The road to the Valley of Corrupted Gravity was delightfully uneventful. Every day, they marched along in their column of horses, sometimes making light or humorous conversation, and sometimes continuing on in a dull silence where little could be heard but the horses' hooves and the wind rushing about them. They'd been gifted new and larger waterskins and even a pack mule by King Zior, and so they had not had any troubles with thirst since they'd left Fletz. Meru had taken a liking to the mule and spent a great deal of time petting it and speaking to it, especially when they made camp in the evenings. The second night of their journey, she announced that the mule's name was now Rosie and that she'd adopted her.
Their pace was quick as they charged northwest, giving the barrens a wide berth as they marched toward the mountains. Extra shade was afforded them by means of sparsely spaced trees, but that seemed the only change from the barrens themselves. The sun's harsh rays persisted, draining them of energy as the days wore on.
Dart was growing accustomed to his human nature, and his resilience to its frailties increased over time. He found his energy lasting longer into the day, and he woke up better rested than before. Perhaps their luxurious stay in the Twin Castle had granted him more stamina.
Even so, the vacuum left behind by his dragoon spirit was still tangible every hour. Periodically, he'd feel at the empty pouch around his neck as if trying to communicate with the gem that he was coming for it. Day after day, he wondered where it was and if the bandits had tried to use its hidden power. It seemed impossible, as the dragoon spirit was surely still loyal to him, but he couldn't always shut out the pestering images of dragoon-empowered bandits burning down Donau.
On the third day, he redressed his festering wound, being careful to do so away from Meru's perceptive eyes, and sighed to see no improvement. Each light touch caused an ache, and the fluid his body excreted smelled like decay. Dark magic was certainly powerful, though Dart knew that light magic could undo its harmful effects. As he rewrapped his arm, he turned his eyes up to Shana, who sat leaning up against a boulder, talking freely with Haschel.
She'd never seen his cut, not up close. Often, he wondered if she would still offer to heal it despite everything he'd done and said to her. His unstable heart had burst and pierced hers with the shrapnel. Whenever he imagined the scene, he could see both outcomes: forgiveness and kindness taking up her eyes, or coldness and derision steeling her gaze. Though both were possible, he knew that he could never ask her to heal it until he felt that he was worthy. As he was now, the wound was a painful reminder of what he'd done – of who he'd been – and that he could never be that person again. Until the time came that he was sure that he maintained full control of his own emotions, he would let the wound be.
As the fourth day of their journey began to wane, the mountains finally arose on the horizon. Though the temperatures had begun their slow decline toward winter, the tips of the mountains were devoid of snow, much to Dart's surprise. For as long as he could remember, the Serdian mountains were snowcapped even in the harshest of summers.
"We are travelling a little more slowly than I would like," Albert said to him as they made camp. "But we should reach the mountains by nightfall tomorrow."
"Hopefully we won't have to search for the Valley for very long," replied Dart.
"I believe that we are on the right course," assured Albert, though Dart thought he saw a flicker of doubt behind his stalwart eyes. "We should be able to see it from a distance tomorrow and make straight for it."
"How long do we have now?"
"Less than a fortnight."
Dart rubbed a hand over his face. Such limited time with so much to accomplish was overwhelming, but they could not press on without rest. After assigning watches, he lay down on his bedroll, watching the incredible and vast spread of stars above him until the lights drifted into his dreams.
The next day, just as Albert had predicted, they came within full view of the mountains by midday. From this vantage point, they could now make out the great crests and ridges jutting out from the monumental battlement cutting across their path. Thanks to the sparse rainfall, these peaks were devoid of greenery unlike the Serdian Mountains, and much less welcoming. Still, a gap in the line marked by some dark barrier could be seen far to their right, and a small cluster of dots suggested that a settlement lay before it.
"Is that a town?" asked Meru.
"Doubtful," replied Albert. "Most likely, the king has established an outpost near the entrance to the Valley to slow the tide of bandits."
"I'm not so sure that it's been working," muttered Haschel.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they've been finding a way around," affirmed Meru. "They seem to just keep coming in Donau."
"At least," said Albert carefully, "the king is trying to protect his people. Even if this is all he can do."
"Maybe we could get some direction there," offered Dart. "Through the Valley, I mean."
"I should hope so," said Haschel. "The name doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable about going through it."
"Do we even know what's on the other end?" asked Shana.
"Ruins, I believe," replied Albert.
"That's what they say," said Meru, nodding. "Everyone thinks the bandits took over some old giganto city or something."
Dart and Albert exchanged a glance, recalling the oversized tracks on their way to Fletz.
"Giganto?" asked Haschel with concern. "Maybe that's where Kongol is going."
"You mean the big bad guy that wants to kill all of you?" asked Meru pointedly.
"That might not be what he wants," warned Shana.
"It's hard to believe otherwise," said Dart.
"I suppose that we will have to encounter him to find out," concluded Albert. "For now, let us focus on the task at hand. We have more urgent matters than a giganto who may or may not be a threat."
The group fell silent as they continued their trek, uneasy at the thought of Kongol but grateful for the sight of the Valley entrance. Zior's encampment approached steadily as the day wore on, and at last they came upon it. It was little more than ten or so tents pitched upon the sandy bedrock with a makeshift wall surrounding it. Beyond it, they could see a surprisingly large wooden gate spanning the width of the surprisingly narrow Valley of Corrupted Gravity.
An uncomfortable feeling settled on Dart as he tried to peer past the barricade. Something about it was foreboding and wary of their approach.
As they neared the wall, only about ten feet high, a soldier standing at watch spotted them and ordered them to halt. The sound of chinking metal and thudding boots sounded out from behind him, giving Dart the image of about fifteen soldiers scrambling to arms at the potential of intruders.
The group stopped thirty feet from the wall, and Dart eased Luna forward.
"We have come on orders of King Zior," he called out, holding the scroll of the king. "He has granted us permission to enter the Valley."
The soldier's eyes peered at him suspiciously. "Come forward," he ordered, "and give me the parchment. Alone."
Nodding slightly, Dart separated himself from the others, offering up the scroll, which was retrieved by the soldier. Breaking the thread, he unrolled it and read through, eyes lingering on the signature and seal at the bottom of the page. Glancing back and forth between the parchment and Dart, he finally spoke.
"Very well," he said. "Everything seems to be in order."
Turning, he nodded to someone Dart could not see, and the rickety gate on Dart's right began to open.
"You can come in, and we'll discuss this further."
As the party entered the compound, they were met by the eerie gaze of perhaps two dozen armed Tiberoan soldiers. Several of them whispered amongst themselves, their dark brows beaded with sweat from the abrasive sun.
"You can leave your horses here," said the man from the gate. "My men will attend to them." He gestured to a pair of soldiers who approached cautiously while the group dismounted. A moment later, the horses and mule were being led off toward a small stable on the far side of the compound. Meru whispered fondly to Rosie before they parted.
Only a few minutes later, the group sat in a small room with the captain of the outpost eyeing them from across a wooden table.
"Hopefully," he began somberly, "you lot aren't stupid enough to head into the Valley after nightfall. That means we have plenty of time to talk. So… what brings you here?"
"We need to get into the Valley," said Dart.
"I kind of figured that," replied the captain sarcastically as he raised the scroll.
"We're trying to find the bandits," explained Dart hurriedly. "They took something of value from us, and they kidnapped a man from Donau. We're trying to get both of them back."
"So, you're not daredevils."
"No, sir."
"We also hope to uproot the bandits," inserted Albert. "The king wishes us to remove their leader."
"That would take a miracle, I think," replied the captain. "Why would the king believe you up to this task when none have come out of the valley alive?"
"We survived a bandit ambush," answered Haschel simply. "In the middle of the night."
The captain quirked an eyebrow.
"It's true," said Dart quickly. "That was when they took my…keepsake."
"You're risking your lives for a keepsake?"
"And the mayor's son," aided Meru.
The captain nodded stiffly before standing and beginning to pace.
"With a pass signed by King Zior himself, of course we cannot impede your journey. I will advise you to stay the night here and not choose to brave the Valley in the dark. No one who has ever been into the Valley has been able to exit, and we have no knowledge of where the nest is within it."
"Why hasn't Zior sent soldiers to march on the Valley and find it?" asked Dart.
"That is thanks to the Valley itself. It is winding and narrow for the first mile or two, and when it widens, the terrain is… unpredictable. There are legends of a monster that lurks within and eats all that dare enter, and it is said that the ground shifts at its whims. Such a place is less than inviting to a large garrison strong enough to purge the bandits."
The captain stopped pacing and turned a stern eye to them, as if testing to see if their resolve had changed. A thousand thoughts swirled through Dart's mind, but none of them spoke of abandoning their task.
"All the better for a small group, then," he said stalwartly.
"Very well," conceded the captain, though his brow remained quirked. "We have a few spare beds in the barracks. I'll have one of my men take you there so that you can get settled."
Less than an hour later, the group sat on beds and the ground to discuss their upcoming journey. Thankfully, there were no other Tiberoan soldiers within the tent itself, and they had some limited privacy for the moment.
"This is going to be dangerous," said Dart, stating the obvious. "Does anyone know anything about the Valley beyond what we just heard?"
"I have heard some version of the tales the captain recounted," added Albert. "But nothing more."
Haschel and Shana agreed with the king, but Meru looked ready to speak.
"Yes, Meru?" prodded Dart.
"I heard a rumor once that it was magic that makes the Valley… funny," she said hesitantly. "But I've never heard of the monster before."
"Magic?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
Sighing, Dart turned to Rose. "Do you have any idea? You've been silent this whole time."
"I believe Meru is right," conceded Rose. Haschel and Albert looked baffled that she would agree with Meru. "Legend says that there was once a battle in that valley, during the Dragon Campaign. Back when the area was colder and covered in glaciers."
"So… what? The magic of the winglies warped gravity?"
Rose shrugged. "Or the dragoons. It would be hard to tell. Perhaps it was the clashing of the magics that made it happen."
"Either way," grumbled Dart, "we won't know exactly what we're dealing with until we go in."
"That is something we should do at first light tomorrow," said Albert. "We should all aim to get some rest between now and then, especially if perils await us."
Only a half hour after dawn, the group gathered at the great gate and barricade built into the mountain face. Wood reinforced with steel stretched nearly a quarter mile across the jagged rocks, the only break a small culvert near the center through which flowed a meager stream. Dart found some comfort in the light laughter of the water, promising life-giving refreshment in the danger of the valley that lay before them. His trepidation was something he hadn't acknowledged until that moment, and he glanced about to see if the others felt the same.
The dragoons in the group showed little more than a mild interest in what lay beyond the gate, but Meru sat with eyes wide gazing up to the mountain peaks.
"You alright?" he asked quietly.
As if remembering that her façade was lacking, she shook her head suddenly and grinned at him.
"I'm great!" she said cheerily. "I can't wait to see what it's like in there. I've heard so many stories!"
"Then let's go," shrugged Dart before nodding to the man by the gate pulley.
He nodded in return before turning mightily at a crank, and a booming sound rang out from the gears as they started to shift and grind. Slowly, the Valley of Corrupted Gravity was revealed to them.
"Hm," muttered Haschel quietly.
As far as they could see, there was little to boast of in the terrain. Dart had traversed many a valley in his life, and this one seemed nothing more than one of the gullies they'd traveled along on their way into Tiberoa. But he knew that looks could be deceiving.
"Keep your eyes peeled, for bandits and for this… monster," he said as he urged his horse forward.
They began their trek through the valley, and it ran uneventfully for some time. Every hour or so, they stopped to refill their waterskins at the stream, each of them a little anxious at the thought of running out. For a time, they traveled in silence, and Dart took in the scenery.
The early morning light cascaded in from their right, illuminating the left mountain wall but leaving them in a cool shade for the time being. Despite his preconceptions, the valley seemed to flourish with greenery that the barrens wouldn't have dreamt of. Mostly grasses and low shrubs, the green still starkly contrasted the pale desert that lay behind them. The valley floor was nearly flat, gently sloping up in either direction to form a U shape, but the stream had cut through the bedrock and revealed the jagged stones that made up the valley floor. Unlike the tan and orange rocks of the desert, these glistened with dark green and red minerals, crystal faces sparkling up at them as the rising sun slowly revealed them.
In a word, the valley was peaceful, and Dart began to struggle to imagine any large beast or ambushing bandits hiding behind the occasional boulder.
A large part of the morning was taken up by their cautious approach, and the group was prepared at any moment to be waylaid by bandits or to stumble onto their underground hideout. But nothing happened – nothing until the sun had reached such an angle that almost the entire valley was revealed. When the sun was bright overhead and their hunger began to peak, the very edge of their forward vision revealed a distant change, exposed and broken rock in the middle of the valley. It stood in stark contrast to the greenery that surrounded them, and they shuffled forward ever so slightly faster to investigate, each of them nibbling on breads and cured meats.
Twenty minutes later, a chasm lay before them, and they stood in awe. It seemed that they sat at the edge of a massive explosive crater. Dart had seen minor explosives in the past, and his mind quickly recalled the crater of destruction he'd left in the forest near Bale, but this appeared to be the work of something many times stronger than he was. It was as if someone had set off a bomb the size of a small city, and the immediate aftermath was frozen in time before him. For not only was there a crater, but shards of rock, from the size of his thumb to the size of a small mountain, hung suspended in the air.
"I get it now," said Haschel, as if finally understanding a joke. "'Valley of Corrupted Gravity.' Makes sense."
"'Corrupted' is a bit mild, don't you think?" muttered Dart, watching a boulder larger than a horse floating across his field of vision. Leaning forward, he gazed down into the chasm and saw rubble disjointedly cascading down the side. The angle of descent was not as steep as he'd thought at first, and he began plotting a path to safely reach the bottom.
"How far across is it, do you think?" asked Shana, and the group cast their eyes to the other side, where the faint glimmer of green could be seen far away.
"Maybe a mile," replied Albert, shaking his head in disapproval. "It will take us at least an hour to traverse it, perhaps more depending on surety of a path."
"I think I can see a way down," interrupted Dart.
"That's assuming that we can even go down," said Meru. Then gesturing at the floating debris, she added, "Does gravity work at all in this valley?"
"There are lots of rocks at the bottom," provided Haschel, pointing. "I think the antigravity works in little pockets, not the entire thing."
"That's worse!" she exclaimed. "How are we supposed to know where the pockets are? What if we take a step forward and just go floating off into the sky?"
"I'll go first," suggested Dart, refraining from an eyeroll. "I'll let you know if I suddenly feel lighter."
"I am not sure that horses will be able to traverse this," stated Albert, eyes on the crags below. "Perhaps we should go on foot."
Hesitantly, the group agreed to leave the horses behind, hoping that they would either stay here or wander back to the Tiberoan camp. Dart strapped a note to Luna's saddle just in case, and he and Haschel each carried a backpack with some essentials packed tightly within. Once everything was in order, they began the dangerous descent.
The boulders looming over their heads were of no comfort to them as they stepped carefully over jagged rocks and stones, making their way very slowly across the valley. To make matters worse, low clouds had settled in and blocked the sunlight, casting a gloomy shadow across their path. It felt almost a warning from the Valley itself, warding off intruders. While there were many places to hide all about them, Dart couldn't imagine that this could be the home of the bandits; they had to be farther beyond these dangers.
A dismal drizzle fluttered down from the heavens, making each step more treacherous than ever. As their pace slowed again, Dart took a moment to estimate their progress. Glancing behind, he saw the cliff where the horses still stood grazing, far too near for his liking. He estimated that they had gone less than a quarter of a mile, with more than half of the valley before them. As he turned toward their destination, he saw no direct path forward. Each step required precision if they wanted to avoid twisting an ankle or cascading down a pile of sharp rocks.
As Dart carved the path forward, he watched the droplets of water get caught in eddies of warped gravity, gathering together until they formed a swash of trapped rain. Occasionally, some would escape and splash to the ground, and they found themselves in the middle of spontaneous waterfalls. They managed to avoid getting drenched, but Dart knew that it was only a matter of time.
He sidestepped a spire of rock towering thirty feet above him and leapt down to a bit of flat ground. Turning, he waited for the others to safely make the leap before continuing on, following a roughshod path leading down a short canyon. After several steps, he paused, pressing his foot down once more. Something felt odd, almost as if he'd suddenly lost half his weight. His feet weren't hitting the ground with the same force.
"Wait," he called behind him, and they all paused to watch. "I think we've hit our first gravity pocket… thing."
"Be careful," said a worried Shana.
"Yes," agreed Albert. "We do not know what may happen here."
Hopping from one leg to another, Dart grinned as the impact of his landings seemed nonexistent. What fun he could have had here under different circumstances!
But he brought himself back to the seriousness of their situation and pressed forward, though he later heard Meru laughing as she passed through the gravimetric anomaly.
They continued their trek, Dart hoping more and more that the far, grassy side would appear suddenly before them. But every revealing glimpse, it seemed to remain as distant as ever. For some time, they plodded along in virtual silence, occasionally bouncing along in pockets of warped gravity. Once, they found that they could jump twenty feet high and land on a pillar just off the path, and Dart, Haschel, and Meru took turns until a comment from Albert and a stern gaze from Rose forced them forward once more.
As they rounded the next corner, Dart froze in his tracks. Perhaps a hundred yards away stood a behemoth of a stone edifice, but it appeared to be delicately carved out of a light gray rock that contrasted the dark stones all around them. An immobilized monster loomed the path, at least sixty feet high, menacing, and warning of danger.
As he swore under his breath, Meru appeared on his left and had a similar reaction, though not as powerfully averse as Dart's.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "What is that?"
She stepped forward, and Dart caught her arm and pulled her backward.
"Don't," he commanded as the others began to come into viewing range of the massive virage.
"No," breathed Shana. "I thought I heard something, but… I didn't believe it."
"You hear voices again?" asked Dart fearfully, spinning around to watch her.
"What is that?" asked Haschel as his eyes met the oversized statue.
"It's a virage," said Rose.
"I've heard of those," commented Albert. "They fought in the Dragon Campaign, yes?"
Rose nodded.
"Shana," said Dart, redirecting the conversation. He stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is it speaking to you again?"
She turned fearful eyes to him, paused, and then said, "Yes."
"Tune it out as much as you can. We'll find a way to go around and away from it."
Turning back to the path, Dart eyed the landscape with the aim to plot a course around the virage, but giant walls of rock blocked every other path except the one they were on.
"Maybe we climb up the side," he said. "Go over those rocks and then we should be able to avoid it."
"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Meru. "What in the world is a virage?"
"Something we don't want to fight," replied Dart as he struggled to find a foothold on the sheer rock face.
"They were… used by winglies in the Dragon Campaign," explained Shana with an airy voice. "But they didn't all die… They were petrified."
Hoisting himself up, Dart pushed against gravity until it overcame him. He tumbled to the ground, slicing his hand on a sharp rock as he landed.
"I don't know if we can get around like that," muttered Haschel. "Is it really so bad to just walk past it? It doesn't look like it's going to do anything."
"We don't know that," remarked Rose.
"We should go back," came Shana's panicked voice, as if her mind had returned to herself. "We should leave the valley."
"We can't," insisted Dart. "We have to find a way around."
"I don't think there is a way around," repeated Haschel.
"We have to risk it," offered Rose.
"No, please," pleaded Shana. "Can't we find some other way?"
"I have to get it back," said Dart quietly. "I have to."
"Then it is decided," said Albert. "We will be cautious, and should something happen, we will be able to handle it."
Reluctantly, Dart pressed forward along the jagged path. In truth, there was no place for deviation. Though the path widened several times, they had worked their way into a gulley from which there seemed to be no escape but forward. Dart's eyes were trained on the virage, ready for any kind of movement. Trepidation raced through his heart with the realization that he would be useless in the upcoming battle. Should the virage come to life, he would have to step aside and let the others handle it.
He ground his teeth at the thought.
The virage grew near, and Dart thought his heartbeat must be visible through even his armor as it thudded so loudly in his ears. The misty afternoon took on an eerie feeling as they came within fifty feet of it.
Glancing back at Shana, Dart saw her shaking her head forcefully, eyes closed as she stumbled haphazardly over the rocks. Haschel walked nearby, eyes trained carefully on her and clearly ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Dart pushed forward, struggling to keep Shana from the forefront of his thoughts.
And yet, she creeped in.
He was bewildered that this should be happening to her again. Strange enough was it to encounter another virage in their travels, but stranger still that both would affect Shana in this way. Try as he might, Dart could not manufacture any feasible connection between Shana and the creatures of legend. He hoped that none existed, and that these occurrences were some strange resonance between their magic and hers. He pushed aside the reminder that she was not a dragoon when they passed through the volcano.
He glanced behind him again, seeing that Shana's steps were even more chaotic, and he gazed up at the alien creature now standing over them. They were nearly within reach, and it towered up ominously, its eye-like sockets seeming to peer down at them, judging their presence.
"Shana?" muttered Haschel.
Twirling about, Dart saw that Shana had come to a standstill, eyes fixed on the virage, unmoving and unyielding to Haschel's efforts to attract her attention. Slowly, she raised a hand until her palm faced the creature's head, and then she took two surprisingly sure steps forward.
Then she said… something.
Words that Dart did not understand came from her mouth, and he stood in awe along with his companions as Shana seemed to utter some ancient language long dead. Rose and Meru shifted in surprise while Albert and Haschel furrowed their brows in a vain attempt to comprehend the language.
"Shana, stop!" commanded Rose, and she leapt forward and pulled Shana's hand down before placing a hand over her mouth.
And then the ground began to tremble.
Swearing, Dart turned to see the stone façade cracking and falling from the virage, revealing leathery skin beneath it. Terror seized at his heart as he backed away, allowing his more powerful friends to take his place. Wrapping his arms around Shana, he picked her up and carried her back up the path, watching closely as the virage began to move.
"We will handle this!" called Albert as they passed each other. "Keep them safe!"
Nodding, Dart called to Meru to follow him as Albert, Rose, and Haschel readied their weapons. Confused and terrified, Meru stumbled after him.
"What is going on?" she called out.
But he didn't answer. His left arm thudded with pain and forced him to lay a now unconscious Shana on the hard rock what he hoped was a safe distance from the battle, and he turned back to see a clawed foot break free of the petrification and stumble forward. Three flashes of light forced Dart to turn away as the dragoons transformed, and a moment later, they were in the air. Wind whipped through the gulley, and far above their heads, a swirl of cloud began to form, flashes of lightning streaking across. The virage swatted at Rose, but she dodged nimbly out of the way, slicing at the hand with her sword.
"What are you people?" shouted Meru over the gale.
"I'll explain later," replied Dart harshly.
Sharp rocks flew through the air and sliced across the virage's face at the command of Albert, and bolt after bolt of lightning rained down at the beckoning of Haschel. Dark energy swirled around the virage, sapping its life force as Rose concentrated nearby.
A cry of rage left the monster, and a beam of energy shot out from its face, meeting Albert in the air. He appeared electrocuted, and his body convulsed as he screamed in pain. The wind's power all but ceased as Albert struggled to remain conscious, but he ultimately failed and plummeted toward the earth.
All too well, Dart recalled being struck by this very attack all that time ago in the depths of Volcano Villude. That sharp pain tingled in his memory, and he could only imagine the intensity of a blast from a fully intact virage. As Albert fell, Dart rushed forward in some misguided attempt to help, but he stopped abruptly when the king hit the ground. The thud and crack of the rock reminded him of his own frailty. Of his weakness. What could he do to help?
Blinking away tears, he pushed the feelings aside and rushed to Albert's side, strongly aware of a thrashing virage a mere fifty feet from him.
"Albert!" he called. "Are you alright?"
The king lifted his head slowly and blinked as he turned his eyes to Dart. The power of the dragoon recovered quickly, pushing aside Albert's residual pain as he nodded and stood.
"I am alright, if not a bit dazed," replied Albert. Reaching down, he retrieved his lance that had fallen nearby and gave Dart a smile. "Thank you. Now go back and make sure that Shana is alright."
As Albert pushed off, a gust blew past Dart forceful enough to push him backward, and he turned his eyes up to the battle. He longed to be up there, testing the limits of his magic as Haschel did now; thunderous fists made contact with the virage as bolts of lightning rained down from above. As Rose moved in, slicing at the thick skin with a sword laced with dark magic, Haschel pulled back and hung suspended in the air. The hair on Dart's neck stood on end as flashes of lightning jumped toward Haschel, creating a ball of pulsating electricity that he held in place. Just as Dart was becoming mesmerized by the process, a well-timed swat from the virage made contact with Rose, sending her tumbling over a rock wall and out of Dart's view. The virage then grabbed at Albert several times, finally succeeding as it closed its dark claws around the king's body.
Albert cried out again, but now Dart could not reach him, high up as he was. Haschel continued to charge his attack, but to Dart's dismay, the virage began to charge another beam of energy aimed at the thunder dragoon. Dart searched frantically for Rose in hopes that she could intervene but could not find her.
Casting aside his doubts, Dart leapt forward and drew his sword, sprinting up to the virage before wrapping both hands around the hilt and plunging it deep into the giant beast's foot. He cried out in unison with the virage as the force shot a tremendous pain up his left arm. Blinking slowly to clear his darkening vision, he stumbled backward while the throbbing discomfort nearly incapacitated him.
"Dart!" called Meru from somewhere behind him. "Watch out!"
As his eyes began to clear, he scrambled away from the heavy footfalls of the virage. Glancing behind him, he saw the virage angrily throw Albert at him in retaliation, and he rolled to the side to avoid being crushed. Albert struck the earth with a horrifying crunch, and Dart quickly stood and ran to him once more.
Dart fought to keep his mind clear as a green flash signaled the king's return to human form. Collapsing next to the king, he could now see streams of blood flowing from his body, and he carefully turned Albert over. His chest and abdomen bore deep gashes from the claws of the virage, and his forehead had been struck by the hard rock and was now bleeding profusely. Albert's face grew pale.
Loud crashes of thunder rang out above him as Haschel released his magic, followed by screeches from the beast. Dart pressed his finger against Albert's neck and felt a faint pulse that seemed to be quickly weakening. He struggled to his feet and disregarded the pulsing in his left arm as he charged toward the unconscious Shana. Ignoring the weeping Meru, Dart knelt down and took Shana's head in his hands.
"Shana, I need you to wake up," he pleaded, shaking her lightly. "You are the only one who can save him. You have to wake up!"
To his surprise, her eyes opened slowly, but they were hollow and distant; the virage still had a hold of her.
"Albert is going to die!" cried Dart feverishly. "You have to save him!"
When she didn't respond, he glanced back. Albert lay perfectly still, blood seeping across the stone. Turning back to Shana, he struggled to find a solution. She didn't seem responsive to anything, and Dart remembered how she could barely walk after their encounter in Volcano Villude. In a desperate effort, he searched her pockets frantically for her dragoon spirit and pulled it out. Then holding it in his hands, he whispered to it.
"You can't let this happen. It's Shana's job to help people and to heal them, isn't it? It's your job to heal people!"
He waited, but nothing happened. Meru must have thought he was crazy, but he didn't care.
"I know the connection you have to her. Whatever is going on, heal her mind and let her help. Please!"
A long and tense moment passed, but at last, a warm light flickered inside the dragoon spirit. Hope rose in him, and he placed it in Shana's hand. Magic flowed into her, reaching up her arm and neck and settling into her head, and her eyes shined. Then all at once, the magic dissipated, and Shana turned to him, worry evident in her features.
"What happened?" she asked, terrified. Her eyes flitted to the virage, and she stood up, gripping her dragoon spirit tightly.
"You have to help Albert," said Dart quickly. "He's dying."
As she saw the dying king, she gasped and ran toward him. Midstride, she transformed and took to the air, where she then summoned a beam of sunlight that broke through the dense clouds and struck Albert on the ground. Amazed, Dart saw his wounds stitch themselves back together as blood seeped back into his body. Mere seconds later, he was awake, though dazed, and peered about him to see what had happened.
He touched a hand to his chest, now exposed in long stripes through the ripped cloth, and breathed a heavy sigh before closing his eyes and whispering to himself. Dart supposed he was praying, though he couldn't be sure.
As Albert hoisted himself to his feet and tried to determine whether to rejoin the battle, Shana nocked an arrow of light and poised to attack the virage. Determination shone in her face, but just as Dart thought she would release, she hesitated. It was hard to discern from this angle, but he thought he saw concern in her eyes.
A cacophonous crash sounded out as Rose's magic melded with Haschel's, and the virage suddenly lurched backward, falling onto the rock face, where it lay unmoving, a dark green blood oozing out and dripping to the ground.
In the odd peace that followed, Dart became more aware of pain shooting up his arm, and he cradled it carefully. After a moment, the three transformed dragoons alighted and returned to their human state. Immediately, Shana turned to Albert.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes, all thanks to you," smiled Albert in return. "Although I believe that I lost consciousness, I was aware of the danger I was in. Thank you for saving my life."
Shana gave a weak smile and said, "Thank Dart. I couldn't have done anything if he hadn't woken me."
She cast a glance to the virage and then to Dart, and he smiled back at her. But she didn't acknowledge him, and instead turned away and took several steps toward the massive creature.
"Dart," said the king, not noticing Shana's retreat. "I now owe you my life. That is a debt I may never be able to repay."
He shrugged sheepishly. "I just did what anyone would have done."
"No, there's more than that," inserted Haschel. "Without a dragoon spirit and with an injury, you still fought with us. Can't you see now that you're worth more than a dragoon spirit?"
Silence came over them as Dart looked awkwardly between Haschel and Albert. He turned to Rose, and she nodded.
"He's right," she said.
"Anyone else would have stayed far removed from the fray," said Albert. "But you intervened for us. Without you, the outcome of this battle would have been far different."
"I… I don't know…" stammered Dart.
Chuckling, Haschel clapped Dart on the shoulder and said, "Just take the compliment, man. You did good. And we won't forget it."
Dart smiled weakly as Meru sauntered forward, her eyes still puffy.
"Someone has to explain to me what just happened," sniffed Meru as she wiped her face. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it, and I think we should leave right now."
"On that, we can agree," mumbled Rose.
"Why don't we explain when we get out of here?" said Dart quietly, eyes focused on Shana.
"Is she alright?" asked Haschel, suddenly concerned as he observed her standing unmoving, eyes fixed on the virage.
"I'll find out," muttered Dart, and he jogged forward to stand by her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Shouldn't you be asking Albert that question?" she said flatly.
He paused. Something was wrong.
"He's alright, thanks to you," he replied. "But this is the second time this has happened. Don't you think we should talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Her voice was airy again. Dart cast a concerned glance to the fallen virage.
"Shana?" He paused but received no response. "Shana, what's going on?"
Then the bloodied and scarred virage began to move. With surprising speed for such a lumbering beast, it stood before them, unsteady until it fell onto one knee, supporting itself with its right hand. Dart stumbled back in fear, and shouts came from behind him. With its free hand, the virage reached toward Shana, who now held her hand out as if to accept a kiss.
"Shana!" cried Dart before placing himself squarely in front of her.
The virage growled in anger, and Dart saw more beams of light begin to charge in the middle of its giant head. He steeled himself for the inevitable pain that would follow, something he could only imagine. This blast had been enough to incapacitate a dragoon, and Dart realized that this may claim his human life. Reaching back, he found Shana's hand and gripped it tightly, though she did not return the sentiment. And at the moment that Dart shut his eyes, embracing his fate as screams rang out from his friends, Shana squeezed his hand. A soft blue light pressed on his eyelids, and he opened them to see that its source was behind him. Spinning, he beheld Shana, the blue light emanating from her forehead, her eyes stormy, just as they were long ago in the limestone cave east of Bale.
The virage's beams had lessened, and Dart leapt quickly out of the way as Shana's light intensified.
The blue light swathed around the virage, and the beam faded into nothing as the creature froze. For a long moment, Shana and the virage locked eyes. Then all at once, it shattered into a thousand pieces like blue glass. Dart ducked to protect his face from the shards, but they all dissipated before striking him or even the rocks. He stood slowly, amazed that no trace of the virage still existed except splotches of blood streaking across the stone floor.
"What just happened?" asked Haschel frantically.
Shana collapsed onto her knees, and Dart quickly caught her and helped her stand, holding his arm around her waist. Once more, as with the last virage, she was weak nearly to the point of passing out.
"I did not know that this was a power that the white silver dragoon possesses," remarked Albert.
"It's not," said Rose sharply.
"Let's just get her out of here," interrupted Dart, and he moved forward, helping Shana along.
Before long, Haschel had come up on her other side to help support her, and the rest of the group followed behind in silence. Dart refused to look behind him, but he could almost feel Rose's unease. Something about this event had deeply unsettled her.
As they pressed on, the sunlight began to wane, but Shana's strength returned slowly. Before they'd reached the end of the crater, she was walking on her own, though clearly not with any desire to have any conversation. She barely looked at anyone and said nothing. The others respected her wishes, and the group traveled quietly.
During their trek, they encountered multiple hazards of the warped gravity. Once, a boulder the size of a small house fell slowly down on their path and then bounced just as slowly back up into the sky. Then Haschel became momentarily trapped in an eddy of gravity, and it took several minutes to get him down. Toward the end of the path, they found themselves having to balance on floating rocks so that they could reach a higher ledge to escape a dead end.
What seemed like an eternity but what was probably only an hour or two passed before they finally reached the sharp incline that would lead them out of the massive crater. Carefully, Dart led the group up a dangerous path to the top, and at last, just as night was falling over the valley, they had escaped.
They now looked out on the same image of valley as when they had first entered: lush, green, vibrant, peaceful.
An hour later, they finally came to a rest and began to set up camp. Their supplies were sparse, as the majority were with the horses on the other end of the valley, but they made do. As they all sat quietly in a circle without a campfire, Meru finally had the courage to speak up and ask about the battle.
Dart, Haschel, Albert, and Rose all worked together to explain everything to her as best they could. They told her about dragoons and virage and their roles in the Dragon Campaign, and Dart told her what had happened to his own dragoon spirit. However, they explained little about Shana, for in truth, they didn't know much about what had happened. Shana said nothing during this part of the conversation, but actually lay down and appeared to sleep, though Dart suspected that she wouldn't sleep for a long while. Meru seemed remarkably receptive to all the news, and even mentioned that the group all made more sense to her now. She agreed to continue on with them, even though she might soon be the only one without a dragoon spirit.
With all explained as best they could, they set up watches and slowly began to drift off to sleep. Dart was exhausted from their journey and grateful that he was not assigned a watch. It was not long after Haschel started snoring that Dart slipped away into his dreams.
Rose sat staring, contemplating. Her eyes were fixed on Shana, boring into her back as she faced away from them.
The night was quiet, filled only with noises of crickets and distant frogs. Each of the other travelers slept soundly, and only Rose's eyes kept watch for bandits. But she couldn't seem to watch anywhere except the small, moonlit body of Shana.
The day's events had left Rose puzzled and ultimately worried. The power that Shana had displayed could be… dangerous. She struggled to decide what to do, flailing back and forth between her options.
She wondered if this were perhaps her fault, somehow, though she felt confident in her own judgments. Could an evil power really be harbored within one so caring as Shana? Silently, Rose stood, pulling the darkness to her as she creeped forward.
Perhaps there was an evil there. Perhaps there was a reason to worry.
She drew a small dagger from her boot.
If the evil lay within Shana, it was only waiting for a time when it could be released, and then what? What lives would be lost in that catastrophe? Rose didn't think she could count that high.
She knelt by Shana, her breath barely escaping her, heart pounding in her chest, just as Shana rolled onto her back. Her soft features reflected in the moonlight, revealing a kind heart hidden behind her kind face. Even in her sleep, Shana probably dreamt of ways to help her friends.
Was evil hidden behind that visage?
A soft glimmer off Shana's hand caught Rose's eye, and she turned to see the dragoon spirit clasped tightly there, emanating a soft glow. Rose knew that Shana hated the dark, just as Rose hated the light. She must use that dragoon spirit every night to sleep soundly. Then Rose recalled the night in Lohan when Shana, still a fledgling dragoon, sacrificed her own comfort to accommodate Rose's wrath. She'd slept that night in complete darkness.
Something about Shana softened Rose's heart. A dragoon spirit surely could not choose to empower such a sinister being.
Slowly, Rose returned the dagger to its home and took up her place by the fire once more. Though her unease remained, it was lessened, and for now at least, she would let it be.
