The first hour of their ascent was slow and grueling, although the horses persisted with admirable stamina. When they finally crested the sharp incline, the path turned north and shot into the trees, just as Rose had described. Following her directions, they turned south, where for a short time, the path was level and manageable. Another half hour later, Rose pointed out the tracks she had found, and Dart swore as he saw the massive, clawed footprints that dug into the earth.

"There's no way that isn't a dragon's footprints," remarked Lavitz as he placed his own foot in it. It was all but swallowed up by the impression, and he shot Dart a grim look.

"At least we know where to go," said Dart with a frown.

For a while, they followed the dragon's path, but the terrain grew steep and dangerous again. All at once, they were climbing up the face of a mountain, and the horses were forced to a slow walk to keep their feet. Then the face became sheer, and they turned aside to follow the footprints along a cliff made of layered black stone. A half mile later, when the footprints turned aside, they found themselves staring into a dark cave that dove into the mountain, daring them to enter it.

"There's no way," said Dart sourly as he beheld the massive entrance.

"The footsteps clearly go inside," observed Lavitz. "See?" He pointed just past the threshold, where Dart could barely make out a claw mark dug into the dark earth.

"The last time we went through a cave, it did not go well."

"I'm not sure we have any other choice."

"We can't go around?" asked Shana.

"Who knows if we'd ever find the tracks again," insisted Lavitz. "I don't like it either, but this is the way forward."

"I agree with Lavitz," muttered Rose.

"Do you think its nest is down there?" asked Dart.

"Unlikely," replied Rose. "I'm honestly surprised that it went underground at all."

"That soldier said its nest was in a forest, anyway," added Lavitz.

"This cave is in a forest," Dart pointed out. "But I hope you're right."

"I wouldn't say this is a dark forest, at least," offered Shana.

Rose sighed. "There's only one way to find out. We go in, or we go back."

"Right," said Dart before dismounting. "I guess there's only one real option, then."

The others dropped to the ground and stood behind him.

"Here's to hoping it won't be like last time," said Lavitz, patting Dart on the back.

After taking a deep breath, Dart stepped into the cave, guiding his horse alongside him. The horse flinched but followed, and the others came along shortly after. Within a few feet, the last vestiges of daylight slithered away, absorbed into the walls themselves, and Dart stopped.

"We don't have any torches, do we?" he said, his anxious voice echoing unpleasantly about him.

"No," whispered Shana.

"Have you forgotten what you are so quickly?" asked Rose.

"Oh," said Dart sourly. "Right."

He focused for a moment on a spot just before him, and a few seconds later, a bright orange flame hung there and cast its light about them. With this small victory, he eased forward again, dragging the flame with him, and they continued in its dim light in silence. Nothing could be heard but their own footsteps and the clicking of horses' hooves against the stone, and Dart was reminded of their time in the cave east of Bale. He shuddered to think of it.

Thankfully, this path was much smoother than the other had been. Rather than ragged rocks and stalagmites, their path was riddled with little more than a few broken rocks, presumably fragmented from the dragon's passage through the mountain. Dart had never seen nor heard of a cave like this, and he wondered if such a formation could be natural. Perhaps the dragon itself had carved it out, although Rose hadn't mentioned any rock-related abilities.

After a half hour of direct paths, they came to a split. A tiny creature scuttled away from the light and into a side tunnel that was barely large enough for a person to walk through. Disregarding it, they pushed forward, but such tunnels began to appear more frequently, here and there, some large and some small. Down a couple of them, Dart fancied that he could just make out a distant red glow, and his heart began to beat a little faster.

Eventually, he realized that unlike their last underground venture, the ambient temperature was rising rather than falling. He remembered the chill that had come over them as they had progressed past the underground river, but now, the others began to sweat despite their rather easy path. Remarkably, Dart was comfortable in the heat, but that did not erase the unsettling feeling in his belly as they continued and the temperature kept rising.

Suddenly, Shana stopped and took a sharp breath.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" returned Dart uneasily. Perhaps the mountain was readying an eruption.

"That… sound. Like a voice but… distant." Seeing 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.

Her words did little to calm Dart's fearful heart, and as they resumed their trek, he kept a close eye on Shana. He slowed until she walked beside him, and 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 hoped that she was merely feeling cramped and that their prompt exit would fix the problem.

Fissures in the rock became more and more common, and Dart could often see that red glow to their left, accompanied by yet higher temperatures. Sweat rolled 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 that cut across their own. To the right was pitch black, but to the left, there was the brightest glow yet. As they approached, Dart tried to look farther 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, and he turned to Lavitz, who seemed just as bewildered.

"We should keep going," Lavitz urged. "The tracks lead this way."

"No, it's…" Her voice trailed off.

"Shana, let's go," said Dart firmly, and he reached out to grab her arm, but she took two more steps forward.

"It's calling me!" she cried. Then she ran down the tunnel.

"Shana!" shouted Dart as he sprinted after her.

He followed her down the tunnel until it opened to a great cavern that filled him with terror. A black cliff of rock hugged the wall, dangling over a great sea of bubbling, churning magma. Although the searing 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. She was staring blankly at a great statue of a creature, as tall as the Seventh Fort and made of gray stone, carved as if the creature were trying to claw its way out of the pit of magma beneath it.

Whatever the creature was, Dart could barely understand it. He could identify a large, bulbous head attached to a disproportionately small body that hung barely over the magma. Dark, sunken pits resembled eyes, and over each of them, antenna-like structures folded over its head like locks of hair. One massive arm, large enough to crush Shana between its claws, fought for relief as it tried to pull the beast out of the magma; the other had been consumed by the liquid fire.

"What is that thing?" he whispered.

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 at the strange figure as sweat beaded down her neck.

"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. I think it needs me."

She took a step forward, and Dart grabbed her and pulled her back before spinning her around. He grabbed her shoulders and peered into her eyes.

"We shouldn't be here," he said. "This is dangerous. We have to get out."

Her brow furrowed in dizzied confusion as a bead of sweat fell down her cheek, and she blinked slowly. Then she shook her head and said, "It's a friend."

"A friend? That hunk of rock is your friend?"

Dart glanced at Lavitz and Rose. Lavitz was panting in confusion as he beheld the large figure, but Rose was staring at it in focused anger.

"Can't you hear it?" said Shana as she craned her neck to look at it. "It's asleep. It's asking to wake up."

"She's partly right," inserted Rose. "This thing is still alive."

"Alive?" repeated Dart. "It's made of rock. How could it be alive?"

"Some kind of defense mechanism. I've only seen it once before. It can turn its body to pure stone to escape imminent death. It doesn't happen all the time."

"So, you know what it is?" asked Lavitz.

Rose nodded. "It's a virage. Have you never heard of them?" Dart and Lavitz shook their heads as Shana continued to watch the statue. "Virage are kind of like dragons, I suppose. They both fought in the Dragon Campaign. Dragons fought with humans, and virage fought with winglies. They were… fearsome enemies. From my understanding, only dragoons and dragons were ever able to defeat them."

"It wants to wake up," repeated Shana, and she tried to take another step forward, but Dart held her back.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

"No!" shouted Shana, and she wrenched her arm from him and ran toward the edge. Dart followed and then planted himself between Shana and the statue, holding his arms up, ready to grab her again if needed.

"Shana, we have to leave," warned Dart. "If you don't turn around, I'm going to have to carry you out."

He glanced at Lavitz, who nodded and crept up behind her.

"I just want to meet it," she whispered.

Her eyes flashed blue, and Dart flinched. Then, the ground began to tremble, and he almost lost his balance. Shana fell to her knees, and Lavitz quickly tucked his arms under hers and dragged her away as Dart chased after them. Seeing Rose draw her sword, Dart spun around and saw that the stone surface of the virage was cracking and falling into the magma pit. Slowly, dark gray skin was revealed, and the claws that clung to the stone began to move, slowly pulling the virage up onto the ledge. Then it lifted its head and looked at them.

"Get Shana out of here!" shrieked Dart as he forced himself to draw his sword. Fear had all but overtaken him, and if Shana hadn't been next to him, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to stand.

"Come on," said Rose as she stepped forward. When he did not move, she turned and scolded him as the virage pushed itself off the hard stone. "Dart, I need you for this!"

With a weak nod, Dart moved up to join her, and the virage swiped its claws at them with surprising speed. Rose ducked, and Dart stumbled back out of its reach as Rose transformed and flew into the air. Immediately, she darted this way and that, slicing into the virage's skin over and over. It shrieked at her, emitting a piercing sound that distorted Dart's senses and almost paralyzed him with fear.

One of the virage's attacks struck Rose, and she was swatted across the room. Though she was able to catch herself midair, the virage turned its attention to Dart, who froze. But as the virage tried to drag itself closer to him, he felt the tugging of the dragoon spirit, asking him for release. Immediately, he obliged.

Again, fire erupted from him as he transformed, and soon, he stood with his fear banished. In a moment, he was in the air, and he summoned a ball of fire and threw it down. The virage recoiled from his attack, and he flew down to pierce its head, and it hissed in response as green blood oozed out of the wound. The virage tried to snatch him from the air, but he was too fast for it, and as Rose rejoined the fray, Dart ducked down and slashed at its torso, earning a similar reaction.

Then he got an idea, and he flew high again. Brandishing his sword, he dived, and at little more than a thought, his sword erupted into flames. Coming down on its grotesque head, Dart forced his sword into the virage with all his weight, and a split second later, the cavern rang out with the mighty crack of an explosion. The danger flew by him harmlessly, but the blast forced the virage backward, yanking his sword free and knocking the virage onto its side.

For a moment, Dart thought that they had won as a large gash on its head poured blood onto the stone. But then the virage stirred and pushed itself up with its one arm as a space in the center of its head began to glow. It turned, and a tight beam of light engulfed Dart, blinding him as his body erupted in pain.

He screamed, and a second later, he struck the stone floor. He strained for air as a thousand needles stabbed his skin over and over, blurring his vision. Every movement only worsened the pain. Far above him, he saw the dark purple blot of Rose flit around the virage, and he knew that she was waiting for him to rejoin the battle.

When the pain finally lessened, he struggled to his feet, doing his best to ignore the agony that still fought to keep him on the ground. He looked up to see Rose send a bolt of dark energy that then swelled and enveloped the entire head of the virage. Even from this distance, Dart could feel the uneasy side effect of Rose's magic, and the virage began to shriek and panic from within the black veil.

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

Realizing the opportunity, he forced himself into the air without bothering to find 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 a raging fire. When all his efforts had been expended, it had grown to over two feet across, and he pulled back his fist in preparation. A shout escaped his lips once again as he struck the fireball with all his strength, sending it hurtling toward his enemy as his body protested the effort.

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 tumbled over the cliff. Dart panted heavily as it splashed into the magma, and he threw his gloved hands over his ears at the piercing sound that followed. They waited for a full minute until the cries finally ended.

Panting and nearly overcome, Dart alighted and flinched to feel the impact run up his sore body. Exhaustion overtook him, and he fell to his knees and reverted to his normal self. He cried out again as the pain intensified without the dragoon holding it at bay, and he fell forward onto his hands as he struggled to breathe evenly. 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 sank into the liquid fire.

"Whoa!" cried Lavitz from the edge of the room.

Shana had collapsed, and Lavitz now fought to keep her off the ground. Ignoring his pain, Dart rushed over to her and picked her up, surprised at how light she felt.

"Shana?" he whispered, but her eyes were closed. He jostled her slightly. "Shana!"

Her eyes flitted open, and she looked at him in confusion.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she replied weakly, placing a hand on her forehead.

"We need to get out of here. Rose!"

Without bothering to wait, he carried Shana from the room as she struggled to reach full consciousness. Lavitz followed closely, and when they exited the chamber, the horses were nowhere to be found.

Dart cursed and began charging down the tunnel, determined to get away from the dead virage and to fresh air. Surely, that would revive Shana. When Lavitz offered to help, Dart dismissed him.

"I have her," he said simply, pushing aside his residual aches.

After Dart had conjured another flame to light their path, Shana touched his face.

"I'm alright," she whispered. "I can walk."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, and he set her down gently. He watched her as she tested her legs, and he held his hand out when she wobbled. She took it at first, then smiled at him and let go.

"Let's get out of here," he urged, and together they walked, Lavitz and Rose following closely behind. As they continued in silence, fatigue washed over Dart like he hadn't felt since fighting Kongol. Whether it was the battle, the strange magical attack, or the heat of the mountain, he was not sure. Eventually, he found himself clasping Shana's hand tightly when the path curved right and spilled them out onto the brightly lit mountainside.