FSE

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Chapter Nineteen** **

Keira watched the old, white-scaled dragon take Ruari away. The poor whelp looked like he could hardly fly straight after using so much of his magic.

Magic...I think I used magic. Keira clenched and unclenched her talons as if she could feel pure power surging through her. The way she had fought was surreal even to her. Everything had happened so fast that the only thing she could rely on was her instincts. It had felt like adrenaline coursing through her, except from a much more potent source of strength.

She felt weak too, and it wasn't just the usual leg-trembling weakness from physical wear. No, she felt like her entire core was shivering and struggling to regain strength. Had she spent any more energy fighting that dragon, the fatigue would have been crippling.

I wish I could lie down for a moment...

Aidan softly bumped his snout against hers. "You were amazing," he said. "I can't believe you can fight like that. You were like a whirlwind or tornado or hurricane or something!"

A warm smile stretched her lips as pride swelled in her chest. She had never been praised before. "Neither can I."

"Where'd you learn to do all that?" he asked. He was genuinely interested in her, his eyes soft and kind. Aidan had a unique way of being friendly to everyone, but Keira felt special whenever he talked with her.

And she wished she could reciprocate that, but all she could muster was the shrug of her wings. "Just instinct, I guess..."

"And Des!" Aidan shouted and turned to his purple friend. "How did you turn invisible?! You totally disappeared and snuck up on him--that was super cool! Here, let me heal your paw."

Des gingerly lifted up his injured forepaw to Aidan, who was eager to use his Water-magic to mend it. An orb of pristine water surrounded his purple paw, seeping into the burns to draw out the pain.

"I-I don't know. It just happened... I apparently have a habit of sneaking up on people." He gave an awkward smile and looked at himself as if to check if he was still visible. Aidan finished healing him and withdrew the magic.

"I learned how to do that before winter break," Aidan stated proudly.

From what Keira understood, Des was a Shadow-dragon--dragons that had the ability to blend into their surroundings. She remembered her father warning her of them; they were often rotten thieves and criminals that skulked around in the middle of the night. But Desmond didn't seem anything like that at all, if not the exact opposite.

"You discovered your magic, Keira fought like a battle-hardened warrior, and Ruari defeated the evil villain... I thought I was supposed to be the hero, but that's twice now I've just done nothing. I... I'm not very helpful," Aidan said glumly. "I wish I could have saved that guard... or at least attempted to."

Aidan's excited expression shifted to something Keira didn't like to see on his face. Sympathy for him ached in her heart, something she hadn't felt it a long time. She returned a nuzzle to him and smiled. "You were very helpful," she said and showed him the healed wound on her shoulder, not a scratch on her.

She knew the wound healed so quickly partly to her innate ability, but she wanted him to feel better.

"My paw feels as good as new, and you helped Ruari take down the dragon," Des pointed out. "Without your magic, his wouldn't have been nearly as effective."

"Maybe," he said, his spirits lifted a little. "I guess we all can't be fighters... Just wish I had stronger magic, I suppose." He bared a smile and glanced between them. "Maybe I could have blasted him with a tidal wave! I'm not very good at that type of Water-magic yet... But I'm glad we're all alive and in one piece!"

Keira nodded and looked over to the dead, green dragon lying in place of the black dragon they had fought. He looked exactly the same, minus the black scales and evil aura about him. Deep down, a fearful sensation stirred in her guts.

We didn't defeat the black dragon... He'll come back again, and he'll be ready for us.

"Where do you think that Elder took Ruari?" Des asked.

"I don't know, but it seemed really important," Aidan answered. "I bet he's being praised and rewarded for defeating the bad guy." Aidan didn't seem like the jealous type, but he was obviously sour about feeling unhelpful.

"He's going to miss the show," Des added. "I think it's about to start."

The sun reached the western horizon; an orange haze shifted through the gray clouds as darkness crept up from the East. The magic show would begin at sundown in the center of the festival. Keira was excited to see it, but after expending so much energy, the idea of hurrying to see it waned. At this moment, she needed to rest.

"Yeah, we better get going!"

I don't think they understand that we almost died, Keira thought. Both of them seemed to ignore severity of what happened, but perhaps it was better to quickly move on and forget than it was to dwell on it? This wasn't the first time all of them had been in serious danger, so maybe it wasn't so traumatizing to have nearly died. She admitted that she didn't feel upset about it, either; she suffered through much worse before.

And this time, no one important to her died.

As they turned to leave, two armored guards stepped in their path. "Sorry, but we can't let you leave quite yet. We have questions that we need to ask you."

"Awww, come on! Can't we answer them later?" Aidan pleaded.

"We need to know how you three found this dragon and everything about the fight. Stay put for a moment and we'll take you to the inquisitor."

Aidan let out a disappointed sigh and plopped on his rear. The two guards stepped away, leaving the dragonets to boredom.

"Well, that's a pain in the tail. We're going to miss the show... Unless, we come up with a plan!"

"Like what?" Des asked.

The red dragonet turned to him. "You can use your magic to turn us invisible! We can walk right under their noses."

"I barely understand how to turn myself invisible, let alone both of you!"

"We can just run. They won't be able to catch us," Keira offered.

A devious smirk stretched Aidan's lips. "I like that idea. It's so simple that it can't fail!" He glanced around the alleyway, searching for a route. Guards were everywhere now, and the sky was covered by cloth tarps so they couldn't just fly straight up.

"Okay, so we should split up. Des, you go down the alley behind us, Keira down the alley beside us, and I'll go down the one in front!"

"I really doubt that they will try to catch us," Keira said.

"On the count of three!" Aidan continued anyway. He settled into a prepared stance and counted up. Keira rolled her eyes, but a small giggle caught her off guard. A fleeting memory of her and her friends racing through town passed through her mind. When she looked at Aidan, she could almost see her best-friend, Finn. She smiled and mimicked him, and so did Des.

"Three!"

They sprinted as fast as they could with claws scraping against the stone ground, each of them tearing off in a different direction. Guards shouted at them to stop and tried to get in their way, but none of them made an attempt to lunge and catch them.

Keira dodged them all with ease, weaving through the narrow alleyway and slipping into the shadows between the buildings. Once she found and open area to take off in, she leapt into the sky, banking around and turning the opposite direction.

The three of them met up and flew close together. No one gave chase; they were in the clear.

As the sun descended over the western horizon, bright, colorful lights speckled the festival grounds. The cold air grew freezing without the warmth of the sun, though Keira was used to the cold. She didn't necessarily enjoy frigid temperatures, but she most certainly tolerated them better than dragons like Des, who was used to living in the warm, sunny South. He was shivering when they landed, with his wings tucked close.

Dragons of all different ages and colors flocked toward the center of the festival. The three of them had to squeeze their way through the thick crowd to get closer to the center, where there was a large platform set. It was completely flat and barren, save for several dragons sitting up there.

Eight dragons garbed in silk and jewels sat at the back edge of the stage. It appeared that they wore the colors that represented their element: there was red, white, green, blue, black, brown, sky-blue, and bright-yellow.

I had no idea there were so many different elements, Keira thought. She remembered reading about most of them, but she couldn't figure out which colors represented what.

The three dragonets found a spot near the front of the stage; it was nestled in the crowd and next to some classmates from school. They greeted each other while Keira curiously studied each of the magic users, dreaming about what it was like to wield magic.

If I could use magic, maybe I could have killed the black dragon...

"And this is Keira!" Aidan introduced her.

She turned and dipped her head at a few dragonets about her age, baring a small smile. They did the same, but she saw the uncertainty in their eyes. It was like she was a different species to them--a northerner.

Aidan took away the unsettling feelings in her gut by hugging a wing around her and tucking her close. Not only did he calm her down by doing that, but the other dragonets seemed to understand that she was a friend and relaxed. "We fought an evil dragon today!"

"What? No way!" a green male said.

The sandy-colored female in the center rolled her eyes. "You sure you weren't dreaming?" She adjusted a silken scarf around her neck that matched the color of her golden scales. With her chin tilted up, it was obvious that she was brought up in a wealthy family. Brown-ridged scales trimmed her hide and speckled her flanks. She was very pretty, but the snide attitude she held turned Keira off.

"Nope! I'm sure you'll hear about it more tomorrow, but we totally kicked his tail-end! Well, mostly Keira and Ruari..."

Keira bumped into him and brought back his smile.

The dragoness looked at her with a different, curious stare. "And you weren't playing pretend like you usually do? Sounds unbelievable or perhaps the evil dragon was laughably weak."

"Ciara, don't be mean," another dragonet said. He had brilliant golden scales with brown stripes; he looked much like Ciara, and Keira assumed that they were siblings, if not twins. "I've heard crazier things come from your mouth before."

"I'm not!" she defended. "I'm just saying it's a tad fantastical, don't you think?"

"It happened!" Des said and nodded affirmatively. "We almost died! Oh, and I discovered my magic," he finished proudly.

"Ooh, really? Show us!"

Des bared a toothy grin and concentrated. After a moment, his purple scales blended into his surroundings, melding into thin air until he was nearly invisible. The only evidence of him standing there was a slight visible distortion; he didn't quite have full control over his magic yet, but it was still effective.

As the dragonets cheered in awe of their friend, the rhythmic pounding of drums filled the air with vibrations. The loud uproar of the dragons gathered slowly diminished until it was inaudible beneath the pulsing of the drums as the show begun. It was steady like a heartbeat that resonated like thunder. Everyone's attention turned to the stage, and Des reappeared.

A dark, foreboding melody crept from the deep vibrations of the drums as the noise simmered down. One string instrument sang a story while a few others harmonized beside it. Different, smaller drums accompanied the strings, and finally a mallet instrument joined in, chiming with eerie, melodic undertones.

As the music continued, the first performer stepped forward to the center of the stage. The others disappeared, leaving the sole dragon who was dressed in black silk, with onyx jewelry clinging to his limbs--he was a Shadow-dragon like Des. Black, swirling tattoos embedded his dark-green hide, wrapping up his four legs. He looked the part of a villain, and brief flashes of the evil dragon made Keira's heart beat faster.

With a bow, he disappeared out of sight, vanished. In his place, dark, smoky tendrils rose from the floor, and a haze drifted across the platform. Smoke bled off the edges, and the dragonets were close enough to it that Keira could reach out with a paw and swipe through it. It curled around her talons like a snake, but it had no scent or feeling--it was only darkness.

A shadowy figure waded through the growing, black mist, skulking. Tendrils of darkness seeped from him; wherever he moved, the abyss followed. His menacing silhouette would disappear and reappear again with the pounding of a large drum, sending deep vibrations that crawled up Keira's spine. It was like the horror stories her friends used to tell to try and scare her--they never worked, but she still felt uneasy.

Soon, nothing but sheer darkness filled the stage. The performer had disappeared entirely, but the music continued on, swelling with dissonance as if the notes were fighting with another.

"This is seriously spooky," Aidan muttered beside Keira. "It makes my scales crawl."

"You're telling me!" Des whispered.

The music was growing, growing, each note and beat getting louder as every sense of melody was shattered while each interval was so close that they were grinding together. Keira knew the dragon would appear out of thin air to frighten the crowd at any moment. At any moment...

But the music ended abruptly, and all that remained was the darkness.

Silence.

Keira gulped, waiting... but the scare never came.

Instead, the music began again, lighter and brighter as if it was lifting itself from the gloom. Up above, a golden light descended from the sky, like an angel falling from the heavens. Her scales were the colors of sand and gold, but her body illuminated a magical glow. She hovered above the shadowy fog and cast it away with the draft of her wings. Yellow silk and jewelry decorated her body, but unlike the other magic-users Keira had saw, she had a scarf wrapped around her neck too.

"That's our mom!" Ciara chimed proudly.

"I had no idea your mom was a performer," Aidan said and grinned brightly at her. "That's really cool!"

A tinge of jealousy gnawed at the back of Keira's mind, but she did her best to ignore it.

As the dragoness' paws touched the floor, the darkness slithered around her. It flourished in the absence of light, building walls of black smoke around her that closed in fast. She flashed brightly in distress and bated the rising clouds with her wings, but her magic wasn't enough; it consumed her.

Two silhouettes appeared after lightning-like flashes bloomed through the fog. Two separate melodies battled along with them, clashing and flowing, fighting and dancing. The indistinguishable figures fought, every move choreographed with the music, each step perfectly in sync. It was impossible to tell who was who and if either one was winning, but soon the Light-dragon cast her magic and flung herself into the air, a trail of blazing light following her.

A dark ball of Shadow-energy chased after her, leaving behind a trail of shadowy smoke. Dashing across the sky, they looped back and forth, clashing directly above the crowd, spiraling. They twirled higher and higher, finally entwining like tails and pushing off of each other before landing back to the platform. Each strike was in time with the music, building faster and faster as each dragon vied for control.

Colorful beams stabbed through the darkness, aimed above the crowd so it wasn't blinding. They shot far into the sky, lingering for longer than a second while a different color followed quickly after. With the final strike, the rainbow-colored light pierced the darkness in a cone in front of the dragoness. The Shadow-dragon's silhouette was destroyed, and he fell back, clutching his chest as if he had been hurt. He lay there for a moment as the darkness around them dissipated, and then he climbed to his paws.

Accepting his defeat, he wandered toward the edge of the stage and disappeared using his magic. The Light-dragon glowed triumphantly, a brilliant, golden color that was warm and full of life, and she leapt into the sky and shined down like the sun. Music sang of her victory over the darkness and slowly diminished to silence.

Keira sucked in a breath and closed her mouth.

"And I barely know how to turn invisible..." Des muttered almost inaudibly with the cheering of the crowd.

"Wasn't that awesome, Keira?" Aidan asked excitedly. "And that was only the first act! They usually start off with something spectacular like that to get our attention, but there is bound to be even better performances later."

"I wish I could do something like that," she said. "It looked like a lot of fun."

"My mother said she would teach me to perform someday. She said I already have the beauty, so I just need the talent, which I'm sure I'm pretty close to having already." Ciara wore a smug smile, obviously carrying herself with high regard.

Shut your muzzle, Keira grumbled to herself. Nobody cares.

"If you ever need an audience, I'll be there," Aidan said all too eagerly.

"Thanks, but I'd need more than just you around if I were to perform."

Keira wanted to pluck the scales off of her stupid face... one by one.

Before she could fantasize about the other terrible things she could do, the music started again, and a green and brown dragon hopped up onto the stage. He wore brown, silken drapes and golden bands of jewelry with hazel gems studded around them_._

Instead of a beautiful melody, the deep vibrations of drums trembled through the air. Percussive beats pounded a steady rhythm that sounded like the earth itself was rumbling. He made a bow before slamming the stage with his paw and causing a small tremor. A murmur of surprise sifted through the crowd, and then earthen walls sprouted just before the edge of the stage, covering the wood with rock to give it a more natural appearance.

A dirt floor traveled across the stage to the other end, covering the entirety of it. He stepped forward, and with the thunder of the largest drum, he used his magic to form a pillar that shot himself backward into the air into a backflip. Spinning around, he made himself a platform to land on and gracefully touched down.

Following the powerful beats of the drums, he grasped at the ground and raised his paws, forming earthen mounds as if he could tug the Earth into shape. At his command, small mountains burst from the center of the stage and spiked high into the sky. Small hills formed around the mountains, rolling across the stage--it reminded Keira lot of the North.

The pounding of the drums diminished, and the mallet and string instruments eased into a smooth melody. He stood at the foot of the mini-mountain as a sea-blue dragon wandered over the earthen hills to him. She stopped beside him and gave a humble bow before he used his magic to raise her to the top of the mountain. Beautiful shades of blue apparel matched the hues of her scales, much like the colors of the sea.

After the Earth-dragon disappeared behind the mountain, waves of pristine water swept from one side of the stage to the other without splashing off of it. The dragoness leaned from one side to the other, slowly dancing as she controlled the flow of the water that bathed the earth. Pleasant, relaxing sounds of water splashing and trickling joined with the bubbly harmony of the mallets.

Aidan watched with keen interest, seeming to be imagining how he could use his magic like this. His paws twitched as he concentrated on her movements.

"I bet you'll be able to do all of that someday," Keira said kindly. "You can already spray water really well."

He nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah, maybe! I'd really like to fight bad guys... Would be cool to have that much control over my magic. It's a lot harder than it looks."

It did seem like it would be challenging to manipulate water so precisely like that, to control the flow and direction that the waves would follow. Watching the smooth, meditated movements of the performer made it appear so easy, like the water had a sentient mind of its own. Soon, the water overwhelmed the shallows of the earth and filled the valleys.

Clouds formed overhead unnaturally fast, blocking out the dragoness' light and making the scene appear darker. The Water-user struggled to control the waves crashing against the mountain. Some of them splashed high enough that the icy wind carried the spray over the crowd. The cold droplets splattered Keira's scales in a fine mist.

The music picked up, drums pounding away like thunder as the clouds grew blacker. Each beat rumbled and echoed, with dissonance shrieking from the other instruments. The sky-blue dragoness had lost control of her magic, and she thrashed around with it until she fell into the raging sea and disappeared from sight.

In her place, a gray, blue, and white dragon appeared. He descended from the darkness above and landed where she had stood, atop the pillar. The white, silken cloth representing his element flagged to the side of him from the gusts of wind sweeping across the stage. Everything was dark and disconcerting, the ominous sound of the music reflecting the threatening shift in weather.

As he flared his wings, two intense flashes of lightning struck beside him, and the roar of the drums was drowned by deafening sound real thunder. Several cries of fear came from the audience. Rain pattered the water, growing into a true storm. Reaching his paw into the sky, it looked like he grabbed a bolt of lightning and threw it down, sparking and crackling with fierce energy. It rippled across the earth like electrical tendrils.

Such power... Keira thought as she felt the charged energy vibrating in the air. This could be Ruari someday--someday soon.

"I wish Ruari was here to see this," Aidan said, thinking similarly.

"Yeah, I bet he'd love to see what he can do eventually," Des responded.

"He can probably already do that now," Keira added with a hint of jealousy.

"Who's this Ruari?" Ciara asked. "Is he that weird, little dragonet that hangs around you guys?"

Aidan turned to her and shook his head. "He's not weird or little! He's just young--about two years younger than us."

"He's the one that proved you wrong in class," Caden said after poking her with a claw.

"Oh, him." She rolled her eyes. She was obviously not thrilled about it.

Keira liked that.

But the acrimonious roar of another lightning strike cut off their conversation. The dragon danced in the torrent of rain, like he was one with the storm. Each stomp and downward swipe sent bolts of lightning beneath him. Every strike had a beautiful pattern of its own, as if the sky was cracking open. With the sun setting behind the stage, and the dark clouds blocking the Light-user's light, the flashes of lightning seemed brighter and almost blinding.

The music was often overpowered by the storm, and Keira was amazed at how controlled it was. Sometimes rain or water would splash off of the stage, but that seemed purposeful to add to the effect of the performance. As dangerous as the act was, she was sure that it was well-contained.

Slowly, the storm dissipated. Beams of magical sunlight pierced through the dark clouds that faded more and more. The music changed from dissonance to a melody like the songs of birds in the morning. As the last raindrop fell, the stage was lit anew. The wind and water settled and the light of the dragoness warmed the world in a healthy glow. The Lightning-dragon glided down from his perch and disappeared behind the mountain, dripping wet from the rain.

The next performer stepped forward and made a humble bow, and the Light-dragon flew away, her light fading and leaving the stage dark. He looked more soft-spoken and less flashy than the previous dancer. His dull, blue scales didn't match the vibrant green colors he wore.

Music sprang to life. With the gentle wave of his paw, bright-green grass brushed the hills below as if he was painting them. Speckling the folds of the Earth around the small basins of water, flowers grew before the crowd. They matured full and bright, a rainbow with one color after the other. Each flower appeared to bloom with the pluck of a low, string instrument.

While the other performances had been exciting and fast-paced, this one presented a timid, peaceful scene. It was relaxing to watch and listen; the more plucks of the strings roused more flowers before the magic-user, and when the instruments flowed into harmony, a sapling poked out of the center hill, swelling into a large tree.

"What kind of magic is this?" Keira asked. "Is it Earth-magic?"

Every color was so vibrant; she had never seen plants so beautiful before. It reminded her of the city's garden that Fallon had shown her. The fresh scent of rain and damp earth wafted into the air, and soon the aroma of the flowers weaved into the wonderful smells.

Aidan shook his head and answered as if it was a test question, "It's Life-magic. It's a counterpart to Earth-magic, but it focuses more on plant-life and foliage."

On the leaves of the tree, more flowers bloomed, speckling the verdant leaves with colorful dots. A branch descended and carried the dragon up to the sky, where he spread his arms and wings wide to grow and even larger, taller tree that ascended with him toward the mountaintop.

As the music quieted down, Keira watched the performer fade away before the awed crowd. All that remained was the abundance of forestry sprouting from the stage. He disappeared out of thin air, and she wondered if that was his doing or the Shadow-dragon from before.

Before her question could be answered, icicles formed along all the plants there. The flowers crystalized, the trees had bark made of ice, and the leaves froze--it looked a lot like Fallon's tree. A chill crept through the already cold air.

The music shifted from plucked instruments to ringing mallets. Lights from the festival glistened off of the ice, casting an array of stunning light. A distorted shape moved through the crystals, appearing multiple times in different places.

With a loud swell in the music, and the powerful thunder of drums, the two trees shattered into millions of scintillating pieces. The ice fell and cracked into smaller pieces, the glass-breaking sound mixing with the music and blending like musical notes.

Through the glinting dust, the shadowy figure emerged. A white-colored dragon with red tiger-stripes stepped away from the icy cascade, the colors of sky-blue covering some of his hide and embedding his jewelry.

His movements were smooth, and wherever his paws touched, ice formed. As more of the stage was covered in his ice, he slid around and skidded across it, calculated to be in time with the music. Up and down the hills he sledded, sometimes leaping from the tops of them to gracefully land on the other side. At the tops of the hills, he formed ramps and jumped over the small gorges below. The ramps grew larger and more complicated as the music's pace increased. He rode the ice into the sky and used his wings to help him twirl and spiral back down, landing gracefully and skidding to a stop.

With the flagrant wave of his forepaws, spikes stabbed into the air in front of him. Using more of his magic, he flung himself up one of the spikes with a pillar. The momentum carried him into the air, and he extended the ice further and further until he came to a stop high above the crowd.

The stage was spiky with his ice, and the mountain behind him loomed overhead. At the base of his creation, a ruby-scaled magic-user danced onto the stage. She was beautiful. The red silken laces she wore matched her scales brilliantly, and they flowed like water around her as she gracefully moved back and forth.

Two clashing melodies rang out from the strings and mallets. The Ice-dragon seemed uneasy as the Fire-dragon stepped forward.

Fire flashed before Keira's eyes, bright and illuminating. The dancer swept toward the audience, each movement quick like a strike but smooth and fluid like a dance. A trail of fire followed the tip of her tail through the air, spiraling with her steps. Each step and movement she took was carefully placed and practiced, and it was melting the ice around her.

With a roar, the Ice-dragon descended from the tip, sliding down faster and faster toward her. She stepped back into position and cast a ring of fire that tunneled behind her. As soon as he entered her magic, he disappeared into the fire. Her flames dissipated and revealed no dragon; he was gone. Transitioning into a smooth dance, she continued where she had left off and danced across the hills and valleys.

The music hastened with her dance; fire spouted out harmlessly toward the audience and up into the sky. Keira felt the warmth of her magic lapping against her scales. The heat was melting all of the ice, exposing green and colorful flowers once again.

"That is so cool," Aidan said next to her as a fiery pillar burst into the sky.

"I can do that," Ciara said. "Almost..."

Heavy beats of the drums roared under the music and made a crescendo into a giant blaze of hot fire that spilled into the air like fireworks. Wondrous patterns painted the darkening sky, growing higher and higher as the crowd cheered and encouraged her for more. She gave them what they wanted and cast fire high into the sky that diminished at its peak high above them. Every beat of a drum sent another torrent into the air, her dance and magic all working in unison with the music.

It was the ultimate display of power and beauty that Keira desperately craved. To hold such formidable magic at her clawtips, to be able to devastate her foes with a single spell... she wanted that. The performance had her captivated, lost in her own imagination where she was the dragoness on stage. Her eyes followed every fiery spiral, and she leaned into the heat, wishing and hoping that she could feel that energy.

She was already naturally resistant to fire and its destructive power, so maybe she was a Fire-dragon somewhere deep down?

As her performance neared its end, the ice that had once glossed the mountains, plants, and earth had now melted. She brought life thriving back into the world, and once she danced to the center of the stage, she ended abruptly in a low bow, right forepaw crossing and touching her left breast. She was panting, but a warm smile stretched her lips.

Uproar burst from the audience, and each of the other dragons stepped forward, joining her on the hills of the stage. They looked noble, and they accepted the praise with humble bows. It truly was an exhilarating performance, one that Keira would never forget.

Aidan bumped into her. "What'd you think?"

"It was amazing," she answered, unable to keep a smile from her face. "I uhm... I'm happy I was here to see it."

He hugged around her with a wing, and Keira wanted to melt against him. "Me too! This year's was really spectacular, and I'm... glad I could share it with you."

She looked into his ruby eyes and saw his genuine sincerity. It made her heart swell to think that someone truly cared for her. Resting her head against him, she took a moment to enjoy his presence. It wasn't like her to openly express affection, but with all the excitement and strange emotions she felt throughout the day, it was difficult not to.

"I should probably hurry home before Mara worries too much," she said and grudgingly pulled away. A part of her never wanted to leave his side, but another part of her worried about ruining their friendship. She worried that she didn't deserve his kindness.

"After today, I'm going to spend the rest of the break relaxing," Des added with a sigh. "It was quite the adventure."

"Yeah, I'd say so! I hope Ruari's okay. I wonder what he's up to. He probably missed the show."

"There's always next year!"

The two of them said goodbye to their classmates as the crowd dispersed. Keira watched everyone turn to leave, most of them heading home after the long festival.

Keira turned to them with an uncomfortable feeling stirring in her gut. "I'll see you guys another time?"

"Of course! Hopefully you don't get into too much trouble," Aidan said. "See you, Keira."

I hope I'll see them again soon, she thought, letting her emotions gnaw at the back of her mind.They're Ruari's friends... not mine.

But when she looked at Aidan, she saw a good friend, and she hoped the feeling was mutual. She nodded with a small smile and returned home.

* * *

Ruari gulped as he sat across from Elder Turi, where a small table was set between them. The elder more or less abducted Ruari and took him to his home in the cliffside. It was a quiet, secluded abode, fit for a hermit. A teacup for each of them steamed and wafted the sweet scent of herbs into the air, and the mat Ruari sat on was plush and comfortable.

His hazel eyes studied Ruari carefully, like a book. It was unnerving, to say the least, but if his father trusted Turi enough to be on the council, then Ruari would trust him, too. A few scars blemished his face, most of them old, but a much fresher wound at his left forearm lay hidden behind new bandages. Ruari recalled that the elder was there in that explosion with his father, though he scraped by relatively unharmed.

"Is my father okay?" was Ruari's first concern.

"Yes, but he is still recovering, last I heard." He tilted his head at the young dragonet and gave a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine. He's taken harder hits before."

Ruari bared an uneasy smile back and nodded. Silence fell over the room again. Turi seemed to be deep in thought as he sipped on his tea and stared at Ruari.

"So uhm... You wanted to talk?" Ruari interrupted the ominous silence. "How did you know where to find me?"

The elder took another sip of his tea and nodded. "Yes, yes. My apologies, let me tell you why you're here. You're a rather peculiar dragonet, Ruari. In the midst of enjoying my own commodities, a vivid, distinct image of you nudged at my thoughts. I didn't quite know how to explain it at first, but then these runes were mysteriously clawed into the woodwork of my floor."

He lifted his forepaws and showed Ruari the words etched permanently into his wood floor: "Hurry! Now!"

"Alarmed, I charged into action, in spite of how my bones ached and complained, and flew as swiftly as I could. I hadn't the faintest clue where, however, but I saw guards flocking toward a bright light, so I took an educated guess and flew there. A strange presence warned me of the explosion so I had the chance to seal it off. I've never felt anything quite like that, and I am honestly hoping you have an idea of what that was."

That must be the same one that's been guiding me...

"It feels like you've seen it before, like you're reliving a memory?" Ruari asked.

"Yes, it is very... odd. Then, as I expected, you have also experienced this?"

He nodded and felt strange. No one he had spoken to before had ever felt precognition like he had. Was it someone else's magic or was it his own ability to see into the future, like a seer?

Whenever I freeze up, it's like someone else is in control, and I always feel another presence with me, so it must be another dragon? But what magic can possibly do that?

"I'm almost positive it's someone else... but I don't know who or how."

"Intriguing. Perhaps I will have an answer for you soon, Ruari. I must do some research before I start throwing wild guesses around. So in the meantime, let's talk about you, son of Fallon Frostfire. As you may have discovered, you have a much stronger, innate power that differs from your peers. A dragonet like you only comes around once in a lifetime."

Ruari gently scraped at his scales. "I-I know I'm sort of special, but are you sure about me? I think my kor just opened up sooner than everyone else's. I read that it's entirely possible to discover your magic even right after you've hatched."

He chuckled and nodded, amused. "This is correct, though I don't trust that you understand the full potential you currently hold. There is a stark difference between discovering your magic and being able to wield powerful abilities. A whelp may discover they are a Water-dragon before they are three years old, but even so, they would not be able to heal a severe wound or summon a wave until they've built up the stamina. Advanced abilities take more energy to use, meaning one must have a large source to pull from. And you've been using quite advanced spells, yes?"

Ruari nodded and peered at the ground, thinking. "I guess so... I haven't really been thinking about it when I use them. It's all been instinct and reactions."

"From what the council has informed me, you've fought that dragon once before?"

"I think... He looked slightly different from the first time."

"I have a lot of questions as well as answers, Ruari, but first: I believe you are what an old legend would call Firescales. Not only are you impervious to fire, but your kor possesses a powerful amount of energy unlike any other dragon. Because of the massive pool of energy you store, your kor allows for more than one chamber to fit inside it--you have discovered more than one element already, yes?"

Ruari nodded. "I can use Light and Lightning, but I don't think I'm a Firescales... I've been burned before." He remembered the black dragon specifically calling Keira by that name. She seemed to be powerful too, but she couldn't use magic like him. Yet, she survived the dragon's fiery magic and was left unscathed, twice. She was most certainly resistant to fire.

"Do you tend to heal faster than normal? Having a large amount of energy causes you to heal faster, so you may have noticed your wounds nearly disappearing within a day."

Ruari touched the scar at his neck. "No, I don't..." And then he remembered that the wound he left on Keira's snout had disappeared much faster than that.

Keira must be a Firescales... But she can't even use magic! Ruari felt tingles of jealousy creeping into his thoughts. The potential is wasted on her, someone who has no idea how to use magic.

"The northern dragonet my dad took in... Keira," Ruari started. "She is the Firescales. When we were fighting, she should have died from the evil dragon's fire magic, but it didn't even touch her. He was looking for her... She's the reason we were attacked."

When he said it aloud, he realized the truth behind it, and he realized that it was her fault his father was injured. They almost died because of her; the city nearly perished because of Keira. Ruari gritted his teeth and his guts clenched.

"Hmmm... Perhaps you are right, then, but I have no doubt that you share the same traits as a Firescales. You said you wield both Light and Lightning?"

Ruari nodded. Turi smiled and held up his forepaw. A bright, flashing orb scintillated from his palm and rose into the air in front of him. "I, too, am a Light-dragon. I've studied and worked on mastering my element for all of my life. I wish to teach you, Ruari."

"I-I don't mean to be rude, but I usually teach myself everything," he said, scratching his forearm. "And there's not much more to learn about Light magic. It's kind of... useless," he admitted.

But Turi laughed and extinguished his magic. "If you allow me to teach you, I'll quickly change your mind, young one. There is much more to the element that meets the eye, and you have much to learn."

Ruari felt flustered at that. It hurt his pride to hear that he didn't understand something as simple as Light-magic, but at the same time, he was eager to learn more, especially if it involved learning more about his magic.

"What would you teach me?" he asked curiously. "I've read almost every book about Light, and there isn't much more to know."

Turi flashed him a cocky smile and finished his tea. "In my time spent absent, I was away perfecting my own abilities. It has taken me countless years to reach this summit, and I'm willing to share my newfound knowledge with you, Ruari, in hopes that you will continue my legacy and teach the future generations."

"Will it... make me stronger?"

"Stronger than you could ever imagine," Turi answered and stood up. "If you seek knowledge and power, then follow me."

Ruari hesitated for just a moment before he hopped to his feet and followed behind Elder Turi.