Over the next month they find out that the cult is more like a school for dark magic and even explains how to extract Thaumaturgical Elements from objects. Being the two 'new kids' Glacious and Umbrae are regularly assigned to work together where through idle conversation they become good friends.

Putting on the stolen cultist's robes he draws the night time darkness around him, causing him to become invisible to idle observers, as he slips through the darkness and passes the guards. Dropping the dark wrap he joins the stream of cultists making their way to the sacrificial chamber. Up on the raised platform is the Master Inquisitor standing next to a poison dragon. After a brief moment of panic Umbrae muscles to the front row before letting out a breath of relief upon seeing it's not Veneneer.

Once the chamber fills, the Master Inquisitor's voice booms out over the gathered cultists, "I see that we are all gathered. Today's sacrifice will be for a very important reason. I have found a way to give myself the ability to use the element of poison without poisoning myself!"

She draws a few runes in the air, extraction, spirit core, magic, and body manipulation, before placing them around an empty golden basin. Afterwards she uses her sacrificial dagger to carve the rune for preservation into the dragon's forehead.

"Now, it is very important to keep the dragon alive through this process, hence the rune," teaches the Master Inquisitor as she proceeds to slice multiple vertical cuts up the forelegs of the dragon which drains their blood into the basin.

Once the still living dragon's blood is entirely emptied into the basin she sticks her fingers into it making strange ethereal puncture points appear on the hostage who lets out a scream at the puncture. Moving the punctures to a spot over the dragon's heart, curiously not leaving any evidence of the punctures behind. She then starts to carve a circle that tears through the dragon's scales, muscle, and bone leaving an exposed, and yet still beating, heart as the sacrifice's screams of pain and terror rip through the air.

"Please, just kill me now," wheezes the poison dragon as the inquisitor slices into the heart with her remote body manipulation. Despite the chills running down his spine Umbrae can't tear his eyes from the gruesome scene as the Inquisitor uses the talons dipped into the dragon's blood to remove a glowing, poisonous green orb from the chest cavity. As the core floats above the body that meekly stares at the orb the Master Inquisitor uses the free hand to draw an altered purification circle before drawing the separated spirit core through it coming to a stop in front of the Inquisitors chest where she draws another circle and passes a hand through it, and into her own body, to extract her own, apparently multicolored, core.

"With this addition I will be able to use every element with skill that would rival Malefor himself!" Merging the stolen core with her own and reinserting it her legs give out as the runes on her forearms glow with a bright poisonous green light before fading. Regathering herself she turns to the sacrifice before channeling the newly acquired poison into a hand, "Thank you for your gift," she taps him in the forehead with a glowing green claw, "You may die now."

At her touch the remnants of the dragon's heart stop quivering and he goes limp.

"With that out of the way," starts the Master Inquisitor, "Two of us don't belong," as she continues her speech Umbrae finds Glacious, "We should go."

"We've been careful," dismisses Glacious, "It's probably not us."

"The traitors are Guardian-in-training Umbrae and Lady Glacious, Daughter of Countess Meretrix."

"Okay we should go!" Calls Glacious.

"You think!" Calls Umbrae as they flee, aiming for their hidden tunnel. With a quick blast of ice under the guards in front of the treasure hall they slip through, allowing Umbrae and Glacious to slip past and through the hidden tunnel.

As they are exiting the tunnel Umbrae gets a sinking feeling in his gut causing him to pull Glacious back just as a burst of fire scorches the spot she would've been.

"Thanks," nods Glacious.

Before he has a chance to respond, a pair of cultists, an earth dragon and a fire dragon, step from either side of the tunnel entrance.

The fire dragon unleashes another blast of fire down the tunnel as they have nowhere to go, 'Some hero,' thinks Umbrae, 'Getting killed merely a month after being told of this big destiny.'

Time seems to slow as he feels a presence settle into his mind before he hears a voice not heard since he got into this mess, 'Listen to me.'

'You're the ancestor who brought me to this world. Aren't you?'

'No she is old and nameless, I am Terrae.'

'So I'm dead then. Got it.'

'Not yet. As ancestors it is our job to guide all dragons in their time of need.'

'That doesn't seem possible in a world embroiled in war.'

'In your perception of time, yes.'

'What does that mean?'

'You already know.'

Slow realization dawns on him, 'You're like the prophets in DS9 or the Sphere Builders in Enterprise. Your perception of time isn't linear. You see all pasts and every possible future all at once.'

'Yes but we can project our minds anywhere in time and space. Now normally we don't interfere but if you die too soon Spyro and Cynder will never defeat Malefor and once he rebuilds the world in his image he will exterminate us, the ones who imprisoned him.'

'Cynder? She's still alive!'

'Yes, she is safe and purified at the Grand Temple, but you mustn't speak to her there for Spyro also resides there and his destiny is seperate from yours until much later. Not to mention the purification process did some weird stuff with her proportions and she'll need a few years to get back to normal. Now back on track. Shadow is the element closest to our own power as such it is quite malleable and can act in unexpected ways. Such as solidifying into a wall that can protect you and Glacious.'

'How?'

'Simply concentrate its gaseous form into the shape you want.'

'Can I do this whole slowing down time thing?'

'No, that's Spyro's thing. I'm just doing this so you don't die.'

'Wonderful,' sighs Umbrae, breathing a wall of shadow before focusing his core through his hands and into the wall. As he is focusing he watches it solidify into a solid wall with large spikes facing the two dragons that he commands to fly towards the two at high speed, turning them into pincushions.

'Gruesome but effective,' approves Terrae before the presence in Umbrae's head dissipates.

"Follow my lead," calls Glacious. As she darts across the crystalline fields and into a cave near the one Umbrae first came through. Though this cave seems to have been decorated and turned into a cozy little home away from home, a high mattress on a simple wooden frame has even been pulled in.

"No one followed us we should be fine," comments Glacious before turning towards Umbrae, "Do it again."

"Do what?"

"The cool shadow wall thing," prompts Glacious excitement in her voice.

"You seem happy," comments Umbrae.

"I nearly died! It's exhilarating!"

"Seems like you are an adrenaline junky," With considerably less effort Umbrae resummons the wall, but doesn't command it to move, "Was this what you had in mind?"

"I've never seen such a thing! Who taught you?"

"Just two very good teachers known as brain-numbing terror and wanting to live. With a little help from the ancestors."

She laughs rather ungracefully, "You lucky son of a potato. I was stuck with my mother and my uncle, neither of them would shut up about nobility and how I was disappointing my oh so great and noble ancestors"

"Sounds like the dragon that figured the best way to teach me how to use his very expensive rapier was to lecture me on its history. I had to grab his rapier in both hands and threaten to snap it just to get him to teach me something useful."

"What's his name?" Asks Glacious, "I might of heard of him."

"The rogue Ice Guardian, Cyril. You know him?"

"Of course I know my uncle," answers Glacious.

"You're Cyril's niece? That's hard to believe," smiles Umbrae, "We've been chatting, and even flirting a little, for a month now. Yet you've only once mentioned nobility, in reference to your sister," his voice takes on a flirtatious tone, "Besides you're much prettier than him."

"Put him in a little pink bow and a matching dress and see if your opinion changes," as Umbrae is laughing at the ridiculous image Glacious reaches across the queen sized mattress and retrieves a porcelain long-necked bottle painted with black and gold lacquer, "Want a drink?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know. The merchant just said it was alcoholic and came over the sea at the end of the silk road."

"Judging by the rice plants on the bottle and where it's from I'd say it's probably Sake."

"What's that?"

"Wine made from rice. It should be between eighteen and twenty percent alcohol. Perfect for a drinking contest though I doubt this bottle will last long."

She reaches back over the makeshift bed and produces a crate containing five more bottles and a pair of bowls, "This was all he had. Will it be enough?"

"Yes," Umbrae fills the bowls before sliding one over, "Ladies first."

After a few more bowls Umbrae speaks, or rather slurs, "Ya never told me you was a princesh."

"I'm not a pwincesh," answers Glacious setting down another bowl, "I'm jusht the the daughter of a whore of a countesh."

"Whahat do you mean?"

"Sh-she fucked sho many dragonsh sh-she doesn't know whoo my daddy ish. In fact she will be pished off at me jush talking to a peashent. I hate her."

"I-is that why you live in a cave?"

"Yes she wassho con-controlling," she takes on a mocking tone as she sets down her bowl, "Glashioush, no exploring. Glashioush, no friends that are richer than me. No friends that are poorer than you. No friends that aren't mine. And by no means no shex with dragonsh that I haven't 'checked'."

"She probably just wantsh to keep you safe."

"No!" She finishes her bowl, "She jusht doesn't want to be out done. One-one time I wash drinking at a bar and shtarted talking to an ambassador from Nobele Strad and thingsh gotsh heated sho I bought a room and just ash things were getting interesting my mother busht through the door and arrested him."

"Why?" Asks Umbrae.

"Becaush he was Duke Hertog's shon and she didn't want to be out done."

A dumb smile crosses Umbrae's face, "I don't see her here."

"Yes! She'll be so pissed off!" She drops her bowl, dragging Umbrae to the bed.

"I-I'm not shure I should. I've never done shex before, much less with shomeone as rich or-or beautiful as you."

"Too bad, you're doing it now and I want to pish off my mom," she stops, "Oh I almost forgot!" She rifles around in a pouch before producing a bunch of long, thin leaves before placing it in an incense burner and lighting it.

"What-" Starts Umbrae before a wonderful minty yet smoky scent wafts through his mind replacing the drunken fog with a feeling that he can go all night and still have stamina for a morning run.

"That's Lustwing," trills Glacious in a sultry tone, "It'll make this whole night feel so much better."

"I can already tell."