Chapter 10:
Fearnaught
"It borders on the miraculous, incredible, stupendous!" exclaimed an elated, very much alive Volteer as he looked at the collapsed figure of the wicked Ice King, "A force of your size defeating that, that, thing! Thank you! I, er, ah…."
For a moment they could not answer, for Cynder, Flame and Ember stood smiling together in a state of complete amazement that they were in the presence of the beloved Lightning Guardian once again.
"It's great to have you back, Volteer!" the black dragoness beamed cheerfully, "You don't know what this will mean to everyone!"
"Well," the Guardian replied rapidly, "I can scarcely predict, expect, conceptualize that it would be greater than the sense of relief, unburdening, reassurance, sheer joy I feel to now finally be free of that dreadful prison!" he declared in his characteristic spritely tone.
A few minutes earlier, Flame had scorched a path through the icy bars of the Guardian's prison and they and Hunter had quickly set about freeing him. He had still been in a state of semi consciousness, the green crystal shocking him with its crippling webs every so often and leaving him delirious and powerless. Their attempts to communicate with Volteer had failed, so they had simply set about releasing him, but the crystal had given them pause for concern. Unsure of its true nature, unable to ask the yellow dragon for advice and pressed for time, Hunter had boldly taken direct action.
"Stay back," he had told them. Then, he had simply drawn his sword, given himself a run up, and leapt into the air, swinging his sword so that the flat edge of the blade struck the crystal like a club with mesmerizing precision. The crystal had shattered in a burst of shimmering green light, not unlike a Spirit Gem as a cloud of star like energy had lingered in the air for a moment as the crystal was broken and Hunter landed squarely on his feet. In an instant, Volteer's droopy eyes had shot open as a final flux of green energy washed over him, his iron muzzle containing a muffled scream suppressed for who knows how long. Whatever state the crystal seemed to have kept him in had vanished in a flash, but the heavy chains and weights attached to his legs kept him locked in place even as he now found the strength to fight back.
"We're here, Volteer!" Cynder had cried out to reassure him, "We're going to get you out!"
"Cynder! Ember! Break these chains! Flame, keep watch!" Hunter had ordered as Volteer had thrashed himself against his bonds and screamed illegibly into the muzzle clasping his face. As Flame watched their backs, the two dragonesses each rushed to one of the heavy weights keeping Volteer strung up like he was fish at a market stall. Cynder turned her tail to the chain with her tail scythe at the ready whilst Ember summoned a blade of ice over her own heart shaped tail blade. They had looked at each other, then with swift precision slashed the chains, cutting through them like parchment as Volteer's back legs suddenly kicked about with renewed freedom.
Regretfully, the group had been in such a rush to free the Electric Guardian from his bonds that they had not thought to cushion his fall when Hunter had scrambled up the frame he was chained to and, as if hanging from a tree branch, the Cheetah warrior had slashed the chains away, resulting in a heavy crash as the poor dragon had been left to fall on his muzzled chin with a muffled yelp. Cynder and Ember had looked at each other in embarrassment as Flame had reacted by watching the spectacle in open mouthed shock, even Hunter was unable to hide his sheepish look of embarrassment. It might have been funny if there was not the threat that an army of Trolls might come flooding down the icy cavern to avenge their recently fallen king.
"Volteer! Are you okay?" Ember cried as they rushed to him, Flame abandoning his post as hurriedly joined them as they crowded the dazed Guardian. His eyes had darted around frantically before finally seeing the worried faces of the dragon trio, his eyes nearly bursting from his head as he uttered yet more muffled exclamations of surprise as Hunter crouched beside his waist, unfastening the strap binding Volteer's wings to his body. Cynder and Ember had worked together to unfasten the muzzle locked around his face, the heavy band wrapped around the rear of his head with a heavy iron buckle, but their lack of thumbs had been pressing until Hunter finally assisted them. As the muzzle collapsed to the floor, Volteer's jaws had stretched open like a great yawn, the relief on his face enough to warm the hardest of hearts.
"M-Merciful heavens!" he had stuttered after several glorious moments of freedom, "I'm free! Finally free!"
His joy had evidently rubbed off on his rescuers, for the beaming smiles they had been wearing were the same they still wore now minutes later as they stood outside the frozen prison with the fallen Ice King sprawled out before them. Hunter had told them to wait while he went to retrieve the messenger falcon, Boyden, who he had left in his cage before they had slipped and fallen into the Ice King's lair. The Electric Guardian was remarkably active considering his ordeal, though it was clear he was not completely himself after being strung up and muzzled in a freezing cave for three years. His movements were awkward and his new found freedom had given him an almost crazed look in his eyes. It was also evident, although expected, that he was too drained of mana to have any chance of summoning his powers of Lightning. But, also just as expected, his tongue was as active and fluid as ever.
"But how did you find me?" he asked eagerly, "I felt certain no one would ever come!"
"A map," replied Cynder shortly, "That is, someone sent us a map and we followed it. We don't know who it was, and we weren't sure if we would even find you here. I guess we caught a break."
"Yeah," Ember scoffed, "If you call fighting that thing a break," she said as she motioned towards the dead Ice King.
"Astounding!" Volteer remarked curiously, looking at the three of them with near parental warmth. Something in his mind seemed to click as he suddenly changed the subject, "You three have all grown so much! How old are you now? How long has it been?"
"You mean you don't know?" asked Ember with surprise.
"I'm sorry to say but unfortunately I lost any and all consensus of time," explained the yellow dragon, "But to look at you three, I believe I can make an educated estimation. Two years?"
"Three," Flame corrected brightly, "That's how long it's been, sir."
"Three years?!" cried Volteer in amazement, "By the Celestial Moons, it has been that long?"
"Yeah, er, yes sir," Flame corrected sheepishly, "You mean that you've been stuck down here this whole time?"
"Yes!" the Guardian burst out, "It was unconscionable, horrible, deplorable…uh… er…" he trailed off characteristically. It seemed at least he was in the same mental state as he was before his capture. That was to say, erratic and frantic and at times absent minded.
"What were they keeping you here for?" asked Ember with a curious head tilt.
"I haven't the foggiest, dear Ember," Volteer replied swiftly, "I could only imagine it was for Gaul's own sick amusement! Unless," he said as his eyes suddenly rolled up in his head like an idea had suddenly emerged.
"Unless what?" asked Cynder insistently. But just as quickly as the idea came, another replaced it as Volteer suddenly looked back down at them with his replaced train of thought.
"Three years! There must be so much that has transpired, so much knowledge for me to absorb and compartmentalize!"
Cynder glanced across at her companions as she saw that they were all thinking the same as her; caught up in the excitement of his liberation and of the ability to speak again, Volteer had failed to notice the rather glaring omission with the fourth member who had always made up their group, the one who had led to them being known as the 'Four who lived', now only three.
"A lot has happened," Cynder replied gravely, "But I don't think we have time to tell you about it right now…"
"Oh, blatherskite!" the Guardian suddenly exclaimed, the proverbial penny finally dropping, "I've been getting so carried away with my own emotions that I haven't asked the salient question! Here are you three, but what of the others; Ignitus, Terrador, Cyril? And where is Spyro? Did he not come with you?"
Cynder swallowed hard as her face twisted uncomfortably, Flame stepping forward to draw away the Guardian's attention, Ember grimly following suite. Volteer's excited grin began to cautiously shrink.
"Volteer…" the red dragon began solemnly, gritting his teeth behind his gums as he tried to force out the dreaded answer, "I… I'm not sure how to tell you this, but… Spyro…"
"Yes?"
"He's dead," Ember butted in morosely, almost impatiently, "Ignitus too. It happened the day Warfang was attacked."
Her almost cold delivery appalled Cynder as she quietly scowled at her. It seemed Ember wanted to say more, but her efforts to suppress her emotions kept her ridged even as her eyes quivered with the feelings she wanted to hide. Volteer's face became pale and his mouth hung open in disbelief. The Guardian dropped heavily onto his haunches as the elation of freedom was quashed by the heartbreak that had just been delivered to him. Flame grimaced as he saw the yellow dragon become crestfallen, glancing over to Ember who looked down at her paws before looking over to him, deliberately ignoring Cynder's hard gaze.
Footsteps from behind showed Hunter was returning, carrying the wooden cage over his back as he cautiously approached the gathering, having heard what was said from across the icy chamber. He walked across the ice before pausing on Cynder's left, following her gaze as she glared at Ember who now looked away as if embarrassed. He decided to leave that situation alone for now as he looked towards Volteer, who raised his head with great difficulty to meet his gaze.
"Hunter," Volteer said pleadingly, "This cannot be true. It cannot! Please tell me that it is not!"
Hunter closed his eyes as he sighed painfully, opening them again after he had taken a breath to compose himself.
"They were together when it happened, Volteer," he said sorrowfully, "They died as heroes defending Warfang. Their sacrifice has been a guiding light to us all. We have fought every day since to honor them."
His words offered little relief to the Guardian Dragon who could only retain his look of appalled disbelief as he sunk his head low, his wings drooping down like a pair of collapsed curtains. Hunter readjusted the straps over his shoulders as he strode quickly over to Volteer, standing just before his low chin.
"Volteer, I know this is a lot for you to absorb right now, but we can't stay here wallowing," he told him seriously, "We must leave at once, before anything else shows, or the Frostflyers bring this whole fortress down on us."
"Cripes! I forgot about them!" Flame cried out in fright.
"The Frostflyers?" Volteer repeated weakly.
"Yes," the Cheetah warrior replied with growing perturbance, "They have orders to launch a full-scale assault if they did not hear from us in an hour. It could start any minute now!"
"But what of the others?" Volteer burst out impatiently, "You did not answer me. What has become of Terrador and Cyril?"
"Terrador is alive," Hunter answered shortly, "He is our leader in the fight against the Apes."
"And right now," added Ember, "He is leading a force to Tall Plains to help the Atlawa rescue Cyril."
"That's right," Cynder concurred, "The map that brought us to you tells us that is where he is."
"Extraordinary…" Volteer muttered, though sullenly so.
"Yes, it is" Hunter nodded hastily, "But if we do not leave now, we may never get to see them. Volteer, we must go!" he pleaded. Despite the urgency, the Guardian seemed slow to realise it as he moved his head around and looked upon the three young dragons individually before settling back on Hunter as he gestured towards the path out of the chamber.
"Volteer, please!" he repeated frantically.
"Yes, yes of course," the great yellow dragon nodded slowly as he pushed himself back onto his feet, "I know, it's just I can't… I can't…. Oh my, I have not the words!"
"That's a first," Ember mumbled dryly to herself, earning another cold stare from Cynder.
"Ignitus and Spyro…" Volteer uttered woefully, "My oldest friend, and the poor young hero…"
"I know," Hunter nodded dolefully, fighting back his impatience, "When we reunite with Terrador and Cyril, you may have all the time you need to grieve. But right now, we need your help to escape this frozen hell. Are you ready, Volteer?"
The Electric Guardian's mouth tightened into a thin line as he stiffened his stance, his great yellow and blue wings lifting and standing up resolutely behind his back. His eyes shimmered with the emotions he tried to bank for later, turning them into the fuel that he would need for what lay ahead.
"Yes," he announced firmly, "Affirmative, absolutely, certainly! Onwards, my friends! To Terrador and Cyril we go!"
With Hunter at the lead, the group swiftly made their way out of the frozen chamber, leaving the body of the fallen Ice King behind them as they retraced their path through the crypt. The icy mist had faded as they followed the Cheetah warrior through the rows of stone tombs, the sight of which brought back to Cynder the painful disgust of knowing they were passing through the resting place of slave drivers and elemental supremacists. Her eyes inevitably looked to Ember as she trudged through the snow close to her, the pink Ice dragoness never letting her eyes glance at the stone tombs as she buried the shame and sadness she had felt earlier. Cynder snapped herself out of it, knowing there was no time to dwell on the past as she scowled determinedly as they pushed on towards the way out.
"Of course, you know I am grateful," Volteer had remarked on the way, "But I must confess I would have expected a force that was well… more numerous to come to my rescue."
"It's not just the four of us," Cynder replied, "There are about forty of us in total, but we got separated from them before we found you. They are waiting for us outside the ruins."
"Oh!" The yellow dragon had exclaimed, "I must say having that many warriors would have been most advantageous in dealing with that thing back there!"
"Tell me about it," Cynder mumbled to herself, hoping in fact that he wouldn't.
Ahead they saw the frozen iron gate that led up into the fortress, to the left was the closed hidden passage in the wall they had used to infiltrate the crypt. Hunter called a halt in the center of the chamber as he turned around to face his companions.
"What is it? What is it?" asked Volteer frantically as he twitchingly gazed about the chamber.
"This is where we came in," Flame nodded towards the exposed section of wall, "A hidden passage through there!"
"Hidden passage, you say? How inspired!" Volteer replied brightly.
"That's where we are going, right?" Ember asked Hunter hopefully. The Cheetah warrior eyed her gravely.
"That's what we need to decide," he explained as he lifted his gaze to the Guardian Dragon,
"Volteer, as young Flame said, through there is the passage we used to get in here," he said as he pointed to the wall, "But the way out is blocked by debris; that is how we got separated from the others. We can go back through and hope we can clear the way, but even with the others help we may be stuck for hours. Or," he said as he turned and pointed towards the frozen gate, "We can take our chances and head up those stairs into the fortress. All we need is an open window or a large enough crack in the ceiling and we can be out and away. However…"
"There could be an army of Trolls between us and the way out," Cynder completed cynically. Hunter nodded grimly as he let his arm drop limply to his side, "Yes, there could be," he admitted glumly.
"Ah! A conundrum!" Volteer commented verily.
"But we have to decide quickly," Hunter added urgently, "We don't know how long before…"
He was cut off as the ground beneath them abruptly shuddered, the icy crypt shaking as a muffled boom rumbled through the walls. All eyes turned up as speckles of ice fell from the ceiling as more booms rocked the frozen chamber, the dagger like icicles shaking dangerously.
"Bolts and lightning!" cried Volteer.
"The attack has started!" Ember exclaimed. The shuddering intensified as each member of the group struggled to keep on their feet. The frozen ceiling began to crack as more and more specks of ice fell, soon some of the icicles began to fall as the great pillars of the chamber seemed to strain under the pressure. Cynder leapt back as one of the icicles slammed into the snow in front of her
"Hunter, we have to go!" she shrieked.
"Right now!" Flame concurred panickily as he jumped to avoid another. In that moment, the decision was made.
"Run for the gate. Hurry!" Hunter shouted as he took off in a run, the others following behind. More muffled explosions sounded as if in response, Hunter staggering and falling in the snow as he scrambled towards the gate while more icy daggers fell from the ceiling! For now, they fell in twos or threes, but the entire ceiling of dozens could come raining down any minute! The frozen statues that would unlock the gate still needed to be thawed if they wished to avoid being cut to ribbons.
"Hurry, Flame! Thaw out those statues!" ordered Hunter as they reached the gate, eyeing the ceiling warily.
"On it!" he replied sharply, the red dragon banking right as he ran and bellowed out a stream of orange fire that enveloped the right-hand statue. In the span of a few seconds the layer of ice melted away into water that froze again almost instantly as it touched the floor, but cleared the opening to where the desired element could be cast. But was Ice or Wind the key?
Flame quickly rushed to the second, another blast of fiery heat melting away the ice as the chamber continued to shake from the outside bombardment. Cynder rushed to the nearest statue and cast a stream of her Wind breath into the opening, but the only effect was a swirl of cold air being blown back through the hole at her.
"Move!" Ember snapped, nearly barging her out of the way as she breathed a burst of her Ice breath, the cloud of glistening magic swirled and lit up the eyes of the statue, the tell-tale whoosh effect occurred and a sound like a mechanism locking into place came from the wall behind the statue.
"This one, come on!" cried Flame as Ember bounded across to the next, the ice picks on the ceiling falling randomly now and in greater numbers.
"Volteer, watch out!" yelled Cynder as the Guardian looked up and gasped, sidestepping just in time as a cluster of icicles collapsed straight down to where he had been standing.
"By thunder!" he exclaimed frightfully.
The second statue came to life as Ember's ice magic worked the trick, the mystical whoosh sounding as the mechanism in the wall clicked again. As it did, a loud roar echoed through chamber as the heavy iron gate shuffled and moaned as it began to rise, breaking apart the sheet of icicles in a burst of icy fragments.
"Well done, young dragons!" congratulated Volteer, just before he quickly sidestepped again to avoid another clump of falling ice picks. The rumble of the gate added to the bombardment raining down outside, the ceiling cracking and shaking, seemingly about to collapse on all of them!
"Everyone out! Go!" shouted Hunter as he waved them towards the still lifting gate, Cynder Flame and Ember wasting no time as they sprang towards it. The black dragoness scrambled under the low teeth of the gate, followed by her two companions as Volteer followed them, but realized the gate was too low for him to fit!
"Come on, hurry up!" pleaded Flame as Volteer's face filled with worry as Hunter crouched down half under the gate, watching the ice falling around Volteer in a state of white-faced terror. The gate rose painfully slow as the crypt rang with the sound of cracking and shattering ice, another loud explosion outside causing a massive slab of ice to crash down not far behind the hapless Guardian.
"Come on, Volteer! There's no time!" Hunter shouted as he waved his arm under, urging him on. Volunteer fell onto his belly as he forced his chin down to try and squeeze under, the gate rising just enough for his horns to slip under.
"You can do it!" cried Cynder and Ember as his massive wings flopped down as Volteer wiggled his great body under, his feet slipping on the icy floor as the gate finally rose above him. His tail swept across the ground as it narrowly avoided being skewered by an ice pick, his full length finally passing under the gate as the ceiling gave way moments later. A massive slab of ice fell and shattered across the ground with an ear-piercing crash like a thousand windows being smashed all at once. Icicles fell like a shower of daggers as the group moved back from the doorway as icy splinters filled the air. The echo through the stone tunnel was appalling, nearly drowning out the distant blasts outside that has caused the final collapse of the frozen mausoleum. Another large slab of ice collapsed close to the entrance of the secret passage, breaking up into great triangular pieces like a broken jigsaw puzzle and burying the exposed wall beneath them. The gate rattled as more debris fell to the floor of the crypt, much of it close to the doorway and discouraging any venturing back into the freezing depths of Perisher's Keep.
"Jittering gigawatts!" panted Volteer.
Cynder drew a deep breath of cold air as she looked up at the startled face of Volteer before turning to look up the stairs headed upwards. The frost and snow reached up some distance from the bottom before ending abruptly where the exposed black brickwork of the tunnel could be seen. It was wide enough for two or more adult dragons to pass each other, but the shimmering black stone did little to boost her confidence. Yet another near-death experience and they were not even close to getting back to Terrador and the rest of the Legion. They might yet be killed by the efforts of their own allies.
"Guess we've only got one way to go," the black dragoness remarked tersely.
"How much firepower do those Frostflyers have?" Flame asked crossly as more booms shook the fortress, "They'll bring this whole place down on top of us!"
"I'd almost say they are!" Ember exclaimed bitterly.
"It might not be them," Hunter remarked heavily as he took a few cautious steps up the tunnel.
"What do you mean?" asked Flame. The tunnel shook with another impact, caked snow falling loose upon Hunter's head which he brushed off in annoyance.
"It sounds more like an Ape bombardment," he answered soberly, wiping off the snow from his nose.
"Another training run like before?" suggested Ember cautiously.
"No," he shook his head, "Perhaps the others were discovered. Now the enemy knows we are here and are trying to stop our escape."
"Unfortunate," Volteer remarked numbly. Cynder narrowly stopped herself from making a cynical quip at the Guardian's modest assessment.
"So, if it's not the Frostflyers, what's happened to them?" she asked aloud, the likely answer something none of them dared to vocalize.
"We won't find out down here," Hunter said with a hard scowl as he drew his sword and motioned for them to follow, "Stay close, stay quiet, and let's get out of here!"
Outside Perisher's Keep, the snow and ice of its frigid walls was shaken loose under the unrelenting assault being unleashed upon it. Silhouetted against the grey overcast sky were swarms of demon like wings screaming down through the grey canopy, releasing the distinctive and terrible barrel bombs that shrieked as they plummeted towards the ground before erupting in blasts of black and orange smoke. A squadron of Dreadwings circled and swooped over the icy fortress like carrion birds over a carcass, their heart stopping screams echoing through the air.
The squadron had come not from the garrison stationed on the continent, but from across the iceberg laden sea that the fortress was built on the edge of. The shadows of more Dreadwings cast upon the clusters of broken ice floating along the coast as they carried more barrel bombs towards the fortress whilst others carried the similar troop carrier barrels to deploy troops into the ruins. They passed by the first wave as they headed in the opposite direction back towards the sea, where a sickly column of black smoke rose into the clouds, originating not from the ground but high in the air.
The smoke coughed and heaved from a pair of steel funnels polluting the sky as one of the newer weapons of the Ape Arsenal chugged through the air; a Fearnaught. Constructed from the steel forged on Boyzitbig Isle and the lumber of trees from Avalar and Tall Plains, the ghastly airship had little resemblance to those like the Doxantha or the flying gondolas that once ferried passengers and freight between the towers of Warfang or the high mountains of Tall Plains. Its shape was sharp and rectangular, deliberately evoking a profile similar of a great straight back blade slicing through the sky. The armored bow covered the front of the airship like an iron cap as it cut down at a sharp forty-five-degree angle before levelling out across the V-shaped hull and keel that was fully covered in armor beneath the ship.
Its knife-like profile tapered as such down its sides and along the bottom (keel) of the ship, towards the rear of which was a large metal propeller that came before a large metal rudder that helped to steer the flying anvil through the air. The sides of the Fearnaught were covered by a belt of armor with six vent like vertical slits running its length. The slits revealed the muzzles of two decks of large cannons stacked on top of each other, each gun able to retract in or out of the firing slits and traverse up or down to target any threats approaching directly from starboard or port, though not side to side.
The Fearnaught's wooden deck was wide and flat with two large square openings into the ship's hold, each square covered by retractable steel grating like a portcullis gate while an assortment of ballista and eight rotating turrets, four each side, were positioned port and starboard, the cannons mimicking the frightening Deathhound cannons that guarded the walls of occupied Warfang. Between them was a traditional sailing mast, its canvas wound up as the airship propelled itself under steam power. Most of the last quarter of the ship was taken up by a large armored box-like structure that formed the quarter deck where the ship was steered, the twin smoke stacks positioned beside each other behind it.
Behind the smoke stacks was the last half quarter of the airship, where the last of the deck stretched over the stern, protected by three more rotating turrets positioned to starboard, rear and port. Below decks beneath the smoke stacks was where the boilers lay that provided the power to the spinning propeller that whirred noisily through the air.
Back inside the fortress, the bombardment seemed to have let up as the wailing and eruptions of the fearful barrel bombs ceased, but the frightful screech of Dreadwings outside the walls left no doubt as to what was awaiting the party of dragons and one Cheetah as they escorted Volteer out of the lower floors of Perisher's Keep. After making their way up the steps from the crypt, they entered a wide corridor with great, grey stone archways standing tall above them. There was no snow on the hard stone floor, the corridor dimly lit by a few of the pulsing light crystals they had seen earlier. On both sides of the corridor were rows of more Ice dragon statues, each one a distinct individual no doubt once revered by the original custodians of Perisher's Keep. With Hunter at the head, they crossed the floor quickly as they anxiously wondered if the bombardment would soon resume. Volteer seemed unnerved by the sight of the statues, muttering lowly to himself,
"My, these figures are more frightening than Cyril was ever socially intolerable!"
At the end of the corridor, they found themselves stopped before a large wooden door ornately decorated with more fearsome, self-aggrandizing imagery of Ice dragons. On the center of the door was a cast metal silhouette of a silver Ice dragon, its head turned to the left with a large elemental disk depicting the crest of Ice in its chest. The right side of the door was slight ajar, opening an inch into the fortress beyond. Hunter cautiously turned to his companions and put a claw up to his mouth for them to remain quiet. Cynder, Flame and Ember all nodded as he then motioned for Volteer to step towards him. The Guardian Dragon anxiously stepped as softly as he could across the stone floor.
"We don't know if that is the last of the bombardment, or what awaits us behind those doors," Hunter said quietly to him, "Volteer, are you fit to fight?"
"Tooth and claws, yes," he answered readily, "But I fear not much else. My powers, you see…"
"We'll find some Spirit gems for you, sir," Flame said brightly, "You'll be right as rain!"
Volteer swung his head around to the red dragon, his face seeped in worry, "No, no you don't understand! I might not have them anymore! I fear I may never charge Electricity again!"
"What are you talking about?" Hunter asked hesitantly, "And please be brief, we haven't time for a long-winded explanation."
Volteer took the point to heart, but he swallowed his offence dutifully, "Er, quite."
"Is this what you mentioned before? What they wanted you for?" Cynder hinted anxiously.
"What? Oh, well, yes. You see, the day I was captured, the Apes took me back to the Mountain of Malefor. I was bound in chains in the throne room, and to my astounding horror, Cyril was brought in with me some time after I arrived! We could not talk, you see, they put those metal muzzles on our faces, making it impossible to –"
"Volteer, please, what were you saying about your powers?" Hunter interrupted vexingly, narrowly avoiding the urge to clap his paw over the Guardian's loose jaw.
"Oh! Ah, well, eventually, Gaul himself returned. He had in his possession a crystal, a dark red and most unnatural kind I am not familiar with. It was fastened to each of us around our necks and we were in turn subjected to its terrible power! It felt as though a thousand lighting strikes were surging through me. I was sure I would not survive!"
"You mean they tortured you?" asked Hunter grimly, yet bluntly.
"It was not just torture, Hunter," Volteer explained painfully, "It seems that Gaul was using us both as some kind of suspended organic power source."
"A what?" asked Flame cluelessly.
"He means Gaul was using them as batteries," Cynder explained smartly.
"Indeed," concurred Volteer, "It was quite an ordeal and I must admit I lost consciousness. But before I did, I recall seeing the Ape King leaving with the crystal, only now it was glowing yellow and blue, not red! I believe we had been used to power it. The next time I awoke, I was trapped in that frozen prison cell with that armored behemoth glaring down on me!"
"Yikes!" exclaimed an aghast Flame.
"Yeah, really," Ember agreed uneasily.
"But how did they get you there without being attacked by the Trolls?" asked Cynder curiously.
"Gaul must have used some kind of enchantment to allow them to place me there," Volteer suggested, "I suppose it would save having to use his own army to keep watch over me! But back to the business of the crystal, does this mean anything to you, Hunter?"
"Not right now it doesn't," he said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, "But I'm sure Mason would be able to make something of it. It is imperative we make the rendezvous and get this information back to the Legion. If Gaul did the same to Cyril, then there is an angle to his plans we have not yet examined."
Hunter turned around to face the door, holding his sword at the ready as he motioned Volteer to follow him. Hunter took the right side of the door as the Guardian Dragon stood ready at the left, the three young dragons taking position behind them, ready rush on through to whatever awaited on the other side.
"Be it Trolls or Apes, we push through and escape. We are all agreed?" Hunter asked over his shoulder.
"Anything after that Ice King should be a breeze," Flame said confidently, earning a smug smirk from Cynder and Ember.
"Alright then," Hunter nodded, drawing a quick breath, "Ready, Volteer?" he asked as he held up and counted down three fingers on his paw, "Three, two, one, go!"
With a fierce kick from Hunter and a hard shove from Volteer, the great doors were forced open. Cynder, Flame and Ember pounced forward, teeth and claws bared as they rushed ahead of Hunter and Volteer. As feared and expected, several ferocious Trolls in black and orange armor were there to meet them in the next hallway, swords and shields clutched in their decaying green hands. Unexpected, however, was to see all of them sprawled out across the cold stone floor, face down or spread out on their backs in eerie death poses. On the other side of them was a defensive palisade wall blockading the hallway with fearsome spikes angled outwards, clearly erected to defend the door the group had just pushed through. There was a moment of fear and confusion as Hunter and the others surveyed the scene, weapons and equipment placed orderly around the palisade, indicating it had been recently manned. The Cheetah warrior signaled with his paw for them to hold as he moved to investigate.
"Not some of your earlier handiwork, I suppose?" asked Volteer tepidly.
"No," answered Cynder uneasily, watching the corpses warily. Hunter paused by the nearest body, wasting no time as he thrust the tip of his blade into its stomach, the creature's body not stirring as he withdrew the sword and looked up at the undead warrior's eyes. The glowing sockets that he had expected were naught but empty husks, black and hollow like the heart of the monster that had created them.
"Hunter?" Ember said nervously.
"It's alright, move up," he instructed as he waved his paw at them. Volteer and the young dragons approached the scene slowly as Hunter stepped around and inspected the other bodies.
"What happened? Did the Apes kill them?" queried Flame as he cringed at the nearest body.
"No, I think we did," Hunter replied casually as he nudged one of the bodies over with his foot. The Troll was clutching a bow in its left hand and still wore a full quiver of arrows on its back, which Hunter kneeled to collect for himself.
"I must say I am confused," Volteer muttered uneasily as he grimaced at the various decaying bodies of the now dead undead.
"Killing the king must have had a knock-on effect," Cynder surmised as Hunter stood up from replenishing his arrows.
"I'd say so," he agreed with a nod, "When we saw that green essence leave its body, it must have done the same for all the others," he said as he then turned and walked towards the palisade blocking the way, clambering up to peer over the other side.
"Well, that's good for us, right?" Flame said in relief, "We don't have to fight these creeps now!"
With fateful timing, a whistle and a roaring blast outside the fortress shook the hallway, the ground rumbling as Hunter nearly fell from the palisade. Weapons and armor clanked and collapsed nearby as more impacts hammered the fortress.
"You always know just what to say…" Cynder remarked sarcastically as Hunter jumped down from the barricade and ran to an anxious looking Volteer.
"Volteer, I know you may be without your powers, but can you fly?" he asked quickly. The Guardian's eyed blinked blankly as he shuffled uneasily.
"I-I don't know," he stammered, "I haven't used them in so long and with all likely probability I will find it difficult to –"
"I'm sure you'll pick it up," Hunter dismissed abruptly, taking Volteer by surprise as he grabbed a hold of one of his back spines and hauled himself up, straddling his back just behind his wings.
"I don't," he began to protest, but Volteer then meekly accepted the plan as it was, "Oh, er, very well…"
"Good," Hunter said finally, leaning around the Guardian's left shoulder and wing as Cynder, Flame and Ember all trotted over into view.
"My friends, I will need you to take point and lead us out of this place. Find us a way out and help keep Volteer safe!"
"You got it!" Cynder answered readily, making a swift leap into the air as she hovered just off the ground, Flame and Ember quickly mimicking her actions.
"I'll lead! Let's go!" the black dragoness cried as she swung around tightly in the air, looking over her shoulder to see her companions following as she flew over the barricade and soared down the hall, Flame and Ember close behind. Volteer spread his wings and made a great leap after them with Hunter clinging to his back, the Guardian clearing the barricade but falling awkwardly back to his feet before his second attempt saw him stay in the air.
Pausing after his first stumble, the three young dragons soared onwards down the hall, passing over the bodies of many more Troll soldiers and the frightening Wraith skeletons as the hall trembled from more explosions. Ahead was an open doorway with a corridor to the right blocked by debris and more Troll fortifications, Cynder leading ahead as she aimed for the door.
"Through here!" she sang as she zoomed through the door with almost playful zeal, Flame and Ember shooting through behind as they beheld a once grand dining hall. A colossal wooden table stretched far ahead across the room, torn cloths and tarnished silverware scattered across the room as one of several grand chandeliers had collapsed and crushed part of the table. As Volteer and Hunter passed through behind, another blast shook the whole room as the remaining chandelier's rocked precariously above. Cynder led them onwards as they sped along the table, ahead was another doorway, albeit closed with an open walkway bridging atop of it. She angled herself upward, another deafening blast rocked the ceiling directly above, the chandelier ahead giving way!
"Watch out!" wailed Ember as Cynder swung to the left, clearing the chandelier by a hair's width as it plummeted down and crashed into the dining table, throwing plates and ornaments through the air as she course corrected and sucked in her stomach as she soared over the stone railing, the others following close behind as they left the dining hall.
"Do be careful!" called Volteer from the rear as his great form swept across the walkway, Hunter clinging tight as they followed the young dragons as they sped through to the next area. The space opened dramatically, an expansive hall with numerous stone pillars stretched out ahead, slim rays of natural light slithered across a scattering of snow ahead of them. Cynder looked up and saw parts of the ceiling had been cracked and broken, but they were far too narrow for Volteer to fit through. She pulled herself to a fast stop in the air, the others quickly stopping near to her
"Which way now?" asked Flame as he swept up next to her, looking around the newly open space as Volteer lumbered in the air near them. Far ahead was another doorway, partially collapsed with two more to the left and right like a cross, the latter closed tightly with a weathered flag draped across the floor in front of it. More explosions sounded as more snow and debris fell through the cracks in the ceiling, the fearsome shape of numerous Dreadwings passing overhead.
"The main Keep would be out best bet," said Hunter as he looked towards the cracked ceiling, pointing up with his claw, "Perhaps I can see what direction it is through there."
"I'll go!" Ember suddenly interjected, zipping up towards the ceiling with reckless abandon.
"Wait, be careful!" warned Cynder as Flame, ever devoted despite his unrequited affection, took off after her as she hovered up to the damaged ceiling. The pink dragoness failed to notice his presence as she slowly inched up towards the cracks above. Though she and her young companions might have squeezed through, they could not leave Volteer and Hunter behind as she turned her head to peer through. She and Flame saw several more Dreadwings soaring over and more barrel bombs plummeting into the frozen exterior of the fortress, shaking loose more snow that fell through onto them. Ember shook the snow off, nearly gasping in fright as she finally noticed Flame, who could only smile meekly at her reaction.
"Can you see it?" called Hunter.
"Yes, can you?" added Volteer, "Er, see what again?"
"There!" Ember exclaimed, raising her right paw and pointing with her claw, "I can see the Keep! Its over that way, to the right!"
Just then, a mass of snarling teeth and demonic eyes swept up before Ember, causing her to scream as a Dreadwing tried to lunge and snap through the ceiling cracks! A gust of orange Fire breath from the red dragon sent the creature into retreat, as well as alerting its compatriots to where they were. Ember swung around in a flash and flew back towards the others as she pointed with wide eyes towards the closed doorway to the right as Flame caught up to her.
"That way!" she cried, Flame breathlessly nodding in agreement. Volteer looked back to Hunter who nodded firmly as he stretched his arm out to the door, "Then let's go!"
Composing a forced grin to hide her earlier fright, Ember took the lead as the others swept after her, Cynder following from the rear as they raced towards the towering doors. More wails from outside told them that the Apes were now aware of them and would surely be in pursuit. As they closed in on the door, unsure if it was locked or possibly barricaded from the other side, it suddenly began to open as if in response to their approach!
"Tighten up!" ordered Hunter as the reason for the opening became apparent; a troop of Ape soldiers forced the door open, the soldiers evidently shocked at the sudden appearance of dragons soaring over them! A lumbering Ape Commander stood white faced in shock as the dragons zoomed in single file right through the door they had unintentionally opened for them!
"Such nice manners!" Cynder cackled as she was the last to pass through, the Apes shouting and cursing as they raised their weapons, too late to use them. Soaring onward, they passed over more Apes, all equally surprised but quickly recovering as the first arrows and spears were launched in their direction, the dragon's speed saving them.
"Up ahead!" warned Flame from upfront. Ahead of the group was a flight of stairs headed upward, a swarm of Apes gathered on the lower steps. Cynder flapped for her life as she shot past Volteer to re-join Flame and Ember at the front as they saw the ranks of Apes taking aim with crossbows!
"We'll handle this!" she proclaimed as she swept in line between her companions, the Apes poised to unleash their deadly hailstorm upon them. Suddenly, the Ape Lieutenant at the front locked eyes on the black dragoness and turned and shouted something she couldn't be sure of, but the archers seemed to hold their fire the closer they got, despite being well within range. Cynder at once knew why, recalling Gaul's order that she was to be captured. They had seen her and been ordered to hold their fire, but Flame and Ember did not hesitate as a meteor like ball of Fire breath and star like sphere of Ice breath shot fourth and impacted the group of Apes, freezing some in place while others violently caught alight. With their leader among the latter, the surviving Apes panicked and fired their crossbows at once, Cynder unleashing a blast of silvery wind that knocked the incoming bolts away like twigs and struck down the archers as the dragon force zoomed over and flew up the stairs!
"Keep going!" yelled Hunter from the rear as he clung tightly to Volteer's back, soaring up the stairs behind them. Cresting the top, they zoomed down another corridor with another group of Apes there to meet them, the young trio's use of Fire, Ice and Wind breath swiftly contending with them as they flew over them with Volteer's great tail knocking down several more with one quick sweep. The corridor was lined with tall stained-glass windows, some broken or covered in frost, depicting more Ice dragon imagery that passed by in a blur as they raced onward. Cynder's eyes widened as up ahead she saw a wide beacon of light cascading through an opening in the ceiling, right over top of one of the barrel like Ape troop carriers that had been dropped through it. As they approached, it looked wide enough for them all to slip through, a way to escape!
"We've got an opening!" she cried out as she looked behind at Volteer as the Guardian dragon lowered his head and looked anxiously at the fast-approaching gap, Hunter peering over his shoulder and pointing his finger up, telling them to aim for it. "Follow me!" Cynder declared as she flew ahead by her full length, bracing for the tight climb as sudden movements ahead drew her attention; more Apes! A dozen or so of them came running down the hall, accompanied by snarling Deathhounds, racing to beat them to the hole in the ceiling.
"Faster!" exclaimed Ember as she and Flame swerved in line behind the black dragoness, eyeing the light of the opening desperately as the two forces closed in, seemingly bent on colliding with each other. Cynder held her breath, trusting the others to follow as she pulled up tightly as her claws barely missed the large, empty barrel imbedded in the floor, her eyes widening as the cold air of the open washed over her as she soared upwards, zooming through the gap! In moments, she was out and in the open, a small crack in the clouds above showed a patch of blue sky that seemed to beckon to her. They were out!
The elation was quashed a moment later, when her heart jumped at the sight of Dreadwings, dozens and dozens of them, seemingly to appear from every corner of the sky and behind every wall and tower of the fortress, turning and screaming towards her! Off to the right, beyond the maze of frozen walls and fortifications was the towering, flat topped pyramid of Perisher's Keep, rising like a mountain of stone and mortar into the air. She quickly looked behind to see the Flame and Ember close behind with Volteer and Hunter at the rear; their eyes just as wide at the sight of the clouds of Dreadwings swarming towards them.
"Dive! Dive!" bellowed Hunter as Cynder came out of her shock and reacted on command, lurching forward and entering a dive as the other followed, the net of Dreadwings falling down on top of them.
"Faster! Faster!" Flame sounded like he was begging as the snarling jaws of the bat monsters reflected in his eyes.
"This is intolerable!" exclaimed Volteer as Hunter grabbed an arrow from his quiver and prepared to aim at their pursuers. Cynder led them through the dive as they found themselves soaring just above ground level through a high walled courtyard, the shadows of the pursuing demons dancing across the snow. Snow covered pines, frozen war machines, carts, equipment and rubble alongside countless bodies of fallen Trolls were scattered all about as the group bounced over and zig-zagged around them, their speed and wing beats throwing up clouds of snow as they swept over the ground. Several empty troop transports were scattered amidst the clutter, explaining the sudden presence of Apes in the ruins. Cynder almost wished the Trolls were still alive, the distraction perhaps would have aided in keeping the Apes at bay.
Hunter's aim was true as an arrow struck a pursuing Dreadwing, causing it to crash and roll into the snow as Cynder led them towards a V-shaped passage headed out of the courtyard. They shot through in single file as the pursuing Dreadwings climbed to pass over the wall, one trying to follow through the gap and striking the right flank of the passage with a bone crushing crunch, wailing as it and its rider crumpled into the ground.
"Through here!" yelled Cynder as she braved a look behind as Flame and Ember followed close with Volteer's large form filling in the view behind them. They entered another courtyard around the Keep, once more filled with scatterings of frozen weapons and clutters of debris. The screams of Dreadwings from seemingly all around made Cynder mentally beg for an escape route as several of the bat monsters dived across them from every direction, trying to snatch them in their deadly claws. A burst of Fire breath from Flame singed one while a cloud of Ice breath from Ember froze the belly of another, but there were still plenty more to come.
"Where the hell are the Frostflyers?!" Cynder snarled as she swept around a frozen banner stand, nearly clipping an ice-covered catapult as she did.
"Look! Ahead to the right!" Ember shouted as she swept up close to her right side. Ahead was another wall of black stone, a sealed gate half buried in snow blocking their path. Atop the battlements were numerous Ape figures running across it, coming from the right from inside the Keep; the doorway inside was open!
"I see it!" Hunter affirmed just before he released another arrow into a pursuing Dreadwing,
"Everyone head for that doorway!"
Cynder looked up at the blanket of Dreadwings blocking out the sky above them, gritting her teeth as she pounded her wings harder, Flame catching up to her and Ember as they banked right and climbed in the direction of the opening to the Keep. Three abreast with Volteer close behind, they rose above the battlements as a dozen Apes ran across them, several carrying crossbows and spears. Cynder's heart jumped at the sight of them as Flame and Ember both moved ahead of her, prepared to take them to task with their elements. In a panic, the black dragoness suddenly shot in front of them, cutting them off as she cast a jolt of Wind breath that bowled several of the Apes over the battlements as the others lost their footing in the snow. Her apparent carelessness did not go unnoticed.
"What are you doing?" rasped Ember as they came to a hovering stop, "I nearly froze you!"
"I almost fried you!" Flame growled as a fleeting burst of fiery sparks escaped the edges of his maw.
"Sorry," Cynder replied, acting as though it had not been intentional as she cast another gale of Wind breath that rolled the remaining Apes into balls of snow and sent them rolling down the battlements away from the door as Volteer and Hunter passed ahead of the group. "Inside, hurry!" the Cheetah called as they raced through the doorway, the three young dragons collecting themselves and flying after them as the swarm of Dreadwings made to follow. Some veered off to avoid the crash, others tried following through the doorway only to pile up into each other and violently scatter on the floor in a mass of broken wings and flailing claws. Volteer now leading, the group soared onward through a second doorway and over a stone railing, flying into the center of the Keep. Volteer pulled up sharply as the others followed, the sheer size of the interior made them look like insects by comparison, even the large Guardian Dragon.
Below them was another disk-shaped lifting platform, but far larger than the ones they had seen earlier, explaining the vast openness of the interior of the Keep. They cut through the cold air as they climbed upward, passing by floor after floor as the great structure stretched onward towards the sky. The Keep was built into sections with various stairs and walkways rounding the perimeter and terminating at each new section where the lifting platform would pass through. It was like a stone honeycomb; having multiple doorways and passages leading elsewhere in the great tower. To Cynder it was like if Warfang had been built into a single tower instead of a sprawling city, but there was no time to marvel or wonder at its mysteries, especially as they began to see Apes appearing on the higher floors above!
"Oh dear!" exclaimed Volteer.
"Keep going! We are almost there!" reassured Hunter, "Keep up, you three!"
"Stop them!" shouted an Ape voice from one of the passing floors, Cynder glancing sideways just in time to see a volley of spears and arrows zipping by as they soared upward, the missiles falling into the colossal drop below as the whole Keep suddenly shook from above. "Keep climbing!" Flame said frantically as a spear missed his tail by half an inch just before several roaring explosions echoed down the Keep from above, shaking loose stones and debris along the elevator path. The bombardment was incessant, striking the roof of the Keep like a giant hammer, the Dreadwings outside trying to blast open a way for them to get inside.
"We need to get out of here!" Cynder barely heard Ember cry out as just then, to the horror of them all, the ceiling above began to crack! Another blast and the cracks spread wider, raining specks of stone on them as one blast followed another, and then the final blow came.
The furious bombardment finally broke through! The ceiling collapsed in a shower of black stone bricks and exploded debris, followed by a cloud of orange and black smoke that blocked out any view of the sky beyond. Cynder's eyes widened in fear, but then narrowed as she suddenly disregarded her better judgement…
"Scatter!" Hunter cried, clutching Volteer's neck tightly when suddenly, the black dragoness shot ahead of the group, straight towards the oncoming avalanche!
"Cynder!" Volteer bellowed as she passed like they were standing still, the group moments from being crushed by the collapsing roof she was charging towards. She rolled in the air, spinning a single rotation as a gust of wind swirled around her body, before she suddenly began spinning like a tornado, becoming a black and red blur before their eyes! A howling gale filled the Keep as she shot up into the oncoming debris, the others too amazed at the sight to think of the danger as an hourglass shaped twister formed around her as she hit the falling debris. The bricks and stone were stopped in an instant and twirled in the twister of wind as the gust below her shot up like a cannonball, blasting the debris clear out where it came! Several hovering Dreadwings were pummeled by the returning debris as a cloud of rock filled air erupted like a volcano from the Keep! As the whirlwind died down, Cynder came to a slow spinning stop, hovering below the now clear opening in the roof as the others looked on in awe from below.
"That was totally awesome!" Flame exalted merrily as Ember almost reluctantly smirked as she shook her head in begrudging admiration.
"You trying for a medal?" she called out jeeringly. Volteer and Hunter remained speechless as Cynder began to noticeably slouch as her wingbeats became more labored, her steady hover beginning to wane.
"Cynder, are you alright?" Hunter called out. Her emerald eyes looked down at them as her mouth opened as if to answer, just before her eyelids abruptly closed over and her wings stopped beating.
"She's falling!" Flame yelled, he and the others racing up towards her as the black dragoness began to tumble like a stone towards them, her body as limp as death. Volteer reached out with his forelegs as if they were arms and snatched the black dragoness in them, pulling her into his great chest.
"Is she alive?" Ember demanded as she and Flame hovered up next to the Guardian while Hunter peered around his shoulder. Cynder hung limply in Volteer's grasp as his great paw felt close to her heart. The two young dragons looked on worriedly at their friend hanging lifelessly in Volteer's hold.
"She has fainted! Her heart is still beating," he said quickly, Flame and Ember releasing their held breath simultaneously.
"Then let's not waste the chance she has given us!" Hunter proclaimed urgently, "Out we go!"
With determined scowls, Flame and Ember took off ahead of Volteer, who securely tucked the unconscious Cynder against his chest as Hunter clutched his bow in one hand and one of the Guardian's back spines in the other. The yellow dragon propelled himself up after the others, shooting through the shattered roof and leaving Perisher's Keep behind. The frozen expanse of Dante's Freezer filled horizon to horizon, the distant sea ahead was dotted with colossal icebergs while the forests and mountains inland stretched out behind them, the black and broken fortress ruins spread out beneath them. The armored Fearnaught was finally sighted by the small party as its sword like bow passed over the shoreline towards the outer ruins of Perisher's Keep.
"Good heavens! What an abomination!" exclaimed Volteer, his first time having seen one of the armored airships.
"Keep climbing! It is our only chance!" called out Hunter as he looked behind in despair at the dozens of snapping jaws soaring after them.
"There's too many of them!" Ember said in dismay.
"Chill out!" Flame called over to her confidently, "We'll lose them in the clouds!"
"Chill out? Really?" she retorted with a sideways glare, "You really going for puns now?"
"Might be the last chance," he replied with a grim chuckle, glancing behind again as another volley of frightful screeches followed behind them, accompanied moments later by the thunderous roar of cannon fire as the Fearnaught took aim. Flame looked down just in time to see a blazing muzzle flash and a soaring ball of iron speeding towards them!
"Incoming!" he yelled, Hunter too seeing the danger and pulling on Volteer's head to steer him to the side as the shot blazed past them, cutting between Flame and Ember a moment after.
"Come on! Come on!" Ember panted in near panic as they met the first of the lower cloud cover, the grey canopy breaking up into a small inverted fishhook shape of blue sky. A glimmer of sunlight shone through, right into their eyes as the group all pondered fearfully how escape was even possible for them as more cannon blasts and Dreadwing screams sounded behind. Through the disorientating sunlight came more shimmers, reflecting like gems spread across the sky as all eyes became fixed on their unusual appearance. The shimmers seemed to move on their own, flashing in shades of blue and grey, gradually forming mighty wings and distinctive horns as their identity became clear.
"Hey!" Flame exalted on excited impulse as the silhouettes of dozens of glorious Ice dragons came soaring down from the clouds above; the Frostflyers! They had not even past them when the first streams of glistening Ice breath were cast in the direction of their pursuers, the Ice dragons speeding by as volley after volley of ice magic was unleashed. Ember was laughing with such overwhelming joy it seemed as though she had lost her mind.
"Marvelous!" sang Volteer, "Incredulous! Inspiring! Uplifting!" he said, failing to notice his slipping grip on the black dragoness in his front paws.
"Keep a hold of her!" Hunter reminded him sternly as he ducked down for each Ice dragon that soared by them, "We're not out of this yet!"
Volteer quickly regained his focus and gripped Cynder tightly against his chest as they now emerged through the heaviest of the clouds, the bulk of the Frostflyers seeming to have past them into the battle down below. Flame, Ember and Volteer levelled out with the clouds beneath them as they saw a distant shape in the sky ahead, with several more members of the Frostflyers coming from its direction towards them.
"Is that what I think it is?" called out Flame to Ember.
"Yes!" she replied excitedly, "That's the gondola! Our ride home!"
"Oh, what a relief!" Volteer said exhaustedly.
The gondola was still some distance, its bow headed out to sea and which had been the means of which they and the other members of Hunter's force had arrived in Dante's Freezer days earlier. It had been supplied by the Atlawa for the task, the airship being of the same basic shape and design as those that once operated in and around Warfang, including that in which the once Four who Lived had attempted to be unsuccessfully smuggled out of the city the day of the siege. The tall sails in the center of the deck and the small one on the foredeck showed it to be one of the rarer types used by the Atlawa for long journeys rather than simple island to island hopping as most others did.
Seen directly from above, its profile was like that of an acorn, its large rudder steered behind the square quarter deck as a small, mole shaped figure worked its wheel. The Atlawen airships were distinctly earthy in appearance, the decks and structures of the craft made of bamboo with grass and moss freely allowed to grow on them, as per their beliefs in living closely with the natural world. The sides and keel were most incredulously made of shaped and shaved grey stone blocks, each block interlocked with each other like the pieces of a puzzle.
The formation of Ice dragons quickly banked around and made a defensive formation around them as the leader of the flight, a silvery male dragon with blue horns on his head and blue spines along his back, swung in next to the startled Electric Guardian. His eyes were wide with excitement at the sight of the great yellow dragon.
"Well done, Hunter!" he congratulated first, "My warmest greetings, Master Volteer! Wing Leader Pyryius, sir. We must get you and your party back to the gondola!"
"Why, yes of course!" Volteer stuttered.
"Our friend needs help!" Flame said forcefully as Pyryius looked at the limp Cynder clutched in Volteer's grasp.
"Then there is no time to waste. Follow me!"
The silvery dragon flew ahead as he and the others of his flight directed them towards the Atlawen gondola, which was covered in layers of icicles and snow, making it look even more out of its own world as it carried on its course. As they closed towards the flying vessel, the sky around them seemed to erupt as Dragons and Dreadwings began breaking through the cloud cover beneath them, the fight from below catching up with them as aerial battles broke out all around them. Sparkling bursts of ice shards glistened in the sun as they crisscrossed the heavens, the deafening sonic screams of the horrid bat beasts poisoning the air. A Dreadwing, its wings shredded by ice shards, wailed as it fell through the clouds whilst elsewhere, a Frostflyer, stunned by a sonic scream, was set upon by two Dreadwings and disappeared through the clouds as well. The same deadly dance occurred in every corner of the sky as Flame, Ember, Volteer and Hunter flew desperately for the gondola, young Cynder the only one spared the fear that permeated every one of them.
The gondola was just moments away, the figures of various Moles running back and forth across its decks as they saw the approaching party. They soon made out the figures of Cheetahs too; Eliza and Leofwin, and the other members of Hunter's force. They were alive!
"Look! The others! They made it!" shouted Ember as Hunter cracked a proud smile.
"I knew they would make it," he said gladly, "Come on, let us join them!"
A Dreadwing suddenly shot out from the clouds below between them and the gondola as if to stop them, but it was evidently just as surprised as they were when it beheld the formation speeding right towards it. Several streams of Ice breath converged at once and the lone invader was crystalized in a sheer moment, falling back through clouds like a lump off an iceberg. Onboard the gondola, Eliza and Leofwin waved them on towards them,
"Get aboard! Hurry!"
Space was quickly made on the deck as Pyryius' formation broke off to give Volteer and the others a chance to land upon the vessel. Flame and Ember quickly swept across the deck, but did not land as they hovered across the other side and watched anxiously as Volteer came in to land. His wings swept back and his hind legs touched down gently in front of the main mast as he cradled the unconscious black dragoness carefully in his forelegs.
"She needs attention! Quickly!" he cried out as Hunter swiftly dismounted, calling on the crew to help. Among the Moles and Cheetahs were several members of the Atlawa, the Llama like bipeds wrapped in heavy layers of winter jackets over their own fur against an environment they had almost no experience of. Flame and Ember finally let themselves touch down on the deck as the rest of the crew gathered around.
"You've found him! You've found him!" cried one of the mole at arms joyfully at the sight of Volteer, whose great size took up much of the available deck space.
"Keep your head on!" came a shout from the helm, "We still have a job to do!"
The figure that stood atop a wooden crate behind the wheel was none other than Remy, the hapless merchant Mole Captain who they had first met in Warfang the day of the siege, still wearing his green tunic and leather cap under a heavy fur coat. He and his crew had successfully escaped the city during the first hours of the siege, and with similar luck and determination had eventually joined up with the Legion.
"Get her below decks!" Hunter ordered firmly as Volteer cautiously placed Cynder down as Flame and Ember pushed through to see her. She was still out cold, her mouth and tongue hanging open as a stretcher was laid out in front of her.
"Is she still breathing?" asked Flame anxiously as two Atlawa members carefully lifted her onto the stretcher.
"We will treat her. Have no fear," said one of them, a female with large orange eyes as she and her companion took a place at either end of the stretcher, lifting it up and carrying Cynder towards the back of the ship, the arch like door leading below the decks of the gondola. Flame and Ember trotted alongside as if by habit until they reached the door, a shout on the deck stopping them going any further.
"Enemy vessel, starboard!"
The two young dragons joined the rest of the crew in rushing to starboard, leaning up on the bamboo railing as a pair of sputtering columns of black smoke rose out of the clouds a few hundred meters away. The aerial fighting around the sky continued as the frightening, bulky form of the armored Fearnaught rose into view from the clouds like a giant armored shark fin cresting the surface.
"It's a Fearnaught!" came one panicked cry as the crew all looked aghast at the behemoth's appearance. The monster airship easily dwarfed the gondola as it lifted from the cloudbank, its armored side turned to them along with its array of cannons. Flame and Ember looked to each other and then at the faces of everyone on board. Volteer stood out like a giant among the others as Hunter stood in front of him with bow in hand. Aside from the handheld crossbows of the crew and a few hastily fitted swivel cannons fixed about the ship, the gondola had nothing to match the firepower of the Fearnaught.
"All hands make more sail! We've got to get clear of that beast's line of fire!" shouted Remy from the wheel, spinning it furiously to port as the gondola veered hard to the left, trying to make its profile smaller, making Flame and Ember stumble back from the railing. The cannons of the Fearnaught sounded off as well as the hard slap of its numerous ballistae firing their great javelins as several of the Frostflyer's made sweeping attacks at it, but the barrage fell them or forced them to beat a hasty retreat. Watching the Ice dragons fall ripped at Flame's heart.
"We won't get away with that thing on our tails!" he growled bitterly, "We've got to do something about it!"
"Yeah? What do you suggest, Flamaeus the brave?" Ember spat cynically.
"Well, what would Spyro have done?" he asked quickly.
"He'd be pouring his heart out over Cynder…" Ember said tersely.
"Hey! Cut it out!" the red dragon said crossly, hiding his hurt, "What would've he done?"
"I don't know. Probably blow that damn thing to bits and make us look really useless at the same time," she answered in a voice that was half frightened.
"Well, come on!" Flame rallied at her purposefully, "Let's look useful then!"
He spun and ran across the deck towards Hunter and Volteer as Ember somewhat unsurely followed behind. The Guardian and Cheetah warrior were both distracted by the looming Fearnaught when they arrived.
"Hunter, Volteer, what are we going to do about that thing?" the red dragon demanded hotly.
"Flame, Ember, go below and look after Cynder. Let us handle this," Hunter answered, his paw flexing on the railing anxiously.
"We can't outrun that thing!" Ember chimed in pointedly.
"The Frostflyers will handle it, now get below out of sight!" Hunter said more forcefully, glaring at them with the corner of his eye. Volteer remained unusually silent, looking across at the looming behemoth with seemingly no answer for it.
"We want to help!" Flame insisted with an offended scowl, which bought Hunter's full attention to him.
"You have done plenty to help, young dragons. Now leave us to take care of this!" he said tensely, jabbing his claw in the direction of the archway to the lower decks. Flame looked affronted by the rebuttal, even so he moodily turned his back away from Hunter, not taking a second glance at Ember as he brushed past her. The pink dragoness stood unsure for a moment before she relented and followed her companion. The gondola made another sharp evasive turn, making her pause to stop herself from losing her feet as she quickened her pace after Flame, who had ignored Hunter's instructions and instead headed for the rear of the ship where Remy was busily handling the wheel.
"Keep your heads down, mon ami!" he warned hastily as he anxiously looked across at the Fearnaught that was seemingly toying with them, letting them think they had a chance to escape before it blew them apart or chased them down and rammed them into pieces. The Dreadwings and Ice dragons continued to clash in the sky between them as Ember finally arrived next to Flame, who stood up with one paw on the bamboo railing as he seemed frozen in mid attempt to scale it. He scowled across at the armored behemoth as Ember could not help but notice how confident and stout the red dragon looked, his posture emanating a determination that once upon a time she could not have envisioned him having in anything but the quest for food. It was enough that she was resigned to believe that whatever he was thinking, even she could not talk him out of it.
"So, what are you planning?" she asked almost reluctantly. Flame glanced over and then back to the Fearnaught, putting both front paws up on the railing as she did the same.
"Exactly what Spyro would do," he answered firmly, his claws raking the ice caked bamboo of the railing.
"I knew you'd say that. You'd probably be trying to talk him down if he was here now," Ember remarked with a short chuckle. The red dragon looked over at her, letting a brief smirk lift the side of his mouth as he wiped his paw across his snout. He knew how risky it was what he was suggesting to her. The battle against the Ice King had certainly drained most of their elemental energy and there would almost certainly be no Spirt Gems aboard the Fearnaught for them to replenish themselves with, even if they got the chance.
"And he'd be telling us to stay here, even though he knew we wouldn't," he said reverently. He also knew Spyro would have made the same considerations and knew that it would not have stopped him either.
"Right," Ember nodded, "So what's the plan?"
"I'll tell you when we get back!" he exclaimed with a wild look in his eyes, pulling himself up and over the railing as his wings carried him forward, Ember drawing a breath before she clambered over and took off just a moment behind him. In seconds they were away from the gondola, the shouts of Hunter's reactionary disapproval falling on deaf ears as Flame and Ember flew across the field of white clouds, headed towards the armored Fearnaught. Just the two of them, with Cynder incapacitated and unable to help them, taking on fearful odds with everything at stake. It truly was a terrible déjà vu.
End of Chapter 10
Next Chapter: Flameaus the Brave
Note from the author:
This and the following chapter were originally written as one whole chapter but I decided it was too long and decided to split it into two, hence why Chapter 11 will be posted shortly after this one (if not on the same day then a within a few days of Chapter 10) rather than next month. Because of this, Chapter 12 will not be uploaded until the end of October.