Chapter 94 – Youth and Wisdom

Spike looked around as he saw the wall itself start opening, and with few seconds to spare, ducked behind one of the many plants that were poking out of the wall. He peeked around it, just as what looked like a hidden door stopped moving. The head of a very small Sunik came out, looking around as if the little lizard person was hesitantly looking for something. Spike could see the look of fear and desperation in his dark brown eyes, the slightly long golden hair swayed gently as the boy showed a certain grace even in the slow head movements that helped him look around. Suddenly, the little Sunik smiled, genuinely, and exited before silently closing the door, and running towards the more ornate door with a glee that Spike believed was only reserved for seeing family after a period of separation. The little Sunik placed his ear to the ornate door and listened, before smiling again and grabbing the handle to pull the door open slightly. "Huh?" Spike whispered to himself as the little Sunik nearly ran into the room. There was apparently so much excitement in that young Sunik that the boy had rushed, and left the door slightly ajar, just enough for Spike to push gently and open the door without being noticed.

"Grandfather!" he heard the young Sunik ask in excitement as the baby dragon gently and silently closed the door behind himself. He turned around, ready to see an older Sunik pick up the younger Sunik, and listen as the two giggled, instead he turned to see the younger of the two run up to a bed with what looked like tubes and wires run to it from a kind of machine off to one side of the bed. He could see one of the tubes connected to a clear piece that covered the mouth of the older Sunik, and the bed itself was as regal as anything he had ever seen. Red comforter with golden tassels, and silk curtains of a rose color that hung from the four pillars the bed had on its corners. "I made it grandfather."

The older Sunik opened his eyes, "So you did." he said, only slightly strained, "And what, may I ask, was your adventure this time my grandson." The older of the two smiled at the jubilance of the younger.

"I was able to go out of the fort again." the younger one said, "Though Sskrit was up to no good again."

"Wait…" spike whispered to himself, "Is that Kklip? I almost didn't recognize him."

The baby dragon then tried to sneak on by while the two of them talking, but the moment he turned his head from them, the older Sunik spoke, "Come closer young one." the grandfather said, and Spike turned to them slowly, seeing them both looking at him, the older with a calm and caring look, while the younger held a surprised look.

"I'm sorry, grandfather." the younger Sunik said as he turned from his shock, "I must have left the door slightly open…"

"Calm yourself young Kklip." his grandfather said, "This young visitor means us no harm, "I can see the gentleness in his eyes, even from here."

"Eh, heh!" Spike chuckled.

"What is your name young visitor?" the elder asked.

"Sspike." the baby dragon said, remembering the name he had picked at the gates.

"That is a good Sunik name." the elder said, "Now for your real name." Spike stopped in his tracks, the surprise and shock dominating his features, "I have been king for Cycles, and for a reason young one."

"YOU'RE the KING?" Spike asked in even more surprise.

"Does that surprise you?" he asked.

"But we heard that the king had been…" Spike began.

"Overthrown?" he asked, and started to dry laugh, "I was, but not in the way everyone thinks." he then turned back to the baby dragon, "Your name!" he demanded.

"Oh right." Spike said, and touched his claws together, "Spike, only one S."

"An intruder?" Kklip asked.

"Nonsense." the former king said, "A friend." Spike had no words, "I took ill, so ill in fact that all I am is now what you see here. It was then that my son took charge, the people calling him the emperor. But you see, even now, that is just a front. Neither the emperor nor the king truly rules this planet."

"The Council is what makes the decisions." Kklip said, "They have kept my grandfather hidden for years, and now they try to persuade my father that he is to control all four planets, against his will. One has tried to groom me into being the next emperor, but I want nothing to do with it."

"Don't say that." the king said, "You may find that you are a better fit to rule than even I was one day."

"This is HUGE!" Spike said, "The one's calling the shots, are calling them from the shadows?" he asked, "Oh boy, now what?"

"I am not the only one who took ill. One of the Councilors was hit even harder than I." the king said, but wasn't able to finish, instead they heard the sound of the door being grabbed, "Quick, you two, under the bed." he whispered harshly, causing the two younger ones to hide. The king straightened his covers just as the door opened, "Oh, I see." he said in distrust as a more regal-looking adolescent Sunik marched in with a smug grin on his face, "Kkintriss, son of Kkeltiss." he said with disdain, "How is your father doing today?"

"He's surviving." the pompous, slightly high-pitched voice said in a strange reverence that almost didn't suit the kind of voice he had, "But what about you?" he asked, "How has isolation been treating you?"

"I'm going mad. Can't you tell?" the king said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"You know excitement will accelerate your condition." Kkintriss said, "And as your physician, I must recommend…"

"I know, I know." the king said, his tired voice finally relenting, "I'm almost certain that your father has you working on a cure?"

"He has…" the doctor said and his voice seemed to fade to a sad whisper, "...Ceased funding on that particular endeavor."

"Ceased Funding?" the king asked in surprise, "But it's important!"

"I know, he states that he has found the fountain of youth." the doctor said in disdain. As he spoke again, Spike turned to Kklip, and watched as the little Sunik lifted what looked like a hidden hatch in the floor. Lifting it up, he waved to the baby dragon to follow him. "He believes my research is a waste of time now, something about expanding our horizons."

"He can't be serious." they heard the king say as the two of them slipped under the floor, "That research could save hundreds of lives." his voice faded as the two crawled away, the prince only speaking once he was sure no one would hear him.

"Mr…Spike?" he asked.

"Just, Spike." the little dragon said in response.

"Can you keep this a secret?" the young Sunik quickly asked.

"I can't keep this a secret." Spike said defiantly, "It's too important."

"Not…what my grandfather told you, but rather, me sneaking out." Kklip said, "And the hidden doors. If the guards found out that they exist…"

"Oh. That, I can keep secret." the baby dragon said with a smile and a wave of his clawed hand, "I only know where two of them are anyway and don't ask me to take you to them."

Kklip smiled a bit and began crawling again, just before he stood up in a large hallway between hallways. The space between the walls expanded in a straight line, curving around the entryways or even sometimes underneath them. "If you follow this path, you'll end up in a storage room right next to the entrance, I'm sure you can find your way from there?" the prince asked in genuine concern and turned to take a different path.

"WAIT!" Spike said suddenly, catching the young Sunik's attention, "I came here to rescue my friend's sister, would these tunnels take me to her?"

"Who is your friend?" the prince asked.

"We call him 'Image'." Spike said and grinned, "He's a young Meltackian, so he didn't start with a name."

"Wait?" Kklip asked in uncertainty, "A Meltackian?" he asked.

"Yes." he said, "And she's in a lot of trouble." the baby dragons explained.

"What kind of trouble?" he asked genuinely.

"They're using her to threaten Image into spying on our team." he mentioned, "He's really worried about her."

"We don't have a Meltackian here in the castle." Kklip said, and then thought, "Though, I guess they could have locked her in the upper chambers rather than the dungeon."

"You haven't seen her?" Spike asked, only to get a slow shake of the prince's head in sorrow. "So, coming here wasn't going to help?"

Kklip watched as Spike's sorrow grew, not only engulfing the little dragon's features but also infecting his own mind. "We can go check the upper chambers if it'll help."

Spike looked up to the small Sunik, hope quickly returning to his eyes, "Have you ever been up there?" he asked.

"No, not since they remodeled it." Kklip said.

"Why were they remodeling the upper chambers?" Spike asked.

This question actually got the young prince to think, "I…don't know." he said and placed his clawed fingers to his chin, "But I know a way we can find out." Once he was done talking, he turned and waved his hand to signal Spike to follow him. With curiosity and worry, the two reptiles embarked on the first of their adventures.