Cole stopped his horse suddenly and gazed blankly at the forest up ahead. The forest, however, was not the reason for his blank expression. Something was pulling at his very soul. His vision blurred, and a ringing resonated in his ears. He grabbed his head with both hands and started to shake violently. Suddenly, there was a rush of power through his mind. Cole cried out and fell from his saddle. Damion was there to catch the falling warrior before he hit the ground.
The dead man placed Cole gently on the ground and looked him in the eyes. "Are you okay, Cole?"
The former Dragonmaster's vision cleared, and he found himself staring into Damion's dark eyes. The dead man's pupils didn't dilate, but they just stared deep into his mind. "You obviously felt it too."
"W... w... what was that?" stammered Cole.
Damion looked at the hovering Vaul before answering. "Did you feel it?" Vaul nodded. Damion looked back at Cole and gave him a half smile. "I think it was the Goddess."
"Why the hell would she do that to me?" snapped Cole.
The dead man rose and moved away from the still shaken Cole. "I do not think that she meant to hurt you, Cole. The fact that we all felt that surge of power means that it was Althena. Remember that each one of us shares a connection with her. Vaul is one of her Dragons, I am also her servant, and you are her Dragonmaster."
"Wrong," growled Cole as he got back to his feet. "I was her Dragonmaster. I don't have a connection anymore, so why the hell did that hit me so hard?"
Damion shrugged. "Perhaps you are yet connected to her in another way."
Cole's next comment never had a chance to leave his mouth. All heads snapped up as the sky above the upcoming forest burst into flame. "Wow!" cried Vaul. "That was really great! What do you think it was, Cole?"
"Trouble," breathed Cole as he jumped back onto his horse. "And the only thing that is causing trouble lately is the Hades Army." He jabbed his heels into the mount and tore off towards the forest. As Cole neared the small forest another column of fire spewed forth from the woods. Emotionless with sword now in hand, the former Dragonmaster charged into the woods without hesitation.
Cole immediately heard the sounds of battle ahead. The dying cries of monsters filled the air after another column of fire erupted from whoever was being attacked. The once green trees were now ash black from the fire. Trees had been turned to stumps in a matter of moments. The fires had made clear paths through out the entire wooded area. Seconds passed until Cole finally came upon the first monster from the Hades Army. The cyclops demon's single eye only had time to widen before Cole's sword found a home in the monster's chest. The emotionless warrior pulled the blade free and looked for his next target. Another cyclops demon crashed through the brittle brush and drove the horn on its head into the side of Cole's mount. The horse screamed in terror and pain and collapsed to the ground.
Cole rolled away as the dying animal hit the ground. He quickly got to his feet and charged the demon. The monster roared and slashed with its claws. Cole dropped into a slide, and both his boots connected with the demon's right knee. There was a cracking noise, and the beast fell forward right onto Cole's sword. Momentarily pinned under the demon's corpse, Cole could do nothing to stop a hellhound from lunging at his throat. Fortunately, the hellhound's advance was stopped by a black dagger to its own throat. Cole pushed the corpse away and noticed Damion darting between trees towards the source of the columns of fire. Seeing no other enemies nearby, Cole followed the dead man deeper into the woods.
The inner part of the small forest was more ash than wood. Smoldering, demon corpses littered the area in large groups. They had obviously been caught off guard by their target. Cole turned his head to the source of a human battle cry that split the air. Cole's eyes went wide as he saw his old friend Fox, in his full armor, fending off a rather large rock golem. The Red Dragon Knight released an arrow of fire from the Dragon Bow, but the flame arrow disintegrated as it hit the golem's chest. The mindless beast roared and swung its massive hands at the Knight. Not wasting anymore time, Cole gripped his sword with both hands and ran to help his friend.
The green eyed warrior's blade was surrounded in a red glow as he closed in on the golem. While backing away, Fox tripped over half a cyclops demon and fell onto his back. The rock golem groaned and drove its fists at the fallen Knight.
"Red Dragon Slice!" shouted Cole as he ran behind the stone monster. The glowing blade easily sliced through the monster's torso. It released one last roar as its upper body fell away from the lower half. Cole took a few steps and extended a hand to his friend.
Still somewhat in shock, Fox grasped Cole's hand and got to his feet. "Cole? Is that really you?"
Cole smiled for the first time. "It's me, buddy." He scratched his unshaven face. "A little ragged, but me."
Fox laughed and embraced Cole. The two of them patted each other on the back. There was a slight breeze, and Cole turned to see Damion standing several feet away. "I think we got all of them," he said simply.
"Good," replied Cole. "Fox, let me introduce Damion," he said with a gesture to the dead man. "He is uh... "
"A servant of the Goddess who is aiding Cole in his quest," finished Damion. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo of the Goddess Crest on his arm. Fox gave him a nod of greeting. Damion rolled his sleeve down and turned back to Cole. "I'll take a look around the surrounding areas just to make sure that all the demons are dead." Before either Cole or Fox could reply, Damion disappeared into the now devastated forest.
"He certainly moves quickly," observed Fox.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," assured Cole with a half smile. He turned back to the Red Knight. "So what are you doing out here, anyway? I thought you would be with the others in Vane."
The two of them started walking through the remains of the forest while Fox explained the situation in Vane. He told the events leading up to Vane's return to the skies, and how after that Ruby gave them all missions to complete. "Mirage and Argile are somewhere in the East searching for the next Blue and Black Dragons of Althena. Connery is escorting Alleia to the White Dragon's Cave to claim her Aura."
Cole was silent for a moment. Thoughts of how he should be helping his friends were parading in his mind. Then the memory of his encounter with Leeta's spirit flashed across his mind's eye. Yes. He had to find her. She was still out there, and now she knew that he was searching for her. The former Dragonmaster suddenly realized that he had not spoken for a couple of minutes. "So what's your mission in all of this?" he asked quickly.
"Ruby asked that I find out what the Demon Dragonmaster's real reason was for coming to our world." The Red Knight's eyes suddenly went wide. "By the Goddess! I forgot all about him!"
"Who? Forgot about who?"
"NARIN!" shouted Fox. "NARIN!"
Cole suddenly realized that his own little dragon was also missing. He hadn't seen Vaul since the battle started. "VAUL! VAUL!"
The Red Knight and Cole began to run through the dead trees calling out for the two brothers. The minutes passed, and the two of them could not find either of the young dragons. The two men stopped and called out for the two young dragons again.
"Ruby is going to kill me," they moaned at the same time.
Cole and Fox jumped suddenly as an ear splitting shriek split the air of the burned out forest. Fox pointed in the direction of the scream, and they both sprinted that way. The sight that greeted them was not exactly what either warrior had been expecting. Ten feet away were both dragon kids. Vaul was perched atop Narin with both his paws pinning the red to the ground.
"You're it!" cried Vaul victoriously.
"Get off of me, Vaul!" wailed Narin. The gold just smiled and remained on top of his brother. Narin sighed. "Fine, I give. I'm it."
Vaul loosed another hoot of victory and jumped off of his brother. Narin scrambled to a standing position just as Cole stalked over to them. "What the hell are you two doing?"
The two dragons looked at each other and then back up at the green eyed warrior. "Playing tag," they answered in unison.
Cole wiped his right hand over his face and groaned. "You mean to tell me that while we were fighting the forces of the Hades Army, you two were playing tag?" They nodded.
Cole turned and looked at Fox, who simply shrugged. The green eyed warrior groaned again and stormed off towards the edge of the forest without saying another word.
The sun was setting, and the Blue Star was becoming brighter in the darkening sky. Some distance away from the burned out forest a camp fire was flickering in the already growing darkness. Cole sat with one arm resting on his right knee while prodding the fire with a stick in his left hand. Across from him sat Fox with his legs crossed, and the Red Dragon's Bow in his lap. The plainsman had deactivated his Crest and wore a simple set of brown and white traveling clothes. Between the two friends were their dragon companions curled up into balls of fluff and fast asleep. Damion was no where in sight.
Cole snapped the stick in his left hand and tossed it into the flames. He huffed out a long breath and laid back. He heard Fox clear his throat. "Is there something you want to say, Fox?"
"I've been thinking, my friend," began the plainsman. "You have not yet said anything to me about your journeys over the past several weeks." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "I am sorry if I am overstepping the boundaries of our friendship, but I must ask this. Have you made any progress in your quest?"
Cole chuckled lightly, but remained on his back staring at the darkening sky. "No, it's okay, Fox. I guess I need someone to talk to. All Damion ever gives me is cryptic advice, and Vaul only wants to hear stories." He held his breath and he lifted himself back to a sitting position.
The former Dragonmaster looked his friend in the eyes and gave him a half smile. "I saw her, Fox." The plainsman's eyes went wide, and Cole nodded. "She was right in front of me." Cole could feel a lump starting to form in his throat. "I was so close I could almost touch her."
He quickly sniffed away the building tears and forced out a laugh. "It turns out it was only her spirit, though."
"But she is out there, Cole," assured Fox. "Her spirit is out there, and she knows that you are searching for her." Then Fox nodded sagely. "That is why you are here. You, too, are searching for Damon's Spire to ask the Keeper of Knowledge where to go next in your quest."
Cole gave the other man a genuine smile. "You know, Fox, sometimes I don't think we give you enough credit." Both friends started to laugh, but their mirth was cut short when Cole quickly grabbed the long sword next to him and jumped to his feet.
Damion was standing five feet from the camp fire. Cole lowered his blade and gave the dead man a cold stare. "You really have to stop doing that, Damion."
He shrugged at Cole. "You should be happy that your senses are so acute that you were able to detect me at all. That is quite impressive, Cole." Cole merely leveled a thin eyed gazed at the dead man and sheathed his weapon.
"So what's the problem?" asked Cole.
Damion gestured back the way he had come from. "I believe that there is something over those hills that will interest all of us. Come." He turned and walked away from the camp.
Fox was on his feet instantly and started to put out the fire. Vaul and Narin opened their eyes and gazed up at the adults. "What's going on?" asked Vaul.
Cole pulled on a hard leather vest and strapped his long sword to his left side. "Damion's found something over the hills, and we're going to check it out. We can't leave you two here alone, so I want you to keep close and stay down if anything happens." He knelt down in front of them. "Okay?"
"Yes, Cole," they replied with downcast eyes.
"Camp is disbanded, Cole," announced Fox. "Let us be going." Cole stood up and nodded to the Red Knight.
The small group moved carefully in the direction Damion had gone moments before. Cole was the first to reach the crest of the hill. He took in a deep breath and crossed his arms at the sight before him. Rising up into the night sky was a single, several story tower surrounded by four smaller towers. Each tower was giving off a pearly glow that gave the structure a holy feeling.
Fox came up to Cole's side and gazed down into the plain. "I believe that Damon's Spire has found us."
Cole rested his left hand on the pommel of his sword. "Well, since the Spire has decided to show itself, we can't be rude and keep it waiting." Without another word, he strode down the hill towards the mythical Damon's Spire.
The green eyed warrior spotted Damion waiting for them in front of the large wooden doors that were the entrance to the Spire. Cole walked past the dead man and touched the doors. They both swung silently open. The group could only see blackness ahead. Cole wasted no time and stepped through the entrance into Damon's Spire. He stiffened as a rush of cold air blew over him entire body. Cole spun around with his sword drawn and found himself standing in the middle of a vast chamber with white pillars surrounding him. Fox was standing right next to him with the invisible string of his Bow pulled taught. The rest of the group was nowhere in sight.
"What has happened?" whispered Fox through clenched teeth. Cole had to remind himself of the plainsman's natural fear of magic.
Cole scanned the chamber and confirmed that they were alone. Directly ahead of them was a set of stairs leading up. "I'm not sure. I have a vague memory of something I heard about this place a long time ago. Apparently, the Keeper likes to test those who seek the knowledge of the Spire."
Fox slowly lowered his Bow. "So, you believe that we are being tested right now?"
Cole nodded. "I'd bet Ramus's fortune." He lowered his sword, but kept it drawn. "Let's take those stairs and see where they go."
The two friends carefully walked over to the stairs and began climbing to the higher levels of the spire. They had only been climbing for a couple of minutes, when Cole realized that they had not come upon any exits to the other floors. Despite a small warning in the back of his mind, the former Dragonmaster continued upward. It was another five minutes before they reached the top of the stairs. An exit was there to greet them.
"Strange," muttered Fox.
"Keep your guard up," warned Cole. The Red Knight nodded in agreement.
The two of them exited the stair well and walked out into the top level of the Spire. Cole resisted the urge to whistle as he gazed upon the shelves of books lining the walls. He had not seen so many books since the library in Lucitania. At the far end of the room was a desk covered in scrolls, books, and parchments. The room was lit by several hanging oil lamps. As Cole and Fox neared the desk, they saw a small figure hunched over the desk. He stopped in front of the desk and waited.
Eventually, the figure stopped reading a book and looked up. It was just an old man with a thin white beard and purple eyes wearing a hooded blue robe. He gave Cole a gentle smile.
"Welcome, gentlemen," he greeted in a crackling voice. "I am the Keeper of the Spire. I have sensed your need for knowledge that only I can give you." He motioned to both men. "Please, sheath your weapons and sit and talk with me."
Cole suddenly realized that there were two chairs behind him and Fox. Feeling somewhat secure with the situation, Cole sheathed his long sword. Something caught his attention, though, in the process. For just a brief second, the Keeper's reflection on the sword's blade disappeared. Cole mentally shook his head and chalked it off to just being an optical illusion. Fox released the power of his Bow, and they both sat down.
The Keeper smiled at them again. "Now, what is the knowledge that you seek?"
Cole and Fox looked at each other to see who would speak first. Cole nodded for the plainsman to go. Fox gave him a thin smile and turned back to the Keeper.
"My question about the leader of the Hades Army," explained Fox. "Why has the Demon Dragonmaster come to our world? What is his purpose for all this war and destruction?"
The Keeper folded his hands. "That is indeed an important question, my son. The best way to fight an enemy is to know the enemy." He looked away from them for a moment, and his eyes seemed to gloss over. "It is difficult to see. This Demon Dragonmaster is not from this world. He desires revenge on the Goddess for crimes committed against him."
That's doesn't sound right, thought Cole. He remembered the maps from Xobelisk. Those were not just strategic maps. His double was looking for something. The fact that he had the region home to the Black Mountain circled was evidence enough. Something was wrong here. The missing reflection in his blade suddenly didn't seem so random. Another thought came to him.
"Excuse me, Lord Keeper," he interrupted. The old man's eyes refocused on the green eyed warrior. "But where are the others who entered the Spire with us?"
The Keeper frowned at him. "I am sorry, my son, but your friends did not pass their tests. Unless one passed the test, a person may not enter my inner chamber."
"What was our test, my lord?" asked Fox. Cole could sense that his friend was also becoming suspicious.
"Why it was Trust," replied the old man. "You both simply had to trust that you would find the answers you sought."
Cole plastered on a fake smile and started to rise. "Well, then I think we will be going then. I thank you for sparing time to speak with us."
"But you have not asked your question yet, my son," reminded the Keeper.
"Oh yeah," said Cole with a slap on his forehead. "I almost forgot." Steel leapt from the sheath at his side, and Cole's sword was leveled at the neck of the old man. "Who the hell are you really? The answer you gave Fox was a lie, and we both know that."
The Keeper gave both Cole and Fox a wicked smile. "I told that fool Arlax that an illusion was too simple a trick," he hissed in a voice that was definitely feminine.
There was a flash of purple energy, and Cole felt himself flying through the air. He tucked himself into a ball, landed hard on the floor, and rolled back to his feet. Fox acted in a similar fashion, but added his own touch by activating the power of his Crest in mid air. Cole gripped his sword with both hands and readied himself to battle the enemy. He nearly dropped his weapon at what he saw.
"C...Carla?" he gasped. His cousin smiled evilly and released a bolt of blue lightning at him. Survival instincts took over, and Cole threw himself to the side just as the blot sped by.
Fox recovered from his own shock and released a barrage of fire arrows at Carla. She vanished from behind the desk, and the arrows struck the air. She reappeared between them and purple streams of fire shot at both men. Cole dodged again and kept running.
"Carla!" he shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Don't you dare use my name, peon!" she shrieked and released another bolt at him. The purple bolt struck the ground at his feet, and Cole was knocked to the ground.
Carla began chanting, but she cried out in pain as an arrow of fire impacted on her chest. The small mage slid across the floor, but stopped herself and levitated into the air. She barked out the words to a spell, and a black gust of wind streaked towards the Red Knight. Fox pulled back on the string of his Bow, and a wall of fire sprang up between Carla's spell and himself.
Cole started to get to his feet, but tentacles of darkness suddenly streamed up from the floor and held him in place. "Now, I can't have you swinging that nasty sword at me, Dragonmaster," purred Carla. She curled the fingers of her right hand, and Cole felt the tentacles begin to tighten.
Air was becoming hard to intake. Cole tried to focus and cast a spell, but two things stopped him. One, that was Carla, at least he was pretty sure it was his cousin. Two, his head was starting to buzz due to lack of oxygen, and that made it almost impossible to focus on summoning his magic. A female shriek split the air, and the tentacles released him. Cole gasped for air and fell forward on his knees. When his eyes were able to focus, the green eyed warrior saw Carla still hovering in the air, but now there was a black dagger stuck in her left shoulder.
He shifted his gaze and saw Damion with the dragon kids standing at the stair well. Carla looked around the room with a sneer on her face. Fox and defeated her spell, Damion was closing in, and Cole had succeeded in getting to his feet. She yanked the dagger from her shoulder and gave them all a confident smile.
"It seems I have lost the numbers game," she admitted. "I'll have to remember to bring help next time." Her purple eyes looked into Cole's green ones. "Till we meet again, Dragonmaster." She was surrounded in swirl of blue magic and disappeared.
Vaul flapped over to where Carla had just been hovering. "Was that Carla?"
"Yes, young one," echoed a strong male voice.
There was a white flash and a young man wearing a gray robe with white sleeves was standing in the center of the room. He was completely bald, and his face was clean shaven. He stared at Cole with a pair of serious hazel eyes. "That truly was your cousin Carla, Cole." The green eyed warrior opened his mouth to speak, but the man raised a hand to stop him. "I am Tarse, the Keeper of Knowledge, and I know why you have all come here. You all passed my test of wisdom and are worthy of the knowledge I hold. You were able to see through the illusion of the Chaos Sorceress."
"What?" was all Cole could manage.
Tarse folded his arms and continued to stare at Cole. "You cousin has been brain washed by the Chaos Dragon Arlax. She does not know who she really is. For now, you must treat her as any other enemy. As for the knowledge you seek, Dragonmaster, go forth and seek out the Fairy Tribe. They will bring you one step closer to what your heart desires."
The Keeper turned and looked to Fox. "Red Knight, the Demon Dragonmaster seeks a power that I do not even know of. All I can say is that he requires seven keys. The Red Dragon already has one, and the White Knight has another." Tarse gave them all a sweeping glance. "Your questions have been answered, and I wish you good luck on your journies." He nodded, and there was a great flash of white light.
When Cole opened his eyes again, he found that they were all standing outside in the middle of the plain. The Blue Star was now shining brightly illuminating everything. Damon's Spire was gone. Cole looked down and saw that he was still holding his sword. He sheathed the weapon and walked over to Fox.
"Did that all just happen?" he asked the plainsman. Fox nodded dumbly.
Cole looked to his left at Damion. "What happened to you back there?"
"She must have separated us when we entered the Spire," he answered flatly. "You cannot lie to death, therefore, I would have seen through her illusion immediately."
"Oookay," replied Cole. "What about them?" he gestured to Vaul and Narin.
"They are magical creatures," said the dead man as if that was answer enough. When it became clear that Cole did not understand he continued. "Vaul and Narin would have seen the traces of the illusion spell in the chamber. They would also have been able to discredit the sorceress."
Cole folded his arms and looked down at the ground. Everything had just become a whole lot more complicated. Two duel urges were pulling at his soul. One, he knew that his friends needed him more than ever to fight against the Demon Dragonmaster. Two, he was coming ever closer to finding a way to be reunited with Leeta. The question that begged at him was should he follow his heart or his mind?
A hand clasped his right shoulder. Cole looked up into Fox's understanding eyes. "Follow your heart, my friend. We can fight the war without you for some time yet." He smiled warmly. "Find her and heal the wounds in your soul. Only then will you be able to focus on our enemy."
Cole put his arm around his friend's shoulder and patted him on the back. "Like I said before, buddy. I don't think we give you enough credit, sometimes."
Fox continued to smile, and the two of them embraced for a moment. The Red Knight stepped back and looked down. "Come, Narin. We have to get back to your mother as quickly as possible."
The young red dragon nodded and looked at his brother. "I'll tell mom that you're doing okay, bro."
Vaul pushed Narin lightly with his paw. "Thanks, Nar. Tell mom I miss her, but that I'm doing a good job of looking after Cole." Narin smiled at his brother and flew up to Fox's left shoulder.
Once the dragon was in place, Fox and Cole clasped hands firmly. "Time is of the essence, and I must be off immediately," said Fox. "Good luck, Cole. I await the day when we will all be a family again."
A wave of relief washed over Cole. "Thanks, Fox." At a loss for any more words, Cole released his friend's hand. Fox gave him one more nod, turned, and ran off into the night.
Cole stood in his place for several minutes staring in the direction Fox had ran off in. Damion finally spoke and snapped him out of his trance. "Cole, we have to get moving. The Hades Army knows our position. They may have troops nearby, and we cannot afford to be captured."
"You're right, Damion," agreed Cole without looking at the man. "Where do you suggest we go? We have to find this Fairy Tribe." He finally turned his serious gaze to Damion. "Where do we start looking?"
Damion reached into his jacket and pulled out a glowing blue dagger. He tossed it to Cole, who caught it easily. "You have regained the Wisdom that reveals the truth. I think you can direct us correctly, Cole."
Cole twirled the dagger between his fingers and at the same time sensed the power of the Blue Dragon within himself. He gripped the hilt of the blue dagger and sheathed it next the red dagger in his belt. "We need to go someplace that is a center for knowledge," he said quietly. "Vane is out of the question and Meribia is a ghost town."
"What about the Palace?" suggested Vaul. Cole raised an eyebrow at the dragon. "The one that you teleported from Lucitania."
"He may be on to something, Cole," added Damion. "The Palace did have a large library."
Cole was shaking his head. "The Palace library would only have history on the Blue Star. We need Lunar's history." He scratched his unshaven face while in deep thought. "We need to go someplace old that might have some sort of records hall or library." He began to mentally check off the oldest places on Lunar that he knew about.
The Blue Spire was dust thanks to Ziatoch. The Goddess Tower of Lunar did not exist in this dimension anymore. He had no way to get to the Celestial Palace. He knew that the Star Dragon Tower held no records. Vane's library would probably have some answers, but Cole knew that he could not go back to Vane, yet. Besides, he could not risk leading the Hades Army to the magic city. One last place remained on his mental list.
"We're going to the Dragon Ruins," stated Cole. "That place has been around for centuries. There should be some records of some sort in there."
"How far away are these Ruins?" asked Damion.
"Other side of the continent," replied Cole with a smirk.
Damion started walking back to their camp sight. "Then it would be wise if we started moving, now."
Vaul landed on Cole's right shoulder and whistled. "Gotta say one thing about that guy, he doesn't like to beat around the bush."
Cole pet the dragon on the head and followed after Damion. "I'm beginning to see that. Did your mom ever tell you about the Dragon Ruins?"
Vaul shook his head. "Nope. Do you know any stories?"
For the first time in weeks, Cole started to feel good again. That first gleam of hope he had received back at Pria was suddenly a bright spot on his horizon. Now he had a strong lead on someone who could bring him even closer to his ultimate goal. While they walked back to their camp sight, Cole began to tell Vaul all the old stories about the Dragon Ruins he could remember. The gold dragon ooed and ahhed, and Cole's smile grew larger and more genuine.
There was a breeze. It was bitter and cold. Cole's eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet. "Where the hell am I?"
The green eyed warrior was instantly aware that he was no longer in the grassy field he had fallen asleep on. Instead he was standing on a cliff over looking the rocky terrain he knew belonged to the southwestern regions of the main continent. Clouds parted, and Cole realized he was now looking down on the mining city of Zaback.
"Such an amazing city," came an all too familiar voice from behind.
Cole spun around while reaching for the sword that was not at his side. He grimaced openly at his futile gesture. Cole took in a deep breath and faced down the Demon Dragonmaster. "What's going on here?"
The dark warrior hopped off the rock he was standing on and began to circle Cole. He was wearing gray and black armor that was very similar to his own Dragon Armor. A black cape billowed as he walked. "I just wanted to talk, my dear Dragonmaster."
Cole followed his double with a wary gaze. "How is this possible? How did you bring me here?"
Kole raised a finger. "Oh, you are not really here. Your body is still asleep wherever it is. I have just brought a projection of your spirit here, so that we may speak."
"So talk," snarled Cole as he folded his arms.
The other chuckled. "I'm not even completely sure why I brought you here. I think perhaps, most of all, it was to see the pain in your eyes." He stopped and leaned close. Both sets of green eyes locked. "How does it feel to know that she is dead, Cole?"
Cole did nothing to hide the hatred in his eyes. The Demon Dragonmaster smiled evilly. "Yes. It hurts doesn't it? There is a hole deep inside that will always be there. Never again will you be complete." Cole resisted the urge to attack the man. He knew, though, that he was not really there and any attack would be futile.
"That's right, Cole," hissed the dark one. "Hate me. Hate me to the core of your very being. You will only make me stronger in the process."
"Is that the only reason you brought me here?" growled Cole. His eyes thinned. "To gloat?"
The Demon Dragonmaster's smile remained as he stepped back and walked to the edge of the cliff. "For the most part, yes." His smile faded, and his face became a mask of concentration. "That, and to show you just how useless all your attempts to stop my forces are." He started to raise his black gloved right hand slowly. "How can you and your pathetic friends possibly stand against power such as this?"
A black sphere of energy began forming in Kole's right hand. Despite the fact that he was just a projection, Cole went deathly cold when he sensed the strength of the dark power building around the Demon Dragonmaster. Kole spun around and aimed his right hand at Zaback.
"No! Don't!" shouted Cole.
Ignoring Cole's cry, the Demon Dragonmaster released the sphere right at Zaback. The dark power shot straight into the heart of the city. There was a massive explosion, and a dome of blackness enveloped all of Zaback. When the power faded, there was nothing left but ruins for miles.
"And Zaback is no more," announced Kole as he lowered his hand.
Cole was white hot with rage. "You heartless bastard!" he cried.
Kole turned to face the former Dragonmaster. There was no emotion present on his visage. "Remember what you just witnessed, Dragonmaster ," he taunted. "My power is beyond anything you have ever imagined. Now return to your body, wherever it may be, and remember how powerless you truly are to stop me." He waved his hand, and Cole suddenly felt himself being pulled away. He managed to curse at the evil warrior once more before disappearing from sight.
Cole shot up from his pallet covered in a cold sweat. He looked around in a panicked frenzy. His head stopped turning, when he saw Damion watching him from five feet away. "Did you feel it?" he asked the dead man.
Damion nodded. "A great many lives were just extinguished by a great power."
Cole's gaze drifted away from Damion to the star filled sky. Things had just become worse than ever. "We have to hurry, Damion. Time is not on our side anymore. The Demon Dragonmaster is growing stronger every minute, while I cannot even access the power I used to have."
He reached out, grabbed his white shirt, and pulled it on. Next Cole got to his feet and gazed around the landscape. The small party had been traveling for hours, but they were still in the plains of southern Stamaria. The grass seemed to glow under the light of the Blue Star. "I have to find her, Damion. I have to be complete again." Cole's head slowly turned until his eyes locked with Damion's once more. "Then and only then will I have the power to fight him."
Cole suddenly took in a deep breath as a familiar power began to burn within his soul and behind his eyes. Damion reached into his jacket and pulled out a glowing white dagger. A smile crept onto Cole's face as the dead man tossed it over to him. The former Dragonmaster caught the dagger and twirled it deftly.
Their eyes locked again, and Cole's smile broadened. "One always has to have Faith," he told Damion.