Chapter 5:

Plans and Predicament

An unknown interloper has stolen secrets from the Apes, seemingly to aid the Legion, but who or what is their purpose? Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger watches unseen from the sidelines as he questions his choices while Cynder, Flame and Ember follow Hunter once more into the breach in Dante's Freezer.

The sun had fully set over the horizon a few hours later and the Celestial Moons were hidden behind the unnatural storm above Warfang, making the night around the city as dark as it had ever been. The energy crystal above the Tower of Gaul bathed the city in an eerie green light as the city's lit streets took on a whole new atmosphere than what the city had been known for. Once safe and full of night time travelers and revelers, the streets of Warfang were deserted save for the Ape soldiers that patrolled them, ensuring no one was out. All across the city, plastered over the walls of buildings, businesses and homes were posters erected by the Ape authorities, warning of the consequences for those breaking the nightly curfew. The posters bore the fearsome image of a snarling Ape soldier with an axe in one hand and his finger pointed directly at the intended viewer with red lettering below it that read;

'Attention all citizens of Warfang!

Curfew in effect for all citizens from sundown until dawn. Anyone found moving the streets during this time without granted permission will be arrested and punished severally!

Anyone who resists arrest will be treated as an enemy of the King and will be dealt with accordingly.

Think of your family. Think of your life. Don't be out when the sun goes down!'

As for those citizens who had permission to be out after dark, usually they were those who owned or worked for the taverns, stores and other places of leisure that once thrived on the business of their fellow citizens but were closed or 'requisitioned' for use only by the soldiers of Gaul's army. All along the residential blocks, windows were shuttered tightly and not a peep was heard from the city residents as their once peaceful streets were filled with the sound of riotous laughter and drunken horseplay by the occupying troops as they flaunted their power over the city. At night they gorged themselves on the food that was tightly rationed to all but themselves and nightly consumed multiple barrels of wine and ale that would take a tavern of Moles months to empty. This was usually accompanied by the expected brawling that would occur in the Ape ranks, sometimes resulting in fatalities as they battered each other in the streets. Along with the sound of brawling and drinking, the empty streets would echo with the slurred, out of tune singing that inevitably came about once the Apes had drunken themselves to a state where they could not tell the difference between their tunics and their trousers that they had invariable lost one or both of during their gallivanting.

As obnoxious and frightful as these sounds could be to the citizens hiding away inside their homes, they were still preferrable to the sounds they truly feared both day and night; the sound of raids. They almost always happened the same way; first there would be the barking and howling of the demonic Deathhounds as they eagerly bade for blood, accompanied by the synchronized thud of heavy boots on the cobblestoned streets. Weapons and armor jangled and orders were shouted as the Apes would converge on one or more buildings, surrounding it to prevent any possible escapes. Some might peer through their curtains to see the events unfold while others would close their hands over their ears to dull what always came next; the sound of doors being kicked in and broken down, the sound of shouting from the Apes as furniture and possessions were toppled over and smashed. Most chilling of all was the terrified screams of those whose home was being violated, who were then dragged out into the street often in their night gowns, children and mothers wailing as they were separated from their husbands. Dragons would be muzzled and Moles would be clapped in irons while one or more Ape Commanders set about demanding to know the location of who or what they were searching for.

There was always the frightful thought that came whenever a raid took place; that it was because of someone who had through fear, intimidation, or simple desire to get ahead, named names or otherwise collaborated with the Apes, directing the point of the spear away from themselves and onto their neighbors. Ultimately, those rounded up during a raid would be dragged to Castle Hill for further interrogation while the Apes ransacked their home or business, taking what they wanted whether they found incriminating evidence or not. Few who were taken away were ever seen alive again, in which case their homes would usually be left vacant, boarded up and left alone in the closest thing that could be called a monument to those who had been taken.

In the last week, there had been a sharp rise in the number of raids and searches occurring in Warfang, but they had also extended to the farms and villages outside the city. There had been no official explanation by the city's overlords why this was occurring, giving rise to rumors and theories by the population of Warfang. Some speculated there was a Legion spy or saboteur loose in the city, others thought that the Legion must have achieved some great blow to Gaul and that he had his forces carrying out these raids as pure vengeance without any real other purpose. Whatever the reason, there was a palpable tension felt throughout the city that not even the most drunken Ape could ignore, but perhaps the one place where it was felt most was not in the low streets of Warfang, but behind the high walls of Castle Hill.

Behind the great doors where the Ape King and his bodyguards had left through, a glistening stretch of white marble floor shone like snow from beside the edges as a long roll of dark purple carpet the width of the door rolled across it. It had formally been a deep red set of carpet, but it had been replaced at the behest of Gaul's personal tastes, following those also used in the halls of the Mountain of Malefor. The path the carpet took headed right down the center of the enormous chamber, the area of which covered hundreds of meters while the ceiling was supported by an array of smooth marble columns that ran directly beside the carpet pathway, a line of lit torches hanging from each column. The enormous floor, if seen from above, revealed that it was divided into four large individual square sections with the interconnecting white tiled paths and purple carpet forming a cross in the center of the squares like the panes of a square framed window.

The paths led out of the chamber and into other rooms of the castle through massive stone archways where more white marble shone. The elemental-colored pillars lined the edge of this great white cross as it connected in the center of the floor where what appeared to be a large, circular white pedestal as wide as the dojo of the now derelict temple stood. It sat a few steps higher than the rest of the floor, the pedestal surrounded by six more stone columns but this time all of one unique color; a rich royal purple. In the sides of the pedestal, lining up with each column were moderately sized purple gemstones, seemingly there only for decorative purposes.

The stone pillars alongside each of the squares were color matched to the floor tiles of each square, the pillars separating each one in a right angle of beautiful marble. Each space was furnished the same; the wall side of each square was lined with colossal bookcases containing all conceivable information relating to the primary Elements. There was a large stone fireplace in the center of each section, though all were currently unlit, as well as large oak tables and seats with plump, dragon sized cushions all around the floorspace where the Dragon Guardians, Warfang Council and other officials and influential members of the city would meet to discuss or conduct research. Or at least they used to, for since the Ape takeover, the furniture was now torn and dirty and much of the contents of the bookshelves was carelessly strewn about the floor. The elemental flags that had once hung from the walls had long since been torn down and burned, as had many precious artifacts sacred to the Dragons and Moles. The Apes had little interest in the history or knowledge kept by them unless it helped to undermine or subjugate them.

Despite the lack of care to the furniture, the stonework within Castle Hill was mostly untouched save for a few pieces that had been broken or damaged when the Castle had fallen. To right of the door, the southwest corner of the chamber, the line of pillars was a jade green to match to the tiles of that area, the floor forming a magnificent mosaic in the shape of the symbol of Earth; a circular gold sigil that displayed the likeness of a curled vine, representing the ability to harness and control the forces of nature. Directly across to the left, the pillars were made of a deep blue marble, with the floorspace forming the symbol of Ice; another circular gold sigil with three spear like shards of ice in a line shooting up at a forty-five-degree slant. On the other side of the circular pedestal, the last two squares were divided into red and gold for the elements of Fire and Electricity, again with each bearing the likeness of their respective elemental sigil.

The emblem of Fire strongly resembled a leaned back 'G' shaped insignia with sharp, flame like edges inside a golden circle. The red furniture around it was in more disarray than the others, recently tipped over and ripped from deliberate vandalism on behalf of the Apes overcome by boredom. Across from it was the final square, the tiles and pillars made of gold and white stone as the final mosaic decorated the floor; the emblem of Electricity, forming perhaps the most obscure symbol of them all. One might expect a simple jagged line to represent a lightning bolt, but the symbol comprised a curious loop shape, giving it an almost horseshoe appearance with the top and bottom forming a more zigzag pattern as one might expect in depictions of lightning.

At the central pedestal, the encircling purple pillars reached high up into the ceiling, revealing a circular hole the same size as the pedestal that disappeared into the higher reaches of the Castle. From down the hall, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the floor as the figure of Gaul and his bodyguards walked down the carpeted path from the eastern archway, passing by the Fire and Lightning lounge sections as they strode towards the center of the chamber. They crossed the floor in a brisk walk, weapons and armor rattling as they reached the pedestal, Gaul standing in its center as his guards took places around him. In the center of the large disk was an image unseen anywhere else in the chamber; a symbol in the color of purple like the pillars and gems, but unlike the other elemental symbols decorating the floors of the chamber.

A large purple orb took up much of the center of the platform like an amethyst sun, inside the orb was a graphic in a darker shade of the same color with a white outline. The symbol resembled an 'S' almost, with the top curve of the shape bending sharply inwards like a vine while the rest of the cursive shape followed the 'S' shape and vanished into the edge of the orb. It was the symbol of Aether; the true element of the Legendary purple dragon, the power of which all the other elements were derived from, a symbol sacred to all dragonkind, now trampled beneath the feet of their enemies. The Ape King gripped his staff tightly as he tilted his head back slightly and looked upwards at the ceiling.

"Ascend!" he barked in his gruff voice, his command having an almost instant effect as a faint rumble sounded from beneath the feet of the group of Apes. At the same time, the purple gemstones imbedded in the outside of the pedestal began to glow as if they were coming alive. After a few moments, the gemstones began to flash in a steady pattern, dimming and brightening in a regular sequence, the pedestal suddenly beginning to rise from the ground. It rose at a steady pace, remaining as steady as a rock and keeping within the purple stone pillars as it left a hollow bowl in the floor from where it had risen. The Apes all turned around on the platform, facing the way they had come as it magically rose. Even with the large size of the Apes, the platform contained a large amount of free space as it had been intended to fit multiple adult dragons at once. The floating platform passed through the passage in the ceiling, its passengers emerging into a whole new area of the castle.

The Ape King and his bodyguards now stood in a circular room with an architecturally similar appearance to the Dragon Temple dojo, a large archway ahead of them across a now sandy tan marble floor, covered by another path of purple carpet, leading into the distinctive dome of Castle Hill. The white platform stood out prominently amidst the darker colors, a great golden chandelier filled with candles hanging down from the high ceiling above. The walls at the back and sides of the platform were curved and made of a deep red marble where elemental flags had once been draped, now replaced with the dark purple banner of the Apes. Gaul walked forwards, his bodyguards stepping aside but remaining where they were as their King moved passed them.

He strode across the tan brown hallway, on each side of him there was a row of four golden figures, a row of dragons on the right and moles on the left, each one representing a famous or heroic figure of the past. The dragon statues were life sized whereas the mole statues were much larger, possibly to represent equal standing between the two despite their different sizes. Each statue had name plates on their pedestals denoting who they were, which was just as well as the Apes had sawn the heads off all the statues throughout Warfang as an act of punitive disrespect to further demoralize the population. Passing them by, Gaul reached the tall archway that led into impressive dome.

Inside the dome there were already a dozen or more Ape Generals or their representatives, busy talking loudly amongst themselves as they bitterly debated. High above the enormous hall was the great dome that decorated Castle Hill. Though red on the outside, inside it was an ornate structure with the entire inside of the dome an intricate mural of gold and colored metal imbedded in the stonework. The mural depicted a panoramic view of the skyline of Warfang that curved around the shape of the dome, the golden buildings including fabulous details like windows and brickwork while the sky was cast from sheets of polished, blue colored metal that shone like mirrors. In the very center of the ceiling was a circle shaped skylight that allowed for natural light during the day, but at night, and indeed ever since the unnatural storm had appeared over the city, illumination was provided by a large silver-plated chandelier that stayed aloft by magic alone, held in its silver rings was an upside-down spiked cluster of clear Spirt Gems that were enchanted to give off clear white light over the hall. Down below on the lower walls of the dome were more of the Ape banners in place of the old banners that had long since been torn down whilst at ground level there were several more curved bookcases relating to all aspects of Warfang law and political discourse.

On the polished tan floor was a ring of long, curved tables that took up much the center of the circular floorspace, the outer ring consisting of four individual tables that connected to form the almost full circle around the room. Inside that was another, smaller circle of tables, the floor beneath them both was a replication of the same mosaic found in numerous places around the Dragon Temple; the outer ring featuring the double ended symbol of Aether while the inner circle contained twelve large circles and one single circle in its center. It was this room that had been the central meeting place for the Council of Warfang, where the highest-ranking representatives of the Dragons, Moles and members of the other populations such as the Cheetah's and Atlawa would convene to discuss the most important matters concerning the city and the outer realms. It was in this chamber, ironically now filled with conquering Apes, that the deceased Fire Guardian, Ignitus, had argued against accepting the faux offer sent by the Ape King to the city to convene a peace conference to avoid another war.

As the Ape King entered the room, the arguing from all the other Apes cut off abruptly, the large primates quickly stood to attention and bowed as Gaul's imposing mass strode into the chamber, the gathering it seemed were all holding their breath, hoping they would not be the first to have to gasp for relief. Gaul made a tired, rough sounding sigh as he stomped across the purple carpet to where it ended in the center of the inner circle of the double row of tables that the other Apes were all standing around. Papers and maps were strewn across the tables and the floor, flagons and goblets of wine were scattered about, filled repeatedly by the servants during heated arguing. Now there was not a sound other than the Ape King's breathing as he slowly cranked his head back and forth across the assembly. Off to his right was what looked like a narrow black cage standing up on the floor, rising to half his height with a pronged top edge like a set of vicious claws. Gaul lifted his staff and pressed it down into the stand, the staff fitting in with an almost mechanical click as he released it from his hand and let it remain in the stand.

"Arise!" he called across the chamber, the assembled Generals and other high-ranking Commanders lifted their heads in unison and stepped up formally to their places at the tables, looking inward towards their king.

"Hmph," he grunted, reaching down to his side and taking out the roll of scrolls he had been delivered earlier that evening, "I can see you have all had plenty of time to discuss the matters outlined in your copies of the message delivered tonight. Good. This means your minds are fresh with ideas and arguments to make, but before we get to that, I have another matter to discuss with you all."

Gaul lifted his left hand and snapped his fingers, at once a nearby Ape servant grasped a flagon and goblet from one of the tables and filled the latter, placing it onto a polished metal tray before he hurriedly moved around the tables to bring it to his king. The servant scurried up to Gaul's left side and bowed his head, the monstrous monarch reaching over and grasping the goblet without looking, quickly drinking down its contents in a swift gulp before placing the goblet back on the tray. Gaul wiped his mouth as the servant bowed again and scurried away.

"It has been brought to my attention that despite continued searches, numerous interrogations and many threats, there is still no clue about who was responsible for the theft of valuable information that occurred two nights ago! Nor do we know how they infiltrated the city without been discovered. These facts bring me not only great pain, but great embarrassment! Embarrassment and shame! To me and to all of you!" he bellowed furiously, aiming his finger and dragging it through the air across all the faces in attendance, the Apes all dipping their heads to avoid eye contact with their king.

"I have had our troops scouring the lands outside this city, turning over every house and haystack, yet we found no evidence of any kind. For this reason, I held out hope that the thieves were not able to escape the city and that the maps were still here, hidden to be found later when the search had died down. But even with so many troops carrying out raids night and day, I must assume that they have found their way back into the hands of the rebels and that they now know what we have tried to keep secret since the day this decadent city fell to us; that they're beloved Guardians of Ice and Electricity still live."

Gaul took a pause to allow his words to settle on the minds of his gathered Commanders, even though he had said nothing new as far as they were concerned. While the news of the theft had of course been kept secret from the lower ranks, the citizens of Warfang and the realms, all the Ape Generals and senior Commanders had been informed within a short time of the theft taking place.

"With this knowledge in their possession," the Ape King raved on, "They will surely feel encouraged to challenge us, to make their presence known, despite all we have achieved against them. We must take measures to prepare for their renewed vigor; we must prepare for an escalation in rebel activity."

From one of the tables in front of and off to his right side, one of the Ape Generals lifted his head and took a quick breath of courage as he said,

"My King, may I speak?"

Gaul scowled as he turned his eyes to him, "If you must," he replied harshly.

The General stiffened his posture as he replied, "This may not be as grave as it sounds, your highness. After all, we already have what we need from these dragons. Why worry about keeping them alive? They are no longer essential to the great plan."

"You are wrong," Gaul chastised coldly, "We may have what we need from them for our immediate goals, but their value to us remains strong. It was the Guardians of the past who imprisoned our master in his time," he said as he then held his arms outwards as a gesture to all those in attendance, asking aloud, "What better gift could we present him on his return, then the Guardians of our time, alive and at his mercy?"

From amidst the gathering there was a chorus of sinister chuckles and murmurs of agreement, but among them one voice dared to be critical.

"But my King," said one of the Generals from the left side of the room, "Without the third Guardian, Terrador, or the dead one, Ignitus, we are still left hoarding Spirit Gems in the hope we can achieve the same result. What if it is not enough?"

"It will be if we have to mine every gem and crystal in the world!" Gaul growled as he clenched his fist, bringing silence to the hall once again, "That damned fool of an Assassin was meant to bring me that coward alive once he had killed the purple whelpling. It is just as well he died with them in the fire; it would have been mercy compared to what he would have faced had he returned alive!"

"A thousand deaths would have been too merciful for him!" one of the gathered Apes at the middle table declared ferociously, "We are only still here three years after we conquered this place because of his failure! Yes, he may have slain the purple whelpling, but does anyone here doubt they could not have done the same had they encountered him? He would never have bested any of us here!"

The Ape Commander did not understand why silence answered him, why none of the others joined in or added to his cheers. He glanced around and saw their shrinking eyes as they all looked at him, wearing faces overcome by shock and fear for something he had done quite by accident. Looking back to Gaul, he suddenly gasped as he saw the Ape King's deathly glare as his chest heaved steadily to a pattern of enraged breathing, growing louder with each exhale. A fact that had slipped his mind suddenly returned with the caress of a tornado that revealed what his crime had been; forgetting who among the gathering had been bested by the purple dragon once before; the Ape King himself!

"Your highness…" he stammered, just before Gaul slammed his scrolls down and leapt onto the first table in front of him, storming across the floor and leaping over the second table as he violently grasped the foolish Ape Commander by his tunic and slammed him against the wall, the rest of the gathering watching with bated breath for what would happen next!

"Your highness, please…!" the Commander begged as Gaul's clawed hands closed around his throat.

"I was bested by him once!" Gaul snarled, "By his underhanded, cowardly, elemental trickery! I was thrown through my own throne! You say you are more capable than me?!"

"No, my lord, no!" the Commander choked, his voice weakening under the grip of the Ape King, "It slipped my mind! I was a fool!"

"You are a fool!" Gaul corrected him venomously, his grip tightening around his subordinate's neck.

"Yes! I am a fool!" the Commander nodded desperately as his eyes began to pop out from his head as Gaul's hands quivered with exertion, the rest of the gathering looked between each other nervously as they watched their associate being violently choked by their own King.

"I beg of you… please!" he croaked as his voice became barely a whisper, the whites of his eyes beginning to streak red as Gaul's one green eye glowed with his fury.

"So you do," the Ape King remarked flatly, giving a final violent thrust against the wall with his subordinate before his hands swiftly pulled away, "But that's not what has saved you," he said coldly as the offending Commander slipped down the wall and fell on his tail. His eyes were as large as the twin moons as he gasped desperately for breath, Gaul turning his back on him and climbing back atop of the table as the others in attendance tried their best to not even blink, less it bring their king's wrath upon them.

"His life was only spared because at this juncture, not even his insolence was enough. But there will be a time when we have ascended beyond this point; you would all be wise to remember that!" declared Gaul as he jumped from the table and over top of the next, returning to his place in the center of the chamber as the assembled Apes all quietly breathed a sigh of relief as their associate still lay on the floor, gasping for air. Gaul snapped his fingers again and the same Ape servant speedily bought him another goblet of wine, which he threw down in another swift gulp. As the servant left again, Gaul picked up the scrolls he had put down and announced as though nothing untoward had happened, "Lets us get on with the business at hand."

The Generals and Commanders in an almost comedic fashion cleared their throats and quickly moved back to their places around the tables, scrambling to grab their own copies of the scrolls Gaul held, some grabbing each other's scrolls by accident in their haste, resulting in at least three sets of tug-of-war before formality was restored. Gaul's eyes scanned down the documents he held up as the others picked up theirs, casually flipping them over to the last page where he had added his own points to make alongside those delivered by the messenger earlier. His eyebrows rose as they fell on the last point of his annotations.

"We have much to discuss, but I want you all to be sure when you leave that you pass on to your troops the current standing orders, particularly those in regards to the taking and handling of prisoners. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness!" came the swift reply of simultaneous voices as they all then quickly flipped their parchments to the orders in question. More than a few of the attendees glanced at each other as they quickly reviewed the details before they then turned their eyes back to Gaul as he tiredly rubbed his free hand down his face. None of them spoke up about it, but the fact was that there was a persistent familiarity to Gaul's list of standing orders. They mostly changed with the tide of events occurring in and outside of the city, but there was one that was always there and had been for the past three years. They did not understand why, but they recalled what had happened to the last subordinate who dared question its importance, so they wisely never did so.

"BY ORDER OF THE KING; CAPTURE ON SIGHT!

SUBJECT MUST BE TAKEN ALIVE WITH NO EXCEPTIONS!

KNOWN NAME IS CYNDER

CONSIDERED HIGHLY DANGEROUS, FIERCE FIGHTER AND FLYER, HARNESSES ELEMENTAL WIND AS WEAPON. USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY TWO OTHER DRAGONS, ONE RED MALE AND ONE PINK FEMALE.

ANY NESSACRY ACTION MAY BE TAKEN TO ENSURE CAPTURE OF SUBJECT.

HOWEVER, UNNESSACRY HARM WILL RESULT IN EXECUTION. RED AND PINK COMPANIONS ARE EXPENDABLE.

ONCE CAPTURED, SUBJECT MUST BE IMMEDTAETLY BOUGHT TO THE KING FOR INTERRORGATION.

THOSE WHO SUCCEDD WILL BE REWARDED."

The text on the scroll was written beneath a drawing which depicted the individual who was to be captured; a certain adolescent black dragoness with red wings and underbelly, with distinctive markings on her forehead, shoulders and back. While the wording of the order was mostly the same as if had been, the sketch had been updated to reflect Cynder's changed, older appearance. Just as before, however, the order gave no reason why she was so important to Gaul or the Ape's overall schemes. That reason was known only to the Ape King himself. At least, as far as he knew and hoped.

Meanwhile….

No one at the gathering in Castle Hill knew, nor could they have known, that their entire proceeding had with it an uninvited attendee. Despite all the paranoia about the recent thievery that had taken place, there was one place within the Council Chamber that could not be searched for spies or thieves, nor could anyone expect to find them in it without an incredulous amount of insight or imagination. The cluster of white glowing crystals innocently hanging over the proceedings below, glistening with its enchanted light like a star had been caught inside. The voices of Gaul and the other commanding Apes echoed up the walls of the hall towards it, deceptively hiding a pair of eyes that looked down from within its crystal body.

The eyes were a blue grey inside ancient black ringed sockets, staring down at the birds' eye view of the interior of the Council Chamber. The eyes looked down from the enchanted crystal through the medium of a scrying pool, not dissimilar to the Pool of Visions that had resided in the Dragon Temple. The room in which it lay was a wide circle of grey white stone, coloured in an aura of dark blue light that shone from the elemental calligraphy that glowed around the four hexagon shaped doorways leading out of the room. Taking up most of the floor in the center of the room was a pit that dropped only a few feet down with the scrying pool in its center with a line of lit candles burning around the edge of the pit. Despite these light sources, the room was still fairly dark as the weary form of a grey scaled dragon, the bearer of the blue grey eyes, stood by the scrying pool.

The dragon looked down into the pool whose water glowed with a mystical light that seemed to shine from beneath it like looking at the moon whilst submerged. Had there been a second pair of eyes watching, they would see only the glow of light and nothing else, but the blue grey eyes saw a vision only they could see; a view from the crystal chandelier as if they were in the chamber in person at that very moment. They watched the hulking mass of the Ape King addressing his subordinates as they discussed the parchments they all held, their voices heard only by the ears of the old grey dragon. He slowly lifted his head, a long grey goatee swung lightly beneath his chin, the hair kept in a ponytail like form by a golden bracelet that clamped around close its base. Beneath this goatee was a blue crystal that seemed to share the light of the scrying pool, hanging from the heavy golden collar of the dark blue tunic worn by the grey dragon. His face, aged by countless centuries, was rather peculiar for the presence of such an abundance of greyish hair, unusual even in older dragons.

The edges of his mouth were blacklined as if drawn by an artist's quill, the top of his nose was sharply pointed like a diamond, his snout being white save for the black line that traced his lips before forming a thin bridge up his muzzle to the black diamond on his nose. On top of his head was a crown of white hair in five separate prongs, whilst the hair of his eyebrows was black. Behind his cheek bones were two more tufts of grey hair growing down from each side, while from the side of his head grew two ram like grey horns with bronze tipped ends which curved downward and back towards his ears. Behind the tuft of hair was another set of horns that grew out in a 'Y' like shape, the right-side tip broken off long ago.

The grey dragon breathed in deeply, turning his body to the right towards the central door on that side, his dark grey wings of worn blue grey membrane rustled as he folded them over his back, stepping up on the ledge of the pit and towards the door. As he did so, the light in the scrying pool faded, as did the shining light in the crystal worn around his neck. The earlier mentioned blue tunic draped over most of his body, cut into which were openings to allow for the line of black spines along his back. Tied around his waist was a leather belt that held two separate items on each side; on his left side was a tube like, open topped case filled with scrolls whilst on his right side was a large book held in a strap. These items rustled as he moved towards the door, which split into two and disappeared inside the walls with a shudder as he approached. The grey dragon walked slowly through into the next room, his eyes lifting and staring ahead into the blue reflection of something that cast the whole room in a clear, brilliant turquoise glow.

Before him in yet another large circular room was a great hourglass, reaching all the way to the ceiling more than twice its own height. The large stone device contained two great glass bulbs, flowing with a strange, shimmering blue liquid the same colour as the crystal around the grey dragon's neck that seemed to have a gloopy like quality to it as it poured down into the bottom of the glass, yet seemingly with neither bulb getting fuller or emptier as it did. The base of the glass was surrounded by another pit like the scrying pool with a lip of stubby white bricks lined around it. Surrounding it was a hard, dark grey stone floor which the ancient grey dragon stepped across as he kept his eyes on the magical hourglass. The curved walls that formed the room took on the appearance of a library, the walls lined with great stone bookcases, each one packed to the brim with knowledge. There were numerous more books laying around the floor, some stacked in piles whilst others were strewn about on their own.

Built into the cases in the four corners of the circular room were five sets of three orbs built into stone rings, each set consisting of the centre orb being slightly higher whilst the two beside were level with each other. The orbs were coloured to match the four main elements; red for Fire, blue for Ice, Green for Earth and Yellow of Electricity, the fifth representing the less prominent Wind element, represented in silvery blue. These orbs glowed in their own way as the grey dragon stopped just outside the pit of the hourglass, looking up its length as the liquid of time flowed through it. He gazed at it for some time, pondering as he did almost daily, pondering the duty he had taken on for more years than any living being in the world. Pondering the lives that were documented in his immense library that was far greater than what was visible here, wondering about the choices those individuals all made throughout their lives, choices that he had watched and documented like a deity that counted the sins and good deeds of those who worshiped them. For so much of it he had been an impartial observer, watching as time or fate eventually caught up with them, sometimes knowing the way their stories ended long before they did, other times not being able to predict the way their paths finally ended, be it through their own choices or those of others.

This was what he, the Chronicler, had done for centuries. But overtime, he had found he could no longer merely be an observer and scholar. The Chronicler could no longer stand being idle. He arched his head down as if bowing, lifting it once more as he turned to the right and stepped around the side of the hourglass, glancing over to the innumerable books to his side. The Chronicler's eyes scanned over the volumes, many of them seemingly out of his reach and there was no apparent ladders or other means for him to reach the higher shelves. He came to a halt halfway between the hourglass and the door across the other side of the room. With a soft groan, he sat down stiffly on his haunches, curling his tail around himself as he fixed his eyes on one book among the many on the higher shelf, one a with a purple spine and ornate gold lining well out of reach.

Suddenly, the book which his eyes were focused on moved on its own on the shelf, slipping out like invisible hands had guided it out. The book was pulled out all the way, now hanging in the air and levitating on its own! Without a word having been spoken by the Chronicler, the book began to drift down, carried by an unseen magic towards him. The large volume, with its royal colours of purple and gold, standing one meter tall and two and a half meters wide, hovered before the ancient dragon, and once more without any physical handling, it opened itself before him, hovering in front of his face as though it were placed on a stand. As the Chronicler stared at the pages, he saw no words inscribed on them, just blank and empty parchment. He blinked twice in quick succession, the blank pages suddenly beginning to change before him, their barren surfaces began to become muddy and distorted, as though inks of different colours were rising through the pages to form some kind of image.

The colours swirled, filling first the lefthand and then the righthand pages of the purple book in a glossy image like a painting coming to life. A heavy number of darker tones filled the pages as the Chronicler saw the shape of numerous tall mushrooms come into focus, an image as clear as though he were staring through a window, if he had lost his ability to see colour. The image he saw took on a sepia toned appearance, with no vivid colours other than various tones of tan and brown, giving it an almost drawn appearance. Even without livid colours, he saw the lush surroundings of the Dragonfly swamp, frozen in time in a scene of the past, a scene he knew from three years earlier.

In it, the Chronicler saw the young purple dragon, Spyro, his face lit up with playful joy as he scampered through the shallow waters of the Dragonfly village, looking over his shoulder as he was followed closely by the yellow adolescent dragonfly who he had befriended after saving his life, Sparx. Along with him were several other dragonflies who were all part of the game, the parents of Sparx, Flash and Nina, watching on arm in arm as their son and his friends played with the young dragon who had come into their lives so suddenly. It was a moment that had occurred only a week or so after he had first arrived at the swamp, directed there by the Chronicler himself, or at least he wished he could say so. When he had decided to contact the young dragon the day of the siege of Warfang through the power of telepathy, it had been more of a stroke of luck that he had encountered Sparx and set into motion the events that had led him to their village and relative safety.

The Chronicler's prime motive had been to get the young dragon as far away from the world he knew as possible to save him from the death he was all but certain would follow if he had allowed events to play out on their own. It had only been the second time he had directly tried to manipulate the path of fate after spending centuries being its unjudging observer. Yet in the three years since the world believed the Legendary Purple Dragon had died, he had chosen not to interfere again despite knowing how far Gaul's plans had advanced. He had told the young Spyro to await the day he would be summoned, but that day could not come sooner for those who continued to live under the oppression of the Apes and those who resisted it.

The levitating book then turned over another page, the image fading away to reveal another pair of blank pages, but the same swirl of inky colours soon appeared across them as a new image took place. Gone though were the dreary colours of the glimpse of the past, instead he saw a swirl or darker blues and black swirling into shape. Soon other colours began to appear, making something quite different than the last image as it expanded over the full breadth of the book. The Chronicler watched curiously as the colours took form like the progress of a painting done with invisible brushes. Despite the dark setting it showed, this image was alive with colour and the edges of the pages seem to flicker with a mist like effect. This was the tell-tale sign that this was not a vision of the past, but a window into the present mind of the young purple dragon.

Yet the Chronicler could not help but notice the anachronistic nature of the vision; it showed the memorial garden outside the Dragon Temple, the grand statue dedicated to the garrison who sacrificed themselves fifteen years ago to protect the dragon eggs kept in the temple grotto. There was not a hint of the vandalism and disrepair that had befallen the temple since then, but then he saw why as the last of the right page was filled in.

The numerous varied colours of the flowers surrounding the statue shone bright in the moonlight as the Chronicler focused on what appeared at the back of the statue. Huddled close together behind the monument, he saw the younger purple dragon and the younger black and red dragoness, Cynder, holding onto each other in an embrace. Spyro's wings were extended around the dragoness as were his forelegs. In the vision he saw them talking softly to each other, until a moment occurred that made the Chronicler's eyes widen; she leaned forward and kissed Spyro on the tip of his snout. It was an endearing moment, but why was this vision of the past being relived in the present? The answer was simple enough, making the Chronicler let out a faint chuckle.

'He's dreaming again,' he thought to himself with a soft smile, 'If only we could all dream so easily…'

He continued to watch the dream play out in the mind of the young dragon, the precious moments no doubt just as real to him as they were to the Chronicler as he watched them play out on the pages of the book. This one, like most of the others that were lined around the room, were living records of dragons that currently lived in the realms. Perhaps the greatest kept secret in all the world was the fact that their lives were being recorded as they happened by these magical bundles of pages and leather covers. As dragons were creatures of magic, they each possessed a residual energy that came from their connections to the forces that allowed them to harness the elements. This energy could also be found in other magic wielding beings, but in the case of dragons, this allowed for a telepathic link to be established to the mind of every dragon, no matter where they were, recording their memories into the books and offering the ability to give live insight to their present lives.

All of these memories flowed back to the heart of the Chronicler's sanctum here on the mysterious hidden island he called his home; the White Isle. It was a secret place, forgotten by all. Well, very nearly by all. He had of course divulged his existence when he had chosen to contact the Fire Guardian, Ignitus, and to Spyro when he had warned him about the approaching peril and told him to not return to the temple the day Warfang was attacked. But as far as most were concerned, this place and the Chronicler were only myths from ancient times and it was essential that remained so. For now.

At that moment, there was the sound of the door on the far side of the room shuddering open, the Chronicler lifting his eyes from the book in its direction as the door parted in two. He softly wet his lips with his tongue as he starred for a few moments into the open doorway, a winged silhouette standing in the poor light of the room behind it. He saw the figure's head looking directly to him, the Chronicler's blue grey eyes locking onto those across the room.

"Not much longer, friend," the Chronicler said to the darkened figure standing in the door, the figure he knew, "The time is nearly upon us."

The silhouette was unmistakably that of a dragon, but whomever it was, they were indistinct in the poor light of the room behind them. There was a gruff, irksome sigh, the sound of which suggested a male voice. The dragon said nothing to the Chronicler, instead turning around and slowly headed back to where they had come, moving at a slow, depressed walk out of the library, the great hourglass continuing to flow as time always did; invariably and without concern for whom its passing affected.

Dante's Freezer, the following day…

The near total darkness was broken by the flickering light of a line of flaming torches appearing from the far end of a darkened cavern, the light shimmering off the ice-soaked walls as the sound of cautious feet and the rustling of weapons and armor beneath and over thick coats floated down the cavern. The low ceiling forced the taller Cheetahs of the group to hunch low as the torches revealed the cascading ceiling of aqua blue ice above the heads of the group, the gentle flow of a frigid underground stream passing thinly by the right of the group, heading in the opposite direction. The wall to the left of them was smeared in an uneven blanket of frozen water, the contours and dips of which created a wavy distortion of the figures that slowly trundled by it.

Hunter led the force through the cavern with a torch in his left hand and his short sword clenched in the other, the unfamiliar surroundings making him more cautious than usual as waddling close beside him were two short mole-at-arms, each holding up crossbows in their arms for ranged capability should the group encounter any danger. Following them were the three young dragons, Flame, Ember and Cynder, in that order, as they carefully stepped across the freezing ground with soft clicks of their claws against the hard surface. Behind them were the two other Cheetah's Eliza and Leofwin, both carrying their own Falcons in their own cages on their backs, the birds keeping perfectly quiet as they had been trained to. The red male dragon exhaled a jittery breath of cold air as he looked up at the Cheetah warrior who led them onwards, his eyes continually drawn to the torch he was carrying.

Even though he was a Fire dragon, that did not mean he did not appreciate the comforts of a warming blaze any less than other being, dragon or otherwise. It was natural to assume that Fire dragons would be more resilient in the face of extreme cold, but in fact were typically no more resilient than other reptiles, even with the magical fire in his belly. It never made sense to him, but in such environments, Ice dragons were ironically the ones who fared better, their ability to harness the element of Ice giving them a resilience to cold that was virtually unmatched. Particularly gifted and skilled Fire dragons could develop a similar resilience if they endeavored enough, but as it was, the dragons who fared better in the cold were usually those who, in more ways than one, had Ice in their veins.

Flame glanced to his left as they wandered past the distorted wall of ice, watching his own reflection with the help of the torches in front and behind him. He snickered at the ballooning and waving proportions of his reflection as he passed it by, reminding him of a novelty mirrors attraction he and his friends had visited during a festival in Warfang a few years before the war. For a moment it made him forget the freezing temperatures that were chilling him, reminding him of the taste of the candy sticks they had eaten afterwards, the streets filled with laughter and novelty balloons floating above the city as he, Ember, Cynder and Spyro enjoyed their young lives to the fullest. The thought that it would just be the three of them now, wandering through a freezing ice cave on a perilous excursion to find and rescue one of the great Dragon Guardians would have been inconceivable to them back then. To Flame, it still was.

Hoping to stave off the drop in his mood, he snickered at his reflection again, more noticeably this time, looking over his shoulder to Ember and beckoning for her to look to it, hoping it might stir a moment of joy in her too. His humorous smile was met by her cold aqua eyes, shifting across to his reflection and then back to him in a flash. Not a muscle on her face had stirred in that moment, her utterly humorless expression striking him harder than all the cold weather of Dante's Freezer. Flame's expression dampened as he turned his head forward, feeling his heart sink as looked ahead to the front of the column.

A misty cloud of cold breath accompanied Cynder's low sigh of sympathy for the red dragon as he meekly turned his head forward, Ember's emotionless stare somehow being felt even from behind her. Her eyes traced over the back of her friend, the pink dragoness marching on with not a single tilt or turn of her head to suggest even a remote curiosity to her surroundings, the ancestral land of the Ice dragons with all its fierceness and beauty. Even with the little light there was, Cynder could still appreciate the glistening beauty of the place, as though they were wandering inside a diamond. She wished she could be seeing it under better circumstances, but she knew by now it was pointless for any of them to dwell on what they wished, only on what they needed to do above all else; survive the day. To keep her mind on this, Cynder thought back to earlier that morning, when Hunter had briefed them on the plan of action for the day…

She had been awoken by a soft nudge from Flame, who in turn had been awoken by Ember who had been awoken by a Mole and so on. They and the rest of the troops had gathered for the communal breakfast as preparations were made to advance onward from the cave. After that, Hunter had them all gather in the largest cavern so that they could all hear him speak. The three young dragons had seated themselves close together in the center of the circle that had formed around their leader; Hunter clutching his satchel in his paws in front of his lap as he gazed around at the eyes of the assorted Moles, Dragons and Cheetahs.

"I know we went over all this before we left," he announced to them with a hint of apology, "But I think we can afford to go over it one last time before we leave, in case anyone is unclear on anything."

Hunter had opened his satchel and withdrew the scrolls he had inside them; one was a general map of the entirety of Dante's Freezer, one was a map of the region they were currently in, and the third was the most intriguing. It was a copy of a map that had come into possession of the Legion that had ultimately resulted in the current expedition they were a part of. It was a map which had been delivered by an unknown Falcon which had flown right to the hidden camp of a scouting party monitoring Ape activity in Avalar. The members of the party had been unbale to catch the bird which had flown away as soon as it dropped off the maps in a fur skinned satchel typically carried by high-ranking officers of Gaul's army, suggesting it had been stolen from them.

The satchel had been brought back to the Legion's main hideout, though there were numerous ones, in the rocky mountain ranges and dense forest in the far corners of Avalar; a region called the Avalarian Alps. The Apes were well aware of the Legion's presence in that area, but the vast and difficult terrain made it extremely contentious to search even with a large number of troops. For the most part, the Apes did not venture far into the foothills of the alps, preferring to patrol the outlying areas to try and catch Legion troops before they could venture to the occupied lands. Fortunately, the Legion had become quite adept at avoiding them.

"You all know why we are here," Hunter had proclaimed in a heavy voice, "And you especially know why I insisted this be a volunteer only effort. The information that was received by us from our unknown accomplice has so far proven to be fruitful. However, many of us, myself included, were extremely dubious about the idea that Volteer and Cyril were still alive after so long. That is why I am leading you on this task; but enough about me," he said as the Cheetah warrior then looked down at the parchments in his paws, the weight of which Cynder could only imagine must have felt like a boulder iceberg when he thought of all the lives that were relying on them to be genuine in what they told.

"If what the maps we received tell us is true, then Volteer is being held in an underground cavern or chamber somewhere beneath the old fortress along the coast. As we all know, the fortress and the surrounding ruins are infested by Trolls. Even the Apes usually prefer to let them be, but my hope is that we will not encounter either Apes or Trolls if the hidden passages these maps describe are real enough."

Hunter had then sorted the scrolls and unrolled the one most relevant, one which showed a top-down overview of the fortress from the time it had been a stronghold of the Ice dragons from ages past. The map showed the intricate connecting fortifications, consisting mostly of great walls and towers of black stone that were designed to be a seeming maze of kill zones for any army that managed to breach the perimeter defenses. They had all had a chance to get a good look at it before they had left the Avalarian Alps, but even still Hunter held it up in his left paw and spun around the room so all eyes could see the map. He lifted his right paw and slid his finger across the thick black lines that represented the deep chasm that the fortifications were split between, two colossal stone bridges crossing the gap towards the highest point of the whole construction; Perisher's Keep. It rose above the rest of the fortifications by at least a few hundred feet in a four-sided pyramid like shape, the sloping walls eventually reaching a flat-topped Keep that had, at one point, been Freezer's unconquerable stronghold, so named after the Perisher Ice dragon clan who first claimed dominion over Dante's Freezer in centuries past.

"The maps tell of a secret passage that is hidden at the bottom of the chasm which will lead us into the lower chambers of the fortress," Hunter continued, "It is there that our friend Volteer is to be found. However, no one in living memory had stepped inside the walls of the Keep since it was abandoned, so we have no idea what kind of disrepair it is in; what collapses there may have been or potentially new excavations and construction that may have been made. If Gaul has been able to imprison Volteer here, then we must assume he has ensured any number of surprises await any who try to find him. We must therefore be extremely cautious; I want everyone to think about every step before they take it and to not touch anything when we get inside, no matter how innocent or harmless it may seem. In other words, no souvenirs!"

Some of the more light-fingered members of the force had been disappointed by this very specific order, but Hunter was someone who was highly respected in the Legion, as indeed were all the other Cheetah warriors who had followed him to fight as freedom fighters rather than remain with the Prowlus tribe. There was no shortage of resentment among many of the rank and file of the Legion towards the former allies of the Dragons and Moles who had so quickly severed ties with them after the attack on Warfang and refused to cooperate even in such desperate times. While Prowlus and his loyalists were still certainly enemies of Gaul, they were not by any means allies of the Legion. As much as Cynder hated the term, Hunter and his followers were often regarded as 'the good ones' for siding with the Legion, the obvious implication that those who did not fight alongside them were the 'bad' Cheetahs.

"Finally," Hunter had sighed as he turned around and found himself staring straight across at Cynder, along with Flame and Ember by her side that morning, pausing to regard them for a moment before he had finished his briefing, "I received and sent word this morning by Falcon to Marshal Fayveer of the Frostflyer's Battalion. They are currently situated in the forests to the west of us with our airship as planned and will be ready to come to our assistance if it is required. But in the end, we must get inside, find Volteer and get him out as quickly as possible. We must be prepared for anything and assume the Apes by now have learned of their little information leak. They could be bringing in reinforcements any time to ensure we never get close to the fortress."

It was then that Hunter's briefing had been interrupted by none other than Ember, who raised her right wing and foreleg up to draw his attention.

"Yes, Ember?" he asked.

"Even if the hidden passage is real," she said in a flat voice, "What if we find there is no way to get inside without being noticed? What if it has caved in or is heavily guarded?"

"In that case," Hunter replied, "We will signal Fayveer and launch a full-scale assault against the citadel. The Trolls have no air force like the Apes, but they will know every inch of those ruins and make us fight for it. But that decision is ultimately mine to make, or if something should happen, to my second in command. But with luck and determination, my friends, we shall make out way inside one way or another, free Volteer, and then we will regroup and head for the rendezvous in Tall Plains. Anymore questions?"

There had been none, the assembled troops looking about silently as they watched Hunter closely, each pair of eyes wondering if he could carry weight of those decisions in the face of what they may face and all that was at stake. For Cynder, she was in no doubt that Hunter would see them through, no matter the odds. The only thing she truly doubted was whether Volteer would truly be there or not.

"Alright then," he had nodded as he began rolling up his maps, "Then let us prepare to move out."

Three hours later, they had found themselves tracking cautiously through the frozen cave they were in now, following the route that had been set from studying the maps and the advice from members of Fayveer's troops who were more familiar with the terrain. Despite this, the Marshal had not allowed any of the dragon warriors of his battalion to accompany them on the trek, apparently arguing that he needed all his warriors available, if and when, they were summoned by Hunter's expedition. Cynder had her suspicions that he was furious that his battalion had not been sent to support Terrador's expedition to Tall Plains where Cyril the Ice Guardian was alleged to be held. While she could understand that they may want to play a part in saving the Guardian of their element, she was appalled that Fayveer would seemingly consider saving Volteer a less worthy task for his command.

Perhaps he doubted the veracity of the information that had been delivered to them by the Legion's unknown ally, not wishing to risk the lives of his troops for what could be a heinous trap by Gaul, teasing them with an inkling of hope only to end it along with their lives, further damaging the resolve of the Legion and any who stood against the Apes. The darkness of the cave began to wane as they moved onward, Cynder peering ahead to see the frozen walls of the cave growing lighter as a curve appeared ahead, the shallow stream curving around the edge of the corner as the icicles dangling above dripped onto the rock floor. Ahead of her, Flame turned his head around and said with quiet hope,

"Light ahead, I think we're almost out!"

"Quiet!" Ember hissed coldly, "That means we're closer to whatever is waiting for us!"

Flame's face became sullen as he snapped his head forward, flushing with embarrassment as Cynder only shook her head lightly at Ember's harshness. The black dragoness looked behind to see the rest of the column doing as she had, peering ahead to the emerging light and knowing they were approaching the moment when they would find out just how true the map really was. Her whole body shuddered as another cloud of cold air exhaled from her mouth, Cynder carelessly swinging her eyes left at the wall of ice that Flame had found so amusing. By strange coincidence, by the time she had taken an interest, the ice wall had lost much of his distortions and waves, now producing something close to a frozen mirror that reflected her appearance with little exaggeration. She sighed with mild disappointment, happy to welcome the mild amusement or distraction it might have given her. The bend in the cave drew closer, the air becoming more frigid the closer they came, the cold of the outside making its way in to them as they pressed on.

"Tight space ahead, watch your heads," Hunter advised quietly from the front, Cynder holding her anxiousness at bay as they cautiously moved around the bend in the cave, Hunter ducking low under a sharp dip in the ceiling with the torch held out in front as the two mole-at-arms moved under with little trouble. A near blinding haze of white ahead made Flame stop abruptly as his eyes struggled to adjust, as did Ember and Cynder as they lowered their heads to fit under the low rock. A rush of freezing air greeted them as the black stone floor turned to one covered in snow, Cynder emerging as Flame and Ember stopped behind Hunter who paused to hold his paw in front of his face as the icy glare reflected like the sun at them. The cave had expanded into a shape not unlike that of a mouth, the high ceiling decorated in ice covered spires that pointed ominously downward, stretching on for some distance as the mouth opened up to the outside world.

As the haze died down, all eyes of those present gazed out towards the mouth of the cave, a swirl of snowflakes dancing across as they saw the face of black, ice-covered rock reaching up and out as far as they could yet see some distance across from them. The howl of wind echoed like the bellow of a great beast waiting for them to enter its lair, Hunter lowering his paw as he regarded the colossal rockface with a simple remark,

"It shouldn't be far now."

"Really? That's all you've got to say?" Cynder mumbled to herself just as the rest of the party behind her started to duck through, forcing her to move ahead as Eliza and Leofwin clambered under. Hunter turned around to face them, waiting until the whole party had passed under the low rock and was accounted for.

"This should be Perisher's gorge," he said in a hushed tone, "Which means we are close. Stay together and keep quiet, sound will travel far down here."

Taking his advice to heart, the gathered Moles, Cheetahs and Dragons did only nod as their leader turned around slowly and began to lead them towards the end of the frozen mouth, Cynder Flame and Ember looking up at the frosty spires above and wondering if they might come falling on them any moment.

Hunter held up his paw, bringing the troop to a halt as he looked back and beckoned to Leowfin to come to him, the yellow furred Cheetah nodding before briskly but quietly moving up to him. Hunter whispered something to him before handing off the torch still in his paw, glancing back at the troop once more as he started creeping towards the mouth of the cave, his ears high and his head moving around constantly as he took each step as if expecting the ground to give way under him any second. There was a collective gasp from all the troop as they watched him go out alone, sneaking ahead until, finally, Hunter passed under the roof of the mouth of the cave and into the open.

"Be careful, Hunter…" Flame whispered to himself gravely as he watched him go.

"Nothing gets past him," Ember remarked in the same hushed volume, "He won't fall for anything."

"Hope that goes for all of us…" Cynder added dimly.

They continued to watch Hunter as he stepped cautiously around the outside of the cave, coming to a halt as his eyes scanned level at his surroundings, his crimson tunic doing little to camouflage him against the black backdrop and swirling snowflakes. He scanned left and right, up and down the gorge before tilting his head back and looking up, once more holding his paw out in front as the few rays of sunshine there were cast down through the overcast skies. He lowered his paw slowly as something above seemed to catch his interest, but Hunter did not dwell on it for long as he then turned back to Leowfwin, still standing with his torch in paw. Hunter beckoned to him with a gentle nod, to which Leofwin nodded in return before turning his head to the rest of the troop. He waved at them to follow, placing a finger to his lips to reaffirm the need to keep quiet. At the front, Cynder, Ember and Flame all nodded back as they moved off together, stepping cautiously in time as the rest of the troop hesitated for a moment, but soon began moving out slowly towards the cave exit, clutching weapons and baggage close so as not to rustle as Leofwin led them out towards Hunter.

The light-yellow Cheetah stopped as he reached the edge of the cave's mouth, stepping to the left and gently waving them on as he watched the cautious precession filing out from the low gap they had come from. Cynder looked up at the precarious looking ceiling out of fear she might have missed something, catching a sigh of relief that nothing had decided to fall at that moment as she and the other young dragons passed Leofwin and finally out of the underground. Stepping out in the fresh snow and air after so long in the cramped underground was not as relieving as they might have wished it as they moved towards Hunter, their first instinct to look up to the sky as the new sense of vulnerability settled on them.

Cynder's eyes widened, as did those of Ember and Flame as just further down they saw the thing that had caught Hunter's attention; the underside of a long black bridge stretching across the top of the gorge hundreds of feet above, its daunting black shadow staining the white snow of the gorge like a smudge of black ink. Its presence as predicted by the maps showed they were indeed heading in the right direction; and indeed, that they were now well within the fortress ruins! Somewhere up above and out of view on the other side of the imposing bridge was the mighty edifice of Perisher's Keep, the alleged prison of Volteer.

End of Chapter 5

Next Chapter: Perisher's Keep

Just a reminder that because this chapter was released early, there will not be another chapter posted until May but from then onward new chapters will be posted once per month. Thank you for reading!