Young Writers Society

~Cynder~

I looked incredulously at the bird. I could not believe how stuck up that show off was. Didn't the phoenix represent honor and nobility?

I looked around at the others. Even excited, protective, talkative Kirimbi was silent. She did not seem to like the attention being taken away from her. Ramur was silent as well, even though he usually likes to speak his mind what with that rusty filter-of-speech he has from being unused. Glamdor was simply looking at the bird, obviously uninterested but somewhat pitied her because her plumage was stained maroon red. I did not feel bad; she had gotten herself into this mess she should be able to get out.


"I think I fought very well, don't you guys?" Her gaze scanned the stony faces, though Ramur's was looking constipated he was trying to keep his mouth shut. Her eyes landed on me. Her gaze turned cold, as if my structure seemed like prey, I am snake-like after all.

"And you?" She sneered. "What do you think?" I merely stared at her. She asked again. "Well?"

She wants my opinion, fine. So I stared her in the eyes, to help her to understand I am not prey. Bird kills snake, but this bird won't dare make a move against me. My eyes turned turned icy; her gaze seemed to weaken.

Time to manipulate-that is my profession after all. I concentrated on making her fear me, and within seconds, she realized I was not to be messed with. Ramur then made the mistake of looking in my eyes to see what the bird was immobilized for. He won't do that again.

His reaction was quite comical. He freaked and jumped into the air, beating his wings frantically. It took three of the others to get him to settle down again. He spoke in a rushed whisper, "She is... don't ever, ever trust her." Kirimbi looked mortifyied; gossip is her thing. Glamdor looked at me in the eyes and my stare softened.

Ramur looked furious. "Oh, so, you can get her to stop can you? Why? Why?" He ended in an almost hysterical whisper.

I answered, "Glamdor trusts me as I trust him. I have no idea what you guys can do. I can be trusted if you believe I can be. I speak in riddles most the time, and I have always worked on my own. Forgive me if I don't trust those who blame me for a fault not my own." I then turned around as the phoenix spoke.

"You don't make any sense to me. You all don't, in fact." She paused. After the effect had sunk in she continued, "Actually, I think the purple dragon is partly right. You won't get through this world without trust."

That's the first sensible thing she's said.

She then ruined it by retorting, "That purple dragon also needs a time out."

Praise taken back. I turned my head towards the cliff next to my side overlooking our little green patch of valley we were in. I then looked back at the phoenix and saw her smirk.


For once, I decided to speak my mind.


"Look, kid. I wouldn't join us if I were you. By the end of this quest we are on, there may be fewer of us coming back. And when I say 'may' I mean it is more than possible, it's probably a sealed fate. If you end up being the one dead, even when I've given you a warning, I have nothing more to say to you when you are on your deathbed." I paused before continuing. Everyone was looking frightened mixed with shock. "Also, aren't you supposed to be the one that gives prophecies and spreads hope?"


With that, I turn on my heel and walk a few steps out into the clearing we are in. I then spread my dark muted eggplant purple wings, watching as a green film spills off the edges, coating the ground in a sickening poison. Simply standing silently as the green grass below me turns dark and gloomy. I was feeling alone, misunderstood and sad-the only reason my poison works is because of hatred or deep sadness and confusion. Not to mention the feeling of self loathe and guilt.


If it weren't for me almost losing myself to Death we might not be stuck here right now.With some difficulty, I pulled myself out of my trance and beat my wings strongly, yet as always my stroke appears graceful. How, I do not know.


I soared upwards until my keen eye found a ledge big enough for my body to rest on. I glided to it and beat my wings again to land, though I took a bit of a fall by not beating my wings enough.


I still need to work on my landing...


I focused on being alone for the moment, thinking on how what I said to the phoenix could come true. In fact, I was quite sure of it. The thought did not give me much peace, however. It just made me face the fact that I might always be alone. The last thought that echoed in my head before I fell into an fitful sleep, in a nightmare of Death, was lonely.


Will I always be misunderstood? Will someone finally get that I'm just guilty and alone?

~Thoren~

Flashback:

I watch as Kirimbi frantically beats down with her wings in an attempt to extricate herself from the small lake. For a moment the entire party stands there frozen. None of us knows what to do, least of all me. It doesn't help anything to hear Crystal, the Phoenix, screaming at us.

"You are all a bunch of cowards! You just saved me from a Hippogryph and you aren't even willing to go and save your friend?! Albeit I am much more pretty than she is, but still—If you won't go and save her I will!"

With a sort of squawk she leaps into the air and flies to the drowning Kirimbi. However when she arrives she is powerless to do anything but yell at us. By this point we get our act together and fly toward the drowning Kirimbi and now also Crystal. Soon after she arrives she suffers from a panic attack and fell into the water. She shouts frantically that she is deathly afraid of water. Go figure! She calls us cowards and goes to save Kirimbi, then remembers that she is deathly afraid of water.

In a frantic effort we all help to extricate the too drowning creatures and then fly back to land. I immediately tune out the noise around me in expectation of a flurry of conversation.

~~~

Two hours later I soar to a great hight. As I glide the ground flies by under me. Rocky mountains jut up from below all around me. As we go onward that dratted Phoenix chatters away to her hearts content and my intense displeasure.

"My! The air is so thin up here! I am having a little trouble breathing! But don't you worry! I'll be just fine! I don't need as much breath as you do though. I don't have a clue as to how you creatures can fill those big, fat bellies of yours full of air. I on the other hand haven't the slightest problem. Perhaps the way you fill yours up is with food. No wonder you are so fat!"

"Well I think I know how you keep your belly full. It's absolutely stuffed to the gills with pride and self conceit. I have never met a more haughty animal in my life!" The sarcasm shows in my voice. Not that I don't like Phoenix's, but this one is particularly annoying!

"My belly isn't fat! Just because I have beautiful feathers doesn't mean you have to be jealous of my graceful, slender form you know!" As she is speaking we approach a large billowing cloud. The Phoenix shudder and launches into a huge charade about how she hates clouds. "I just hate them! They are so wet and damp. They are pretty cold too, not to mention dark."

"Fly through it then!" Glamdor exclaimed, his irritation showing. "That way you'll get yourself lost and won't be [/i]obliged[/i] to bother us anymore."

"Why—how rude of you! Sometimes you dragons can be quite distasteful! Maybe I'll just leave you to go your own way and I will go mine. The only reason I even bothered to travel with you was because I thought you were nice for saving my life. Well you've proven me wrong! I wish I never came across you and your... uncouth lot! Still though, I suppose it's my duty to stay with you and teach you some good manners."

She was just about to fly above the cloud, but Kirimbi snapped at the Phoenix and tossed her straight into the oncoming mass of billowing water molecules. Crystal exploded with a volley of angry curses of doom and promises of revenge. All of us, especially Kirimbi and I, laughed as we soared on a wave of hot air high above the cloud. A flurry of shouts and flapping wings drifted up to us from the cloud a about a hundred, or so, feet below us.

"Well Kirimbi, that was a brilliant idea," Cynder says. Now we have to listen to that selfish, flattering, and altogether enraged Phoenix. She talks twice as much as you do already, not to mention when she is absolutely terrified and terribly angry."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that. I can talk more often if you'd like. That way you wouldn't be able to hear the Phoenix. She is pretty far away from us right now anyways. You won't be able to hear her anymore in a minute or two.

But anyhow, now that we've take care of the Phoenix's threat, what are we going to do now, Glamdor? I think that we should go chase away that Hippo, whatchamacallit! He seems to be the type to easily be scared off. I would call him a coward, but we are still within easy flying range of it. Anyhow, he would be pretty easy to beat up, especially when he is outnumbered. Or for that matter we could go ask him to chase after the Phoenix. That would be quite hilarious actually. It would be even better if we could watch it happen. Of course to do so we would have to call the Phoenix back, apologize to her, and then recruit the Hippo thingy. So we might as well not do it unless we chase after Crystal ourselves..."

"When and where did you ever learn to talk so much," Gene asks rolling her pink eyes.

"Oh that?" she exclaims, eager as a puppy who is about to receive a treat. "Simple. I went to the Academy for Language Arts and Speech For The Especially Long Winded Talkers Who Love To Ramble On About Random And Rambling Things, Notably Rhetoric, Dragonlore, and Whoknwowswhat Whatchamacallits. Oh and did I ever mention to you that we met in my living room and I am the president. I actually had five students, but three of them left after the first five seconds. Now I have one. The other one dropped out because her parents threatened to sue me if I didn't stop "this nonsensical business" at once. I am not sure why they were so upset though! I even offered to give them copies of all my speech for free!"

Kirimbi continues to ramble on about her school for hours, but for the most part I ignore her until we land that night. Just as we start to eat however, that dratted Phoenix returns to our camp.

Up in the sky with Kirimbi...

I'm usually not that big of a bully, but that phoenix could probably talk the wind out of my star pupil (myself)! I started talking, not much caring what I was saying. Words rolled off my tongue, only thinking about what I was saying with my secondary thought system. Then I remembered something, the pearl! Without a word, I sped backwards, the speed of my departure draining the energy from my very soul. I couldn't think about anything else, just putting more energy and adrenaline. All the other dragons were staring back at me, their jaws agape, after my fit about having to fly. I crash-landed into a heap, sprawled in the grass. Clawing my way to the lake, I lost my energy and fell into a deep sleep.

***

I look up, another dragon stares back at me.

"It's time to wake up Kirimbi Sai Masaria, Protector and Finder of the Dragon Pearl."

I tried to form a word, but the dragon vanished and my eyelids fluttered open. In the place of a dragon, a fish stared back up at me. I thrust my paw after it, slicing open it's intestines until I hit something hard,

My pearl.

I yanked it from the fish, it's last meal combined with blood spilled everywhere. I pulled the pearl to my face and started licking it, not noticing the taste that can only be described as incredibly foul. And when I was finished, it glowed, showing me the image. My ancestors, clawing and pecking away at what was now their pearl. I nuzzled it and murmured to it:

"Forgive me, but I need the energy."

With that, I drew energy from the pearl. Looking into it now, I saw where the others were camped, I could not make out any personalities, the images were vague. Most were sleeping around the fire, but one was searching for me, high above the campsite.

"Take me there"

In a flash of light, I appeared in the campsite, the travel took a little bit longer than you might imagine because whoever had been flying in the sky had been persuaded to come down. The others sat bolt upright. Great, just great, now they would have me do that every other day just to do scouting missions. At that thought I spat in the fire, no one was going to get a word out of me for a long while yet.

I was bombarded with questions, but the ritual had to be carried out. I answered no questions, asked none, I didn't even demand food. Instead, I sang. A melody both mellow and sweet, something more welcome than the birds song emanated from my throat. For a long while, the world was silent except for the sound of my voice. I sang until all the others fell asleep. Then, while still singing, I reached a paw into the fire. The fire slightly burned my scales but I could not wince. I uttered the words into my song, words that cannot be expressed in these sounds. The pearl glowed again, filling with the energy from the fire. When it had reached full glow, I removed my paw from the flame, and the pearl let out a great wave of healing magic. My paw, which had almost come off in the fire, restored to it's original sheen, and, had been added to with one sapphire scale.

But, my scene had not gone unwitnessed. One dragon sat upright, staring at me.

Thoren.

I gritted my teeth.

"You won't tell, will you?"

He sat for a moment, as if thinking. The moment lasted longer than was usually intended, then he said:

"If you tell me what there is to know about the pearl, I will not tell a soul"

Again I gritted my teeth.

"There are... Certain things I cannot tell about it. But you have pretty much seen all that you should."

He stared me down, his thoughts should have been shielded by his eyelids as I would rather not say them here.

"Fine!" I almost yell "I'll tell you most of what there is to know, but when the time comes you must..."

I stopped, I couldn't tell him about the prophecy!

"Rrm, do as I say, if you are worthy."

A slight smile entered his face.

"Deal."

~Ramur~

The afternoon had been eventful. We had traveled to a different dimension, defeated a malevolent hippogriff, and befriended a vain phoenix. So when we reached our new camp and saw that Kirimbi was missing, no one was eager to backtrack or send out a search party.

"She probably met a new creature to talk with," Glamdor suggested, yawning.

I slowly swiped my tail back and forth across the ground, clearing the pine needles and pebbles for a campfire. Then I carefully nudged the larger rocks into a circle, creating a safe hearth for the roaring beast that would call that area of ground its home. After collecting a decent stack of wood, Thoren blew the life of a fire into the branches, illuminating the dying day with a warm copper hue.

Each one of us settled down in our place around the camp, some of us near and some of us close to the fire, our positions based on separate preferences. I was the farthest from the crackling centerpiece, curled up on a boulder and facing the green valley below us.

Cynder and Glamdor talked quietly to each other, but the rest of us were silent, dozing off or waiting for Kirimbi. I watched as Thoren impatiently stood and eyed the dark valley.

I had to have only drifted off for a moment when I heard a distinct rustling to my left. Startled, I lifted my head and peered into the thin forest.

It was the phoenix.

She had swooped into the forest and was flying around one of the pine trees, evidently looking for a branch to perch on. "What is with these trees?" she screeched, her voice reaching everyone's ears down around the fire. "All these pointy green sticks make it absolutely impossible for me to rest my wings!"

"Do you mean pine needles?" I suggested dryly.

She pulled herself to an abrupt halt in midair, watching me with narrowed eyes. Puffing out her chest, she replied hotly, "You know what I mean. I am not a tree-naturalist, nor will I ever become one. Trees were created to be perched upon, and unfortunately, this... this tree doesn't pass the test. What is the use of a-"

She was interrupted by Thoren's commanding voice. "You!" he growled. "What have you done to her?" He leaped next to me and onto the boulder, glaring at her.

The phoenix cocked her head innocently. "Who?"

"Kirimbi!" he hissed. "What have you done to her?"

As if on cue, Kirimbi's voice floated up to us. "Done to whom?"

Thoren and I whipped our heads around. Kirimbi stood near the fire, fingering her pearl. All the dragons swarmed to her, but I hesitated for a moment and glanced back at the phoenix. I was startled to see that she had disappeared.

Puzzled, I turned to hear Kirimbi's story.

Kirimbi, however, remained silent. The more questions we asked, the less she seemed willing to answer. And then she did something truly queer.

She started to sing.

I remember seeing Gene slump to the ground first. I felt confused; why would she fall asleep at a time like this? It wasn't every day that you heard a dragon singing.

Evidently, her singing influenced us to drift to sleep. I know this because when I woke up again, my internal clock told me that it was several hours later. I rose to my feet and stretched my back, carefully avoiding the slumbering forms of the dragons around me. Even Kirimbi was curled up and asleep.

No one's on guard, I thought. I silently crept to my boulder and situated myself there. What would have happened if a human came across us while we were asleep?

I stopped. Something was strange.

Someone else was there.

A voice echoed through my mind with the force of an erupting volcano. Help! it shouted.

I cowered, my eyes darting back and forth nervously, searching for the source of the voice.

The voice did not speak again, but a vivid image of a cave, outcropped somewhere nearby, flashed pointedly in my mind. I realized, then, that the owner of this voice was using a telepathic communication, and also sending an image with his brain.

Amaris

The air in Amaris' cell was dank and reekzed of sewage. Outside the large metal cell door stood three masked dwarves, making it seem like they were at a evil masquerade and he, Amaris bim-Linnarn, was the main form of entertainment.
On their way to the cell Amaris had seen nine similiar looking cells. It was dark inside the most, but as they neared his own cell he could make out figures inside. They were other dragons.
In the cell next to his he caught a glimpse at the sleeping creature inside. Itt was extremely large, maybe twice as large as Amaris, and had a black skin. It had many scars (definitely caused by other dragons) all across his body, but the largest one was across his left wing. It seemed to have split his wing in two, which most likely made it useless to fly with.
That's one large dragon, Amaris' schizophrenic voice said.
Quite, Amaris himself replied©, his eyes scanning the room for a possible way to escape.
We're not getting out of this one, are we? the voice replied.
Not unless we can turn into a wisp and fly out of this cave.
A knock on the celldoor echoed through the empty room.
"Eat!" a voice commanded from the other side of the door. A plate was pushed under the door, a disgusting looking broth filling it to the rim. Amaris could hear how the same process was repeated at the other cells.
After trying to consume his meal for several minutes, a deep, growling voice echoed from one of the caves. "Oi, Hreato! Fander!" the voice said, clearly trying (and failing in this dwarvish prison) to whisper, "We have a dragon in the Ebony's cell."
"Interesting. What's he look like?" a female dragon voice sounded from durther down the line of cells.
"Is it another hatchling, or at least an Elder?" another dragon's voice sounded.
"Didn't look like an Elder or a hatchling, Fander," the first voice said, "And to answer your question, Hreato, no I don't know what he looks like."
The one called Hreato sighed. "I hope he's attractive."
"You new dragon!" Fander called, "What's your name?"
"Me?" Amaris asked, surprised to be brought into thi conversation.
"No, the dragon behind your nose. Of course I was talking to you!"
"I-I'm Amaris bin-Linnarn," Amaris said still suspicious.
"Well, hello Amaris bin-Linnarn. I am Fander, the female you heard was Hreat, and this nit-wit in the cell next to me is Eolur."
"Who you calling a nit-wit?!" Eolur said.
"You," Fander said mockingly.
"Ow, if it weren't for themagical protection on each of these cells I would have friend you likr a rabbit!"
Just then a loud, deep voice (even deeper than Eolur's) came from the cell next to Amaris'.
"Will you three please shut the hell up!" the dragon (presumably the one Eolur calledcEbony) bellowed.
Almost immediately the passage outside was swarming with dwarves, many carrying long spears. Those carrying the spears started poking the shafts through the doors, making mant dragons (many who were sleeping) growl in fristration and anger as the spears stabbed at them.

“It was a great idea to come to the Rockies, Ghost! I’ve never seen so many different trees in one place before – there are pines, oaks, firs… Simply beautiful.”

The conifers are indeed magnificent, Scopulus. And the sedimentary rock formations are exquisite. How I wish we could have stayed in that canyon for but another week…

The Earth Dragon frowned. “I suppose the rocks were pretty, yes, but if you ask me, being that far from the ground is scary.”

Ghost smiled. His brother may not have been the smartest of Earth Dragons, not that they were too clever in general, but he was as loyal and loving a brother as anyone could have.

He raised his head and admired the surroundings. The forest was indeed beautiful, and he could not think of a better place for one of the Seven at which to reside. Still, actually finding Jura Sunseeker would not be as easy as getting to the Rockies. After all, creating a rift between worlds where the barrier of reality was weak was easy, and he could always scan their surroundings for the Legend’s presence, although covering a mountain range which stretched from Canada to Mexico on foot would still prove to be a titanic task. But Ghost would search for years if he had to – finding one of the Seven would be worth it.

Imagine that! Actually meeting Jura Sunseeker! Very few dragons had ever had the good fortune of meeting him while he was still in Mystic, but since he had moved to Earth, no one had seen him. What Ghost had thought about Earth Dragons in general could not be further from the truth when it came to the Lord Sunseeker. There was a dragon who would not call him a freak and chase him away. If only he could find Jura, then he might finally have a teacher who was proud to have him as a student and who could actually teach him something.

“Umm, Ghost, I think I hear a landslide.”

Ghost woke from his reverie with a start. He listened to the rumbling ahead, but when it abruptly stopped, he shrugged and said, Being a mountain must be taxing – I suppose it simply shrugged some weight off its shoulders.

“I’ve never thought of it that way…” Scopulus said, looking thoughtful.

Scopulus was like any other Earth Dragon at first glance: large, strong, and a shade of brown. His entire body was covered in spikes resembling short, sharp pieces of rock jutting out of the earth, and his tail ended with a longer, nastier set of spikes. He also had the forward curving horns for which dragons were so well known among humans. Overall, he looked like a living boulder, rough and brutish, but Ghost knew that inside that rocky exterior was a heart of gold. And not just some ugly gold ore, but gold more refined than anything Earth or any other Realm had ever seen.

The rumbling started again, and Ghost found he was irked at having his thoughts interrupted twice in a few minutes, and by that same infernal landslide. Except it was not a landslide…

A massive boulder twice Scopulus’ size rolled to a stop in front of them. Two arms and two legs popped out of the round rock, as well as a head, when the thing had gotten onto its feet. Another Rock Troll rolled down behind them, and a third appeared on the brothers’ right.

Scopulus bared his fangs and snarled menacingly. Ghost did not wait for the brutes to attack. Instead, he levitated a nearby rock and smashed it into the first Rock Troll’s face. It roared in pain, and even as Scopulus spun around and batted away the second Rock Troll’s claw, Ghost continued battering the ugly thug. Only when he no longer heard roars and groans from behind him did he cease his assault.

Unfortunately, there were still two of the brutes with which to contend. The second one had picked up a boulder and was charging them, but Ghost easily knocked out its legs from underneath it. He winced as the boulder dropped onto its head, crushing it immediately.

The third Troll, however, was nowhere to be seen. Ghost was about to voice his confusion, when he was thrown off Scopulus’ back. He hit the ground with a thud, and he was certain that if his brother had used even slightly more force, he would have broken several bones. Still dazed, he gazed at his brother. Scopulus snapped at the Troll’s head, but not before the fiend slashed his belly open.

Ghost went numb. Even as the Troll was hit by a bone-shattering wave of such force that it was flattened against the mountainside, he was aware only of his dying brother and his own feeling of horror.

Take them… was all Scopulus managed when Ghost looked into his eyes.

Obedient to his brother’s final wish, Ghost gathered every single thought and memory in Scopulus’ mind and ripped it from his consciousness. He gasped with the sheer power it had required and quickly replaced them in his own mind. Virtually all of his telepathic energy had been drained.

He gazed at Scopulus one last time. A smile played on his brother’s lips; it was there for but a single moment. Then it was gone.

No longer were his brother’s eyes filled with the warmth and love he had so desperately needed throughout his existence. Instead, it had become as emotionless and cold as the stones that formed the mountain on which they lay.

Ghost fully expected to be overcome with grief or to be fuelled with a boiling hatred, but instead, he felt empty. The loss he had suffered was so incomprehensible his body had no adequate response. For hours, he merely lay there, gazing at his brother’s stony corpse. Only when dusk reflected his mindset did he stir. He would have preferred not to move at all, but his brother would not want him to waste away on some mountainside; he would want him to continue on their journey and find the Seven.

With great effort, Ghost rose. Standing for even a moment proved to be too much agony, so he sank onto the rough terrain once more. He noticed a gaping, black hole in the side of the grey-blue rock and slowly began crawling towards it. It looked like it wanted to swallow him completely, but he proceeded undeterred. Finally, when the darkness of the cave embraced him, matter bested mind and he collapsed. The cave was dank and cold, but it would shelter him from the chilling winds that were night’s fingers.

With his last bit of energy, Ghost expanded his consciousness and probed the mountain for any sentient life. There was none, so he searched the valley to the east. He was about to resign himself to death, when he found an intelligent mind. His pulse quickened – it was not just any mind, but that of a dragon! And there, right next to it, was another! And another! There were six dragons in total and even a phoenix!

Ghost felt his concentration starting to fade; he would pass out in less than a minute. The dragons were still asleep, and since he had not the time to wake each one and explain his situation in detail, he readied a telepathic distress call. Ghost expanded his consciousness to the very limit of his reach and shouted, Help!, accompanying the thought with an image of the mountain and cave on and in which he was.

If there were any other sentient beings excluding the dragons in his radius, Ghost would be in trouble, but he had not the strength to think of such matters. Even when exhaustion finally claimed him, Ghost clung to but a single thought: his brother’s last.

I love you, Ghost.

The phoenix was thoroughly annoyed with me, sitting all defiant in her tree. As for Kirirmbi, her character is hard to read. She has a background that no one really understands. Not that she ever shared her heritage. She just portrayed a gossip girl-to which I say she is most certainly not. We shall see.

On to the present. Glamdor and I were speaking quietly on our plans for the next few days as we traversed the Rockies. We needed a quick route, but even with our flying it's easy to get lost amongst the expansive tundras and crags. Something caught our attention, however. A simple word, "Help." It sounded desperate. Glamdor looked around at everyone to see they had heard it too. He then finally turned to me. He did not speak in a whisper anymore. He spoke out loud,

"Do you think it's a trap?" I spoke clearly.

"Doesn't matter if it was or wasn't. It most certainly is now. It also means we are not alone."

"You don't say," retorted Gene. I looked around at the others. The phoenix remained impassive. The rest seemed to silently nod. I sensed something again-and I could swear that I saw something. Everyone else didn't seem to see anything. I couldn't get it off my mind-couldn't shake off the fact that there could have been more to the message. So I sat down and deepened my mind to allow my mind reading capabilities to take effect. Since I couldn't simply look into the eyes of the dragon who sent this message, I have to find another way. Before I could start, however, Glamdor questioned me worriedly.

"Cynder? Are you ok?" I put him and the others out of my mind and scanned my brain to find the message. My rose tail warmed so I knew it was starting to glow. I should have told the others not to look into it--anyone that stares into it becomes enthralled when my tail is glowing. I finally find the message, and I know because my tail is almost burning with excitement.

The message did have more to it. It had images.. a.. mountain cave to the... north-east of here I believe.. and a white ball of scales.. a.. an albino dragon?? My mind whirred, my tail burned like a fiery comet, all the while as I contemplated an albino dragon. What an idea! That seems impossibly ingenious. Though, I'm sure there are some weaknesses, as is to be expected with every dragon. Ooh, I can't wait to see him!! An adventure that finally appeals to me! I awoke from my sleep-like state to find an almost comical scene.

Kirimi was curled up, smiling, her orb glowing next to her as she slept. Ramur was almost pacified looking, staring off into space. Thoren was still staring at my tail, with an expression almost like he'd been beaten by a girl. The phoenix was face down on the ground-apparently having fallen out of her tree. Gene was sitting up repeatedly saying,

"Master? Student." Over and over again, quietly. I have no clue why. One person was missing.. Glamdor. Where was he? I looked around frantically, hoping something didn't happen to him-when I hear a soft snort next to me. I look to my side to find Glamdor curled up next to me, a soft smile spread across his lips, looking very content. W-Why is Glamdor sleeping at my side like a.. couple sleeps? Oh no.. what happened to him?? Did I say something? I then hear a soft voice coming from him, saying one word, "Beautiful." I panicked. Before I could say a word, Thoren had awoken from his reverie. He surveyed the others, but his gaze stopped on me. He chuckled.

"Well.. looks like I wasn't the only one affected. What'd you do to poor Glamdor, eh? He looks pretty content curled up there." He playfully smirked at us. I was so confused I just sat there dumbfounded at how this could happen. Glamdor did not look as if he was awaking any time soon. Hopefully the others don't wake up so as they all see this. That would be embarrassing. Uh oh..

Right as I thought that, the others stirred. They all looked angry at me, with the "What did you do?" face. Until they saw Glamdor curled up next to me. Then all of their expressions changed. Everyone wore a hopeful, pleased expression. Kirimbi spoke first.

"So you do have some compassion in there somewhere? Hm.." and she looked at the others. They nodded in agreement, and Thoren smirked. He moved towards the others and almost whispered to them,

"We should leave them alone for a little while. Then we can see if we can't find that mystery message dragon." Once again, everyone nodded and they all walked off-Kirimbi and Thoren, the phoenix flew back into her tree, and Ramur lie down below her, in the shade of the tree. Apparently he had forgotten all about the annoying bird and was just thinking about Glamdor. Yes, thinking about Glamdor, not me. Certainly not Glamdor and I?.. Deep in thought, I lay down too, waiting for Glamdor to awaken.

I was surprised, however, when Glamdor snorted in a sort of affectionate-kinda-way. I had to hide my face in order to muffle my sound of surprise. Then I looked up and saw something else remarkable. Kirimbi and Thoren, laying next to each other, but not yet touching. I wanted to have a little fun.

I hid my tail and began to work my magic. A minute later, I watched as Kirimbi brush up against Thoren. I smiled as I watching him raise his head in surprise, too enthralled with Kirimbi to wonder how that happened. Contented with my little bit of fun, I curled up into a deep sleep next to a.. warm.. and comforting.. Glamdor..zzzzzzz.

I awoke to find everyone else awake, talking to each other about the 'mysterious message dragon.' Glamdor was no longer sleeping, sitting up. My tired mind didn't register what that meant for a few seconds. I then realized he was awake. I immediately sat upright. I looked at him. He stared at me in disbelief.

"What happened?" He sounded slightly angry. Sometimes, if my mind powers overtake a dragon too strongly, the subject can't remember what happened. I decided to tell Glamdor.

"Well.." The words were hard to find. I didn't want him angry at me. So I kept trying to tell him. "I went into my mind, I had a hunch that there was more to the message. By the time you tried to speak to me, I was already deep in concentration. "

"Ok then that explains why you didn't answer me. But I don't remember anything after that. So tell me."

"E-Everyone here went into a sleep-like state. I was so excited with my findings, my tail started to glow. I-I realized I should have told evryone not to look at it when it does that but.." I trailed off. Glamdor looked contrite. He seemed to remember now what had happened.

"But why? Why didn't you try and wake me?" He still was angry. I couldn't say anything, I didn't know why I didn't try to wake him. Or the others. I'm sorry, Glamdor. It just felt good to see everyone happy.. including myself. I looked down at my silver claws that softly gleamed in the pale morning sunlight. My thoughts seemed to have reached him without my notice, for he then softly spoke. "Happy?" His anger seemed to have lessened somewhat. I guessed that he understood what that meant. Ever since I found myself of age in Mystic, I had never been happy. Glamdor evidently thought the same, as he smiled.

"Well.. then I guess you are pardoned. Just.. next time.. wake me up." He then got up and walked over to the others. I also heard one last thought from him before he blocked me out of his head. Huh.. happy? With me laying next to her like that? Then I was alone again. I got up as well, knowing that my fun was over for the time being. I put myself in work mode and walked over to the others.

"Time to begin planning," I said. The others gathered around, even the phoenix seemed intrigued. I saw a sort of newfound trust in their eyes. It's almost.. friendly. I cast the thought aside and focused on the images once more. It was hard to remember, unfortunately, so my tail flashed a few times. The others looked a little afraid but stopped feeling so once I described the images. I told them of the cave and its relative location. "Now, it is undoubtedly a trap-expect a battle. Though I do not know the enemy, I know that the dragon that spoke is friendly. But he is also very weak. Though he is strong in the mind-so do not underestimate him. Any opposers to the plan?" No one spoke. "Good. We fly in an hour. Get yourselves ready."

To battle we go.

I found myself lying against Thoren. But I had the oddest sensation that it wasn't me doing it. I was going to tell him something about the pearl, but then something came over me, I didn't know what it was, and it was now bothering me, even more than the fact that my pearl wasn't glowing right, it seemed as if covered in dust, but I could never seem to wipe it off. As we took to the air again, though the other dragons were still asking questions, I got lost in my own thoughts, which stayed my own. I almost ran into the phoenix because I had decided to keep my eyes closed, and as I did so she muttered a long strain of curses. I also wondered about the white dragon, I had heard of telepathic communication, but not in enough detail to know anything about what was going on here. My mind bustled with questions that I knew needed answering, but I couldn't succeed in giving a diagnosis that felt right.

We searched the mountain range, but to no avail. I kept wondering about the old gold mines we had heard about, riddled the mountains around here I had heard. But I had learned not to trust all my sources, though that's another story. Everyone thought something was wrong with me, though the phoenix didn't seem to care, more space for her radiantly-annoying-loud-voice-that-I-feared-would-wake-the-humans. I started licking my pearl, eyeing a meager hole in the rock. I spiraled down towards it, but Gene beat me there, and the next thing I knew, she had a javelin in her throat. My vocal chords produced something between a cry of agony and a war cry. Creating a force field around myself I spiraled towards the ground. My impact itself created a crater in the ground, but I was only just beginning.

looking past Gene's dead body, I saw a line of dwarves, and beyond them, something white. I snorted, this was now my battle. I whipped my massive tail around, knocking out some dwarves, but those tiny things are resilient. They got up and started throwing sharp things at me, my eyes glowed blue with fury. I snapped at a small group of them, only succeeding in getting one in my mouth, pointing his sword up at the place that would have lead to my brain. I chided myself for not putting a force field there, but who would have thought? I was trained in talking, not fighting. The rest of the dragons glided down behind me, I looked at them, my eyes saying, among other, more unkind things, "A little help here?". The dwarves grinned like something ghoulish. One trumpeted something that looked like one of my teeth, only when I was younger.

Many more dwarves appeared, holding their weapons in attack mode. Now I was scared. I couldn't close my mouth or I would die, I couldn't fly away or I would die the same way, I couldn't go forward because the dwarves could kill me, I hadn't learned any spells to deal with this. I tried to fight, but the spear got closer and closer to the pink flesh at the top of my mouth. The rest of the dragons were trying their best to fight, but, one at a time, they were driven into those cavernous depths. And last, I was forced to follow. I let one stray tear slide down my cheeks. This was my fault, I found the cave, I dived towards it, and I killed Gene in that process.

The traumatized dwarf was lead out of my mouth, but he wasn't the one at danger of death. I was. I felt exhausted, not from fighting, but because I knew I had failed, I had failed everyone. Only then did I consider the pearl, but my ancestors inside started warning me against it. I swallowed a lump in my throat, I was going to die here. I stared at my companions, I had to stay alive I told myself. They needed to heal, and I would do that, I would stand there and I wasn't going to back down until they could come away from here. I walked into the cage. I looked back, expecting the dwarves to close the iron gate, but I wasn't the last one. Something white was carried into the cell on the back of Ramur.

It seemed to glow, but it's tiny wings could not have been used to give a dwarf a good whipping never mind to fly. Then it hit me, I had heard of this before, in several different ways.

What I was seeing, was a ghost.

~Thoren~

I jump up in astonishment as a feel a warm presence next to me. I look over and glare at Kirimbi who is just waking up she is licking her pearl. I roll my eyes and wonder why she is lying next to me. I am about to accuse her of try to mate with me, but just as the words start to roll off my tongue a javelin thuds into Gene's throat. I am paralyzed momentarily in fear, but I realize that I am safe from harm, at least for the moment.

"Look at those dwarves!" Kirimbi shouts. "They have nets to try to capture us and pin us down! Come on! Let's fly away before they rip us to shreds like... like..." For once she is tongue tied and remarkably can't think of anything to say. "Let's just attack them!" she finally concludes.

"Don't be so rash and hasty!" Glamdor says cautiously. "We need to devise a plan for attacking them that will keep their main force tied up while we destroy the nets. Thoren, you fly above them and then dive. When the you are close to them, burn up all the nets. Kirimbi, you run directly at them! Cynder and I will keep their main body busy. Finally Ramur will help the captured dragon. Does everyone understand?" I nod along with the rest, only to be interupted by that dratted outspoken Phoenix!

"What about me? I don't have any assignment! What do you want me to do?"

"You are supposed to fly above the enemy and shout insults of the worst kind at them!" Glamdor shouts irritably, half expecting the Phoenix to protest and say that she was a competent fighter. However she merely smiled with satisfaction.

"I can do that! However I might claw those dwarves a little bit too!" She smiled mischievously.

"Do whatever you like!" I reply. "Just don't get in my way or I might just forgot that you are supposedly here to help us and singe your feathers a little.

The Phoenix pumps her chest and stood taller to let me know that she is indignant and stalks off uttering quite audible words of complaint, almost ignoring the fact that I am right behind her.

"I can't believe the impertinence those ugly dragons give to me. Even to think of my beautiful, soft, delicate feathers being singed by a cruel, yet courageous dragon is terrible! Though he did save me from that terrifying Hippogryph, I still can hardly avoid becoming indignant toward him!"

"Oh do calm down!" Kelpies exclaims. "I am sorry that Thoren is irritable, even if you are too... but we really better get going right away. If you are going to be left behind sitting here is the perfect way to do it, so you'd better follow us."

As if by an invisible signal, we all take of at the same time and rise high above the dwarves below us.

~Ramur~

Even from far up in the sky, I could see Gene's dead body. Her obsidian scales glinted in the sunlight with a life that was artificial; almost deceiving. I could see a single pink eye and the narrow slit of her pupil, forever unmoving, severed from the delicate thread of life. The javelin protruded from her throat, imbedded between the scales that had been too fragile to shield the attack. Blood the color of her skin oozed from the wound, dripping onto the dusty earth.

I rhythmically pumped my wings. Up and down. I was disturbed with my eyesight right then; disgusted with its magnitude. I was a hundred yards away from Gene's corpse, yet I could see her pupil, and the blood, dripping down.

Up and down.

I shook my head and shifted my eyes to the dwarves. There were dozens of them, spilling out from a crevasse in the rocks. Their weapons varied slightly, but most were identical to the javelin that sprouted from Gene's neck.

I wheeled around in the air, then tucked my wings against my sides, diving into the battlefield.

You would think that half a dozen dragons could beat any number of dwarves. Dragons are powerful beasts of the air and the earth, many of us capable of spitting streams of fire from our mouths and smoke from our nostrils. Our scales are like miniature shields, fixated permanently against enemies. Our claws are usually as sharp as daggers, and our minds can have supernatural powers beyond the comprehension of lesser creatures.

We could beat the dwarves, right?

Eh, no.

The dwarves' biggest advantage, from the start, was a surprise attack. They were numerous and clearly experienced in the art of capturing dragons.

I pulled up sharply before a group of dwarves. Two of them hurled their weapons at me, and one spear nearly tore through my left wing. I growled and lowered my horns, pawing at the tawny earth. One of the dwarves evidently thought that this was a vulnerable position and leaped forward to strike my head. My horns met him in mid-air, crushing his shield and smashing him into the ground.

I triumphantly spread my wings and reared up onto my two back legs, looking for the dwarf that would face me next.

The phoenix swung low in front of me, coming dangerously close to the dwarves. "You filthy, dilapidated midgets!" she screeched. "Is that all you have time to do? Point pointy sticks at dragons? Pick on someone your own size!"

I heard the coarse, dwarven speech of several enemies behind me. I swung my head around and saw five dwarves, each one carrying a portion of an oversized chain. I growled again, angry that they thought they could control us with chains.

Another dwarf poked me in the belly. This time, I roared in fury and lunged at him, but I was halted when I felt the chain wrap around my leg. Hissing, I spun around and snapped at them, but they stayed out of reach. Another chain slipped around one of my front legs.

I was infuriated. I noticed Glamdor and Cynder, cornered against the rocks, as dwarves circled them with spears. Kirimbi had already been shepherded into a colossal cage, and Thoren was in a very similar position as I was, fighting desperately to escape the shackles that dug at our ankles.

I struggled for nearly an hour, trying everything in my power to free myself.

The bright sky had begun to fade when I collapsed, utterly exhausted and resigned to my fate. I allowed the muzzle to slide over my snout and lock into place. As if I was a dog, the dwarves fastened a steel collar around my neck.

I lifted my head as the iron gate was swung closed around the dragons. But I was not with them.

"Unchain him!" one of the dwarves commanded. I was started when the chains around my legs were removed, inducing me to stand. The collar and muzzle, however, were held fast around my neck and jaw. The dwarves held on to a lead of chains that was fastened to my collar; they yanked this forward, tugging me onward. I had no choice but to bow my head and allow myself to be dragged along. My muscles burned and my throat was dry, but I continued.

Before long, I saw that they were taking me to the cave that Cynder had described in her vision. When we reached the entrance, a dwarf instructed me to lie low.

More than thirty dwarves filed into the cave; several minutes passed. Before they reemerged, I noticed a phantasmal glow ebbing from the interior. Then a spectacular creature came into view.

It was the albino dragon.

My first impression was that of shock. I had never seen scales so pale. The dragon's ivory body was so thin that it looked greatly malnourished. The shriveled wings were small and translucent, clearly incapable of performing their allotted task.

I could not even get a good look at the dragon's face before the dwarves brought him to my side and lifted him onto my back.

So, I said to myself. They're not using me as a dog, but as a beast of burden. I was especially cautious, however, to obey the dwarves and ensure that the albino dragon was secure and uninjured.

Out of the original group of dragons, each one seemed to have an intimate friend. Gene, of course, was dead, but Glamdor was clearly with Cynder and Thoren seemed close to Kirimbi... Who did I have?

When we reached the iron gate, the albino dragon was carefully lifted off my back and lowered onto the ground. The dwarves ushered me into the cage with the other dragons, none of which spoke. So far, we had failed the Elder: we were the prisoners of a population of dwarves.

The albino dragon was placed in a smaller cage adjacent to our large one. When my gaze shifted from the setting sun to his limp body, I noticed that he had no horns.

No pair of dragons could be so unalike, I decided. But something about him appealed to me.

For once, on this journey in Reality, I might have a close friend.

Amaris

Amaris woke from a loud noise in the prison. It sounded like more prisoners were being brought in, but the curved hallway blocked his view.
"What's happening?" Fander asked, sounding half-asleep.
"I donno," Eolur replied, "It seems like they've caught some more unlucky souls."
"How many?" Fander asked again.
"I counted five, but there nay be more."
"Quiet, you two!" Hreato scolded in a whisper. Then clearing her throat, she talked to the new caprives: "Hello, new dragons! I'm Hreato, and you are?"
"Who's there?" a female dragon's voice asked.
"Me? I just told you. I'm Hreato, and these other two knuckle-heads you heardare Eolur and Fander."
"Where are we?" another dragon asked.
"Somewhere in the Rockies," Fander replied, "but more specifically, in a Dwarvish Prison."
"Why are theyholding us captive? We didn't do anything to them."
"Hey, I just chose the wrong turn and got caught," Amaris said.
"Oh, and that's Amethyst," Hreato said.
"It's Amaris, actually," Amaris corrected her.
"Well, introduce yourselves already!" Eolur demanded.
"I'm Kirimbi," the female dragon said, "And with me id Glamdor, Thoren, Ramur, Cynder and some albino dragon."
My name's Ghost, a weak voice said in Amaris' mind. It didn't sound like the usual voice at all.
Hey! Only I'm allowed to talk in Amaris' mind! the voice complained.
Ecen a telepathiser won't hear you, Amaris told the usual voicem, After all, that would be reading my mind, which is impossible thanks to my brother's amulet.
"Who said that?" Fander sounded confused.
I did, me being the albino dragon the one named Ghost said in Amaris' mind again.
"Dov gar neigg tir!!" Ebony's voice was filled with anger, "All I asked was for one night of peaceful sleep, and then you dov gars chatter like the birds in the Amazon durung breeding season!"
"We apologize, Ebony," Hreato and Fander said simulteneously.
Sounds like a fun guy, Amaris' schizophrenic voice (let's just call him Amethyst for ease of writing) said.
I don't blame him, Amaris said, I mean: what would we be like ifwe've been staying in here for heaven knows how long.
At that moment four dwarves, including the larhe one Amaris saw that first day (the one he mistook for the Emperor), entered the prison. The large one was carrying a list of some sorts.
"The Emperor wishes to see to see the dragons in cells two, nine, ten and fifteen in the Arena tomorrow," he said, pointing at the selected cages.
"Well, it seems like old Brittlestone wants to see us two in the Arena, hey Hreat?" Eolur said.
"Yep,"Hreato sounded sad.
"And bring the new drahons in cages thirteen and four," the tall dwarf said, "let them see wgat happens to the Chosen Ones." He walked out, laughing loudly.

I was cornered and I was pissed off. We were being overtaken, and I could not overpower the dwarves yet. To overtake them in these numbers would be suicide. I knew I was not strong enough. I had to patient. I hate being patient.

In the present, I scooted closer to Glamdor keep his right flank covered. That, and I believed their intention was to put me in a cage. Alone. I also hate cages. Why? My entire adolescent life was a big, shifty cage the Elder had created around me. I recall those days perfectly:

My last day before my birthday-kiindahsul-was the last day I saw happiness. It was the last day of happiness, and the beginning of loneliness. I had spoken with my father this day. He did not speak much except to say that "Your mother is foul beast and a traitor to our kind." I'm not sure if she was a dragon or a different species, to be disowned so. I've never known.

I knew I was to start my adolescent life tomorrow. The ceremony. Revkoron. The ceremony of adolescence. Everyone celebrated it-I had heard the tales. I was excited. My father was silent.

Now I know why. The next day, there was no celebration. It was a trip to the Elder, and a showing to your room. I know now that the tales were fake. My memory was stripped of almost everything precious to me. Only little fragments can I remember now. "This is how it's supposed to be. This is what it means to be a dragon." Those were the Elder's words.

I haven't forgiven him for that. Especially what he ordered next. He wanted me to go through combat training. To which every physical fight I lost every time, the injuries worsening. After several weeks, the Elder ordered my training to stop. So instead, he shut me inside a dark room and for a while I could not leave. Every day after that was reporting to the Elder, eating three meals a day, sometimes walking along my long time friend Glamdor's side, and ending the day meditating in my room.

That room became my cage, my sentence. I came to loathe the place. I could not fully rest there. Not for a thousand years.

So yes, a metal cage is no more comforting to me than a pitch black one. Both are loathed, both unacceptable in my mind.

I return to the present. Glamdor and I stood backed up against the wall, long spears and heavy weapons and chains; the sun glinting off miniature hand-made armor that the dwarves wore. I would not be caged. This was problematic for the dwarves. I could do one thing, however.

I looked a dwarf in the eye and proceeded to speak with him.

Can you understand me, dwarf? I growled menacingly inside his head. The dwarf then started shaking his head side to side, obviously thinking he just heard a dragon inside his head. I growled again. He stood stock-still in fear.

I will not be caged, I will not be abused, and neither will my friends. Understood, whelp? Evidently, this was not the highest ranking officer, to be so afraid of me. I think he got my message though. He meekly relpied to me,

O-Okay, m-m-mister dragon. I'll do what I-I can.

Good. You might live. I concluded. Glamdor seemed to understand something was going on so he looked me in the eyes an spoke.

What did you say to him? I hoped Glamdor would not think of me as selfish to say that I hate cages. However, a brilliant idea came to my head.

I just enacted the first step of our escape plan-have someone on the inside. Glamdor smiled.

Crafty, Cynder. I smiled. My heart warmed a little. What is this feeling? The feeling slightly beating out the cold?

Kirimbi~Cell 5~A couple days later.

I stared at the others, then I stared at my pearl. My pearl had turned an ashen-white, the glow wasn't coming.

Maybe it was just time.

But it couldn't be, the prophecy had yet to be fulfilled. Might be that I couldn't catch metaphor... But I doubt that Getting yourself stuck in a jail cell counts as a great success. Well, at least according to prophets, Gene was the last death of one close to us. I stared at the white thing that was apparently a ghost. I didn't blame it, it was not going to survive, or was it? It was hard to keep my eyes closed as the waves of tears of both sadness and confusion battered against my eyelids. I cleared my head, I could only do this with one word, and the dragons would think I was nuts if they saw what I was thinking about in the middle of a cage.

"Pearl, pearl, pearl, pearl."

I started trying to clean my pearl, then a thought occurred to me, and this made my eyes close shut.

"It's my fault isn't it? I mean, I was the first to dive. I should be the one with a javelin in her throat!

I licked my pearl, but I saw my ancestors paw. It told me to stop. I knew he wanted me to get a life of my own. He didn't want to regulate my happiness. I wanted to throw that stupid pearl to the ground, but I managed to tuck it neatly into my mane. I started to choke on tears, but stopped as soon as I heard the clanking of a cell door.

Some dragon was being lead into another big room, a room with another dragon in it. A dragon-tooth horn sounded,

and the bigger dragon sprung.

The other one dodged as I tested my weight against the bars, then my flame. I had to get out of here! I had to help that dragon! The other dragons started jabbering, but all I could see was dragon wings and teeth and claws.

It was dark when Ghost finally woke. The stone on which he lay was still dank, but he was clearly not in the cave anymore; for one, the cave did not block his way by means of steel bars. Steel and iron was only effective against fairies, so the bars were most likely made of some durable alloy made to resist the strongest of dragons. And strong dragons they most definitely restrained.

Ghost could sense the presence of ten other dragons in the dungeon, each in their own cell. There were also ample dwarves standing watch and hundreds more in the levels above them. Earlier, he had been awake for a fleeting moment, but all he remembered was being carried into a cage. Clearly, it had belonged to the dwarves, but who had carried him into the cage? Ghost could be considered as small a dragon as you would ever find, and even he was six feet long. Surely, then, it was another dragon? If so, he had doomed a good Samaritan to incarceration. He decided he would mentally scan the dragons - he would know his saviour was as soon as he detected him or her - but first, he had to see about those bars and their dwarven creators.

Dwarves were famous for their craftsmanship, but how did they travel from Dementia to Reality without drawing attention? A colony that size surely would, so they must have constructed a new method of travel. It was most vexing, but he would consider it later. Ghost probed the energy of the bars and was surprised to encounter resistance. A sharp, stinging sensation attempted to penetrate his mind, but he easily suppressed it - it was a Dwarvish enchantment designed to restrain dragons, and though dwarves were Fae, their magic was strictly limited to enhancing their metallurgy and masonry skills. That they had actually managed to "dragon-proof" the bars at all was impressive.

Nevertheless, Ghost was still trapped. The enchantment did harry any dragon's escape slightly, but it would simply sting if they touched it - what posed the greatest problem was that the bars were made from Draconite. In Reality, it was called "Titanium", and it was the only metal strong enough to have dragon armour forged from it. Of course, if such a metal could protect dragons, it could also restrict them. The bars had a purity of 90%, so there was no way any ordinary dragon could break them. Even Ghost would have difficutly. He would be able to bend the bars enough so that he could escape, but it would leave him exhausted and incapable of freeing any of the other dragons, so that was not an option.

Having probed the bars, Ghost's awareness of the metal increased and he realised the entire mountain contained Draconite Ore. No wonder the dwarves had chosen it as their residence. Then something odd happened: a concentration of Draconite moved. Upon closer mental inspection, Ghost discovered the dwarves were wearing armour made from the alloy, but not as pure as the bars, save for the helmets. If anything, the helmets had a higher purity of Draconite than the bars. He did not even bother probing one of the dwarves' minds; any psychic dragon worth their salt would be able to do so, but maintaining a connection would drain much energy, making psychic attacks ineffective and exhausting.

Finally, Ghost turned his attention to the other dragons. Probing their minds without permission would be immensely opprobrious, so reading their auras and chakras would have to do. Looking out of his cell, Ghost saw that he was in one of two cells the furthest from the dungeon's entrance. Opposite him was cell number fourteen, which was empty, and to the left was thirteen. To its right was an empty cell, another empty cell, and a wall, so there were sixteen cells in total. Ghost was in number six. He decided to start at cell number one and progress numerically.

Reading chakras and auras was a non-invasive way of "scanning" another living being, but it mostly reflected physical and mental issues - not personality traits. Still, one's way of life was reflected in one's chakras, so if Ghost looked in the right place, he could learn much. The Crown Chakra, however, represented the divine and pure consciousness, so scanning that would be as invasive as scanning the individual's consciousness (or mind).

#1 contained a dragon with an unmistakably feminine aura. Her Sexual Chakra was the most dominant, and after scanning her Base Chakra and Solar Plexus, he came to the conclusion that she was a young, energetic Water Dragon. Her Base Chakra was functioning normally, but after scanning her Heart Chakra as well, he deduced she had a deep-seated fear of being rejected. His suspicions were confirmed when he sensed a blocked Throat Chakra. She was most likely loquacious.

#2 contained a dragon very similar to the first, yet they could not be more different. That dragon had an overwhelming masculine aura and his Throat Chakra seemed to be underused. An introvert - and a moody one, at that. Further inspection revealed him to be a very large Sky Dragon. His Base Chakra, however, was definitely overworked - that dragon had done much to survive, but at a great personal price, it seemed, for he was filled with suppressed sadness.

#3 harboured a most curious dragon. A male Earth Dragon, he appeared to be ordinary, but his Brow Chakra was a complete mess; there were two personalities in the same body! Clearly, that dragon had Schizophrenia and had neglected himself in pursuit of something else. He probably experienced severe headaches as well. Perhaps it was better not to visit that particular mind for some time...

#4 contained, unsurprisingly, another male Earth Dragon. He was interesting as well though, but most interesting of all was his depleted Solar Plexus. Ghost sensed a failed responsibilty and an intense self-loathing because of it. It was well-hidden though, so he was probably used to staying composed. A leader, perhaps... Ghost realised with a start that several dragons must have heard his plea and had come to his rescue, simply to be captured. He would have to apologise sincerely to said dragons - starting with their leader. But later.

#5 contained a dragon very similar to #1 - both were female Water Dragons, and both were loquacious in order to hide insecurities, but the second one had one distinct advantage and flaw: a pearl which practically radiated magic. It had a very strong bond with her, and it seemed she clung to that bond with an almost manic dedication - such an obsession could not possibly be healthy. Ghost could tell she was very much troubled, though not by what, but if he had to guess, he would say the pearl.

#6 was Ghost's cell, of course, and he knew his Chakras inside out; he was aware of every flaw and strength, every last personality trait. One of those was rarely sharing that information with anyone.

Cells #7, #8, #14, #15 and #16 were also empty, and most puzzling, #9 as well. It was the cell opposite the first Water Dragon. It had not always been empty, for Ghost could still sense a remaining energy field. However, its occupant - a male Earth Dragon - had recently died, and Ghost could not keep his consciousness there for more than ten seconds, for the poor dragon had suffered. The dwarves truly were monsters...

#10 contained yet another male Earth Dragon - Ghost had always known Earth Dragons were the msot common type, but seriously? - though this one was perfectly fine, saved for a fiery hatred, probably towards the dwarves. Who could blame him?

#11 contained a male Mountain Dragon, a refreshing change. He was no older than Ghost, but infinitely more foolish, immature and playful. One look at his Brow Chakra confirmed the presence of a bright, creative, yet easily distracted mind. A dreamer.

#12 contained the most interesting dragon by far. A female Poison Dragon, she was a rare sight indeed. Ghost was surprised to see a striking similarity in their chakras and personality. Both had a woefully depleted Base: an indication that they had once feared rejection, but have since dealt with it by rejecting and shutting out others. In both cases, the Sexual Chakra was blocked, but the Poison Dragon seemed to have taken a fancy to another dragon. Ghost quickly scanned the previous ones and realised there was a mutual attraction between #12 and #4. Fascinating. Ghost had always wanted to study a romantic relationship, but the opportunity had never presented itself - finally, it had.

Resuming the scan, Ghost saw his and her remaining chakras were identical: stimulated Solar Plexuses and Heart Chakras, indicating self-love and personal power, but blocked Throat Chakras, so restricted self-expression. Once he got to the Brow Chakra (and ever-so-gently prodded the Crown) Ghost was astounded. The Poison Dragon was psychic as well! He refrained from continuing the scan, for even something as subtle as having their chakras checked might alert a psychic dragon.

Ghost was still contemplating dragon #12 when he started scanning #13. She would have received the message clearer than anyone else, so she was most likely the one who had lead them to him. Ghost supposed she had never encountered another psychic dragon, so- He cut off as his mind registered what his scan was telling him. Dragon #13, a male Mountain Dragon, was practically identical to Scopulus. Ghost went through each chakra again and that time saw the differences. Still, said dragon was the closest match to Scopulus and... he was the one who had carried him into the cage!

Ghost almost fainted. He withdrew into his mind and entered his meditative state. He would not exit said state until at least twelve hours later, when all of the new information had been processed.

Suddenly oblivious to everything else, he began.

Cynder~~


God, I was done with this place. The titanium was just an annoyance. I had to have a plan.. Yes.. a plan... What about that albino dragon? I could use our combined power to concentrate on giving a message to the non-physic dragons. A sound enough plan there. The real problem is what the actual plan is.Now then, I have a few variables here..
One: The phoenix has not been captured to date. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure she would make her presence known. I could use all the help I can get, as I'm thinking pure muscle will not be enough.. So a.. distraction.. Yes a distraction for the dwarves. Can I really rely on such a pitiful creature, though? She has no backbone. Not to mention, her annoyance is pure immaturity. Hm...
Two: The cages aren't of dwarven make. Meaning.. there will be a fault. There is indeed a way to get around the titanium. However, I should reveal this to the Earth-dragons at a proper time.. seeing as Thoren would definitely be too rash. I'll use Glamdor as the leader of our rebellion.
Three: The dwarf, who is now my pawn, will also be in play. Yes.. I will use him to my absolute advantage.
Good.. a plan.. Ok, now, I have to communicate with that albino dragon. What the--

The albino dragon was scanning me. No big shock, I suppose, being that he is a physic dragon. But, come on, did he really expect I wouldn't notice? Not only that, but his scan was holding back. Had he lost himself in his scan-in any scanning he's ever done-he would know everything about a creature. A formidable opponent indeed.

I heard my name called by a voice I recognized. I resolved from the planning inside my head to speak with whom had called me.

"Speak again, please?" My voice sounded hollow in the vast cavern.

"I said," Kirimbi retorted, "What about Gene? I was lucky to survive! I mean I could be her!.." She paused for the dramatic effect. I was not phased by it. "I could have--"

"Shh. It would not do to tempt fate. Now, yes, Gene died. Unfortunate for her as it may be, we have more pressing concerns. We need to--"

"You shhh'ed me and expect me to be okay with that? Gene died, ok, and.." I stopped listening then. I found an interesting specimen, which was huge-Ebony. I wished to speak with him. Seeing as Kirimbi had done all of the acquainting earlier, I knew of this dragon's name. I spoke to him. Ebony.

No. I will not speak with you. Please kindly get out of my head. Your squabble will not involve me. So I waited for the drama to pause to give my plan. Meanwhile, I wished to speak with someone else: Ghost. Whom we are now stuck here in this cavern for. Evidently, he was making a trap. Though I do not see his reasoning as to why.

Let the games begin.