It was after two or three hours of climbing up the mountain that Rose directed them off the path. Turning south, they dismounted in an effort to ensure proper footing as they stepped over loose black rocks on the steep incline. Dart fell into step next to Shana.

"You okay?" he asked, glancing up at her.

Her eyes remained focused on the treacherous ground before her as she carefully placed each step, but she replied, "Yes. Although I can't say this isn't difficult."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get past this mountain," he said casually.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

Dart looked over again, hearing a strange tone in her voice. Remember what Lavitz said, he thought to himself. Pay attention. Shana seemed lost in thought, and Dart tried to imagine what must be running through her mind. Was she thinking about the dragon?

"Do you think we'll be able to defeat it?" he prodded. "The dragon," he added hastily.

"Yes. I have no doubt that you and Rose are fully capable," she said with a small smile.

Dart fell silent. That must not be it, he thought. He spent the next several minutes in silence trying to figure out what Shana could be so focused on, occasionally glancing over to check on her. Finally, he remembered another thing Lavitz had said: Maybe consider asking Shana how she's feeling.

"Hey, Shana," he said suddenly. Then turning to her, he asked, "Are you doing okay?"

She looked slightly amused and said, "Yes, I'm fine. I haven't fallen off the mountain yet, at least."

"No, I mean…" He paused. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh," she said in surprise. "I guess so… I'm just remembering the last cave we went through and hoping this one is different."

"I'm sure it will be," said Dart. He felt irritated that he couldn't be more eloquent in his reassurances. For a couple more minutes, they walked in silence. He tried to imagine what Lavitz would say in this situation, and after coming to a conclusion decided to try again.

"I'm kind of nervous, too." It was such a simple statement, and it had sounded a lot better in his head. He shook his head at himself.

"Really?" she asked. She turned to him, and Dart noticed that she was genuinely surprised by his short sentiment.

"I mean…" He struggled to find the right words. "Yeah."

Wow, he thought to himself. You win the prize for sheer idiocy, Dart. Shana, however, seemed not to mind his faltering speech.

"I always thought you were this immovable force of pure courage," she said. "This cave scares you?"

"Well, scare isn't exactly the right word…" His pride couldn't let him admit to her that he was afraid.

"Then what is it?"

"I guess… the cave by Bale kind of… got to me. I mean, won't pretend that I enjoyed the cold and the dark and the damp. But it's like there's something following us, some evil force working against our every move. Nothing has been easy. And I don't…" He glanced over to Shana. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Or Lavitz," he quickly added. "We already almost lost him in the river, and then I made a mistake that almost got you killed right after that. I can't help but… wonder… what might go wrong inside this volcano while we're inside it."

"I think all of us have those kinds of fears," said Shana quietly. "Lavitz carries the weight of all the people in Serdio, and probably worries that we'll all end up like those men in the Seventh Fort. And I… I'm afraid that… I'll get in the way." Dart started at this and turned sharply to her. But before he could speak, she continued, "But it's like Lavitz said: we're not doing this for ourselves. We're doing this for all of Serdio. That's what keeps us going."

Dart tried to mask his irritation as he realized that his attempt to console Shana had ended in her consoling him instead. She was right, of course, and it was comforting to know that he was not alone in his struggles. But he could not stop replaying her statement about herself.

"What do you mean that you're afraid that you'll get in the way?"

Shana dropped her eyes in shame. "Sometimes I think I should have stayed in Bale… Or maybe Hoax."

"What?" he asked incredulously. He remembered how vehemently she had fought to stay with him, and it didn't make sense that she should now wish to have stayed behind.

"I'm not a fighter, Dart. You and Lavitz, and even Rose, have such power, such strength, and I feel useless when I'm with you. How am I supposed to help fight a dragon? From what you said earlier, I don't think arrows will even pierce it. I'm doing nothing but taking up space."

The words spilled out of her, and Dart's heart broke. How could he have missed this? Once again, he realized his own selfishness and his ignorance of those around him. What had he done to build up Shana's confidence since they had left Bale?

"Shana, I'm sorry," he said. "I know that I wanted to leave you in Bale, but it was only because I thought that you would be safe in the castle. I realize now that I was being foolish, and that nowhere is really safe anymore, but I didn't then. And you coming with us has been nothing but good for us. You're not a waste of space. You're the reason we're all still going. For me at least, you being here gives me a reason to fight. A personal one. And not to mention all the men who would have died after the attack in Hoax, all the men that you helped. And in the Seventh Fort, it wasn't me or Rose who helped Lavitz work through all that stuff. It was you. Leaving you behind would have been the worst mistake we could have made."

As Dart spoke, Shana's eyes grew wet, and tears began to slide down her face. Recovering from his emotional unloading, he was now at a loss for words, and completely unsure of how to fix it. His intent had been to help her, not make it worse.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, you didn't," she said, wiping her face. "Thank you for saying that." Glancing over to him, she smiled weakly.

Dart returned the smile and looked ahead, utterly confused by what had just happened, but pleased that he had accomplished his original intent.

After several more minutes of walking, still constantly working to find sure footing, the group arrived at Rose's destination. Dart, Lavitz, and Shana stopped before a gaping hole in the mountain, seven feet tall and over ten feet wide. Rose, however, did not break stride, and led her horse straight into the small cave. She stopped a few feet in and turned to them.

"Coming?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Dart glanced over to Lavitz, who nodded at him. He took a deep breath and walked under the black rock. Lavitz and Shana soon followed.

As they delved further into the mountain, Dart's heart quickened as darkness surrounded them. When the last vestiges of daylight withered away behind them, he stopped and asked, "Does anyone have a torch?" His anxious voice echoed unpleasantly about the tunnel.

"No," whispered Shana.

"One day, Dart," came Rose's voice from some distance ahead, "you will remember what you are. You have the ability to be our torch."

Dart laughed nervously and said, "Right, of course," before focusing on a spot above and before his head. A few seconds later, a bright orange flame hung there, casting light about them. Cautiously, he took a step forward and was pleasantly surprised when the orb followed, but was irritated that it had been Rose's idea and not his own.

The group continued on in silence, hearing nothing but their own footsteps and the clicking of horses' hooves against the stone. Though his spirits had been slightly lifted by the firelight, Dart could not help but feel apprehensive about what may be awaiting them further into the tunnel. More than once, he thought he saw some small creature scuttle away from the light and into a dark crevice.

After an hour or so, they saw the first branch in the path. To the right, a much smaller tunnel opened into their own. Periodically, more and more of these appeared, some much smaller than others. Down a couple of the tunnels, Dart fancied that he saw a distant red glow.

As time passed, Dart had expected the temperature to fall, as it had in the cave east of Bale. However, he found that it was steadily getting warmer. He was pleased that it did not affect him as much as it would have a couple weeks ago. Glancing around, he saw sweat break out on his companions, even Rose, but he felt merely uncomfortable. Still, the heat foreboded something terrifying, as he remembered the nature of the structure they were walking through.

Suddenly, Shana had a sharp intake of breath and stopped in her tracks. The others turned to her in concern.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" returned Dart.

"That… sound. Like a voice but… distant." As she saw the confused expressions of her companions, she quickly added, "I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe I'm just going crazy." An awkward chuckle came from her, and she began to walk forward, urging them on.

They resumed their trek, although Dart kept a close eye on Shana from then on. She mentioned nothing of the voice for a long while, though occasionally she shook her head, as if trying to fight off mosquitos buzzing near her ears. Dart carefully maneuvered himself so that he would be closer to her.

Fissures in the rock became more and more common, and Dart could more often see that red glow to their left, accompanied by yet higher temperatures. Sweat dripped off Shana's face, and Lavitz repeatedly reached up to wipe his forehead. Even the horses seemed to be labored by the heat, dripping sweat onto the stone beneath them.

Eventually, they came upon a great tunnel leading off to either direction. To the right was pitch black, but to the left, deeper in the mountain, there was the brightest glow yet. As they approached, Dart tried to look further down the passage, but it appeared to curve to one side, blocking his view. Alarm grew within him as Shana dropped the reins of her horse and walked closer to the entrance.

"How can you guys not hear that?" she asked, her voice strangely distant. She stared intently toward the light, and Dart stepped closer to her.

"There's nothing down there, Shana," he said, terrified of what could be happening to her. Perhaps she was just overheating, but that didn't seem to fit well enough.

"No, it's…" Her voice trailed off.

Dart turned to Lavitz and murmured, "We need to pick up the pace." He was eager to get back to some fresh air and away from whatever was causing this disturbance.

Lavitz opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Shana.

"It's calling me!" she cried, and without warning, ran down the tunnel.

"Shana!" shouted Dart, immediately taking off after her.

He followed her down the tunnel until it opened up to a great cavern that filled him with terror. A black cliff of rock hugged the wall before falling into a great sea of bubbling, churning magma. Although the intense heat did not strain him, he was vividly aware of the great danger posed to them here. But somehow even more terrifying was the strange object that Shana beheld now, staring blankly at it, only a few feet from the edge of the path. Before them was a great statue, gray rather than black like the rest of the rock, and quite strange to behold. As Dart's mind tried to make sense of it, he identified a large, bulbous head attached for a proportionately small body. Dark, sunken pits resembled eyes, and strange antenna-like objects reached toward the ceiling. One great clawed arm fought for relief as it tried to pull the beast out of the magma, the other having been consumed by the liquid fire. Dart could see no legs.

Shuddering, he eyed the statue fearfully and considered the possibility of who would carve such a thing in the magma chamber of a volcano, and why. It seemed to exude unease, piercing Dart's heart with fear. The only thing that made him able to move forward was Shana's limp body standing awkwardly before it.

"Shana," said Dart quietly as he cautiously approached her and the statue.

"I'm sorry for running off," she said distractedly. "But this… I needed… to see it." Her eyes stared fixedly on the strange statue. Sweat beaded down her brow.

"This thing was… calling you?" he asked. She nodded as Lavitz ran into the cavern, followed by Rose. Shana's gaze did not turn.

"When I got here," she said distantly, "the strange voice stopped."

Dart glanced over at Lavitz, who was taking in the statue himself with an anxious eye, before taking a step closer to get a better look. Maybe, despite his own fear, he could discern why it exerted such a draw over Shana.

"Wait!" she cried, grabbing his arm. "Don't go near it. Something is wrong." Her face showed great fear and apprehension.

Keeping his feet firmly planted, Dart turned back to the statue and said, "But what is it?" It towered far above him, and he felt a strange hatred for it, though he knew not why. He had never seen anything like it before.

"A virage," responded Rose. Her voice carried a personal knowledge of the thing, and Dart turned to her questioningly. "Have you never heard of them?" she asked. Dart and Lavitz shook their heads; Shana continued to watch the statue. "Virage were used eleven thousand years ago in the Dragon Campaign, by the Winglies. They were like a trump card, used whenever the Winglies were feeling desperate or in a bind. They always powered through troops, no matter the number. The only ones ever to defeat them were dragons or dragoons."

"That sounds… terrifying," said Lavitz, crossing his arms. "Why would anyone make a statue of something like that? In a volcano?"

"It's not a statue," said Rose condescendingly. "This is a live Virage, frozen in time to escape the death of the Winglies. It's likely that it sought solace in a cave only to be caught in a volcanic eruption. It's only barely alive."

Dart's pulse quickened. To think that yet another beast of legend might come to life around him brought a heavy fear to his soul. "We should leave," he said sternly. "Now."

Just as he turned, the ground trembled and knocked him to his knees. Thinking an eruption must be imminent, Dart almost began to panic, but then an even more terrifying thought came to his mind. As the ground continued to shake and Rose, Lavitz, and Shana all fought to keep their balance, Dart looked back at the statue in horror. The light gray stone began to darken, and the old, stiff fingers began to move. The stub of a left arm shook violently in a vain attempt to grab the ledge. The creature's claws dug into the rock, cutting through it like sand, and hoisted the entire creature up onto the cliff. It stood now before them, if standing was the right word. Without legs, it sat awkwardly on what would have been its torso. It peered down at Shana before extending an eerie, ominous arm toward her.

Drawing his sword, Dart quickly stood and rushed over to Shana, pulling her back from danger. He was alarmed to see her dazed, petrified, but not by fear. Some other dark force had hold of her, and he glowered briefly at the virage before trying to pull her back. She unwillingly stumbled backward at the force of his pull, and he threw her toward Lavitz.

"Get her back to safety!" he yelled. "We'll take care of this!" Lavitz nodded and led Shana away while Dart and Rose stepped forward.

Standing at the ready, he waited as the virage turned its attention to them. Resting on its grotesque body, green and bulbous and inflamed, the virage turned to them and swung its large hand. Dart was taken aback by the swiftness of this attack, but managed to duck down in time to avoid it.

Glancing over at Rose, he shouted, "Any advice?"

"Yes," she said calmly. In an instant, she was surrounded by black and then stood with wings billowing behind her. "Transform!"

Dart's attention was turned back to the virage as it screeched upon seeing Rose's transformation. The sound was piercing, distorting his senses and almost paralyzing him with fear. Rose flew high into the air, seemingly unfazed, and cast a large bolt of dark energy at the creature's head. It recoiled, but then swatted at her. She deftly evaded and then shouted down at Dart.

"I said, transform!" The condescension snapped him back to his senses. Grabbing hold of his own fear, his anxiety, his hidden desire for battle, Dart called out to his fiery dragoon spirit. He felt power rise within him as flames leapt from his chest. A moment later, he glanced down and behind him and beheld once again that strange armor and his wings. Profoundly proud of his success, he turned back to the virage.

His fear and trepidation all but vanished. Almost as if it were instilled in his blood, he engaged in the battle. Flying up and out of the reach of the virage, he held up his left hand to create a fireball and hurled it at the virage. It reacted the same as it had to Rose's attack, recoiling and little more. It did little more than irritate it; he must try a different approach.

Brandishing his sword, he dived. Wind rushed through his hair, and at little more than a thought, his sword erupted into flames. The virage, focused on Rose, didn't seem to notice him until the last second, when it struggled to turn to face him. Coming down on its grotesque head, Dart forced his sword into the virage until all that extended was the sword hilt. A split second later, the cavern rang out with the mighty crack of an explosion as heat and fire radiated in each direction. The danger flew by him harmlessly, but the blast forced the virage backward, pulling his sword free and forcing it onto its side. Dart pulled back, smirking at his victory.

But his celebration came too early. The virage stirred, then pushed itself back up with its one arm. A bright white light shone from the center of its large head and fixated on Dart. He realized too late what was happening, and the light shot out in a tight beam, engulfing him in the dangerous magic. Pain exploded all over his body, knocking him cleanly to the ground. He cried out, tears welling up in his eyes, as he felt tiny needles stabbing him across his skin. He lay there for perhaps a minute, trying to recover and blinking rapidly. His vision blurred, either at the pain or the tears, and every minor movement only worsened the pain. Far above him, he saw the dark purple blot of Rose flit this way and that, expertly avoiding the danger.

Finally, the pain lessened enough that he could move. Struggling to his feet, every step still excruciating, he fought back tears once again before looking up to see Rose send a mighty bolt of dark energy that enveloped the entire head of the virage. He could not fight off the uneasy feeling that radiated from the black power, and the virage began to shriek again from within the black veil.

"Dart!" cried Rose. "It's your turn!"

Realizing the opportunity, he forced himself into the air without bothering to take his sword. Focusing on a point just before him, Dart poured all his energy into that very spot. A flame like a candle appeared, but soon it was raging fire. He felt the heat from the ball of energy growing in front of him, and he shouted to lend it power. All his efforts expended, it had grown to over two feet across, and he pulled back his fist. A powerful voice escaped his lips once again as he struck the fireball with all his strength, even as his own fist erupted into flames. The mighty impact sent it hurtling toward his enemy, who stilled shrieked in the darkness conjured by Rose.

As red met black, the magics fused and erupted with power. Black flames sprung up all over the virage, and its shrieking intensified. Uselessly waving its arm around, it fell backward and stumbled over the cliff. Dart panted heavily as it fell back into the magma, and instinctively put his gloved hands over his ears at the piercing sound that followed. He fell to the ground and grimaced as the shock ran up his legs, still sore and worn from the beam of light.

Exhaustion overtook him, and he fell to his knees, almost instantly reverting to his normal self. He cried out as the pain intensified, as Rose had promised it would, and fell forward onto his hands. A flash of light from the edge of the cliff told him that Rose had transformed as well, and he lifted his head to see her gazing wistfully at the virage as it slowly sank into the liquid fire.

At last silence filled the chamber, and Dart struggled to his feet.

"Whoa!" said Lavitz. Dart spun and saw Shana collapse to the ground as Lavitz struggled to hold her up.

"Shana!" The words escaped Dart before he was sure of what was happening, and his feet carried him to her despite the lingering hurt. Kneeling down, he cupped her face. "What's wrong?" he asked desperately.

Shana struggled to keep her head up and said weakly, "I… don't know."

Dart quickly placed a hand around her waist and helped Lavitz lift her. All he wanted was to get out of this accursed mountain, and never again go where he could not see the sky. He glanced over at Rose and saw that she was still standing near the edge of the magma, watching what remained of the virage sink beneath it. He wasn't sure how she could stand the heat; this room was so hot that even he was starting to feel uncomfortable; sweat poured from the brows of Lavitz and Shana.

"Rose!" he called. "Let's go!" He strained his neck trying to see her face, but it was hidden from him. At last, she turned around and walked toward them, obviously troubled by something. It was the first time Dart had ever seen her show any emotion except for irritation and anger. He wondered at it, but could find no strength to ask about it.

He and Lavitz carried most of Shana's weight as they walked back toward the main tunnel. At last they reached it, only to find that the horses were nowhere in sight.

"That's just great," mumbled Dart. Not only did this force Shana to walk, but all their supplies were now gone.

"They probably ran when that thing screeched like it did," said Lavitz.

They turned left, and after a couple minutes, Shana resumed walking unaided, although she was obviously still shaky. Dart was exhausted, all energy drained from him, and Rose seemed lost in thought. Silence reigned. Only Lavitz was near full capacity, and he spent the next hour or so glancing among them as they continued toward the end of the cave. At long last, after the path turned sharply to the right, they saw daylight ahead. Still silent, they quickened their pace and a few minutes later emerged into the bright sunlight.