The streets were crowded, but not in a good way as far as Cole was concerned. People trudged dejectedly down the once shining streets of Hibil, capital of Fummara. The rising buildings of the once proud city now seemed to cast their long shadows as watch guards as opposed to the beacons of industry and trade they once represented. The Dragonmaster watched silently as dark armored knights walked the along side the skulking Fummarans, keeping a watchful eye for any signs of trouble. Cole pulled his hood closer over his face and stepped back into the alley behind him.
Waiting farther down the alley was the rest of his group. The Dragonmaster and his friends had been on the second continent for at least a week. They had appeared on the border of Tollssa and Fummara. Cole had elected to arrive there for a specific reason. The Demon Dragonmaster would sense their arrival no matter what, but with their appearance so far from his own position, it would be difficult for him to locate them exactly. Just a day into their journey towards Habil, the party had been forced to avoid rather large search parties that had begun to scour the region looking for them.
Cole knew that his double was on high alert with his arrival, but failure to move against him meant that he was also paranoid. Which was just the way the Dragonmaster wanted it. He stopped in front of the group and peeled his hood back.
"The entire city is enslaved," he reported. "From what I was able to gather, Kole has put them all into work gangs. He sends a gang or two out into the surrounding areas to dig around, brings them back, and then sends out another gang."
"Which means he's still looking for the Stone," commented Leeta. "Then we still have a chance."
"How much longer until we can start our search?" asked Fox.
Cole looked past them and past the physical plain. "Ruby and the army are about half way to the Dragon Ruins. I'm sure between her and Reinalthus's mages they can get the army there in a couple more days."
"Can we accomplish what we need to in that time?" continued Fox. "We still do not have any idea where the next Stone is, nor do we know how close the Demon Dragonmaster is to finding it."
"Right," agreed Cole while scratching his chin. "We need to know how far ahead of us he is."
He looked over at Leeta, who gave him a knowing nod. "Spy," they both said at the same time. "Question is who goes in?" she added.
"I'll go!" volunteered Lorene. "I don't have a double, so that means they won't know my face."
Cole was shaking his head. "No. The enemy may not know you, but your elven features will make you stand out no matter how much we try to hide them. No, we need a new face that can completely blend in." One by one they all looked over at Itise.
He thrust a finger at his own chest. "Me?" He started waving his hands at Cole. "You can't be serious! I don't have the skills to be a spy!"
"Don't worry," assured Carmen. "You'll do just fine." The priestess put her right arm around his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. Itise simply sighed.
It was an hour later when Cole and Leeta were standing at the mouth of the alley watching Itise blend into the trudging masses. The pair turned away and started walking back into the alley. "Now what?" asked Leeta.
Cole reached beneath his cloak to produce the dragon's head pommel of the Goddess's Sword. "Now we have to get Kole's attention and give Itise a chance to infiltrate the Magistrate's Palace."
Leeta gave him a worried look. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"
"Don't worry," Cole said as he squeezed her shoulder. "We need to keep his attention here anyway. We can't let Ruby's activities be discovered until it's too late." It was only another moment before they returned to the rest of the group.
Fox, Carmen, Lorene, and Vaul all looked at Cole expectantly. The Dragonmaster calmly walked over to his packs and started unpacking the Dragon Armor. In a few minutes he was wearing all the Dragon Equipment and a black cape with the Goddess's Sword strapped to his left side, the Red Dragon's Shield on his left arm, and the Blue Dragon's Helmet in his right hand. He placed the Helmet on his head and turned back to the others.
"Time to go make some noise," he said with a smile.
Jackus wavered under the weight of the boulders he was carrying in the basket situated between his shoulder blades. Hundreds of other Fummarans were marching around in similar situations. The work force was roughly twenty miles away from the city excavating the rocky landscape for only the Demon Dragonmaster knew what. The ragged looking man struggled a few more feet before his legs completely gave out. He crumpled to the ground, sending the boulders everywhere. One of the rocks caught another worker in the back of a leg, dropping him as well.
Trying his best to get back to his feet, Jackus groped for footing to stand. Unfortunately his already taxed muscles wouldn't respond. When the taskmaster's shadow loomed over his prone form, Jackus knew that he would never rise again. The worn down man managed to roll over enough to see the black armored knight draw its sword.
"The weak are to be weeded out," came a low voice from behind the skull faceplate of the helmet. Jackus froze as the knight took aim with his sword. He even remained frozen in surprise when the tip of another sword suddenly protruded from the knight's chest.
The dead knight dropped to the ground before the stunned man. In his place stood something out of Lunar's legends. Jackus had grown up hearing legends about Dragonmasters, and he had even heard that there was one currently protecting both Lunar and the Blue Star. But when the war had arrived in Fummara, and no one had come to save them from the Demon Dragonmaster's tyranny, Jackus had stopped believing.
Until now.
The Dragonmaster drove the tip of his shining blade into the ground and extended his hand. "Take it," he said calmly, "and be free again." Jackus carefully reached out and grasped the warrior's hand.
Hands firmly clasped, the Dragonmaster easily pulled Jackus to his feet. "Are you really the Dragonmaster?" asked Jackus slowly.
The man gave him a small smile from beneath his red helmet. "Better believe it." He quickly drew his sword again and motioned for Jackus to start moving. "Get as many people as you can and get to a safe place."
For the first time Jackus noticed the battle raging around him. His eyes widened when he saw a huge golden dragon soaring through the sky releasing blasts of fire from its maw at the black armored troops that were supposed to be watching over the work force. There were others besides the Dragonmaster fighting as well. Each one was leveling the enemy force with powerful attacks. One man in red armor released what looked like a claw of fire from a bow. Another woman dressed in black released a wave of electricity from her hands that turned black knights to ash. A second woman in glittering gold armor darted past knight after knight leaving a trail of dead behind her.
In moments the battle was over. Jackus was astounded by the fact that this handful of warriors had just decimated elements of the Hades Army with apparent ease. He and most of the surviving prisoners were now standing as a single group watching their saviors talk.
"That should get their attention," the Dragonmaster was saying confidently to the woman with blue blond hair.
She gave him a half smile and sheathed her long sword. "When you're done patting yourself on the back, would you mind telling me what you were planning to do with all these people?"
The Dragonmaster sheathed his own sword and pulled out a strange looking white object with wings from beneath his cape. "A quick thought and I can have them out of danger and be back before you even blink." He turned away from her to the prisoners.
With hands raised, the Dragonmaster started to speak to the crowd. "I know that you are all very tired and scared right now, and that you probably don't really understand what is happening. Let me just assure you that you are all safe now. My name is Cole, and in just a moment I'm going to take you someplace safe where you can rest."
At those last words conversations broke out all through the gathered prisoners. "Where are you taking us?" shouted someone.
"The main continent," he answered. "The Hades Army no longer has any power in that region. You have my word that you will all be accepted and safe there."
"What about our families?" shouted another person.
"Yeah! What's going to happen to them?"
Cole was waving his hands now in an attempt to calm everyone. "Please! Everyone just calm down! I promise that I will do everything in my power to help other prisoners of this war, but unless you let me help you now there will be another detachment of Hades Army here any moment, now!"
That remark elicited a whole new set of murmurs throughout the crowd. Seeing his moment to say something, Jackus stepped forward. "Excuse me, but I think that I might have some information that could help."
The Dragonmaster looked at him seriously. He was about to say something, but the woman with blue blond hair interrupted him. "What do you have to say, good man?"
Jackus bowed his head slightly to her. "My name is Jackus. Before I was captured I was a part of the surviving rebel forces. I can take you to them. I know that with your help they can free Fummara."
The woman smiled sweetly and looked up at the Dragonmaster. "I'll take care of Jackus. You get these people out of here and hurry back."
The Dragonmaster didn't say anything. He merely smiled warmly back at her and nodded. "All right, everybody!" he called out. "Just stay calm! This will only take a moment!" Jackus watched in awe as the entire crowd disappeared in a swirl of yellow magic.
Everyone gathered in the audience hall of the Magistrate's Palace stiffened in reaction to the Demon Dragonmaster's roar of anger. "Arlax!"
The Chaos Dragon walked down the red carpet towards the room's throne. "Yes, my lord?"
"Gather a force of demons!" Kole vaulted from his throne towards the Demon Dragon. "He's struck, and I mean to catch him before he can disappear again!"
"It has been several minutes since the battle could be felt, Lord Kole," replied the Demon Dragon calmly. "If it is the Dragonmaster's group then the battle is already over, and he is long gone."
Kole spun around angrily. "I don't care! I want his head!" He grabbed the front of Arlax's vest and pulled him close. "Take your demons out there now and find him, or else," he hissed menacingly.
Arlax carefully removed himself from the Demon Dragonmaster's grip and bowed his head slightly. "As you command." He walked past the enraged man out of the hall.
The Chaos Dragon noted to himself as he walked that Kole's behavior was getting worse every day. Ever since their loss at Meribia and the reappearance of the Dragonmaster, he had become increasingly paranoid and hostile. The once calculating warrior was now a raging beast acting purely on instinct. Arlax made a mental note to find out what could possibly make the man change so drastically in such a short period of time.
"Leeta, we can't stay here much longer," warned Carmen. "I can sense the enemy heading this way in force." The priestess's face was grim. "I feel a Demon Dragon among them."
The princess nodded at her friend. "We give him one more minute, then we leave."
"Are you saying that you would leave without so much as a note for me?" came Cole's voice from behind.
Leeta spun around and punched him in the chest. "Don't scare me like that!" she snapped. She took a couple of deep breaths and settled herself. "Is it done?"
He gave her a single nod. "All refugees have been deposited in New Pao." Cole's head turned towards the south and his eyes thinned. "We'd better get out of here, quick. Vaul!"
There was a rush of air as the Gold Dragon landed near them. He angled one of his wings, and the group started to climb onto his back. Jackus hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure it's safe?" he asked Cole and Leeta.
"Perfectly," they replied in unison. Each one took the man by the arm and steered him up the wing and onto Vaul's furry back.
Cole gave a nod to Lorene, who was sitting at the base of Vaul's neck. "Okay, Vaul!" she cried. "Let's go!"
With a great flap of his wings, the Gold launched himself high into the air northward. "Where to?" he called back to his passengers.
"Start flying north!" Jackus called up. "I'll direct you from there."
As Vaul increased his speed, a deafening roar split the air. Leeta looked over her shoulder to see the Chaos Dragon with a large force following behind it. "Damn," hissed Cole. "I took too long."
He started shifting in his seat until he was squatting. Leeta's right hand shot out and grabbed the back of his cape. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a dangerous tone.
The Dragonmaster gave her a quick smile. "Giving you guys a chance to get out of here." He reached out and pulled her close for a quick kiss. "I'll find you." Cole winked once before jumping off Vaul's back.
"Cole!" the princess screamed after the plummeting Dragonmaster. Clutching her cloak tightly around herself she started to get up.
This time Carmen was the one reaching out to stop the act of foolishness. "Not you, too!" she yelled at Leeta over the wind.
The princess shot her friend a pained look. "I just got him back, and I'm not about to lose him again!" She pulled her mother's pendent from beneath her armor and handed it to the priestess. "Hold on to this! I'll be able to find you guys with it!" Before Carmen could say another word, Leeta had jumped.
Magical energies crackled around the falling woman as she altered the very gravity around her body. It didn't take her long to spot Cole in the distance. Five ethereal dragons were flowing over him, slowing his decent. He touched down on the ground, and Leeta steered her fall towards him. When she landed a few feet from his position, the smirk he had given her only a few moments before was now replaced by a grimace.
"Are you crazy?" he snapped at her. "You were supposed to stay with the others!"
Leeta simply drew her sword and walked past him. "I'm sticking with you, pal. After everything that's happened over the past year, I'm not letting you out of my sight," she told him with a coy smile.
Almost immediately his grimace was gone with a warm smile in its place. He took two steps, leaned down and kissed her passionately. Leeta had to resist the urge to melt into his arms. When he pulled back, Cole touched the tip of her nose. "Feel up for a romantic run?"
She tapped the tip of his chin with her left index finger. "Any time."
Weapons drawn the Dragonmaster and the princess turned to face the approaching horde. Arlax roared directly at them. The air was suddenly super heated as Cole pointed the Goddess's Sword at the Demon Dragon and released the Dragon Flame spell. A dragon of pure fire streaked across the sky aiming right for the demon. Arlax dodged the attack easily, but with his focus on the Dragon Magic he was completely caught off guard by Leeta's Plasma Flare. Her blue fireball slammed into the Demon Dragon's side, sending him crashing into the ranks below.
"Very nice," commented Cole.
"Thank you," she replied after a deep breath. "Don't you think it's time to start running?"
He shook his head. "I've got one more trick up my sleeve." He sheathed the Goddess's Sword and raised his right hand. It was surrounded by a black glow as the Dragonmaster whispered in the spidery language of magic. An image of the Black Dragon appeared above them as Cole quietly said, "Black Dragon Grief."
Suddenly, a huge void opened up above the enemy force and began sucking them up by the hundreds. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was enough to throw them all into a state of panic and confusion.
Leeta looked up at Cole in shock. "What was that?"
Cole lowered his hand and released a long sigh. "Dragon Magic has two sides. One side draws on the elements for attack, and the other takes its power from emotion." He smiled, but it was etched with weariness. "Come on, we've bloodied their nose enough to slow 'em down and let the others get away." Both of them turned and started running northward.
They kept moving until they reached the safety of the foothills. Once there, they lost themselves inside what was left of a forest. It was a short time later that the two of them could hear the sounds of the remaining portions of the demon horde passing by. Cole and Leeta huddled close together in the brush as the princess weaved a spell to hide them from the enemy. After an hour of searching and roars of anger from Arlax, the horde finally gave up and moved on. Leeta waited another half an hour before releasing her spell.
Cole sighed with relief and leaned up against a nearby tree. "That was a close one," he said while removing his Helmet.
"It shouldn't have been," Leeta told him harshly following up with a punch to his shoulder. "Did you have to jump off of Vaul's back like that?" She continued to punch at him.
Trying hard not to start laughing at her attacks, Cole more than easily blocked her continued assault. "Sometimes one just has to act. Did you have to follow me down?" he countered.
Leeta stopped punching and crossed her arms. "We're never leaving each other's sides again, remember?"
Cole reached out and pulled her into a one armed hug. "Always." He squeezed her lightly before walking deeper into the forest. "It's getting dark. We'll camp here tonight and follow after the others in the morning."
As she watched her love walk away, Leeta couldn't keep back the frown that formed on her face. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate camping?" she called after him.
It was a short while later that found the pair camped out near a small pond. Cole, dressed now in his black pants and gray shirt, was putting the finishing touches on the campsite. With a whispered word, a small stream of fire ran from his right hand to the small fire pit in the center of the camp. The crackling fire began spreading warmth all around the small clearing. Cole rose from the fire to the sounds of splashing behind him. The Dragonmaster turned to watch Leeta as she bathed in the pond.
The princess slowly moved through the water as if she were gliding on air. The firelight played off her lithe form in the water, creating a series of dancing shadows across the water's surface. Cole picked up an animal trap he was fashioning to catch dinner and moved over to a decent sized boulder sitting at the water's edge. He began to fit pieces of wood together for the trap, when he noticed Leeta glide over to him.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Means to eat," he answered without looking up.
A few moments passed before Leeta spoke again. "Cole? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he said.
He heard her move slightly in the water. "Do... do you ever think about the future?"
"Of course," he replied while attempting to make his trap work right. "That's what we're fighting for."
"That's not what I mean," she replied quietly. "Do you think about what we'll do once everything's over?" The princess sighed audibly. "Will we have a chance to live our lives, or will something else just rise up to threaten us again?"
Sensing the importance of her questioning, Cole looked away from his make shift trap down at her. Leeta was resting against the edge of the pond with her chin resting on folded arms. Drops of water were running down her face, glittering like tiny diamonds in the firelight. As Cole looked into her eyes, he saw a sudden, deep need for... an answer.
Cole placed the trap on the ground so that he could focus on her completely. "What's wrong?"
She sniffed, and Cole could see that some of the drops running down her face were not simply water dripping from her hair. "I don't know. Even if we win this war, what will happen after that? Will we even have a moment's rest before the next crisis appears? And what if a crisis doesn't pop up? Can we even live without some dire evil trying to destroy the world?" More tears than water were starting to fall.
"Shhh," he said soothingly. Cole reached down and placed his hand on top of her head. "It's all right."
Leeta started shaking her head. "I don't know that, Cole. Can you really tell me that, truthfully?"
The Dragonmaster carefully slid off the boulder and down to the pond's edge, right in front of her. "Yes," he said confidently. "I've always figured that when this was all over a couple of things would happen. First, you would turn Lucitania over to the Council of Ministers completely, and I'd hang up the Dragon Armor for a while. Then we'd go off some where, live quietly, and work on our..." he started blushing slightly, "family."
Her eyes went wide at his last statement. "Do... do you really mean that?" she asked tentatively. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Cole smiled at her lovingly, reached out, and caressed the side of her face. "If you'll have me?"
Leeta's response was to lunge forward out of the water, throw her arms around his neck, and kiss him passionately. She pulled back for a brief second to grin at Cole. "I'll have you now, later, and forever." The princess leaned in again to continue their kiss.
Letting himself be drawn into the moment, Cole wrapped his arms tightly around her wet form. He was so caught up in their embrace, that the Dragonmaster didn't even realize it when Leeta started to pull them both into the water. Just before coming into contact with the pond itself, Cole managed a small cry of surprise. Water splashed in all directions as Cole scrambled to regain some form of balance in the surprisingly deep pool. All the while Leeta, who was treading water only a few feet away, laughed at his situation.
"Very funny," remarked Cole once he was upright. He splashed water playfully in Leeta's direction. She responded with splashes of her own, which soon led to an all out water fight.
"Idiots!" bellowed Kole with a wave of his hand, although the room was empty save for himself. The Demon Dragonmaster stumbled forward off balance continuing to scream in rage. "You can't do anything right!"
He made his way around the oval conference table with a cup of wine in one hand and Kasra in the other. "You can't even catch that weakling Dragonmaster!" Kasra's black blade arced down, cleaving the table in half.
Kole stumbled a few feet to his left into the wall. He slammed his back into the marble and slid down into a sitting position. Kasra went limp in his right hand, as did the cup in his left. In any other state of mind, the following sigh would never have escaped his lips.
"Why?" he moaned. "Why was he able to get her back?" A lone tear trickled down the right side of his face. "Dead is dead! No one comes back!" he screamed.
His dead drooped forward in dispair. "No one."
Standing in an entranceway, not too far from the raging Demon Dragonmaster, stood Itise. The boy wore the clothes of a kitchen aide and was carrying a tray with a pitcher of wine on it. Instead of bringing the pitcher to the man ahead of him, he just stood there watching. The longer Itise watched the source of the darkness spreading across the land, the more pity he felt for what was obviously a shell of a man.
"It makes sense, now," he whispered.