"CONNERY!!!!!" came Carla's voice from the entrance way.
The little thief ducked under the nearest table in his make shift lab. He heard the tell tale crackling of a lightning bolt as it exploded against the wall. "Where are you, you little son of a bitch!"
Connery heard her foot steps near his hiding spot, so he decided to make a run for it. The small Knight bolted for the hallway ten feet away. Bolts of lightning chased him as he ran. "Give me back my money, you little fungus!"
"I can't!" he shouted back. "I already spent it!"
That was the wrong answer. Another series of lightning bolts followed the thief down the hall. He leapt into the nearest room and slid under a bed. "I'm sorry, Carla, but that coat just called out to me! I had to buy it!"
The bed exploded, and Carla gazed down at her prey. "Then you better hope it still calls to you in the after life." She pointed a glowing hand at him.
Connery curled up into a fetal position and started to whimper. When the impending blow never came, he peered out from between his fingers and saw Carla smiling broadly. "You are so pitiful," she said.
"Huh?" was all the thief could manage.
She laughed. " I just wanted to see you squirm." She turned and started to walk away. "But this doesn't mean that I forgive you. You still owe me for the cost of this." The dark haired Premier threw a singed piece of tattered fabric at Connery. The little thief's lower lip began to quiver as he stared at the remains of his new jacket.
Carla left the house that served as Connery's make shift laboratory. The small, dark haired Premier inhaled the fresh spring air while she walked down the streets of Vane. Dressed in a loose fitting blue, white tank top and a pair of tan slacks, she made her way towards the Guild Mansion. Guild members smiled and nodded as she passed them in the streets. A Guild soldier stopped Carla when she arrived at Mansion. "Yes, what is it?" asked the Premier.
"There is someone here to see you, Lady Carla," replied the soldier. "I sent them to the Library to await you."
"Thank you," said Carla. "Tell the visitor that I'll be there in a moment." The soldier nodded and left.
Carla entered the Mansion and went up a nearby staircase. She went straight to her room to retrieve her silver stash, or what was left of it. Carla opened up her dresser draw and retrieved her money pouch. She tied it to her belt and was about to leave the room, when she saw something lying on her bed. Mirage's Scimitar lay, sheathed, on top of their bed. She mumbled about him leaving weapons on the bed as she picked it up and leaned it against the wall. Finally, she left the room and went to the Mansion library.
When she entered the library, the Premier could see a figure lounging in one of the large velvet covered chairs with his feet propped up on a nearby by coffee table. Carla's face began to redden in anger at what she saw. "Just who the hell do you think you are to put your feet up on such an antique?"
The figure rose and Carla's eyes went wide. "Well, I think that I'm your cousin, but I might be wrong."
"Cole!" cried the Premier as she ran to embrace him. "What are you doing here? I thought you and the others were still on the Blue Star." She released him from the hug and started to look around. "Where are Leeta and the guys?"
Cole's face darkened slightly. "They're all still on the Blue Star. I'm sorry, but this isn't a social visit." He motioned for her to sit.
They sat and faced each other. Carla brushed a stray strand of curly black hair out of her eyes. "What's wrong, Cole?"
He was silent for a minute, and then he retold what had been happening at Lucitania for the past day. When he finished, Carla gave a small whistle. "You're in it deep, pal."
He closed his eyes and wiped his right hand across his forehead. "I know," he said simply. "As we speak, Leeta is secretly mobilizing Lucitania's army. She's calling for aid from the other kingdoms on the Western Continent. The real problem is the people. We're keeping it from them for the moment, but as soon as they find out, there's going to be a full scale panic. The Eastern Empire's armed forces outnumber ours by at least three to one."
Carla leaned forward. "So the public would immediately see the war effort as futile and begin to protest." She got up and began to pace. "What about those reports that place you at the temple massacre?"
"What about them?"
"Do you think it could have been a doppleganger?"
Cole's face hardened in thought. "No. I thought it might have been that at first, but there were also reports of a Dragon attacking the temple. And I've never heard of a doppleganger powerful enough to mimic a dragon. This is something bigger, I feel it."
"Okay, so why come back to Lunar with this situation at boiling point?" asked the Premier.
"I need you, Connery, and Mirage to come back with me," said Cole. "I have a strong feeling that we should all be together right now."
"Cole," she started. "I'm not sure that we can go with you right now. With Connery's help we've almost figured out how to get Vane back in the skies. If we leave now, the entire operation will have to be put on hold."
"Carla, you have to come with me," said Cole sternly.
The Premier's brow knit in anger. "Listen, just because you're a Dragonmaster, you can't order me around. I have a responsibility to Vane, the Guild, and all of its members. And if need be, that responsibility will come before family."
"Then I'm asking you to come," pleaded her green eyed cousin.
"I'll think about it," she said after a moment of silence. Then she exited from the room.
"Carla, wait," cried Cole.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway. "What?"
"I'm sorry about Uncle Ramil. I loved him just like my own father."
She had to fight hard to hold back the tears. Her father had died a short time after the final battle with Ziatoch. "He loved you a lot, too. It's a shame you couldn't make it to the funeral." She looked at him from over her shoulder. "If you find Mirage and Connery in town they'll show you where the grave is." She walked away before the Dragonmaster could answer.
Emperor Poluneye of the Eastern Empire couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stood looking out of a window in his cabin on the airship. His face was pale as he gazed out upon the land below the ship. It was dead. The trees, the grass, and all of nature was dead. The great river that ran beside his capital had dried up to a trickle. And the city was devastated. "Captain!" cried the Emperor.
The chamber door opened and the ship's captain rushed in. "Yes, you Majesty?"
"Turn the ship around now!" He marched up to the officer. "Get us away from this place. Something is going on down there, and I want to be as far away from it as possible."
"I agree with His Majesty's decision. There may be a situation at the capital, and your safety comes first."
The entire ship suddenly shook violently. The captain ran to the chamber's door. "What's going on up there!?" he shouted.
"Dragons, sir!" shouted someone back. "Two extremely large dragons have taken hold of the ship!"
"Well kill them!" ordered the Emperor.
"We can't, sire! Most of the men have been killed by a strange mist!"
The Emperor, overcome with the fear of his own death, fainted.
Kole stood atop Xobelisk. He watched his armies march off in all directions to conquer what was left of the Eastern Empire. There was a roar, and he saw Scorn and Vasen land with the Emperor's airship between them. Bring the Emperor to me , he ordered them telepathically.
Minutes later, the two Demon Dragons, in human guise, arrived with the Emperor in tow. The small man was sniveling like a child. He went even paler when he saw Kole. "Y...y...y...you!?" he stammered. "B...b...but I left you back in Lucitania! How are you here!?"
The Demon Dragonmaster's eyes thinned. "So, my counterpart is here on the planet." He smiled as a plan began to form in his mind. "Good. This means I don't have to traipse all over Lunar and the Blue Star to find him."
"P...p...p...p...please don't kill me," pleaded the pathetic Emperor.
Kole scowled in annoyance. "Please shut him up," he asked Vasen.
The Blood Dragon smiled and drew the sword strapped to his back. With one swift slash, he beheaded the Emperor. "Thank you, Vasen."
"My pleasure," he said.
Kole moved away from the corpse and returned his gaze outward. It would be several more days before the rest of the Eastern Empire would come under his rule. Until then, he couldn't safely attack the other kingdoms of the Blue Star. He knew that the combined kingdoms on the Western continent would give him the most trouble. Especially the leader of those sovereignties, Lucitania. For a moment, the Demon Dragonmaster was saddened at the thought of that kingdom and its ruler. His Leeta was no more, however.
Kole shook his head to clear his mind. He couldn't think about that. It was in the past. Now, there was only the future. With the plan formed in his mind, Kole knew what he had to do. "Scorn, I have a mission for you."