The Twin Fires: Chapter 18

Hullenhoshi

The Gold dragon lowered her head and curved her neck around to enclose Jerome within the circle of her neck and body. Unable to trust his voice, he gazed up at her and gently touched his fingers to her long nose. And for a moment the two just stood there. "I am here, dear one." Jerome said. With those words Li released all fears, forgot her resolve, forgot her determination to remain cautious and wary, forgot everything. There were just the two of them now and whatever truth they might find together. "This is impossible." Jerome breathed, his hand brushing lightly down Li's faceplate, along her jaw. "But I love you Miss Samurai, beyond sense and beyond reason, our forms and whatever might stand between us be dammed." Li's only response was a deep thrumming noise in the back of her throat that sent shivers down Jerome's spine. The couple was shaken out of their daydream by the rasping sound of someone clearing his throat.

"Get a lair you two." Joe said as he folded his arms over his chest. Jon and Eva shuffled uncomfortably behind him.

Li unwrapped herself from Jerome and the two exchanged somewhat guilty and embarrassed looks. Li turned her head sideways and pawed a bit at the ground, her tail gave a nervous flick. She muttered something in Chinese under her breath.

"I don't want to be a spoilsport here but might I remind you that we are sill in the dungeon of a fortress filled with fanatical loons who'd love nothing more than to make shish kebab out of us." Joe said.

"Right..." Jerome managed to say with some difficulty. His words weren't even cold when the iron door leading into the dungeon was slammed open. A man dressed in lamellar armor appeared in the door frame, and then another and another. The flickering light of their torches casted irregular shadows, which danced around in strange bends on the rocky floor when the the men advanced. Accompanied by caroling and shouting they fanned out into the cave. The warriors carrying the big tower shields and hooked spears formed the first two ranks, those carrying bows and arrows followed behind. General Feng with a jog to the front of the lines, his fist clenched around the hilt of his great katana.

Jon, Joe, Jerome and Eva froze in frightened surprise. Li sprang up from the floor and stepped around them, putting her body between them and the warriors of the Order. Her scales shone like molten gold in the firelight, her jade eyes were wide and filled with righteous anger. Wings like fanned sails unfurled behind her, catching the light of the torches and reflecting it back in a mirrored prism. With a buffet of her wings the Gold dragon rose to her rear legs, stretching out her neck. The dragon's golden lips curled, revealing vicious-looking fangs. The warriors, tired, wounded and weary from their battle with the Red and Blue dragons, shuffled closer to each other, their shields interlocking. They had already discarded the idea that a dragon would go down as easily as the tall tales of their ancestors described. The notion of a quick and glorious battle had now turned into a bloody and desperate slugging match and desperate people were dangerous people. The most dangerous one from the group, General Feng, stepped forward. His armor was torn away at his shoulder and the tattered rim of his azure cloak bore the scorch marks of dragonfire. Anger suffused his lean features and creased heavy frown lines around his nose and across his high forehead.

"We have tolerated you long enough Dragon!" Feng spat "You and all those who follow you shall meet their end upon our blades, as it must be!"

The gold dragon shook her head gracefully, the tendrils on her jaw swaying softly. Faced with such deep and unfounded hatred, Li struggled with the words. "I don't want to hurt you" -her eyes narrowed- "though you would take your vengeance out upon my companions when your anger is with me. What have I ever done to you to deserve this hatred?"

"It is not a question of what you have done, it is what you could do, what you might do. Have you seen the fate that befell Paris? How can creatures who are capable of wreaking such destruction ever be good? I say that we will be better off when your kind ceases to walk the earth! Defend yourself, dragon!" At the general's words, the warrior next to him lifted a horn to his lips and blew a great blast of sound that echoed in the cave. Twice he blew the horn, and at the end of the second blast, the tense atmosphere suddenly exploded with the whoops and war cries of the attacking warriors. They charged the Gold dragon, ducked behind their tower shields and pointing their long pikes at Li's chest.

Li roared, the sound so loud the air trembled, the cave itself shook. She had no more choice, they had her literally and figuratively backed into a corner. The prospect of having to kill someone, even if it was in self defense, felt like a heavy weight around her spirit. She had reached her present age never having cause to doubt that injustice must eventually be brought to book, and that any unfairness of life must, in the end, be balanced. That innocent, wide-eyed girl would die today but her friends would live for it. Li swung her head an closed her eyes, her breath weapon sizzled out of her maw. She shot out a orange bolt of flame that scorched the front ranks from end to end and knocked the dark wave of men back. Those who had failed to seek shelter behind their large shields now rolled over the floor, their bodies being consumed by the hungry flames. Feng shouted an order, his voice rang as a bell throughout the cave, which was then followed by the sound of bow strings being stretched.  

Jerome crouched by the rocks behind Li, heard the ping of the arrows striking her scales. He felt the heat of the dragonfire even in the cover behind the rocks. It was like standing in the middle of an oven. Frantically he looked for Feng in the growing smoke and running figures. General Feng dashed forward, katana raised "Rally! Rally—" The warriors followed in a stream.
With a flip of her wings, the Gold dragon leapt up and then came down upon the line of archers with all four feet. Instead of using her breath weapon again, she merely flicked her tail at the men in passing. The tail came down across them like a falling roof beam. They were sent flying like ragdolls into the nearby rock wall. Then, as boneless as porridge, they slid down off the rock and lay still.

In the fighting that followed, Li was aware of only her own sound and speed, the warriors' fear and their blood. She simply acted and reacted. As with flight, the dragon
discovered that she instinctively knew what to do. Her entire body was a weapon, effective beyond anything these men could imagine. Her talons slashed like katanas, her teeth impaled like spears, her tail whipped and smashed like a battering ram, her wings beat and buffeted like windstorms. There was no escape for the warriors, turning to fight was hopeless. One after another they died, screaming, stumbling in their own gore.
  
Feng lay winded for a moment while the Gold dragon struggled and heaved with his archers above him. He took a deep breath and scrambled up before she crushed him. He looked up at Li's bulk rising above him and leapt for the wing folded against her side. A grappling hook and a rope would have been better for what he intended, but the katana was all he had. As he reached the apex of his jump, he jammed the blade into her wing with one hand and used it to hold his weight while he scrabbled for the nearest pinion that would help him climb the struggling dragon. Li did not see or feel him immediately. Her attention was still on the battle before her. She tossed back her head and ripped a warrior in half. Blood sprayed across the stones. But Jerome had seen him, he put his hands to his mouth and tried to warn Li but his words became lost amidst the roars and shouts of battle. He hesitated no longer and ran up to Li's foreleg and hoisted himself up, using the edges of her metallic scales as grips.

Feng was already scrambling over Li's wing bone and onto the ridge of her back when Jerome felt the dragon abruptly still. Their slight weight must have finally registered in Li's mind, for she whipped her head around in time to see Feng clamber along the ridges of her back toward the base of her neck, between her shoulder blades. She hissed in sudden fear, every instinct screamed at her that she was in danger. She found her body jerking in all the wrong places. It was too late, Feng, with a triumphant fanatical grin on his face gripped the heft of his katana with both hands and raised the blade high above his head. The blade poised to deliver a mortal wound to the dragon. Sweat and tears of pain ran down Jerome's face, and he felt his hands burning from gripping onto the serrated edges of Li's scales. He had only just reached Li's shoulder when he saw Feng poised to deliver the killing blow to the woman he loved. He shifted his stance and shouted at Feng, the only thing he could do from this position.

"No! Don't! I love her!"

The words struck Feng like a physical blow he looked at him like the Frenchman had just turned into a dragon himself. His eyes were wide with shock and the blade stopped halfway down its deadly thrust. The few seconds of hesitation were all Li needed and with a roar, she struck. The Gold dragon reared up, her head high, General Feng between her jaws. Even from the side, Jerome could hear the armor crunch. Li savagely shook the corpse like a Terrier would shake a rat and then tossed it on the ground in front of her. A wail went up from Feng's men. Li' s red-flecked face looked up sharply from the last kill and saw that they scurried back, away. The cavern was strewn with torn bodies, blood still pumping from dying hearts. Her head whipped back and she almost bit Jerome who was still sitting on her back, so mindless was her anger from the fight.

"Li! It's over. It's over now." Jerome said.

Her self control was hanging by a thread, with great effort Li fought the urge to roll around to toss Jerome off and possibly crush him as well in the process. Her back feet wanted to stamp. The actual feeling of enjoyment was very deep. Almost primeval. Slowly her heart stopped pounding in her ears and they resumed their normal pace. The bloodlust that had driven her was gone, leaving her weak and light-headed. Silence returned to the cave, the whole place was strewed with withered and black corpses, some of their clothing still crackling with dragonfire. She looked down at her claws and saw they were smeared with blood. Disgusted she tried to clean them by scraping them over the stony floor, however, just like her guilt, the stains refused to disappear.

"They left you no choice." Jerome said as he slid off Li's foreleg "They would have killed you if you had given them the chance."

"That does not make it any easier." Li said. "And I almost..." She fell silent, her gaze falling to the floor.

Li lowered her head, closed her eyes and lifted her wings above her shoulders. She gave a little shake and her form dissolved. Her scales shone briefly and they turned to soft skin and raven hair. Her size was no longer epic, drifting like melting ice into a woman's slight form. She walked over to Feng's corpse, his azure cloak had turned partially crimson. He still held his katana in a death grip, but his eyes were vacant. Li knelt beside him and ran her hand over his face shutting the staring gaze. She straightened, looking up first at the door, then back to her four companions. "Let's get out of this dismal place, I don't want to spend another moment in here."

Li blinked her eyes against the sunlight when they finally emerged onto the courtyard. The outer walls of the fortress had been torn apart, sweeping tower roofs pushed over as if by some mighty wind. The main gate they walked through was now little more then a pile of rubble and a few black scorched walls. Through the remnants of the two towers that bordered the gate, long rend marks could be seen, as if a row of four massive swords has slashed through the mortar, stone, wood and all. The air was heavy with the smell of ozone and brimstone, mixed with the choking smell of charred flesh and blood. The ground was littered with bodies and weapons. The fighting had nearly died out. Tholaxxius was in a poor way, his wings had tears in them. But he still raged, smashing dead men and broken spears into splintered pulp. Izmir looked a little like a ragged porcupine, with numerous arrows and spears stuck in him. Very little blood ran from the wounds though. He had a number of Order warriors gathered in front of him like a herd of sheep in surrender, begging for their lives with upraised palms. Izmir allowed them to leave Garradoun in their boats. Tholaxxius looked up, his gore-smeared face swiveled around and the Red and Gold Dragon exchanged extremely hostile gazes.

"You..." Li muttered under her breath. Before Jerome or the others could react there was a stretch of flesh, a quick blur of motion and the slight Asian woman was replaced with a very angry Gold dragon who charged at Tholaxxius.

Tholaxxius didn't move from his position. He pounded the rocky ground with his taloned feet, ready to intercept. He was as big as Li, but with a shorter tail and a stouter body, and his massive weight made the ground shudder. He spread his leathery red wings in a posture of dominance and hissed. "Well, well, it looks like the golden moth has managed to get out of her cage after all. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"No! I am not!" screeched Li. She came to a thundering halt a few yards away from the Red dragon and glared at him, her jade eyes blazing with fury. "What are you doing here vile beast? Plotting the downfall of our kind along with the Order to save your own cowardly hide?"

"Vile beast?" Tholaxxius roared, blue and yellow flames playing around his immense fangs and on the surface of his forked tongue. "You have strange way of thanking someone who just saved your life." Tholaxxius and Li started to circle each other.

"Wait Li!" Jerome came running. "He helped us, we wouldn't have been able to rescue you without him" Jerome tried to plead but Li refused to even glance in his direction.

"A single good deed doesn't wash away all the misery he has caused the innocent." Li trembled all over. Smoke leaked from her nostrils. "If I had know I would have preferred to stay down in that dungeon rather than to be indebted to the likes of you."

"Stay down there? Dear Miss Samurai, you are such a joker." Jerome tried to defuse the situation, or at least buy enough time for them to explain it all. For one horrified moment, he feared her pride and anger would get the best of her common sense and she would attack Tholaxxius.

With suddenness of a pouncing cat, Li sprang forward, crowding Tholaxxius to the very edge of the square where the rock dropped far away into the roiling ocean. Her large head pushed close to his, and her voice took on an edge of steel. "He killed thousands of innocents with no more thought than if he'd stepped on a bug. What he does is wrong and I must respond to it, he deserves to be punished."

"You know, you sound an awful lot like those guys-" Tholaxxius waved his claw to the pile of dead Order warriors."-and look what all their talk about justice this and retribution that got them." A snarl hissed from Tholaxxius' snout. "Try it and I will shred your scales from your worthless body."

Li glared down at him, her curved teeth inches from his face. "If I see you hurt one more innocent person, I will end you." In this close proximity to the big Red, Li could look at his reptilian face and see the malevolence burning behind her rival's face. His frills were flat against his head, and his lips were curled back in a silent snarl.

Izmir stepped in and addressed them sharply "When you two hatchlings are done breathing fire in each other's faces perhaps you are ready to listen to reason? Need I remind you that if either of you kills the other you will hand the Order of the Golden Sun their victory on a silver platter. And everything we have all bled and fought for will be thrown away because of your childish tantrums. Is that so hard to comprehend?"

For a few suspenseful moments more the Red and Gold dragon just seized each other up, as if they tried to spot a weakness in the other's defenses. It was Tholaxxius who first relaxed, he sank back on his haunches. "I think it is time for you to come clean. We are both here now and we haven't torn each other to shreds...yet." Tholaxxius said, flashing a smirk at Li.

"I suppose it is." Izmir said, he looked between the two dragons like a teacher might look at a couple of school children when they weren't behaving. "What the Order told you was not a complete lie, half the truth is more convincing then a whole lie. Yes, the Order of the Golden Sun were once the servants and companions to us dragons. That is, until they grew jealous and started a war against our ancestors."

"The old Order has long since crumbled, turns out that without their winged masters to draw strength and knowledge from, humanity went its own merry way and whatever grasp the Order held to it has long evaporated. They knew the day would come when the dragons would awaken again, they fear it with a zeal that borders on paranoia." Izmir said.

"A fear that is not entirely unfounded." Li said turning her head towards Tholaxxuis, she tried her best to calm herself but despite her training she found herself raising her voice every time she spoke of the Red dragon. And judging by his smug expression, Tholaxxius was well aware of it. Li sat back on her haunches and hid her anger behind a benign expression.

"They tried their best to stop you two from awakening your kind." Izmir said, shaking his head a little. "Now that they have failed there is nothing stopping you two from doing just that."

"What makes you so sure we are capable of that?" Tholaxxius cut in "How do we even wake them up? Should I just fly over some cities and make a lot of noise then?" Tholaxxius chucked, though it came out as a low hiss. He fell silent when he noticed Izmir's stern glare.

"I am sure the Order conveniently left that part out when they send Li here, but it's no secret to those who are..or rather were truly initiated. It is after all what the Order has looked so hard for but failed to find. The High Fane at Hullenhoshi." Izmir said

"Hullenhoshi?" Li said, The gold dragon's long golden tail coiled about her feet, hiding the sheen of her claws. The name sounded somewhat familiar, she could have sworn that she had heard it mentioned before somewhere but her mind remained foggy.

"It is said to be a temple of sorts, a sanctuary for dragons, a safe haven and supposedly the oldest structure in the world. The means to wake our kin up are located there." Izmir said.

"Isn't that great, tell us then, o wise and all-knowing sage, where is this...Hullenhoshi?" Tholaxxius snorted, his tone suggesting that he was losing his patience. He rose to his feet, stretching his legs and rustling his wings.

"You'd think we'd still be here if the Order knew that?" Izmir plainly resented being interrupted as well as the implication he was a dullard. His wings spread, his legs flexed, and his short neck swelled with the threat of a blast of lightning. Then, however, he caught control of his temper, and simply growled. "Truth is, I have no idea where it might be located, the dragons concealed it when they went into hiding. I have looked for it, pursued every vague hint and lead without result. So that's why my hope rests with you, the only way to reach Hullenhoshi is when you are allowed to find it, when you are summoned to it."

Li tilted her head at him. "Being....summoned to it?"

Izmir sprang up with a suddenness that made the ground tremble lightly, he looked up sharply at Li "Were you?"

Li was about to deny it and that she had no idea what being summoned actually meant, but a flash of insight hit her. Suddenly blazing clearly in her mind "I...I now remember where I have heard that name before...." she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to picture before her mind's eye what she had experienced "I remember a voice, someone calling out to me. Asking me to come to...that place, to Hullenhoshi" "But that was just a dream?"

Tholaxxius' orange eyes lit up with recognition. "I...I dreamt the same thing over and over again. I saw a structure, a tower on a high snow-capped mountain and someone telling me I should go there. I paid it no heed, it was just a bad dream."

"You two have been summoned, but it would appear you were a little too busy being caught up in the web of the Order. We have no more time to waste. We fly to Hullenhoshi." Izmir said and he turned around, the muscles in his hind legs already tensing to leap into the sky.

"But...but we still have no idea where it is." Li sputtered

"You have been summoned, you will know." Izmir said.

Li looked at Izmir as if he had been speaking utter nonsense. She swiveled her head to look at the world, but her eyes did not really see anything. Her attention turned inward, feeling, trying to find out how exactly she was supposed to know the location of a faraway temple she had never been to before. Seek out the truth, trust your own heart she heard the disembodied voice calling out to her. Something pulled at her conscious, for reasons that she could not explain or comprehend the answer came to her. "East, we need to go east..."

"What about them? We no longer need those humans for this." Tholaxxius turned up his snout at the group of humans who stood clustered close together near Li.

"Oh, How nice of them to notice that we are still standing here." Joe murmured sarcastically.

"They helped us before, they deserve to be a part of this. If you think staying loyal to your friends is beneath you then I will carry them myself to Hullenhoshi." Li said scornfully. Slowly and very carefully, she deposited Jerome, Jon, Joe and Eva on her back, between her wings. "I will take you along. There is no saddle or anything, so hold onto my frills tightly."

"Yes, Miss Samurai" Jerome shouted gleefully, settling his backpack about him and gripping the dragon's golden frill with both hands. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Say, Miss Samurai," he cried, "you won't be doing any adventuresome things up there-like rolling over upside down or diving straight for the ground-will you? Because, while they certainly are entertaining, it might be rather uncomfortable for me since I'm not strapped in or anything...."

"No," Li replied, smiling. "I will take you there as swiftly as possible and without any...adventures"

"Ready when you are!" Jerome shouted, kicking Li's flanks with his heels as the Gold dragon leaped into the air. Catching the wind currents, she rose up into the sky and soared over the fortress of Garradoun. Jerome kept his eyes open—until Li's first leap seemed to sink them all the way to the back of his skull. He tried to open them again but the wind promptly blew them shut again. By the time Li leveled out, Jerome had a two-handed grip. He even had his eyes open— though the first thing he saw made him want to shut them again. Li was climbing swiftly toward the base of the clouds while below them, the cliff fortress slowly disappeared from sight.

It was not a pleasant ride. The three dragons flew in a tight grouping, flying over the ocean, draconic instinct guiding them ever eastwards like a bird to its nest. The more slender and agile Li flew at an angle, breaking the air for the other dragons. She and the other dragons spoke less and less at greater and greater intervals and when they spoke it was only minor chit chat, such as they were tired or hungry. A spring storm threatened so they rested on an uninhabited piece of rock near the coast. There were crabs and other shellfish to be had in the clear, cold water. Even Li, who never had the habit to actively hunt for her food managed to bring up a few.

They had been steadily going Eastward all night and well into the following day. Alpine tundra spread out below them. In the distance the vast and foreboding Himalayan mountains loomed. The areas above the treeline was chiefly composed of annuals, which differentiated into alpine grasslands and meadows dotted with grazing yaks below. The steep slopes were mainly predominated by grasses and a remarkable variety of wildflowers. The high mountain range rose abruptly into a realm of perpetual pristine snow and ice. As the range became wider from east to west, the number of parallel high ranges increased. Ironic, Li thought, as a child she had called this region her home and the monks of the Order her family and Master Huang her father. Her long journey had started in these mountains, and now it would end here as well. When this was all over she would go and confront Huang, part of her hoped that it had all been a misunderstanding, that he had no part in it but the truth was here, hard and bitter as these mountains. He was the leader of the whole Most Noble Order of the Golden Sun, and he wanted her dead, he wanted them all dead. Something stung behind her eyes, she shook her head free of such thoughts and continued to fight against the ever increasing icy headwind. She felt they were getting closer and closer. In the clear, pristine daylight she should be seeing their destination, but instead there was only the ice blanket that spanned her whole field of vision. The more she dwelt on it the less sense it made, coming all the way out here based on solely some vague animalistic instinct and old legends. She was a little embarrassed that she had swallowed it all so easily and led them all on a wild goose chase half way across the globe.

Li was about to turn around when the air ahead of them seemed to shimmer and ripple like heat waves. She let out a small yelp and tried to backwing but she had far too much momentum and she passed right through it. A shiver went down her spine all the way to the tip of her tail. It felt like she had just flew through a curtain of ice. It was just as well as she was currently gliding on the thermals for the next sight made her forget to flap her wings. Where moments ago had only be a deserted mountain range now revealed a rocky natural bowl nestled among the peaks. In the very center of the bowl, resting upon a needle-like rock stood a massive towering pagoda. It was built of red and gold stones and had the classic gradual tiered eaves marking each storey. Even from this height Li could see that it was decorated extensively with sculptures and engravings. The three dragons leveled out and, swooping downward, landed smoothly in the deserted courtyard in front of the pagoda. Li crouched low and carefully deposited her passengers.

"That something like this could exist without anyone knowing of it, or spotting it from the air." Li said while she let her gaze wander over the tall structure.

"Remember we passed through some sort of field while we were flying? Whatever it was, it must have kept this place concealed for all those centuries. Tread carefully, who knows what other tricks the dragons of old have used to protect this place." Izmir said and he nudged his head towards the two massive doors at the end of the square.

"Let's get inside, as long as we are out of this blasted cold and wind." Tholaxxius snorted. All at once he shook himself as if to rid his body of some evil dust or debris.

As they walked across the remaining distance to the stairs located in front of the great doors of the temple, Li took a closer look at the row of statues posed on either side of the stairs, then she took a second look. Although the artist's execution and interpretation of his subject had been fanciful and a little too exotic, the basic shape was all too familiar. The statues were of dragons that stood crouched protectively, one taloned foot upraised and their toothy mouths open in a snarl. Their wings were half furled; their cold eyes stared malevolently at passersbys. These were the most realistic statues she had ever seen, she expected them to leap to life at any moment. They came to a stop at the stone doors, Li could have easily passed under them so massive they were. Both doors bore a golden handle, shaped like the head of a dragon with a ring in its mouth.

"Well, don't just stand there looking dumbfounded. It's just a set of big doors." Tholaxxius said impatiently from the back, "Open them."

As Li's claw gripped the handle she heard a rustling sound to her left, the dragon statue next to the door had moved. A sleek form that looked like it had been forged from molten silver stepped from its pedestal. The dragon had a smooth, shiny plate that formed its face, a beaklike nose and a strong chin with a dangling frill that looked a bit like a goatee. Another frill rose high over its head and continued down the neck and back to the tip of the tail. Long spines with dark tips supported the frill. The dragon also had ear frills with similar spines, two smooth, shiny horns, also with dark tips, swept backward. The Silver Dragon's mercury-colored eyes fell on the trio.

Jon, Joe, Eva and Jerome just stood rooted to the ground, it was hard not to fall in deep awe and admiration for the big dragon. Izmir just made as much a frown as a dragon could make and eyed the silver dragon wary. Tholaxxius dug his talons into the ground, causing the tiles of the square to crack. Aggression puffed up his chest, his lip curled up over his curved teeth like unsheathed scimitars as if he expected the Silver dragon to jump at him any moment. Li thought his reaction rather petty and patiently waited for the Silver dragon to address them.

"Do not be alarmed." The Silver dragon said with a voice that sounded like falling rain. He dipped his head at the others "I do not seek to bring you harm. I greet you as one dragon to another. I am Kisenthizar, guardian of Hullenhoshi. It was I who summoned you to this place."

"You...you are the one...the voice from my dreams." Li said, looking as complete taken aback as the others.

"It has been a long time since our kin walked the High Fane, but here you are, now at long last our long slumber has come to an end." Kisenthizar said.

"And you couldn't wake them up yourself?" Tholaxxius huffed, a small trail of black smoke cringed from his nostrils "Seeing as you were here the whole time, why do you need us to do it?"

If Kisenthizar was at all offended by that remark, his face didn't show it. He continued his explanation. "You two, Red and Gold are the apex of our kind. You two represent everything we dragons stand for. You two have faced the trials and tribulations of this modern world in your own ways and prevailed. You two are the best equipped to judge if our kind is ready for this new world, free from our ancestors' folly."

"Our ancestors' folly? You speak of the Order of the Golden Sun" Li said.

"You have quite the sharp mind young Li" Kisenthizar said. Li acknowledged the praise by inclining her head. She felt a bit fuzzy inside to have received a compliment from another dragon. Especially one as venerable as the great Silver.

"Long ago, we dragons believed that we were created with our awesome strength, intelligence, and magical might in order to inspire and protect all the lesser mortals of the world. We believed that dragonkind was charged with defending the world against forces that would destroy it and lead mortal civilization in order to shape the world's affairs to someday create the world in our image. Among the mortals we selected those would could serve us in this task and took them under our wings. When we did so, we looked for qualities that mirrored our own, intelligence, strength and wisdom. These men would become what you know as the Most Noble Order of the Golden Sun. For all intents and purposes, we tried to make little dragons out of them." Kisenthizar gently shook his head , his eyes downcast. "It was a mistake, for one can not take the positive without the negative for just as we chose them for our qualities, so too did they possess our flaws, our hubris, our arrogance and our ambition. When they realized they could never surpass their winged masters, the men grew to resent us. They took up arms and used what we had taught them against us. They nearly destroyed us all so we went into hiding. We slept," said Kisenthizar, "more profoundly than nature allowed. Otherwise, our enemies would have vanquished us."

Kisenthizar extended a wing to the double doors and continued, " I volunteered to stay behind and uphold the veils of illusion that keeps Hullenhoshi safe from molestation. The most powerful of our kind gathered here. Together we combined our powers and created the Mythal, the artifact that is currently keeping all dragons asleep. We placed vials of your ancestral blood in hidden shrines so that when the time was right, you would wake up and be summoned here." Kisenthizar looked between Li and Tholaxxius "Past these doors you will enter the sanctuary proper, on the side of the Mythal are two braziers, light them with your dragonfire. Light the Twin Fires and the enchantment will vanish. That is all I ask, Afterwards, you can go your separate ways, each as free and hale as before."

"Are you coming with us?" Li asked, looking hopeful.

The great Silver shook his head. "I am afraid not young one, this is where we part ways. Each of us to their destiny.

"L..leave? But you can't leave yet." Li sputtered. "Where are you going?" She took a step towards the Silver dragon, as if to prevent him from just flying off before she realized how silly that sounded and froze in mid-stride.

"I paid a price to be excluded from the same enchantment that put my brothers and sisters asleep. I had to separate my consciousness from my body, what you see before you is merely an apparition, my solid form having turned to dust long ago. Now that my duty is fulfilled, I can no longer maintain my grip on this mortal word." Kisenthizar said.

"But we need you. There is so much I still want to ask you..." Li's frills on the side of her head drooped like wilting flowers, she felt her wings giving an involuntary rustle. She sighed, her breath visible in the cold mountain air.

"You have all you need young one, you have your brave friends and allies" Kisenthizar said even as his form began to fade from sight, slowly becoming transparent. His voice becoming fainter and more distant with every word her spoke. His voice bearing a hint of sadness. "I think you will find that you can always accomplish a lot in the company of friends than by yourself" He turned his head towards the humans and gave a curt nod. He then looked up at Li and Tholaxxius one last time before fading from existence before their very eyes like a phantom in the mist.

"Did you hear that Joe?" Jon said "A dragon called us brave. I think we are getting the hang of this whole adventuring business."

"Too bad he's gone." Eva said "If he has really been around for that long there was a whole lot of interesting questions I could have asked him about our past."

Silence settled again in the square, the sky had become steel grey and snowflakes had started to drift down, sizzling and evaporating in a hiss of steam when they landed on the Red dragon's scales. The biting wind began to howl louder in Li's frilled ears. She craned her neck and sought Tholaxxius' eyes. To her mild surprise the Red dragon's fiery eyes no longer held that malevolent spark. Li could only guess what was going through his head. He noticed her stare and huffed a could of black smoke at her. Saying nothing but nudging his head towards the doors, his intent clear. Together Li and Tholaxxius each reached for a handle on the double doors. A droning note rend the still air, low and mournful like the cry of a wounded animal. Every muscle in Li's frame froze, like all her scales had just dropped.

"No...it can't be." Li whispered.

As one the dragon's heads swiveled in the direction of the sound. Li and Tholaxxius stalked towards the edge of the platform and looked down into the valley bowl. Li's scalding blood turned cold at the sight. Coming from the West, spanning the entire length of the valley, men were marching. Blocks of infantry moved like a caterpillar up the slope leading to Hullenhoshi. Stark against the pristine snow, it was clear they all bore long menacing pikes with barbs and hooks. Golden pennants, clearly displaying the emblem of a five-rayed dawning sun, rippled in the moaning wind. The war horn sounded once again.

"How could they have found us here?" Tholaxxius growled between clenched teeth. He gripped the ledge of the platform with his claws. He tail swishing back and forth behind him like that of a restless cat.

Li already knew the answer, She raised on her hind feet and sounded her rage in a thundering bellow and wheeled upon Izmir. Before the Blue dragon could raise a claw to defend himself, she raised her tail and delivered a vicious, air-snapping blow that sent him staggering. Izmir sailed some thirty feet, crashing into one of the giant dragon statues that lined the entrance. The sculpture of a preening Bronze dragon shattered like glass and sent a could of grey dust and debris rolling over the platform.

Izmir scrambled to get back on his feet but Li pounced on him, pinning him to the ground, she place a claw on his chest and pressed down, puncturing his azure scales. "Traitor!" Li roared "You led them here did you not? That whole story about protecting us from the Order was just a ruse wasn't it? You wanted us to lead you and your Order friends to Hullenhoshi." It looked like Izmir wanted to say something but it came out as a rasped gurgle, his pink tongue lolling from his jaws.

"What did they offer you Izmir? Riches? Or are you just trying to save your own scales at the expense of all our kin?" Li loomed over him, leering with jade eyes that bespoke fury.

"I did no such thing." Izmir croaked, Li's crushing grip barely allowed him to breathe. His eyes bulged out in their sockets and his nostrils flared. "Use that sharp mind of yours, if I had just let you two kill each other off than none of this would be necessary. Why would they take the risk of letting you come here in the first place."

Li's expression softened somewhat at this, her snarl slowly dropped from her face but she wasn't quite ready to let Izmir go yet. A glint on Li's horn caught Izmir's attention, he fixed his gaze on it and saw it was a golden medallion, emblazoned with the symbol of a five-rayed dawning sun. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That medallion you are carrying there." Izmir said "Where did you get that from?"

Hesitation raced through Li's mind in the span of moments. Before her mind could make sense of his question, Izmir roared and kicked her off him with his hind feet. Rolling himself from his side and back to his hind feet, Izmir slashed a claw at Li's snout, instead of raking over her face he snapped the delicate golden chain on which the medallion hung. The little trinket dropped on the stones with a soft metallic twink; the front of the medallion cracked open like an eggshell to reveal a mechanical interior. A small red LED was blinking inside.

"There you have your answer." Izmir bellowed "They have given you a tracking device, they have been following your every move. The one who led them here was you." Izmir planted his taloned foot on the medallion with a grunt, grinding it to dust.

Li was at a loss for words. Her face seemed to turn ashen beneath her scales. She had completely forgotten that Huang had given her that medallion when she departed from the monastery. "You will always carry a piece of us with you wherever you go" She heard his words echo in her mind. The irony could not have been greater, they had tagged her like she was some sort of tracking animal. Her meditative teachings penetrated her numb brain, bade her be calm, to think. What little respect she still held for her old master was quickly ebbing away.

"It doesn't matter anymore now." Tholaxxius said with a dismissive toss of a claw. "They'll soon be upon us, let's show them how foolish it is for them to attack a dragon." He spread his wings wide and dove off the platform.

"Isn't this great, we're going to walk right onto a battlefield...again." Joe muttered "What are we supposed to do? Cheerleading at the sideline again?"

" I've got a better idea, how about we try not to end up on the wrong side of one of those Asian ninja-swords or accidently getting stepped on by a dragon sounds like a plan." Jon answered as he put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Li walked over to the humans and leaned over them. "It is best that you stay at the temple, we'll have to stop them before they reach the Mythal, if they manage to destroy it..." Li's voice trailed off. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen then. She turned around and unfurled her wings when Jerome called out to her. "Miss Samurai....be careful." Li lowered her head until it was only inches away from Jerome's face and parted her jaws. She gave him a lick with her long pointed tongue, nearly knocking him over."You too...little one" She whispered before she flew off to join Tholaxxius and Izmir.

The men of the Order continued their steady march towards the temple. Trudging and stomping though the snow in a river of human mass. Banners waved atop the army's sharp-tipped pikes. The grim-faced humans in luminously polished lamellar mail stared up at the brightly Red, Blue and Gold colored figures now rising up from the temple to meet them. The first twinges of the dreaded dragonfear already affected the first ranks. Their step became hesitant and they gripped their weapons more tightly. Huang, walking at the front of this parade, raised his hand and the army halted. His plate armor was polished to rival a looking glass; pressed into the metal on his breastplate was the symbol of a rising sun. The visor of the general's closed-face helmet was pushed back for greater visibility and comfort while he marched; grey curls escaped its confines above dark brown eyes. With a scraping sound he unsheathed his katana and held the blade aloft. He planted his feet squarely in the snow, as if he was physically bracing himself against the effects of the dragonfear. Huang's voice rose up, loud and clear.

"Men of the Golden Sun, our winged enemies approach, they are hardly a sight to inspire or terrify a man." Huang pointed his katana towards the first rank of warriors. "Look into your hearts and see the loyalty there, the loyalty to all of mankind, that strength will bring us victory. For today we will rid the world once and for all of these hellish beasts, truly there can not be a more just and noble cause. Either we die today or we will be immortal forever. Fight for the last time my friends! Shout out and let the monsters realize they face great men today."

The warriors lifted their weapons above their head, banged their blades upon their tall shields and cheered. "For humanity!" Huang shouted as he slapped down the visor on his helmet and charged up the slope. With a collective roar that would do a dragon proud, his warriors followed.

Tholaxxius was the first to enter the fray. Like some terrible shooting star, the Red dragon plunged down to just a few yards above the ground. Until then, Huang hadn't been able to tell how huge the dragon actually was—huge enough to make the humans before it look like mice scurrying about below a scarlet lion. Its orange eyes shone like molten lava, and its neck frills and wings were ash grey at the edges. It stank of sulfur and burning.

A couple of faint-hearted warriors panicked and likewise tried to run. The red dragon turned its wedge-shaped head almost lazily regarded them, then puffed out a jet of yellow flame at them. They dropped instantly, without so much as a scream. Huang threw his spear. It bounced off the scales on the wyrm's neck." Bring it down!" he shouted to the other warriors, and they started casting their own pikes. Tholaxxius leapt to the air again to strike at them again from another angle. Most of the spears landed harmlessly in the snow.

Li angled herself to the broad rocky path leading up to the temple proper. Lowering her shoulder just slightly, she swept a fifty-foot stretch of the path free of fear-struck warriors with the edge of her wing. As she swerved away, she grasped the last man in the line with her claws and flung him screaming over the cliff to the ravine below. At a nod from Tholaxxius, they climbed quickly in unison to prevent attacks against their bellies,. They dived again into the frenzied throng, scattering men like chickens.

But as she passed the path again, eight men with thick iron grappling hooks ran up and flung them at the beast. Most of them missed, but two snagged the front edge of the Tholaxxius' left wing while a third cut into his leg. They had anchored the hooks with heavy chains to one of the many boulders littering the ravine. Almost instantly Tholaxxius hit the end of the chains and was flipped tail over head. The chains snapped under the terrible impact, but the dragon tumbled over the edge of the path, crashing into a throng of Huang's men who were crossing the base of the slope. Immediately archers who had fled the path at the dragons' appearance rushed back on and poured arrows into the thrashing monster below them. Rocks pelted down and thumped off the dragon's scaly hide. Twenty warriors armed with twelve- to sixteen-foot spears rushed toward the thrashing dragon while others held its attention by waving their golden banners. Even with these long weapons, the attackers had to get well inside the dragon's wingspan to be effective. A dozen or more were crushed or dismembered by Tholaxxius flailing wings and tail. But the dragon was impeded by the uphill slope and driven to near panic by the shower of stones and arrows from above. Slipping inside the reach of his thrashing wing, one warrior drove his spear deep into the dragon's neck. Tholaxxius screeched and a tremendous cheer rose from the soldiers as the dragon's body fell slack.

Li came around again for another pass and prepared to swoop down and help Tholaxxius when she heard Izmir's bellow. The Blue dragon was engaged in a battle of his own with a group of warriors who were hurling barbed harpoons at him, like scurrying ants, some of the warriors had managed to climb onto the Blue's back and were hacking away at his thick scales. "Li!" he bellowed. "They are near the top already, stop them now. Don't let them reach the Mythal." Izmir shook himself like a wet dog and a few of the warriors tumbled screaming off him.

Li's head whipped around and she saw that a group of warriors had made their way up the path and were already climbing up on the stone platform in front of the doors. She squinted her eyes and saw a lone figure leading the charge. Her old master was running at the head of the group. She looked between him and the dragon in peril below. For a split second she lingered on her decision, she folded her wings to her side and dove towards the ground just as two more spearmen rushed in for the kill. Li barreled right into them, the first warrior she struck exploded into pieces of armor flying in all directions. She unleashed a stream of flames that reduced the rest of them to shrieking, then silent piles of ash and bone.

Li padded over to Tholaxxius and gently nudged his head with her snout. His long neck was covered with several ugly gashes. She held together the worst wound with her claws as gently as she could, the pristine snow under him soon became matted with blood. Tholaxxius blinked heavily at her, his eyes focused briefly on Li and a smile twitched on the edges of his mouth. "You're here to save me golden moth?" his voice was weak and somewhat slurred though it didn't hold the biting edge it usually did. "I get it, if there is anyone who is going to kill me it has to be you and nobody else."

"Shush, you are not going to die just yet." Li said, maybe harsher then she had intended. She winced as the blood seeped out despite her best attempts to stanch it. She snatched up one of the Order's golden banners from the ground and began to bind the wound together. When the blood ceased trickling through she dared to let go. With agony etched on his face, the red dragon pushed himself up. His legs trembled and threatened to betray him but he stubbornly refused to lay down.

"I'll be fine...go and stop them." Tholaxxius said.

"But what about..." Li began.

"I said I'll be fine." Tholaxxius spat out while he accentuated each individual word of the phrase. "If I didn't know better I'd almost think you are concerned about me."

Li spread her wings and tensed her hind legs when she heard Tholaxxius scrape his throat behind her. "Thank you." he said, barely audible and surprisingly humble. Li wondered at this new, acquiescent side of the red dragon and sprang into the air.

Huang and his warriors had reached the great stone doors of Hullenhoshi, the dragons might still live but destroying their only means to wake up their wretched kin forever would be an even more tremendous victory than he could have hoped for. He knew his ancestors would be pleased if they saw him now, leading the last charge of the Golden Sun towards its ultimate victory over humanity's life-enemies. They passed between the rows of sculptures bordering the platform. He made a mental note to have those vile statues torn down after he was finished here, a few centuries from now and not even fairytales or legends will remember those winged serpents.

Huang frowned under his helmet when he noticed four humans were blocking his way to the doors. "Out of our way." He waved his katana at them but they refused to budge as he and his warriors came running.

"Hold it right there copain. You shall not pass." Jerome held out his hand in a theatrical manner towards the approaching men and turned to Joe who was standing next to him. "Heh, you know, I always wanted to say that once." The warriors of the Order were not impressed with the display and formed a semi-circle around them, the tips of their spears and katanas pointed at them. It was hard to gouge their expressions from under their horned helmets but Jerome could swear they were looking at them with a mixture of pity and anger.

Huang shook his head sadly. "The dragons have enthralled these poor souls, they don't know what they are saying."

"Enthrawhat? I don't even know what that word means." Jon said as he raised his fists as if he was about to engage the armed and armored men in a boxing competition "But you sure ain't getting past me."

"Misguided fools. This is for your own good." Huang said, he yelled a short command in Chinese and, as one, his warriors rushed forward and subdued the four of them without much resistance. "When we find a way to break the enchantment, you'll return to your old selves again."

"Get them out of the way and bring the explosives, hurry!" Huang yelled. His warriors dragged the unconscious bodies of Jon, Joe, Eva and Jerome away and opened the ranks for two warriors who were carefully carrying a wooden crate with a fuse dangling from it. They deposited the crate in front of the massive stone doors and lit the fuse and then scrambled off as fast as their legs could carry them.

A thundering crash resounded through the valley, a great column of smoke rose up from the doors who were blasted wide open, cracked and hanging half out of their hinges. The warriors of the Order brandished their weapons and cheered but Huang caught a glint of gold in the sky that was rapidly descending. It seems his old pupil wasn't ready to give up yet. "Stay here and make sure the Gold doesn't get in. I'll head inside and demolish the Mythal." Huang said, his warriors formed a defensive wall of interlocking shields in front of the gates while Huang slipped into the temple proper. He knew the chances of that handful of warriors actually stopping Li were between zero and none but they'd slow her down, long enough for him to do what needs to be done. They'd be rewarded for their sacrifice in the afterlife.

Li touched down on the platform, her wings kicking up a dust of snow and pebbles. With more courage than common sense the warriors of the Order rushed forth to meet the Gold dragon, spears raised. Li struck out with a claw, slicing through the throng like a sickle through wheat. Another one she backhanded so hard he was sent flying over the edge of the platform like a ragdoll. Li surveyed the battlefield for a short moment and concluded that the body of her old master was not among the fallen. Li's heart skipped a beat when she noticed the bodies of her friends laying in a pile near the base of one of the statues. "Oh no..." she muttered and rushed to their side. Very careful she rolled Jerome over with her claw. For a moment, Li was sure Jerome had been struck dead. After a moment, however, she saw his lips quiver with an exhaled breath. Much to her relief he was still breathing and she couldn't detect any signs of injury. With a groan, Jerome came around again, clutching his forehead. "Ow, my head hurts worse than the mother of all hangovers." he snapped abruptly to attention when he realized a massive dragon was looming over him and he was staring right into one of Li's peering eyes. "Li, one of those guys went inside." Jerome pointed at the destroyed doors. "I'll take care of the others." Jerome said before Li even managed to raise her concern.

Li pushed past the broken doors, the large antechamber was empty, save for a few incense burners shaped like a Gold Dragon in each of the corners. A large framed opening in the floor led deeper into the mountain. It was too dark to see where it lead but the faint wind that blew from it indicated that there was a large space on the other side. She poked her head down, relieved to see that the passage was large enough to accommodate a dragon much bigger than her once she squeezed through the hole. She disappeared downward. A steep but walkable grade descended into the darkness. After a few twists and turns the passageway began to level out and Li saw a source of light ahead. When she round the last corner she nearly dropped her jaw at the sight. She couldn't see much overhead, just a vague sense of an oddly regular dome shape rising above, like a vast hollow mountain, and a glowing light source at the apex, below was a vast green blue plain, with little rises of blue rock. Mosses thrived in the wet crevices, ferns dripped from edges of pools and streams. It was as if she had discovered a whole hidden world within the mountain of Hullenhoshi. In the center of it all stood a crude stone ziggurat, a lone figure dressed in golden armor was climbing the structure.

Li's heart thumped in her chest, not only would she soon face her old master, she'd also be fighting him for the fate of dragonkind. She wondered if anyone could ever be ready for something like this. She focused only on her breathing and the motion of her wings as she sailed down at the ziggurat. Huang had reached the top and stood staring with rapt intensity at two large braziers of unique shape and design. Made to resemble the coiled body of a dragon, the base of the brazier was the dragon's body winding around and around upon itself, ending in a tail. The dragon's head, mouth agape, formed the bowl. Four dragon legs were the base, supporting the body. The gaping mouths were unlit for now but Huang felt a strange power radiate from the braziers, as if they were softly humming with energy. He was looking straight at the fabled Mythal, the object his ancestors had spent their entire lives looking for was now within reach, his hand flew to the handle of his katana when a huge shape blotted out the light. With a soft thud, Li landed between Huang and the braziers and planted her feet squarely. The dragon towered over Huang, golden whiskers jutting from beneath its ivory teeth, eyes glowing like emeralds that had captured firelight.

"It seems her Resplendence has survived everything the Order thew at her, I should not be surprised, you were always the stubborn one." Huang said, not even flinching at the sight of the Gold Dragon.

"Laozi..." Li began, unconsciously addressing Huang with his old honorific. "All those years, did you never see anything else in me but a pawn in your scheme? What kind of a person would someone have to be to look someone in the eyes and pretend to care for her...for almost twenty years?" Toward the end, Li's voice rose in a howl of lamentation.

"Perhaps things might have been different if you had been a human..." Huang sounded almost whimsical, but his face still stood grim and resolute. "No my old pupil, there is only one way this can end. In the death of you and all your kind." Sword raised above his helmet, Huang plunged forward toward the waiting dragon. "Prepare to join your siblings in eternal sleep."

Li's claw slashed the air and raked Huang's tower shield. The master of the Order reeled backward and stumbled. The dragon aimed another blow at Huang. He ducked aside and snatched up his dropped sword. Having missed with the first swipe, Li swept her claw back again. Huang was learning quickly and expected the attack. Instead of slamming into his body, the dragon's claw collided with a slashing sword. Steel bit into dragon scales and cut the flesh underneath—not deeply, but enough to cause the dragon to bellow with pain and rage.

"Too quick! Too reckless!" Huang berated Li as if he was still sparring with his pupil. Huang stepped backward, crouching, as if making himself smaller would lessen the thundering in his ears.

Li struck again. This time the blow caught Huang's shield on the edge. One talon pierced the thick wooden target just above his forearm. Huang was jerked off his feet as the shield was wrenched from his arm. He felt as if his arm would be pulled from his shoulder, but the shield's leather straps snapped like bull-whips cracking. He tumbled to the ground yards from where he had been standing. Miraculously, he still held his sword, but he knew his shield arm was dislocated at the shoulder and broken at the wrist. Already his hand was turning black and blue. Li uttered a low growl and crept closer, like a stalking cat.

"Are you going to murder me now?" Huang said. "A fitting start for the oppression of the winged serpents, killing an old man who can no longer can defend himself."
Li hesitated, she had wished for justice to be served, not necessarily to see Huang dead. Too late did she notice Huang extracting a vial of clear purple liquid from a pouch on his belt. Li's eyes lit up in recognition. Root extract from the Echinacea Angustifolia, the same one Izmir had used to sedate her. Li jerked her neck back but Huang had already tossed the vial, it crashed into a million pieces on her faceplate and the paralyzing purple fumes surrounded her muzzle. Almost instantly, Li felt all her muscles go slack and she collapsed on the ground, she lifted her claw and tried to reach for Huang but her arm thumped on the ground just inches from the man.

Huang slowly climbed to his feet again. "Never underestimate an opponent, it seems you have not been paying attention to my lessons after all."

Li's eyelids felt heavy, struggling to remain awake as she saw Huang casually stroll over towards the braziers. She had to get up, she had to stop him but her body no longer responded. Time seemed to slow down as Huang raised his katana to one of the braziers. Her body may no longer function, but her mind wasn't knocked out yet. Instead of trying to reach out, Li reached inwards and drew upon the only ability she had mastered in her journey. She closed her eyes and tried to visualize what she wanted. A light weight seemed to press against her mind and her eyes felt warm. When she opened her eyes again she saw a tiny spark of amber light float just in front of Huang's face. Li watched with fascination as the spark rapidly began to expand into a dazzling orb of golden light. Huang screamed and clutched his eyes, his katana dropped from his hands. Blinded he stumbled backwards, coming dangerously close to the edge of the ziggurat. For a few seconds he balanced on the edge and with a final scream, he lost his bearing and fell over the edge never to reappear again. He had severely underestimated the abilities of a dragon. Unable to hold on any longer, Li let the sweet darkness consume her and she drifted into sleep.

Muffled voices edged her but Li could not make out any words. Was she dreaming? Li awakened slowly, a stirring imperceptible. A puff of frosty air wafted from her broad nostrils. A leathery membrane, shining gold, inched upward and revealed an eye of slitted pupil. How long had she been out? She raised her weight onto her four taloned feet. She blinked heavily against the light until the colors assumed their normal hues and the sounds became clear and focused again. Familiar faces surrounded her, four humans and two dragons, one red and one blue were all staring at her.

"Miss Samurai. You did it." Jerome smiled from ear to ear. "Like I knew you would."

"Yes, never doubted you for a moment." Joe added. "Isn't that right Jon?" Jon's only response was to nod so hard his head almost fell off.

"The scientific community will be busy with this for years. They'll have trouble believing us when we come back home with all this." Eva said.

"Huang and his Order of the Golden Sun are no more, at long last, this dark page in the history of dragonkind can finally be turned over." Izmir held his horned head high as he addressed Li, his eyes bright and alert. He carried off that lordly, implacable air rather well. Perhaps it was the angle but Li could sworn that he was smiling a bit. "It is time." He said solemnly. He and the others parted for Li and she climbed the last steps of the ziggurat. Tholaxxius was already awaiting her at the two braziers.

Tholaxxius and Li looked at each other. "Are you sure about this?" Tholaxxius said. "Everything is going to be different after we do this."

"We would only do the dragons a disservice by letting them sleep, they deserve a place in this world as well, even the bad ones." Li craned her neck and looked at her friends, who were gathered at the base of the ziggurat. "Besides, if this journey has taught me anything then it is that receiving a second chance, a chance to set things right is a great gift indeed."

Tholaxxius pondered Li's words for a moment before he dipped his head in acknowledgement. The Red and Gold dragon summoned their fire and simultaneously breathed a jet of orange flames in the braziers. The bright fires in the braziers intensified in heat and radiance. The faint humming that surrounded the ziggurat grew louder and louder. At its apex, the flames in the braziers exploded into a column of light that shot upward through the roof of the dome. A bright beacon heralding the dawn of a new age.