Nellie was abruptly shaken awake by Seraph, as she usually did. Nellie opened her eyes to see Seraph sighing as she beheld her daughter. The adult dragoness was still mad about her children's recent blunders, but at least she'd cooled down a bit.
"Come on, time to get up," Seraph said sternly.
"Alright, Mom." Nellie sighed. She sat up and rose to get ready for her day at the palace. Seraph walked over to the doorway and stood watching like a hawk; it sent a chill up Nellie's spine.
"Remember what I said, Nellie." Seraph continued. "You're to go straight to the palace, and then you come right back home afterward. No detours and no distractions."
"I get it, Mom…" Nellie sighed again. "I'm not like Blank; you don't have to tell me twice."
"Watch that tone, young lady." Seraph snapped. "You're in enough hot water as it is."
As Nellie got herself presentable for school, Seraph just looked away and blew a bit of icy mist from her nostrils. It wasn't like Seraph took joy in punishing her daughter. Nellie certainly wasn't a troublemaker. Her last major bit of rule-breaking had been when she ran away from home with the other kids to join Rune on his quest across the realms. And even then, Seraph had let Nellie off easy after everything was said and done.
But even so, Seraph couldn't let this behavior go unpunished. There are many places and times for dragons to do battle, but in the middle of a place of learning was not one of them. And all over a petty argument? That was just uncalled for. Elder Telus had done Nellie a favor by only assigning her and Roxanne to a duel in the coming days. He could have easily said she was suspended from school or barred her from continuing her apprenticeships as a smithy and/or a Guardian. Ugh, just thinking about those possibilities made Seraph weak in the legs. Perhaps Nellie being one of Telus's favorite students was what kept her punishment minimal.
Here's hoping she's smart enough not to risk things again in the near future, Seraph snorted. I don't want to have to tell Nymph that my daughter is too much like her brother.
Once Nellie was ready to go, she had a quick breakfast in the kitchen. Blankridge was there, too; Seraph had gone through the extra lengths to make sure that the orange drake didn't try sneaking out his window or the front door. And there he sat, looking as miserable as ever.
"Nellie, I want you to keep a close eye on Blankridge," Seraph ordered. "Make sure he actually goes to the palace and doesn't waste time in the grasslands."
"Got it, Mom." Nellie nodded.
"Hmph…" Blankridge snorted as he lightly ate his grilled steak. "I'm not a dragonling, Mom. I'm a grown-up now: I know how to stick to the beaten path."
"That remains to be seen," Seraph grumbled.
"When was the last time a dragonling figured out how to pilot an ancient airship?" Blankridge protested.
"When was the last time a respectable grown-up dragon flew a dangerous piece of technology into a highly-populated area and nearly blew the palace to kingdom come?" Seraph snapped. Blankridge just sighed in defeat and slumped in his cushion, to Nellie's slight amusement.
After the pair had eaten, Seraph led her two children to the front of the dwelling.
"You're both to fly straight to the Palace." Seraph declared. "No excuses!"
"We heard you the first time, Mom." Blankridge said glumly.
"Well, I'll keep saying it until you take it to heart." Seraph stamped her paw. She quickly turned toward the door and unlocked it. She gave the door a slight nudge as she glared back at her children. "We need everything to be perfect when Nymph gets here, and your childish antics are inexcusable!"
"Hello, Seraph."
"Hi. And furthermore…"
Seraph immediately froze in place, while Nellie and Blankridge flinched in alarm. The three of them turned toward the open front door… and saw an elegantly-dressed water dragoness standing tall and proud.
"What's wrong?" The dragoness asked with a grin. "Ice-bat got your tongue, Seraph?"
"N….N…" Seraph blinked a few times. "Nymph?"
"Why yes, it is." The other dragoness fanned out her wings. "And I've brought Rupert and Hugo along as well."
Standing a short distance behind the elegant dragoness were two drakes of lavish dress: Her husband and son presumably. They stood tall and held their tongues as they looked upon the front garden of the IceFyre dwelling. But soon they returned their attention to Seraph, who looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"You… You were arriving today?" Seraph asked with a cracked voice.
"Didn't you get my last letter?" Nymph pursed her lips.
"I…" Seraph looked over at the desk in the living room; a small scroll sat with an unbroken seal. "I… Never had the time to read it."
"Hmph… Oh well!" Nymph gave a hearty laugh as she grasped Seraph with a forepaw. The shorter dragoness barely had time to react as her sister pulled her into a tight hug.
Nellie and Blankridge watched in surprise as Seraph and Nymph held each other. Seraph's frustration faded away as she shut her eyes and cried with her sister. She couldn't help but brush her forehead against Nymph's, which made the older dragoness chuckle.
"Same old Seraphina…" Nymph wiped a few tears from her eyes.
Blankridge looked at his sister incredulously. "Seraphina?"
Nellie could only shrug in confusion as she watched the two dragonesses hug.
Eventually, Seraph and Nymph broke the hug and backed up a bit; Seraph had flushing cheeks as she tried to stand up regally.
"It's… it's great to have you in Glenhaven, Nymph." Seraph said as her talons wracked the ground.
"Indeed, darling." Nymph smiled. "We've got so much catching up to do. And I'm sure there are lots that you have to tell me about your kids…" She glanced behind Seraph at the two younger dragons. "Ah, and there they are now!"
"H-Hello, Madam Nymph." Nellie very carefully bowed her head and gave a polite wag of her tail. "Welcome to our home."
"You can call me Aunt Nymph, darling." The regal dragoness snickered. "No need for family to get too formal-"
Nymph was suddenly hugged tightly by Blankridge, who wagged his tail quite excitedly.
"Hiya, Aunt Nymph!" The orange drake declared. He then looked over at Rupert and Hugo. "And welcome to our home, you guys!"
"Err… Charmed, Blankridge." Hugo said cautiously. Blankridge let go of his aunt and trotted up to his cousin, who leaned back worriedly. "W-What?"
"You and I are in for quite an interesting time, bud!" Blankridge grinned. "I can't wait to introduce you to all of my friends!"
"Hold it, you." Seraph snapped. Immediately a chill crept along Blankridge's back as he turned toward his angry mother. "Just because your family is in town doesn't mean you're off the hook."
"Off the hook?" Nymph repeated with a frown. "Has something happened?"
"It's a long story…" Seraph snorted and tapped her talons on the floor. "But for now, my two rowdy children need to head off to school before they're late."
"Ah… Right…" Blankridge sighed as he walked around the side of the group to spread his wings. "Guess I should get going. See ya…"
Nellie was quick to follow suit: she offered quick welcomes to her cousin and uncle as she bounced her satchel around. She didn't even look back as she spread her wings and took off into the sky after her brother. But in Nellie's haste\, a slip of paper fell out of her satchel; she must've not closed it properly.
"Nellie, you dropped-" Seraph started to say. But Nellie was already disappearing across the rooftops along with her brother. Seraph snorted in frustration. "…something."
With a shrug, Hugo reached down and plucked the paper up to hand it to Seraph. Curious, she unfolded it to see what it was. To her shock, it was a detailed drawing of Nellie and a few of her friends standing before the statue of Lord Spyro on the prairie.
It seemed like a celebration of sorts. The young dragons were grouped into pairings: Emerald was with that boy marble, Blankridge stood snickering with Mary, and Rune… Rune was down in the center, with a vaguely-defined dragoness. Nellie was standing with another vague caricature of a dragon. Nellie and the stranger stood with their tails intertwined as they gazed up at the statue in awe. And their forepaws were very close… almost touching.
"What in the world…?" Seraph blinked a few times as she examined the drawing. She'd seen her daughter's handiwork plenty of times over the years, and many of them included portraits of her family members; including her foster brother Rune, of course. But the tone of this particular picture was different from the ones she'd seen before. It almost looked…
"Darling?" Nymph asked curiously. "IS something the matter?"
Seraph blinked and put the drawing down. She then shook her head and snorted. "My apologies, Nymph. I was just… marveling at my daughter's handiwork."
"Ah, she must be quite the aspiring artist, hmm?" Nymph snickered. "I might just commission her shortly."
"Sure…" Seraph snorted. She backed up and gestured with a wing toward the interior of her dwelling. "Come on inside, all of you. I'll set up some spare bedrooms so you can sleep here if you wish."
"If you insist, Seraph." Nymph smiled. She followed her sister inside with a wag of her tail. "Come on inside, my lovely drakes."
Seraph closed up the picture and placed it on the nearby desk. Already she was pushing the thoughts of the imagery out of her mind as she prepared to show her extended family around the IceFyre home.
"I'll just return it to her later… if she stays out of trouble, that is."
~~…~~
The day went about as most of Nellie's days usually went by… after she passed through the front doors, that is. Seeing that big, mysterious airship just hovering beside the palace certainly made for an odd trip with each passing morning. And Blankridge was still bitter that he didn't get to explore the inner workings more before his quest ended.
Nellie had really, really hoped that nobody was any wiser about the upcoming arena match between her and Roxanne; she wanted it to be her little secret. But she should have figured that that would have been shot in the paw almost immediately. After the scuffle had started in the hallway, word spread throughout the palace of a planned showdown between Nellie and Roxanne. And who did the most spreading? Why, Vaun and Aaron, of course!
"Don't forget about the big rematch!" Vaun called down the hallway as Nellie turned a corner. "Nellie vs. Roxanne! Spoiled brat vs. Hardworking tavern girl! Don't be late for the show!"
Nellie wanted to throttle that stupid saltwater dragon the first chance she got. But he squirreled away as soon as he saw her. And not only that, but several other students came flooding in asking for all sorts of information.
"When's the match going to take place, Nellie?" A fire dragoness asked.
"I don't know," Nellie said flatly.
"Will furies be allowed?" An earth dragon asked.
"I don't know," Nellie said again.
"Do you have a suit of armor planned for the battle?" A lightning dragoness wondered. If that dragoness were Roxanne, Nellie would have slugged her then and there. But she wasn't, so she didn't.
What really didn't help matters was Blankridge being a big-mouth. As he went from class to class, he told as many students as he could about the upcoming fight. However, unlike Vaun, Blankridge was at least on Nellie's side.
"You guys should see my sister Nellie stick it to that jerk, Roxanne!" Blankridge would tell some of his fellow students in the gym. "She's going to prove once and for all that she's the better fighter!"
"Will it also determine who likes Rune more?" A water drake asked.
"I don't know anything about that." Blankridge shrugged. "I just think the fight will be cool. Err, no pun intended."
Nellie tried so hard to avoid talking about the rematch. She sat obediently in her classes, took notes, listened to the teachers… the whole shebang. And yet, despite her best efforts, the other students inevitably bugged her about those stupid questions. She had to keep apologizing to the Guardians and other teachers at every turn.
And even during the lunch period, it was no different. She waited in line with Emerald, Ember, Blankridge, and all his other friends. And yet the other students kept bombarding Nellie with everything they had.
"Hey, Nellie! Is it true you're dating your brother? Gross!"
"Ugh…" Her face turned green at just the thought. "Please, just stop."
"Do you think you'll win in the battle?"
"Will your brother be at the match? Will he root for you?"
"Are you going to use your smithing hammer as a weapon?"
"Do you think you'll stand a chance in the match, Nellie?"
Even as she sat down at a table to eat, they just kept coming. It was all she could do to keep from screaming in aggravation. Luckily, Emerald stood up for her and slammed a forepaw on the floor.
"Leave her alone, already!" The green dragoness yelled. "It's not a big deal!"
Most of the students were shocked into silence and quickly dispersed. Once that was done, Emerald turned and slugged Blankridge right in the upper foreleg.
"Ow!" He yelled, rubbing the spot where she hit him. "What was that for?"
"You just had to contribute to the gossip by telling everyone you possibly could, didn't you?" Emerald scowled as she adjusted her spectacles. "Imbecile!"
"Well, it's not like Roxanne wouldn't have told anyone either!" He snapped. "At least I told people in a way that makes them root for Nellie!"
"What, did you think that would help?" Emerald sneered.
"Hey! Things could've been worse!" He shrugged. "They could have all started mocking her and throwing things at her."
"Don't give them ideas!"
As Blankridge and Emerald proceeded to bicker back and forth, Nellie and the other young dragons at the table exchanged awkward glances. Marble frowned as he sank into his cushion; he used a textbook to act as a shield from the two arguing dragons. Keith and Mary whistled to themselves as they ate their steaks, while Ember leaned in to whisper into Nellie's ear frill.
"Do they always fight like this?"
"Not always," Nellie answered. "When Rune's in town, he gets caught in the middle of their arguments."
Ember giggled at that but then frowned. "By the way, I'm sorry that you got into trouble, Nellie."
"Don't worry about it." Nellie shrugged her shoulders. "I made a mistake, and now I have to deal with it. That's life, you know?"
During the bickering, Marble reached out from behind his textbook and lightly nudged Emerald's shoulder. The green dragoness stopped and whirled around, only to balk as she saw Marble frowning up at her.
"You're, uh… you're going to get yourself stressed over this, Emmy." Marble said awkwardly. "Don't you think you should calm down before the staff gets involved?"
"Err… you're right…" Emerald said with a flush. She took a deep breath, straightened out her student uniform, and turned to look disapprovingly at Blankridge. "Let's agree to disagree for once, and just focus on rooting for Nellie as she prepares for her rematch."
"Fair enough." Blankridge shrugged. "Besides, I need to plan out my next big adventure."
All the other dragons at the table looked at Blankridge in surprise, Nellie most of all.
"Are you serious?" Nellie said incredulously. "After the stack that Mom blew, you're already planning your next adventure?"
"Hey, the Elders still approve of my adventuring, even if Mom doesn't." Blankridge grinned. He reached into his satchel to pull out a scroll, quill, and ink jar. "What's the worst she could do? Kick me out of the house?" He shrugged. "If I'm out on my own, then I can just wander as I please to find MORE adventures."
Nellie looked at her brother incredulously. "You don't really want her to do THAT, do you? All she wants is for you to take it easy and keep out of trouble."
"Bah…" Blankridge shrugged. "I'm tired of being tied down there, anyway."
"If you go somewhere else, you'll have to start paying rent." Marble said. "You'll need a job, Blank. And there are plenty of jobs here in Glenhaven."
The orange dragon just groaned and rolled his eyes. "I'll figure it out. I always do."
Nellie just sighed and shook her head. "Blank…"
"Hey, he won't be all alone out there." Keith declared. "He'll have his buddies to tag along to keep him out of trouble!" He leaned over to nudge Mary on the shoulder. "Am I right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Mary winked. "And when you're right, you're right."
Nellie just rolled her eyes; how her brother failed to understand how much their mother worried about him, Nellie might never know. All she could do to keep from getting a headache was to focus on her lunch.
With all of this excitement surrounding the rematch, Nellie had barely taken time to consider the match itself. She probably would need some proper armor to protect herself. Roxanne may have been a pest, but she was no slouch when it came to combat; she had quite a selection of lightning magic, as well as plenty of combat training. Plus, even if she hadn't seen it for herself, Nellie knew that Roxanne stood side by side with Rune during that big adventure years prior. Roxanne could handle herself quite well, and Nellie needed a strategy to figure out how to beat her.
Once Nellie was finished eating, she took her tray and brought it over to the garbage cans to empty it. Not wanting to leave Nellie on her own, Blankridge and Ember rose to follow after her.
"You coming, Emmy?" Blankridge asked the green dragoness.
"Just a moment…" She stopped and gave a brief smile to Marble. She leaned in to plant a little peck on Marble's forehead. The brown drake leaned back with a big goofy smile as a blush spread across his cheeks. There were practically little illustrated hearts floating around Marble's head as Emerald followed after the others with a skip in her step.
"Try not to get lost in the clouds, bud." Keith lightly nudged Marble's shoulder. "You're liable to float off into space!"
As Nellie and the others approached the garbage bins, the blue dragoness looked across the way. By chance, she spotted Roxanne, seated between Aaron and Vaun in their usual little corner. Almost immediately Nellie scowled at the sardonic grin on Roxanne's face.
Nellie was going to beat Roxanne. She wasn't sure how she was going to win, but Nellie had to win. It was high time that somebody took her down a peg, once and for all! But just as Nellie began to fantasize about her victory again, she felt a forepaw clamp down on her shoulder.
"Just keep walking, Nellie," Emerald said sternly.
"She's such a pest," Nellie responded.
"I know, I know…" Emerald sighed. "You'll deal with her when the Elders announce the rematch's date."
"And you're gonna kick her arse," Blank added as he smirked. "Up and down the arena!"
Nellie smiled. "You believe in me?"
"Err, no," Blankridge said flatly. "I kinda made a bet with a few other guys that you wouldn't lose. I need you to win so I can cash in on 30 pieces of silver."
Nellie, Emerald, and even Ember flashed Blankridge a furious glare. The orange drake grimaced as he backed up against the wall.
"What?"
"You're a jerk, Blank."
~~…~~
Just to the north of Glenhaven, a small group of teenagers was completing the last leg of their journey.
Tyrrany groaned as she spat sand out of her maw. Flame and Arthur were just behind her. The dragonfly was riding atop the dragon's muzzle to try and keep from being blown off by the dirty wind.
The trio had spent days traversing the land. They'd had to stop and rest at a few oases here and there, and they gradually ran low on rations and drinking water. But just when it looked like they'd run out, they spotted the desert city looming on the horizon. They were tired and hungry… but they'd done it.
We're here… Tyrrany thought as she approached the northern gatehouse. We've arrived in Glenhaven!
Tyrrany's feelings of victory were quickly overpowered by her exhaustion beneath her disguise. Her makeup just barely withstood the intense heat, but she felt filthy. Her satchel and violin case felt like they'd weighed a ton; she all but dragged them through the sand.
As the trio stepped up to the gatehouse, they were greeted by some rather surprised cheetah guards. They almost threw down their supplies as they sprang up to investigate the teenagers.
"W-Were the three of you traveling through the desert by paw?" One asked incredulously. "Did you have a death wish?!"
"No…" Tyrrany looked up wearily at the guard. "We just… had no means of transportation to get to the desert city."
"Well… you're here, whoever you are." The guard backed up and scratched his head. "What business did you have in Glenhaven?"
"Well… we need a place to rest, for starters," Tyrrany said with a groan. "I also wouldn't mind the location of a bathhouse, and maybe an eatery."
"Hmm…"
"Fair enough, I suppose." The guard backed up and signaled for other guards atop the gatehouse to let them open. The gates slowly creaked open, and the guard bowed to them.
"Enjoy your stay in Glenhaven."
Tyrrany, Flame and Arthur quietly made their way through the gatehouse, and soon began their trek through the desert city.
As the trio wandered the streets, Tyrrany kept herself as scarce as she could. But when they inevitably had to pass by a group of citizens, she tensed up and waited for someone to comment on her rather dark clothing. However, to her surprise, barely any of them even acknowledged her presence. For once, Tyrrany could sigh in relief; maybe Glenhaven was a different kind of place from Faeshrine or Warfang.
"Man, this place is big!" Arthur exclaimed. "How are we going to find a single water dragon?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Flame asked.
"No, it isn't." The dragonfly crossed his arms. That just made Flame roll his eyes and trot up a bit closer.
"If this Nellie girl is acquainted with Rune, then naturally she'd be close to his age, right?"
"I guess so." Arthur shrugged.
"So, she's close to his age, that means that she's in the last years of training at her school, or some such equivalent."
The dragonfly crossed his arms. "Uh-huh?"
"So, if we find this school, then we'll be one step closer to finding Nellie." Flame nodded.
"Oh…" Arthur scratched his head. "I guess that's a good place to start."
"Once we find the school, then we work to figure out which one is Nellie," Tyrrany said. "After that, all we'll have to do is find out how what perilous situation she's going to end up in. And then when… Rune…" She shuddered at mentioning one of her brother's names, "finally shows up, we can work our way toward earning his trust."
"Right…" Arthur flew up to her face. "And once you're on Rune's good side, you'll get him to put in a good word for you with your mom, right?"
Tyrrany sucked in a breath and spoke through gritted fangs. "Yes…"
The trio stepped out onto a clearing; perhaps it was another park of some kind. Looking around, Tyrrany soon spotted a marvelous palace that rose higher than any other buildings in Glenhaven. She fell back onto her haunches and sighed; the rock formation reminded her of the gigantic mushrooms back in Faeshrine. Oddly comforting, she had to admit.
"Glenhaven Palace…" Tyrrany sighed. "That's got to be it."
"Glenhaven Palace?" Arthur repeated as he flew up to float beside the dragoness's muzzle. "That's really what it's called?"
"Well, what better name suits it?" Flame asked, drawing Arthur's attention. "It's a palace. It's in Glenhaven. So, it's called Glenhaven Palace."
"Pretty dull name, if you ask me." Arthur sneered. Tyrrany just rolled her eyes as she focused on the structure again.
"I should have figured that that would be…" Her jaw began to fall open as something drifted into view from around the side of the palace. Her eyes widened, and she clutched her cloak out of instinct. "Be… Be the… the… the fuck?!"
"What's with you?" Flame asked.
"Look!" Tyrrany pointed off toward the side of the palace as the structure got bigger. "What is THAT?!"
"What? What are you… you…?" His eyes widened in alarm. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Arthur looked between the two dragons in confusion. Eventually, he finally turned around to see what they saw… and he was so shocked that he fell over onto Flame's muzzle. It was a ship… a ship floating in the sky, defying everything that Faeshrine Academy had ever taught any of them about physics.
"It's a ship! Floating in the air!" Flame exclaimed. "It's… it's an airship!"
"Glenhaven has an airship?!" Arthur shouted. "Why would they need a ship that floats in the sky?! They're in the middle of a desert!"
"M-Maybe that's the point." Flame gulped. "Maybe they made themselves a ship to fly over the desert since there aren't any oceans to sail on for miles around?" He gave a confused shrug. "I think I saw a river or two, but that's not big enough to carry something like THAT!"
"But HOW is it flying?!" Arthur flew up a bit higher and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When it was still there, he collapsed back down onto Flame's snout.
"It's definitely not dragonfly magic, I can tell you that!" Arthur flapped his wings erratically. "Dragonflies can't create enough dust to lift something THAT BIG into the sky!"
Tyrrany could have sat there all day, struggling to make sense of things. But then she remembered her mission. So, she took a deep breath, shook her head, and forced herself to stop thinking about it.
"It… It doesn't matter what the logistics are." Tyrrany snapped. She whirled around to face the two boys. "We're not here for airships; Father sent us to help that Nellie girl. And that's that."
"But…" Arthur stammered. "But it's driving me nuts just looking at it."
"Well don't get worked up about it." Tyrrany lightly poked him on the belly. "We have to focus on the mission. Come on: we're heading for the palace."
"Right…" The two others nodded. The trio continued on the path down the street. But along the way, the dragonfly gazed up at that palace and grimaced.
"Didn't that use to be Prince Jonathan's old home?" Arthur asked. "He was born here, right?"
"Indeed…" Tyrrany snorted. "Well, considering some of the stories he used to tell of his happy fun times learning under his grandpa, then it's safe to assume that the Glenhaven Palace was the school he attended, and where Nellie attends today." Tyrrany strode forward with a confident stride. "Let's get a move on: We've got some investigating to do."
As Flame and Arthur followed from behind, Tyrrany felt her spirit lifting. After all this traveling, she was finally almost one step closer to getting her revenge on her mother. She wasn't sure what this Nellie looked like, or sounded like, or even what her personality was like… but Tyrrany needed to do everything she could to get on Nellie's good side. It was a small step, but a necessary one… and that is why she dreaded putting on her false smile.
You can do this, Tyrrany, she told herself. Just… just keep your cool.
~~…~~
Another school day had come to a close. Nellie and her friends mixed in with the crowd of students as they all left the palace. Quite a number of them stopped to gawk at the airship as it slowly drifted by. It had gotten so many odd looks, that it was practically being considered a tourist attraction.
Nellie felt uneasy every time she looked up at that thing. Sure, the Guardians promised that they'd disabled the airship's cannons, and were keeping it adrift until they figured out how to use the controls to bring it to a landing at the base of the palace. But none of that made it any easier to behold such a behemoth of engineering. Something from centuries ago, floating around in the modern day… it was just so unnerving.
Nellie felt Blankridge come to stand beside her, and she sneered at the longing expression on his face.
"Whatever ideas you're getting, forget about them." Nellie snapped.
"Oh, come on." Blankridge frowned. "Can't a dragon admire a piece of history he found in the ruins?"
"Not if he keeps going on about it." Nellie struck him in the shoulder. "We promised mom that we'd stay well-behaved, especially now that Aunt Nymph and her family are in town."
"Fine, fine…" Blankridge sighed and shook his head.
As Nellie and Blankridge were talking, Emerald and the others came up from behind. The earth dragoness stepped up beside Emerald and adjusted her spectacles as she took in the sights of the airship. Ember nearly fell back onto her haunches as she beheld it.
"What a marvel…" Emerald said with a soft smile. She turned to look between the two siblings. "So, do you guys want to head to the grasslands today?"
"I can't," Nellie said with a sigh. "I promised Mom that I'd bring Blankridge right back home; we're on probation, so to speak."
"Aww…" Ember pouted. "I hope she changes her mind soon. I wanted to explore more of Glenhaven with you."
"I know, I know…" Nellie shook her head. "But, you can still explore around without me. I don't mind."
"Just make sure you stick by me, Ember," Emerald said sternly. "Neither of us wants to end up as part of the Probation Gang."
"Oh, very nice." Nellie snorted. "Is that what we're called now?"
"Well, it's just the two of you…" The earth dragoness gave her a sly smirk. "So, maybe it's just the Probation Pair."
"Oh, ha ha…" The blue dragoness rested a forepaw on the hilt of her smithy hammer. "Keep that up, and I might just give you a Probation Pounding."
Ember looked between the two uneasily… but then Nellie and Emerald shared a laugh, making the pink dragoness sigh in relief. Blankridge, meanwhile, had been gradually sneaking away from the dragonesses. He had his eyes set on the airship, and he looked ready to take off to explore it… but then Nellie quickly tugged on his ear frill to hold him back.
"Hey!" He protested. "Give me a break: I'm not a hatchling: I'm a fully-grown drake!"
"I wish you'd act like it for once." Nellie sneered. She let go and pointed off toward the side away from the crowd. "Now come on: Mom's waiting on us."
Nellie tugged on Blankridge to walk with her off toward the staircase, while the rest of their friends took off toward the east.
"Huh?" Blankridge blinked. "I thought you said Mom wanted us to head straight home."
"I did…" Nellie huffed. She grimaced as she gazed up at the airship. "But… I think I'd rather walk for a bit of the way until we get away from that thing. And besides…" She bent her head low and sighed. "I'd like to get as much fresh air as I can, before being stuffed up inside my bedroom."
Blankridge frowned at his sister. He stepped up and lightly lifted her head with his head. Nellie looked at him funny for a moment, but then he draped a wing over her back.
"Hey, don't be like that, Sis." Blankridge put on a smile. "You know that Mom loves you to pieces. And besides, you've always been the more well-behaved sibling; that fight with Roxanne was just a fluke."
"Blank…" Nellie grimaced. He cut her off by tilting her head up even higher.
"Come on, look at that sparkling sky." The orange drake continued. "It won't be long before you're flying free through the air. Mom can never stay mad at you for long. Just be a little patient, okay?"
Nellie didn't know what to say. She just shrugged her shoulders and tried her best to put on a smile. "Alright, Blank… but I'd still rather take a walk for a bit."
"And that's fine…" Blankridge marched forward and swung his tail from side to side. "Shall we go?"
"Right…" Nellie gave a soft sigh as she followed after her brother. She only paused long enough to wave goodbye to Emerald and Ember. "See you later, girls."
"Bye!" The green and pink dragonesses waved after them.
With that done, Nellie quickly trotted up to walk side by side with her brother, as they made their way down the spiraling staircase to head down to street level…
Completely unaware of the three teenagers following behind them.
~~…~~
Blankridge and Nellie walked in relative silence as they made their way west toward their family home. Along the way, Blankridge gazed up at the sky here and there to take in the lovely sights of the mid-afternoon. Nellie, meanwhile, contemplated what she was going to do to prepare for her match against Roxanne.
Roxanne's not above resorting to dirty tactics to gain the upper hand, Nellie snorted. Plus, she's notorious for finding loopholes in match rules for her benefit. So if she's going to walk that fine line, I'll have no choice but to do the same thing.
"Nellie, look out!" Blankridge cried.
Before Nellie could even gasp in alarm, the orange drake suddenly shoved her off to the side against some garbage cans. She was going to snap at him for being an idiot when a bolt of lightning came flying through the air and crashed against the pavement. Nellie's wing membrane ached from Blankridge's shove, but she held back a shout as she struggled to rise to her feet. Blankridge came after her soon enough and quickly pointed a talon into the air toward the source of the lightning.
"Damnit…" Roxanne hissed. "And here I thought Blankridge was too slow on the uptake."
"Roxanne!" Nellie hissed.
The lightning dragoness flew out of the sky and came to a brisk landing. Vaun and Aaron weren't too far behind; their mocking laughter filled the air as Roxanne strode forward to glower at Nellie.
"What do you think you're doing, Roxanne?" Blankridge scowled.
"Trying to make things EVEN between your sister and I, Blank." Roxanne stuck her muzzle in the air.
"That's you and me, Roxanne." Nellie sneered.
"Oh, save the grammar lecture." Roxanne spat on the ground near Nellie's paws; the blue dragoness flinched back in disgust.
"We're not supposed to speak to each other until the day of the arena match, Roxanne." Nellie scowled. "So just pack up your goons and go fly a kite."
"Like either of us cares." Roxanne snorted. "You can save the goody-two-shoes act for another day, Nellie." She glared over in Blankridge's direction. "And stop relying on your brothers to come to save you."
"I don't need Blankridge to save me." Nellie stood tall and proud. "I could have easily taken your cheap shot like a soldier. But that doesn't mean I'm not grateful to have him looking out for me."
Blankridge smiled at that, while Vaun gagged in disdain.
"Ugh, I feel sick whenever Nellie's family members look at each other like that." He wrinkled his nostrils. "Maybe we should just get going, Rox."
"Oh, not yet…" Roxanne's fangs gleamed as she gave a wicked smile. "I'm not done giving Nellie here a prelude of the arse-whipping she's going to get at the arena." She clawed at the ground. "After all, she deserves it for provoking me into attacking."
"Does this relate to that Rune thing again?" Blankridge asked curiously. "Geez, when are you ever going to accept what happened and move on, Ro-"
"SHUT UP!" Roxanne screamed at Blankridge; Vaun and Aaron growled at the orange drake and stomped the ground. However, Blankridge wasn't spooked; he just rolled his eyes and extended his wings in a show of his fortitude. And Nellie was made to stand beside her brother as she gave a small growl at the bullies.
"Maybe if you hadn't tossed your lousy drawing at me, I wouldn't have given you my fair critique." Nellie snorted. "I think you should quit while you're ahead and just leave me alone, Roxanne."
"Think what you will." Roxanne spat at Nellie's paws once again. "Although, after the match, you won't be doing much thinking after I've beaten you senseless!"
Vaun and Aaron burst into their awful laughter once again. Roxanne let lightning dance across her scales, while Blankridge and Nellie did their best to look tough. Nellie didn't want to have to disappoint the Elders by fighting out on the streets. But if Roxanne was about to start something again, at the very least Nellie would defend herself…
"You know, there's an old saying back in Faeshrine."
Everyone flinched, while Nellie stood confused. Who said that? Looking around, Nellie saw someone lurking in the shadow of the alleyway just to the side. Roxanne, Vaun, and Aaron spotted Nellie's gaze and eventually followed it as well. Blankridge didn't notice any strangers until they marched forward into the light.
The first stranger was the strangest: a purple dragoness covered from head to toe-talon in dark cloth. She was followed by a red dragon who wore a brown cloak and goggles over his eyes. Lastly was, most peculiarly, a green dragonfly, which flew over the two dragons' heads in a circle as they came to a stop.
"The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall." The dragoness said. She focused on Roxanne with her blood-red eyes.
"And just who are YOU?" Roxanne demanded.
"Not a friend of yours, that's for sure." The purple dragoness snorted. "Now, leave the two siblings alone, or you'll have to deal with me."
"Oh, and am I supposed to be threatened?" Roxanne growled as she dug her talons into the dirt.
"That's the idea." The red dragon glared at Roxanne. The dragonfly balled his fist and punched his palm for a bit of emphasis.
"Oh, well that's just rich," Roxanne said bitterly. At the motion of her wings, Vaun and Aaron stepped up to growl at the strangers. "I'm being harassed by a gang of freaks. How lovely."
From the moment the word freak pierced the air, the strange dragoness's eye twitched. Nellie felt uneasy and backed up a bit as she watched the two groups glower at one another. That's when Nellie noticed the purple smoke rising from the cloaked dragoness's nostrils.
The dragoness strode forward from her two companions and made to face down Roxanne's trio. The stranger locked eyes with the lightning dragoness and extended a forepaw to trace her talons along the ground.
"And just what are you…?" Roxanne began to hiss, only to stop as she watched more of the smoke rising from the pavement.
Everyone watched worriedly as a sizzling, crackling noise rose from the pavement. The pavement splintered as more purple smoke rose. The stone began to decay and collapsed into little piles of dust at the cloaked stranger's touch.
"That…" Roxanne's eyes widened. "That's… c-convexity?"
"Rox, what are you talking about?" Aaron asked. Roxanne didn't answer; she just shivered as she focused on the cloaked stranger uneasily.
Nellie did the same thing as she backed up nervously. Blankridge backed up as well, albeit not to the same extent of worry as her sister. If there was one thing that Nellie, Blankridge, and Roxanne could have common ground on… it was that they never wanted to look upon convexity magic ever again. They'd had more than their fair share at the Well of Souls… and seeing it here and now was unnerving. Who was this dragoness, and how did she possess that kind of power?
"I… I'm not scared of you." Roxanne quickly said with a flap of her wings. When one of the purple cracks got too close for comfort, the lightning dragoness yelped and stepped back.
"I don't think anybody asked if you were scared." The red dragon snorted.
The cloaked dragoness withdrew her talons, and the corrosive effect on the pavement ceased. Roxanne shivered as she scrambled back a pace or two, with Vaun and Aaron rushing to defend her. She stamped the ground and gave a mighty snarl as she locked eyes with Roxanne yet again.
"You have some kind of arrangement in a battle arena with this Nellie girl." The stranger hissed. "So, just WALK AWAY, and save your fighting spirit for later. You are not to lay a TALON on her until then…" The dragoness leaned forward and gave a wicked growl. "Is that CLEAR?!"
"H-Hey, you can't just bark orders at the boss like that!" Aaron tried to sound tough. "So… just leave her be!"
"Roxanne can do as she pleases." Vaun snapped, though his eyes betrayed his trepidation. "She's a hard-working girl who-"
"Fine!" Roxanne quickly shouted out. She backed up another pace, much to her friends' alarm. "I… I know better than to mess with someone with that power. But mark my words, freak…" She pointed a very shaky talon at the stranger. "I'm alerting everyone I know that you have convexity! The Elders are going to have some very choice words for you!"
"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you…" The stranger gave a rather fearsome growl as she extended all of her talons. "It sounded like you said 'please beat me like a rag doll up and down the street with your convexity!'"
Roxanne yelped and backed up again. She hurriedly flapped her wings and took off into the sky with a scream.
"Boss, wait!" Vaun cried out; he beat his wings to take off after her. Aaron was just behind them, albeit a bit slower due to his bulky frame. And within moments, the trio had vanished off for other parts of Glenhaven. The stranger sighed relief and made to turn around.
"Well, now that that's…"
Nellie and Blankridge weren't behind the stranger anymore; they'd extended their wings and made to take off down the street. But before they could get far, the green dragonfly from before flew up before their faces.
"Hey, wait a minute!" The dragonfly cried out. "We come in peace!"
Nellie slowed herself to a stop before she crashed into the dragonfly. Blankridge, however, was a bit too slow and wound up slamming his face into the dragonfly before tumbling forward onto the street. The red dragon gasped and quickly ran over to the orange drake.
"Arthur!" The dragon cried out. He rolled the orange dragon over onto his back and looked around. To his shock and disgust, most of the dragonfly's body was dangling out of Blankridge's maw. The red drake forcibly opened Blankridge's jaw, who was quite shocked by the whole episode.
"Arthur, are you alright?" The cloaked dragoness asked worriedly.
The dragonfly flew up and out of Blankridge's maw with a disgusted face; his head was soaked in saliva. Blankridge tuck-and-rolled before rising to his feet; he spat out little green particles of dust as his face scrunched up.
"Bleh…" Blankridge stuck his tongue out. "I'm going to be tasting dragonflies for a week."
"You could stand to brush your fangs, bub." Arthur scowled at the orange drake as he wiped the spittle off his head.
Nellie looked around uneasily as the red dragon helped his dragonfly friend get cleaned off. Blankridge stepped over to his sister with his tongue hanging out. Nellie could hardly believe what had happened in the last few minutes; was any of this even real? She'd never seen a dragonfly before in all her life; not even on her grand adventure.
"Alright, now that we've all calmed down…" The cloaked dragoness said cautiously. She carefully took a deep breath, turned around… and gave the most disturbing smile that Nellie had ever seen. Her eyes bulged out, and a bit too many fangs were showing.
"Hi. I'm Annie." The dragoness said in a suddenly-cheery voice.
Nellie gulped and backed up a bit; she feared that if she made too many sudden moves, this stranger would be adding blue scales to her wardrobe in a minute. It didn't help when the cloaked dragoness extended a forepaw so fast that it made Nellie yelp in fright. The dragoness then held her paw out with that wicked grin for a few moments; maybe she wanted to shake paws.
"Uh…" Nellie cautiously gripped a few of Annie's talons and shook them up and down. "H-How do you do?"
Annie pulled back her forepaw and fell back onto her haunches. "I'm visiting from out of town." She pointed her muzzle at the red drake and the dragonfly. "These are my friends: Flame and Arthur!"
"H-Hello…" Flame gave a much more welcome smile, if still kind of awkward. Arthur didn't even bother; he just crossed his arms and snorted as he looked away.
"What was that city you mentioned before?" Blankridge asked. "Faeshrine?"
"Oh, yes." Annie nodded without breaking her smile. "We're on… vacation from Faeshrine. To celebrate the Day of the Bonds."
"Oh, you're here to celebrate?" Blankridge grinned. "So, does that mean you and Flame are an item?"
Immediately the purple dragoness gasped, while Flame bit his lower lip. Annie backed up a bit, while Flame stepped up to clear his throat.
"Err, not quite." He shook his head. "Anyway, we were taking a walk down the street when we heard those other guys causing you trouble. Annie wanted to come to help you out."
"Right…" Nellie cast her eyes down at the scorched pavement. She fought back a sick feeling in her stomach as she tried to lock eyes with Annie. "Uh… thanks for your help. It's not every day when a purple dragon comes through town looking to help out the locals."
"Y-Yeah… of course…" Annie sucked in a breath and put on that creepy smile again. "I'm… just glad to help the children of Guardian Hontus."
Blankridge and Nellie balked. The orange drake looked at Annie curiously. "You know who our dad is?"
"Well, who wouldn't recognize the children of one of the famed Guardians of Glenhaven?" Annie continued. "We've heard all about his exploits on our journey south. And how he's the foster father of…" The dragoness's lip suddenly became very shaky. "…Prince Rune."
Blankridge and Nellie exchanged uneasy glances; there was something very strange about this Annie.
"Yes… Prince Rune is our foster brother." Nellie said with as stoic a voice as she could muster. "And my brother Blankridge and I need to head home, to help prepare for his arrival."
"Ah… right, of course." Annie chuckled as she nodded her head again. "By the way, uh… what exactly was the deal with that arena match you and the yellow one mentioned earlier?"
"Nellie and Roxanne are slated to duel each other in the arena in a few days." Blankridge declared. "Nellie's sure to mop the floor with-"
The water dragoness kicked Blankridge's hind leg out from under him. Blankridge gasped as he fell, while Nellie cleared her throat.
"If it's alright with you three, we need to be heading home." Nellie insisted as she tugged on her brother's ear frill. He gasped and groaned in pain as his sister led him around the strange trio and spread her wings.
"Enjoy your time in Glenhaven, I guess," Nellie said. "Come on, Blank."
"Alright, alright…" He grumbled as he spread his wings. But not before smirking at the strangers. "Enjoy your stay in Glenhaven!"
"I'm sure we will!" Annie said with a wave. "See ya!"
Nellie and Blankridge quickly looked away and continued toward their home. Once they were a good distance into the air, Nellie breathed a sigh of relief; she hoped she wouldn't see any more of those odd characters anymore…
Meanwhile, Tyrrany sighed as she watched the two siblings vanish over the rooftops. She fell back onto her haunches and took a few breaths of air. Her face hurt from wearing such a big smile.
"Okay…" She said quietly. "So now we've met Nellie, and we've learned about a match she has against this… Roxanne."
"Do you think that's the danger your dad talked about?" Flame asked cautiously.
"I don't know… but it's the best idea we have so far." Tyrrany stood up and turned north. "Come on: we've got work to do."
~~…~~
Wraith couldn't believe it when he heard the news. Cyrus, his star pupil, was GROUNDED.
Word spread quickly of how the prince had thrown a glorified temper tantrum and harassed several of the students. Elenar was absolutely livid; she locked him up in his bedroom and refused to let him out; not even for private tutoring. And that meant that Wraith was down one assistant to help him teach shadow magic to the younger dragons; all in all, a fantastic turn of events.
As the sun began to set, Wraith made his way toward the Dragon Spire's cafeteria. Perhaps he'd feel better after getting a bite to eat. But as he rounded a corner to head into the cafeteria's doorway, he spotted two dragons walking down the hall. It was Albanion and Aegis of all dragons.
"Ah, good evening, Wraith!" Aegis called.
"Hmph…" Wraith came to a stop and raised an eye ridge. "What can I do for you?"
"We were just passing through," Albanion replied. "We're on our way for some time out on the town."
"Really? The two of you, drinking together?" Wraith glanced between the pair. "You never struck me as the type to hang out."
"This has been a custom of ours for quite a while." Aegis grinned. "Your friend Albanion has some rather interesting stories to tell when he gets a little buzzed."
"Hmph. Sometimes…" Albanion put on a slight smile.
"Really." Wraith blinked. He scratched the stubble on his chin. "Well, I hope you two have a fun time together."
Wraith was just about to enter the cafeteria, but Albanion put a forepaw on his shoulder. Wraith flinched at first, expecting to be reprimanded… but instead, Albanion simply let go and turned to face him.
"Why don't you join us?" Albanion asked.
"Hmm?" Wraith turned back around. "Isn't three a crowd?"
"Well, if you don't mind my saying so, you seem a bit… down." Albanion pursed his lips. "Spend some time with us, Wraith. It might do you a bit of good."
"Hmm…" Wraith exhaled through his nostrils. "Well, I can't say I've had much better to do." He turned back around. "So, where exactly were you two headed?"
"The Hurricos Hearth." Aegis declared. "It's quite a fair establishment."
Wraith balked and brought his voice to a whisper. "Isn't that the place that the queen frequents?"
"Who do you think gave her the recommendation?" Albanion snorted. He flapped his wings and made for the corridor. "Come, we've got a bit of flying to do, friends."
"Hold your horses there, Al." Wraith snapped. He reached out to grasp Albanion's tail and then draped a wing over Aegis's back. "Who do you think you're talking to here?"
Before Albanion or Aegis could make any kind of reply, Wraith snapped his talons. The trio vanished in a puff of smoke, giving a bit of a shock to some nearby students and staff.
One split-second later, the three Deep Shadows were standing in the alleyway adjacent to the side of the bar.
Aegis blinked in surprise as he steadied himself. He then hobbled his way out of the alleyway and looked around. "Well… I never get used to teleportation."
"I just saved you both a half-hour's flight." Wraith snickered. "Now come on: let's go get those drinks."
"Indeed." Albanion rolled his eyes.
Two earth dragons served as the bouncers today, though they gave the Deep Shadows no trouble as they ventured inside. The interior of the Hurricos Hearth was rather barren today. Still, the scent of ale was so thick that Wraith had to wrinkle his nostrils to adjust. Sam the cheetah was cleaning a mug out with a fresh rag as the trio made their way to the bar. When he saw Albanion, Sam smiled and put the mug down.
"Greetings, sir." The bartender said. "What'll you have today?"
"I'll just take the usual," Albanion answered. "Give the same thing to my two friends here."
"Certainly, sir!"
Sam set to work gathering a few clean mugs, while Albanion led the way to the back of the bar, where the dragon-sized tables and booths were. Wraith held his breath and looked around. There were hardly any other patrons to be seen today, save for a few gathered cheetahs and moles. There seemed to be one particularly large dragon who sat on the opposite side of the dragon section; he wore a thick cloak as he enjoyed a small cup of tea. How quaint.
Albanion, Wraith, and Aegis sat down at a round table and settled into their cushions. About that time, a tiger waitress walked up and placed three mugs of ale before them.
"Thank you, milady." Aegis smiled.
"Your welcome, sir." The waitress gave a little bow before walking away.
Wraith looked down dubiously at his mug of ale; he rarely touched the stuff. He always figured that Deep Shadows were supposed to watch their intake of alcohol. But, if the leader of the Deep Shadows could have himself a drink, then so could the humble magic tutor.
"Albanion, did you bring the deck of cards?" Aegis asked before he took a sip.
Albanion just snorted and reached into his robes to produce a deck. "Of course."
"You two play cards?" Wraith asked.
"From time to time," Albanion replied. "It's a mild enjoyment after a long day. Care to join in?"
"Sure, why not?" Wraith shrugged.
For a good while, the three Deep Shadows played rounds of poker, drinking from their mugs and chatting the whole time. There wasn't much gambling involved; just a few spare gem shards or coins that they had on them.
"Times sure change like the seasons, don't they?" Wraith asked as he sorted his hand.
"How do you figure?" Aegis asked.
"A long time ago, when I was just a kid, I lived right here in Warfang." Wraith sighed. "Eventually I left along with other shadow dragon kids to go to that big floating rock, The Hive." He shifted to get comfortable. "Eventually I got a job as a servant for King Urobos."
"Ah, I remember those days." Albanion gave a soft smile. "You had a tendency to teleport wherever you pleased."
"I couldn't help it: I'd finally mastered an advanced aspect of shadow magic." Wraith gave a little chuckle. "It's what got Kelgeist's attention, after all. How else could I have become an apprentice to the Deep Shadows?"
"Ah, yeah. Kelgeist…" Albanion sighed. "She was quite an interesting member of our order." He took a small sip. "May she rest in peace."
"Yeah…" Wraith frowned as he scratched his neck. "We lost a lot of good dragons when The Hive fell." He looked out the window and focused his gaze on the fortress floating above the Dragon Spire. "There were so many pieces: It's a miracle that we had enough to put together The Nexus. I thought we'd be stuck living there for the rest of our lives…"
"And then Cyrus ran away from home." Aegis snorted. "We went looking for him, discovered Prince Rune in his stead, and all sorts of shenanigans happened after that."
"Indeed." Albanion sighed. "At the very least, we're finally back home in Warfang. Here's hoping no more great disasters force us to leave again."
"I hear ya, Al." Wraith sighed.
"Well, I'm confident that the dark dragons are here to stay." Aegis smiled. "Elenar's worked fang and talon to keep relations good between light and dark dragons. Despite the efforts of the extremists on both sides, I have faith that everything's going to be okay."
"If only I had your confidence…" Albanion sighed. He finished his drink and leaned back. "General Saul is out there, plotting revenge against Elenar. And we have reason to believe that he's getting aid from Bergan."
"Bergan?" Aegis balked.
"We can't confirm how deeply involved Bergan is in Saul's schemes." Albanion glowered. "But if his daughter is in Warfang, then the Arrogant Amethyst can't be too far behind. And she was seen by the prince fighting alongside Jonathan, Saul's son. They're all connected, and it's left Elenar quite distressed.
"Bergan…" Aegis sighed. "It's been years since I've seen him."
"You've met Bergan?" Wraith asked curiously.
"Sort-of." Aegis sighed. "I was an employee of his, back before I had the accident that left me without a wing and a foot." He flapped his one good wing and took a quick swig. "He offered his condolences when the accident came but didn't say anything when my family packed up and left via the forest. From there we met King Baneth, and the rest is history."
"Mhm…" Albanion scratched his chin. "So there's nothing that would prevent you from bringing Bergan to justice if you encounter him?"
"I guess not." Aegis scratched his beard. His eyes glinted, and he looked right at Wraith. "Say, a thought has occurred to me: How deeply engrossed in the culture of the shadow dragons are you?"
"Excuse me?" Wraith raised an eye ridge. He then snorted. "Check my scales, Aegis. I'm crimson, not grey. I'm not entirely a pure-blood shadow dragon."
"Hmm?" Aegis leaned back. "That's the first I've ever heard of that distinction."
"Well, shadow dragons who lived in Mount Erebus and the Shattered Vale only married other shadow dragons," Wraith said. "It was for cultural reasons; they wanted to keep their scales shadowy. So no, I'm not exactly a devout follower of shadow customs."
"I see…" Aegis frowned.
"Why do you ask?" Wraith perked up. "Were you curious to learn something new?"
"Well, it's just that…" He brought his voice to a whisper. "I've been thinking about this Runileon the Wicked business, as of late."
Wraith and Albanion exchanged dubious glances. Wraith picked up his mug and took a quick swig. "Is that so?"
Aegis sighed. "The extremists want to exterminate any white dragon they see on sight… But how many extremists are there?" He glanced between Albanion and Wraith. "There can't be very many members, can there?"
"I dunno." Wraith snorted. "It could be a pawful, or it could be a thousand. They aren't exactly an organized group."
"Indeed."
"I just find it rather concerning, is all." Aegis frowned. "There could be any number of them lurking anywhere. And if they pass their beliefs from one generation to the next… will it ever be truly safe for white dragons to live out in the open?"
Albanion and Wraith exchanged uneasy glances. The poison dragon stood up and stretched out his wings. He almost sat down again, but when he glanced at a wall clock, he stopped.
"It's getting late," Albanion said. "I need to head back to the Dragon Spire and give Cyrus another…" He wracked his talons on the table. "Lecture."
"Right…" Wraith grimaced as he stood up. "Someone's gotta pull his head out from his arse."
"Mhm…" Aegis stood up. "You two head outside and wait for me: I'll cover the bar tab."
"Sure thing."
Wraith and Albanion made for the front door of the bar, while Aegis walked up to the counter. He then glanced over at the cloaked dragon in the corner. Aegis sighed and looked down at the bar. He placed the beer funds down on the counter… along with a small silver key. Sam took the money and key without saying a word; the two just nodded at each other and turned away.
Aegis took a small breath as he walked toward the door to rejoin his companions; he hoped that he'd made the right decision.
~~…~~
It was late at night, and the Hurricos Hearth was much livelier now. On most nights, when the queen wasn't coming around for a drink, Sam allowed plenty of the vagabonds, adventurers, and other assorted denizens of Warfang to lurk around all night long and have themselves a grand old time. Unfortunately, sometimes the wrong dragons found out that this was the queen's private little getaway.
The cloaked dragon still sat in his corner in the dragon section, while all around him dragons and non-dragons were having a splendid time. He took the pipe from his mouth and left it sitting on a little ashtray.
He focused his ear frills as he listened to the other patrons' conversations. To many, it would be impossible to distinguish who was saying what to whom. But not for him: not for Bergan.
With a sigh, Bergan wracked the talons of his gloved forepaw on the table. He moved his pipe in front of him and dropped some green ashes into the bowl. He then grasped his cup of tea and carefully took a drink. Bergan preferred moments like these when he could just stop and relax. Maybe even reflect on the day's events. But then again, Bergan was cutting it rather close tonight; he'd best get to moving before the worst started.
Bergan carefully stood up and made his way over to the end of the bar. When Sam saw him approach, he put down his rag and made his way over to him.
"Good evening, Sam," Bergan whispered.
The cheetah flinched when he saw Bergan's face, but he didn't question that. Very smart.
"Err, good evening, Master Bergan." The cheetah whispered back.
Bergan placed his bar tab casually on the counter. Sam quickly swiped it away… and replaced it with the silver key. Bergan took the key and stored it away in his robes, while the cheetah looked him up and down.
"I'm surprised you've stayed all this time: I thought for sure that you'd bail out as soon as those Deep Shadows showed up."
"Oh, I'm not scared of them." Bergan laughed. He then put on a serious face. "I just wanted to thank you for being such a good host to Elenar all this time."
Sam balked at that. "Uh… you're welcome?"
"And I must say, you've done a wonderful job with the Hurricos Hearth." Bergan continued. "And that's why I'm going to warn you while you still have time."
"Eh?" The fur on Sam's face ruffled. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Duck under the bar," Bergan said. "Right now."
Sam shivered. Immediately he ducked down under the side of the bar and peered up at the purple dragon uneasily.
"Good, good…" Bergan nodded. "Now, what I'm about to do might seem strange, but just bear with me…"
Bergan spun around and faced the crowd, who ignored him. He immediately held up his forepaw and slammed it down. With a bit of earth magic, he was able to create a shockwave that shook everything. Not too much; just enough to startle the crowd. While everybody was gasping and yelling, Bergan took this moment to pull back his hood…
Revealing his snow-white scales and beady red eyes.
"I'm a WHITE DRAGON!" Bergan bellowed, with a voice as gravely and sinister as wind magic could make it. "I'm here to KILL YOU ALL!"
He spread out his forepaws, gnashed his fangs, and surrounded his body with an aura of convexity. Naturally, it didn't take long for panic to ensue. The door was pushed open and the bouncers were knocked out of the way as the dragon patrons fled for their lives. The non-dragons stumbled around in confusion at first but eventually followed suit as they scrambled to get out of harm's way. The only ones who remained in the bar were the two bouncers, who snarled at Bergan furiously. Bergan had to admit; it was oddly satisfying.
"Wh-What are you doing?!" Sam exclaimed as he stood back up. Bergan sighed and whirled around to bring his voice to a whisper.
"Stay out of harm's way," Bergan said calmly. "But not before you tell your bouncers there to get going while they still can. And then do the same, old friend."
"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded.
"They'll be here soon." Bergan reached into his robes and produced a small scroll, which he passed into the cheetah's hands. "Consider this a reimbursement, Sam. I'm sorry about your bar."
The cheetah's ears twitched. He looked down at the scroll, then at Bergan's face. He grimaced as he stepped to the side to look at the two bouncers.
"Get out! Get out of here!" Sam shouted. "Something's about to happen!"
The two earth dragons exchanged uneasy glances. Immediately they turned and fled through the front doors and vanished into the night. Bergan sighed as he patted Sam on the shoulder.
"Thank you." Bergan sighed. "It's nice when people listen. But you should really be heading out the back while you still can."
"But can't you tell me at least what's going to happen?" Same demanded.
A rock smashed through the window at the front of the establishment. Then came a few more through the other windows.
"That's going to happen." Bergan sighed. He lightly nudged Sam back down under the bar. "Stay out of view. And don't lose that scroll."
Sam grimaced as he began to crawl his way toward a door that led to the cellar, and the back door beyond. Meanwhile, Bergan just took a few calming breaths as several furious dragons started forcing their way into the bar.
"Is that the one?!" A dragon at the front growled.
"Could be!" Another exclaimed. "It's wearing a cloak, as they said!"
Bergan listened as the dragons began to encroach upon him with caution. He heard talons extending and magic brimming in maws and scales as they prepared for a long and grueling fight. Bergan couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing about, freak?!" The first dragon snarled. "Turn around and show your face before we put a muzzle on it!"
Bergan's laughter rose in volume. He brought a forepaw to his face and wiped down his muzzle. He then pulled back his hood, turned around, and gave the half-dozen dragons a sardonic grin.
"You've been duped," Bergan said with a smug face. He held out his forepaw, which was now dripping with white makeup.
The dragons balked in surprise upon seeing the purple scales smeared with white on Bergan's face. Most of them stopped charging their magic, while the first dragon, presumably their leader, growled in frustration.
"You… You're Bergan!" The green-scaled dragon snarled.
"Indeed I am." Bergan nodded. "And you lot are some of those extremists who have lurked about Warfang for quite some time."
The green-scaled dragon scowled. "We heard about how you dealt with the Sons of Culmubrae. You saved Prince Rune from death."
"I was just doing what any good dragon would." Bergan smiled.
"What's the point of the white makeup?" An extremist demanded.
"Well, how else was I supposed to draw your attention?" Bergan asked with a roll of his wrist. "Your lot doesn't exactly make itself easy to contact."
"Well, congratulations on putting the lives of decent dragons in danger." The leader scowled. "We got all riled up to stop a rampaging beast for nothing! I hope you're happy!"
"Not exactly happy, no." Bergan wracked his talons on the floor. "After all, I'm now standing in a room full of baby killers."
The extremists glared at Bergan furiously, especially the lead dragon. Bergan just sighed and began to walk around to make his way toward the door. But then a few of the dragons stepped to the side to block his path.
"Well, that's rather rude." Bergan snorted.
"White dragons are never babies." The leader of the extremists declared. "They're monsters from the moment of hatching. Every single one of them is a threat to the well-being of all dragons everywhere."
"Well, then I guess you have something in common with the Sons of Culmubrae." Bergan flashed the leader of the extremists a sardonic grin. "You hate it when light and dark dragons come together in loving unions. How else do you think white dragons are created, hmm?"
"Don't compare us to those freaks!" A poison dragon snapped at Bergan. "We're not against light and dark dragons coming together! We're just trying to save our world from the curse of Runileon!"
"Hmm, and quite a job you've done." Bergan snorted. He backed up and made to walk around a few more of the extremists, only to have his path blocked again. "Hmm, I imagine you want an accounting for wasting your time, eh?"
"How can you not see the threat of white dragons, Bergan?" The leader demanded. "You of all dragons should have the power to predict when a white dragon is going to be born. You could help us save the world by preventing them from even being created."
"It's because I don't feel like it." Bergan declared. "After all, why would I want to kill white dragons? My MOTHER was a white dragon, you know."
The leader flinched, as did most of the other extremists. Bergan snorted and made his way back to the leader.
"Hmm, didn't you know that?" Bergan asked. He steadily walked in a circle around the grey dragon. "I was very young when I lost her, though…" He stopped and sighed. "She tried to get me to the safety of the Prime Temple. Sadly she died of mortal injuries right there on the steps, with a tiny little me crying by her side." He stopped and scowled at the green dragon. "She was killed, you see. By the same kind of scum that I'm looking at right now."
The green drake growled. He reached out to bite at Bergan's neck… only to chomp down on thin air. The dragon gasped and looked around; where had he gone?
"Yoo-hoo!" Bergan called from the doorway. The leader and the other extremists spun around to snarl at him. Bergan just rolled his eyes and pulled his hood back over his head.
"Thank you for your time, my friends." Bergan smiled. "But I've got work to do elsewhere. Places to go, dragons to chat with… and a white-hided daughter to look after."
"What?!" The green dragon growled. He stamped the ground and pointed at Bergan. "Get him!"
Bergan just calmly and casually stepped out and shut the door. The nearest extremist ran up to grab the knob… and it didn't move. He gasped as he shook the door a few more times to no avail. He and a few other extremists tried to break it open by either magic or physical force. But the door didn't budge; the knob didn't even rattle. The extremists then tried to make their way out of the broken windows… but the glass had been repaired. They slammed in the windows and blasted them with magic, only for the elements to have no effect. The leader ran to the windows and looked around for Bergan, but the drake had vanished into the night.
"Damnit…" The green dragon spun around. "Munroe, go search for the back exit! We need to spread the word that Bergan conceived a white-hided monster!"
"Got it!" A wind dragon shouted. He then made his way behind the bar and vanished through a door to search for a way out. Meanwhile, the leader stepped back into the center of the bar and scratched his chin. What reason would Bergan have to entrap the leader of the extremists in the middle of some random bar?
Unbeknownst to them all, Bergan had left his pipe back on the table of his booth in the corner. The smoke from the pipe rose to the ceiling. Said smoke was completely odorless, even to dragons. None of the extremists noticed as the smoke began covering the ceiling from corner to corner.
"Hey, what's that over there?" One of the extremists asked as he pointed a talon at the corner of the bar.
The leader turned to look over at the table. He spotted something crackling and shifting on it. Curious, he stepped closer to investigate.
Bergan had also left a small match seated atop the pipe, which was still lit. The tiny flame was slowly making its way toward the bowl ever since Bergan had left the table. And the bowl contained a small amount of green ashes. Little by little, the flame moved across the pipe on its own, as if guided by an unseen force. But by the time the crimson dragon realized what was happening, the tiny flame dropped into the bowl of ashes.
Green fire exploded from the bowl and rose along the smoke. The dragon barely had enough time to gasp before the flames spread across the smoke and up to the ceiling.
"BY THE ANCE-!"
That's all he could say before the ceiling collapsed.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
Some more editing and changes were made; usually to spruce things up a bit.
The climax of Forsaken Blood is about to start. And boy, are things going to get heated… no pun intended. I hope you're excited about what's to come. Because I certainly am. See you next week!
Tenebra ecce Veritas