Spyro: Dawn of Light, 3-24

SPYRO: DAWN OF LIGHT
Part 3




CHAPTER 24




"Things are moving too fast again..."

A similar thought raced through Neves' mind as he made his way to the inn.  After heading back to Warfang with the girls, and being sent northwest near the river after a tipper had said he'd seen a girl like Shimmer headed that way, he'd found some farmers leading the Unoren raptors to another locale to tow some heavy equipment that was being tested out.  Curious about their progress, and taking a long shot, he stopped by and chatted with the Dragons and few Furs leading the way.  The raptors recognized Neves right off the bat and started trying to play with him, but at a sharp tone from their handlers they settled to nipping and nudging each other.  Still infantile, but learning to obey, they'd made great strides in not only being useful but in becoming tame and sociable.  Despite their hideous, nightmarish appearances, they were probably the most affectionate creatures the handlers had ever encountered.  They were a tremendous asset with their incredible strength and their elemental abilities.  Some part of the ice dragon's mind wondered if these creatures would be useful in the upcoming battles, but for now a more pressing concern shoved that aside.  

An hour’s flight north landed him at the trading post, shutting down due to an attack leaving the shops too damaged to continue with the decrease in traffic cutting their profits into the red.  Several claimed to have seen Shimmer heading inland and south on the trail of something powerful that had swept through.  A dark shadow that exuded fear and dread had preceded the attack, and Shimmer was after it.

Inland and south had led Neves back to Warfang, or more specifically a scout outpost on the borders of its territory to the southwest, where some of the scouts had seen a dark cloud and a band of huge Rhynocs heading further south beyond the Warfang territory.  A raid party, Neves guessed.  They were terrorizing key positions for commerce.  Inland and south of Warfang was another trading village, Firetalon, one of the common stopovers for merchants before they would reach their main hub in the Warfang marketplace.  He had not seen the darkness nor the army, and no such accounts were found from the villagers either.  He must have somehow preceded them.  Not surprising since he had flown while the Rhynocs were stuck running or walking, but still, why had he not seen them at all?  There was not much else this far south...had he been wrong in his prediction?  But maybe one of the scouts or someone at the inn's bar could tell him.  He really hoped so, a full day of flying was exhausting work.

"Well hello there little dragon, lookin' for a room?"

"Sorry, just some information if any of your patrons have it."

His paws led him through the foyer and into the bar, his focus divided among the faces, the thick glass beer mugs at eye level on the tables around him.  With everything so tight and narrow, he felt himself clenching his wings against his sides to keep his bladed thumbs from cutting anything.  Lo and behold, beyond the distortion of mugs and sour odor of beer, he did find someone.

"Oh hello again!  So good to meet you once more.  I have news you need."  The pompous bear whipped out his notebook and quickly scribbled his verse.  "Wonderful, getting better all the time!"

Neves sighed long and heavy.  "Alright...what now?"

"Despite the unwarranted reaction, I am in quite the mind to divulge some necessary information to you my boy!"  Readjusting his monocle, he rubbed his fingers together in hinting fashion.  With a roll of his eyes, the ice dragon hopped up onto the opposite chair and flung his wing out, several purple gems skipping along the table.  Moneybags held his bag open at the table edge and swept them into it with his other arm.  "Delightful business! Always a pleasure, it is.  More gems in the bag."  With that he pulled out a few more of his fancy little "photographs" and slid them across to Neves.  The ice dragon squinted dubiously.

"These aren't Shimmer...and the quality is bad.  These are too blurry."

The bear's ears and wide grin fell.  "Er, yes, I do admit I was terribly rushed to capture these...but I didn't specify what news I had, and you were rather quick to cough up your payment, but pertinent this remains nonetheless."

"Wait...waitwaitwait..."  Shoving his glasses up to his forehead he leaned in and squinted hard at the images.  "That's..."

"Which one?  Oh yes, that one, that is Buzz's weak point.  His entire body is armored...except for a line atop his head.  It's as if he was dipped in something, or wrapped from the bottom up in a shell that doesn't quite mesh."

"I don't get who this is though..."

Looking the streaky blur over again, Moneybags "hrmmm"'d and then snapped his fingers.  "That's where the bad shot went."  Reaching into his pocket again he pulled out a few more, rifled through them, then offered a better one.  "Dreadfully sorry about that.  This is Spike, a shootist as it were.  Conjured by the Sorceress as an elite bodyguard, he is a mutated Rhynoc with an extremely powerful energy gun, and the accuracy and skill to assassinate a target with ease.  I do believe your friends narrowly escaped a bout with him just as he was finishing his construction, so his aim was terribly off.  Nevertheless they pulled off quite the feat."

"You speak as if you were there..." Neves grunted incredulously, no longer interested in the photos.  

"Er...trade secrets."  With that he switched to the last picture.  "Sleepyhead and Ineptune last night.  The aquatic enchantress was buffing his explosive wards, but I believe you can see a glaring flaw there on her back."

Re-routed to the pictures, Neves squinted again.  "A gem?"

"A shard of crystal.  Or an entire Realms gem.  Either way, magic focii."  Shaking his head he snorted a bit.  "Eh...too forced.  Anyway, several of them, notably the stronger magicians, have found ways to achieve near-invincibility, but as per the nature of magic, there is some...give and take required.  Their invulnerability spells must have some sort of external focus, it cannot be contained within the invuln field.  Along its edge though, as you can see..."

"I see.  Anything else?"

"That's about it, but I would advise you spread the word to your friends, and soon."

"If I were to pay you a few more gems, do you have any information on Shimmer?  Or...Jinaya the Temptress?"

Moneybags pulled his monocle off and polished it on his pocket.  "I do indeed, my boy.  Shall we say...Fifty gems and it's a deal?"

"You're lucky you've been right so far..." the icy teen grumbled, two purple gems hopping from his outstretched paw.  

"Wonderful!  Getting closer every day..."  Bagging those, his face turned grim as he leaned forward and propped his chin on his hands.  His wide mouth was pursed with contemplation.  "Shimmer, as you may have deduced yourself, is very much active, but she is undercover for the most part.  I found out only two days ago that she's been right under my nose.  She is very slippery.  And I have a feeling she has quite a burden right now.  Not related to you, fret not, but she has undertaken a dire mission and goes about cloaked or disguised.  Where she is right now, I cannot say.  I have not yet found out what it is she pursues.  But trust me, she is quite well, if not stressed out and overworked."

Stifling a sigh of relief, Neves still felt his body relax a tad.  "And Jinaya?"

"You're a smart boy and I can see you already have your own preconceptions on her whereabouts...and you're only half right.  Jinaya was a master of shapeshifting.  I would suggest you pursue your assumption, but take care that you do not act on it should you be confronted...there is more than meets the eyes and senses afoot in this matter.  Jinaya has her sights set on you, however, that much I will say up front.  Be cautious."

"Are you saying that for my wellbeing, or that of my wallet?"

"Take it as you will," the bear finished with a chuckle.  "Depending on the depth of said wallet I could continue giving information, but I'm afraid we don't have that luxury..."  His line of sight drew the ice dragon's attention.  Angling his eyes just right, he looked at the dim reflection in his glasses.  Several uniformed Furs were stepping in, armed with familiar spears, their blades velveted but still all too potent.  "Run."

The simple word from the greedy bear struck Neves stupid for a split-second, but he slunk out of his seat and kept low, trying to stay beneath the tables as much as he could.  There weren't many between himself and the wall, but everything in here was dark, and with his white scales he stuck out like a sore thumb.  Behind him a chair scuffed loudly on the floor, making him flinch and freeze, but heavy footfalls going the other way said it was Moneybags getting up.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," came the bear's voice, but they stopped him.  Neves looked around hurriedly, taking in his surroundings.  Beyond Moneybags' round body, they couldn't see the ice dragon, not yet anyway.  Up above him was an open window someone had left.  If he could move the chair without drawing attention, he could quickly slip out, but they might see him.

"Sorry sir, we can't let anyone out right now until we've searched the premises."

"Oh?  Pray do tell?"

"A dangerous young dragon wanted for many crimes of assault, murder and other acts of disturbing the peace is suspected to be in here.  There is a reward for his capture if you have any details."

"Oh dear?  Tell me, is he white of scales?  I believe I saw someone like that not five minutes ago!"

You money-grubbing sonuvabitch... Neves mentally growled, claws tightening around the legs of the chair, ready to bolt if needed.  Very slowly he eased the chair, wincing as he felt it catch on the grout between the floor tiles.  If he pushed it too much it would scrape.  It was a quarter of the way removed, could he fit in such a narrow gap?  But no, he'd knock it over.  Was the window even open enough for him to jump through?  His heart raced a the prospect of being sold out for a few gems.

"Where is he?"

"I did see him out here in the foyer."

"If you're withholding information we can and will arrest you for compliance in his crimes."

"Oh?  And what right do you have for that?  How do you determine such guilt, present or not?  Such an impractical business measure!"

I can't let him rat me out, not here!  I have to get to Shimmer first and tell her I'm sorry!  He managed to wiggle the chair free of the grout.

"Which way did he go?  Into the bar or up to the rooms?"

"Ignoring the public's questions of your methods is not wise, my boy, if you desire compliance you should be more truthful."

"Listen fatass, we don't have time for games or chicanery.  Did you see Neves of the Guardians or did you not?"

The chair was clear.
The ice dragon was out through the window in a heartbeat.

"I do believe I saw him wander into here, though I was more invested in my hobby.  I collect haikus and was reviewing my notebook.  He seemed to be looking for someone, but yes, if I recall correctly, he was indeed here."

"But which way- oh forget it come on if he was here he's probably already gone by now!"  

Thinking quickly, Neves breathed at the side of the inn, forming a flight of icy steps up to the awning.  He settled in the rafters just under the wood and dispelled his ice just in time; from his perch next to a bird's nest he saw their feet on the road.  Curling his tail and wings tight against himself he hoped they wouldn't look.  They stepped closer, looking around.

"Feh...he knew we were onto 'im.  Look, scratch marks on the sill, a few tracks here...he slipped through the window."

"The tracks go along the wall...I bet he booked it.  Used the inn to evade us."

"Eh, I guess we owe the bear at least a gem or two later, he was right after all, we need the public rep."

"Only after we determine Neves is gone.  I hate tracking in these town areas, too much large gravel and paving to track someone..."  Their voices faded into the murmur of shoppers and browsers in the main street.  Not too long afterwards, Moneybags leaned through the window.  

"Nicely done, if I say so myself...but too close.  Well, I'd best be off."  Humming something about money to himself he trumped away with his bag of gems clinking.

Neves wanted to take that advice himself but he knew the guards would be back soon to double-check his trail and then try to branch out and locate him.  They were intentionally vacating the area to create a false sense of security.  They'd be back and with greater numbers in case he was hiding locally trying to listen to them and gauge their position.  He knew the trick well enough, but to be the victim of it was a whole other matter.

Did Moneybags actually calculate that whole gig? he asked himself, thoroughly confused now by the bear's seeming treachery.  Was he looking to make more money off me, or...did he actually just play all of us so I could escape and he'd still get paid?  The more he thought about it, the more it confused him.  If he was so eager to make money, why had he diverted on the topic of their business model of arrest for compliance?  But then he had told them what they were asking for...but only just after the escape.  Were those interrogations timed to give him just enough room to escape? Had he intentionally diverted them to keep them from asking the others in the bar?  Or did he just want the reward money to himself if so?

Shaking his head, he groaned.  It hurt to think right now with the adrenaline wearing off, and he needed to be alert in case those guards returned soon.  There was nowhere else to hide and no doubt the place was being watched now that they'd determined his method of escape.  

Indeed, the guards returned en masse to scour the area, but they dispersed quickly to try to hem him into the town and cut off his escape.  Neves chanced a few nibbles of jerky, trying to stave off the headache from straining his ears to catch any possible signs of discovery.  Several times a few of the guards would double back to the inn and check the scratches and footprints, but finally they gathered outside the front door, just within earshot as the afternoon dragged on and many of the locals began to head for the bar to drown their worldly woes in wisharch ale.

"Have you seen this dragon?" they'd ask of anyone passing through the door, but none could answer.  A few who had been there during the incident corroborated Moneybags' story of him being in the bar, but no one had seen where he'd gone after that.  Growing sore, antsy, and bored out of his mind, Neves contemplated the risk of escaping right now.  The side awning of the inn was decent shelter and all, but the bird nest beside him was musty and smelly and he really needed to stretch his wings.  

"Well...he's probably long gone by now."  

"I'd have to agree, we've spent too long searching.  He could be miles away by now, dragons fly damn fast, especially the little ones.  Keep an eye on that shadow passing by though, if any strays from that band come here we need to be ready for them.  You three, lookout duty first shift."

They dispersed, a few milling around asking each other whether or not they should chance some rum.  He could hear Moneybags still inside over the low murmur of voices, no doubt getting his reward for his assistance.  Shortly after that, the piano started up and there was a loud mixture of cheering, booing, laughing, and general yelling.  Wasting no time, Neves darted out, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.  How much he wished his element were conducive to physical carry like Plazyma's and Shimmer's and Cynder's were, or even Sidian's expected ability to travel through lava and earth, but unfortunately ice couldn't be used to carry himself along, except of course as a slick sheet on which to slide.  Weaving through the shadows of neighboring buildings, he made his way to the blacksmith's forge and hid among the crates of coal and supplies, taking the chance to stretch and nibble a quick meal before setting off again.  It was a very high risk of discovery but he needed to leave this village and follow that shadow.  If luck were on his side, he'd find Shimmer.  With things growing so grim lately, and all seven of them being publicly hunted, he wanted to apologize to her but he also wanted her back on the team.  Spyro and the others would no doubt need her abilities as the avatar of water.  Scaling the defensive stone wall though was going to be a chore, he couldn't just waltz right on through the front or back gates now that the guards he was here.  

"What are you doing?"

Neves nearly cried out in shock, whipping around to find none other than Kyria looking in curiously at him over the crates.  Behind her was someone else oddly familiar.

"I don't remember you being so jumpy," the other girl remarked, giggling at his reaction.  

He blinked blankly, trying to remember her.  "What are you two doing here?"

"An answer for an answer, girls first," Kyria replied, but then looked sharply to the side.  "Get down!" she hissed to him, pulling away from the boxes.  Neves scurried behind a tall crate.

"What are you girls doing here?" came a gruff voice.

"Sorry sir, we thought we saw a butterfly I was missing from my collection.  It's not back there though..." Kyria sighed in disappointment.

"Don't get any ideas then."

"We won't sir."  When he left, they peeked back in.  "Neves come on get your butt out here while we have the time!"

"Why?" he growled back.

"We're gonna get you out of here dummy!"  Kyria stuck her tongue out at him.  

"You rescued me, I can repay the favor, but we gotta be quick before they come back!"

Then it struck him.  Alaglace!  Two years past, he had rescued her from a slave trade during an investigation mission.  Battered, beaten, covered in cuts and bruises and sporting a few broken bones, he had brought her back to health as best he could and carried her back to the closest portal, dropping her off at The Settlement for medical treatment and notification to her family that she'd been returned.  Reluctantly he clambered out of his hiding spot, the two girls immediately pouncing him and rubbing their paws all over his hide.  "Ow hey what the- stop it!" he grunted, trying to pull away.

"Shhh stop squirming!  There we go," Alaglace remarked, clapping her paws.  "Just a few more things needed."  Kyria produced some strange waxy things and some paste, and stuck them carefully around his eye and down his neck.  She then wrapped an eyepatch around his head while Glacia added some more waxy shapes to his tailblade.  "Ta-da!" she proclaimed.  In the waning afternoon light Neves looked himself over, staring in disbelief at the earth dragon meeting his eyes.  His scales were grayed out, and down his neck and shoulder was a fake scar, no doubt aligned with the one put around his eye.  His tailblade looked more like a slice of agate now.  The band of the eyepatch had pulled down his long prominent forehead crest too.  

"Now we just need to get you outta here."

"But why are you two here?" he asked, confused quite a bit.

"We'll talk more on the way now move!" Kyria hissed as she peeked into the street.  No one was looking, so Alaglace shoved Neves out and Kyria followed, the two girls flanking him and leading him to the rear gate.

"So how's everything been?  I haven't seen you guys for a long time!" Alaglace asked.  "I never really got to properly thank you for saving me either."

"Eh heh...um...no thanks needed..."

"We saw the Wanted posters just after we saw you enter the inn and figured you'd probably need some help getting out of the village," Kyria explained, then glanced at some guards approaching.  "Did you ever find that butterfly, Ala?"

"Nope, I caught a glimpse of it but it disappeared into the field.  We may have to camp out there tonight and catch it in the morning."

As the guards passed, they switched the topic back, the poor icy male so lost now.  Kyria giggled and licked his cheek, then made a face at the taste of the coloring.  "I was here following that shadow thing, really, I guess you are too, I was hoping to run into one of you because after that incident at Akocanthe I haven't heard from anyone, challenger or guardian."

"The challenges were called off," Neves replied simply.

"Oh?  Well...that sucks."

"I've been here for a month or two now after we moved away from the battle zones," Alaglace explained.  "My parents want me to be safe but..."

"There's going to be a point where no one's safe..." Neves said in a low voice.  Kyria's eyes darkened but she said nothing.  Not too far from the other edge of the town they passed a group of dragon guards bearing two of their own, who laid still and silent on their backs.  

"Another attack?" Kyria asked, stopping.  The guards nodded.

"Could you run ahead and inform the guardhouse we have two more?"

She nodded and sprinted off.  Alaglace shook her head and nudged Neves.  "C'mon, my house is just around the corner."

"You sure your parents will be okay with me staying?"

"They've wanted to meet my savior, but just don't mention the guardians to them."  Her voice fell cold and serious on that note, which struck a bad chord with the icy male.  Had the Department's defamation affected them this badly?  The look on her face too was a bit hurtful.  

Just around the corner, as she'd said, was a small neighborhood of pyramidal clay huts, big enough for about four cozy adult-dragon rooms inside, or eight spacier rooms for the two-leggers.  As they neared the fifth one, a lonely snowflake fluttered past and landed on Neves' wing.  He pulled his wing forward to look at it.  It was a jumble of crystal points, hardly any regular form or pattern.  Chaotic... he thought to himself darkly as Alaglace slid the door to her home up into the wall.  He didn't feel very comfortable joining her after that note about her parents, but with one last glance down the street behind himself, checking out the design of the street, he followed her.

"Mom?  Dad?  I'm back!" she called, rather loudly for the size of the hut.  Huffing to herself she closed the door behind Neves, who was trying to figure out how it worked.  "Ever since they were caught in the Green Rain their hearing's been messed up," she whispered.  

"Green Rain?"

"They were crystallized."

"Oh...that."

She headed into the next room, but found no sign of them, in that room or the next, or the last.  "Huh...guess they went shopping or something.  Oh well."  She beckoned him to the right-hand side room, gesturing with her wings to the cushions and blankets everywhere.  "This is where we sleep.  You can stay here too."

He blushed a bit beneath the gray waxy coloring.  "Thanks, but...I don't feel I should lodge in the same room as a female my age...not yet anyway."

She giggled and rolled her eyes.  "Alright, but there's not really anywhere else to put a bed in here as you can see.  The other rooms are taken up."  Padding up to him she squinted, then giggled again.  "Kyria was right, you're so noble and reserved.  It's really cute."

"I...er..."  He gulped nervously.  

"Don't worry, I've already got a guy."

"He...won't mind I'm here will he?  I don't want to cause undue trouble."

"Kyria stays here too, it's not a problem."

Oh how great was the self-control he had to exert to prevent the exasperated sigh from abandoning his lungs.  Instead he forced a small grin.  "That's...not what I meant, but okay."

"Get yourself settled then, it's almost night so they should be getting back soon, I've gotta get dinner started."  The kitchen was the next room over, the back of the hut.  It wasn't much, a small stone firepit for roasting, some racks for hanging and curing ingredients, some different racks for cookware and utensils for the Furs, a spit-roast assembly, and a cabinet of spices.  A well built into the wall drew up water.  Alaglace leaned over the firepit with some flint lighting tongs and clicked the stones together until the sparks lit the tinder and coals, then got to work putting meats and a few root vegetables on the spit.  Neves watched from the doorway.  He couldn't help himself, really.  The way she moved reminded him a lot of Shimmer and he grew lost in his memories.  Snapping out of it when she accidentally dropped the well bucket, he sniffed the air.  Home-cooked meals...it had been so long since he'd had something other than jerky or mushrooms or fruit.  He missed making elaborate meals to share with the water dragoness.  Glancing into the spice cupboard, he sniffed at the roasting ingredients, then hummed softly to himself in consideration.  Alaglace glanced at him curiously.

"If you're looking for nibbles, you'll have to wait," she teased, gesturing to the meats and vegetables.

"It smells delicious already."

"Then why are you looking over the spices?  Fancy yourself a chef?"

"Not really a fancy, but I know a few things."

"Oh?" she asked, now curious.  "Do tell?"

He casually plucked a spice jar off the shelf, rolled a bit of the spice between his foretoes and sniffed softly, then threw a few pinches of it over the spit.  "Trust me," he said simply in reply to her look.  With that he padded off to the next room on the other side, the one he hadn't been in yet.  Just a few lounging cushions and a table big enough for two grown dragons.  These huts were really only meant to be shelters from the weather it seemed, not full-on dwelling spaces.  With the coming winter months it'd be pretty crowded, unless her parents were both ice, in which case they'd likely all be outside as often as possible like himself to revel in the chill.

Indeed they were; only a few minutes were given to him to inspect the room before the door slid open again, a biting gust ushering Kyria and two adult ice dragons inside.  Her father was a bright white, much like Neves, and even had a small crest arching back over his head, but even with his icicle-spikes and frills, and the transparent crystalline glitter of his horns, he was quite plain next to his mate; her mother was a curious color scheme, as if her scales were a semi-transparent white over black soil.  "Black ice", as the term was.  Her scales were curvy like wind-swept drifts of snow, almost looking like a coat of broad feathers rathe than scales with how they rose up off her body at their ends.  Unlike her mate, she didn't have horns at all, instead she had a wide back-swept crown of spines, with hexagonal growths at the bases.  Neves was actually rather stunned by her appearance; he had never seen anything like her, and despite all his memories of Cyril's prattling on lineages he couldn't imagine where she would have come from.  Her dark purple eyes swept the room and locked onto him while her mate headed into the bedroom.  Her wings unfurled slightly, displaying translucent gray membranes that glittered softly in the waning light.

"So you are Kyria's newest catch, eh?" she asked with a humored grin.  "I must say, she's quite outdone herself this time."

He blinked stupidly at the word "catch", his mind and manners suddenly shunted aside by his suspicions, but with a cough he gathered himself again.  "Yes, I am Neves."

"The same Neves as saved our daughter?"

"Yes ma'am."

She paced around him, looking him over.  "Pity she chose a fire drake, an ice such as you would complement her tremendously."

"Now now...she's made her choice," the father grunted as he came in, looking Neves over as well and stopping for a second.  "Oh my...Kyria's art in disguise has truly grown!"

The girl in question laughed and bounded over, bumping against the young guardian playfully.  "It sure fooled the guards!  He's actually a bright white beneath this."  She reached up and slipped the eyepatch off his face, causing him to wince a bit and blink as his eye was exposed to the firelight.  His crest sprang right up into place again.  "Now he looks a bit more icy.  But you'll have to wear this to get in and out of here, and that wax isn't coming off any time soon."  Handing him the eyepatch she winked and sauntered off with her usual sashay.  

Kyria's father nodded deep and slow to him.  "I cannot thank you enough for returning my daughter to me safely.  Might I ask how you came to be of assistance to her?”

Glancing at a motion in his peripheral, he spotted Alaglace peeking in and shaking her head at him.  “Right place, right time I suppose,” he replied, feeling a bit guilty about withholding the information.  “Slave traders are a horrible group, I figured I should do what I could to curb their awful practice.”

“What brings you to Firetalon?” her mother asked.  

“Tracking a friend I lost just before the Eternal Night event.”

“It’s been a long time..."

"I know...but I have received some news about her appearing near here, so I wanted to find out for myself."

"What business have you that would incite a hunt by the guards and the Department?"

At this, Kyria spoke up.  "They mixed him up for someone else, but the Department refuses to accept they were wrong."

"Really now..."  The older male gave Neves a sidelong look.  "Doesn't sound much like them."

Neves snorted softly.  "The Department likes to tout themselves as being a force of good, but I've seen them do horrible things and then lie about it.  Granted, they do still offer protection, but...vigilantes see themselves above the laws of others.  While they've been doing good, they're doing equal amounts of bad behind the scenes.  Myself, they'd rather kill me than ask what I did or why."

The two adults glanced at each other, but the father shrugged.  "Well, circumstances being what they are, I pass no judgement, you are welcome here.  It is the least we can do for our daughter's rescuer."

"Dinner's ready!" Alaglace called from the kitchen.  Kyria nuzzled Neves' shoulder.

"I'll go get your plate," she offered, bounding away after the grownups before he could reply.  He grimaced to himself but kept silent.  The plates were set, the kids were given the table while the parents took the floor.  Alaglace nibbled the meat, giving Neves her father's sidelong glance as she slowly chewed.  The resemblance was rather uncanny.  Kyria glanced back and forth between them.  "Alright, what gives?"

"Nothing," he replied, but Alaglace swallowed and grinned.

"Very good!"

"Indeed," her mother replied with a similar look of approval, "this is tastier than usual.  What's the secret, love?"

"Ask our guest," she said with a wing gesture to him.  "I asked him to prove his culinary prowess."

"Not exactly prowess..." he replied, feeling a bit sheepish from the attention.  "I just added a dash of alkyrthi spores."

Alaglace blinked and stared at the meat.  "Really...I never would've guessed.  The flavor enhancement is terrific!"

Kyria giggled.  "Toldja he was awesome."

Ignoring her remark he coughed a bit.  "It's not really good on its own but it's activatd with the greven spores you'd already put on, when they're soaked into the juices together the alkyrthi spores mix with the greven in the fat and release their combined spice.  It goes well with other spore-based spices too."

"Seems you know your way around a kitchen as well as a battle," her father remarked with a smirk.

"How'd you tell?"

"Well not only did you wrest my daughter from slave traders, who are themselves armed and trained to defend their cargo, you've the look and carry of a warrior."

"I didn't know it was that obvious..."

"All the more reason you should lay low until morning," Kyria urged, glancing at the small window near the front.  The small cloth curtain was secured over it, but against it there were moving lights.  Guards with lamps walking back and forth through the streets, no doubt.  

"Oh if only we had guardians like Alaglace of old..." Ala's mother huffed indignantly.  "We would be living in a true apartment, not some ramshackle lean-to constructed for refugee overflow.  There would be no reason for overflow to be an afterthought, the room would already have been available..."

"Alaglace...you mean the ice guardian during the Enlightened Age?" Kyria asked.  Despite his misgivings of the situation, Neves perked up a bit.  

"Yes, the same, our noble ancestor after whom our daughter is named," her father replied, Alaglace blushing a little bit.  

"You're related to a guardian?" Neves asked in awe.  "But how?  Guardians take an oath of celibacy."

"Much the same as the current ambassador guardians Rivyera and Nightshade," her mother said with a look of disgust.  "He had a family before, but when his children were kidnapped and his mate slain, he took up the position he'd been offered years before.  After the Schism Wars a group of young ice dragons approached him seeking training.  They were his children, freed from their captivity in the far South.  One of them received training but left to start her own family."

"Likewise," her mate added, "my family stemmed from the brother of the next elemental successor, completely unrelated mind you to Alaglace IV of the Temple.  Cryothos he was named."

Neves felt a strong urge to blurt out trivia he knew of Cryothos, but Ala's warning against inferring his guardian heritage stilled his tongue.  Instead, she answered for him, taking him by surprise.  "Cryothos?  Wasn't he the one who discovered the underground Dewclaw Ape Rebellion?"

As the night progressed, amid discussions of family trees, great ancestral accomplishments, and a few games of riddles, Neves forgot about his concerns for a short while.  It was oddly fascinating learning more about his icy heritage, and strangely comforting being among his elemental kin.  

"Shield within, I carry thee,
Pale and strong, yet fragile be.
Source of red, within I'm gold,
Left behind when all is told."

Alaglace groaned and giggled.  "That one's way too easy, I'm gonna let someone else answer."

"Shield within... carry thee..." Kyria muttered to herself.  "Carry thee?  Strong yet fragile...huh?"

"The last one was a stumper for sure..."  The older male grumbled to himself.  "I feel I'm overthinking this."

Neves smirked, waiting for the answer.  Alaglace turned to her mother with a glance.  "Alaglace, you may as well answer, for I too am puzzled.  I feel it's much easier than it seems but I cannot divine an answer."

She smacked her plate, launching a fowl femur right into her waiting paw.  "It's bones!" she cried out triumphantly.  Her parents blinked and then laughed, shaking their heads.  

"So simple!  Well played, Neves, to get us on a roll of complexity."

"Wait...I don't get it..." Kyria grumbled.  "Shield within?  How is that related to bones?"

"Your ribcage and your skull!" Alaglace responded with a teasing poke.  "And the gold was the marrow."

"Oh...right."  She yawned and stretched.  "Apologies, but Im feeling myself nodding off, I should go sleep."

"A good idea.  We should all rest for tomorrow.  Will you be staying with us long, Neves?"

The grayed ice dragon shook his head.  "No, I'm afraid I can't stay longer than the night.  I must be off in the morning.  I'm searching for someone and the last sightings I could find pointed this way."

"Pity.  It's not often we've come across a youth such as yourself with a decent upbringing."  Not sure how to take that, he merely nodded politely, then hid his yawn in his wing.  "It is time for sleep."

"I'll sleep here," he offered.  "I do not believe it appropriate to sleep in the same room as the girls."

Alaglace and Kyria both sat up to argue, but Ala's father stood up too.  "How refreshing to see not only good upbringing, but adherence to morals!"  He bowed his head again.  "I will prepare some comforts for your night then."  Neves tried to ignore the disappointment evident with the two girls.  No doubt they had wanted to spend the night chatting with him, but truth be told, as pleasant as it was being with other ice dragons, he still didn't feel comfortable hanging around girls longer than necessary.  

Everyone went to bed rather quickly, but Neves remained awake, staring at the ceiling and going over the clues he'd gotten so far about Shimmer.  Around midnight, a stirring in the bedroom caught his attention.  Kyria silently padded around the house, looking things over, then stopped to look him over as well.  He feigned sleep; it helped that he'd taken his glasses off already.  Nonetheless, he pretended to rouse from his sleep, looking around blearily.  "Kyria...?" he mumbled.  She shook her head and stalked off, heading to the door.  Lifting it just enough, she slipped out into the cold night air.  Keeping silent himself, he crept over to the door and listened closely, trying to tune out the soft snoring in the other room.

"I want no more of this..." he heard Kyria mutter to someone.  Curious, he slunk over to the small window and pulled back the cloth just enough to peek out, but he couldn't see her or anyone else.  Ducking back to the door he continued listening.

"...that I am the one helping you."

"I don't care anymore.  I'm done."

The other voice sounded older, much older, as if Kyria had suddenly aged half a century.  More mumbling ensued, but a gust of wind whistled at the gaps in the door and masked her dialogue.  

"...know better than to deny me."

"So you can get back at him?  The deal was-"

"Don't you snivel to me about deals, don't be like them!  They only think of deals but turn their backs as soon as it's convenient.  Do you dare do the same to me?"

"...No..."  Her voice was a scared whimper.  The faint sound of claws walking away told him she was gone on a walk or something.  Heading back to his bedding he got comfortable again, mulling over this new bit of information.  

Seems I was only half-right.  But this makes things even more dangerous...  His mind flashed to Cynder, and to Glacia.  I should've known.  Don't any of them play fair?




Morning came cold and gray, and very early.  As part of the provisions squad for the village, Alaglace's father had to get up before sunrise to make the best time for what little prey was left.  Her mother was an assistant to the healers, who had their paws busy tending the wounded soldiers.  Another two had become stricken in the night.  Kyria was the last to wake up.  Neves had no idea when she had returned, but as he and Alaglace finished off the breakfast her parents had made, Kyria padded in still yawning and rubbing her eyes with her wings.

"So you're off already?" she mumbled, sitting at the table and staring at the plate left for her.  

"I have to be."

"We'll walk you to the plains then," Ala offered.  "I need to meet my boyfriend while I'm out there, he's supposed to be returning with the scouting reports.  Maybe you can wait with us?  He may or may not have some information you'd like?"

"That's not what I was planning, but I think I can wait for that, provided it doesn't take him all day to arrive."

She shook her head.  "He always arrives before midday.  Him or his companion, in case one of them gets exhausted or cramped or whatever."  Kyria was still staring at her food.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." she grunted, taking a single bite before stepping away from the table.  "Didn't sleep well last night..."

It didn't take them long to pack up and head out to the plains.  Kyria bundled herself with a scarf, claiming she wasn't feeling well.  The field wasn't very far from their section of the village, and was far less guarded.  The plains stretched on for miles; the village sat practically on the edge of a gentle slope that strayed down as far as the eye could see, small low rolls of hills making it look like a gray-gold ocean frozen in time.  A few scraggly trees poked up here and there, the long grasses swaying in the breeze.  As the daylight slowly grew though, bald spots made themselves known, brown and dead from the abysmal weather of the last few months.

"We like to come out here and just walk around," Alaglace explained.  "I had a butterfly collection before we moved here, but someone stole it.  I like to come out here and wait for the butterflies."

A light tingle made Neves flinch.  Pulling out his communication crystal, he held his wing up to the girls for a moment of quiet.  "Yeah, I'm here.  ... Slow down...  Oh.  Okay then."  Putting it away he huffed.  "Mom."

The girls just nodded and watched the sky but Neves couldn't help eyeing Kyria.  Something was off.  After that call he quietly felt the area around them.  Sure enough, there was a faint twinge of darkness off to the south, somewhere in the field.  "Where do you meet your boyfriend?"

"Down that way," she indicated with her wing.

Right where the Dark Gem is... he thought, following them as they started in that direction.  As they neared the balding area, Alaglace stumbled, panting a bit.  "You okay?" he asked as he helped her up.  

"Yeah...I-I think so... I just...suddenly feel weird."

Looking around, he thought he saw the air waver nearby.  Another Dark Gem?  A spy?  He glanced back at Kyria, who was still watching the sky.  Her expression was quite strange though.  Assessing the situation, Neves glanced at Alaglace leaning against him, her body shaking a little.  He could feel the elemental draining pressure of the Gem from where he was standing, but perhaps it was his huge stamina as an avatar that made him more immune to its effects.  "Alaglace...I want you to head back to the village if you're not feeling well."

"But..."

"No, I'll wait here for him with Kyria.  If you're sick you shouldn't be out here, it could be serious."

She stared at him, debating in her mind, then finally sighed and nodded.  "Alright..."  She pulled back, then stood up and hugged him tightly.  "I never got to thank you properly for saving me.  I don't know how to either...but thank you so much.  For...for everything you do, too."  She licked his cheek and ran off back to the village, Neves at a loss for words.  When he was out of earshot, Kyria laughed to herself.  

"You never will change will you..."

With a heavy breath he started towards the crystal, ignoring her.  Leaping into the air he flew, hearing her follow closely.  When he landed by the crystal he could feel it pulling at him, stronger than any of the others he'd faced.  Already he felt weaker.  

Kyria padded up to him, seemingly unaffected.  "I thought you said the games were done?"

"I did, but someone cheated," he retorted.

"But your challenges are over, you don't have to bother with these things anymore."

Glancing back at her, he frowned.  "Is that Kyria talking?" he asked, then spun around and roared, pelting the Dark Gem with his ice breath as the Spirit Particles in his possession flashed out and circled him.  Before she could even reply, the Gem was shattered, leaving a smoking crater.  Turning back to her, his frown turned into a dark scowl.  "Or...is it Jinaya I speak to?"  The Particles floated around him almost like a halo.