Chapter 8: The Commander of Dragons
Focus to flight. Focus to flight.
Cynder was petrified, only able to repeat those three words in her head. It was her mantra, something she'd clung onto for years to keep her mind stable.
Why…are they here so soon?!
How did they find me?
…darn it!
I shouldn't have fled to the mountains!
"You're too predictable, Cynder," Commander Colidon said. "When I didn't hear from you, I figured you had gotten swept up in fantasy. But I got the call that you were running…what went wrong?"
She said nothing. The fauns had her boxed in and were ready to strike.
"You're not cowering like usual," Colidon remarked, impressed. He gave her a broad, almost proud smile. "…maybe, being around other dragons finally helped your inner flame burn brighter. It's nice to feel, isn't it?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Still, you know better. What Prince Kingston wants is what he will get, and neither you nor I have a say in the matter."
"He doesn't need me."
"I agree. I believe he gave you this assignment as one big joke. But he still gave you orders to follow. He was unhappy to think you may've decided to run and not look back, and I don't plan on being the only recipient of his tantrums. So…how difficult will you make this for yourself? This can go entirely without—"
In a blink—the fauns didn't even have time to react—Cynder took off, spiraling skywards on a powerful updraft. Colidon snapped his head back as he followed her, too stunned to even shoot her down.
"Incident…! Now how long has she been able to do that?" he muttered. "It makes sense she'd keep some secrets to herself."
Fair enough! But he was a dragon that had seen and won many battles. It was difficult to keep him off guard for long. Colidon commanded his unit to retreat and standby for the time being.
He would handle this.
He'd been in a deep state of boredom for too long to let this opportunity slip by. He had to see how far Cynder's desperation would take her.
Several days later…
The Artisans—Stone Hill
Nestor lived in one of the largest hills. The interior had been hollowed out, encased in a wooden shell and fully furnished, making it easy for one to forget they were in the earth. The clan leader's magical fireplace was rooted in the center of his home, burning constantly with emerald flames. On the hearth Nestor sat in his rocking chair, ready to address the group of five he'd called in.
It was two days before the Dragonfly Festival. He had some news for them.
"Wait wait wait, before you get started, Nestor," Hunter said humorously. "Can I just say that Spyro was at Crystal Flight yesterday when he wasn't supposed to be?"
"Hunter, you snitch!" Spyro yelled. Nestor frowned in disapproval.
"You knew what you were told, Spyro," the elder said. "No strenuous exercises until your bandages were off."
"They came off this morning!"
"And you went flying before this morning. Being in the air with a head injury is foolish. You don't even know how to fly on your own, and you could've easily crashed without a chance of saving yourself."
Spyro hissed and began clawing at the rug. Nestor thumped the tip of his tail sharply on the floor.
"Don't do that, Spyro. I gave you precautions for a reason."
"Okay, sorry. Won't happen again."
Nestor eyed Sparx, who had suddenly hidden himself from view behind one of Bianca's ears.
"Hmmph…anyway, I have good news. Don't ask me how, but it seems as though Cosmos has managed to discern the general location of Spectrum Falls."
Sparx popped up, exclaiming, "Really?!"
"Wait, general location?" Bianca repeated. "He doesn't know its exact location?"
"No, he doesn't. This is where I should probably deliver the less than good news," Nestor admitted.
Everyone else groaned except for Spyro, who was still stewing.
"Here's the issue, as he's told me. He's zeroed in on a very unusual and obscure area. While the Falls do move, it's at the whim of The Dragonfly Elder. It seems as though she's greatly deviated from their usual path," Nestor explained. "Spectrum Falls has always been within the boundaries of the Dragon Realms. Cosmos believes he has located it several hundred miles offshore from the continent above an archipelago in Lifewater Ocean…"
"Oh, just great," Spyro huffed, batting at his horns. "Don't tell me someone's gotten in and taken the Elder hostage?"
"That only happens in movies," Sparx said.
Nestor scratched his chin, frowning. "Well, it's highly unlikely but not impossible. It's difficult for dragons to enter the Falls and we're the only ones they would accept without fault. A non-dragon would have to be exemplary to enter the Falls and take control of its path. When he pinpoints its exact location Cosmos intends to have correspondence with the elder to see what's the matter, but he's already gathered the sense that something dreadful has happened. That's why I've called all of you here. He requested that you cover him in case his feelings are accurate."
Elora perked, suddenly confused. "You mean his instincts. But you called me, too?"
"Well, yes. Now that I know you've been trained to be a competent fighter, I figured you could help just like the others."
"Yeah, Elora," Spyro said. "I mean, you fought me off a few days ago like it was nothing. I wanna see more of that. Or actually, uh…no, not really, but yeah, really."
"Hopefully there won't be any need for Cosmos to be guarded," Nestor said. He kneaded his temple, sighing. "But, this season has been strange and other bad omens have been noticed. Let me ask you all, what did you see during the eclipse not too long ago?"
They gawked at him in confusion. Nestor stood and went to fetch a scroll from his woodcutting table. He unfolded it for them to see. It was a chart of the stars and other celestial objects.
"Look at this—and sorry, let me correct myself…tell me what you didn't see during the eclipse," Nestor said.
"…the whole map." Spyro realized. "No moons…right? And none of the other planets close by. No one else saw 'em, did they? 'Cause now that I'm remembering, I sure hadn't."
The others agreed. Nestor said, "As you all know, this earth has four moons. Like the stars and some other celestial objects, the moons should be visible at some point during the night or when the skies have darkened. There's a perception that's been passed down through generations. Specifically in the instance of a total eclipse where you can see the stars, but not the other moons that orbit the planet—"
"Oh! I've heard of that!" Bianca exclaimed. "It's, well, I don't want to say superstition since it's being corroborated, but when I, you know, worked for the Sorceress…"
"Uh oh, we're taking a jaunt down memory lane," Hunter cut in.
"Hunter, quit! She had this belief. She thought she would be stronger during eclipses, but only during certain kinds, I think like the ones you're talking about, Nestor," Bianca blathered as she fussed with an ear. "I-I also think she thought that it was bad luck for dragons, or something like that."
"In a wicked way, she was exactly right," Nestor said, rolling the chart up. "The occurrence of a total eclipse without the other three moons being visible has been seen as an omen of disaster or misfortune for dragons. It surely isn't superstition…it's a proven fact born from observation. Before this latest one, the last two total eclipses did occur around rather trying times for us. The first one in recent years was when Gnasty Gnorc tried to take over."
"Yes! I won't ever forget the next one, either," Bianca said. "Spyro, Sparx! That one happened the day you guys went to fight the Sorceress."
"Oh, I remember. Zrrt, but y'know, the sky hadn't nearly gotten as dark for those two," Sparx recalled. "Would we would have even been able to see the other moons then anyway?"
"Yes. They would have been fainter and harder to see, but definitely, yes," Nestor said. "It's just unbelievable. Three of these occurrences within several years is unheard of."
"This is gonna sound bad, but can you show us that map again? I totally never noticed we had more than one moon," Hunter said sheepishly.
"Two of them actually orbit each other closely. The larger of the two is Thilikos Major," Nestor said, pointing to it on the diagram. "You're likely to hear it by its nickname, which is—"
"Big Momma?" Sparx crowed.
Spyro snorted. "Stuff it, dude…"
Arsenikos Minor, or 'Lil Poppa', was the smallest of the two. The third moon was more obscure and intermittently faded in and out of perception both day and night; it was named Eudaimonia and had been discovered by the Imps of Cloud Spires. The biggest moon, the only one to ever take part in eclipses, was named Flamerius after the dragon who'd supposedly flown there and back to earth without rest.
"They say when the daytime skies darken and the heavens are half-empty, a dragon must be ready to tread into peril," Nestor recited.
"Is…is that ancient proverb ninety-eight, or—"
Hunter was cut off when they heard a piercing screech. All of them jumped. The voice was muffled, but familiar.
"Was that—?" Nestor uttered, standing. Spyro took off, barging through the door and into the day. The sun was blinding. He squinted around, teeth bared.
"Hey!" he yelled.
"Spyro…" came the call.
It was Cynder. He raced to the top of Nestor's Hill and spotted her a little ways off, gliding over to her. It appeared she had collapsed from exhaustion. Her dark hide was smothered with grass and bruises.
"Spyro, help me," Cynder begged.
"What happened to you?"
"It's…it's the southerners," she cried. "The southern fauns, Spyro. They're here. They're planning an invasion of the Dragon Lands!"
"What!?"
"Nice one," Sparx said as he joined them. "They just so happened to get this idea outta nowhere, huh? And to think we were talking about them not too long ago."
"Yeah, big coincidence," Spyro said.
As the others caught up, Cynder began to cry.
"It's not a trick. The fauns forced me to come here," she whispered. "I was their agent. I was supposed to make it easier for them to infiltrate these lands…"
"The fauns sent you?" Nestor repeated carefully. "Why are you beat up like this?"
"I've been running from them. From him! I didn't want to do what they wanted me to do," Cynder sobbed. "When I got here, I backed out. I never reported to my commander. But he's, they're here…and he said they're ready for an attack. I don't know how! It was supposed to take them months, not days!"
"How're we supposed to know that all this is true?" Hunter demanded.
"They're here, I swear they were here. I managed to leave the commander behind in the mountains. He's been chasing me to take me prisoner again!"
"Okay, let's help 'em!" Sparx chirped.
"NOOOO!" Cynder screamed. Nestor shot the dragonfly a look.
"Cynder…you're making some very bizarre claims and I would hate for them to be true," the clan leader said firmly. "Is everything you've said correct and accurate?"
"Yes!"
"As you know it?"
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I know I'm a coward for coming back here, but I don't have anyone else who can help me! I don't want to be a part of what they're doing, I never wanted it! They won't let me go, and-and now they're coming to get us all!"
Nestor glanced at Elora. "Pardon me for asking, but what do you remember about the reigning monarch?"
"Queen Erika? I remember she was a little crazy and ordered a mass execution to celebrate her sixty-seventh birthday party," the faun said.
"Queen Erika has been dead for years!" Cynder cried. "There's a new monarch, the kingdom is now ruled by Prince Kingston!"
Elora wrinkled her brow.
"What, what, was that a lie?" Sparx buzzed.
Elora said, "Our—that kingdom has been strictly matriarchal. Since forever."
"Strictly what?" Spyro asked.
"It means that only females are allowed to wield absolute power," Nestor explained. "Cynder, are you claiming that this has changed?"
"Yeees," she wailed.
"What does this prince look like, then?"
"I've never seen him. I've only ever heard his voice!"
Everyone exchanged looks of disbelief or skepticism at the answer. Cynder broke down even more, apologizing through her sobs. Nestor pinched his temple, grieved.
"Alright, Cynder," he said plainly. "You'll need to show us proof."
"Please don't make me go back there, please!"
"We'll go with you. All of us."
Sparx groaned. Spyro snorted, agitated and with a head full of smoke.
"Eh…couldn't this be a trap?" Hunter whispered to the clan leader.
"That's why I'd like all of us to go. It's best to be safer than sorry," Nestor muttered, studying the northern skyline. "You have to show us the exact spot where they found you, Cynder."
"I don't think I can walk that far," she said.
"You can fly," Spyro said roughly.
"Not right now…I just crashed at the top of this hill."
"Outta nowhere, huh?"
"I just barely made it, Spyro! He hit me in the back with something."
"Alright, here," Hunter went and kneeled in front of her, prompting her to climb on his back. "Can I trust you to not set me on fire?"
"Don't worry, we got your back," Spyro said fiercely. "And also, how the heck are we gonna get aaaaaaaall the way over there?"
"Oh, I can take us," Bianca said brightly. "Or at least I think so, I've never done it with more than a handful of creatures. You all might want to say your prayers beforehand."
"Isn't she great?" Hunter asked dreamily.
Spyro perched atop a boulder, peering past the first cluster of mountaintops. If he squinted his left eye and turned his head slightly westward, he could sort of make out his and Sparx's place from there.
"See anything?" Nestor called from below.
"Oh, no, pops." Spyro swooped down, adding, "Well, nothing interesting. What are we looking for again?"
"Movement, or something strange. If anything seems out of place, make sure to call it out."
For a while the group canvassed the area, careful not to slip and fall down the crags. At first nothing unusual was noted.
Then Bianca caught a glimmer out the corner of her eye. Something was hidden within the rocks. She discovered a small ovular trinket with a pearly sheen. A gold chain dangled from it.
Excited, she took it to Nestor, asking, "What's this?"
"Jewelry, or maybe some sort of amulet. Thieves often use these mountains as expressways. One of them may've dropped it," he said.
"Doesn't it kinda look like dragon scale?"
"Very much so," Nestor said oddly. "But I don't know any dragon with those size and color of scales."
Nearby, Elora leaped up to higher ground, scouting around one last time. She shrugged down at Spyro, who shook his head and called, "Nestor, we still got nothing. How about you?"
"The same here. This is the right spot, isn't it, Cynder?"
Cynder was clinging tightly to Hunter, scanning around frantically. She hadn't even heard the question.
"Cynder!" Spyro yelled, making her jump. "We're lookin' and we're not seeing anything! What's up with that?"
"No, no, it was here! They were here! They ambushed me where we're, where the cat is standing now, I swear!"
"…the cat?" Hunter repeated dryly. "I get you don't have my birth certificate, but c'mon."
Then suddenly, Elora was struck with astonishment. "Oh ho, I've got it," she exclaimed, hopping back down to ground level. "You said you crashed? Tell me how."
"I…was flying away from here, and he, the commander, hit me in the back with something," Cynder said anxiously. "It stung like electricity but was colder than ice…"
Elora's face, then the rest of her body, sagged.
"He's been toying around with me, chasing me over the past few days! I never knew he had projectiles," Cynder cried. "Or, or maybe…one of the soldiers was hidden and shot me, but I only ever saw them with melee weapons…"
She shrunk in on herself as Elora hovered close and strongly demanded, "How many fauns were in the group?!"
"Twelve…I remember, because they boxed me in…"
"Three to each side?!"
"Y-Yes!"
"Let me see where you got hit."
Cynder gingerly raised her wings. Spyro ran over to see for himself. "Ohf!" he exclaimed, as he and Elora flinched back. "Okay! Yeah, that's a doozy."
Cynder had a several inch-long scar underneath her right wing joint. It had broken skin slightly and a thin line red peered through her hide.
Elora was now flushed but alert, shifting her eyes around. "She was hit with a special kind of dart used to make dragons crash," she said wearily. "It doesn't take effect immediately…and since most dragons favor their right wing, that's where they end up shot by default."
"Favor a wing?" Spyro questioned. "I know Sparx likes his lower left wing the most out of all of 'em, but I never heard of dragons having favorites."
"It's just like with hands. And…you don't really think about certain weaknesses until they're used against you."
"Sooo…you're saying that this is all real and true?" Sparx asked.
"Yes. Nestor…I think we're in trouble," Elora said, looking at him with haunted eyes. "Like, big trouble."
Nestor ground his fangs together, clenching a fist so tightly his claws nearly broke skin. "Ancestors…! This is the last thing we need…"
"You…you really believe me now?" Cynder asked Elora.
"This time…I will. I'll even choose to believe that they've been keeping you prisoner," Elora answered.
"R-Really?!"
"Uh huh…it would've been easier and simpler for them to kill you. The only reason you're still alive is because they want to keep using you for something."
Cynder screamed, causing Hunter to stumble as she leapt off his back. Elora barely caught her.
"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Cynder wailed through tears. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I never wanted to harm you on purpose! The fire, I just wanted to burn down your house…I didn't see you come back! I never wanted you to die!"
"Oh, geez…" Elora muttered. Just like everyone else, she wanted to stay angry but couldn't.
After several moments, Sparx suddenly spoke up. "Not to…be insensitive, or whatever…but can someone tell me who the heck that is sitting up there?"
Nearby, sprawled on the edge of a precipice overshadowed by the cliff, was a dark-colored dragon. He was sitting out of their general line of sight and could've easily been there the whole time.
Cynder squalled like a pig, cowering under Elora. "Th-Tha-That's him, it's him!"
"Who?" Nestor demanded.
"C-Colidon, the commander of the southern faun army!"
Another dragon…what's going on!? Elora thought in disbelief.
Colidon rose to all fours and dropped down, pacing along the outcrop towards them. Now that he was out of shadow they could take a better look at him. He was very well along in age but still had a lot of bulk and muscle. His hide was striped and battered with scars and his scales, the same color as his eyes, were dark and blue like the deepest waters of the ocean.
"Hello, laborer," Colidon said to Nestor, who didn't respond. "…ha! Oh, I'm not familiar to you? You do look far too young. Tell me, where are your elder dragons? They might still may remember my name, at least…"
Amused, the commander looked over each of them, focusing on Elora the longest. He grinned but didn't state the obvious.
"I can see you, Cynder, cowering," Colidon snarled. "I can't believe you managed to weasel out more of their trust. Lord Kingston would've loved to make both of our lives harder."
"…no, way," Elora whispered, shaking her head. "You serve the Southern Faun Kingdom willingly?"
"Yes. Surprised? Times surely have changed since you've left home."
Nestor stepped forward, spreading his wings to their fullest extent. "Leave. You are not welcome within our realms."
"Watch your tone, laborer. I'm as much of a dragon as you are," Colidon growled. "I still belong here."
"Yet your alliance blinds you to how significant these times are to us. What does your prince desire?"
"I'm not here on his orders right now. I was only dropping by to take that liar off your claws. Letting her roam after she defected would be…"
He paused, as the group had gathered closer around Cynder.
"…foolish. And I don't understand," Colidon said, slouching with his head on a fist. "Oh, well. I figured with enough pressure she'd crack and scurry off for a little help. I didn't think she'd get it. But alright! She can be your burden now, if that's your choice. I'm too old to contest against the ignorance of youth.
"Though, I warn not just Cynder, but all of you: if Prince Kingston ever gives me the official orders to bring her back, then nothing will stop me from hunting her down."
"You had a unit, twelve-strong, didn't you?" Elora asked steadily, still shifting her eyes.
"Ha ha! Good girl, but they're not here lying in ambush," Colidon said. "I've already sent them home. Whatever training you're used to is likely outdated…they didn't even need to come along."
"Then why did they?"
"I just wanted the physical company. I won't have much of that moving forward. Shifting statutes and policies, that sort of thing."
He hefted himself up to his hind legs, rubbing his muzzle in thought. His grin widened.
"I've figured it out, I think." Colidon said, lightly shaking a claw at her. "You're that crackpot's daughter, aren't you? The former royal bookkeeper. What was his name…oh yes, Edgar, was it?"
Elora tensed and began to seethe.
"Well, I suppose that's enough of an answer. Tell him no one's forgotten that he's a dragon-worshipping simpleton. Even though he'll be executed if he ever comes back, I've been expecting him to come skipping back through the castle gates," Colidon chuckled roughly. "Maybe he doesn't know about the dragon in the room yet, or he has more restraint than we think. I can see he's passed his abnormal tastes onto you."
"You shut your mouth!" Spyro yelled.
"Oh!" Colidon looked at him as if he were a snarling puppy. "You're so little that I keep forgetting you're here. How cute. You still have your dragonfly, hatchling?"
"Yeah, and? What about it, you geriatric traitor?"
The commander flared his nostrils.
"Yeah, you wanna make something out of it?" Spyro demanded. "You are such a loser! You never outgrew being one, didja? You have to be a loser to turn your back on other dragons like this! I wish I could scrub pavement with your ugly face."
Colidon began laughing uproariously; Cynder shook her head, terrified. "Spyro, no, no!" she whispered, shaking. "Don't provoke him, please don't..."
"Oh, I do agree, I wish I had time to show you what a genuine battle is like…it'd be your first real one, against another dragon!" Colidon exclaimed. "That means no holding back. No more coddling from a dragonfly. You wouldn't see the end of the first sixty seconds against me."
Spyro was about to furiously retort when Nestor cut in, "That's enough. You're not helping."
Colidon unfolded his large wings, commenting, "Right, as if his immature rants meant something. Anyway, since you all are playing savior, my time here is up. But a fair warning, from one dragon to another…the affairs of the southern faun kingdom are reviving fast, and yes, I know about the Dragonfly Festival. I'm sorry. But it isn't my duty to defy the will of my prince."
Hunter sidled close to Bianca, muttering, "Hey, can't you like, read his mind?"
"What?!" she whispered back.
"You know! To see what he's hiding or if he's lying about something…"
Colidon overheard, spitting a few cobalt embers as he scoffed. "As if that would do you any good. I've only got a single thing to hide, and you'd sooner have to rip my heart out before you discover what it is. Take it from me...if your back is ever to the wall and you had something or someone to fight for, then you should be prepared to fight with your lives."
He took off, breached the nearest peak, and vanished from sight.
