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.

32. Act 3, Chapter 5

A fierce caravan made its way south. Multiple banners were proudly displayed in the sky: the lightning-bolt symbol of the kingdom of Crossbolt. Horses whinnied as their hooves dug in the dirt, while their dragon masters had them pull their carriages as fast as they could. They all marched with great haste; for there was no telling how much time they had left.

Elenar sighed as her mane blew in the wind of the largest carriage near the back of the caravan. It was quite a burly design; nearly three stories tall, and pulled forward by eight horses. From what Elenar understood, it was built during the first Twilight War and kept regularly refurbished in times of crisis.

And what a time of crisis this was.

It had taken almost no convincing at all for King Tintreon to summon his army together. The moment he learned that Glenhaven was in trouble, he put a stop to all other affairs. By the next morning, the army was ready to march with all the available vehicles. Elenar was of course relieved at how quickly things had gone… but she still couldn't shake her feelings of dread. There was so much that could go wrong between Crossbolt and Glenhaven.

Tintreon sat at the very top of the caravan, above where Elenar sat. She peeked upward to see him extending a telescope to gaze out at the far expanse. He looked this way and that as one of his hind paws tapped the floor.

"See anything, Tintreon?" Elenar called up to her.

"Hmm…." He scratched his chin as he turned around to gaze about at the expanse before him. "Nothing out of the ordinary…" He yelped when a great splotch of purple and gold covered his view. "Except for that!"

"Ahem…" Spyro cleared his throat as he adjusted his cloak. Tintreon coughed once and dropped his telescope. It might have fallen to the desert below, had Elenar not carefully caught it in an aura of shadows.

"Careful, now…" Elenar scolded as she had the telescope float right back up to the lightning king.

"And mind where you're pointing that thing, Tintreon." Spyro snorted and leaned back. "You almost bopped me on the nose with it."

"Err, um…" Tintreon coughed awkwardly as he collapsed the telescope. "I apologize for that, Your Grace."

Spyro sighed and shook his head. "I'll say it once again: You can just call me Spyro. It's been a very long time since I've had any REAL position of power."

"Well, uh… if you say so, Your G… ahem." Tintreon adjusted his collar. "Spyro."

"Close enough…" Spyro snorted.

"You'll get used to it in time." Said the voice of Urobos. Tintreon looked behind himself; The aged old drake was seated behind the king. He was relaxing in his seat with a slightly bemused expression. Off to his side was Albanion, who was gazing out at the horizon with a piercing gaze.

"Are you sure you can see anything without one of these?" Tintreon said as he shook his telescope. "They're quite useful, you'll find."

"My gaze is steely enough." Albanion declared as he grasped the rim of the guardrail beside him. "I didn't become the leader of the Deep Shadows by having poor vision."

"Well, if you say so…" Tintreon adjusted his collar once again. "But… if you're searching for Saul's spies, why didn't you leave to join your companion?"

"I don't possess the shadowy expertise that Wraith has." Albanion snorted as he turned to scowl at Tintreon. "No other dragon I've met possesses the unique teleportation prowess at Wraith's disposal. If anything, he's the only dragon uniquely qualified to go traipsing around the lands surrounding this caravan. Having to carry me around in the teleportation would only serve to slow him down."

"Seems like you have quite the respect for Wraith." Spyro declared. "Today's Wraith seems like a far cry from the clumsy boy you told me about from your first few years of service in the cloak."

"Hmph…" Albanion gave a deep sigh as he turned to face the hero. "Many years have come and gone. Wraith is skilled, but he's unorthodox." He fanned out his wings. "Nor does he do his best to follow my orders; he nearly took off to get to scouting around before I even said anything."

"He simply has his own way of doing things," Urobos said. "Why do you think I picked him to be a Deep Shadow all that time ago?"

"To be honest… at the time, I thought that old age was getting the better of you," Albanion said with a stoic expression. "N-No offense, your grace."

Urobos had an incredulous expression, why Spyro couldn't help but laugh.

"In any case, from what everyone's told me," The purple drake said, "It was the right decision to bring Wraith into the fold. It's just a shame that he's had to put his talents to use in repeatedly dire straits."

"Hmph. But he hasn't grown out of his unconventional behavior." Albanion snapped. "You of all dragons should know that he went traipsing around with Prince Cyrus when he should have brought him home safely."

"Hmm…" Spyro rubbed his chin. "There was that one incident at the Prime Temple…"

"Unconventional or not, he's still a loyal dragon," Urobos said with a flourish of his wings. "Even now, he's out there doing his duty for the good of all. Wraith may not be unconventional, but he's got a good heart."

"I suppose I can't argue against that…" Albanion nodded. With that, he returned his attention to the expansive plains.

"Well, in any case…" Tintreon opened up his telescope and resumed looking around. "There's bound to be something out there that calls for my attention."

"How about your CARAVAN?" Spyro asked as he grasped Tintreon's shoulder. The yellow drake nearly jumped out of his scales and scrambled to keep from dropping his device once again.

"S-Sure thing, Your Gra… Spyro." Tintreon said with uneasy lips. "Spyro… Yes indeedy, Spyro."

The purple drake just rolled his eyes, while Urobos chuckled again. And Elenar, who had listened in this entire time, sighed in pity.

Tintreon had nearly dropped dead in fright from the moment he laid eyes upon the resurrected forms of the two heroes. Granted, it helped give a little boost to Elenar's efforts to convince Tintreon to rush to Glenhaven's aid. If two past heroes had come back to give warnings of doom, what was one to do?

Still, even with most of an allied army on their side… Elenar felt uneasy. There was something wrong with the wind. She feared that there was something much worse than enemy soldiers looming shortly. And no matter how fast the caravan made its way south… she feared they would be too slow to lend the Guardians their aid.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Asked Cynder from across the way. Elenar glowered as she closed her window, before turning to face the aged dragoness.

"How could I be alright?" Elenar frowned. "We're going to war."

"I know; not the easiest thing to face." Cynder pursed her lips. "But you need to keep a level head." She leaned back in her cushion. "It won't do to collapse into worry long before we reach the desert city."

"But what are we to do if there are spies from Aeroshard lurking around?" Elenar asked. "We could lose the element of surprise in an instant."

"If any of Saul's goons are snooping around, then your Deep Shadows will find them," Cynder smirked. "Didn't you just get done telling me that Wraith is one of the best spies you've got?"

"He's skilled, to be sure…" Elenar rubbed one forepaw with the other. "But he's a spy, not a warrior; he can only take on so many Aeroshardians at once."

"Aeroshardians…" Cynder repeated the word with slight distaste on her face. "From what you've told me, wind dragons haven't lived in that city in a long time. I hardly think that the phrase Aeroshardians applies to Saul's army."

"Well, what else am I to call them?" Elenar grimaced. "Saul has the entire former kingdom and ALL of its outlying lands under his control; there's little else to call it all BUT Aeroshard."

"Well, if we can drive Saul away from Glenhaven…" Cynder wracked her talons on the floor and sneered. "Then the next step will be to wrestle control of the wind dragon's home away from his slimy talons."

Elenar flinched. "Are… Are you suggesting that we march east to wage battle on Aeroshard's soil?"

"Well, we're going to have to eventually, Sunshine." Cynder sighed. "There's no telling what Saul's done to the ancestral wind dragon lands in the four years he's held sway over it. Aeroshard isn't his to desecrate; it's only fair that we-"

"Hold it, Cynder." Snapped the voice of Spyro.

Elenar and Cynder both nearly flinched when the purple dragon suddenly appeared across from them on a cushion.

"Weren't you just up there?" Cynder pointed upwards with a sly face.

"Yes… And I couldn't help but overhear what you were suggesting." Spyro snapped. He leaned in closer to glare at Cynder, while the black dragon gave a soft shrug.

"Our being here is already meddling enough," Spyro said. "It was one thing to inspire hope in the people by showing ourselves… but we are NOT dragging this army across the continent to fight some extra battles for the sake of liberation."

"Well, we'll have to do SOMETHING about Aeroshard, Spyro." Cynder harrumphed. "If Saul slips away from the battle for Glenhaven, he's only going to plot to try even HARDER for revenge. It's best to chase him back to Aeroshard; maybe we'll even scare him into his boats."

"So is that what we're to spend the coming weeks, maybe even MONTHS, doing?" Spyro asked incredulously. "Chasing Saul from location to location, drawing attention from the entire dragon realms?"

"Not if we can catch him in Glenhaven." Cynder declared with a pointed talon. "If we manage to get him to surrender, then we can lock him up and get him to tell his armies to stand down."

"He won't just surrender." Elenar shook her head, drawing the attention of the two heroes. "He's become a lot more than the cocky brute from his childhood."

"Surely he's got his limits," Cynder said with a flap of his wings. "He has to know when he's beaten… well, once we beat him, that is."

"But you don't know the conviction he has now," Elenar said solemnly. "He lost everything he held dear four years ago…" She clasped her talons together. "He didn't just lose his father, but he lost his home and crown. And he's laid the blame at the feet of my family." The queen lightly shivered. "He'll stop at NOTHING to take Glenhaven back… and he'll spend his days plotting revenge against me and my sons."

Cynder grimaced, while Spyro gnashed his teeth. The two exchanged glances and then gave looks of pity to the queen.

"We won't let Saul hurt your boys, Sunshine," Cynder said soothingly as she rested a wing on her back. "And once we find Cyrus again, we'll return him to normal."

"She's right." Spyro nodded. "So long as we're around, we'll do everything in our power to stop Saul's plans."

Elenar looked between the two of them. It was still so surreal to her, seeing the bright, warm faces of the two heroes from her youth. She'd long thought of them as founts of endless wisdom and strength… but she could see something in their eyes. There was fear… uncertainty… it was as if the wisdom and strength were lost to the underworld after the pair resurrected themselves. Still, they were trying their best to provide their brand of emotional support. Elenar put on a warm smile and raised her head to be even with the two of them.

"Thank you." She said softly. And with that, she turned back to her window and pulled it open. "For now… I just need a bit more fresh air."

"Do what you need, Sunshine." Cynder nodded. "We'll be right here…" She nudged Spyro in the side. "Quietly discussing what to do about Saul."

"Mhm…" Spyro leaned back a bit and grunted. "Right."

The pair stepped back a bit from Elenar and began to speak in hushed tones. Seraph looked back out at the expanse of the plains… and prayed to the ancestors that there was still time.

~~…~~

Nellie yelped as she quickly dodged to the right. A barrage of lightning bolts came hurtling past her face to strike the place she'd just been standing moments ago. The blue dragoness panted heavily; that was too close. Across the way, Roxanne held a sardonic grin as her scales glowed a bright yellow; she was charging up for another strike. Seconds later, an orb of energy burst from Roxanne's maw and went flying in an arc through the air. Nellie growled as she leaped out of the way before the attack exploded on the ground.

"What's wrong, Nellie?" Roxanne chided as she wiped off her maw. "Afraid you might get hit if you get too close?"

Nellie growled in frustration; she tried to think of a snappy comeback, but nothing came to mind. And all the while, as she struggled to regain her stamina, she could hear the crowd of students going wild with excitement as Roxanne charged forward. Nellie flinched and made to roll out of the way before several more attacks came her way.

"Come on, Nellie!" Shouted the voice of Blankridge. Nellie cast her glance upward toward where the orange drake was seated. And he wasn't alone: all around Blankridge were all of his and Nellie's friends: Keith, Mary, Marble, Emerald, and Ember all cheered her on.

"Don't just keep dodging around!" Mary exclaimed.

"You can do this!" Emerald cried out.

"Yeah!" Marble exclaimed.

"Give her the works, Nells-Bells!" Keith slammed a fist against a forepaw.

"Go, Nellie!" Ember wagged her tail.

Nellie sucked a deep breath and turned her attention toward Roxanne. The yellow dragoness snickered as her scales lit up with more magic. Before another attack could come flying, Nellie took off into another run.

The fight had lasted for barely a minute now, but it didn't take long to get intense. Roxanne was relentless; she unleashed attack after attack after attack; all short but nasty bursts. And she was no slouch, either; her training in the athletics department had paid off as she darted gracefully across the arena. Nellie, however, had yet to launch a single attack; she simply dashed and dodged to avoid being lit up like a lantern.

Nellie finally had a plan. Roxanne may have been fast, but Nellie was faster. She'd keep dodging around for as long as she could; with every run-around, Nellie gained just a bit more ground on Roxanne. Slowly but surely, she'd reach a point where she could launch an attack on her enemy's rear flanks. The perfect moment to strike…

"Why don't you fight back, coward?" Roxanne shouted. "Did you realize all too late that I'm more than enough of a match for a haughty bitch like you?"

Nellie sucked in a breath and forced herself to hold back her tongue. I hope this is worth it…

As Roxanne prepared another burst of lightning in her maw, Nellie shifted her body to make it appear as if she was going to rush off to the right. Naturally, Roxanne turned her head to suddenly strike Nellie in the side… But just as the attack was being unleashed, Nellie quickly swerved off to the left instead! Roxanne's eyes lit up in surprise, but before she could turn her head to intercept, Nellie quickly dashed around, opened her maw wide, and unleashed a torrent of icy mist at Roxanne's paws. In less than a moment, the yellow dragoness's feet and forelegs were completely encased in ice; she was stuck in place!

"Why you dirty cheat!" Roxanne bellowed as she struggled to pull her legs free.

"Breath weapons are perfectly legal." Nellie flashed her own sardonic grin.

Nellie made to try and advance on Roxanne, but the yellow dragoness snarled before unleashing more bolts of lightning in her direction. Nellie dodged and leaped to make her way toward Roxanne before she broke herself free. And in the meantime, Blankridge and the rest of the gang cheered her on.

"Yeah!" Blank yelled. "Good work Nellie!"

"She's amazing!" Marble grinned.

But while Blankridge and the others were having a great time, Hontus slumped in his seat. He watched with a worried face as his daughter clashed against Roxanne; he even gritted his fangs as he watched the lightning get dangerously close to Nellie. Seraph pursed her lips as she sat beside Hontus; she draped a wing over his back and grumbled quietly to herself.

"What's the matter?" Dona asked them from across the way. "Are you worried about your daughter?"

"What father wouldn't be?" Hontus sighed.

"Surely your daughter is a well-trained apprentice." Dona continued. "You should have more faith in her."

"It's not a matter of having faith…" Seraph snapped. "She shouldn't have even gotten herself into this mess in the first place."

"Well, whatever's happened, it's too late to complain about it," Dona replied. "She has to fight this fight… so why not cheer her on so she can win? That's preferable than having her beaten and left bruised and humiliated, hmm?"

Seraph shot Dona a nasty look, to which the shadowy dragoness just sighed. Both dragons could keenly remember the rather… gruesome turn of events that led to their meeting four years prior. They should have been at peace, considering how that ordeal came to an end… but the bad blood was still there.

"I've been in similar situations as her, you know." Dona flicked her tail to the side. "So, for your sake… I'm rooting for your little Nellie."

"Erm… Thanks." Hontus said dubiously.

While that was going on, Rune continued to watch from within his cloak and hood.

The disguised prince sighed as he watched Nellie and Roxanne clash. He tapped his talons against a railing as he kept his hood pulled over his head. No matter how long the fight went on, he could still scarcely believe that the two of them were fighting… and over him, no less. That wasn't the official reason, but he just knew that was the truth: Roxanne still hadn't gotten over being rejected, even all this time later.

This is all so pointless. Rune grumbled.

I don't know about that, Runefor said. I'd say it makes for a pretty fun little spectacle. We finally get to see which of the two of them is the superior fighter.

Oh, gee, how nice… Rune rolled his eyes. That makes up for the fact that I have to watch two of my friends fight each other.

Roxanne isn't your friend; not anymore. Runefor snapped. You ruined that four years ago.

Rune instinctively hissed… but then quickly quieted himself. It did him no good to get angry; it only made Runefor cackle. So instead, Rune just slumped back and sighed as the fight raged on.

At least neither one of them is getting hurt too badly…

~~…~~

On the opposite side of the arena, Tyrrany kept her eyes on the battle. She held her violin perfectly as she traced the bow along the strings. She'd played a few little notes here and there, just to test herself. After all, she needed to be at peak performance when the right moment came…

"So…" Flame leaned in to whisper to the cloaked dragoness. "When are you going to intervene?"

"When I'm needed," Tyrrany said through grated fangs. "Don't mess up my concentration."

"Okay…" Flame sighed as he leaned back. He and Arthur took careful breaths as they watched the fight unfold…

Back down in the arena, Roxanne was still struggling to break free of her icy prison. But she made up for her immobility by unleashing even more and more bursts of lightning. The arcs danced through the air and nearly collided with Nellie several times as she struggled to get behind her opponent. One of the bolts even singed her armor, making Nellie yelp as that singular bolt darted across the outward metal.

However, the lightning couldn't get through the resistant charm placed upon Nellie's armor. The blue dragoness sighed in relief as she felt the magic die down and fade into nothing. But she didn't stop for too long, lest a stray bolt comes to greet her on the snout.

Eventually, Nellie finally managed to make her way around to Roxanne's rear flanks. Roxanne's eyes went wide when she realized where Nellie was standing. And with a grin, the blue dragoness backed up, scraped at the ground, and tilted her head forward.

"You wouldn't!" Roxanne screamed.

Oh, she WOULD.

Nellie charged forward at ramming speed, aimed right for Roxanne's rear. The yellow dragoness fought with all of her might to break free of the ice. Everyone watched with baited breaths as Nellie got closer and closer to Roxanne's rear…

Only for the sound of shattering glass to fill the air. While everyone was the middle of gasping in surprise, Roxanne quickly whirled around and opened her maw wide. There was a flash of yellow light, followed by a lightning bolt aimed squarely at Nellie's head. Poor Nellie looked up at just the right moment; the magic struck her right between the eyes. The blue dragoness yelled in pain as she was knocked off her paws and sent skidding along the ground.

Nellie's fans gasped in alarm, while Roxanne's fans cheered happily. Rune in particular was horrified.

"No!" Rune shouted. He grasped the railings frantically as he beat his wings. "Nellie, get up!"

Come on: that was BOUND to happen. Runefor snorted. Nellie got too cocky, and it's going to cost her.

You're not helping! Rune hissed in his mind.

"Nellie, get up!" Ember shouted. The blue dragoness looked up toward the pink one and saw the worry in her eyes. "Don't let her win!"

Nellie pushed herself to roll off to the side, just barely out of the way of several more attacks. She winced as the pain continued to arc across her face, just like one of those nasty bolts. With a bit of breath, Nellie forced herself to call upon her water magic to tend to the wound. Not that she was able to concentrate well enough to use her power; she had to keep dodging those arcs of lightning.

Flame whispered to Tyrrany once more. "Is NOW a good time to step in?"

"Not yet." She snapped, as she steadied her bow.

Roxanne chased after Nellie with her bolts of lightning. They rained down all around the blue dragoness like a horrible storm. Nellie just dodged all around them as she tried her best to concentrate on her face.

"Stop running!" Roxanne roared. "Fight like a REAL dragon!"

Nellie's heart beat in her chest. She had to last for a few more moments, all while keeping as much of her magic reserved as she could. She needed the opportunity to strike… the little hole in the middle of Roxanne's attack pattern. The chase continued on and on, with Nellie barely even glancing Roxanne's way. It didn't take long for the younger dragons in the crowd to start booing. A lot of dragons were dissatisfied with Nellie's seemingly cowardly tactics. Some called for Roxanne to push harder; a few even demanded blood. But Nellie wouldn't let herself give in to their anger or peer pressure…

And then, as Roxanne opened her maw for another impressive burst of lightning… nothing came. The yellow dragoness's eyes widened; she tried a few more times, and could barely muster so much as a spark.

"On no!" Roxanne exclaimed.

Oh YES. Nellie grinned. She turned on her heels and faced right at Roxanne. Nellie then sucked in a breath and blew icy mist from her nostrils.

Now it's MY turn. She thought triumphantly.

Nellie surrounded her body with an aura of icy mist. Some of it solidified into ice around her horns and helmet. She then charged forward as fast as she could toward Roxanne; eyes locked and ready to ram. The crowd erupted into delight as Roxanne stood her ground, gave a terrific roar, and prepared to fight back with fangs and talons.

"She waited for the other girl to drain her magic?" Arthur asked.

"Yep…" Flame snorted. "Pretty risky, if you ask me."

Tyrrany just snorted as she stood in her stance; now wasn't the time to debate combat techniques.

Back in the arena, Nellie had gotten Roxanne on the proverbial ropes. She managed to freeze the lightning dragoness's legs in place once again. As Roxanne struggled to break free, Nellie got up close and charged her magic into her maw. Roxanne hissed and tried to unleash blasts of lightning, only for more sparks to fly out. The yellow dragoness then winced worriedly as Nellie opened her maw, ready to unleash a blast of ice square in Roxanne's face…

Tyrrany's bow danced across the strings of her violin. She kept her gaze focused and her stance proper. And as music filled the air… Nellie's icy beam did something that left the crowd dumbstruck.

Instead of a single, concentrated beam, Nellie's magic split and rippled into dozens of little strands. The stands whisked around the side of Roxanne's face and spiraled around just a few inches from her head. It took Nellie to realize what was happening, and she could scarcely believe her eyes. Roxanne was just as confused.

"WH-What the…?" Roxanne looked all around. "What are you doing?!"

"I…" Nellie stammered as she struggled to understand what was going on. "I… I'm not?"

Sorry about this, Nellie… Tyrrany played a few more notes.

The strands of the ice whisked upward to a spot just above Roxanne's head. They then coalesced into a single orb of icy energy in the air. The energy then writhed and boomed, making Roxanne especially nervous. And then, just when Nellie thought things were going in her favor again… the icy burst forth and struck her square in the chest. Nellie cried out in pain as she was forced backward several feet. She was mostly able to withstand the magic (it was her element, after all), but that didn't mean she wasn't in pain.

"Damn it…" Nellie said through gritted fangs. "What's going on?"

She wasn't the only one sharing that sentiment. Plenty of dragons in the crowd, young and old, murmured in confusion. Just what was going on? How could a dragon's own magic disobey? How could it backfire so bizarrely and slowly?

"Something is amiss." Hontus scowled. "I suspect foul play!"

"Hmm…" Voden scratched his chin. "True. I've never seen ice magic flow in quite that way before…" He glanced at Dona. "Have you?"

"I can't say that I have." She snorted.

While the dragons in the arena were mumbling to themselves, Nellie struggled to regain her senses. All of the delays had brought a new problem, however, as Roxanne had broken free of her icy restraints once more.

"I'm going to rain PAIN upon you, little missy!" Roxanne snapped. She wracked her talons upon the ground; small sparks danced across her scales. "I'm in an even WORSE mood now!"

I can't let you win just yet, Tyrrany thought. There needs to be more… excitement.

Nellie and Roxanne got into their fighting stances and clashed once again…

~~…~~

Elza sighed in relief as the carriage made its way through the western gate of Glenhaven. The teenagers around here were happy to be back in civilization, of course, but none of them were nearly as grateful to be out of that wretched desert.

After Elza had warned Guardian Zecht of the coming danger, he stopped at nothing to get back home with the dragonesses in tow. Tina, Helianne, and Chalice had all gotten some well-deserved rest, while Elza struggled to sleep. She kept a forepaw on her belly and sighed as she listened to the wheels of the carriage bounding up and down on the solid stone streets.

"Girls, wake up…" Elza said as she shook the shoulders of Tina and Helianne. "There's no more time for napping.."

"Oh, come on…" Helianne grumbled as she slid onto her haunches. "Haven't we been through enough, already?"

"Complaining won't get us anywhere." Chalice said with a yawn. "If we've arrived in the city, then we can at least go somewhere to get some sleep in some real beds."

"Well, that will have to wait until later." Elza continued. "I've got work to do at the palace."

The three teenagers nodded and sat up, though Helianne still grumbled unhappily during it all. Elza, meanwhile, kept her gaze out the front window, to keep her eye on the palace at the center of the city… and that ominous vessel above it.

It was so strange, seeing that airship floating around. Zecht had mentioned it before during the trip, but it just seemed so out of place for it to be real. Elza couldn't help but wonder about the series of events that led it to be there. Oh well; perhaps she could find out about it later.

It didn't take much longer for the carriage to come to a stop at the steps of the mountainous formation that the palace sat upon. Elza stepped out of the carriage, followed by the three teenagers. And it wasn't long before Zecht plopped down on his paws beside them.

"Quickly, there's no time to lose!" Zecht declared as he whirled around to face Elza and the teenagers. "We need to rush straight for the Elders' audience chamber, any other messengers be damned!"

"Well, by all means, lead the way," Elza replied. "Just as long as the children are-"

"Zecht?" Asked a surprised voice.

Elza and the teenagers looked up to see an earth dragoness gliding down from the sky. She was adorned in guardian's armor… it took Elza a moment to remember her face from memory.

"You're Mimet," Elza said as the dragoness landed.

Mimet briefly appraised Elza and the other dragonesses, before turning to look at Zecht. "Why is Deep Shadow Elza here?"

"There's no time for explaining out here, Mimet," Zecht exclaimed as he spread his wings. "Quickly! We have to warn the elders about-"

"The army approaching from the east?" Mimet asked.

Elza gasped in surprise and stepped closer. "You KNOW? How?!"

"Slow down, slow down…" Mimet stepped back at a pace. "I don't exactly know ALL the details. Those dragons from out of town are explaining things to the elders as we speak."

"Out of town?" Zecht blinked in alarm. "What do you mean?"

"Follow me up to the airship, and find out." Mimet declared. She then turned toward Elza and grimaced. "I, err… suppose you should come along if you know about what's going on as well."

"Right." Elza nodded. She looked back at the three teenagers and sighed. "But I'll need someone to keep an eye on my wards, here. They're a long way from home, and I'm responsible for their safety."

Tina, Helianne, and Chalice were still in the middle of looking around at the strange sights of the desert city. When they heard Elza referring to them, Chalice quickly snapped their talons to get the two dragonesses to look back at her in surprise.

"Wait, did you say something?" Tina asked curiously.

Elza snorted in frustration. "I have to take my leave of you for now."

"What?" Helianne's ear frills drooped. "B-But I've never been to this place before! You can't just BAIL!"

"It's only for a little while, Princess Helianne." Elza shook her head.

"Princess Helianne?" Mimet and Zecht repeated in surprise.

The flora dragoness was at first elated at their reaction but then flinched back at the way Tina and Chalice snorted. The princess simply pushed past them to stand before the Guardians to reveal her royal birthmark.

"I'm the daughter of King Horus, of course." She declared. "I'm supposed to be in Warfang; all of are. But there's been quite a disaster lately, and now we're a long way from home!"

"Well…" Mimet flapped her wings. "I'm curious as to how the lot of you wound up so far south."

"Dark magic was involved, from what Elza has told me…" Zecht said.

"Indeed." Elza nodded forcefully. "Which gets us back to the point: speaking to the ELDERS, hmm?"

"Right, of course…" Mimet turned and signaled for some of the soldiers to step forward. "Bring the princess and the other teenagers to the arena, and see to it that the other Guardians keep an eye on them until Elza comes for them."

"Yes, ma'am." The soldiers saluted.

"Might we get some drinks too, please?" Helianne asked sweetly. "Some fresh tea would be preferable."

"We'll see what we can do, little Miss." The earth dragon soldier grunted. Helianne stood up tall and gave a proud smirk, while Tina and Chalice simply rolled their eyes.

"Man, what a day…" Mimet said as she fanned out her wings. "So many royal guests, all on the same day."

"So many?" Helianne tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, yes." Mimet shook her head. "A royal entourage arrived with some of our Guardians who were out of time… one of them was Prince Rune."

Immediately Helianne's eyes went wide, while Tina and Chalice grinned behind her.

"Hmm?" Zech raised an eye ridge at that. "Have you met him before, Princess?"

"Uh…" She gulped and blushed a bit.

"Oh, they've met, alright…" Chalice said as they bumped their foreleg against the princess's shoulder. "I'd dare say they're very, VERY familiar with one another."

"Shut up!" Helianne hissed as she tried to hide her blush behind a wing. "We didn't… I mean… we never made any announcements…"

The soldiers merely exchanged uneasy glances, while the Guardians just snorted. They turned to ask Elza what Helianne was talking about… only to find that the wind dragoness had already propelled herself into the air with a magical gust of air. The Deep Shadow had grown quite tired of the princess's attitude for one day. With an uneasy shrug, Mimet took off to follow the Deep Shadow, while Zecht merely looked between the teenagers and the soldiers.

"Well… off with you lot, then." Zecht declared. "Enjoy the arena match; I'd heard it was on today's date, but I didn't expect to be in town to see it. Bye!"

With that, the blue dragon fanned out his wings propelled himself forward, and flew around to catch up with Elza and Mimet, while the three teenagers spread their wings and looked toward the palace.

"So… I guess we're heading inside." Tina shrugged.

"Mhm…" The earth dragon soldiers turned and spread their wings in turn. "Follow close behind, you three."

Chalice, Tina, and Helianne didn't make much of a fuss as they followed the soldiers inside the palace. Mimet glanced at Zecht's worried face, and then at Elza, who held resolve.

"Alright, change of plans," Mimet said as she placed a forepaw on Zecht's shoulder. "I'm going to head back inside to keep an eye on those three during the match. Zecht, you deliver our guest here to the Elders straightaway."

"Well, as you wish…" Zecht said with a nod. He looked over at Elza uneasily. "Come with me to the courtyard, and I'll see to it that the Elders are brought to you as soon as possible."

Elza held a sneer. She glanced up at the airship, and then back at the two Guardians. "The Elders are up there, aren't they?"

"Well, yes." Mimet nodded. "But-"

Immediately Elza extended her wings and called upon her wind magic. Before they could blink, the dark-green dragoness took off into the sky at full speed, aiming straight for the airship.

"Whoa, hold on there!" Zecht cried as he spread his wings to follow after her. "Don't give anyone the wrong idea!"

Mimet watched incredulously as the two dragons took off into the air. With a shake of her head, she turned around to follow after the teenagers. There was much to be done today.

~~…~~

"Truly, a marvelous design…" Flamaedelus said with a smile. "And it still flies, even after all these years. The ancient ape civilizations knew their work."

Flamaedelus, Richard, and Nymph had convinced the elders to come to join them out on the deck of the airship. Of course, there were guards strewn about here and there, just to make sure that the three strangers didn't try anything funny.

"This vessel was built by the apes?" Attonita asked incredulously.

"Can't you tell?" Flamaedelus stopped and pointed to several ancient markings built into the sides of the wood finish on the doorway to the interior. "Look; these were designed for opposable thumbs. They're too bulky to be for most other bipedal races of the earlier times… and naturally, no dragon could make use of them at the time."

"Mhm…" Krystallos scratched his chin and he looked about at the airship's deck.

"Plus, these seemingly-random scratches were designed to keep track of the days in any given month." Flamaedelus continued. "Apes may have been crude, but they were pragmatic."

"Mhm…" Attonita stroked her chin. "If you say so."

"We'll offer any price you want," Richard said as he floated up to the face of the lightning elder. "Even if we can't make the full payment in one day, we'll do all that we can to assure your compensation, ma'am."

"Well, you certainly have an impressive vocabulary," Attonita remarked. "Are all dragonflies gifted with quite the lexicon?"

"Hmph… if they're educated." Richard shrugged.

"What does it matter?" Nymph asked as she stepped up to Krystallos. "Time is running out. You simply MUST get this airship out of here… before Saul arrives to claim it for himself."

"It's… not quite a decision that we can make between just the two of us," Krystallos said as he gestured to Attonita with a wing. "This is a piece of Glenhaven's history. As such, what happens to it must be decided on between ALL the elders."

"So, you'd have us wait until the arena match is over and done with?" Flamaedelus tapped his talons."

"Well, of course."

"But every second spent sitting around is a second wasted!" Nymph declared. "Any day now, Saul's war party will march its way across the sands to wreak havoc. You can't just simply stand idly by!"

"It's out of our paws, Madam." Attonita shook her head. "Once the matter between the students is resolved, then Telus can-"

"Elders!" Cried a voice from the air. "You have a visitor!"

Flamaedelus, Richard, and Nymph looked up in surprise, while Attonita and Krystallos gave soft sighs. Two adult dragons swooped into view; one was Zecht, while the other was a dragoness in dark robes. They came to a landing on the starboard side and turned to face the elders. Flamaedelus and Nymph immediately recognized the dragoness; they exchanged uneasy glances as she surveyed the area.

"Zecht?" Krystallos asked in surprise. "What are you doing back from the ruins so soon?"

"It's complicated, Dad…" Zecht cleared his throat and motioned with a wing toward the robed dragoness. "But I guess the short of it is: the Deep Shadow Elza has arrived to fill in the details of some terrible goings-on."

Immediately Attonita and Krystallos locked eyes with Elza, and then rumbled curiously.

"You're Elza," Attonita said in awe. "I never thought you'd ever visit our city again."

"No time for pleasantries, Elders." Elza stamped her foot and turned toward the lightning elder. "I need to know how much you already know of the danger approaching Warfang. It's imperative that we rally your people and… and…"

She looked past Attonita at the trio standing a short distance away. Elza studied the features of Flamaedelus's and Nymph's faces and snarled as she sprang into a fighting stance.

"What are those two doing here?!" Elza demanded.

"Those two?" Krystallos repeated as he glanced their way. "You mean our guests?"

"Guests? Guests?!" Elza balked. "The red one is Flamaedelus! He works directly for the purple drake Bergan!"

"Correct." The red drake nodded.

"And the other one is Nymph." Elza snapped. "I… don't know what exactly she's doing here, but she's definitely allied with Bergan in some way."

"I suppose that's true…" Nymph shrugged her shoulders. "I'm also here visiting my sister Seraph."

"Elders, you need to do something!" Elza declared. "Summon more guards! Arrest them! Force them to give up everything they know about Bergan!"

"Miss Elza, we simply can't do that." Attonita shook her head.

"And why NOT?" The wind dragoness demanded.

"Because, even if your wild accusations came with some evidence…" Krystallos wracked his talons on the floor. "Arresting them would be an act of war."

Elza's eyes widened incredulously. "Excuse me?"

"I would just like to remind you that I am Vice President of the FTC." Flamaedelus tugged on his collar. "And that makes me second in command of the city of Faeshrine as a whole. In other words… a leader."

Elza's eye twitched. "Of course."

"And even if the monarchy has been shaken up a bit… I am still technically the Queen of Frostwryng." Nymph stamped her foot. "I'm surprised you didn't remember that, seeing as you're the foster sister of Queen Elenar. Surely she must have told you about me in detail all those years ago?"

Elza's eye twitched even more. The red and blue dragons stood tall and proud like they were untouchable. Her talons ached to tear those smug looks off their faces. And she nearly moved forward to spew her building anger… only to feel an aching in her belly. She fell backward onto her haunches and grimaced as she held her belly. Immediately the elders looked upon her in alarm, while Zecht rushed forward to check if see if she was alright.

"Right, right, your eggs…" Zecht bit his lower lip.

"Eggs?" The elders asked in surprise. Attonita stepped forward and pursed her lips. "You flew all the way up here while gravid?"

Elza panted as she forced herself onto all fours. "The safety of my babies is a high priority, I assure you…" She continued to glare at Flamaedelus. "And that's why I have to warn the people of Glenhaven of the things your BOSS has done."

Flamaedelus sighed. "Whatever Bergan was up to on the northern continent, I assure you that I had no part in it. All I've ever done was follow his orders."

"Gee, how nice…" Elza carefully stepped closer. "It's just a shame that the list of his crimes is quite hefty."

Elza began to rattle off the various things that Bergan had done while in Warfang, as well as what he did to the city's draconic children. Neither Flamaedelus, Richard, nor Nymph looked all too pleased.

"And that's not even getting into the mind control aspect." Elza snapped. She traced a talon around her neck to demonstrate where the gemstone had been. "Once it was around my neck, I was Bergan's PUPPET."

"I… I don't condone any of those accusations…" Flamaedelus said cautiously. "Bergan's done some other dubious things in the past… some might even say they're WORSE than his actions these days. But…"

"But WHAT?" Elza demanded. "Are you about to try and excuse them all away?"

"No…" The red drake sighed. "But if there's one thing I've learned about working with Bergan, it's that you shouldn't try to bring him to justice, or detain him, or do ANYTHING that will get in his way…" He looked Elza in the eyes. "Because you CAN'T."

"You can't?!" Elza repeated incredulously.

"Don't you know as well as either of us?" Nymph asked. "You said it yourself: you were slipped into becoming his mind-controlled puppet with basically no effort on his part. He sees things coming that most people don't, and gives out warnings to the lucky few. And if they ignore those warnings…" The watery dragoness shivered. "Bad things happen."

"Bad HOW?" Elza demanded.

"Well, like… Nymph stepped forward and stared right into the wind dragoness's face. "Like my sister being KILLED in the crossfire of a war!"

Elza's eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

"It was all in the terrible visions I saw in the crystal ball Bergan gave me…" Nymph reached into her cloak with teary eyes. She produced a small, cloudy sphere, which Elza grimaced at.

"I've known for quite some time that great danger was coming this way." Nymph continued. "Saul's hunger for power and control is growing too vast to ignore; he won't care who's going to get crushed on his warpath to the throne of Glenhaven!"

Nymph's eyes began to tear up as she looked into Elza's. The wind dragoness saw fear, dread, and sorrow… all the same emotions that Elza felt whenever she worried about Elenar's well-being.

"Hate me all that you want… but everything I do today is an effort to save Seraph and her family!" Nymph immediately glanced at the elders. "Scramble your citizens and get them out of here with as much haste as you need. But I need to focus on preserving all the remaining family I have in this city!"

Elza stepped back a bit; this dragoness looked to be speaking from the heart.

"This is still quite a bit to take in…" Attonita said. "We need to head down to the palace, and consult with Telus at the nearest opportunity."

"Indeed." Krystallos nodded. "Let's be off."

~~…~~

The Crossbolt caravan continued on its way; it drew closer and closer toward reaching the territories of Glenhaven. Spyro stood tall atop Tintreon's carriage and kept a close watch on the surrounding landscape. Cynder was by his side, like always, although she continued to glance at him with pursed lips.

The two had gone back and forth on their arguments for quite some time. Spyro thought they should apprehend Saul and nothing else, while Cynder still felt they needed to liberate the colonies of Aeroshard. Eventually, the two had tired of even whispering about it, so they remained quiet.

"Erm…" Urobos glanced between the two of them. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Sunshine." Cynder shook her head. "I'm sure we'll have this resolved soon."

"Indeed…" Spyro snorted as he grasped his telescope. "Once we find Saul, we'll… we'll…"

Spyro's eye twitched, and something sparked at the back of his mind. He put his telescope down and grunted as his head felt curious. It was as if something was prodding him in the back of the head with a talon. There was a curious haze in his mind; just like he felt back when The Chronicler used to speak to him when he was a youngling long ago. It was a familiar feeling at this point, thanks to some certain magic shared with his family.

Spyro glanced at Cynder, and found that she was feeling the same way; she gave a wink and pointed at her head. The both of them sat on their haunches and looked at each other with intrigue.

"What's going on?" Urobos asked as he glanced between them. "Are you two alright?"

"I… I think…" Spyro looked at Urobos. "Someone's trying to reach out to us."

"Eh?" Urobos's eyes widened.

"Yes indeed, Sunshine." Cynder declared. "I think one of our little princes has decided to try their paws at meditating to speak with us."

"Oh!" Urobos declared. "Do you know which one it is?"

"We won't know until we meditate to speak with them," Spyro said. He clasped his forepaws together and took a deep breath. "I'll need a moment to meditate."

"I'll be right along with you," Cynder said as she got into position. "I'm hoping it's Cyrus; the boy is really in need of his great-great-grandma right about now."

Spyro gave a brief chuckle, before closing his eyes to concentrate. Together, the two heroes reached out with their minds to strengthen the contact with whichever descendant was trying to speak to them…

Spyro took deep breaths as he sank deeper and deeper into meditation. The outside world seemed to vanish, and everything was engulfed in the darkness that was the realm between the living world and the afterlife. It was strange to come here while in the flesh once again, but Spyro was sure he'd be used to it in time. For now, he concentrated on the presence of a tether reaching out to him from the void. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it. The purple drake reached out to grasp the tether, and pull himself toward the one contacting him.

But as he was making his way across the realm, Spyro suddenly realized that he couldn't sense Cynder's presence. Even though physically she was right beside him, Spyro couldn't detect Cynder's mind anywhere along the tether. Had she not gotten a grasp of it? Surely she would be ahead of him right now. Spyro felt he should stop and wait for Cynder to arrive… but the tether was tugging on him more aggressively. Whoever it was, they were impatient to reach out to Spyro, regardless of whether Cynder was with him or not. So with a sigh, Spyro continued on his way to the contact point.

Sorry, Cyn, He thought with a frown.

Spyro made his way across the abyss, and soon came upon a light source; a ring of candles arranged around a star pattern on the "floor" of the abyss. It was a welcome sight… at least, it should have been. Many times before, Spyro had come to sights like this to speak with Rune or Cyrus to give them advice. But this time, something was wrong. The flame of the candles had a distinctly purple flame about them. And the young dragon in the center of the candles was… hazy. Their form and features were obscured behind a fog of smoke, though Spyro could just barely see that the dragon had a lanky figure. Spyro bit his lower lip; he almost considered releasing the tether to get away. And yet, he couldn't resist the urge to figure out just who this young dragon was.

Spyro soon arrived at the edge of the candles, and he landed on all fours before the young drake. The cloud of smoke gradually faded away, revealing that the stranger had golden scales. Spyro held a fierce glare and loomed over the young drake, as they stood up tall and looked upon him with yellow eyes.

"It… It worked." The young dragon said. He stood up taller with wide eyes and gave a brief chuckle. "It worked!"

He fell back onto his haunches and laughed even louder, making Spyro flinch. The purple drake then sneered as he stepped closer to glare at the golden drake.

"Lord Spyro!" The dragon declared giddily. "The great and powerful purple dragon of legend, standing right before me!" He lightly slapped himself on the cheek. "Oh, my folks would be flipping their lids if they were around to see this."

"Who are you?" Spyro demanded. "Why are you wasting my time?"

The golden dragon stopped laughing, and he brushed the mane out of his eyes. He took a breath, and then stood up on all fours.

"Aren't you… a little more curious than that?" The golden dragon asked. "Don't you think it's funny that someone like ME, of all dragons in all the realms, could be talking to… YOU?" The younger dragon gestured to Spyro and snapped his talons. "Shouldn't that tell you something?"

Spyro's eye ridge furrowed… and then he looked around at their surroundings. Nothing but darkness, save for the light of the candles in a circle. The purple drake looked down at the golden dragon and took notice of the crudely-drawn glyphs he'd etched into a stone surface about himself. This ritual… this magic… it was beyond most dragons.

"Who are you, child?" Spyro asked more calmly than before. "How did you manage to reach me?"

The golden dragon began to sneer. He stood up taller and gestured to his face. "Don't I look the slightest bit familiar? Don't you recognize me from somewhere? Anywhere?"

Spyro leaned his head back and snorted. "You were born after my time, child."

The golden drake snorted. "Prince Rune and Prince Cyrus were after your time as well. But that didn't stop you from keeping watch over THEM."

Spyro grimaced and looked over the golden dragon once again. "You're not making any sense, child."

"Stop calling me that." The golden drake demanded. "I'm almost an adult in the eyes of the realms."

Spyro simply sighed and shook his head. "There is much that is wrong in the realms at this time, stranger. Whatever it is you've reached out to me for, you'd best make it quick: I have to stop a war from spreading across the lands."

"Oh yes, how very important…" The golden drake rolled his eyes. He wracked his talons on the floor and swung his tail from side to side. "But since you can't figure out who I am right away… I'll give you a hint, in the form of a story."

Spyro wracked his talons and growled. "You must be joking."

"I'll be quick, I promise." The golden drake gave him an innocent smile. "Now, I didn't get to know my parents for very long; I lost them when I was a little boy, you see. But they used to tell me stories about you, Lord Spyro."

"Mhm." Spyro gave a dull expression.

"They were quite impressive stories, indeed. "The golden drake flashed his wings out for dramatic effect. "Many were the titles of Lord Spyro!" He counted off terms on his talons. "Hero... Warrior... Sage… Murderer."

Spyro balked. "What?"

The golden drake gave Spyro a malicious grin. "I almost forgot to include one more: Liar."

Spyro snarled and stomped forward. "What are you accusing me of?!"

"I'm just telling the truth." The golden drake's eyes gleamed. "The UGLY truth, which you hid away for over a century, hoping that nobody would ever know what you did."

Spyro's body shook. He hissed as he stomped forward and lifted a forepaw in the air. His talons shined menacingly in the light of the candles. And in response, the golden drake lifted his head upward, exposing his neck to the purple drake.

"Do it." The drake said maliciously as he pointed at his neck. "Do it, Hero. Just like you did to her."

Spyro's eyes widened, and a flood of memories overcame him. Memories of an ill-fought battle against a mysterious threat raged in Spyro's subconscious. He'd never forget the cold air in the skies of Warfang or the rain that bore down on his back as he faced a masked sorceress. She'd fought with everything she had, and she threatened to kill so many in his beloved city. He fought ferociously and without mercy… And then, when he finally pulled the mask from her slit throat…

Spyro backed up several paces from the golden drake. Tears formed in Spyro's eyes as he blew smoke from his nostrils. He fought as hard as he could to push the pain away. And all the while, the golden drake could only smirk at him triumphantly.

"How?" Spyro asked as he struggled to keep his composure. "How do you know?"

"I already told you; it was a story from my parents." The golden drake declared. "Passed down from my grandparents and my great-grandparents before that. They saw to it that I'd always remember where I came from…. Even when I'm all alone."

The grin vanished from the golden drake's face, and he sat back down between his glyphs. Spyro took a few moments to calm himself down before he glared down at the golden drake.

"What do you intend to do?" Spyro demanded. "Are you attempting to blackmail me? Humiliate me?" He struck the floor and made it shake. "What do you WANT, boy?!"

"What I want, is…" The golden drake began to write more glyphs on the ground. "Everything that was ever owed to me."

"And how is taunting me with a terrible past supposed to get you what you're owed?"

The golden drake shot Spyro another glare. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here. That I'm REAL."

Spyro growled. "I can see that."

"I shouldn't have to tell you who I am." The golden drake growled. "You should have been looking out for me, and my entire family line. But you didn't even bother to check to see if you had any other descendants."

A chill ran over Spyro's back. Something gleamed in the golden drake's eyes, and for the first time, there was something familiar about the young dragon's hateful glare.

"You…" Spyro's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be-"

"Goodbye."

The golden drake slashed a talon through one of the glyphs, abruptly severing the magical connection.

Spyro suddenly gasped as everything returned to normal. He found himself seated back in the carriage right beside Cynder and Urobos. The dragoness grimaced as she opened her eyes and rubbed her head with a wing-thumb.

"Well, that was a bust." Cynder pouted. "I barely got the connection to work before it was severed."

"Oh, dear…" Urobos draped a wing over her back. "Has that ever happened before?"

"Now that you mention it… no." Cynder frowned. "It's the strangest thing; it was almost like… I was being intentionally blocked out. But, why would they reach out to me, just to cut me off?"

Cynder turned to look at Spyro… and saw that his expression had turned pale. The purple drake shivered in place, while his wings reflexively opened and closed.

"Spyro?" Cynder asked worriedly. She put a paw on one of his and found that it was ice cold. "Spyro, what's wrong? Who did you speak to?"

"I…" Spyro gulped as he tried to bury his emotions. "I… don't know. They were hard to make out."

Cynder tilted her head curiously and scooted just a bit closer. "So it wasn't Cyrus?"

"No. Not Cyrus." Spyro shook his head. "They were… a fraud. A trickster, playing with magic like it was a toy."

Cyrus raised an eye ridge. "They must have been one powerful trickster to pull THAT off."

"Maybe it was Bergan?" Urobos suggested.

"Not Bergan." Spyro shook his head no once again. "They were much younger… and filled with even more spite."

"Then who were they?" Cynder asked.

"I… I don't know." Spyro suddenly spread his wings out. "I need to go for a flight; My head needs clearing."

"Spyro, wait…" Cynder made to pull him closer. "What's wrong? What's gotten you so scared?"

"It's nothing." Spyro nudged her away and leaped into the air. "I'll be right back!"

Cynder watched with a stunned expression as Spyro flew into the sky. The purple drake beat his wings and took off across the desert, nearly vanishing into the clouds in his haste. The dragoness sat in shock as she watched him go, while Urobos simply watched in confusion.

"Should we go after him?" Urobos asked.

"He'd only try harder to get away." Cynder sighed and tried to get comfortable. "For now, I guess I should just let him get some space."

"I just hope he gets his head back upon his shoulders by the time we need to fight." Urobos grimaced.

"Indeed…" Cynder took a breath and watched sadly as Spyro dashed away near the horizon. "But whatever he saw in the meditation… I hope it doesn't lead to even GREATER trouble."

~~…~~

Cyrus shivered from head to tail-tip as he looked down at Ricin.

He and the apprentices were gathered in one of the fortress's infirmaries. Ricin was lying on a cot, still unconscious from the blowdart's wound. He'd been patched up, and now all that anyone could do was wait for the sleep-inducing poison to wear off.

And Cyrus… felt so very weak.

Everything had been stripped away from him; he felt so small now. Most of his muscle mass was gone; even the moments he spent sitting on his haunches made him feel like he was shrinking.

And all around him, the apprentices just looked at Ricin worriedly. Holly held the indigo dragon's forepaw and hugged it tenderly. Ozul nervously avoided looking at Cyrus as he double-checked that Ricin's pillow was in place. And Brisa cast a glare over at Cyrus; the prince sneered and looked away from her.

"What do you want from me?" Cyrus demanded.

"How about an apology?" Brisa snapped.

"An apology for WHAT?" Cyrus scowled. "I went out of my way to save Ricin. Isn't that at least cause for thanks?!"

The wind dragoness gnashed her fangs. "Ricin would never have been in danger if it wasn't for you!"

"I'm not the one who shot him with a poisoned dart!" Cyrus fanned out his wings and hissed back. "None of you should have ever gone out there in the first place!"

"We were trying to get away from YOU!" Brisa fanned out her wings and swung her tail around. "How else were we supposed to find a way back to Warfang?!"

"Warfang isn't safe!" Cyrus yelled. "You're better off HERE!"

"I'd rather be in the middle of the HQ of the Sons of Culmubrae than in that smelly prison cell!" Brisa pointed a talon at Cyrus's snout. "The very cell that YOU stuck me in!"

"That was only because you would have gotten in the way!" Cyrus said angrily. "Just like you got in the way and wound up costing me most of my power!"

Brisa and Cyrus started stomping toward each other… only for Holly to jump between them with tears in her eyes.

"Guys, stop it!" Holly yelled as she stuck her wings out to block the two. "Please, can't we all just find some common ground?!"

"What's the point, Holly?" Brisa asked bitterly. "He hates us. He always hated us."

Cyrus's eye twitched. "I… I never said that."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure you DID." Brisa's nostrils flared. "Don't think I forgot all the nasty things you said to us back in Warfang."

Cyrus flinched back as memories of his tirade flooded back. The way he lashed out at each of the girls, and how he screamed at Ricin and Chalice. The prince winced and looked away, while Brisa stood up taller.

"You can't even try to deny it." The wind dragoness snapped. "You've been nothing but an arsehole to the whole lot of us."

"I…" Cyrus stammered.

"What did we ever do to you, Cyrus?!" Brisa continued. "What did Ricin ever do to you, besides trying to be your friend?!" She pointed at the unconscious drake. "He's always the first one to want to idolize you, and it's not even good enough for you!"

Cyrus shivered in place. "I…"

"And when everyone called you out on your crappy behavior the first time around, what did you do?" Brisa gave him a sarcastic smile. "Oh, right! You consumed CONVEXITY, and became a hulking beast that had us all locked up! I'm sure THAT will get the student body to love you!" Brisa beat her wings. "We'll all be talking for YEARS about the time Prince Cyrus betrayed the entire student body for POWER!"

Cyrus shivered more and more; he shut his eyes and tried desperately not to cry.

"What do you think Queen Elenar is going to think about this?" Brisa's yelling continued. "What about your brother? Or the Deep Shadows? They're probably working tirelessly to find a way to Convexity to free us all. And there's no way they DON'T know what you did!" Brisa stamped her paw. "Was it worth it, Cyrus?! Was it all worth it?!"

Cyrus took slow, deep breaths. Without saying another word he turned around to walk away.

"Cyrus…?" Holly asked worriedly.

"Oh, just let him go." Brisa snapped. "I don't have anything else to say to him."

Cyrus held his head low and took a few paces away… only to feel a tug on his tail.

"Cyrus, wait."

Cyrus flinched and looked back to see Ozul just behind him. Holly and Brisa watched as the crimson dragon stepped around to look Cyrus in the eyes.

"It's not too late," Ozul said.

Cyrus blinked. "What?"

"You can still make things up to everyone." The crimson drake continued. "Help us get home. Open up a portal to Warfang again."

Cyrus looked back at Ozul with a disheveled gaze.

"Even if I wanted to go make a portal to Warfang again…" He fanned out his wings and huffed. "Do you think I can do it like THIS?"

"Cyrus…" Ozul's expression weakened.

"I'm back to normal now," Cyrus said miserably. "I lost so much trying to save Ricin. Now I'm just as weak and pathetic as I was back home." He flapped his wings and sucked in a breath. "What's the point in trying to help?"

Holly and Brisa exchanged glances, while Ozul just sighed.

"Cyrus… we didn't think you were weak or pathetic." Ozul stepped closer. "Sure… there were moments when we thought you were showboating too much or being a tad too desperate to be the center of attention…"

"Then I'll just leave," Cyrus said in defeat. He made to walk away, only for Ozul to tug on his tail again.

"Just listen to me for a minute!" Ozul exclaimed. "I wasn't done!"

Cyrus took a deep breath and looked back. "Fine. Get to the point."

"My point is that you're a very talented drake."

"Ozul, stop." Brisa snapped. "Now's not the time to stroke his ego."

"I'm trying to make a point," Ozul said back to her. He then looked back at Cyrus and huffed. "Really: who could ever say that you don't have incredible talent or potential? You're a black dragon; you're one of the rarest kinds of dragons in all the realms. It's just… there's a reason a lot of the student body preferred your brother over you."

Cyrus's eye twitched. He almost made to leave again, but Ozul tugged his tail once more.

"Cyrus, all we ever wanted was for you to tone it down a little." Ozul continued. "Just be more humble about your talents, and let others be the center of attention when it's their time to shine. But that doesn't mean you have to give up on ever impressing anybody; it just has to come naturally."

"Ozul… there's no point in telling me this." Cyrus shot Brisa a defeated glance. "It's just like she said; I've gone too far."

Ozul looked back at Brisa, who held her tongue this time. Holly, however, stepped up and frowned at Cyrus.

"Please… just help us get home," Holly said sadly. "If you can find a way to get the power back to open up the way to Warfang… please help us."

Cyrus frowned back. He looked over the uneasy faces of the other apprentices, and then finally looked at the unconscious Ricin on the cot. A pit formed in the prince's stomach, and he turned away from them.

"I… I guess I can try." He said softly. "But… I don't know if I can."

And with that, Cyrus walked forward to leave the infirmary. He stepped out the door and rounded a corner to vanish out of view. With him gone, the apprentices turned to look at each other.

"So…" Holly uneasily clasped her forepaws together. "What do we do now?"

"Well, I can stay to keep an eye on Ricin until he wakes up," Ozul said.

"Good…" Brisa stepped around Holly and Ozul to make for the door. "You do that, while I go rally the students."

"Huh?" Holly and Ozul gasped in surprise. Brisa looked back at them with a swelled chest.

"Just because we failed to get that portal going doesn't mean I'm just going to give up." Brisa declared. "I don't care how many times that Bergan guy sees stuff coming: I won't give up on getting the students out of here so easily!"

"I could come help," Holly said as she stood on all fours. "But…" She glanced worriedly at Ricin. "I don't want to leave him behind."

"I'll keep an eye on him as I said." Ozul nodded. "You two… be careful out there."

"Right."

Brisa and Holly nodded at each other, and then the both of them dashed out of the infirmary and turned down the opposite corridor. That just left Ozul alone to fluff Ricin's pillow, and hope for the best…

~~…~~

A strong war caravan made its way west under the heat of the sun. The many carriages and airborne dragons moved with precision and unity; as any great engine should. The proud banner of the Earthen Royal Family, the Inverted Circle, shimmered verdantly upon every banner. This wasn't just any war party; this was the royal army of Glenhaven. And it was helmed by its rightful ruler: Saul.

The proud earth dragon stood high atop his head caravan at the front of the caravan. Many dragons wielding all the best weapons at Aeroshard's disposal marched on either side of the former king's vehicle. His cloak swayed in the wind as he gazed about at his army; they were mighty and strong, as any earth dragons were expected to be. A grin stretched from ear frill to ear frill; once he arrived home, his liberation would be swift. And the punishment delivered onto the usurpers and traitors? BRUTAL.

"Saul…" Called the voice of his wife. The General turned around and spotted Olivia poking her head out of the window on the left side of the carriage.

"What are you doing, Olivia?" Saul grumbled. "We're not nearly there yet."

"I know. It's just…" She bit her lower lip. "How long are you going to ride around up there?"

"The entire trip, save for nights sleeping." Saul harrumphed. "I'm the leader of the battalion: I want to witness every step that we take toward our home."

"But… it's been a while since we just sat together…" Olivia frowned. "We've rarely had a moment alone ever since we left Aeroshard. Please…" She fluttered her eyes. "Can't you come inside to sit with me?"

Saul snorted. "We'll share a moment when night falls. I have work to do, Olivia." He flapped his wings. "Just sit inside and be patient."

"Saul, please…"

"I said to go inside!" Saul gnashed his fangs.

Olivia balked and then sneered. "Fine… just don't expect me to keep the bed warm for you."

Olivia pulled her head inside and slammed the window shut. Saul winced at that, but then just rolled his eyes and focused on gazing forward. She was certainly moody lately. Couldn't she understand that he had some very important work to do? Saul was a king without his crown! He needed to get it back!

And what better way to prepare for the crown's retrieval… than another demonstration of some of his new toys? A new grin split Saul's face, as he turned to the little box lined up beside his flank.

Saul opened the case and retrieved the metal gauntlet. It glistened in the sunlit sky as he slid it over his hand and foreleg. He adjusted the talons and flicked his wrist this way and that; truly it fit like any glove or stocking. And once that was done, Saul retrieved the small convexity crystal that was hidden away in his pocket. The general slid the gem into one of the slots; the clicking noise was like music to his ear frills. And once he was prepared, Saul stood upright and held his foreleg out toward the expansive desert.

"Alright, crepsculus…" Saul spoke in a commanding tone. "Come to me!"

The gauntlet created an aura of shadowy magic about itself, which culminated in the plate upon his palm. The aura was projected outward into a layer of mist, which swirled about in the air before the caravan. The shadows soon formed a thick shape, and a pair of leathery wings emerged from the mist. This was followed by two beady red eyes, which stared out at Saul menacingly as the rest of the beast's body emerged. Soon, Saul found himself face-to-face with a winged monster.

The beast flew around in a circle about Saul before coming to a landing on the top of the caravan. Saul gazed down at it cautiously, half-expecting the monster to lash out and attack. But no… the beast sat on its haunches and clicked its little fanged beak as it waited for Saul's command.

"Thank the ancestors…" Saul chuckled. "Still as obedient as ever." He held his gauntleted forepaw toward the crepsculus and snapped his talons. "Up."

The creature spread its wings and flapped hard before taking off. It flew around Saul a few times more, gaining altitude with every go-around. Saul then held his forepaw out, and the creature came to a slow landing atop his foreleg. When Saul snapped his talons again, they took off to continue flapping around him.

"Good, good…" Saul nodded.

Saul made a few more motions, growing more elaborate with every shift of his paw. And still, the beast obeyed his every command to the letter. And once he was satisfied, he had it come to sit on its haunches once more.

This is incredible… Saul thought with a grin. Everything Baneth did all that time ago, I can now do it myself!

And as Saul looked upon the unflinching crepsculus, he became… bored. It was a willing creature… but only one. That wouldn't do for an army. No… No, it was time to take control of even MORE. It was time… for the special orders.

Saul reached down to his side and retrieved his war horn. He held it in his right forepaw, and prepared to give the special new orders he'd taught his army in haste…

But just before he blew into the instrument, Saul stopped to consider the sort of irony of his situation. He remembered all that Baneth did: invaded what was once his home, using an army of dark creatures to terrorize the populace into submission, and then finally doing away with the usurpers who stole what was, supposedly, his. And here Saul was now, wielding the power to control those very same creatures.

There would surely be comparisons drawn by the populace of the dragon realms; that Saul was using the same methods to take what was his as the former Dark Master. There would be dragons who would call him a hypocrite, to decry the dark dragon royal family's seizure of Warfang, only to do something similar to his claim of Glenhaven. Maybe… just maybe… this would end badly for him? Olivia certainly seemed distant lately… perhaps this was why?

Saul looked down at his gauntlet… and beheld the glowing convexity gem embedded in the slot. His eyes marveled at the magnificent shine of the amethyst surface… and the way the magic within swirled and twirled. It was beautiful… so beautiful that a rumbling stirred within Saul's chest.

He didn't want to take off the gauntlet. No… No, he needed to make use of it.

The people of Warfang look back on Baneth as their fallen king, despite what he did to take his home… Saul thought with a scowl. If those methods were fair for him… why aren't they for ME? And besides… He spat over the railing. If anyone comes against me, they'll be made to DROWN.

Saul grinned as he brought his war horn to his lips. He blew three notes in tandem, loud and clear, for all the surrounding carriages to hear. Before long, all of the soldiers and carriages came to a slow stop. Once he was sure that his army was halted, Saul began to blow a new set of noises from his horn.

It was a song he cobbled together during the first day of the war caravan's march across the desert. Saul was still doing his best to get his soldiers to understand EXACTLY what he wanted. The General looked over the side of his carriage… and watched as the frontline of soldiers retrieved similar sets of gauntlets to Saul's own. Saul's grin grew wider; it was beginning.

Saul reached within the confines of his robes… and retrieved a few more of those oh-so-precious little crystals. There were supposed to be just enough convexity crystals to pair with every single gauntlet forged by the smiths; one-to-one. And yet… Saul couldn't help himself. He held back a few of the gauntlets to put in the reserves and kept the matching crystals all for himself.

Saul's eyes widened in delight as he beheld their brilliant glow. He removed several red and blew gems from his gauntlet and replaced them with purple once. The whole device radiated with heat and power; it made his scales quiver. But the General couldn't help himself; he had to use all that he could, to put on a show…

"Saul!" Olivia called loudly; once again her head emerged from the window. "What's going on now?"

"Get back inside, Olivia," Saul ordered.

"But-"

"Now!" Saul shouted. "And don't bother me again!"

Olivia hissed before pulling her head back inside and slamming the window harder than before. Saul just snorted; he'd deal with her insubordinate behavior later on.

Across the front line, all of Saul's earth dragons stepped forward, gauntlets at the ready. Saul hefted up his war horn and played a few more of his special new commands. And once he finished playing, all of the dragons inserted convexity crystals into their gauntlets to bring the magic to life. And then… much to Saul's delight… the dark auras emerged upon the desert sands.

Saul watched with great enthusiasm as the various dragons summoned forth their respective crepsculi. The little creatures' beady eyes glared into the row of dragons, and a chorus of hisses and shrieks pierced the air. The earth dragons were quite unnerved, but they didn't dare to step out of formation. Nor did they give any orders to the little beasts…

No; that was reserved for their king!

Saul stood up tall as he inserted all of the additional convexity crystals into his gauntlet. His foreleg felt decidedly warmer, while the metal sparked and shook curiously. Saul could even see tiny sparks of purple lightning running from crystal to crystal. But as Saul balled his forepaw into a fist, he could feel the power etching its way into his flesh. And it felt… so… GOOD.

Saul grinned wider as a chuckle escaped his throat. He stepped forward and gave the biggest, most intimidating voice he could.

"Crepsculi…" Saul raised his forepaw into the air. "…RISE!"

At once, all of the crepsculi spread their wings and took off into the air. Saul twirled his finger in a spiral motion with amusement. The soldiers gasped as the creature spun in a great, wide circle high above the caravan.

"Yes…" Saul said gleefully. He pointed off to the left, and the crepsculi flew off in that direction. He then shifted to point to the right, and the crepsculi doubled back on their flight pattern to go where he ordered. And all the while, Saul laughed louder. "It's working! It's WORKING!"

As the swarm of crepsculi flew about in intricate patterns above the caravan, the soldiers began to chatter worriedly amongst themselves. Saul took notice of this and gnashed his fangs once more.

"Don't just stand around!" Saul ordered. "Summon up more of the beasts! I want to see the skies turn black!"

The soldiers were uncomfortable, but none refused the orders of their king. As the moments dragged on, the army summoned up more and more crepsculi out of the darkness. And before long… there were nearly a hundred of the monsters flying in the air, all hissing and growling.

"Yes, Yes…" Saul's eyes grew wide with delight. "An army of crepsculi… and it's all MINE!"

Saul threw his forelegs out and gave a terrific burst of laughter. And the swarm of crepsculi continued to fly around the caravan, never once showing signs of going against Saul's orders. Everything was as he wanted.

… And nearly a mile to the northwest, a crimson dragon watched the spectacle unfold. His blood was like eyes as he peered through his telescope, watching the caravan setting forth toward Glenhaven once more with a living black cloud of monsters guiding them along.

"Oh, this isn't good…" Wraith said as he cautiously closed up his telescope. "Definitely NOT GOOD!"

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

I'm posting this chapter right around the holiday season of 2022. I'm going to see, going forward, if I can be completely caught up with myself by New Year's. To anybody who's reading this in hindsight; I hope you're having a good time whatever part of the year it is.

Tenebra ecce Veritas