Wil yawned as he looked out from his post a top the main gate of Meribia. It was close to midnight and all was quiet. The Blue Star shed a pale light down onto the plains of the Katarina Zone. Wil was turning to go and get the next shift when there was a brilliant flash of light to the north. Wide awake, the soldier watched as what seemed to be a very large palace drop from the heavens and land somewhere in the distance. Dropping his pike, Wil ran to get his commanding officer.
All combatants were momentarily dazed. Monster and human stared at each other in bewilderment for several moments. In the light of the Blue Star, Cole looked down at the Dragon Wings. The blue, oval jewel that had been in its center was now sporting a large crack down the center. Suddenly, there was the sound of a horse galloping in his direction. In the dim light, Cole barely made out the armor of the Demon Dragonmaster. The double pulled up just fifteen feet away from the fallen Dragonmaster. He looked at Arlax and nodded. "Kill him," he ordered. He lifted his head and looked around. "Kill all of them!"
The battle resumed in the half light of the night. Arlax raised his axe for the death blow, but Cole was moving faster. Using all the upper body strength he could muster, Cole pushed himself, feet first, at the Chaos Dragon. Cole's boots landed a clean blow the the Dragon's mid section, and he lost his grip on the axe. The Dragonmaster was on his feet now. He followed up with a swift knee lift to Arlax's bowed head, a punch to the gut, and finally an uppercut which left the Demon Dragon sprawled on his back. The adrenalin still pumping through his veins, Cole quickly retrieved his Sword and turned to his double. "This ends right here and now," he said in a venomous tone.
The Demon Dragonmaster's smile was obvious as was his now visible sword. he was about to dismount, when the call of a battle horn split the air. Both warriors turned and looked to the south and saw a few thousand torches charging in their direction. Above each torch was a banner of the Meribian Defense Force. Cole and Kole both looked back at the battle still raging around them. Both men knew stared into the other's eyes, carrying the same meaning behind each gaze. Only a portion of the Demon Dragonmaster's forces had been transported to Lunar. With the arrival of the Meribians, he was at a definite disadvantage. "Retreat!" cried the dark warrior into the night. He gave Cole one last look. "Soon, my dear Dragonmaster. Very soon." Then he was gone a swirl of magic.
Remembering Arlax, Cole spun around only to find that the Chaos Dragon was gone also. The fighting ceased as the monsters of the Hades Army ran into the night. The weary Lucitanian army readied itself to challenge the incoming Meribians, but after a few quick words from Cole, they gratefully lowered their weapons. Waving a white flag, the Dragonmaster along with the Dragon Knights and Leeta found the commanding officer of the Meribians. At the sight of the fully armored Dragonmaster, General Martiz of the Meribian Defense Force gladly offered to assist the Cole and his now small army.
As the hours dragged on, the combined armies salvaged what they could from the remains of the Royal Palace which had also been taken to Lunar in the mass teleportaion. They soon found Ruby, the Dragon Kids, and Carmen among the crumbling passages of the structure. Carmen had been tending to the Red Dragon's wounds when Cole and the Knights found them. Fox and Carmen shared a quick embrace, while Mirage and Connery helped Ruby to her feet. "Glad you boys decided to stop by," said the Dragon with obvious discomfort. "We were beginning to think we were the only ones left."
"Have any of you seen Carla?" asked Carmen suddenly. "She was leading us to a safer place, when some of the demons entered the palace. She was fighting them off, and we all got separated."
Mirage went pale. "Where did you last see her?"
Carmen pointed back the way they had come from, and the Blue Knight was off and running. Knowing he shouldn't go off alone, Cole and Connery charged off after him. The three men finally stopped in the middle of a devastated meeting chamber. In its center was a pile of demon corpses. Mirage started to sift through the rubble in search of the Premier. "Quick! Help me look!" he cried.
The three of them went through the rubble in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, Carla was nowhere to be found. Mirage's face grew dark with the realization that she was most likely gone. "I should have stayed with her in the palace," he said in a low voice.
Cole put his arm around his friend. He was feeling the same pain the Pirate Lord was. Carla had been his closest family. Connery started to scuff his feet on the stone floor as he made his way over to the pile of demon bodies. "At least she got these bastards first." He emphasized his pint by giving the corpses a hard swipe with his Spear.
There was a muffled cry from the bodies, and the sound of metal being drawn filled the air as the Dragonmaster and Blue Knight drew their blades. Cole gave Connery a slow nod, and the thief proceeded to push aside the bodies one by one with the butt of his Spear. Suddenly, a tiny creature flung itself from amidst the demons and landed on Connery. Cole and Mirage lowered their weapons and smiled as they watched Carla throttle Connery within an inch of his young life. "Don't you ever swing that damned Spear at me again, you little half-wit!!!" screamed the small Premier.
The Demon Dragonmaster and his army moved until they were some distance away from the transported Royal Palace. Kole pulled the reins on his horse and called for his minions to make camp. In moments, a large tent had been erected for the dark warrior to reside in. Kole left his steed and entered the tent. He willed a throne into existence and sat down. The tent's flaps parted and Arlax, Thiss, and Scorn entered. He frowned at each of them. "You three disgust me," he growled. He pointed a gauntleted hand at Thiss and Scorn. "At least Arlax accomplished something by damaging the White Dragon's Wings. But you two couldn't even defeat one Dragon of Althena."
The two Demon Dragons bowed their heads. Thiss spoke first in his whispering voice. "She was stronger than we anticipated, my lord."
"And there were those accursed Dragon Knights," added Scorn in a dry voice.
Kole's eyes thinned. "Then let us shift the odds in our favor." His gaze was distant for a second. A large, dark red flash followed by four lesser ones appeared in the tent. When the light faded, Vasen and the Demon Knights stood there with their heads bowed to Kole. "Report," ordered the Demon Dragonmaster sharply.
Vasen stepped forward. His blood red armor shimmered as dropped to one knee. "We have taken the Western Kingdoms, Demon Dragonmaster. Two were already in chaos, and the third had no defenses at all."
Kole nodded and the Blood Dragon rose. "Good. I'm happy to see that something has gone right this day." He folded his hands and gazed at the eight figures gathered before him. "First things first. I want sufficient reinforcements to attack Meribia. That will be our first step in conquering the main continent of Lunar." A cunning smile formed on his lips. "I want all eight of you to be the first wave. Each Knight will be riding the respective Demon Dragon from which he received his powers."
Arlax was the first to speak. "They will not be expecting that particular attack."
"Because they only have one full grown dragon, they wouldn't even think of such an idea," added Miraje.
A goblet of wine appeared in the Demon Dragonmaster's left hand. He took a sip. "Let them think we have retreated to lick our wounds. We will begin the attack later today." His eyes grew cold. "That should be sufficient time to gather our forces." Each Knight and Dragon caught the underlying threat. Kole nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now go and prepare." They all bowed and left the dark warrior to his thoughts.
The trip from the crash site of the Royal Palace to Meribia was anything but eventful. Some of the travelers from the Blue Star were grateful for the small amount of peace. Cole, however, was unnerved by it. Since the retreat of the Hades Army, he had isolated himself from everyone again. As the column of Meribian troops led the Lucitanians through the gates of the great port city, The Dragonmaster separated himself from the crowd and drove his horse back out into the countryside. "Let the others deal with the Meribian council," he muttered to the wind.
Cole barely noticed the sound of the waves crashing against the shore as he rode on. He slowed his mount and reached inside his cloak. The green eyed warrior pulled out the Dragon Wings and winced as he gazed at the crack running down the middle of the artifact's jewel center piece. There was no longer any power emanating from the Wings. He could still use the Dragon Magic it gave to him, but the artifact itself was inactive. "I've destroyed a priceless artifact, and I've brought this hopeless war to Lunar as well." His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm worthless."
"Thank you, Miss Ausa," said one of the council's ministers. "We will take you warning into consideration. Until the time at which this council reaches its decision on the matter of this new threat, the refugees from Lucitania are welcome to stay here in Meribia."
Carla was about to answer, but Leeta cut her off. "As the leader of my people, IĘthank your honors for giving shelter to us. We shall take leave of your presence, now, until such time as you need to meet with us again." The Princess made a quick bow and pulled a somewhat fuming Carla from the Council's chamber.
Once outside, Carla broke away from Leeta's grip. "What was that all about?" she snapped. "The Hades Army could attack the city at any moment. We need to get the populace out of here at once and deep into the Stamarian borders."
Leeta nodded calmly. "I know that, Carla, but we can't force the entire city to just up and go. We have to be diplomatic about this." She started to scratch at her arms beneath the armor she wore. "Besides, I want to get out of this stuff and into a bath before we go anywhere else."
Carla shrugged and put her arm around the Princess. "Well, you're right about that. A bath is an essential thing before we take another step." The two started to laugh and walk towards the exit of the town hall.
As they left the building, Ruby appeared beside them. Both women were shocked at first, but relaxed when they saw it was the Dragon. "Oh, Aunt Ruby," said Leeta. "We were going to go to the baths and freshen up. Would you like to come along?"
Carla couldn't resist the chance to add something. "Yeah, lava lamp. You smell almost as bad as you look."
Ruby ignored the small Premier's remarks. "As tempting as that sounds, I can't. Anyway, this isn't a social call. I've got some bad news."
Leeta and Carla became serious instantly. "What is it?" asked Leeta.
Ruby's face hardened. "The Western kingdoms have fallen. Some time in the past week, the Hades Army arrived on Lunar and began assaulting Pakkar and Tollssa. Considering the states we left them in, it wasn't long before they fell. And Fummarra is a merchant kingdom. It has no defenses. Reports say that it won't last much longer against the hordes of the Hades Army."
Carla was at a loss for words. Leeta had gone completely white. "I thought we would have more time to prepare before they came," said Leeta in a hushed voice. She straightened and started to walk away.
"Where are you going?" asked Ruby.
"To take a bath," replied Leeta without stopping. "And then to lead my people away from this doomed city."