Chapter 1: Down to Three
"With age, so they say, comes wisdom. If that is indeed true, I should be the wisest of all, having lived more days in this world than any other. I have watched the sun rise and set on the lives of so many, chronicled their struggles and their successes, their bright days and dark days, their birth and, inevitably, their death. This is a duty I have performed in solitude for many millennia, one that has never taken me beyond the hidden shores of the mystical White Isle that has been my home in all that time.
Yet, the wisdom of which my age has supposedly granted me feels so wasted with none to share it with, when my existence is relegated to nothing more than a forgotten legend. A myth occasionally brought to life from the back pages of a rarely visited text sitting in dusty corner of a neglected library section, or half remembered story told around a campfire. But it is the duty of which I was bestowed, and fastidiously have I carried it out over these many years. And yet I always knew that it was the story of one dragon that all of my wisdom and toil was to serve to the greatest use when finally, his story was to begin. The story of Spyro, the rare purple dragon of legend, able to master all the elements. The saviour of the world as foretold in a prophecy long ago, even before my time.
Spyro's story began at the Dragon Temple when he was still only an egg, when he and three others were saved by the Dragon Guardians, Ignitus of Fire and Volteer of Electricity, from a terrible massacre by the Dark Armies, led by the Ape King, Gaul, the servant of the fallen purple dragon Malefor, who became known as the Dark Master. Though destroyed in body, Malefor's malevolent spirit resided in the mysterious Portal of Convexity, where he awaited the day his followers would find the means to resurrect him so he may take his vengeance upon the world.
As the only survivors of the eggs that were destroyed that night at the temple, Spyro and his three friends, Cynder the black Wind dragoness, Flameaus "Flame" the red dragon of Fire and Ember, the pink dragoness of Ice, became known collectively as the 'Four Who Lived' or the 'Four Survivors'. As a group, they were thick and thieves as the saying goes, residing at the temple as is tradition for young dragons without living relatives. For twelve years, life was calm and carefree for them, the four young dragons raised on the stories of their forbearers, close to heart being the story of the brave souls who sacrificed themselves during the temple raid to ensure the survival of them; the Four Who Lived.
Among them was the young dragon squire, Pyra, the apprentice of Ignitus whose loss weighed on him like a father who had lost a son. For The Four Who Lived, his story became their guiding light and model of duty and dedication of which they, even at such a young age, were encouraged to emulate. But for Spyro, all the stories of sacrifice and faith carried out in his name left him troubled, fearful that he would never measure up to the dauting task of becoming the dragon who would dictate the fate of the world in the face of the looming threat of Malefor's return.
It was during a blissful visit to Avalar, the homeland of the dragon's ally, the Cheetah's, that Spyro and his friends had their first taste of danger. Their friend and caretaker, Meadow, was taken captive by the Apes while the four dragons were exploring the valley. Upon learning of his capture, Spyro bravely but impulsively set out to rescue him, his three friends refusing to be left out of the action. Ultimately, all of them were taken captive and bought before the Ape King himself in his nightmarish fortress, the Mountain of Malefor. But with courage, skill and more than a little luck, the Four Who Lived escaped the Ape King and rescued Meadow, the first true act of heroism of the group.
It was at this time that I first contacted Spyro, summoning him into a dreamscape where I warned him about the future dangers he and his friends would face. He was understandably wary of the mysterious voice that appeared inside his head, but he accepted that I was his ally. Gaining his trust would be essential if I was guide him further on when the great calamities began to fall upon him, for ever since the day Spyro was born, Gaul had been plotting his revenge. For twelve years, his armies had been excavating the earth beneath the Mountain of Malefor, mining a highway directly under the land towards the Dragon City of Warfang, planning to take it from underneath the unsuspecting residents while they pretended they wished to keep peace with the dragons.
Spyro had observed some of these works in action, but save for his mentor, Ignitus, his warnings fell on deaf ears. Though well meaning, the actions of Spyro and his friends were not universally praised, many fearing that after twelve years of peace, their actions would provoke another war with the Apes, even though they had long been planning their strike against Warfang and to assassinate the purple dragon once and for all. Against the objections of the Guardians, the Council of Warfang followed the letter of the law and allowed the Ape King to enter the city as part of a planned peace conference, a conference that would never take place as upon reaching the capital building of Castle Hill, Gaul's plans went into fruition.
Conjuring a powerful spell of his enchanted staff, Gaul unleased a colossal blast of draining magic that swept over the whole city, robbing every dragon in its path of the magical mana that sustains their ability to conjure the elements along with the Spirit Gems they use to replenish, leaving the dragons without their best defence. Ignitus had the forethought to evacuate the Four Who Lived before Gaul's arrival, fearing such an act, but an unexpected delay meant they were still in the city when the attack began, leaving them stranded and caught up in the chaos. Bravely, the young dragons fought back as best they could, doing their most to help others during their escape while being hunted by Gaul's right hand; the Masked Assassin. Eventually they would meet up with Mason, the Mole Professor and friend who guided them and others to the safety of the underground shelters.
Something changed in Spyro in this time, seeing the fear in the eyes of his companions and fellow citizens, all of whom trusted he would remake all that had been lost. But when he saw a room full of those killed during the fighting, he was overcome with the gravest guilt perhaps ever bore by anyone of such a young age. He believed that he was to blame, and that his gifts and powers were not a novelty or advantage, but a burden and curse that only threatened to bring harm to all those around him. He decided he would not endanger those he cared for most, Cynder, Flame and Ember, and opted to escape the city on his own, believing they would be safer without him. After replenishing his mana from the surviving underground stores of Spirit Gems and making a promise they would rendezvous at the temple, Spyro set off alone, hoping to give his friends a chance to escape while he drew the wrath of Gaul's army.
Alas, his attempt at escaping alone did not last, for after a daring but near fatal act that saved the illustrious airship Doxantha from certain destruction, Spyro was saved by none other than Ignitus, the Fire Guardian who had survived the initial attack. Together, they carved a path of destruction through the invaders as they hoped to turn the tide of the battle with the assistance of the Doxantha by destroying the main viaduct leading to the city which had fallen to the Apes. Ultimately, their mission would fail and the Doxantha would be lost, along with any hope of keeping control of the city. In the forests outside the city, Ignitus would battle the Masked Assassin in a vicious duel that resulted in the Ape's death but also the grievous wounding of the Guardian.
Heartbroken and lost, Spyro heeded his mentor's last wish that he survive and fled from the carnage, despite his best efforts to save the dragon who had been like a father to him. It was at this difficult time I chose to make my second contact with him, warning him of his inevitable doom if he was to go on to the temple to try and save his friends. By only the strongest will did he heed my words, while during his state of unconsciousness, my other talents were put to use as he was guided away from all he knew to somewhere he may survive until, as I predicted, the time would come for him to return.
But even now as I recall this, I wonder how right those predictions may be. He may have escaped the dangers of Gaul for now, left behind everything and everyone he knew and loved, but what he has found may be the one thing he is never willing to let go of for any reason. In the secluded swamps at the far reaches of the land, he has found a home among the dragonflies, a species long forgotten elsewhere in the realms. From his chance encounter with Sparx, the dragonfly that has since become a brother to him, to his saving of the dragonfly village from the notorious monster Arborik, Spyro has become accepted in this new world far from all he knows. He has found the one thing he wanted most and never had; a family.
And my great fear is that he has come to love this new life and family so much, that even if the old world begs for his return, he shall refuse. He, like Malefor, will turn his back on his true calling, for reasons that are very different, true. But in choosing his new family over his destiny, it will all the same, doom us all."
The Dragon City of Warfang, the day of the siege…
Cynder remembered only hearing the sound her own pulverizing heartbeat for some time after they left the hotel, even as she saw and felt the million other sources of noise around her; the roar of cannons, the ground shaking impact of collapsing buildings and falling barrel bombs, the shouting of orders by commanding dragons and moles as they mustered their forces against the enemy. All around were countless panicking mole and dragon citizens, their faces haunted by looks of fear and confusion as they searched for shelter, tried to find loved ones who just stood gormlessly in the streets as they watched the sky filled with the menacing shapes of seemingly endless waves of Dreadwings. She seemed not to be able to hear any of this, even as she saw it all around her as the black dragoness anxiously gazed about the chaotic streets of Warfang. As she saw the crowds of faces moving in all directions, she suddenly became glad that she couldn't seem to hear them as she saw the many wounded moles and dragons crying out in aguish as they limped along the street or lay against the buildings they were passing by, their families and friends doing what they could while nurses tried to attend to multiple patients at once. Fear had infected everyone around her like a disease and she was in no way immune from its infectious reach, especially now that she and her closest companions were no longer a complete group.
In front of her was the group of mole at arms they had left the grand hotel with, led by Mason a.k.a The Professor and the two other stand out mole soldiers Anton and Louie, leading her with Flame and Ember following behind with a few more mole at arms bringing up the rear as the world they knew was being destroyed around them. Cynder looked over her shoulder and saw the young red Fire dragon and pink Ice dragoness following close behind her, both of them swinging their heads around at their surroundings and seeing all the same despair as she and clearly just as distraught. Flame was panting like he had been running for days, his pupils the size of ants whilst Ember was hunched down like she was trying to make herself smaller, hoping to go unnoticed amidst all the other fleeing citizens of Warfang. The burst of courage she had shown when they had been in the underground shelter, declaring that they had to carry on and honor Ignitus's wish they escape the city, seemed to have waivered as they made their way through the crowded and debris strewn streets in search of the tunnel entrance that would take them out of the city. Cynder did not judge her, not less because of the fear she had herself, but because her friend had carried out the outburst with the same fatal assumption that they all had; that Spyro would be with them the whole time. But instead, he had made the decision to make his own way out, to draw attention away from them and if possible, draw attention away from Warfang and give the city a chance to reorganize and fight back. Now Cynder, Flame and Ember, were down from four to three.
"Keep up!" Mason's voice called from the front as Cynder's ears were suddenly barraged by all the sounds she had been avoiding up until now, "We're almost there!"
"Not near enough!" Flame cried fearfully as another explosion rocked the ground, making him speed up and barge into Cynder from behind.
"Watch it!" she rasped tensely, the strain in her voice as palpable as the fear in his eyes, the sight of which caused her to regret the tone she used with him. Ember bunched up next to Flame as they followed behind the moles as they pressed on through the unfolding catastrophe they were surrounded by.
"Oh, I hope Spyro is okay!" Ember whimpered as she didn't seem to notice how much she was rubbing up against Flame like a dog trying to force attention from its owner, a fact that seemed to soothe his fears somewhat as she brushed up to him, even if she never looked him in the eye as she did.
"He'll be fine!" Cynder declared resolutely, "Just keep moving!"
The three young dragons ran after the escorting mole soldiers as Mason, with his bulky repeating crossbow in his hands, kept looking back to see they were still following as he led them away from the main promenade and down a narrow side street on the left. Looking ahead, Cynder could see the street came to an eventual dead end, the buildings on either side being more of the same, large housing blocks most of the city's mole residents lived in. The street was cloaked in a dark shadow from the buildings, a few abandoned carts and baskets were all there was in the otherwise lifeless street. Steeping out wide to the right past one of the abandoned carts, the black dragoness saw a building that stood out from the others ahead and to the left, a large white building with a scrupulously clean exterior, standing out from the homogenous golden brown of the housing blocks. As they approached, Cynder saw trimmed, lush green grass around a glistening white stone path that led up from the street towards the interior. A grand archway led inside, with a carved image of two moles pouring water from pots down between the two bold lettered words spelling out "Bath House."
"This is it! Everyone inside, quickly!" ordered Louie as Anton stood sheepishly by his side as the Professor hopped up the first step onto the buildings white exterior, the mole at arms behind him clambering up as the three young dragons came to a brief pause as they waited for them.
"Bathhouse?" Flame panted in confusion.
"It is pretty, isn't it?" Ember remarked as she admired the fine stonework of the exterior. A shrill howl and a ground shuddering explosion from the street they had just come from was a harsh slap back to reality as Cynder announced,
"Let's get inside before they have to wash us off the street!"
She immediately rushed forward, followed quickly by her companions and the rear-guard as they ascended the short flight of steps, past the lawn and under the archway into the bathhouse, tagging on to the end of the mole soldiers. The group took a left turn as they entered the open foyer, the interior tiles a deep blue as a grand pool stretched out before them. The air above the pool was open to the sky as it ran a hundred or so feet in a large rectangle, green marble columns running beside the pool along the wide walkways that surrounded it. Cynder, Flame and Ember ran along the path behind the moles as the water in the pool rocked from more explosions, the pathways covered in discarded towels, clothes, shoes and broken pottery, suggesting the patrons had made a swift exit once the battle had started.
"Why are we here?" Cynder called out to Mason as they rushed along the walkway towards a passage that opened up at the end of the pool.
"Just keep moving, we're nearly there!" he called back as he led the entourage of moles and dragons through the bathhouse. With a confused shake of her heard, Cynder glanced at her companions questioningly, only for them to give her the same look back as they reached the end of the walkway and followed the moles as they rushed through the open doorway at the end. They entered inside another room, the interior was darker and lit by torches as the stonework changed to shades of brown and red and the air became moist and warm. Straight on from the opening was another hallway that the moles ran down, the sides forming an inverted 'T' shape with opposing corridors leading to the gender separate hot baths, explaining the hot moistness in the air. Cynder and her friends had been to places like this before, but not in this part of the city. Running down the hallway, she led Flame and Ember after the moles as they passed under a lightless chandelier, the floor covered by fragments of shattered fire gems that had been destroyed by Gaul's shockwave of sorcery. The lit torches were probably lit after the fact by the owners of the bathhouse as a result.
"Are we going to hide in here?" asked Flame aloud as the hallway led to a downward staircase, the moles running down as fast as their short legs would allow as the stairs spiraled down to the right.
"Just don't stop!" Ember cried as a distant explosion shook the hallway, the chandelier above rattling as Cynder finally reached the stairs with her companions behind.
"Mason knows what he's doing, we'll be alright!" she assured them as she took the first steps as quickly as she could, following the moles ahead as the stairs wound their way down in a spiral. The passageway was low and the steps were tiny, obviously intended only for moles and not for use by dragons as the group made their way down. The air was hotter still, the brown walls covered in condensation as candles built into the passage lit the way down, Cynder unable to think of anything except of how trapped they would be if the Apes caught them as they were right now.
"Here we are, just ahead!" Mason proclaimed as the black dragoness finally saw the end of the spiral, she and the others following the moles through as they entered into a new large room; the heat of which was intense. The inside of the room was bathed in glowing orange light as Cynder glanced around as she, with Flame and Ember, left the passage and entered the room proper. There were four massive square furnaces, two on each side of the room beside each other with great fires blazing away intensely, the three young dragons realizing they were standing on the bathhouse's Hypocaust, the means of which heat was generated for the baths upstairs. Stacks of firewood were piled up beside the furnaces with wide copper pipes positioned above the entrance to each fire as a means to allow smoke to rise up out of the room and out through the roof. Each pipe had handles and hinges that allowed it to be moved as necessary by the workers who had all since left. It may have been more interesting to them had they not been in a race for their lives as Mason led the rest of the group straight ahead to where there appeared to be a water fountain built into the wall for the workers to drink from while surrounded by constant heat. The Professor looked over his shoulder, over the heads of the other mole soldiers to see the three young dragons standing anxiously inside the doorway.
"Over here! Come quick!" he waved to them, Cynder Flame and Ember trotting across the floor followed by the rear-guard as the mighty furnaces blazed around them, the heat of which was extreme even for the young Fire dragon of the trio.
"Oh good," Flame remarked as he sighted the fountain, "I'm thirsty…"
Mason, alongside Anton, Louie and the other Mole at Arms, gathered around the semicircle shaped stone fountain that was built into the wall. It was low down to mole height with a hinged wooden lid sitting overtop like that of a barrel to keep smoke and ashes out. A carved stone dragon's head sat above the fountain where a simple lever mounted on the wall turned the flow of water on or off with ease. Cynder eyed the feature curiously as she saw no visible doors or passages for them to continue on, just two bulky bronze dragonhead statues sitting on the ground to either side of the fountain. She expected there must be another secret hidden door like what he had shown them in the tavern which had bought them to the grand hotel where Spyro had gone ahead on his own.
'Damn him for trying to be such a hero,' she thought to herself, wishing she had been stern enough to make him stay or force him to let them go along with him. She could only hope he had found Ignitus or one of the other Guardians, if they were even still alive.
Mason lifted the lid off the fountain, propping his crossbow against the stonework before he scooped a handful of water into his mouth, Flame pushing through the rest of the group as he placed his paws on the ledge before dropping down and lapping at the water himself. Cynder and Ember exchanged glances with each other before the former said,
"Professor, I trust you didn't bring us here to quench our thirst?"
"Indeed, not," he said briskly as he wiped of his mouth with his arm and turned to her, "This is your way out of the city," he said as he tapped his hand on the edge of the fountain, causing Flame to throw his head back up and eye him curiously as water splashed over onto the floor.
"You mean another secret door?" he asked blankly.
"Yes," Mason nodded, "Miss Ember, I shall require your services, please" he announced suddenly. Cynder raised her eyebrows as her companion's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me?" asked Ember incredulously as she nervously looked at all the eyes that settled upon her.
"Indeed, you are the key to the way forward," Mason explained swiftly, "You see these statues either side of me?" he said as he pointed to the two bronze dragonheads sitting on the floor.
"Yes?" Ember answered anxiously.
"The door is elementally locked; breathing Ice into the mouths of the statues will unlock it."
"Ice?" asked Flame with a confused look, "Why not Fire? This is place is a furnace, it'd be a lot easier!"
"And more obvious," Cynder remarked as she looked to the pink dragoness by her side, "Come on, Ember, open the door for us!"
"Right!" she nodded with an excited wriggle, side stepping to her right as the moles moved out of her way as she trotted proudly up to the statue and stood right in front of it. The bronze head had a certain resemblance to Terrador, with its bold proportions and ram like horns as its fearsome mouth was open like it was roaring or casting an element. Ember hunched down on her front legs, drawing a deep breath as Cynder was mentally screaming for her to stop showing off and cast her damned Ice breath. Her worries about Spyro were making her more anxious than she dared show, Cynder realising just how close she had come to verbally telling Ember to hurry up, biting her tongue just in time.
A glistening cloud of misty Ice exhaled from Ember's mouth, twirling as it flowed into the statue's mouth. As Ember cut off the last of its icy vapours, the eyes of the statue suddenly lit up in balls of solid blue light, glowing as a wind like 'whoosh' sound filled the room. Ember's face lit up excitedly as she tapped her feet on the ground like she was dancing before she turned and ran over to the second statue.
"You got it! Now the other one!" Flame cheered for her as she pranced over and stood before the second statue, Cynder giving only an appreciative nod as Ember passed her by, lowering herself down as before and casting another icy cloud into the statue's mouth. The eyes lit up just as the first, a second magical 'whoosh' sounded as the floor suddenly began to vibrate beneath them.
"Everyone step back!" Mason ordered as he grabbed his crossbow as the fountain suddenly began to shudder, "Well done, Miss Ember!"
Following his word, the moles stepped back along with Cynder and Ember, Flame yelping in surprise as the fountain began to creak, the red dragon leaping away and re-joining his friends as the fountains' base began to sink slowly into the ground. The wall at the back of the fountain lowered to reveal the top of a hidden passageway, just as Cynder had predicted. The eyes of the two dragonhead statues continued to glow as the fountain finally sank below the floor, revealing an eerie looking tunnel stretching out before them, a single bowl-shaped flaming torch suspended from chains on the ceiling providing light. A glowing red fire gem sat on the bottom of the bowl, glowing with the magic that kept the flames burning strong. The three young dragons moved to the head of the group as they all cautiously approached the light of the single lantern did not offer a deep view of the tunnel, but it was obvious that it was not well used, likely not opened in years, with heavy cobwebs strewn along its sandy brick walls.
"How many of these hidden tunnels are there?" asked Cynder as Mason stepped up beside her.
"More than I can probably remember," the Professor said as he removed and wiped off his spectacles which had become fogged up from the heat of hypocaust.
"That's where we're going?" Flame asked tepidly, "It's kind of dark…."
"You are," Mason replied as he put his spectacles back on, "But we're not."
Cynder snapped her eyes to him as Ember let out a whimper of, "You're not coming with us?"
Mason sighed, "This is your way out of the city, not ours," he said as turned his back and took a few paces from the entrance, "Ignitus wanted you out of Warfang and we've seen to it that it happens."
"But we've never been down there!" Flame protested nervously, "What if we get lost?"
"No way to get lost in there, young Flamaeus," Mason replied brightly as he turned to look back to him, "It's all one way, leads straight out to the beaches outside Warfang. You can't go wrong!"
Following a deep breath, Cynder stepped away from her companions and walked up to the Professor, her actions inspiring them to follow up behind her as the rest of the mole at arms gathered around them. Mason lifted his gaze to her with a friendly smirk across his face, the black dragoness smiling in kind to him as she shifted her eyes around to the assembled mole soldiers.
"Thank you all," she announced in a firm voice, "We are so grateful for your help. I hope we can pay you all back one day."
"We are," concurred Ember earnestly, "Thank you so much!"
"Er, yeah. If Spyro was here he'd say thanks too," Flame chimed in sheepishly.
"It's the least we could do," Anton replied proudly as the shorter Louie stepped up next to him, "You helped us live to fight another day!"
"Yes!" Louie blurted out, though his shifting eyes showed he was seemingly less enthusiastic for the prospect of fighting another battle.
"Happy to help," Cynder remarked as cheerfully as she could without it being obvious she was putting on a face to hide her own anxiety. Mason nodded as he stepped up to them with a warm look in his eyes, reaching out first to Cynder and patting her on her head before he looked to Flame and Ember, who he then reached out to and gave reassuring touches on their faces. With a reluctant sigh that the soft moment had past, Mason beckoned to them and nodded towards the passageway. The three young dragons let him slip between them as they turned with him to face the passage.
"Now," he began stoutly, "As I said, this tunnel will take you to the beaches outside Warfang. This tunnel was built as an exit for our city, not for going back in. Once you are through the door, it will close behind you and can only be reopened from this side. Eventually you'll come to another door and two more statues like these," he said as he pointed to the bronze statue heads beside the doorway, "All you have to do is push them onto the pedestal's you'll see on the floor and the door will open for you. Don't waste time once it opens, it will only stay open for about a minute once the statues are in place."
"You sure you won't come with us?" Cynder asked pleadingly.
Mason shook his head and replied, "I cannot, Miss Cynder. There is still plenty of fighting going on and others that need help. Lots to be done."
"We will see you again, won't we?" asked Ember with heavy concern. The Professor eyed her grimly, knowing more so than the three young dragons how serious the situation was, but for their sake he kept up a confident demeanor.
"Surely will, Miss Ember," he said, even as he saw the faint glimmer of doubt coming from the eyes of Cynder as she saw through the façade he was playing himself. The pink dragoness seemed reassured, however, as did Flame as he put on his broadest smile as he looked between the two dragoness's to his side. At that moment, Anton shuffled up beside Mason, saying anxiously,
"You three had best get going. I'm sure Spyro is waiting for you and we have to get back to the fight at hand."
Louie coughed uneasily, "Er, yes that's right!"
Cynder, Ember and Flame looked between each other, each taking a silent gulp before they nodded in agreement that now was the time to leave. The ground rumbled again as the war raged outside, the three young dragons turning about and facing towards the secret passage, dust falling from the ceiling as more distant explosions rocked the building. Cynder, drawing a deep breath, took the first step as her advance inspired her companions, the three quickly stepping up to the spot where the fountain had once been.
"Good luck, my friends! Take care!" called out Mason as the other mole at arms waved goodbye to the trio of dragons.
"Give Spyro our regards!" one of them added as the three young dragons passed over the lowered fountain and stepped into the passage. They came to a halt once they entered, taking a last look back at the assembled moles as Mason readied his bulky crossbow once more for action.
"Good luck, guys!" Flame wished heartily, "And thanks again!"
Before any of them could say more, the floor began to rumble again as the depressed fountain began to rise out from the floor, slowly closing up the hidden passage as the three dragons watched with painful regret as Mason, Anton, Louie and their comrades began to vanish from view. The wall behind the fountain soon eclipsed their short stature as Cynder, Flame and Ember stood and watched in silence as the passageway closed over, a loud thunk echoing through the passage that stretched on ahead of them. There was not a word spoken as the three of them stared at the blank wall with only the flames dangling above for light, the walls of the tunnel continuing on into seemingly impenetrable darkness. Once the echo had died down, there was not a sound in the tunnel beyond the crackling of the flames above and the hushed, anxious breathing of the three adolescent dragons. Already feeling alone and vulnerable, Cynder slowly turned to face her companions, who gazed uncertainly at her as they all turned to the looming darkness ahead of them.
"So," Flame mumbled hesitantly, "What's the plan?"
Whoosh! Suddenly there was burst of flame that appeared in the darkness ahead, level with the dangling chandelier above their heads. It was another, identical chandelier just like it, bursting into life with another red fire gem glistening on its base. Whoosh! Another further down. Whoosh! Another still! In seconds the pattern repeated over and over until the trio could see the darkness being eaten away along with many of the cobwebs as more and more lanterns came to life and revealed the path of the tunnel as it went on out of view. The tunnel structure was rectangular and similar in appearance to the tunnel they had traversed when they had gone to rescue Meadow through the catacombs, though by far nowhere near as spacious. An adult dragon would have barely fit down the passageway and evidently was not intended to be used by them.
"Well, that's neat!" Ember remarked brightly at the erupting lamps as Cynder took a step forward to the head of the group, casting a wary eye at their cobweb strewn surroundings. She hated spiders, not that she was afraid of them as she told herself or anyone who asked. She just did not like them.
"Cynder?" Flame asked nervously, hoping she had an answer. Shaking the thought of spiders away for a moment, the black dragoness scowled resolutely.
"We get out of here and get to the temple, that's all that matters," she declared firmly, "That's where Spyro and Ignitus will be."
"I really hope you're right," Flame replied timidly.
Ember flashed a cold stare at him, "Of course he will be!" she snapped in anger at his seeming doubt in their friend and whom she naïvely believed she was romantically involved with, "They won't be able to stop him! He'll be there and we'll help him make all this right, huh Cynder?" she asked in a vexingly pompous voice.
At any other time, the black dragoness would have berated Ember's stuck up attitude, but for one of the few times in her life, she let it go.
"That's what he said," she answered in well feigned confidence, "Spyro's never let us down before. I even said that to him…"
"Well let's not wait around here then!" Flame all of a sudden cried with newly found courage, breaking out into a run as he charged past Cynder and took off down the passage, "Lets go!"
Cynder and Ember were both caught off by his sudden turnaround, watching as the red Fire dragon charged with his horns through a thick curtain of cobwebs, slashing away with his claws with a ferocity that seemed borderline insane, even as he became blinded by them, he still pressed on, calling on the others to follow.
"You guys coming or what? Spyro's waiting for us!"
Meanwhile…
Terrador was sure he must be dead, or so that's how it felt. His vision was an indistinguishable haze and he felt a sense of weightlessness, like he was being ferried from this world to the next by some heavenly entity he could not yet see. As a Guardian and as a warrior, death had always been an old companion and it was always with a sense of inevitability that he had regarded it. To die in battle, he had thought, would always be the way he wished to go, mainly because he believed it would be part of some great struggle where his end would go towards something greater. Yet his end had not been heroic or great; his end had come due to an adversary's cowardly treachery, a treachery they all should have foreseen. The last thing he remembered was standing on the outside balcony of Castle Hill with his fellow Guardians, escorting the Ape King Gaul to the arranged peace conference when the great plumes of dust that filled the air as multiple explosions erupted about the city.
He remembered seeing a pulsating green energy coming from Gaul's staff that erupted in a magical shockwave that knocked him and the others down as it washed over the whole city. He remembered feeling like he had fallen off a mountain, his body drained of strength and his elemental mana drained like blood to a leach. He had been too weak to move, too weak to fight back, near blinded by the green flash, he recalled seeing the blurred shapes of numerous Apes converging on him, presumably to finish him off. He must have passed out before he felt their weapons tear into his flesh, sparing him the pain of death. He only hoped his companions had been so lucky.
Terrador groaned bitterly, his senses starting to come back as felt a tightness around his great body, his wings uncomfortably pressed into his back like he was tangled in a web. His insides felt drained, his lungs burning with every breath as he felt as though he had been starving for weeks. His brain felt like it was engulfed in flames as he felt his limp body swaying as cold air rushed over him, his vision clearing enough to make out a great pair of wings performing powerful strokes as he was apparently suspended beneath whatever creature it was. Was he still alive after all? Was the creature carrying him a dragon, perhaps Ignitus or Volteer or Cyril? As the Earth Guardian tried to move his body, searching for any broken bones or other injuries, his vision cleared enough for him to see the interlocked pattern of webs surrounding and binding him, webs that he quickly deduced were that of a net.
It was when a horrific shriek shredded his ears that his vision came back clear enough to see what the creature was, even though the scream gave it away as a Dreadwing. Terrador's heart sank as he realized, he was indeed still alive, but in a place that made death seem preferable; he was a captive of the Apes! He gazed upward and saw the hairy underbelly of the Dreadwing, its hind claws clutched around a heavy steel bar the net was tied to through a pair of metal hoops. After analysing his own predicament, Terrador's mind then immediately turned to the others; Ignitus and Volteer, Cyril, Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember, what had become of them? Were they prisoners too? Had they escaped? He dared not think of the only other option…
The Earth Guardian turned his head as much as he could as he saw another few Dreadwings flying close by, none of them carrying any other nets save for the one he was trapped in. Turning his head over to his right and straining with his eyes, he saw they were passing over the ocean, but could look far enough around to see if they were near land. He tried to throw his weight about, hoping it might be enough to break free, but with his mind still numb, he only then realized his front and back legs were bound together, his massive feet clasped together in thick bundles of rope that he could not hope to break in his weakened state. Another terrible scream filled the air as the Dreadwing formation flew close together, Terrador scowling at the Ape riders he could see on the back of the winged pests. One of them off to his right looked down and saw the great green dragon stirring, waving his arm to the others to draw their attention, laughing as he did. Terrador growled only as much as he could, the jeers and taunts of the Apes being more grating than the demonic screams of their mounts. Out of the corner of his eye, Terrador saw the blue expanse of the ocean change suddenly, tilting his head over to see the familiar canopy of tall mushrooms fill his view, followed by another sight that now drove a spear into his pride; the Dragon Temple.
Whooping and hollering on its balcony and atop its dome were several Ape soldiers, waving weapons in the air and cheering at the sight of the once mighty Earth Guardian bound and ferried through the air in a large net. The sight of their feet dancing on the sacred structure made Terrador snarl, squirming in protest as he tried again to break his bonds, his already wounded heart pained even more as he failed. Warfang was under attack and the unguarded temple now was now in the hands of the Apes. What more could happen to make this a worse day?
The net swung hard as the formation of Dreadwings swept by the tall structure of the temple, slowly descending as they passed over the surrounding mushroom forest, Terrador moving his head around as quickly as he could manage as he hoped for any sign of relief, prayed for a group of dragon warriors to swoop down from the clouds and free him. He swayed unnervingly beneath the belly of the Dreadwing as the western quarter of the temple appeared below, the open clearing to the temple garden and the memorial statue of the martyred Pyra and Mole at Arms who perished the night of the temple raid, the place where they had conducted the remembrance ceremony only a few days ago. The Dreadwing formation began to descend, circling and gliding around the garden in a descending loop as Terrador looked on forlornly for the help that was not coming. His flying captor reeled back in the air, the Earth Guardian lurching forward as the net swayed heavily, the bat-monster hovering in place just above the flowerbed by the statue at the height of the mushrooms canopy, Terrador's eyes fixing on the golden edifice that the Dreadwing's shadow now loomed over. Such a disgraceful sight left him feeling sick, just as a sinister chuckle from above drew his eyes up as the glowing purple eyes of the Dreadwing turned down to meet him. Its jagged, drool dripped mouth snarled as Terrador watched in horror as the monster's hind claws released their grip of the net!
The Earth Guardian gasped in shock as he fell like a stone, his constricted body turning rigid as he fell from the sky, slamming hard on his back on top of the colorful flowerbed as the net crumpled on top of him. The great green dragon let out as harsh a roar of pain as he could, his wings and back throbbing as his weight punched into the ground. His already weakened body was left winded, Terrador gritting his teeth as he tried to block the pain from his mind as the looming Dreadwings above began to hover down to the ground. Wincing in pain, Terrador rolled on his left side, his chest heaving as he saw the colorful flowers that surrounded him, the gleaming gold of the memorial statue only a short distance from him as he looked into the figure of the heroic Pyra, Terrador mentally saying how sorry he was to the young squire as the first Dreadwing landed across from him. On its back along with its rider was a broad-shouldered Ape Commander, a sneering grin on his face as he dismounted the winged beast, a fearsome double-sided axe clutched in his right hand. As his feet touched the ground, several more Dreadwings landed on and around the garden, some carrying more than one passenger as several smaller soldiers and the more senior Lieutenants dismounted, all of them staring vengefully at the helpless Guardian dragon.
The grinning Commander sneered as he strode over towards Terrador, swinging his axe tauntingly as the Earth Guardian's expression hardened, managing to keep his eyes fixed on the eyes of those of the approaching ape and not his axe. The Commander came to a stop a few feet from him, turning his head slowly to his left as he eyed the statue off to his side, the large ape scanning up and down its structure and the inscription at its base. With a dark chuckle, he turned his attention back to Terrador as he walked the last few steps to him, the dragon scowling as the blade of the axe caught the light of the sun. It was then that Terrador noticed the diamond shaped green gem built into the handle of the axe, the magical stone as large as the Commander's palm as it glowed in the weapon's handle.
"So," the towering ape remarked in a gruff voice, spinning the axe in his hand, "This is the great and mighty Terrador, Guardian of Earth, eh? Really not that impressive close up," he sneered as the other ape soldiers started to gather around behind him.
"Untie me and let's see how true that is," Terrador growled back, the edges of his mouth lifting to show his fangs. The Commander raised his eyebrows and put on a comically exaggerated look of surprise as he looked back at his sniggering subordinates. After sharing in the laugh with them, the Commander gripped his axe in both hands and turned back towards Terrador in a violent flash, raising the weapon up and slamming the butt of the handle into his forehead, Terrador snarling in pain as his vision turned red. He jostled and shuffled hard inside the net, exerting his anger the only way he could as he fought against his bonds. His anger failed to stir anything within him, failed to conjure any ounce of mana he hoped might remain, wanting the ground to open up and swallow the apes or for vines to wrap around their necks like the hangman's noose. But the flowers around him only moved with the breeze as he failed to conjure anything at all.
"The King has a purpose for you, or else I'd have your head right now!" snapped the Ape Commander as he motioned with his free hand to his subordinates. Feeling truly afraid of how powerless he was, Terrador could only watch as two Ape Lieutenants and a handful of smaller soldiers walked by their Commander and approached him, taking a hold of the bar the net was bound to while the smaller apes grabbed hold wherever they could on the net.
"Drag him inside!" the Commander roared as he turned his back and looked to the rest of his troops, "The rest of you; turn this place upside down and grab anything valuable. If it shines, take it!"
"Keep your filthy hands off our temple!" Terrador cried as he was dragged across the ground, the apes assigned to do so heaving and panting as they struggled to move the weight of the Guardian dragon. His protest only earned a derisive wave off by a few of the ape soldiers as the rest eagerly rubbed their hands at the prospect of gaining some loot. Terrador panted like a raging bull as he was slowly dragged towards the stairs leading down to the temple, watching forlornly as the statue of Pyra and the Mole at arms was left alone with the wretched apes. The Commander looked over his shoulder as Terrador was dragged away, a cruel smile lighting up his baboon face as he glanced over to the statue as well, his axe gripped readily. He strolled over towards it as his gaze rose towards the head of the edifice of Pyra, Terrador letting out a hateful roar as he foresaw what was to come, "Have you no respect for the dead?!"
The Commander chuckled as he pulled himself up onto the statue, hanging off one of the mole figures as he braced the axe in his hand, glancing over to the Earth Guardian again to be sure he was seeing it all happen. He clambered on to a more secure footing on the statue, eyeing the golden head of Pyra hungrily as he twirled his axe excitedly. Terrador watched and felt his heart stop with the swing of the axe, the moment happening in his mind like a prolonged nightmare as he saw the blade cleave through the statue like a scythe through wheat, the head of Pyra unceremoniously falling forward as it clanged off the dragon egg the statue was guarding and rolled off onto the grass before the memorial plague. The Ape Commander laughed as Terrador could only watch and wish him a thousand deaths for his insolence as the eyes of the decapitated statue seemed to stare at the Guardian, asking why they had failed to protect them a second time.
Terrador barely noticed the change from grass to stone under him as was dragged to the stairs to the lower garden, scraping his scales as he looked up at the sky, begging for friendly forces to appear and punish them for their insolence. The party of apes dropped their grip on the net, the two Lieutenants and their subordinates moving to the back of Terrador as he lay and glared at them, realizing they were going to save themselves the trouble of dragging him down the steps.
"Ya know," the Ape Lieutenant to the left remarked, "We ain't even supposed to be here. We're supposed to take this fat lump straight back to the Mountain."
"What's the matter?" the other Lieutenant jeered, "You don't want some extra bounty? Gaul will get his dragonskin boots soon enough."
"Is that what he wants with 'em?" asked the first one. The second one merely shrugged his shoulders before he and the other apes put their hands to Terrador side, the Guardian snapping at them behind the net as they pushed against him, the great dragon closing his eyes as he felt the edge of the firsts step under him before he was sent tumbling down the steps into the lower garden. Terrador gritted his teeth and forced himself to not cry out or make any sounds of pain as the Apes all laughed as he was sent crashing down. He rocked painfully in his bonds as the net collapsed on him, the apes quickly moving down to secure him as Terrador could only glare at them. The Apes soon surrounded him and began dragging the net once more as the Earth Guardian observed several more coming down the stairs including the heinous Commander, the others carrying barrels of black powder to breach their way into the temple.
"Hurry up and blast us a way in there!" the Commander ordered impatiently, "Lets loot this place then get this lump back to the Mountain of Malefor!"
Meanwhile, in the underground…
Flame's exuberant and seemingly fearless stampede through the tunnel had carved a path through the thick curtains of cobwebs and eventually led the three young dragons to the exit described to them by Mason. They hadn't been sure how long it had taken them to reach it, but by the time they had, Flame looked like he had gained a thick coat of dirty grey fur that covered most of his red scales when Cynder and Ember laid their eyes on the two dragonhead statues they had expected to find. "Yuck! This stuff stinks! Get it off!" Flame complained as he tried scratching, shaking, biting and even burning off the layers of cobwebs that he was covered in. The sight of him made Cynder smirk for a moment as she strode on past him and looked at the seemingly dead end the two statues were built next to. Like when the entrance had closed on them, the wall ahead of them had no visible clues to it being a door, only this time it was not made of shaped bricks but looked most natural. The coarse grey rock reminded her of the caves they had explored in Avalar, when they had met the unpleasant Hermit Cheetah who had taunted and insulted them. Cynder felt a chill under her scales just thinking about him, so she quickly turned her mind back to the statues on either side of the tunnel. The statues looked identical to those in the bathhouse, the only difference being that they were gold and not bronze, sitting a few meters forward of the door with groves carved into the floor. Cynder traced her eyes over them and saw the semicircle shaped busts that formed a lip that rose a few inches off the floor, in the center of which was a circular orb the statues were meant to be pushed onto, just as Mason had told them. Looking back up, she saw Ember looking curiously into the mouth of the left side statue while Flame was still preoccupied trying to rid himself of the cobwebs.
"Hey, Blizzard breath, want to help me move these?" the black dragoness asked sardonically as Ember gave her a squinting scowl. Without waiting for an answer, Cynder quickly moved up next to her as they both stood in front of the first statue, the pink dragoness still fuming over her remark but burying it down enough for her to follow the lead of the black dragoness as she lowered her head to push the statue. As Flame rolled on his back, pawing and biting at the cobwebs all over him like a cat licking its fur, Cynder and Ember moved together and pushed their heads and horns against the heavy statue, pushing it through the grooves on the floor towards the outline of the bust. The statue moved at a snail's pace, grinding loudly against the stone floor that echoed down the tunnel they had come, Cynder and Ember scraping their claws on the floor as the statue finally moved into place. The statue made a heavy clunk sound as its golden skin suddenly shone a brighter shade, the eyes and mouth filling with a mystical white light as the two dragonesses stepped back.
"I suppose that means it worked then," Ember remarked bluntly as a wind like ambience accompanied the statue coming to 'life'.
Cynder nodded, "One more," she remarked as she and Ember turned to the second.
"I'll get it!" Flame proclaimed from the side as he suddenly rushed past the black dragoness and readily moved up in her place beside Ember. They were both surprised by his sudden reappearance, patches of cobwebs still clinging to his body, now looking more like a cat that had licked most of its fur off. Cynder stepped to the side as Flame and Ember approached the next statue, the red dragon flashing a wide smile as he paired up to her, the pink dragoness awkwardly returning her own smile to him as they both bowed their heads to push. To the observing Cynder, it was yet another attempt by her shy friend to charm the heart of the dragoness he so badly crushed on, and as before Ember was completely oblivious to his intentions when it seemed so obvious to everyone else. She gave a sad but slight shake of her head as Flame and Ember pushed together to get the second statue head in place.
"Remember, Mason said it won't stay open long when it does, so let's not waste any time," the black dragoness reminded them as finally the second statue locked into place, another clank sound echoed through the tunnel as Flame and Ember stepped back from the statue. It glowed with the same mystical light as the first, the wind like ambience drowned out as a new heavy rumble reverberated down the passage. Standing close together, the three young dragons watched as the rockface before them began to shift, the perfect imitation of a natural formation revealing its secrets before them. A well-hidden spilt in its center appeared as the two halves of the hidden door opened slowly but surely as dust and debris fell from the tunnel ceiling. Through the opening they saw the inside of a cave with a shimmer of outside light reflecting somewhere further on out of view, the smell of sea air breezing into the tunnel. Not waiting for it to fully open, Cynder moved forward and encouraged her companions onward, "Come on!"
Ember dashed ahead of Flame, the latter bringing up the rear as they all passed through the shuddering doors of the cave, coming to a halt just outside. There was barely a ledge to stand on past the opening as a short drop led down to a rocky, sand covered floor inside the cave. The ceiling curved downward where down to the right the three of them could see an opening a short distance ahead with the sound of crashing waves coming from outside. With only a quick glance behind, Cynder spread her wings and leapt from the ledge, followed by Flame and Ember as they glided down onto the sandy floor.
"Are we sure this is safe?" Flame asked cautiously as Cynder carefully stepped forward towards the opening. No one gave him an answer as the three of them moved slowly forward, stepping across to where the cave opened up to the outside. A crackling rumble behind caused them to look back as the doorway they had come from began to close back up, the two halves sliding back to create the convincing rock wall that hid the secret exit to Warfang. From where they stood there was no reason for anyone to look up and think the coarse rock wall in the upper corner of the cave was anything but a rock wall, a tremendous achievement in engineering and camouflage. Looking ahead, Cynder, Flame and Ember moved quickly but cautiously through the opening, seeing a stretch of beach and a tall cliff face on the outside. They instinctively looked up as they moved out into the open, wary of any overhead Dreadwings or other possible dangers as faint explosions rumbled in the distance.
To their left was the sea, the waves brushing calmly over the beach as the trio walked closely together. They all recognized where they were; they were along the shoreline somewhere to the southeast of the city, though they suspected further than they had ventured together any previous time they had visited Warfang's beaches. To their right were the towering sheer cliffs with faces of waving, razor sharp rock that speared intermittently along the shoreline, every so often giving way to rolling green hills and sand dunes that gave easy access to the sea. The sea air blowing over the cliffs was frigid as the cliffs shaded the beach from the afternoon sun, the trio of young dragons staying close to the walls as they wandered somewhat aimlessly across the beach. Cynder looked up at the peak of the cliff face, somewhere on the other side of which was Warfang as it was being besieged by the Apes, stopping in her tracks as her companions stopped behind her.
After a few moments, Ember asked, "What's is it?"
"Just wait here a second," she replied, readying her wings as she hunched down and then sprang into the air.
"Be careful!" Ember called out as Cynder flew up the side of the cliff, slowing her ascent as she reached the top of the cliff, hovering in place as she peeked out over the edge across the grassy hills along Warfang's southern coastline. Straight ahead she saw great viaduct that stretched a few miles outside the city's eastern approach, the massive stone bridge built across a wide gulley between two great hills before eventually transforming into a cobblestone road that connected to the outlying villages and towns on the mainland. Looking along it back towards the city, Cynder saw the distant skyline of Warfang, her heart pierced by a frozen spike as she saw the great plumes of smoke and raging fires across its entire breadth, the air thick with Dreadwings as they circled above like vultures around a dying animal. Her breath was taken away as she saw and heard the frightful whistle of more barrel bombs falling into the city as fresh flames and bursts of smoke rose into the air. The sight of it was enough, a lump forming in her throat as she spun around and dropped into a glide back towards the beach. To her surprise, Flame and Ember were not where she had left them, but were instead further along the beach up by the shoreline, alarming her as that made them more visible should any Dreadwings come by. Cynder swept along the beach towards them, pulling her wings back and landing behind Ember as Flame rushed into the surf, splashing water on himself.
"What are you doing?" Cynder rasped as she landed on all fours on the sand, "You're too exposed out here!"
"Flame said he couldn't stand it," Ember replied irritably, beckoning to the red dragon as he took an impromptu bath, "I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen."
Cynder groaned as she looked across as Flame as he scrubbed saltwater all over himself to clear off the remaining cobwebs, shaking as the surf and icy wind blew over him.
"Oh, man, it's was never this cold whenever we went down the beach before!" he complained bitterly, Cynder rolling her eyes before she cautiously took a glance around the sky.
"Flame, hurry up, we've got to get going," she told him seriously as another distant boom made her look in the direction of Warfang.
Ember leaned over closer, speaking hesitantly, "So, we're going to the temple, right?"
Cynder turned and looked back at her blankly, "Sure, that's where Spyro is going to be."
Flame waddled out of the surf, shaking himself off as he approached. His teeth were showing and not from the extreme cold, but sheer nervousness. "Are you sure about that?" he asked as he wandered up, "We don't know what's happened since he left us."
"The temple is where Spyro will be, and its where Ignitus will be," Cynder answered with a nearly cold voice, "That's what they told us."
"Cynder, we don't know what's happened to Ignitus or any of the Guardians," Flame said tentatively, "They could be…"
"Don't say it!" the black dragoness scowled, the intensity in her voice coming as a shock to her as well as her friends. She swallowed hard as he gave herself a moment to calm before she said, "Spyro said that's where he was heading, and we need to get there either before or after him. Either way, that's where we'll find him."
"I hope you're right," Ember replied uneasily.
"Spyro has never let us down," Cynder declared, looking across the sea that stretched out before them, somewhere across it being where the temple lay, "He never does…"
Flame and Ember could not help but notice the borderline adorning tone that she had used to speak of the purple dragon, something far deeper in its feeling than the girly, bubbleheaded voice that Ember often used when speaking admirably of him, much to everyone's chagrin. The black dragoness seemed to have become lost in thought as her companions looked at each other queryingly before Flame spoke up.
"So, we're going to the temple now, right?" he asked, leaning over into Cynder's view as she shook her head and seemed to come back from wherever her mind had gone.
"Right, err…" she stammered, "We'll stay low just above the waves until we are out of sight of the shore. Then we'll climb into the clouds and head the rest of the way."
"It's a long way to fly on our own," Ember said despairingly, "Even without things trying to kill us."
"Once we are up high, we can glide for a while and rest our wings," Cynder replied as she stretched her wings out behind her and took once last cautionary look around. Satisfied, she looked to her friends as they too prepared their wings.
"We ready for this?" she asked them seriously. Flame gulped nervously and nodded heavily while Ember hardened her expression and gave only the slightest dip of her head.
"Then let's get out of here," the black dragoness declared, the sand sweeping out from under her as she jumped into the air with a thrust of her wings, hovering a few feet off the ground as Flame and Ember both leapt up and hovered level with her. Cynder allowed a short smile to appear as she jeered, "Try to keep up with me, huh?"
"Let's just go already!" Flame demanded frantically.
"Ladies first," Ember sneered teasingly, borrowing the phrase used by Cynder in the past. Without waiting, the black dragoness launched forward, shooting past Flame and Ember as she set out across the crashing waves, her companions swiftly moving to catch up. The three young dragons moved swiftly through the air above the sea, forming a triangle formation as they settled into the same brisk pace. Their claws barely passed above the surface of the sea as the shore grew smaller and smaller behind them. They each peered continually over their shoulders to be sure they had not attracted any attention, the smoking skyline of Warfang becoming more revealed as they headed out to sea.
The distant sounds of war raging became more faded as the wind swept across the sea, the trio of young dragons flying against the wind as they stayed low over the water, feeling terribly exposed the whole time. A low flying seabird pulled away sharply as it nearly collided with Cynder, who turned her head to follow it even as they soared onward. As the bird pulled up sharply over Flame's head, she looked down the shoreline that was becoming just a distant haze behind them. She saw where the river met the sea outside Warfang, her eyes catching onto a sight on the city's western approach. From such a great distance, she saw a raging storm of fire that burned in the forests across from the viaduct near the coast. She felt some peculiar sense about it, almost a compulsion that she should have been heading towards it, not away from it. She felt confused about these urges and pushed them as far from her mind as possible as she looked ahead at the sea before her, leading her friends to where she hoped they would find the temple and reunite with their beloved Spyro. Everything would be alright then. She had no idea that at that moment, Spyro was not waiting for them at the temple nor the noble Ignitus. She could not have known that behind those flames was where the purple dragon truly was and how the events of that day may have changed had she gone with the strange feeling and headed towards them.
End of Chapter 1
Next Chapter: Wind, Fire, Ice, Blood.
Note from the author:
If you are reading this, I thank you for taking the time to read my work. I am sorry that it has taken me this long to post again, but I've had problems and doubts that have slowed me down. I had hoped to be much further along than I currently am with this story. At the time of writing this message, I do have close to a dozen chapters done or nearly done, but I still do not feel I am ready to begin the once a month postings that I tried (and did not always manage to keep to) to have with Book I.
It was always my intention to post the first three chapters on the same day since they essentially form a prologue, but that was supposed to be when I was ready to fully commit to consistent monthly postings. But I have changed my mind and decided to post these three chapters now to show that I am still committed to this project and to give a little something for the long wait it has been. So I'm sorry to say that it will still be a while before I begin posting the rest on a regular basis. Just a reminder that I also post on Deviantart and do post more frequent status updates if you wish to keep track of how things are progressing.
Thanks you again and I hope you will still be here when I am finally ready to get the ball rolling.