"Shana, stay behind us," warned Dart.
She nodded and fell a couple steps back, arrow ready to fire at the first sign of bandits. Charging forward, Dart cast a glance at the lumbering giant just beside him - thick, muscular, and deadly. Kongol could easily kill them both, even with Shana's dragoon powers, and Dart would be helpless to stop it. He acutely recalled the Battle of Hoax, where he would have died at Kongol's hands if not for his dragoon spirit.
Now, Dart knew that he would fare no better.
As they moved quickly down a tunnel leading out of the main hall and into the mountain, Dart thought Kongol became somehow even more menacing. It was as if his determination became his very drive, pushing him forward. His eyes, dark brown and narrowed, were fiery and fierce with a special hatred that Dart had never seen before. It appeared that he was truly zealous for his people and culture, extinct though they may be. Sadness came over Dart as he considered the pain that Kongol must be feeling to have come here and found nothing but disgraced ruins.
They came to a circular room with tables scattered about, apparently some kind of commissary for the bandits, but all the tables had been abandoned. There were even some bits of food remaining on some of the plates; they must have left in a hurry. Four doorways, equally spaced, pierced the walls around them, leading off to create a weblike structure of tunnels beneath the Tiberoan mountains.
"Which way?" asked Dart, turning to Kongol to wait for instruction. This was his mission, after all.
Kongol glanced around the room, eyes lingering on ancient giganto carvings of warriors and farmers that ringed the walls. He seemed quite unsure of what to do next, but Dart wasn't about to make any suggestions.
"This way," the giganto finally announced, and they turned down the corridor to their left.
The hallway curved gradually to the left and greeted them with a dank, musty smell that took Dart several minutes to get used to. Every thirty feet or so, small rooms sprouted along either side of the pathway, each of the doors over ten feet tall and six wide. They searched every room, Kongol bursting through the doors in all his wrath, ready for any bandits that may await him. The first several rooms were empty, nothing but empty shelves or occasional beds, but the next was a hovel for a half dozen bandits huddled together in a corner. They made quick work of them and moved on. With each new room, Dart desperately hoped that there would be some evidence of his dragoon spirit, but he found none.
As they moved fruitlessly through the tunnel, frustration began to grow in him reminiscent of their times in Lohan, when they were so desperate to find a cure for Shana's life-threatening illness. Coming now to the end of the hallway, Dart swore as they glanced around an empty storeroom and turned to leave. Down the next hall, which ran straight through the mountain, they found the same types of rooms and the same types of contents. As irritated as Dart was, he struggled not to show it to Kongol, who would have no knowledge of the dragoon spirits. Dart worried that if Kongol discovered the source of Dart's power, the giganto would try to seize it for himself.
He ground his teeth as they cleared the last two tunnels and found no red sparkle, no ambient heat, and not even a dragoon-powered bandit to try to stop them.
How could he not have found it yet? Would it have called to him when he came near? Had he simply missed it hidden away in some crack in the floor?
Shana could sense his frustration, shown clearly in her fervent glances toward him, but she offered no consolation or support to him. His heart ached because of it.
"This wing is cleared," said Dart. "Let's go back to the main chamber and see if we can find the others."
They did so, again traveling in an awkward silence. Dart wondered if Kongol were ever going to speak openly with them.
As they reached the main hall, they found little of importance. Countless bandit bodies lay scattered about, blood soaking the floor and running into pools here and there. Assuming that the others were still working, the three continued down the middle wing across from the main entrance, finding a near replica of the first.
The second branch of this wing, however, terminated a bit differently than the first. Rather than another large, empty storeroom, they found a room that was open to the air on the far side. Dart approached a stone-carved balcony overlooking the mountains and discovered steps that became a winding stone staircase leading down into the valley below. As he looked out, he could see much of the barrens in the distance, hidden behind the mountain peaks edging the horizon.
"So, this is how they get past the barricade," he observed.
"It must be," affirmed Shana. "Do you see that little tunnel down there?" She pointed to where the path led into a dark hole in a mountain that stood between them and the barrens. "They must go through that. The exit must be almost invisible on the other side."
"Do you think the others could bring down that tunnel?" he asked. "We could close off the access."
She nodded. "We could, but I don't know how useful it would be. I think the Gehrich Gang is pretty much disbanded at this point."
That was all well and good, but where was his dragoon spirit? Sighing, Dart turned to Kongol.
"Do you know where the bandits might have hidden their treasure?" he asked. "Some place hidden away?"
Kongol peered at him with a judgmental eye. "I don't know of any such place. I have never been here before today."
"Right," muttered Dart, rubbing a hand over his face.
A light hand touched his arm, and he turned to see Shana.
"We'll find it," she said with a small smile.
His throat caught at this small gesture, and his left hand reached up to hers. But she had already pulled it away.
"What do you seek?" asked Kongol.
"It's, uh…" stammered Dart, still recovering from Shana's touch. "A trinket? I guess?" He chuckled awkwardly while eyeing Kongol's oversized biceps. "It was my dad's."
Understanding moved across Kongol's eyes. "They took it," he said. Dart nodded. "Is your father dead?"
Dart winced at the precise question. "Yes. He died when I was a kid."
There was a long pause before Kongol finally replied, "Mine, too."
"I'm sorry, Kongol," said Shana. "And what the bandits did here isn't right, either. I'm sorry that you came back to this."
He watched her for a moment before nodding, but he said nothing else.
"We should get back," said Dart, and the other two agreed.
As they reached the main hall this time, they found Albert, Rose, and Meru near the entrance they had traveled into. Meru sat on the rim of the arena swinging her legs back and forth, kicking the stone beneath her with her heels, and Albert and Rose stood awkwardly nearby. All three seemed incredibly relieved that Dart, Shana, and Kongol had returned. Meru stood quickly and ran over, Albert and Rose following closely behind.
"You're back!" called Meru. She paused in front of them and clasped her hands behind her back. "Were you successful?" Her tone was meaningful but playful.
"We killed a lot of bandits," nodded Dart, "but we didn't find my… memento."
"We had no luck, either," said Rose. "We should check the buildings on the way out."
"Agreed," said Dart. "Let's go grab Haschel and start searching."
They all turned toward the main entrance but stopped as they saw a curious sight. Perhaps thirty bandits were all gathered near it, each of them glaring in their direction. The one in the center, however, Dart recognized as the bandit who had taken his dragoon spirit. Anger flared within him, and his teeth ground together.
"Do they actually think they can stop us?" asked Meru. "I mean, just look at this big guy!" She gestured to Kongol. "You're all going to die!" she shouted down to them.
"I'll make sure of that," muttered Dart, and he quickly jumped down the oversized stairs, careful not to lose his footing, until he was planted squarely before them. The others followed, and he heard them gather behind him. "Let me have this one," he called to them, keeping eye contact with his quarry. "You can take the rest when I'm done."
"If you say so," replied Meru.
"We will not interfere," affirmed Albert. "Unless you require it, of course."
Stepping forward, Dart sized up his opponent. Now, in the daylight, he didn't seem so tough. His claws were dangerous, but his overconfidence betrayed him. The bandit took a few steps toward Dart as the others cheered him on.
"You get 'em, Mappi!" they called.
"You bring girls like that to a bandit hovel?" sneered the bandit called Mappi. His voice was annoying and nasal.
Dart tried to determine the bandit's attitude. He was strangely confident for someone facing a giganto, but perhaps he thought that his numbers could overwhelm. Still, it was surprising considering the mountain of bodies littered around the room.
"They could easily handle you by themselves," replied Dart coolly. No matter what, he and his friends would all come out of this alive. Four dragoons and a giganto could easily take on a few bandits.
Taking a calculated step forward, Dart drew his sword and let it hang by his side, trying to appear at ease. Then he felt… something. Something in his chest. He took a deep breath. That feeling was familiar, that heat, that warmth. His mind wrenched, and suddenly, he was aware of his dragoon spirit currently sitting in Mappi's left pocket. His eyes snapped to it even though it couldn't be seen. The power was there, just inaccessible from this distance. His heart yearned for it.
"You took something from me," said Dart.
"And it must be valuable! You came all this way just to get it back."
"You have no idea," muttered Dart before lunging forward.
He struck out at Mappi's pocket, desperate to get his hands on his dragoon spirit again, but the bandit was nimble and sidestepped his attack. Mappi sliced at Dart's arm, and he spun to the left, missing the blades by less than an inch. A second set came at Dart from his right, and he just managed to raise his sword in time to block them. Mappi quickly rounded on him, taking advantage of his small frame, blow after blow of the claws being narrowly deflected by Dart's sword. Dart quickly realized that this couldn't go on for long without consequence, and he wished for the extra strength of the dragoon. Just as Dart began to wonder if he would ever land a hit, Mappi slowed for just a moment, allowing Dart to kick him in his exposed belly. Stumbling backward, Mappi struggled to regain his balance, and Dart rushed forward and thrust at him, but Mappi used his backward momentum to fall out of Dart's reach.
Dart leapt forward to land his boot on Mappi's neck, but the nimble rat rolled to the side, swatting at Dart's leg. Pain rippled up Dart's right calf as the skin was cut open, but he pushed the pain away and turned to Mappi once more.
"Behind you!" yelled Meru.
Spinning, Dart saw a bandit sneaking up behind him, sword ready to impale just as one of Shana's arrows pierced him in the neck, and he crumpled to the ground.
"No fair!" shouted Meru. "You gotta follow the rules!"
A hand grabbed Dart's shoulder, a small hand with blades of steel protruding from the knuckles. Time seemed to halt as Dart realized that Mappi's other claws were poised and ready to sink into his heart. He fancied that he could even feel the cold steel on his back.
Not today, came a voice in his head.
Urgency rushed through him, and he lurched forward and rolled across the ground. As he bounced back to his feet, he spun and kicked Mappi's foot into the air, sending the bandit tumbling to the hard stone.
A low whoosh swept behind him, and Kongol's axe flew across his field of vision. With a sickening crunch, it struck another bandit who had dared to sneak closer to Dart, pinning the bandit's body to the wall through his torso. Blood poured onto the floor, and Dart was forced to look away, though he nodded quickly to Kongol in thanks. The giant returned the gesture, much to Dart's surprise, and Dart refocused on his prey.
Mappi had hissed when another of his bandits had been killed, and he cast a fearful glance to Kongol. Smirking, Dart rushed forward again, quickly enough that Mappi was caught off guard and only barely brought up his claws to block Dart's attack. He swatted at Dart's hand, missing by a hair's breadth, and then swiped again at his chest.
But as their battle took off once more, the bandit realized Dart's weakness. Mappi's attention focused on Dart's left arm, carefully unused at his side, and Dart was forced to keep up with Mappi's relentless attempts to strike it. He backed away defensively to hold off the onslaught, but then Mappi succeeded as his small hands wrapped around Dart's forearm and squeezed. Dart cried out in pain, forced to his knees as his vision blurred, black spots swimming across his eyes.
A deathly ache creeped up his arm and into his shoulder, and cold ice pierced his heart. Mappi's slippery words wormed into his mind as he tried desperately to focus on where his sword was.
"You thought you could defeat me?" He snickered. His breath smelled of fish and death. "This little trinket must be worth a lot of money for you to come all this way, but you won't be getting it back. I don't know what you lot are, but you will remember that I beat you, you worthless maggot."
Dart closed his eyes, fists tightly balled, and he could only barely feel his sword hilt in his right hand. His breathing was ragged as he tried to ignore the immense pain that had taken over his body. How could dark magic be this potent?
Fighting against every broken nerve within him, Dart pulled back his right arm and thrust it blindly forward. He felt the metal contacting flesh, and Mappi let out a breathless grunt. The pressure on Dart's arm lessened, and a thump heralded Mappi's tumble to the ground.
Panting, Dart dropped his sword and fell onto on his right arm, blinking as his vision began to clear. He cradled his left arm and stood slowly, his head swimming as dim figures of his friends rushed forward to dispose of the remaining bandits as they tried to flee. Looking down, he saw Mappi's lifeless body, blood flowing from a piercing wound on his chest, and at his hip remained that small pouch, untouched by the blood.
The bandits now dead and Kongol's axe safely retrieved, the others turned to look at him, and Albert stepped forward.
"I feel… that it is near. Can you sense it, Dart?" he asked.
Nodding, Dart knelt, his mind feeling for that fiery power, still just out of reach. He opened the pouch into his hand, and out tumbled his dragoon spirit, now dull and colorless. But as soon as it touched his skin, it flashed brightly red, and heat splashed across Dart's body. He stood, feeling rejuvenated as a wave of fire pushed out from him involuntarily. Immediately, his lingering fatigue left him, burned away by the flames, and strength returned to him. Even the throbbing pain of his arm lessened, contained at least for a moment to his forearm only. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Whoa," remarked Meru. "Dragoons are cool."
The others seemed happy – even Rose despite the lack of a smile – except for Kongol, who peered at him with narrowed eyes.
"Looks like we got our old Dart back!" laughed Haschel from the entrance.
Turning and grinning wildly, Dart held up the dragoon spirit triumphantly.
"This tiny thing…" said Kongol slowly. "This is the source of your power?"
"Yes," nodded Dart. Joyously, he conjured a flame in his left hand, which still ached from his fight with Mappi. But then he quickly retracted it, picking his sword off the ground with careful movements, eyes trained on the giganto. He felt the energy ready to use, lurking below the surface like it had before.
"Are they… all red?"
Dark shook his head. Could his dragoon spirit really be why Kongol had followed them here? Was disposing of the bandits just a show?
"The colors align with their elements," explained Shana, clearly unperturbed.
Perhaps this thought had not crossed the others' minds, although Rose also seemed on edge.
In affirmation, Albert retrieved his dragoon spirit and held it up for Kongol to see. "Each is different," he confirmed. "Mine is green, as you can see, and I hold power over wind. But perhaps we should discuss this in detail after we have left the city." He hurriedly pocketed it again and took a step toward the door.
"This is how you were able to defeat me?" asked Kongol, ignoring Albert's last comment. Dart couldn't tell if he was agitated or intrigued, or just scheming a way to get the dragoon spirit and kill them all.
"Yes," said Rose. "Gigantos are no match for dragoons." She shifted between Dart and Kongol defensively.
At this subtle movement, realization crossed Albert's face, and he held his hand out, ready to summon a gale. Shana reached slowly for an arrow, and Haschel balled his fists.
Everyone now stood ready to defend Dart as Kongol reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny object too small for his oversized hands. It glinted with a golden glow.
"Is that…?" Dart began, stepping forward slowly, all worries vanishing.
"It is," replied Rose as she sheathed her sword.
"How did you find it?" asked Albert, clearly bewildered by this turn of events.
Kongol shrugged and pocketed the golden dragoon spirit. "Bandits."
"Can you use it?" asked Haschel. "Or do you just have it?"
"He must be able to use it," inserted Albert. "That is the explanation of the tremor we felt earlier, is it not?"
"Indeed," nodded Rose. "Kongol is the earth dragoon."
"What does that mean?" asked the giganto.
"Perhaps we can explain later," offered Albert. "We have just discovered some terrible news and must get going. We must get back to Fletz as soon as possible."
"It's like none of you have an ounce of memory at all," sighed Meru. "We have to find Lynn first!"
"That's right," said Dart. "Let's get going, then. Kongol, you don't have to come."
"I will follow for now," he affirmed. "I am… confused."
"I understand," nodded Dart. "We'll explain later, if you come with us."
Kongol nodded again, and Dart turned and led the group past the dead bandits toward the town square, placing his dragoon spirit in its sacred pouch once more. He felt immense joy to have it back in his grasp, and it radiated a happy heat to be reunited with him. Strength and stamina took hold of his tired body, and weeks of fatigue had lifted off his shoulders. He considered how redundant this feeling must be for the bulky Kongol, now a dragoon himself, nearly forced to follow them around.
He counted as he descended the grand staircase: as a group, they possessed six dragoon spirits. Fire, air, electricity, light, dark, and now earth fell into their domain. All that remained was water.
Rose had mentioned that dragoons were attracted to each other and that they would likely find the others soon. This was proving true in their discovery of Kongol, and now they only needed to wait for the final piece. But who would wield that spirit?
Meru seemed an obvious choice, but Dart was unsure as to how long she planned to stay with them. After Lynn was safely deposited in Donau, would she remain there to round up the rest of the bandits? Or would she follow them to Fletz? Or perhaps Lynn was the dragoon they awaited. They just needed to find him to find out.
"Let's split up again," said Dart, this time letting the groups split as they may. He turned left toward where Haschel had noted the bandits tossing items before and pointed. "Let's try over there."
Meru, Haschel, and Albert followed Dart into the giganto house, and Kongol, Rose, and Shana wandered off to the far side of the square after Haschel explained that he'd already searched the first home.
"Kongol is awesome. Can we talk about that for a second?" gushed Meru as soon as the others were out of earshot.
"He is formidable," acknowledged Albert.
"I trust him to keep them safe," agreed Dart, casting a glance after Shana.
"But he's the last of his kind!" said Meru. "Imagine that: the last giganto being the earth dragoon. How cool is that?"
"Pretty sure he can kill any of us at any given moment," muttered Haschel as they neared the building.
"That adds to the intrigue for me." Meru shrugged.
Dart stepped through the massive doorway, listening carefully for any sign of bandits. The others fell silent behind him, and they proceeded down a short hallway before meeting doorways on either side. Dart and Haschel leaned into the left, and Meru and Albert the right. Both rooms were littered with endless heaps of items, from a pile of sprouting potatoes to a bowl filled with gold coins.
The pairs separated, and Haschel and Dart began sifting through some of the rubble to find anything of import. They pocketed a few coins, and Dart was pretty sure that he saw Haschel grab a gold fork, but then Albert's voice called to them.
"We may have found something!"
Dart and Haschel crossed the hallway into the other room, noticing immediately a large door in the back, blocked by a large pile of items that Meru was struggling to clear. The three men quickly moved to aid her, and soon the door was free to swing open. Except, try though she might, Meru could not get it to budge.
"It's locked!" she complained.
She grabbed a hold of the long, metal handle and began tugging with all her might, but her feet slid uselessly across the floor.
"Don't worry!" she announced, holding a hand up to stop the motionless men. They exchanged amused glances. "I will get this door open!"
And then she rammed herself shoulder-first into the door, with no more success than before.
"You know, I've heard that if you kick a door just right, it'll break a lock clean open," she added, holding her shoulder gingerly.
Then balancing carefully, she began kicking at the handle with her heel, awkward though it was with the handle high enough to accommodate gigantos. Kicking a little too hard, she pushed herself off the door and fell hard on the stone floor.
"Do you need help yet?" asked Haschel with a smirk.
"Yes, perhaps we should intervene," nodded Albert.
Meru looked back and forth between them before saying, "What?"
"Occasionally, I have found," began Albert as he moved toward the door, "that if pure brawn fails to fix a problem, it is best to take a step back and use your brain to solve it instead." Then he reached up and grabbed a key that had been hanging on a hook just to the left of the door. He dangled it at her. "Perhaps this will give the answer you seek."
Frowning, Meru stood, rubbing her side as she snatched the key from Albert.
"You don't have to be so smug about it," she mumbled before inserting the key into the lock.
It clicked softly, and the door now yielded to Meru's attempts to open it. She pulled it open and revealed a set of stone stairs leading down about fifteen feet to a torchlit room just beyond their visibility.
"Cellar of some kind?" offered Dart.
"Makes sense," said Haschel. "Maybe they keep prisoners down there."
"It was locked," affirmed Albert.
"Let's go!" said Meru before bounding down the stairs.
Dart shook his head. "She's going to get someone killed one day."
"You're so dramatic," waved Haschel as he followed her.
Dart sighed. "After you, Your Majesty," he said, sweeping his arm dramatically toward the stairs.
"Thank you, sir," nodded Albert with a grin as he began his descent, though Dart noted the tension forming in the king's shoulders as a stale odor assaulted him. Just as Dart was about to ask if he needed to wait outside, a slipstream of air rushed past his feet.
As Meru jumped the last step and landed on the floor, a voice called out to her.
"Meru?"
"Lynn!" she replied, rushing forward.
As the room came into Dart's view, he saw three makeshift cells along the far wall, clearly not giganto craftsmanship. The bars were wooden instead of metal and attached to the walls with little more than a couple nails on either side of the boards. A roughshod door bound with a metal chain and padlock adorned the front of each cell, two of which contained an occupant. Meru stood before one on the right, messing with the padlock uselessly.
"I'm here to rescue you!" she announced.
"Is that really you, Meru?" asked a weak, female voice from the left cell.
Meru gasped. "Kate? They got you, too?" Abandoning the right lock, she rushed to Kate's cell and took hold of the woman's hands through the bars. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known, I would have tried to come sooner!"
"Please get her out," pleaded Lynn, his eyes darting suspiciously among Haschel, Dart, and Albert. "She's pregnant."
"Is there a key anywhere?" asked Meru.
Dart would have laughed at her sudden use of her brain had the situation not turned so dire so suddenly. Kate's pregnancy was now painfully obvious as she stepped toward the light, and Dart estimated her to be around five months. The woman was perhaps a year or two older than him, but her complexion detailed her malnutrition, and sunken eyes revealed her exhaustion. Lynn's eyes were ever on her; he was the father.
"Not necessary," interrupted Dart as he stepped forward. "We're friends of Meru," he assured Kate and Lynn. He grabbed hold of one of the wooden "bars," but as he reached for his fiery power, images of Shana's burned body flashed across his mind. "Maybe you should step back," he said quickly to Kate. She nodded, though confused, and backed into the corner of her cell.
With better focus, he sought out the power, so long a mere void to him. But it was there, smoldering in the depths, waiting to be fanned into a powerful flame. He drew on the energy carefully and channeled it into his hand, which began to smoke furiously. Carefully, he managed the flame and limited it, not letting the wood catch completely. Before long, he was able to break the blackened charcoal free.
"How did you do that?" asked Lynn.
"It's a long story," dismissed Dart, eyeing the bars in frustration. He had held back too much; he needed to make a hole big enough to walk through, not remove an eight-inch portion. Using his hands this way would take far too long.
Standing back, he took a deep breath and tried again, this time focusing the energy outside his body at a point where the two cells met. A flame sparked there, but Dart held it in place, pushing it out until the wood posts began to burn. He contained the heat to that area, so much so that he could feel nothing radiating from the fireball, until the hole was large enough that both prisoners could exit their confines. Then he drew the magic back into himself, leaving the charred wood cool to the touch.
Lynn and Kate stared at him dumbfounded.
"Wow," admired Meru. "You're cool as a dragoon, Dart."
"Thanks," he muttered. Then to Lynn and Kate, he added, "I'll explain later. Let's get you out of here."
Meru helped Kate through the makeshift entrance, and Lynn followed her out. Then he quickly embraced Kate and kissed her.
"Let's go home," he said quietly to her.
Kate nodded in agreement and turned her tired eyes to Dart and Meru.
"Thank you for saving us," she said earnestly, hand on her belly.
"Happy to help," nodded Dart.
The group trudged out of the building, blinking in the bright sun as they exited into the square. Across the way, Rose, Shana, and Kongol could be seen making their way toward another house. Dart called to them, and they soon approached, though Kate and Lynn were apprehensive at the newcomers. They staggered backward at the sight of Kongol.
"It's okay! He's with us!" insisted Meru, jumping over to Kongol and linking her arm around his wrist. Abundantly confused, Kongol glanced back and forth between Meru and the others, but ultimately did nothing to take his hand back.
"It's true," affirmed Dart. "Kongol is our friend now."
"I… trust Meru," replied Lynn, nodding slowly.
"We didn't introduce ourselves!" said Meru suddenly, mouth agape in horror. "How rude of us!" Then she skipped around the group, tapping each of them on the shoulder as she named them off. Remarkably, Rose didn't respond to this physical contact.
"Are you the leader of this group?" Lynn asked her, somewhat amused.
"You betcha!" She nodded enthusiastically.
Dart and Albert exchanged glances.
"Are you hurt?" asked Shana. "Either of you?"
"No," replied Lynn. "Not more than a couple bruises anyway."
"Let's at least get some food in you," she said, reaching into her small bag and retrieving a few strips of cured meat. "It's not much, but we have more with our horses."
They accepted the food gratefully, and as the group began to march toward the entrance of the giganto city, Dart spied Shana lingering behind the couple and carefully shining a healing light on them when she thought they wouldn't notice. Her efforts paid off, as by the time they reached the gate, Lynn walked a little taller, and color had returned to Kate's face.
Periodically on their way, Kongol would let out a mighty sniff and then charge off toward one of the buildings on the side. The first time this happened, they all waited awkwardly for him as echoes of a one-sided battle drifted their way, followed by Kongol's prompt exit and return. Then after the third time, they simply slowed their walking; they were all eager to begin the journey back, and they weren't worried about Kongol catching up; his strides were twice as long as theirs.
As they neared the exit, Kongol took up a place at the end of their long line of travelers, giving Dart a sense of both peace and anxiety. Though Kongol had a dragoon spirit, Dart still wasn't completely sure that the giganto could be trusted with their lives. The memories of Hoax continually rang in his mind, try as he might to quell them.
The group poured into the valley, conversation flowing easily among them. Everyone listened intently as Lynn and Kate described their kidnapping. The couple had just been married and had traveled in celebration to the outskirts of Donau, where a lavish wedding tent had awaited them. According to Donau tradition, newlyweds would spend three nights separated from others that they knew, affirming their new relationship status as a new and separate family. It was on their second night there that the bandits had sneaked in and ravaged their tent, taking the couple captive after Lynn had boasted the mayor as his father. Lynn supposed that they'd had intentions of demanding a ransom for the mayor's son, daughter-in-law, and future grandchild, but he wasn't sure that any demands had been made. Meru could confirm nothing except the cowardice of the people of Donau and their refusal to fight against the bandits. This only served to upset Lynn further, and he swore to talk to his father about it upon their arrival in Donau.
The group traveled quickly through the valley until they found themselves on the precipice of the crater and its floating rocks. They all agreed to camp there that night and brave the sharp shards in the morning, and they each tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Kate and Lynn seemed happy enough to simply exist outside a cell, and they quickly fell asleep in the grass on the edge of their camp. The dragoons and Meru gathered around a fire provided enthusiastically by Dart, and their attention inevitably turned to the hulking giganto who now shared their circle.
"We need to address the dragoon spirit," said Rose plainly. "Do you know what it is? What it does?"
Kongol shook his head.
"I know that it carries a great power. I have seen that power." He nodded toward Dart. "That power can defeat even a giganto."
"Yes, it can," nodded Rose. "But none of us are turned against you now. In fact, you're one of us. You have to understand that as a dragoon, it is your responsibility and your undeniable fate to aid us in our quest. Your choices are yielded to the desires of the dragoon spirits."
"Gee, what a downer," mumbled Meru. Rose cast her a fiery glance, and Meru frowned.
There was a pause as Kongol ruminated. "I will aid you," he finally said. "But not because of the dragoon spirit."
Dart furrowed his brow. "Then why?" he asked.
"Because of your… kindness." The word seemed unfamiliar to the giganto's tongue.
"What do you mean?" asked Albert, eyes intently focused on Kongol as if he were a new experiment for the king to observe.
"You didn't kill me. You showed… mercy. Even when you had won a fight fairly." Kongol watched Shana as he said this, but then his eyes turned to Dart. "You were the first to do this."
"Doel never showed you mercy?" asked Dart.
Kongol shook his head.
"Can you… explain more of that?" asked Albert, eager though careful. "About how you knew Emperor Doel, and your relationship with him."
"I have always known him," replied Kongol. "Since I was a child. I have few memories before him. He found me hiding and took me to the castle."
"During the Giganto Wars?"
Kongol nodded. "Humans killed everyone. But I hid outside the city in a cave, and Emperor Doel found me there. He promised that he wouldn't hurt me, and I went to live with him in the castle. He trained me to fight, and I fought to protect Emperor Doel."
"You were just a tool for him, though," said Dart. "Why fight for him?"
"Gigantos are taught to follow the one who is the strongest. Whoever can defeat the leader of a clan is proclaimed the chief. Emperor Doel was my chief, and I followed him."
Dart shook his head. It seemed so simple to Kongol, and yet Dart couldn't imagine thinking this way. He'd known Doel to be ruthless, heartless, and cruel. He saw his skepticism reflected in Albert's face.
"Is that why you follow us now?" asked the king. "We overcame the emperor, and now we are your 'chief'?"
"No. I follow you because of your kindness. In all my years following Emperor Doel, this is something he never showed me. He taught me to fight ruthlessly, without quarter. 'No mercy,' he would say. And I obeyed him. No, I never encountered 'mercy' until I encountered you. I was taught that it was a weakness, and yet you, who carry mercy, triumphed in spite of it. I want to learn what kindness is, and I want to see if it will make me stronger."
"It will," said Shana quietly.
"You're already a whole lot stronger though, right?" said Meru. "You're a dragoon now. So, you're like… buffer and stuff. That's what Haschel said, anyway."
"That's not exactly what I said," protested Haschel. "But I guess it's not too far off. He should be stronger, if that were even possible."
"Not to mention his magic," added Dart.
"Magic?" repeated Kongol.
"Yes, magic," said Rose, taking charge of the conversation once more. "This is what we need to be talking about."
And with that, she dove into a description of dragoons and the magic they command. After explaining the elements and having the others demonstrate their magic, she then began teaching Kongol to use his. The concept of earth magic felt odd to Dart, as Kongol controlled actual earth and not just energy. Rose had him focus his mind into lifting a pebble, which proved to be quite the challenge, but the whole process was alien to everyone else. Their familiarity held with more abstract things like light and darkness rather than solid objects. Still, under Rose's tutelage, Kongol at last managed to lift a tiny pebble, though it cost him an almost comical amount of energy. Dart imagined the ease with which he must be able to throw a pebble so forcefully that it would shear a hole through a hardened skull, and yet he now struggled to lift one six inches off the ground.
However, Rose was satisfied with this demonstration, and Albert suggested that they have Kongol practice transformations when they no longer had companions. With this reminder, their eyes turned to Lynn and Kate, who appeared to be sleeping soundly just past the firelight.
"And what of Princess Emille?" added Albert as soon as there was a suitable pause. It was as if he'd been holding onto this question all day long. "We must get back to the castle at once if we are to expose the imposter."
"We have to go to Donau first," protested Meru. "We have to take Lynn and Kate back."
"But is not the fate of an entire country greater than that of two individuals?"
"Meru is right," chided Dart. "It is important that we get back before the ceremony, but we have to get these two home. We can't just set a pregnant woman off in a direction to walk through the wilderness when there could still be bandits wandering around. She needs a horse, and she needs protection. We can give her both of those."
"Can we do both?" asked Haschel. "Get them home and still make it to Fletz on time?"
"We're closer to Donau right now than Fletz anyway," said Dart. "I think it will work."
"I think we can do it," agreed Meru.
Albert sighed and ran his hands over his face, clearly doing some kind of calculation. "We have nine days," he said. "And I believe the ceremony is to be held in the afternoon. We can use this to our advantage. I am not sure how far from Donau we are, but it took us eight days to reach Donau from Fletz."
"That was moving slowly," reminded Rose. "Out of fear of the bandits and Dart's dehydration. We could make it faster now. Travel farther each day."
"So how far are we from Donau?" asked Dart.
"Should be about three days, maybe less if we hurry," said Meru.
"So, three days to Donau, and then eight days back to Fletz," ruminated Dart. "That's eleven total. We need to shave off two days somehow if we're going to make it on time."
"We can do that easily," said Rose. "We're all dragoons, after all."
"Hey now," piped up Meru. "I'm going, too."
Rose threw her an irritated look.
"You're not staying in Donau with Lynn and Kate?" asked Dart.
"Of course not! And miss out on all the action? Besides, you all may be mythical creatures of legend, but I know that I can help you out with something along the way."
"Can you travel hard for a full week with little sleep?" asked Albert. "The fate of Tiberoa may depend on it."
"Don't lie to us, king boy," replied Meru with a grin. "We all know you're doing it because you like Emille so much."
"What?" he scoffed. "I know of no such thing. I am merely working in the best interests of the nation."
"She's not wrong, though," laughed Haschel. "You really do like Emille. The real one, anyway."
"You are mistaken. My interest is solely political. I seek to maintain positive relations with my neighboring country."
"Seeking out some kind of relations, that's for sure," said Meru as she gave Haschel a fist bump.
It was hard to tell in the dim light of the fire, but Dart was fairly certain that Albert's face was bright red. As entertained as he was, he brought the conversation back into focus.
"In any event," he interrupted, "it'll be a long haul between Donau and Fletz. We'll go as fast as we can to Donau from here, but with someone pregnant in tow, that might be difficult. We'll have to push Kate to her limit. Shana, you'll have to help her out from a distance if you can."
Shana nodded.
"Will someone explain this?" came a surprisingly small voice from Kongol.
"Explain what?" asked Dart, puzzled.
"Listen, buddy," said Meru. "If you want to know how babies are made, that's a conversation for a different day."
"No." Kongol shook his head. "What is happening in Fletz? And the princess? Why is the fate of the country so delicate?"
Guilt crashed on the entire party as they realized that Kongol had no idea what was going on. Meru and Shana apologized profusely, reared by the spoken regrets of Dart, Albert, and Haschel. Then they quickly explained the entire situation regarding the Moon Dagger, and they even went so far as to explain their travels in Serdio and their ties to Lloyd and the Moon Gem. It was late into the night when they finished recounting their tale, to which Kongol listened with a kind interest. At least, Dart thought he did. The giganto was incredibly hard to read, his face impassive almost all the time. But, Dart found himself trusting him just the same. Perhaps it was the dragoon spirit, and perhaps it was Kongol's explanation, but either way, Dart felt safe and comfortable as the party began to split and settle into sleep.
The chill of the night air came over the camp, and Dart noticed a sleeping Lynn snuggle a little closer to his pregnant wife in response. A peace came into Dart's heart as he realized that he had not noticed the cold, so warm was the fire within him. And now that things were calm, he was able to take time to appreciate his dragoon spirit. As he lay down to sleep, he pulled it out of its pouch and watched it closely, enamored by its glow and warmth. He felt whole again.
The journey without it had been necessary, he felt, although it was only in this moment that he began to see it. He'd taken this power for granted, hoarded it too closely, relied on it far too much. While it was a part of him, it was only a part of him – this he now realized. Despite his fears, his friends had not abandoned him during his time as a human. They found worth in him beyond his power. And maybe, he could learn to do the same.