "Well, thank you for thinking so highly of me, old friend."

"You're welcome."

"And just remember..." Bergan held a talon in the air. "Wait in Aeroshard until the Day of the Bonds is finished. Only then will it be the right time for you to strike."

"Sure…" Saul smirked once again, and he made his way over to the door to pull it open. "Now, I've got only a few things to do before I…"

Saul looked back at Bergan… only to realize he wasn't there. Saul blinked, and then rubbed his eyes. Where did the drake go? Saul was tempted to look around to see if he could spot where Bergan hid… but then he shook his head and glared at the rest of the dragons in the room. The Crazy Aces were quietly, nervously stepping toward the doorway of the chamber. They gulped as the General glared around at them all.

"Uhh…" An earth dragoness cleared her throat. "Mr. Bergan wanted us to wait until you dismissed us… Sir."

"Hmph." Saul stood up tall and snorted. "Fine. You're dismissed. Get out of my sight, all of you."

"Uhh… Y-Yes, Lord General." The dragoness turned to lead the others toward the doorway. Along the way, she reached into her cloak and pulled out another, larger convexity crystal.

Saul watched the dragoness curiously as she nervously held it up to the light, before tossing it at the floor. It exploded into a geyser of shadowy magic, making her and most of the other teenagers.

"So… I guess we just… walk through this?" She asked a water dragon.

"I think so…" He trotted forward and gulped. "That's what Bergan said it does."

One by one, the teenagers stepped through the geyser and vanished from view. Saul scratched his chin upon seeing that. Soon, only one of the teenagers was still in the room… a lanky golden dragon who walked with a confident step around the geyser. He lightly stuck a talon into the magic and turned to grin up at Saul.

"What do you want, boy?" Saul demanded.

"I only wanted to wish you good fortunes." The teenager said confidently. "I'm sure the people of Glenhaven are preparing to cheer you on…" He lifted a forepaw and held a salute. "All Hail King Saul… and his Master, Bergan!"

Saul snarled. "What was that?!"

"That's the dynamic, isn't it?" The teenager asked. "You're Bergan's minion, right?"

The General snarled even louder; he stomped across the room and made to strike the teenager across the face. The teenager took a blow to the cheek and was knocked down. He tried to get up, but Saul pressed his forepaw down on the teenager's back and squeezed him.

"You'd better watch your tongue, boy!" Saul hissed. "I have half a mind to pluck it from your jaws for speaking ill of me!"

"But… It's the truth." The teenager gagged as he smiled up at Saul. "You… You take orders from Bergan."

Saul threatened to bear down upon the teenager… but he stopped to think for a moment. He blinked a few times and thought back to everything that had led up to this moment. With the pressure lightened, the teenager wiggled out from under Saul's paw and made to rise with another grin.

"You've relied on Bergan to make the plans, haven't you?" He asked. "Who arranged for those gauntlets to be forged in YOUR city? Who arranged for your son to marry his daughter?"

Saul blinked as memories flashed through his head. Bergan had arranged for the trading routes to be changed when Saul's family went into exile. Bergan had proposed that his daughter marry Jonathan to link the bloodlines and recourses. Bergan made the plans. Bergan gave out the orders to everyone around him…

"You can claim that you're on equal terms with Bergan… but he's still called all the shots up until this point." The teenager grinned wider. "And Bergan has basically ORDERED that you wait in Aeroshard until after the holidays. Everything has happened exactly as Bergan wanted it to happen… You do everything he says."

The teenager pointed at Saul's convexity crystal as it glowed in his pocket.

"Bergan has access to an untold amount of power… and he won't give you anything more than a few drops." The teenager said. "He's holding out on you because he doesn't trust you."

Saul growled and looked away from the teenager and at the geyser. It shimmered and glowed with eerie magic. It was dark magic; Saul could tell right away. And beyond that magic was a portal to some unknown realm; possibly Bergan's secret hideout after all this time.

"He doesn't want you to go through that portal." The teenager continued as he cleared his throat. "The moment you do, he'll see it coming and smack you upside the head for defying him."

Saul growled; he turned and did just that to the teenager. But even as he was knocked against a wall, the lanky drake only looked up at him with that sickening smirk. Saul looked back at the portal; he took a step closer toward it, and nearly poked his head through…

Only for a blue dragon to peer out from the other side. Saul gasped and stepped back as the surprised teenager looked around the chamber.

"Bulb, where are you?" The water dragon asked. He ignored a look from the General as he focused on the golden drake. "We can't keep this thing open forever!"

"I'll be right through!" Bulb called happily. He bowed his head to Saul and made to walk over into the geyser. The blue dragon vanished from view, and the golden drake made his way inside.

"I do hope you enjoy sitting around on your arse." The lanky drake declared as he stepped through the portal. "Be a good dog, and sit in the corner as your Master commands!"

Saul gave the most furious roar he'd ever given; he made to slash at the teenager's throat… but the geyser vanished from view. Saul swiped at the open air… but he could swear that he could hear the golden drake's laughter echoing throughout the room. Saul was alone now, with nothing but his thoughts.

Saul shook in place as his fury seethed. He paced back and forth in his office as earthquakes trembled in his throat.

I am not Bergan's minion…. He told himself. I am a General: no, a king! I am the rightful ruler of Glenhaven! I am not someone who takes orders: I GIVE THEM! I am not a dog… I am not a DOG!

Saul turned toward the balcony and marched out with determination. As he stood out in the open skies, he brought the war horn to his muzzle and blew as loudly as he could. The thunderous melody rang out throughout the entire area, drawing the attention of every draconic soldier in the streets and barracks. All eyes were upon Saul as they stood at attention and waited for his orders.

"Prepare the war carriages!" Saul howled out to the crowd. "Get them ready to move! We make the westward march… TONIGHT!"

Hundreds of brave cheers rang out throughout the city. Saul looked around as every able-bodied dragon made their move to prepare for the launch. A terrific grin spread from ear frill to ear frill as the General surveyed his army stirring to action. He felt so much adrenaline flowing through his veins; it felt GREAT. This was exactly where Saul belonged; standing at the top of the food chain and giving orders to the REAL dogs.

On a whim, the General reached into his pocket to grasp the gem. He held the gem up to the light of the city so he could marvel at its pristine cut once again.

It was such a brilliant gem. So bright, so eerie… even the shadows it cast seemed to take on a purple glow. Saul traced a talon along its surface as he held a confident grin… it even seemed to radiate an intoxicating scent.

This is perfect… A grin spread across Saul's face. Soon, I'll finally get EVERYTHING I deserve!

~~...~~

Tina did her best to keep Cyrus's attention squarely on her (and where they were walking) for the majority of the time they spent walking. Here and there, the pair stepped through corridors and small rooms as Tina had the burly drake going on about how happy he is in his new form. Sweet-talking him and egging him on did wonders for his sense of urgency; he barely even noticed when they went around the same corner a few times over.

And it was all for the best: Tina needed to give Elza as much time as she could get to gather up any kids left wandering through The Nexus.

At one point, their cover was nearly blown; a gust of green wind zipped through the hallways in a flash. Tina recognized it right away as Brisa; she must have gotten free and was working to aid Elza to get the plan going. But in her haste, she flew by just outside of Cyrus's peripheral vision. He whirled his head around and snorted in derision.

"What was that?" He wondered.

"What was what?" Tina asked as she nudged him in the flank. "Come on; don't you wanna keep your eyes on me?"

"Heh…" He looked back at her and grinned. "I most certainly do."

Brisa, you idiot… Tina snarled internally as she trotted forward to entice Cyrus. Don't mess it up!

Along the way, they passed by several younglings who had taken to making some of the cells their rooms. They all gasped and looked worriedly away from Cyrus as they passed by.

"Hmph. It's about time they acknowledge my presence." Cyrus flashed a toothy grin. "Becoming this hulking beast was the best decision I ever made!"

"S-Sure, Cyrus…" Tina said quietly. But as they continued on their path, Tina quietly glanced back at the younglings and mouthed some words to them.

Elza. Find. Now. Careful.

The younger students tilted their heads in confusion, while the teenagers nodded in understanding. With some quiet urgings toward the younglings, all of the students made their way down the corridor to find Elza… all while Cyrus was none the wiser.

Be quick, you guys. Tina thought. We don't have all day.

Alas, Tina couldn't keep Cyrus distracted forever. As he was flexing a foreleg, he glanced out the nearby window and spotted the distant void that was Convexity, and his attention snapped back together.

"Oh, right!" He slapped his forehead. "You wanted to see me flying around outside. I'm sorry, Tina."

"No, it's okay." Tina patted his foreleg and smiled wider. "I'm glad for any time I get to share with you, Cyrus."

You big oaf, she snorted internally.

Cyrus pushed the doors of the chapel open and led Tina out into the courtyard of the fortress. Once again, Tina could see all the otherworldly sights and sounds of the realm of Convexity. Tina grimaced as she looked around at the near-endless abyss surrounding them. The vortex, the floating platforms, the ominous black structures off in the distance… it gave Tina the heebie-jeebies every time she looked at it. She knew she had to get out of here as soon as she could… hopefully, sooner rather than later.

For now… keep the charms coming, Tina, she told herself. She abruptly leaned over and slumped against one of Cyrus's forelegs. The black dragon looked down at her in alarm.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm cold, Cyrus." She said wearily. "That dungeon floor was like ice. Could you please drape one of your wings over me?"

Cyrus raised an eye ridge. "It sure took you a while to mention that you were feeling chilly. We left the cell quite a while ago."

"I can't help it." Tina shrugged. "I'm just cold right now."

Cyrus snorted. "You're acting odd."

"What makes you think that?" She asked curiously.

"You're getting used to your predicament awfully fast." He sneered and tapped a talon on the floor. "What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything!" Tina pleaded. "I just want to be wrapped up in your warm embrace."

"Hmm…" Cyrus's eyes roamed over Tina's form. She leaned back nervously; the scales on the back of her neck ached as the great black dragon scanned over her form. "You're up to something."

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Tina asked with a shake of her wings. "Look at me: I'm locked up in chains, and my magic is being suppressed. I'm completely helpless. How could I be up to something?"

"Because I know you, Tina." Cyrus declared. "You're a fighter; you like getting your talons dirty, and getting into a scrap. You shout off snarky comments and struggle against anyone who tries to pin you down…" He leaned his head down and tapped his talons again. "So why would you suddenly need to be supported at every moment? You're no dainty flower."

"Well… uh…" Tina stammered. Oh, this wasn't good; she was losing her confidence and running out of clever words to keep him distracted. Her scales ached as she fought back against her instincts to gaze over at the fortress for any signs of Elza. She needed help; she was no good at manipulation, and she knew it.

"Tina, what's the hold-up?" Cyrus stamped his paw. "Answer me already."

Tina felt a spark of anger deep in her heart; she was growing tired of having to put on a show to keep Cyrus distracted. And frankly, he hadn't done anything to DESERVE sweet words and honeyed gazes. So, as her anger grew, Tina took a deep breath and glared back at him.

"Maybe I'm just trying to adapt to the awful situation I'm in!" She exclaimed. "Maybe I just want some semblance of a good feeling!"

Cyrus's eyes widened, but he didn't back up. Undeterred by his stoic stance, Tina stood up tall and glared up at the drake.

"You've wanted me as your girlfriend for a long while: I can tell." She continued. "I'm just trying to get you to realize what dragons that care for each other would do!" She rattled her chains. "So would you just cut me a break, already?! You already have me; if you're so insistent on the idea that I'm not a prisoner, then don't treat me like one!"

Cyrus leaned his head back, and Tina's anger was quickly replaced with regret. For a moment, Tina thought for sure that she'd gone too far; her anger had gotten the better of her in the end. She shut her eyes and flinched in anticipation of an angry outburst. But instead… the black dragon sighed and brought his head down closer to her.

"I… suppose I've been a tad unfair," Cyrus said sadly. "It's just… it can be hard to think straight sometimes."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Tina asked curiously.

"I've had this… itch at the back of my neck, ever since I took on this form," Cyrus said with a grimace. "I have an urge… an urge to get angry. To growl, to hiss, to get into a huge FIGHT with someone!"

He turned and roared off into the abyss; a torrent of purple flames burst from his maw and streaked its way across the abyss. Cyrus then closed his jaws and watched as the burst of power continued onward into the infinite void.

"I want… I NEED to get violent!" Cyrus exclaimed. "But every time I look for a fight, everyone always cowers away! It's even worse than when I was a weakling!"

The black dragon dug his talons into the dirt and forced tiny shockwaves into it, making Tina yelp and step back a bit. Cyrus frowned at that and slumped backward to sight.

"All of my tasks for Bergan most of the time involve sitting around and helping him carry his damn crystals into the vault, or into sacks here and there." Cyrus snorted. "It's all I can do to keep my composure to come and see you; I…" He frowned down at her. "I'm afraid that I might lose control and really do something to hurt you."

"Cyrus…" Tina said nervously. The black dragon looked down at her sadly, leaving her confused; this was certainly a direction she wasn't expecting the conversation to head in.

"It's… It's not safe for you to be around me." Cyrus frowned.

Tina flinched. "Wh-What?"

"You can't stay here." The black dragon sighed. "I can't stand looking at you all chained up, or seeing you cowering in fear at every moment. I… I need to get you out of here." He turned his head around. "Elza, remove her bindings, and-"

He immediately stopped and was stunned into silence. Tina gulped; he'd finally realized she was gone. She leaned over to the side and looked around with a gasp.

"Where's she go?" Tina asked innocently. "I thought for sure she was here!"

"She must have wandered somewhere else while I wasn't giving her instructions…" Cyrus snorted. "Well, no matter; I can do this myself."

The black dragon set to work removing the various chains and restraints all over Tina's body. In the meantime, she stood completely still with wide, incredulous eyes. Just like that, she'd managed to get closer to what she wanted, all with a natural conversation. But then again, if Cyrus was telling the truth… maybe that convexity was seriously something to worry about, after all. He was having… feral thoughts? An urge for violence? And it was apparently so bad that he genuinely feared for Tina's safety.

We need to do something, Tina thought as her stomach churned. Before… before HE does something, that we'll ALL regret.

While Cyrus was in the middle of freeing one of Tina's arms, the front doors of the fortress were pushed open. Both Tina and Cyrus looked up in time to see Elza striding calmly through the doors. She held the same blank expression as ever, to which Cyrus simply snorted.

"Ah, there you are." The drake huffed as he stepped out of the way. "Here, Aunt Elza. Help Tina out of her restraints, while I work on a portal to Warfang."

Tina's eyes perked; exactly the destination she had in mind. But she put on a mask of shock as she glanced up at him. "You're sending me home?"

"Well, it's the safest place I can think of." Cyrus declared. "Now, I'll need a bit of space to make sure the portal is big enough. I… haven't exactly done this without Bergan's assistance before."

Elza wordlessly stepped to Tina's side to set to work removing the last of the bindings from her body. Meanwhile, Cyrus marched a few paces away to extend a forepaw out toward the courtyard… leaving Tina with just enough space to whisper to the wind dragoness.

"Is everyone else ready?" Tina asked.

"Almost…" Elza replied as she removed a collar. "It's taking some work to get them neat, orderly, and quiet."

"Okay…" Tina sighed. She then glanced over at Cyrus, who was scowling as he channeled the magic in his scales. Once again, Tina felt a pit in her stomach; she really, really hoped that Cyrus knew what he was doing… and that he DIDN'T know what THEY were doing.

Once Tina was finally free, she took a moment to stretch out her limbs and get the creaks out of her back. Well, at least she could move about of her own accord again. She then fell backward onto her haunches and watched as a purple aura surrounded Cyrus.

The drake muttered under his breath as he pointed his forepaw toward a spot on the grass in the center of the courtyard. He chanted more and more as the aura around his body grew brighter… until a concentrated burst of shadowy magic flew free from his talons. The energy slithered through the air like a snake, until it curled up on the grass and turned into flames. The flames grew bigger and wider, and yet they never singed the grass beneath them. Tina shivered as the edges of the shadowy magic turned a deep purple; convexity was at the heart of the spell.

Before long, Tina began to see images forming within the swirls of the shadows. Blurry silhouettes of towers and other buildings sprang up over little cottages, and tiny winged splotches flew through the sky here and there. Over time, Tina could just about make out the blue skies over a cityscape, complete with an ominous palace erected atop a mighty spire in the heart of the city. Tina's heart swelled; home.

As Cyrus kept the magic going, his body trembled. Lightning darted across his scales, and he struggled to stay at his full height. He panted heavily; as if the magic were a great strain on his mind. And as his body's aura burned… Tina could swear that his muzzle became just a bit shorter

"Here… This will get you within the outskirts of Warfang." Cyrus said as he looked over at Tina with a forced smile. "I'm sure that, once you're back, you'll want to tell my mother and the Deep Shadows everything that Bergan is up to."

"Uh…" Tina gritted her fangs. "N-Not if you don't want me to, Cyrus."

Cyrus snorted again as another arc of lightning danced across his scales. "It's okay. Bergan will no doubt figure out that something's amiss once you're gone. Things are going to be a mess either way…" He sighed as he backed up slowly from the portal. "Well, there you are. You can go home."

"Well…" Tina glanced at her wings and flapped them a few times. She grimaced as her muscles ached. "I'm a bit out of practice with flying. Could you maybe send me a bit closer to the Dragon Spire?"

Cyrus shook his ear frills, and he grumbled in annoyance. But before Tina could worry that she pushed him too far, the black drake sighed. "Very well, Tina."

Cyrus stepped forward and held out his forepaw toward the portal, while Tina grinned up eagerly at Elza. The wind dragon held her blank expression, but she lightly tapped on Tina's shoulder with her tail to signal her enthusiasm. Everything was working out. And a moment later, Tina looked forward to seeing the ghostly visage of the front courtyard of the Dragon Spire looming within the portal's surface.

"There we are…" Cyrus said between heavy pants. "Now hurry; it can't stay open forever."

"Um, okay," Tina said. She took a deep breath and turned toward the portal. She grimaced as she peered into its dark depths. She lifted a forepaw to start marching in, but then she stopped to look up at Cyrus's face again. She quickly checked to make sure that Elza wasn't standing directly in his view; it was time to buy her a quick bit of time.

"Cyrus, before I go…" She looked up at him and put on a smile. "Can I have one last kiss?"

"You… want to kiss me goodbye?" Cyrus asked in genuine shock. "But… I…"

"There's no telling when I'll see you again." Tina put on a smile. "So please… kiss me so that I know you love me."

"Well… alright." Cyrus smiled down at her. "One last kiss before you go…"

The black dragon puckered up and kissed Tina square on the lips. She shut her eyes and let the warmth travel across her face… and also along her talons. And right at the same time, Elza stepped up from behind.

"HEY, CYRUS!" Yelled Ricin from above.

Cyrus gasped in shock and looked up… just in time to see Ricin flying through the air. The indigo dragon rammed into Cyrus's face with his entire body, knocking the black dragon off-balance.

And he wasn't the only one to get the drop on him; A dark-blue dragoness dashed up from behind and unleashed a burst of icy mist upon his hind paws. They were frozen to the grass, leaving him trapped. But before Cyrus could even think about freeing himself, a gust of wind struck him from the side… but not from Elza. No, it was Brisa, who flew in from around the other side for another sneak attack.

Elza and Tina wasted no time joining in the ambush; both of them unleashed their breath attacks to strike Cyrus on the ground. Wind, Ice, and dark-yellow lightning danced across Cyrus's body. The black drake gave a horrified howl of pain and surprise; he could do little to help himself as the lightning shocked its way across his body unheeded.

Cyrus wailed as he crashed onto the ground; he sent a little convexity-fuelled shockwave through the area as he fell unconscious. Tina backed up from the blast and then frowned down at Cyrus in pity.

"Sorry, Shorty." She sighed as she wiped her muzzle down with a forepaw. "Here's hoping that you're a better kisser when you're back to normal."

With that done, Tina glanced over at the glowing portal; nothing was different. She glanced over at Elza, who sighed and stepped her way around the great black dragon's body. Brisa, Holly, and Ricin came to a landing nearby, and they all frowned at the sight of the black drake.

Cyrus twitched and shook despite being out cold; purple lightning danced across his body before it faded into nothingness. More of Cyrus's body shook around… and then it shrank. Everyone watched in awe as the hulking brute became a slightly smaller brute. At first, Tina had relief; maybe they'd knocked all of the corrupting magic out of him. But then the shrinking stopped, and Cyrus was left at a size similar to Elza.

"Do you think he's alright?" Ricin asked worriedly. "I didn't mean to ram into him THAT hard."

"We… did what we had to, Ricin." Holly frowned. "I just hope he's less of a meanie now."

"Is there anything else we can do for him?" Brisa asked. "Maybe we just have to keep pummeling him until he's back to normal."

"I don't know about that, Brisa." Elza shook her head. "It takes a lot of power to strip convexity from a corrupted dragon's body. But Bergan spirited off with the majority of the convexity crystals he made, and those that remain are being kept under his lock and key; we're out of luck."

"Damn…" Tina looked at the portal again. "Well, no time like the present."

"Right…" Elza turned around at once, sucked in a deep breath, and used her magic to shout out to whoever was listening on the other side of the chapel doors. "EVERYONE, OUTSIDE!"

It didn't take long for a cavalcade of students to come bursting out of the front doors of the chapel. Lantel, Helianne, Chalice, and Ozul were at the head of the crowd, while dozens of students held confused faces as they looked around.

"What's going on?" Ozul asked.

"Look, everyone!" Ricin exclaimed; he turned around and pointed in the portal's direction. "There's a way home!"

"Wow." Chalice said in awe as they slowed to a stop before Elza. Chalice then glanced at the diminished Cyrus and grimaced. "Err, did we miss something important?"

"Don't worry about it." Elza declared. She fanned out her wings and stamped her forepaw to get the crowd's attention. Immediately the younglings fell backward onto their haunches as the Deep Shadow cleared her throat. Tina and the other apprentices stepped off to the side to give their mentor space.

"Everyone, we now have a way back to Warfang!" She declared as she pointed a wing toward the portal. The students started to gasp in excitement, but the dragoness stamped her paw again. "Now don't lose your heads; I want the white-hided children, and all of the other youngest children at the front of the group, immediately!"

At once the students struggled to reorganize so that all the younger dragonlings were brought toward the front of the group. Tina sighed in relief, while Lantel and Helianne glanced nervously at Cyrus.

"Uh… is he…?" Helianne gulped.

"He's only knocked out," Elza said with a frown. "I wish I didn't have to do it to him. But we're working on short notice here." She put on a serious face again. "Getting as many of you as I can back home is a top priority."

"Right…" Chalice grimaced. "Here's hoping that portal works."

Tina flinched; of all the times her worries were to be brought back up. Immediately she turned on her heels and gazed into the portal. It seemed as vibrant and clear as it was before; she could even vaguely make out the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the big city. She could hear someone grumbling as they emerged in a cloud of smoke before the front doors… and she saw their shocked expression as they faced the portal directly. Tina gasped; could it be?

The dragon made some odd motion with its forepaw… and in an instant, Tina found herself gazing at the shocked expression of Wraith as he beheld the portal incredulously.

"What in the dragon realms?!" Wraith shouted.

"Wraith!" Tina exclaimed.

"Wraith?" Elza repeated. She quizzically turned around and gasped. "Wraith, of course!"

"Elza?!" Wraith shouted. He stepped closer to get a good look at her and then gazed behind her at the crowd of students. "Where in the realms ARE you?!"

"No time to explain!" Elza declared. She turned around and saw some of the white dragonlings nervously approaching. The dragoness reached down, plucked one up, and quickly whirled around to stick it through the portal. "HERE!"

That caught everyone off-guard, especially the dragonling. The little girl started crying as she went through, and immediately found herself presented before Wraith. The crimson drake nearly jumped out of his robes, and he nervously took the dragonling to cradle it in his grasp as it cried onto his sleeve.

"Uh… thanks?" He asked dubiously. Elza didn't even take the time to reply as she turned toward the dragonlings and hurriedly pushed them forward. One by one, they emerged on the other side before Wraith. Some were confused, some were scared, and a few more were even crying. On the other side, Wraith struggled to keep all of them calm as he gazed around at the growing crowd.

"I have so many questions right now!" He yelled.

Still, Elza didn't take the time to reply. Not until every last white dragonling was on the other side of the portal. Soon, Wraith was surrounded by over a dozen or so mewling little dragonlings.

"Get them to safety!" Elza exclaimed at Wraith. "Move it! Double-time!"

"Alright, alright!" Wraith snapped. He whirled around, reached into his chest, and summoned forth a series of grey orbs out of his maw. The orbs surrounded his head as he quickly chanted. Before long, he had several images of various other Deep Shadows before him.

"We found Elza, and some of the kids!" Wraith yelled at them before they could even ask what was going on. "Follow my magic! There's a portal here! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Tina swelled with pride; everything was going their way. The white dragons were home safe, and soon everything else would be, too. She took a confident breath and strode forward to step through into Warfang…

Only for a bolt of electricity to surge across the portal's surface.

Tina yelped and leaped back as another one danced across the portal, disrupting the image. She stepped back and watched in horror as the portal became gradually more distorted and weird. Colors bled into each other, and the various shapes took on inaccurate forms. And it didn't take long for the others to notice; murmurs of worry filled the crowd.

"ElZa?" Wraith asked; his voice took on a strange tinge.

"The portal's breaking up!" Elza exclaimed. "I can't fix it!"

"HeRe! I'lL tRy."

The bizarre caricature of Wraith stepped up to the portal between bolts of lightning and held his forepaw out toward the surface. He fired some shadowy magic into it, but it did little to stabilize the image. As the vision was breaking up again, Elza and the others could see several Deep Shadows emerging through the doorways and onto the courtyard. And one of them locked eyes with Elza immediately before sprinting as fast as he could toward the portal.

"ElZa!" Cried Albanion.

"Albanion!" She gasped. The wind dragoness reached out for him, and he did the same… only for another bolt to spread across the image and disrupt it completely. Soon, all everyone could see was a chaotic mass of colors and images as Warfang faded away. Horror filled Tina's chest; no… no, it couldn't happen like this. The portal was working fine! How could it all just fall apart so quickly?! Why did it-?!

"Oh, dear." Said a condescending voice. "It appears that your portal home is having some magical difficulties."

A purple forepaw reached around the backside of the portal and lightly grasped its surface. A scaled talon poked into the surface and swirled around, bringing order to the colors within… of course, that order was a swirling grey. Plenty of the younglings backed away and murmured worriedly… while Tina, Chalice, Lantel, and Helianne sprang into battle stances around Elza. Holly, Brisa, Ricin, and Ozul made to stand just behind Elza, ready to provide any backup they could. The wind dragoness growled as a low chuckling came from around the side of the portal.

The sounds of knives being pulled out of holsters filled the air, as the various members of the Crazy Aces stepped out of hiding in the bushes. The chuckling soon died down, as Bergan emerged from around the back of the portal to face the crowd. Immediately Bergan cast his eyes down at the unconscious Cyrus, and he pursed his lips.

"Oh, dear." Bergan clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "He's not going to be happy when he wakes up."

"Bergan!" Elza hissed. "Your brain-washing trickery won't work a second time!" She sprang into a fighting stance and snarled. "You have only three seconds before –I"

Elza was cut off when a great burst of wind hit her across the face. She clutched her eyes and hissed in anger as she stumbled backward. All of the surrounding teenagers looked at Elza in shock and confusion… as a great sound of wind came from within the portal.

"Bergan, you bastard!" Elza shrieked. "What did you do to me?!"

"Is that sand in your eye? Hmm…" Bergan glanced over at the portal, which his talon was still sticking into. "Looks like there's quite a storm in the Arcus Desert tonight."

"Desert?!" Chalice and Tina repeated. Immediately they looked around Elza and into the depths of the portal. The image was dark, to be sure, but they could just barely make out a swirling storm of wind over a large expanse of sand. And before they could even begin to question why that was so, they heard a whoosh of wind from behind and looked back to see Bergan standing behind them. Bergan waved his foreleg before himself at the apprentices, unleashing a burst of purple waves. Holly, Brisa, and Ricin were all knocked to the ground, groaning and shaking as purple lightning danced across their bodies.

"I can see that you're unsatisfied with your time in The Nexus." Bergan declared as he looked back at Elza. "Well.. farewell!"

Bergan summoned a massive force of air all his own. His cyclone came so strong and so fast that Chalice and Tina were blind-sided and knocked off their paws. They tumbled forward into the portal and cried out in alarm as they vanished into the desert sands.

"By the ancestors!" Helianne shrieked.

It was about this time that Elza finally managed to get the sand out of her eyes. She looked around irritably for any signs of what had happened, only to find Bergan standing near her.

"Hello." He smiled. "And tata for now."

Bergan reeled back to unleash another burst of wind. But this time Elza was ready for him. She opened her jaws wide and attacked with the mightiest cyclone she could summon. Elza was mighty, but so was Bergan. Their two cyclones clashed against each other, tearing into one another to try and untangle their opposing wind forces. Everything rippled around them, and the younglings scampered backward to try to get away. For a time, it seemed like Elza and Bergan were evenly matched; she snarled furiously through her red eyes, while Bergan held his confidant grin.

Across the way, Helianne quietly stepped back from the commotion. Her eyes darted between the two dragons dueling, and the portal across the way. She shivered as she struggled to think of what to do…

And then someone grabbed her from behind. The princess found a foreleg gripping her neck as a disgusting voice snickered into her ear frill.

"Hello, little princess." Bulb said maliciously. "Feeling a little spooked by the battle?"

"L-Let me go!" She begged.

"Oh, don't worry; I know this place is too scary for one as delicate as you, Sweetcheeks…" His eyes drifted toward the portal. "How's about… taking a vacation?"

"YOU BASTARD!"

Bulb and Helianne could feel the ground shaking as Lantel barreled toward him; his maw was burning with bright light as he prepared to attack. Bulb simply snickered at the sight; he struck Helianne in the belly and tossed her off toward the portal. He then effortlessly side-stepped a golden blast of light from Lantel's maw and struck him across the face. He then punched Lantel a few more times and rammed into him to knock the prince over, before he returned his sights toward Helianne. The flora dragoness struggled to get back up, but Bulb charged at her at high speed and rammed into her, sending her screaming toward the portal.

The scream caught Elza off-guard, and she instinctively looked over to see if Helianne was okay. But that was all the timing that Bergan needed; in the blink of an eye, he appeared just before Helianne with a smirk. The princess could barely gasp in alarm before Bergan gave a polite nod of his head and unleashed another cyclone. Helianne was pushed dangerously close to the portal; her clothing rippled as it was tugged toward the opening.

Elza hissed in anger… while Lantel roared furiously. The prince struggled to rise to his feet as he panted heavily; he glanced between Bulb and Bergan, struggling to figure out which one to target.

"LEAVE MY SISTER BE!" The prince roared.

He eventually decided on Bergan and leaped and bounded across the way. Lantel tried to tackle Bergan in the chest, with golden flames spewing from his maw. Every one of his talons was ready to slice into the purple drake.

Bergan cast a smirk toward Lantel as he came flying over… and crashed onto the empty ground. Lantel slid a few feet away from the portal, slicing the dirt in his way. He groaned and struggled to stand up as laughter came from behind. Lantel groggily whirled around to see Bergan standing before Elza by the portal.

"As I was saying…" Bergan grabbed Elza by the chest as an aura of green magic surrounded his robes. "Farewell!"

Bergan spun in a circle on his forelegs as fast and hard as he could. He spun Elza about his body; she gained momentum with every split second. And then, Bergan let go with enough force to send Elza flying through the portal. Her shrieks quickly faded in volume until she was barely a whisper lost in the storm over the desert.

Lantel picked himself up and tried to pick up the pace to tackle Bergan once more.

"Well, I do hope they get to civilization safely." Bergan declared. He extended his talons and stuck them into the portal's surface, as purple bolts of lightning danced across his form.

As Lantel charged forward, he watched in alarm as Bergan's convexity arced its way across the portal, making it more chaotic and unstable by the second. And then… it imploded. Just like that, the shadowy magic collapsed in on itself, until it became nothing more than a speck of dust on the grass.

Lantel attempted to smash into Bergan once more in retaliation… but the purple drake simply whisked himself away once again, and the golden prince collapsed onto the grass. And as he picked himself up… the weight of what had just happened finally sank in.

Tina, Chalice, the Deep Shadow… and his sister were now lost in a desert. And Lantel was left by himself, in the realm between realms… at the mercy of a powerful dragon and his gang of cutthroats. All with an entire city's worth of dragon students looking for someone to rely upon. Lantel gulped and steadily rose to his paws as the Crazy Aces cackled behind him.

Holly, Brisa, and Ricin tried to get up, but they were still incapacitated by Bergan's lightning. And Ozul… Ozul wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Looks like princy-poo's all by his lonesome now." An earth dragoness said behind her mask. She glanced at Bergan. "Should we lock him and those apprentices back up now, or shank him first?"

The Crazy Aces all laughed again, which made Lantel shiver. He sucked in a breath and put on the bravest face he could, all while Bergan stroked his golden beard.

"Oh, I don't think there's any need for THAT." The purple dragon declared. "After all, once Cyrus regains consciousness, he's going to be looking for a punching bag to vent his frustration after dear Tina broke his heart."

Lantel shivered again as he cast a steady glance in Cyrus's direction. And all at once, the golden prince felt as if he was in for an even worse world of hurt.

"Although…" Bergan stroked his beard again as he took a step forward. "Perhaps we could come to some kind of arrangement to keep you from gaining the General's ire."

"What do you mean?" Lantel hissed. He sprang into a fighting stance once again, even if he wasn't confident he could hold out in a fight against him. "St-Stay back!"

"Okay." Bergan shrugged and came to a stop. He casually shrugged as he shifted onto his haunches. "I was merely going to suggest… reviving your mother."

"Stay back or I'll…! I'll…" Lantel's eyes widened, and he fell backward onto his rump. He nearly swallowed his tongue as he looked upon Bergan incredulously. "Wh… What?"

"Settle down, Prince Lantel." Bergan grinned. "Let's have a little chat."

~~…~~

Sand, sand, and more sand. It was all that Tina could see for miles around… or rather, all she might have seen if it weren't the dead of night. She spat out some of the awful stuff and stuck out her tongue as she struggled to come to grips with where she was. Chalice was a short distance away; they were wiping more sand off of their sleeves as they grumbled in frustration.

Before long, they had a friend; Helianne landed in a pile of sand a short distance away. Tina sprang up onto her feet and cautiously trudged her way over to the princess.

"Are you okay?" Tina asked.

"No..." Helianne said with a shiver. She turned her head to the side to wipe sand off of her ear frills as she cried. "I… I couldn't do anything."

"Well, at least you're in one piece." Chalice said from across the way. "I think I left my stomach back in Convexity."

As the trio of teenagers clustered together, they soon heard a shrieking noise coming from above. They all looked up in time to see Elza falling out of the darkness and into a big pile of sand across the way. At once Tina and Chalice ran over worriedly to make sure the Deep Shadow was alright.

"Lady Elza!" Chalice exclaimed as they helped Elza onto her feet. "Are you okay?!"

"I… I think I'm fine…" Elza grumbled as she rubbed more sand from her eyes. "Ugh, I hate this blasted desert."

"How's the baby belly?" Tina grimaced as she placed a forepaw on Elza's stomach. "Is everything in one piece?"

Elza tensed up. She placed a forepaw on herself and felt around… everything was still intact. The eggs were fine. She took a very long sigh of relief and even cried a bit as she carefully stood on all fours.

"Okay…" Elza took a few deep breaths and looked around. "Alright, I need a minute to think…" She rubbed her forehead and wracked her talons on a rock.

A small fire suddenly roared to life a short distance away. The trio turned around to see Helianne with two sticks in her forepaws. She shivered quietly as she rubbed them together, creating a small patch of flames between them. The green dragoness opened her jaws and out slid some magic that soon solidified into another stick. She made a few more sticks and soon had a bonfire going.

"Here… I figured you could use some warmth and light." She said as her limbs shook. "We… We might as well use it to figure out where we are."

"Good… that's good, thank you." Elza sighed. She strode over toward Helianne and then sat down before the flame. Tina and Chalice joined her, while Helianne carefully sat back on her haunches.

"Okay…" Elza said steadily. "We got the white dragonlings to safety… before the portal was redirected to the Arcus Desert…" She ran her talons through the sand and picked up a few choice pebbles. "Judging by the formation… we're somewhere west of Glenhaven… stranded."

"And…" Helianne shivered as she struggled not to cry. "And my brother's been left behind on The Nexus."

"With all of the remaining students of Warfang." Chalice grimaced.

"And Cyrus." Tina sucked in a breath to keep from shivering.

The three teenagers exchanged nervous glances, while Elza gazed up at the stars. She placed a forepaw on her belly and whimpered quietly to herself.

Everything had changed so fast. They were so close to escaping with the children… and now, they were ancestors-know-where in the middle of the great desert, and those younglings had nobody to look after them, save for a prince who was outnumbered and outclassed.

It was all they could do to keep from breaking down that night.

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

The inclusion of the four apprentices has resulted in Elza's plans being expanded a bit. It's important to me that their integration into the story feels natural and helps rather than hinders anything. The same can be said for Cyrus's transformation gradually beginning to wear off early. And let's not forget Bulb, the slimy, thieving solar drake amongst the Crazy Aces. Maybe I like writing new characters a bit too much. Oh well.

Tenebra ecce Veritas