"What am I doing?"
The question repeated over and over in Cole's mind. It had been a day since Reinalthus had explained things to him. A day in the realm of the Fairy Tribe, but a month back on Lunar and the Blue Star. A month where the Goddess knew what was going on. Was everyone dead? Had the Hades Army succeeded in overrunning everything? Had his friends perished while wondering why he hadn't been there to help them?
Had Cole let everyone down again?
Standing on a hill overlooking the crystalline city of Ciryn-Tiell and the forest below, Cole sighed and folded his arms across his chest. A small wind blew past ruffling his dark green tunic and black pants. Cole closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath.
"Mind if I join you?" asked someone from behind.
Cole turned slightly to see an elf maiden walking silently across the grass towards him. Her name was Lorene if Cole remembered correctly. She was wearing a long, sleeveless sun yellow dress with orange starbursts.
He shrugged in response. "It's a free hilltop." She walked over and stopped to his right.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked after a moment.
Cole gave her a side ways glance. Her smooth, elven features made it almost impossible to gauge her age. Although, there was something vaguely familiar about her. "Do you really care?"
Lorene gave Cole a quirky smile. "I'm naturally inquisitive, Green Eyes."
Then it hit him. "Selene," he breathed with wide eyes. "Selene was your ancestor! Wasn't she?"
Her smile broadened. "You're a quick one. Yeah, she was my great great great grandmother." Her smile shrank slightly as she looked him over. "You really met her, didn't you."
Cole now found himself smiling. "Yes," he replied with nod. "Selene was a very great help to me. If it hadn't been for her, I don't think we would have been able to find the dragons."
Lorene chuckled. "That's not the way she tells it in her journals. According to her, you were the one who saved the day. You and your friends appeared out of no where to save her army from the undead. And then you took on the Magic Emperor."
It was Cole's turn to chuckle. "And got the snot beat out of us." The smile was soon to fade. "Why did you come up here, Lorene?"
"Vaul was worried about you," she answered. "He's told me a little of what's been happening on Lunar. About the Demon Dragonmaster. Why you're here. You aren't doing anything wrong, Cole."
Cole looked away from her back to the view of the city. "I'm sitting here doing nothing, while time is rapidly passing back on Lunar. My friends are fighting a losing battle." He huffed. "They might even be dead already. Even if this ritual Reinalthus has told me about works, who knows how much more time will pass back home."
"Well, it doesn't really work just like that," she started to explain. "I assume that Reinalthus told you about the different dimensional layers?" Cole nodded. "I guess he didn't tell you about fluctuation."
Cole returned his gaze to her. "What's that?"
"Reinalthus may be the wisest of us, but he is still forgetful," she told him. "The dimensions are in a constant state of movement. That is why we have to wait to perform the ceremony to teleport you to the underworld. By the end of this week this dimension will be close enough for a portal to be opened. In another week or so this world will be just as far from the underworld as it is from Lunar. And then at a later date it will brush right against Lunar."
Cole listened very carefully to all of her words. "So you're saying that the time comparisons are constantly changing?"
"Exactly." Lorene raised her right hand and started to tap her thumb and index finger together. "The time difference depends on how close dimensions are to each other. Unfortunately, the dimension that holds Lunar is far from this one, right now."
"That still doesn't change anything," muttered Cole. "Time is still passing faster on Lunar, and with every passing second I am letting my friends and everyone out there down. Not only did I bring the war to them, but now I'm not even helping to fight."
Lorene rested a hand on each hip. "Wow. You really enjoy doing this to yourself, don't you?"
Cole looked at the elf questioningly. "Doing what?"
"Feeling sorry for yourself," she finished. "Mounting pile after pile of blame on yourself."
"I don't know what you're talking about," snapped Cole with a scowl. He turned and started back down the hill.
Lorene began laughing. "Look at you! All you do is moan about all your problems and then hold in the pain. Then you walk around brooding without letting anyone help you deal with the pain."
Cole stopped in mid stride. The green eyed warrior spun around to face the elf. "What the hell do you know?" he shouted. "You don't know me at all!"
The elf woman took several steps forward and thrust a finger in Cole's face. "I may not know you too well, pal, but I have been around long enough to know a thing or two about people in general."
Cole's eyes thinned. He felt a shout building in his throat, but it never came out. He merely stared at the elf woman before him. Even though she stood almost as tall as him with long blond hair and almond shaped eyes, Cole could not help but feel like Carla was standing there yelling at him. His scowl slowly started to fade and be replaced by a smile. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
Lorene took a step back, obviously confused. "What? What's so funny?"
"You just reminded me of someone," he managed to say between laughs.
"I take it that this person is a friend," she said.
Cole nodded. "My cousin." He took a few deep breaths before regaining control. "Listen," he started to say after a moment, "I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just that whenever I seem to get a little ahead, something else goes wrong and puts me right back at the beginning."
Lorene gave him a half smile. "Well, Reinalthus always says that whenever life gets you down, you should do something to get your mind off your troubles." She gave Cole a full smile and moved past him. "You know I've been wanting a rematch with you ever since we fought in the forest. What do you say to a sparring match?"
Cole watched her walk down the hill before running to catch up. "Sure, I guess. I could use the exorcise. There's only one problem. Your friend Jorith took my sword."
"That won't be a problem," she assured him. Deciding to wait and see what she meant, Cole silently followed Lorene back down to the city.
They reentered the crystal city with Lorene in the lead. She soon stopped in front of one of the towers. "Wait here," she told him. "Some of the people are still not too happy about your presence. So, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go inside. Besides, I'll only be a minute." She touched the side of the tower and disappeared.
Cole placed his hands in his pockets and waited silently for her to return. Elven pedestrians watched him warily as they passed. On any other day the green eyed warrior may have felt uneasy, but do to his current mood he couldn't give a damn whether they wanted him around or not. It was a few more minutes before Lorene finally returned. She had changed clothes to brown and green sparring leathers with a pair of claws hanging from her sides. In her arms was something wrapped in a white cloth.
"What's that?" he asked.
Lorene extended the bundle to Cole, who took it. "Open it."
Cole carefully unwrapped the cloth. He was mildly shocked when he saw what was beneath. He let the cloth fall to the ground as he gripped the ancient long sword Silver Beam with his right hand. The completely silver colored sword seemed to pulse with warmth under his touch. "It's been a long time," he said quietly.
"Selene wrote that at one time you used it against the Magic Emperor," explained Lorene. "I thought it only right that you be allowed to wield it again."
Cole looked away from the weapon for the first time. "Won't your family disapprove?"
The elf shook her head. "Who cares. The sword was left to me, so it's mine to do with as I please. I want you to have it."
Cole gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you, Lorene. I'm honored to have such an elegant blade." Suddenly, Cole noticed a strange object hanging around Lorene's neck that had not been there earlier.
As the warrior focused on it, it was unmistakably a hand sized crest in the shape of a golden dragon. "Where did you get that?" he asked with a gesture towards the crest.
Lorene had just picked up the cloth. "This?" she replied while fingering it with her left hand. "Vaul gave it to me. Isn't beautiful?"
"Yes," he said quietly. Despite its beauty, Cole knew exactly what the young Gold had done and what it meant. Vaul had given Lorene the Crest of the Gold Dragon, and thus chosen her as his Dragon Knight.
The next several days passed relatively easily for Cole for one main reason. He had a new goal to focus on. Unbeknownst to her, Lorene was now entangled in his destiny and that of his friends. Having been marked as a Dragon Knight, she was about to enter a world of great danger. Therefore, Cole saw it as his task to make sure, despite the little time they had, that she would be ready to face these dangers. So for the remaining days before the ceremony, Cole and Lorene trained.
Having lived for almost two hundred years already, Cole found her to already be an adequate fighter. All she really lacked was experience. The relative seclusion of the Fairy Tribe did not allow for much repetitive fighting experience. So for the better part of each day Cole tried to simulate real battle scenarios for Lorene. The realism entailed near full contact training, which resulted in numerous minor wounds for the combatants. At times the former Dragonmaster also asked Damion to fight with them. The dead man's unnatural powers were excellent for Lorene to learn that not all fights are fair.
It was the end of training for the sixth day. As evening approached, it found Cole, in sweat drenched black practice cloths, Lorene, in her torn training leathers, and Vaul walking, or flying in the young dragon's case, back to the center of the city. The streets were empty with only the sounds of approaching night in their ears.
"Well, tomorrow's the big day," commented Lorene. "You guys will be leaving."
Cole nodded silently debating what to say next. He had spoken with Vaul about explaining to Lorene what the Crest around her neck meant. Of course, it would be up to her to decide if she did want to go with them. As they reached the Tri-Towers, Cole knew it was time.
"Lorene," he started to say. "There is something we need to explain to you."
She looked from him to Vaul. "What's the matter?"
Cole cleared his throat before continuing. "In the past couple of years, I've learned to accept certain things when they happen. I may not always like it, but destiny has a strange way of pulling all the pieces together so that we may play out our fates." He pointed to the Gold Crest. "What Vaul has given you is more than just a trinket. Our little friend has chosen you for a very big responsibility."
Lorene was shaking slightly. "What are you talking about?"
"Vaul has chosen you to be the Gold Dragon Knight," Cole said finally.
Her violet eyes went wide. "Are you serious?" Both Cole and Vaul nodded. "You mean a Dragon Knight like your friends back on Lunar?" Cole nodded again. "WOW!"
She started jumping up and down in joy. Cole quickly reached out and steadied her with his hands. "Hold on, Lorene. There are a couple of things that you need to understand. By accepting this, you are taking on a great responsibility. If you become a Dragon Knight, part of your life is no longer your own. You are a servant of the Goddess and a warrior of the Light. More often than not you will be one of the first to face unspeakable dangers with the risk of death every time. Can you handle all that?"
Lorene looked him right in the eyes. "So that's why you've been working so hard with me these past few days. You wanted to make sure I would be ready." Cole nodded. The elf woman looked between the other two. "I accept everything you have spoken of," she stated confidently. "I am honored to accept the mantle of the Gold Dragon Knight."
"Wohoo!" cheered Vaul. The young Gold landed on her right shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "This is gonna be great!"
Cole took a few steps back smiling. Then a new thought occurred to him. "I hate to interrupt the celebration, but there is one small problem."
The elf and the dragon stopped their cheering. "What?" they both asked at once.
"She has no Dragon Weapon," observed Cole.
Vaul's cat like face lit up. "No problem, Cole. I've got that one covered." He jumped off of Lorene's shoulder and flew several feet away.
The young Gold Dragon was suddenly surround by a golden glow. There was a flash right in front of him, and a large block of mysterious metal appeared in the air. Cole could see it was gold in color, but he knew that it was not made from that precious metal. Next, Vaul took in a deep breath and loosed a stream of golden fire from his mouth. The fire struck the block of metal, causing a small explosion. When the flash faded, there was a pair of claws hovering in the air.
Each claw was roughly two feet in length. The back ends were each carved in the shape of dragonheads with open maws for one to slide his or her arms through. But instead of a body, the necks went back and formed into five one foot long claws. The weapons were completely gold with silver jewels placed in the eye sockets of the dragonheads. Vaul nodded once, and they floated over to Lorene.
"I present the Gold Dragon Claws," announced Vaul proudly.
She gingerly reached out and slid them on to her arms. At first they looked to big for her slender arms, but a fraction of a second later the claws were a perfect fit. Lorene flexed her now clawed fingers once and smiled.
"Vaul?" asked Cole. "How did you do that?"
"Easy," he replied. "A short while ago mom and me made preparations just in case I found someone worthy of my Crest. Using our magic we enchanted that metal with the ability to take on the shape of any weapon I chose. All I had to do was forge it with my breath."
"What are these made of?" wondered Lorene out loud.
Vaul shrugged. "I dunno. Althena was the one who gave it to me through mom. All I know is that the rest of the Dragon Weapons are made from the same material."
Lorene was now taking practice swipes with her new weapons. Cole took in a deep breath before turning towards the towers. "I think I'm going to bed, now. You two don't stay up all night playing around. We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Wait!" cried Lorene. "You mean I'm coming along?"
Cole stopped. "Yes. You're part of the team now. You're in it for the long haul. Good night." He walked to the central tower door with echoes of Lorene and Vaul's cheers in his ears.
The day had finally arrived. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Cole now stood in the middle of the gathered crowd at the center of Ciryn-Tiell. Cole was dressed as if he were going into battle. The green eyed warrior sported a pair of brown, padded pants, a white tunic with a chain shirt over it, steel tipped black boots, and a brown cape. Lucia's Pendent hung around his neck, and Silver Beam was strapped to his side.
Damion, in his normal attire, stood silently to his left. Lorene stood to his right in brown leather pants, a green sleeveless tunic, a brown leather vest, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, the Gold Crest hung around her neck, and the Dragon Claws were hanging from her sides. Vaul was perched on her left shoulder.
Standing in a circle several feet from the small group were a dozen elven elders. Reinalthus had gathered some of the other elders from the nearer of the elven cities in the area to help perform the ceremony. The elf ranger Jorith stood at the edge of the crowd watching everything with a wary eye. The crowd quieted at Reinalthus' gesture.
"Let us now commence," he announced in an even tone. The twelve elders moved into a circle and joined hands. Their voices harmonized into one as they sang the spidery language of magic.
Cole was so completely absorbed in the ceremony that he nearly jumped when a chill ran down his spine. The green eyed warrior tore his gaze from the elders as the hairs on the back of his neck rose in warning. Something was wrong. He looked over at Damion, who met his look and nodded.
"Something unnatural is rebounding of the magic of the elves," the dead man whispered. His emotionless gaze scanned the crowd. "There is something out there."
The slight echo of his words hadn't even faded before a scream split the air. With the exception of the chanting elders, everyone turned in the direction of the cry. The crowd started to surge in one direction as bodies were thrown into the air. The elves broke into a complete panic. Cole's group, however, stood their ground. Weapons drawn they remained between whatever was approaching them and the elders.
The crowd had thinned enough for Cole to see what was attacking. His grip tightened on Silver Beam at the sight of the large man in blood red armor. "Vasen," he hissed.
The Blood Dragon in human form stopped fifteen feet from them and sneered. "Dragonmaster," he growled. He drew a large sword from his back and beckoned.
Before Cole could act, Damion loosed a battle cry and charged the Demon Dragon. Cole could only stand in stunned awe at the dead man's emotional reaction. In all their travels, he had never seen Damion register even the slightest hint of emotion to validate his sudden cry. Black daggers in hand, Damion attacked. His slashes came with lightning speed aiming for Vasen's vital areas.
The Demon Dragon reacted instantly with series of parries and dodges. Having completely surrendered to his emotions, Damion pressed his attack like a maddened beast. He lunged at Vasen's neck with both daggers. The demon reached through the attack with his left hand and grabbed Damion by the throat. The dead man loosed a gagged cry just before being thrown into the side of a building. Cole wasted no more time and charged the monster in the shape of a man.
Cole's attacks were precise and deadly, but Vasen managed to parry each one. Their swords locked. Cole tried to push at his foe, but in his current state power Vasen easily overpowered him. The Blood Dragon merely shrugged and knocked Cole back. As he fell back, Cole saw Lorene dash past. Dragon Claws gleaming in the light she went for the jugular. Vasen went to parry, but he had not been expecting to face weapons the caliber of the Dragon Claws. Lorene's attack succeeded in slicing the Demon Dragon's blade in two. Lorene continued her forward progress leaving visible gashes on Vasen's face.
The Blood Dragon roared in pain. His armor seemed to ripple. Cole blinked once, and Vasen had doubled in size and was continuing to grow. His armor changed from metal to scales. Wings sprouted from his back, a tail extended backwards, and his head became a gaping maw of teeth. It was only seconds until the nearly three hundred foot Blood Dragon loomed over them roaring in anger.
Cole jumped to his feet and summoned forth his magic. First he tried to loose the powerful Dragon Magic, but none of the spells would come to his command. Left with only his sword attacks, the warrior grunted and charged the nearest leg. Lorene fell into step beside him. Cole took a quick glance at her. The Gold Crest still dangled around her neck.
"Lorene!" he shouted. "You have to use the magic of the Crest! Embrace the warmth to activate it!"
She nodded. An ethereal dragon of gold wound its way over her as they continued to run. Her magical armor was mostly a darkened gold color. Her lower body was protected by padded leather pants and knee high boots. A belt held up the pants with the Crest emblem in the center. Her torso was first covered by a golden, chain shirt and then a dark gold almost bronze vest. There was a gold circlet around her neck, and the Dragon Claws gleamed from her elbows to her hands.
Lorene seemed to allow herself only a brief moment to appreciate the immense power now flowing through her body and soul. "Amazing!"
"Good!" commended Cole. "Now focus!" She refixed her gaze on their target.
The two of them blew past Vasen's right hind leg leaving bloody gashes in their wake. The beast roared again and focused on them. "Keep running!" shouted Cole. "We have to try and lose him in the city!"
Unfortunately, a stream of lava halted their progress. Vasen's breath weapon melted what had been their escape route. Cole spun around and loosed the first spell that came to mind.
"Plasma Ray!"
A beam of blew energy flew from his outstretched left hand. It impacted on Vasen's massive chest with no visible damage. The Demon Dragon laughed. "Pathetic, Dragonmaster. You are too weak to pose any danger to me."
"Then how about me!" came an unfamiliar growl. Both Cole and Lorene turned their heads to see what they assumed was Vaul.
The young Gold had embraced his power and transformed. The Gold Dragon of Althena stood at least two hundred fifty feet in the air. Golden scales reflected in the light with similar colored fur running down his sides and back. His reptilian head had two white horns jutting backwards with a ridge of scales running down the center of his snout. Vaul straightened to extend his feathered wings.
"The Fifth Dragon of Althena," said Vasen in obvious awe. "We had wondered if you existed or not." He turned to face his new foe. "No matter, child. I will deal with you quickly, and then finish off the helpless Dragonmaster."
Vaul responded by releasing a cone of gold fire from his maw. Vasen reacted instantly and launched himself upwards. The cone of fire only succeeded in melting a crystal tower. Vaul ceased his attack, but could not react fast enough to dodge Vasen's counter attack. The Blood Dragon's tail lashed out across his face. Temporarily blinded, Vaul could do nothing to stop or avoid Vasen's hind legs as them crashed into his chest. The Gold Dragon roared in pain and fell backwards.
"Can he win, Cole?" asked Lorene worriedly.
"No," he replied flatly. "Vaul has the power, but lacks the battle experience. He doesn't really know how to fight." He lifted his sword with two hands. "Let's go." Lorene nodded and followed the former Dragonmaster.
Vasen was completely involved with Vaul. He had just picked up the Gold and tossed him into another series of towers. Vaul didn't get up. Cole summoned up as much magic power as he could and released a spell at the Demon Dragon's back.
"Fire Storm!"
Balls of fire rained down from above to pelt the monster in the back. Once again, though, Cole's attack seemed to have no outward affect on Vasen. The great monster looked over his shoulder at his attackers and smiled. Perhaps at the height of his power Cole may have been able to dodge the beast's next attack, but now he was just not fast enough. Vasen's tail shot out and slammed into both Cole and Lorene. The hit sent both of them flying fifty yards through the air. They landed hard, having the air knocked from their lungs. Cole could see that Lorene was barely conscious.
Cole struggled to his feet, but quickly lost his balance and collapsed to his knees. The ground shook as Vasen neared. The Demon Dragon's shadow spread over them. Cole looked up defiantly at the beast that was about to kill him. The sheer thought of having come so close to finding Leeta yet being stopped here sent a surge of emotion through Cole's soul. Suddenly, the Pendent around his throat was surrounded by a white glow. Power and rage flooded Cole's awareness. The green eyed warrior dropped his sword, extended his right hand towards the Blood Dragon, and roared with rage.
"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"
A beam of gold energy shot from Cole's right hand and struck Vasen in the left shoulder. The power blast continued for another few seconds. When it was over, Vasen was missing a large portion of his left shoulder. Completely drained of all his energy, Cole dropped to his side.
"Nothing... left," he moaned. He looked up to see Vasen still looming over him and Lorene.
The Demon Dragon was in a state of shock. His maw was open, but emitting no sound. He finally looked down at Cole. "I... don't know how you did that, Dragonmaster, but be assured that it was not enough." He raised his right claw. "Prepare to die!"
Vasen was just about to crush the Dragonmaster when something landed on the back of his head.
"Now, demon! Feel my wrath! Feel my anguish! FEEL... MY... PAIN!"
The Blood Dragon had only a moment to try and comprehend before two lances of pain erupted in the back of his head. His vision blurred and the scene before him changed. He was eating a meal. Suddenly a demon burst through the door. He lunged at it, but the monster merely tore a large gash in his side.
Vasen roared in pain.
Next dark armored knights entered led by... him!
"What's happening to me!" he screamed.
"FEEL!" shouted his mysterious attacker.
Vasen's vision resumed as one of the dark knights stabbed him with a dagger.
Unbearable pain seized him causing another roar.
Suddenly he was charging himself!? Vasen watched in horror as his own sword pierced his chest and stomach.
The pain intensified to a new level causing the Blood Dragon to start thrashing about wildly.
"Make it stop!" he begged. "Make the pain stop!" But it didn't the images only repeated over and over again with the pain worsening.
"FEEEEELLLL IIIITTTT!!!" screamed the attacker.
Cole could only watch as Vasen thrashed around wildly with Damion on his back. The green eyed warrior couldn't quite catch what the dead man was yelling. Suddenly, Vasen's head lurched in such a way that Damion was thrown off. The man in black landed somewhere out of sight. All the while, though, Vasen continued to thrash about wildly. Finally, the great monster stumbled forward close to Cole and Lorene. Seeing what could be their only chance, Cole summoned what energy he had left and got to his feet.
"Lorene!" he shouted. "Now's our chance!" The Gold Knight secured her Claws and nodded. "Listen to the Claws, Lorene! They'll help you!" With that they charged the stunned Vasen.
Vasen's large head was swaying low to the ground while he continuously cried out in pain. Drawing power into his sword, Cole readied himself to attack. They were very close now, and he called over to Lorene. "Lorene! Attack, now!"
Lorene was surrounded in a golden glow. "Gold Dragon Strike!" she cried out. The newest Dragon Knight became a blurred, golden streak as she flew right under Vasen's neck, leaving it an eviscerated mess. The Blood Dragon's head dropped forward for a brief moment allowing Cole to attack.
Cole released his sword like a javelin. "Cutting Blade!"
Silver Beam , like a silver lightning bolt, flew straight and true to imbed itself right in the center of Vasen's forehead. The Blood Dragon managed to loose one last, drawn out roar before falling to the ground dead.
It was over. Cole waited, but thankfully the Demon Dragon didn't move again. Then a new thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Damion!"
Cole dashed off towards where he had seen the other man tossed. He immediately saw Damion's black clad form lying in the street. Cole stopped beside him and dropped to his knees. "Damion? Are you all right?"
Damion's white face paint was smeared with blood. He coughed spasmatically and looked up at Cole. "I'm... sorry, Cole, but my time is... up." He coughed again. "My reason for returning has been accomplished. I have avenged my family."
"What are you talking about?" asked Cole. He looked away from Damion to Vasen's corpse. "Vasen killed your family. Didn't he."
Damion nodded slightly. "My thirst for vengeance allowed me to come back. At the same time, Althena aided my return so that I could help you find what you had lost."
Cole was shaking my head. "But I haven't yet. You need to hang on, Damion. We still need to find Leeta."
Damion actually smiled at him. "Not... that, my friend." He started coughing again. "Remember... to... open your... heart..." He exhaled once more and went still.
"Thank you for saving me, my friend," Cole said after a moment. "I'll never forget you. I hope you are finally at peace with your family." There was a cry from above. Cole looked up to see Damion's crow flying away. When he looked back down, Damion's body was gone.