"It's getting dark," commented Vaul. "Cole, do you have any idea where we are?"
Cole stopped and fished the map out of his pack. If he read it correctly he, Vaul, and Damion were somewheres in the territory southeast of Stamaria. The small skiff they had acquired in Nota had been able to get them down the Minea Sea to the cliffs that would lead them inland. After a few days of hiking through the foothills and then down into the dry lands of the area, Cole figured that they were less than a day from the Dragon Ruins.
He looked over the map, and then at the darkening landscape around them. Just south of them were the mountains, and they were currently in the dry lands that led north to the coast. Cole looked back and forth between the map and land for another moment before cursing.
"What is the matter?" asked Damion.
"See that rise of small peaks to the northwest?" said Cole with a gesture. "That's where the Ruins are. We overshot it."
"Oh, man," groaned Vaul. "It's getting too dark to keep going much longer, and I'm getting hungry."
Cole frowned and looked back at the map. The young Gold Dragon was right. It was too late to make it to the Dragon Ruins. As he looked at the map, Cole suddenly remembered something Ruby had told him once. "I've got an idea."
"What?" asked the other two at the same time.
"Ruby told me once that a long time ago she used to live out here," he said. "She says that she keeps up her old house for nostalgic purposes. If I remember correctly, it shouldn't be much more than an hour or so from here."
Vaul flapped over and landed on his left shoulder. "Then let's get going," announced the Gold. "If we can sleep someplace that has a roof, I'm all for it."
Cole smiled slightly. The green eyed warrior folded and placed the map in the right pocket of his tan pants. Pulling his gray coat closer around his black tunic, Cole took a quick bearing and started northeastward. The next hour or so seemed to pass relatively quickly with the exception of Vaul's demands to hurry up so they could eat. In response, Cole would simply say they couldn't move any faster since they had no horses to ride or carry their supplies.
It was shortly after sundown when Damion spotted a small house in the distance. Cole stopped to look in the direction the dead man was pointing. True to her word, Ruby's house was sitting not a mile away right up against the water. With thoughts of a fire and a cooked meal in his mind, Cole increased his pace towards the house. It was only a few minutes later that the trio found themselves standing in front of their goal.
"It looks okay," observed Vaul. "It could probably keep the rain out."
The house stood two stories running about thirty by fifty yards. Despite its supposed age, it did look quite sturdy. The wood was smooth and not worn down by time. The front had a single door, two windows, and there was an observation deck rising up from the roof.
"Cole," whispered Damion. "The chimney."
The warrior looked up to the brick chimney to see smoke rising from it. Cole quietly unshouldered the pack carrying their supplies, the Dragon Equipment, and the Goddess's Sword. Vaul flapped away from his perch when Cole drew his steel long sword.
"Ruby told me that no one except her knows about this place," whispered Cole. "Damion case the back, then get to that observation deck. On my signal you go in from there, and I'll go from the front." Damion nodded once and crept silently away.
"What about me, Cole?" asked Vaul hopefully.
"You watch my back, buddy," he replied. "I don't want anything sneaking up on me."
Vaul gave the warrior a tiny salute. "Yes, sir." He flapped his wings until he was ten feet higher into the air.
Cole looked up and waited until he saw Damion on the deck. The man in black appeared suddenly and nodded. Sword tip down, Cole moved warily towards the front door. He leaned his ear up against the wooden frame listening for voices inside. Nothing. Cole took a step back to examine the door. Copper hinges with no obvious reinforcements. One good charge should take it down.
Taking a few more steps back, Cole readied himself to charge the door. He counted to a silent three, dropped his right shoulder, and charged at full speed. The wood splintered on impact sending chunks in all directions. Cole ignored the stinging in his shoulder and continued his charge into the house. He stopped abruptly with his sword raised ready to face anything except what he found. Sitting on a floor mat in front of the fireplace was of all people, Carmen.
Cole lowered his blade. "Carmen?"
The priestess of Althena stared back at him with her mouth hanging open. She wore a loose pair of green pants and a blue and green tunic with a yellow scarf around her neck. Her long, black hair was drawn back into a ponytail. The bowl of soup in her hands was shaking slightly.
"Cole?" she said carefully. "Is that really you?"
A warm smile spread across his face at the sight of his friend. "In the scruffy flesh."
Carmen placed the bowl down carefully, but then she jumped to her feet and rushed Cole. The priestess threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Cole responded by wrapping his free arm around her. She released him after a moment and stepped back keeping her hands on his shoulders.
"It's good to see you," she told him with a large smile. She poked him in the chin with her right index finger. "You do need a shave though."
Cole moved back and sheathed his sword. "Maybe. One tends to forget things like that when you're wandering around the world." They both turned at movement to Cole's right. Damion was calmly walking towards them. Carmen took a couple steps back. "It's all right, Carmen. He's with me."
Damion stopped to roll up the right sleeve of his trench coat. Carmen seemed to relax some when she saw the tattoo of the Goddess Crest. "I guess we all play for the same team then," she said.
"Cole?" came Vaul's voice from the doorway. "Are you guys okay?" Everyone turned to see his little feline head peeking around the edge of the frame. His blue eyes lit up at the sight of Carmen. "Carmen!" he cried and flew right at her. He clamped on to the right side of her face and started nuzzling.
"Hello, Vaul," she greeted along with a scratch behind his ears. "You guys look tired. Why don't you join me in front of the fire for some soup?" Vaul cheered at the offer.
Damion unrolled his sleeve while heading for the door. "I'll get our things from outside."
Carmen watched him walk out with a questioning look. "Is there something wrong with him? Doesn't he want something to eat?"
Cole gave her a strange look. "Uh, Damion's a special case. I'll explain later." The warrior unclipped the sheath from his belt and placed his sword on a nearby table.
With everything a little bit calmer, Cole now had a chance to look around the interior of the house. The first floor was one room with a circular table, three chairs, and an orange cushioned couch in front of the fireplace. To the left of the couch was a set of stairs that led to the basement and the second floor. From what Cole could see, the second floor was mainly a single room. There was a wall and a closed door to separate the room on the landing with a ladder off to the right leading up to the observation deck.
Cole sat down on the couch and accepted a bowl of soup from Carmen. "So what are you doing all the way out here?" she asked while serving Vaul as well.
He sipped a bit of the soup, savoring the spices Carmen had used. "Well, to keep it short I may have discovered a way to find Leeta's soul. It took a trip to Damon's Spire, but..." The warrior stopped speaking when he noticed the sudden paleness of Carmen's complexion. "Carmen? What's wrong?"
She lifted her face to meet his gaze. "You don't know, do you?"
Cole was definitely confused. "Know what?"
The priestess walked over and knelt before her friend. "Cole, do you know what I'm doing all the way out here?"
"I was going to ask a little later," he said. "I assumed Ruby had you out here for some purpose."
Carmen nodded. "Yes, Ruby did send me out here for a reason, but probably not along the lines you are thinking of." She rose and motioned for him to follow. "Come."
Cole placed his soup on the floor before rising himself. The former Dragonmaster followed the priestess up the stairs to the second floor. Carmen stopped in front of the door. "The reason I'm out here is behind this door. Please prepare yourself, Cole." The tone of her voice caused Cole's muscles to instinctively stiffen.
The door swung silently open to reveal the contents of the room beyond. Cole took three steps into the room, and the sight that met him made his heart skip a beat. Lying on a bed underneath a window was the still form of Leeta. She looked just as she had when he last saw her in Vane. The princess wore a long, sleeveless white dress. Hanging around her neck and resting between her breasts was her mother's pendent. Her blue blond hair fanned out behind her head on the white pillow bringing out its color even more.
Cole was suddenly starting to find it difficult to breathe past the lump forming in his throat. He didn't even notice when Carmen laid her right hand on his left shoulder. "Ruby and I brought her here to keep her as far from the fighting as possible. Ruby figured this would be the safest place for now."
"How..." Cole had to take an extended breath in order to speak. "How...is she?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.
"The same. Ruby placed a stasis spell on her, so that her muscles are not affected by the extended lack of movement." replied Carmen. "Would you like me to go?" Cole nodded numbly.
Aside from the bed there was only a night table with an oil lamp and a wooden chair. Cole, very unsteadily, walked over to the chair and sat down. He just sat there staring at her for the Goddess knew how long. She looked so serene, despite her condition. If he didn't know better, Cole just might have been able to convince himself that Leeta was just taking a nap. Cole waited a few moments, hoping with each passing second that her blue eyes would flutter and then open. Then she would give him that loving smile she saved for only him. Of course, the princess didn't move. Ruby's spell kept her completely still except for the ever so faint sign of breathing.
It felt like ages since he had last laid eyes on her beautiful face. Cole finally extended a shaky right hand to caress it. Her skin was warm to the touch and as smooth as ever. The spell kept her looking just as beautiful as always. His fingers traced the features of her face, lingering just long enough to replenish the memory in his mind. His right hand was soon running through her hair, letting those silken strands slip between his fingers. The longer his fingers touched her, the more self control Cole could feel himself losing.
Then, for the first time since that fateful day, Cole let it all go. The former Dragonmaster's green eyes were suddenly filled with unshed tears. It only took one blink for those tears to start falling from his grief stricken eyes. Finally, Cole slumped forward onto her stomach and sobbed uncontrollably for his lost beloved. And that was the way he remained until the sun came up the next day.
Carmen was preparing some eggs and dried beef for breakfast the next morning, when she heard the door to Leeta's room open and close. She removed the pan from the fire in order to see what Cole was going to do next. Between Damion and Vaul, she had been able to learn about their adventures for the past couple of months. Her heart had been greatly eased to learn that her husband was all right, but that good news had been darkened with the news of Carla.
Having just recently woken up, Carmen still wore her clothes from the previous evening. Cole too looked the same, except for two things. He looked beyond tired, which was simple evidence that he had not slept at all. The only other difference was Lucia's pendent hanging around his neck. The former Dragonmaster walked down the stairs seemingly oblivious to the world around him.
"Where are Damion and Vaul?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Damion took your packs and is scouting the area. Vaul is still asleep on the couch," she replied. Carmen lifted the pan of food up to his face. "I'll finish this, and we can have some." She walked back to the fireplace.
Her ears twitched at the sound of Cole strapping his sword back on. "No time," he muttered. "We have to keep going."
"Do you even know what you're looking for at the Ruins?" she asked without turning around.
"I will when I see it," was all he said.
Carmen removed the pan to look back at her troubled friend. "Cole? I don't think you should be going out there in the condition you're in."
Carmen was shocked at the smile he gave her. For a brief second, the priestess saw the old Cole beneath that haggard face. The energetic leader that never lost hope, and who always came through for his friends. "I'm fine, Carmen. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long time."
That was when she remembered something from earlier in the morning. "I almost forgot. Damion told me to give that to you when you came out." She gestured with the pan to an object on the table.
Cole walked over and picked up what looked to be a completely white dagger. He chuckled lightly. "Faith." He tucked the dagger into his belt before looking over at Carmen. "I'm sorry to leave so quickly, Carm, but I must continue my search." He motioned with his head up to the second floor. "Keep her safe until I get back."
Carmen couldn't help but smile at him. "Always, my friend." He nodded and walked for the door. "Good luck, Cole. We all do miss you and Leeta."
He stopped to give her one last smile. "I'll bring her back. Just wait for us. Vaul! We're leaving."
The Gold Dragon jumped straight up jabbering wildly. After a moment to gather himself, he glumly flew after Cole. Of course, he took a quick detour to gobble up some eggs and give Carmen a goodbye nuzzle. Carmen waited a moment before loosing a drawn out sigh. Deciding to take a bath before making some more breakfast, she put the pan down in front of the fireplace and walked out back whistling a song.
Roughly a mile away from the house, Cole found Damion waiting for them. "I was wondering how much longer you were going to be." He looked at the pendent hanging around Cole's neck. "Why did you take that?"
Cole's right hand carefully clasped the pendent. "It's a part of her," he explained. "As long as I have it, I can almost feel her with me." He looked at the item in his hand for a moment, and then pulled his tunic forward and dropped it underneath. His gaze was steely again seconds later. "How's the area look?"
"There is the smell of death in the air." The dead man pointed in the direction of the Ruins. Cole was only slightly surprised when a crow appeared and landed on Damion's left shoulder. "It's a couple of days old, but there was a battle at our destination."
Cole sighed and looked northwest. "Do you think whatever caused all the death is still out here?"
The bird on Damion's shoulder cawed quietly. "Like I said. It happened about two days ago. The only things left are the corpses."
The former Dragonmaster's left hand tightened on his sword hilt. "Okay. Let's get our stuff and head out. Stay on your toes." The two men retrieved their packs and began walking northwest.
It was just about midday when they arrived at the Dragon Ruins. Bodies littered the area for a half a mile around the entrance. The stench of decay forced Vaul to be sick for several minutes behind a rock. Damion ignored it, and Cole merely twitched his nose. The green eyed warrior looked at the nearest corpse.
"Demons."
"All of them," added Damion. "From what I can discern, these creatures all died in one of three manors. Some have been mauled completely, others slashed with weapons, and then some of them have been either burned or melted."
"Looks like somebody had a good time," commented Cole sarcastically. Vaul landed on his shoulder looking utterly disgusted. "Let's go."
Two miles away from the Dragon Ruins, a wall of rock suddenly exploded. Vasen the Blood Dragon emerged from his earthen prison seething with rage. Once he had awakened, it had taken him days to build up enough power to free himself. The Demon Dragon flapped his mighty wings, propelling himself higher into the sky.
"Damn that Thiss," he growled. "I'll flay his pathetic hide for leaving me behind. But first I want to crush that damned Black Dragon."
He opened his senses to search for any sign of the accursed Dragons of Althena. At first he felt nothing. Then he was alerted to something back in the direction of the Ruins. It was definitely one of Althena's Dragons, but it was different from the last two Auras he had come into contact with. Vasen's scales almost stood on end, when he felt the presence that was with the dragon.
"The Dragonmaster," he hissed. "This is an opportunity I cannot pass up. They must be heading for the top of the Ruins." His maw peeled back into a toothy grin. "Time to take a trick out of Scorn's book." The Demon Dragon steered himself towards the Ruins. In mid flight his massive shape transformed until he was a red beetle.
Damion stepped away from the boulder. "It's not going to move easily."
"Stand back," said Cole. He handed the torch to the dead man and raised his right hand. Words to a spell fell from his lips as a ball of blue energy formed in his palm. "Plasma Beam!" he cried causing a blue blast of power to shoot forward. When the dust cleared the pathway was clear.
"Impressive," complimented Damion. "That was not an ordinary spell."
Cole shrugged. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He took the torch back and moved ahead.
They walked down a small hall for a few minutes. The hall ended, and the small group found themselves at the top of the Dragon Ruins. Vaul jumped off of Cole's shoulder and flew a few feet ahead.
"Soooo, now what?" he asked. Collapsed buildings and broken roads surrounded them on all sides. "Are we going to find this Fairy Tribe up here somewhere?"
Damion walked over to a collapsed building. He rummaged through the rubble for a moment before calling for Cole's attention. "Cole, come take a look at this."
Cole disposed of the torch and walked over. He saw that Damion was holding something in his hands. "What? Did you find something?" The dead man lifted his hands to show off a glossy black scale the size of his head. Cole studied it for a few seconds. "Can you tell who that belongs to?"
"The traces of magic left on it are not of Althena's power." He turned the scale over. "Demon Dragon."
Cole reached out and touched it. "The Shadow Dragon most likely. Question is what was he doing up here?"
"That would definitely explain the demons down on the ground," concluded Damion. "We must also wonder who killed all those demons and was also able to chase away a Demon Dragon?"
Cole could not help but grimace. "Who says our possible friends won? Yes, they killed demons, but we don't know if they were as lucky against the Shadow Dragon."
"Hey, you guys!" shouted Vaul from somewhere deeper into the city. "I think I found something!"
Cole and Damion dropped the scale and ran towards the dragon's voice. They slowed down at the sight of the circle of stone arches. "What is that?" questioned Damion.
"Not really sure," answered Cole as they approached it. "Ruby once told me she thought it was some sort of teleportation device."
They spotted Vaul hovering a few feet off of the ground in front of a standing slab of stone. "Careful where you step," he warned.
Cole stopped mid-step. "Why?"
"Foot prints," replied Damion. The dead man pointed to the ground in front of the slab. He knelt down to get a better look at them. "Human boot prints, and only a couple of days old."
He carefully rose and walked over to the slab. "What do you make of this stone, Cole?"
Cole stepped around the prints on his way over. "Sorry, I can't help you here."
Damion looked at him. "I thought you've been here before?"
"Well I have," replied Cole. "It just so happens we were all on the run during the time, and there wasn't much time to stop and enjoy the scenery." Cole leaned forward to inspect the slab for himself.
From top to bottom the stone slab was covered in strange pictures. Some colored, some not, but all of them were definitely unique. The closer he looked at them, Cole noticed that the dust around a few of them were in the shapes of fingertips.
"Hmmm," mumbled Cole. "I think I get it. If Ruby was right, and these things are a teleporter then this thing here might be the controls."
Damion leaned back. "Then these imprints suggest that someone recently used it successfully."
"Why don't we press the same pictures and follow them?" suggested Vaul.
Cole was shaking his head. "No. My instincts told me to come here for a reason, and it was not to follow someone. If this is a teleporter, then I bet that a particular combination of these pictures will take us to the Fairy Tribe."
"Good in theory," observed Damion. "Unfortunately we do not know what any of these pictures mean, and we do not have the time nor ability to try them all."
"There has to be a way," muttered Cole. He started tapping his chin, while continuing to stare at the pictures.
His train of thought was suddenly halted by growing warmth on his chest. Cole reached into his tunic and pulled out the pendent. The gold and black pendent was glowing a bright blue. He looked back at the slab with recognition in his eyes. The pictures still didn't make any sense to him, but Cole felt as though he remembered an infinite number of correct combinations. The green eyed warrior reached out and started touching several of the pictures.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" asked Vaul. The young Gold was slowly backing away.
"Nope," he said flatly. "I still don't know what these things mean. But the pendent is somehow transmitting a memory directly into my mind. Something tells me to just go with it."
"Instinct is always the best form of judgement," preached Damion.
"Oh yeah?" countered Vaul. "What good is it if it only gets us all killed?"
Cole touched a picture of a feather with a halo around it, and there was a blast of yellow light from between the arches. Everyone turned to see a yellow portal floating directly in the center of the circle.
Vaul swallowed. "I am not going in there first," he announced.
"Don't worry," assured Cole. "I'm going in first. If nothing happens follow right after."
The former Dragonmaster hefted his pack over his right shoulder and walked towards the portal. He stopped right in front to give it one last look. Then, before doubt could cloud his judgement, Cole jumped in.
After the other two entered the portal, Vasen transformed into his human form. The large, armored man walked over to the slab for a good look. "Very interesting," be murmured. He waited roughly an hour before keying in the exact same combination as the Dragonmaster.
The portal reopened, and the Blood Dragon walked towards it. "Let's see what I can see," he said with a dark chuckle.