He was dreaming again. The green field he stood in looked real, but it was definitely a dream. He was wearing only the brown pants he had put on before sleep. The ground began to shake violently. Dirt exploded all around him, but he could do nothing except try and stay on his feet. As the clouds of dirt disappeared, demonic forms could be seen surrounding him. He reached for his Sword, but it wasn't there!? A demon resembling an asemodeus with a humanoid body lunged for him with sharp claws extended. He extended his hand and released a beam of golden energy. The monster cried out as it was turned to ash by the beam.
"Where did that come from?" he said to himself. He looked at the other demons, but they had disappeared.
His vision blurred and he found himself standing on a plain covered in bones and dried blood. He lifted his head and saw a massive fortress carved from a mountain ahead. The castle itself resembled the mountain it was created from with its high rising black spires which seemed like multiple peaks. A blood red sky surrounded this mountain fortress hiding the rest of its features in shadow... Then he heard a voice from the castle's direction calling his name. Suddenly, she was there in front of him! Her blue blond hair was falling over her shoulders and she wore a simple silk dress of sky blue.
"Leeta!" cried Cole as he reached out for her.
She mouthed his name, but there was no sound. She was only a few feet away. Cole made a mad leap for his love, but something stopped him in mid air. Cole floated in the air as he watched a huge clawed hand envelope Leeta and take her from him again. The Dragonmaster screamed with rage. Golden beams of energy shot from his eyes and outstretched hands. The world around him exploded as he released more and more of the golden energy.
Cole awoke drenched in a cold sweat. "Leeta," he said breathlessly.
Vaul uncurled from where he had been sleeping and looked up at the Dragonmaster. "Another nightmare?" Cole nodded silently. The young Gold Dragon muttered something else and curled back up into a ball.
Cole said nothing and rose from his blankets. He pulled a simple white tunic on and walked over to where the horses were tied. The crickets chirped all around him but went silent when he came too near. The Blue Star shed a cold light through the few trees around the camp sight. The Dragonmaster patted his chestnut brown stallion as he continued to the pack horse. He lifted a brown canvas bag from a pile near the horse and undid the straps. He peered inside and stared down at the Dragon equipment.
The Dragon Armor, Helmet, Shield, and Wings lay in a jumble within the bag. Cole grunted and closed the bag again. Several days after his departure from Vane, Cole had realized that he could no longer call up the Dragon magic, and, therefore, the Dragon equipment did not respond to him. Unable to use them, the Dragonmaster had removed the four pieces of armor and placed them in a bag. "No," he said silently. "If I cannot use the Dragon equipment, I can't keep the title of Dragonmaster." The green eyed warrior sighed and placed the bag near a tree.
Leaning against that tree was the Goddess Sword as well. The ancient weapon would not respond to him either. Wrapped in a cloth blanket, the Sword remained where it was as Cole stood there. The holy artifact still held its awesome power, but it seemed to reject Cole as its wielder. Without the use of the Goddess' Sword, Cole had spent his last silver and bought a simple steel sword.
"You have lost what is necessary to being a Dragonmaster," said a male voice from the shadows.
The words to the Plasma Ray spell were first in Cole's mind. He turned calmly and looked around the small gathering of trees. The voice sounded familiar. The green eyed warrior tensed as a figure emerged from the shadows. Roughly his own height, the man was garbed in all black leather. He seemed to carry no weapons beneath his trench coat, but Cole could not be sure. His face was painted all white with black streaks running from his eyes in all directions. His lips were black as well. A pair of sharp brown eyes peered him from within long dark hair.
"I know you," said Cole. "You were the one who warned me about the Demon Dragons back in Meribia."
The dark man nodded and leaned against a tree. "My name is Damion, and I have been sent here to teach you what you have forgotten." There was a sudden flap of wings and a crow landed on Damion's left shoulder.
Cole grimaced. Great more help. "Who sent you? Carla? Mirage?" Cole turned and started back to his blankets.
"Althena has told me to watch you." Cole stopped dead in his tracks. "I see I finally have your attention."
The warrior spun around and looked Damion in the eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?" he said in a low voice.
Damion's face remained emotionless as he raised his right arm and rolled up the sleeve of his coat. On the underside of his arm was a tattoo of the Goddess Seal. "You see, I am a servant of the Goddess."
Satisfied, Cole turned and started to walk away again. "So teach me and be gone. I have more important things to do," spat Cole with no effort to hide the venom in his voice.
"You will not succeed in your quest unless you regain what you have lost," said Damion in a cool voice. The black clad man followed silently behind the Dragonmaster. "You have lost several things which are necessary in being a Dragonmaster. Aside from great strength in both the physical sense and magical, you still need five elements to be a Dragonmaster."
Cole slightly turned his head and looked at Damion from the corner of his eye. "I've lost something?" He gave a low laugh. "I haven't lost a thing. The Dragon equipment is right over there." He gestured over his shoulder.
"That is not what I mean," said Damion. "You have lost something inside of you."
Cole stopped and turned to face the man. As he stared into Damion's eyes, he had the sense of looking in pools of blackness with no bottom. He looked closer, with his mind's eye, and found something missing from within Damion. It was as if the man had no soul! "What are you?" asked Cole in a whispered voice.
"I am Vengeance," answered the other.
The crow on his shoulder gave a low cry. Cole shifted his gaze to the bird and gasped. The animal was linked to Damion! Cole could barely see the small line of energy between the two of them. Damion noticed Cole's shifting gaze and spoke. "So you have figured it out. Yes, the crow is my link to this world. I am dead."
Cole took a step back. "I've heard stories of such things, but I never really believed in them." He shook his head. "If you died, why have you come back?"
No emotion could be seen on Damion's white face. "Like I said, to teach you and find Vengeance." The man's eyes became even colder, if it were possible, and Cole decided not to press the point.
When it became apparent that Cole was not going to speak, Damion continued. "As I said, you have lost five elements that are necessary for you to be a Dragonmaster." Five black daggers suddenly appeared in his right hand. He released them and they floated before Cole. "You must find the Hope that lies within." One dagger became red. "Rekindle the Faith that keeps you going." Another dagger became white. "Open the Heart that lets others inside." A third took on a glossy black sheen. "Learn the Wisdom that tells you the truth." The fourth dagger shifted to a deep blue. "After relearning the others, you will find the Love that is lost." The final dagger took on a rosy hue.
Cole reached out to take the daggers, but they disappeared. "It is not that easy," said Damion with what almost looked like a smile.
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" asked the green eyed warrior.
"Search to understand each of these elements once again." Cole made a face at the other man's vague answer. Damion motioned for them to continue walking. "Come, let us be on our way. There is much you have to learn and very little time with which to do it."
Cole and Damion walked back to the camp site.Vaul was still curled into a ball and fast asleep. Cole went down to his knees and nudged the little Dragon. The young Gold opened his eyes and blearily looked up. "What is it, Cole?"
"We're breaking camp, buddy," said Cole. "We have to keep moving."
With only a few muttered complaints about needing more sleep, Vaul raised himself up and trotted off to the bushes saying that "nature was calling." Cole laughed to himself as he started to pack up his few belongings. Half an hour later, he was sitting atop his horse with Vaul on his shoulder. He looked down at Damion standing beside him. "So where to?"
Damion shook his head. "I do not know, Cole," he replied. "The way is wherever you choose to lead us." The crow made a small cry.
"Great," mumbled Vaul. "More wandering aimlessly." Everything had been explained to him, but the young Gold was not too enthusiastic about the current turn of events. "So when is the real adventure going to start?" he had asked.
Cole smiled grimly to the question. "Trust me, Vaul. When the action starts, you'll wish it were over five seconds later."
Without anymore conversation, the odd group of companions headed southeast towards the edge of the Stamarian border. Days passed without event. Cole found himself starting to like the mysterious character that was Damion. The man in black refused to ride on horseback saying that he could move faster than a horse if need be. Cole doubted that the man was lying. The two talked about various things as they traveled. Cole told of the events leading up to his becoming a Dragonmaster. He spoke of Ziatoch and the Time Runes, his companions , and their adventures through time. He conveniently omitted certain events concerning Leeta. Damion followed along silently, only stopping the story several times to ask questions.
Cole ended up telling his whole life story, but the man in black still did not reveal anything of his own past. Vaul remained perched atop Cole's shoulder and listened to the stories with awed filled silence. He had heard these stories before, but they still left the little Dragon speechless each time. On the fourth day after meeting Damion, the companions came upon a small town called Pria. Remembering the military maps from his days as a Stamarian soldier, Cole knew that they were on the fringes on the kingdom. "Pria," he told Damion, "is a small town of no real importance other than just being there to extend the borders of Stamaria. It doesn't even have a garrison."
Damion looked at the already darkening horizon. "I don't really require sleep, but it looks as if you are getting tired. I think it would be wise if we stopped there for the evening. Besides, we can purchase more supplies for camping in the open." Cole nodded in agreement, and they headed for Pria.
Cole was shocked when they arrived at the town. Thirty foot walls surrounded the small town. A town of roughly only half a mile in circumference, Cole knew that the appearance of walls this high was unusual. "These shouldn't be here," he said.
"Why not?" asked Vaul.
"I told you that Pria is a town of no real importance," replied the green eyed warrior. "There have been no attacks here by the Vile Tribe in over ten years. The town is made up of only a few merchant shops and farms on the outskirts of the town. Hell, Ramus doesn't even have a shop here!"
"Ramus?" asked Damion.
Cole gave him a half smile. "I'll explain later. Right now we need to find out why these walls are here."
As they rode closer to the town, Cole noticed that the wall was made entirely of wood, and it wasn't even constructed well. The wood beams making up the wall were lashed together loosely. The wood itself wasn't of good quality, and there were gaps between sections that any attacker could get through. Cole and his two companions were called to halt by a man with a crossbow who stood at the top of the wall. "What is your business here at Pria!?" he called down in an unfriendly voice.
The man himself was wearing a leather jerkin with a few steel plates fastened to it. A dented helmet rested on his furrowed brow, and the crossbow looked like it wouldn't even shoot three feet. "We are just a small band of travelers looking to replenish our supplies!" replied Cole. "We seek only to do that and possibly spend the night in beds instead of on the hard ground!"
The man looked back over his shoulder and began to talk to an unseen individual. Moments later the wooden gate to the city creaked open, and the three companions were admitted to Pria. The town itself looked as good as the gate surrounding it. Brown and gray stone houses had all been scorched black by fire, and there were some that were even piles of rubble. Most of the citizens were walking around with bandages on various parts of their bodies. Mothers held their children close and watched the new arrivals warily. Cole noticed that the street had once been paved in stones, but now it was nothing but hard packed dirt with stone blocks jutting up into the air.
The townspeople surrounding the three companions were all wearing homemade pieces of armor. Men wore flattened pieces of steel as breastplates and reforged buckets and pots as helmets. Their weapons were pitchforks, hoes, and a hand full of rusted swords and spears. "What is going on here?" asked Cole as he dismounted.
A grizzled old mad with no hair and a white mustache came forward. He held a rusted long sword in one hand, and word a shirt of chain mail with many holes. "War, my good man. We here in Pria are fighting a war." He extended a hand and, Cole took it. "I am Tomis, the Mayor of Pria."
"My name is Cole, and this is Damion," He gestured to the man in black. "War? But I thought that all the battles were being fought on the western borders of the kingdom?"
Tomis nodded. "Yes, that is true. But the ministers in the capital don't know about the enemy forces here in the south. They are too focused on the main fronts to worry about this sparsely populated area." The old Mayor started to shake his head. "By the time they do pay attention, there will most likely be an already sizable enemy force here in the south."
Cole's face went white. "They're already here," he breathed.
"He just said that, Cole," whispered Vaul. The green eyed warrior absently pushed the Gold Dragon from his shoulder. Muttering to himself about "overgrown Dragonmasters" Vaul floated to the ground.
"How long have they been here in the south?" asked Cole. His voice was all seriousness.
"Men in black armor with horrible monsters at their sides started appearing less than three weeks ago," replied the Mayor. "First they destroyed all the farms in the near by lands around the town. Then just a week ago they attacked Pria itself. They did all the damage that you see here, but left most of us alive. We built this wall after they left, and we haven't seen them since."
Cole gave the wall another look and shook his head. "Believe me , they are still out there, and this wall would not keep a squirrel out if it really wanted to get in." The townspeople looked a little disheartened at Cole's truth filled words. "They're toying with you," he said flatly. "Whoever is commanding these troops knows you are no threat, so they are having fun playing with scare tactics.."
"Then what are we going to do?" asked someone from the crowd.
Cole looked at all of them with an emotionless face. "You are going to outsmart them." He received a mass of worried looks. "I've had a little experience in this field, so my friend and I will stay to help you." Vaul was about to speak up about being left out, but a look from Cole kept the Gold quiet.
Tomis noticed the sword at Cole's side for the first time and smiled. "Thank you, friend Cole. Come, let's get you a little food and rest before you tell us your plans."
Cole shook his head and started to remove his sword and cloak. "We don't have time for that. The Hades forces may attack at any moment. We have to start preparing for them now."
"Hades?" said Tomis with a puzzled look.
"Our enemy is called the Hades Army," said Cole in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone gathered there. "We are going to ready this town to become a battle zone. I'll tell you now that the Hades Army will leave no survivors if they are victorious here." Mothers and fathers tightened their holds on children. "If you want your families to survive, you are going to have to trust me, a stranger in your town, to show you how to save yourselves."
There was silence for a moment after Cole finished speaking. Then one by one the townspeople started to shout their willingness to fight. Cole smiled grimly and looked to Damion. The dead man nodded slightly. Cole returned his gaze to Tomis and spoke. "All right then. Let's get started."
Cole immediately set the people of Pria to work. He had them digging pit traps all over the town. Places were marked where those who had crossbows and bows were to attack the enemy from relative safety. Cole took those who had swords and spears and made sure they knew how to use them correctly because the Goddess knew they would have to use them before the end of it all. Those who could not fight were taken down into cellars where they would be somewhat safe if and when the fighting broke out.
Tomis came up to Cole while the green eyed warrior was giving lessons on how to use a sword. "Why are we preparing for a fight in the town itself?" asked the old man. "Why not set up traps outside."
Cole signaled for a break and turned to Tomis. "In all fairness, Tomis, the wall you built isn't very good. No matter what there will be a battle inside the town limits. We can't be sure how many troops are out there, so we have to be able to make the battle as even as possible. A battle on the plains around the town will give them the advantage in numbers. If we can fight them inside the city, we can use the cramped spaces to our own advantage." Cole pointed to a narrow road not far from where they were talking. "A few good men could hold that space there against ten times their number."
Tomis still looked unsure. "But we are only a town of simple people. We do not really know the ways of war."
Cole placed a hand on the old Mayor's shoulder and pointed to the people working around them. "Look at your people, Tomis. They have a small hope now of defending their homes against the evil out there." Cole's own words suddenly rang inside his head. Hope. "All a person needs is a little hope, and he can find the strength to keep going."
New strength actually shone in Tomis' old brown eyes as Cole spoke to him. "Your words ring true, friend Cole." His eyes suddenly went wide. "I just remembered something that may be useful." He took Cole be the arm and started for the rear of the town. "Follow me."
Cole followed wordlessly as the old Mayor led him past people working to save their homes and lives. Tomis led him to a small storage house in the small warehouse portion of the town. The Mayor opened the doors and led Cole inside. "I just remembered this a moment ago," he said as he lit a lantern. A small yellow flame appeared and the darkness faded away into rows of barrels. "Inside these barrels is tar. We were planning to use it to reinforce our roofs when as the weather got colder, but they may be of use to you instead."
Cole smiled and patted Tomis on the back. "Tomis, you have no idea how useful this stuff will be. Quick, let's get some others and start getting out into the town square." The two men enlisted some others, and a short time later there were over two dozen barrels of tar in the town square.
One by one, Cole had the citizens of Pria open the barrels and empty the contents all over the town square. When that was finished he had them cover it all with dirt to hide it. "How is that going to help us during the fighting?" asked one young man.
Cole raised his voice so that all gathered could here him. "When the fighting breaks out avoid the town square. When I give the signal, all of you are to lead as many of the enemy as possible to this square. Make sure that none of you are in the square after that."
"Then what?" asked someone else.
Cole gave them all a thin smile. "Leave that to me."
"Cole!" came Damion's voice over the chattering of the townspeople.
Cole turned to the man in black as the crowd parted for him. "What is it, Damion?"
"They're out there," he said as he came up to the green eyed warrior. "They are not going to attack right away, but they are massing just a few miles away from the village. It looks like there are at least couple hundred."
Murmurs began to circulate through the people. Cole told Tomis to get everyone ready for the coming battle. The Mayor nodded and went about shouting orders. Cole turned back to Damion. "Do we have a chance?"
"A small one," said the other man in a low voice. "I think that I can help our odds a little bit." He said not another word and started away.
Cole followed the man and grabbed his arm. "You don't mean to go out there? Do you?"
Damion gave Cole one of his cold stares. "They can't kill a dead man," was all he said. He removed Cole's hand from his right arm and headed for the town gate.
Cole watched his companion go. "Good luck."
Hours passed. The light of day faded into the darkness of night. Cole stood before his pack horse while the citizens of Pria finished readying themselves for the upcoming battle. He stood there staring at the bag holding the Dragon equipment. He reached out several times to open the bag and don the armor, but each time he knew it would be useless. A guard at the gate gave a cry as Damion appeared out of the shadows. Cole calmed the frantic guard and waited for the man in black to speak.
"We have something of a better chance," he said simply.
"How much better?" asked Cole.
"At least a third of their number has either been killed or has fled from this area." A grim look of satisfaction crossed Damion's face. Cole gave him a questioning look. "They couldn't see me to kill me, so some of who survuved decided to flee rather than die to an unseen foe." He actually smiled. "There are certain supernatural abilities that do come in handy at times."
Cole nodded. "A third? That does make our odds a little better."
There was a sharp cry, and Damion's crow descended to perch on the man's shoulder. Damion stared at the bird for a moment. "They are here," he said finally.
Cole drew his sword and started shouting for the townspeople to get ready. Damion disappeared, but Cole figured that the dark man would do more in his own way than if Cole ordered him someplace. Cole made a quick prayer that Vaul would stay with those who had been told to hide in basements around the city. All the young warrior needed was to have to baby sit the Dragon Kid in the middle of a battle. A terrified hush fell over the town as the cries of of the enemy could be heard. Human shouts could be heard, but Cole paid extra attention to the roars of the monsters out in the darkness. He was able to pick out a few beasts from the Vile Tribe, but there were many more inhuman roars that he could not place.
He felt a sudden surge of magic, and the town gate was blown inward. A cold wind followed the horde of monsters and humans as they charged into Pria. Cold emotion filled Cole as he met the first wave of creatures. Phase Shifting past a pack of snarling manticores, Cole made a fewa quick slashes that left their human heads rolling on the ground. Cole reappeared directly in front of a dark armored knight. The knight's heavy bladed axe sliced through the air where Cole had just been. The young hero had already dodged to his left and thrust his sword through an open space between the knight's armor. Cole kicked the other from his blade and turned to face his next challenge.
All around him, the people of Pria were fighting valiantly. A group of three men had just succeeded in taking down an ogre with a bunch of rusty swords and pitch forks. Concealed archers were pummeling wandering foes with wave of arrows after wave of arrows. Now and again, Cole saw Damion appear and release several black daggers at random foes. Each enemy fell instantly to one of those blades. At one point, a pack of orcs riding giant wolves came plowing through the ranks of the Prians. Seeing his troops about to fall, Cole acted. Pulling his sword free from the corpse of a diablos, the green eyed warrior began to speak in the spidery words of magic. He finished the incantation and cried out the activation words, "Plasma Shock!" The wolf riders were suddenly consumed in a blaze of white energy. They were able to release one cry before being turned to ash.
From then on, Cole used his magic freely. Packs of monsters and dark armored humans fell to blasts of Plasma Fire, Thunder Bolts, and Glow Beams. Cole set a troll a flame with the Dashing Flame spell and took a quick look at the fighting around him. The Prians were holding on, but too many were dying or being injured for them to hold on much longer. Cole knew it was time for the next part of his plan. "Deeper into the town!" he shouted above the roar of the battle.
Prians understood his command and started to retreat deeper in the town. If things went as planned, the townspeople would lead the Hades troops through Pria towards the town square and the hidden tar. On the way to the square, the enemy would hopefully fall victim to the various traps all over the city. Beings of evil cried out as the fell into pits fill with sharp stakes or were stabbed by well placed spears. With about twenty dark knights following him, Cole finally reached the center of the town. Prians quickly darted into prearranged hiding places as their pursuers continued on into the square. The street he was running down ended, and Cole jumped to the side just as the dark knights following him caught up. Unable to stop their momentum, all the enemy units who had been chasing the Prians ran straight into the center of the square. Cole quickly cast the Fire Storm spell, and a down pour of fire fell upon the square. The tar went up in flames immediately, and so did those standing in it.
Most of the remaining Hades troops screamed as the flames engulfed them. Cheers erupted from the surviving Prians. Cole jumped slightly as Damion suddenly appeared at his side. "Those of the enemy who have survived are fleeing into the night. I suspect that they will be returning to whoever is commanding the invasion force in this region."
Cole grimaced openly. "That means these people only have a week at best before another attack comes. They are going to have to leave the city." Damion nodded in agreement. "Find Tomis, if he is still alive, and tell him that I want to see him." Damion nodded and left without asking any questions.
An few hours later, the fire had died down. People began to pull the corpses of both enemies and friends away from the center of the city and out beyond what was left of the wall surrounding Pria. Damion finally found Tomis and brought the old Mayor to where Cole was watching the last of the flames die. The old man had a bandage wrapped around his head and his arm in a sling. A rusted sword still hung at his side, and his leather jerkin showed that it had protected Tomis from more that one blow. "Friend Cole!" cried the Mayor. "How can we ever repay you? It is most certain that Pria would have been destroyed if not for your aid."
Cole smiled and patted the man on the back. "I ask for nothing from you, Tomis. I only ask you to do something so that your people will continue to survive." He paused for a second to take a deep breath. "You and the other survivors must leave Pria and journey to Vincantus." Tomis' jaw dropped slightly at what Cole said. "I know that this will be hard for..."
"No, you are right, friend Cole," interrupted Tomis. "Those we fought tonight were only a little bit of what lies farther out to the southeast." The light of Hope suddenly filled the old man's eyes. "You have showed us that these monsters can be beaten. We Prians will travel and spread the word of our victory here. We will let all of Stamaria know that this Hades Army is not invincible." He clapped Cole roughly on the shoulder and turned to announce the new turn of events to the rest of the Prians.
Cole made a forced laugh at the Mayor's reaction. "Why do you laugh?" asked Damion.
"I'm not sure I understand what just happened," replied Cole.
Damion raised an eyebrow. "Don't you now? You gave them a new hope in this insane war. You have given them a light at the end of the road for them to follow." A black dagger appeared in his right hand and he started to twirl it in fingers. "Have you found the hope you seek, my friend?"
Cole's laugh was filled with anything but mirth. "Hope? All I see is another result of a war I could have stopped." He raised his left hand and pointed to the mounds of bodies being pulled through the city. "Look at how many more innocent people have died? These people praise me now, but what do you think they would say if they knew the truth?"
Cole was about to continue his morbid speech, when a series of cries rose up in the distance. Cole and Damion bolted down the streets in the direction of the screams. They followed the shouts all the way outside of the crumbling wall surrounding Pria. Cole raised his sword and daggers appeared in Damion's hands. Prians were running in terror as several dozen ghostly figures began to hover over the piles of corpses. "Soul stealers," muttered Damion as he and Cole came nearer.
The soul stealers were doing just that. One by one they hovered over the dead bodies collecting the remains their life essences. Dead Prians and Hades troops alike fell to the power of the soul stealers. A nearby apparition appeared over the body of the young Prian who had questioned Cole earlier that day. A shrill cry filled the air as the remains boy's soul drifted up from the corpse and into a crystal ball the soul stealer was holding. The ghost turned to look for another body, and Cole's next breath caught in his throat. "Leeta!" he cried in a hoarse whisper.
A sleeveless, white dress covered her pale skin. Her head turned at the sound of her name. Her bright, blue eyes locked with Cole's. The crystal ball fell from her hands and shattered on impact with the ground. The souls that were inside cried out in joy as they escaped. She mouthed his name in a voiceless cry and reached out for her green-eyed beloved. "Leeta!" shouted Cole.
Their hands were inches apart when she suddenly cried out with a voiceless scream. She shimmered and fell away from Cole. A massive form suddenly rose up between Cole and the focus of his quest. A giant armored figure had risen up between Cole and Leeta. Shimmering black armor seemed to ripple up and down this massive creature. A large jagged sword was strapped to its left side, and a spiked mace was hanging from his right. Spikes rose up from the shoulder plates or the armor, and a pair of leathery wings lay folded against this monster's back. It looked down at Cole with skeletal head of some reptilian creature. Red fire burned in its oval eye sockets. A spiked ridge ran down its elongated snout which was filled with rows of sharp teeth. Smoke drifted up from two thumb sized circles that were supposed to be its nostrils. "You dropped your crystal slave," he said with a rumbling voice. It hefted its spiked mace and turned towards the still form of Leeta. "You must be punished." It moved to strike.
Power surged through Cole. His sword was suddenly surrounded in a fiery red glow as he lunged forward to protect his love. The power of the Red Dragon Slice seared right through the spike mace. Half the mace landed with a thud, and the monster dropped the rest when he turned to face Cole. "Who dares attack Garinthil, Black Death, and servant of the Dark Lord!?"
Cole's blade continued to glow a dangerous red as he took a step towards Garinthil. The demon's gaze shifted briefly to the glowing weapon, and he took a step back . "You touch her, you bastard, and you'll be sorry," snarled Cole.
A low laugh began to build in Garinthil's throat that wasn't there. "I recognize you. You are the one the Dark Lord sees in her dreams." He released the laugh and took another step back. "You have great power, boy. I look forward to the day when I will break your soul and make you beg me for mercy." He waved his hand, and the ghostly forms of the soul stealers disappeared. "Another time." He vanished in a swirl of magic. When Cole looked to where Leeta had been, she was also gone.
Cole released the power of the Red Dragon, and the glow faded from his sword. Damion walked slowly from where he had been watching and handed Cole a red dagger. "For the Hope that you have found within." Cole took the dagger and smiled with genuine happiness. "Where will our journey take us next?" asked Damion.
Cole sheathed his sword and tucked the dagger into his belt. He put his arm around the other man and led him back towards the town. "Now we have a general idea of what we are looking for. We must have the necessary knowledge to continue the search. There is only one place I can think of where we can get this kind of information. Damon's Spire."