FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 18

Infinity awoke in a daze, blinking away her grogginess. Once again, she'd found herself looking through the eyes of another. Though unlike the last time her scales simmered with heat. Who was this Hadariel that he could snatch her away? Steal away visions of her past, deny her glimmers of happy times. Her ears trembled as her friends came into view. They hovered above her with anxiousness painted on their faces.

"Give her some room." Cordenth barked, sweeping away at least a dozen snouts with his wings. "Let her breathe."

"Guys?" Her whole body felt like it'd been scraped over half a dozen rocks. Her limbs shook as she tried to rise.

Lyyreth was the first to nudge at her, nuzzling along her cheek.

She leapt back without thinking, nearly rearing up. "Get back!" She smacked him across the face out of instinct. That demon wasn't going to get her.

"Hello to you too." He groaned, rubbing at his cheek.

It started to set in as she traveled to each set of worry filled eyes. This wasn't that thing that'd taken over Lyyreth at all. With a few calming breaths it all was coming back to her. The ritual, her words, to the relief that came surging through her bones. She padded over, apologizing as she ruffled her wings. "You should really dodge better. If I even had more of my strength..." She gestured to his emerald scales. "You'd have a scar to match your brother right about now."

The green's face soured, frills pinning to the sides of his snout. "Yea, cause that's exactly what I need right now."

His behavior was silenced with a hasty nuzzle from cheek to cheek. When their scales parted their was a moment of silence, tracked only by how her heart beat. He went to speak again, but she put an end to it with a tender lick that darkened his frills. It was a shame that the Matilda's shrill cry pinned her ears to her head.

"You can get back to nuzzling and smoochin later. I got the portal open for ya." Matilda waved her cane to a shimmering portal of turquoise light. It hovered a few inches off the ground like a ghost, it's surface rippling like a disturbed pond. "But don't be thanking me none!"

Infinity tried to look away, memorized by it's liquid like appearance. She couldn't put a paw on what exactly, but she knew it was wrong. It made her scales itch, her paws shift, and a series of shivers that crawled their way to the end of her tail. "And..that's the portal to this deep fae?"

Matilda nodded, leaning on her cane with a proud look. "Yup. All you must do is walk through. The place will guide you to your destination."

"And don't wander off the path." Cordenth snorted, ruffling his wings. "We've heard this tale before."

"That be right!" Matilda poked the green dragon's puffed out chest. "So, best be doin what I say. Or you might find your visit more on the permanent side of things!"

Permanent? The idea of a hellish landscape harried her thoughts. Years of countless wandering among fiery dunes, pillars of bone, fountains of syrupy blood.

At least you'd die from starving or dehydration first

Dozens of other scenarios played through her mind, only quelled when she curled around to Lyyreth. Within his scales she found peace, enough to cast away her thoughts with a powerful breath. For a moment they all stood in silence, not one of them making a move to the eriee portal of light. Infinity's gaze traveled from one brother to the other, their eye sparkling with turquoise diamonds. Her thoughts soured.

Of the three, how is it that I am the brave one?

"Come on princesses! She unwound her wings, curled them around the brothers and dragged them to the edge of the portal. "We can't have your paws staying pampered all the time!" Before she shoved them through, she gave Matilda and all the other dragons a thankful nod. Without them they wouldn't even have this chance.

"I will never forget you."

"And neither will we." The old coot smirked, returning the nod with at least a dozen dragons. "If ya ever feel like relaxing and being playful." She gestured back towards the trees. "You know where to find us."

Isn't this what she'd wanted for some time? A whole slew of allies or friends that she could call upon? One makeshift family to replace the one denied her? Nodding her head she righted her thoughts, returning them to the task at claw. "Another time perhaps." She replied with an aching heart, pushing the brothers ever closer to the rippling portal.

"Here goes nothing." She mumbled softly, before dragging her friends with her.

She was falling, at least that's what her brain was telling her. Her eyes would have confirmed it if not for the piercing light stabbing daggers into her retinas. She was tumbling, that much was certain, if the shifting of her weight from front to rear was any indication. No wind was whistling by her ears, caressing her scales. It was almost like nothing was happening at all!

Out went her wings, flapping like mad to regain direction on her chaotic fall. Nothing caught her, still she plummeted. She tried to scream, call out to the brothers, get any kind of bearing that would cease the frantic beating of her heart. Had she led them all to their doom? She could almost picture the ground racing up to meet them, and they'd never see it coming.

I'm sorry.

But just as she'd resigned her fate to death, a ringing burst in her eardrums. Infinity's back arched as she screamed and snarled, paws trying to shield herself from the near deafening choir of beats. At least the falling sensation was gone, too bad she couldn't take joy in it. For hours it seemed she struggled and flailed, until her lungs were ragged and she out of breath. She flopped onto her back, finding that the ground felt rather uneven, like it could squirm out from underneath of her. She panted for the pine laced air, collecting her thoughts and thanking the gods for being alive.

Well...Lets never do that again. If an old lady tells you to hop through another one? Just politely decline.

Why did it feel like every scale and limb had been dragged across a bed of hot coals? The black dragoness groaned and rubbed her snout, eyes fluttering as she tried to regain her bearings. The fact her surroundings were colorful would be quite the understatement. They'd certainly left Matilda and her dragons behind.

Infinity found herself in what appeared to be a normal forest. Disregarding the purple barked trees, with fuzzy branches that wiggled and squirmed like a watery eel. Some broke and traveled at peculiar angles, a fair number pointed straight to the suspiciously blue sky. Every trunk's bark was encased with pink or maroon mold, squirming and pulsing as if thousands of bugs skittered below the surface.

The canopy wasn't any better. It looked as someone had taken an artist's easel and smeared whatever paint remained onto the green leaves above. Amidst the leaves were hundreds of different flowers, all varying colors so that no two had the same pattern of peddles. No matter where her snout snapped or turned, always the flowers followed. Almost as if a single moment without attention and they'd cease to be. The cacophony of a forest echoed around them, buzzing insects, the chirping of hidden birds, and the deep panting breaths of the dragons being crushed by her bulk.

What? What are you two doing there?

She found herself atop the green brothers, their limbs all interwoven with hers. No wonder the ground had seemed so unsteady! Away they all squirmed, sliding free of one another with a series of growls and hisses at their misfortune.

"And this is why we hate this travel." Cordenth groaned, flicking his tail across the ground. "Though this counts for my favorite trip so far." He flopped his snout to his brother. "How about you?"

"I'll let you know when I get the feeling back in my claws." Lyyreth waggled a limb across his brother's nose. "Until then. Can you stop your shouting? I am like three feet from you."

They bickered back and forth that neither one of them was indeed yelling. Enough to make Infinity roll her eyes and wish she could dunk both of them in a lake. But with their luck this place would have it crawling with rot worms or something.

"Can you guys shut your mouths for one second?" She covered both of them with her wings as she clambered to all fours. They were in the middle of what looked to be a well traveled path. By what she wasn't certain, as there were no signs of carts of human boots at all. As the brothers shook and padded themselves off she froze, catching what looked like several dozen mushrooms staring at them.

"Um...guys?" She gestured them with her tail, hiding the ice wiggling down her scales. Before they could offer an explanation she scowled and snorted. They only looked like they had eyes across their ballooned heads. "Never mind." She grumbled, pinning her wings to her side. Thankfully the brothers didn't poke fun at that minor hiccup. "So..." She turned around, taking in the bizarre sights. "This is what accounts for the deep fae?"

"Nope." Cordenth puffed up his chest, staring around at the strange surroundings and wrinkling his muzzle. "This looks like the fairy realm. The deep fae is well..." He shrugged his wings. "Deeper."

"Thanks for that wonderful description." She snorted, giving the trees a withering glance. Her muscles tensed as she swore they moved, only staying put when she glared at them. "But this looks nothing like a fairy." She peered back to Lyyreth, who was usually a chatter box when it came to this sort of thing. Surely, he'd have read some sort of scroll about this somewhere. Oddly enough the green was staring at his claws, silently twitching his tail. "Lyyreth?" She caught his attention, turning his frills green.

"Arcturus actually told us about this." He perked up, "Never came here myself. And mother only dabbled in messing around with it."

"Wonderful. Did that knight friend of yours have any knowledge?" She pinned her wings, tail lashing the dirt.

Lyyreth shook his head with a defeated sigh, "Only to stay on the path and don't let it trick you."

Trick you? That sounded rather malicious. She stared at a solitary bush made completely of gryphon feathers. Stay on the path? That wasn't very useful. "So, we're going in blind. Guess that would be following our luck. I suppose no mention of this avatar of Nutambar?" She tilted her head, trying to figure what that even was. "Whats even an Nutambar?" It sounded like some sort of grain.

"It's the god of nature." Cordenth sighed, "And If I were to guess what his avatar would be...It would be a being well versed in the natural magics."

"Like a unicorn?" Lyyreth perked up. "Or a phoenix? Possibly a sphinx? Or by any luck a coutal? You know the dragon like serpent thing. Though if it's anyone of those I might scream. They are absurdly rare."

Unicorns, phoenix, coutals, gods? She knew that the green dragon meant well as he listed off several dozen _other_rare animals, but concepts were slipping through her claws. She shook aside the dozen or so animals and concerned herself with only helping him, not concerning herself in whatever made up shape it wanted to take. Even if it meant trudging along through place that looked like spilled oil paints.

She shivered as she caught the sight of a fruit bearing dozens of human like teeth. She avoided it like the plague. The old woman's words hung in her mind. What could be so dangerous in here that it might threaten a dragon? "So, if it's not supposed to look like a fairy. Why all the bizarre plants and things? I thought fairies were cute little humanoids with butterfly wings. Why would they go making something like this?" She gestured to the fruit. "Cause that's beyond creepy."

"Its not really like that." Lyyreth wobbled and tried to pad after her. He shoved the Cordenth away as the brother tried to assist in Lyyreth's awkward walk. "The fairy realm is built upon memories and feelings of those that walk within. I guess this is an interpretation of what we're seeing to make sense of the chaotic nature of this realm." He spun around, gesturing to everything with spread wings. "The sky, the ground, the trees."

"And the path?" She padded at the worn grass beneath their paws. It ran ahead, seemingly for miles as far as she could see. "What's that then? Another interpretation?" She curled around her neck to see that it wasn't behind them at all, nearly snaking off in its solitary direction.

"I would suppose...even the path. Its Matilda and Arcturus said. It leads us to where we need to go...So if we stray..." He gulped and stared into the thick forest around them.

"We're lost forever." She growled, making sure to stand as far away from the edges as possible. There was no way she_was going to end up lost. She glanced up, watching some off-white clouds drift lazily by. She reckoned that ruled out flying, as _that would take you away from the path. The brothers nodded and confirmed that assumption, leaving her thoughts simmering as she started to trot along. She supposed if they had no other option, they'd be forced to continue. "Come on then?" She waved them on with her tail. "We don't have all day to wait around for you two princesses to make up your mind. This needs to be done now. We have no idea how long we have."

She tried to not glance to Lyyreth's chest but failed. Their eyes met and both dragons knew the concern wrapping around them. Infinity slipped to his side despite his protests, glaring daggers when he tried to push her away. Thankfully his frills darkened, and the subject was dropped. She was allowed to guide him, making sure he didn't stumble with one of her wings.

For countless hours they marched along the near endless mundane path. The only break they got in the monotony was that it slowly listed to the left every mile or so. Beyond that however it never changed, the same routine of landmarks in the precise order she found them. Tree covered in thick layers of yellowy pus, collection of lime green rocks arranged to look like a dragon's tail, and flowers in the shape of tiny tigers. The plants even purred as the dragons past.

It was the same routine over and over as their paws dragged them ever closer to their destination. At first, she thought they were somehow walking in circles but that must have been silly right? They'd never changed direction! So, under Lyyreth's advisement she started dragging her tail through the dirt to leave a trail. But after the landmarks repeated there was no sign of her marks. She stared for a long time at the tiger like flowers, trying to set them alight.

I hate this place.

The sun above their heads never seemed to change. Not once moving closer to the horizon beyond. The more they walked the stranger the air became. Where once there was a bright blue expanse, now was the varying shades of purple mixed with long streaks of pink and yellow clouds that reminded her of a gryphon's tail. She thought she made out some pink shapes among the clouds, cresting like dolphins in their off-white mass. She shook her snout, ridding her of any desire to go see.

You fly you die. Don't be seduced by such a simple trick.

"Is there nothing else here?" She finally snarled, passing the same rock that looked like a dragon's tail. "How do we even know if this is the right path?" She snapped to the brothers, forcefully putting down her paw. "What if Matilda was playing with us? It's just the same rock, tree and flowers over and over. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was an illusion to throw us off track!"

"Perhaps." Lyyreth twitched, nervously looking away. "It would certainly be within this place's power."

"I doubt we're lost." Cordenth flicked his tail casually. "Its just a matter of patience. I bet its nothing more than a trick. Meant to get us to go off the path out of annoyance."

That chilled her blood. Could it possibly think like that? She perked up, ears pinning as the trees to press in around them. Never did they seem so close. "They can do that?" She whispered, "That's...disconcerting."

"It could be worse." Cordenth snorted, twitching his frills. "My friends were assailed by ghosts of their past. Even lured away during their weakness by the cries of dying loved ones."

Fighting the pit in her stomach she drooped. Sounds of the dead? She nearly quivered at the thought of someone like her father or Axton trying to lead her from the path. It would be all to tempting to think of them alive and needing help. But maybe that's what this place played on. Your deeper most desires and used it against you? The last thing she needed was reliving that last moment from Nigel's tower. "I'd rather have the boredom." She raised her voice, shouting to the treetops. "Hear that forest? I don't mind the boredom. Keep it up!"

"That's not going to work you know. I don't think enchanted realms cater to the whims of the trespassers that wander through them."

Even if it didn't, it helped fend off every pulse of blood rushing through her. "It should." She snorted, ruffling her wings. "Maybe we can talk to this avatar about it. Secondly, why does it make its home in the middle of such a convoluted place?"

"We're not even there yet." Lyyreth coughed, "The deeper fae should be more dangerous."

"Oh great!" She dramatically thrashed her head. "Just what I wanted to hear!"

"How about how my paws ache?" Lyyreth lifted his paw, staring at the underside. "I'm not even sure how long we've been walking for. It feels like ages."

She was about to chastise him but realized in her it was just the same way. She dreaded placing another paw in front of the other. As she tried to do so it trembled. How many times had they passed those landmarks? They hadn't even grown hungry or tired until now. Did time work differently within here? Peering to the sun, she noted it hadn't moved an inch. How were they supposed to know without any time or reference?

"It's probably best we don't think about it." Cordenth shifted, stretching out his tail. "Friends spent at least a month last time. Never even occurred to them they did."

"A month!" Up went her spines, down went her ears. How long had they spent walking then? She was just about to ask her question when a muffled roar sounded from deeper into the wood. It sounded like a dragon. For a brief moment she considered helping but shook her head. It was a trick. It had to be.

"I think we should keep walking." Cordenth flared his wings and tried to shove their tired limbs along. "Especially when the sounds are that close. Call me paranoid."

She couldn't bother to contradict him, especially as it sent a tingling through her wings. It sounded familiar, reminding her of years long ago. She had to will herself to not duck under the brother and chase into the woods. "But we rest the moment we can, right?"

"That we may." Cordenth turned back with a growl.

She saw the frills on his face lose their color for a briefest of moments, his yellow eyes swelling with fear. But when she looked nothing was there. Just the breathing forest and the maroon moss crawling up the bark. She tried to ask him what he saw as he guided her tired body, but he didn't answer. When she finally got him to reply he simply stated it was nothing.

"Shouldn't concern yourself. We have Lyyreth to worry about."

They continued until the sounds that haunted them died away into the chittering forest around them. Where these sounds were coming from eluded every dragon, for there were no sign of animals to be found. They trotted along until their limbs were close to collapsing out under them, but thankfully the forest had given them a reprieve from the countless eerie sounds. That's when they slumped to the ground, pressed to one another like a fortified castle. Limbs were like dead weights as they groaned upon the earth, hardly any movement about them save a breath there or casual flick of a tail.

Then came the storms. Clouds seemingly springing out of thin air, without a single hint of their arrival. One moment the sky was a clear purple and yellow, the next an utter shadow. The dragons stay huddled, pulling tight with their wings as lightning tore the sky asunder. The deafening thunder seemed to shake the ground, announcing the coming rain.

At first, they'd contemplated it simply hitting them, but what would it even be? Fairy water? Acid? Sticky sludge that would freeze them n place? They'd agreed to not even let it happen in the first place. They took shelter beneath one of the least malevolent trees, ducking below it's crimson leaves.

They watched in silence as the droplets pelt the path, mixed water with the dirt and slowly coaxed the tension in all their muscles. Questions of what it would be were put to rest with each repeat of thunder and lightning. The dragons rested with one another, pressed up tight as their tails occasionally flicked against the grass. Infinity herself held out a paw, letting the pitter-patter of the raindrops collect upon her palm. It didn't burn or turn her to ash, it simply sparkled against her scales. She held it out to the others so they could see, and it wasn't long until the brothers were copying her. If they were going to be stuck, at least let them enjoy a peaceful moment.

"Fascinating." Lyyreth held it close to his eye, sniffing at the shimmering liquid.

"Tastes like rain." Cordenth flicked his jaw, "Nothing special."

"You licked it?" The brother perked up, frills fluttering.

"Yea?" He shrugged. "It touched Infinity and she was fine."

"But I didn't drink it. I wasn't that crazy!" She counted, dropping her collection with a splash. "You're lucky your insides aren't melting away." She laughed, the brothers laughed. All of them drifting off to an aura of warmth and good cheer.

Their rest only lasted for a few more hours. One treasured chunk of ease and comfort. Broken apart by a solitary ice block hitting the dirt beside them.

Hail? She sniffed at it, it certainly smelled like normal hail. She glanced up, getting another ice chunk to smack her snout.

One came after the other, an angry volley of hardened cold. Palm sized chunks sailed through the air, crashing against ground, splintering on trunks and dragon alike. One, two, ten. They coated the ground in half destroyed frozen debris. Nowhere was spared nature's fury, all save deeper into the woods. Not a single chunk was even hitting the ground there. Like the forest itself had grown thicker to shield itself from the sky's assault. "Come on!" She tried to pull the brothers but found herself having no luck. Both had planted themselves, coiling tails around some trees.

"Don't." Cordenth snorted, not yielding when she pulled again.

"But the hail!" She shielded her head with her wings, hissing as ice chunks pelted her membranes. "Look at the trees! It's not crashing there!"

"And it's a trick." He shot back, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. He tapped his paw against the ground when she insisted again. "A trick Infinity. Just to make you abandon the path!"

He was right and she knew it, the calming breaths she took told her so. This was twice now. Twice that this place had called to her, seducing her like a siren's song. Her snout wrinkled as she warily watched the now swaying trees. No wonder you needed more than one person with you in here. To do it by yourself would be suicide. It would pull you off the path with some sort of irritation or temptation, and you'd be lost for the rest of your days. "But what do we do?" She fluffed up her wings towards the heavens. "The hail...Do we just continue on getting pelted? Or do we wait for the storm to pass?"

They chose to let it pass. Or at least attempt to do so. The minutes turned into hours, continually pelted by whizzing projectiles. Already they were starting to feel as though their membranes were going to bruise. Whatever magic was here was clearly not going to let them continue without some effort.

"Damned the luck." Cordenth hissed, rising to all fours. "Least it isn't snow."

"Why snow." She groaned back at him, leaving only a foot between him as she followed.

"Mother always hated the stuff." Lyyreth whispered as he slipped to her side. The dragon winced as a piece of hail struck him between the eyes with a loud thwack. "Ow!"

Over the ice covered ground they cantered, wings up to shield them from the sky. Together they hissed and snarled whenever an icy arrow would slip past their defenses and make a mockery of their scales. When their paws had all started to ache, and the mood had soured, that's when the sky thundered a final time, and the ice vanished without a trace. They were left scowling, wings half raised expecting one final volley. But none came, leaving the dragons in an uneasy calm.

"At least it's done hailing." She'd growled to break the silence, folding up her wings. The brothers didn't reply, merely grumbling and dragging their tired paws after hers. "Oh, you can't tell me you're not glad." She curled around her head to find that Lyyreth wasn't smiling. "Don't tell me you enjoyed being pelted by ice balls?"

He was shaking as he took his next step, staring wide eyed at his paws. "Oh gods...It's listening. Infinity." He glanced up, his sunflower eyes an uneasy sea. He winced with a whine, his tail curling around his hinds. Flopping to the ground Lyyreth covered his snout with his claws, dragging his talons across the scales. "Please, please go away." The air filled with his pitiful pleas. Some might call them undraconic. Infinity called them heart wrenching.

Inside her chest, her heart chilled. His every time he bat of his armored snout stabbed her heart. She nearly broke into tears just then as his misery was laid bare before them. Both she and Cordenth were soon descending upon him with concerned snouts. What could she say? What would he have said in her place?

"Listen." She said shakily. "You have to um...Keep at it. Hold it together." She perked up with pinned ears, growling as the trees giggled mockingly all around.

Curse this place.

She couldn't let it deter her. She was soon back to him before Cordenth could even offer a nuzzle. "Were so close to this avatar thing now. Surely, we must be. You have your brother...Special as he is." She rolled her eyes, "And you have me." She tried to smile, ruffling her wings. "And we're not going to let you down. You wouldn't give up on us...So how could we do less?" She licked under his eye scales, swiping away his dripping tears. "So, keep hope." Her own voice started to quiver, not even _wanting_to fathom his spirit breaking. "Not just for yourself."

He nodded without a word.

"And you're tougher than that anyway!" Cordenth chuckled weakly, rolling his paws as his frills trembled. "Remember our mother? She can see the future you dolt. If she'd have foreseen your death she'd have never let us slip from her claws!"

The green one had a point. While their mother was a bitch to everyone else that she came across, there was no way she'd let her own children perish! What mother would? "Hey that's right. Can't believe I'm saying that, but old Cordenth has a point!" She gave the green an honest smile, making the dragon puff out his chest and his frills darken. Even Lyyreth seemed to be doing better as the dragon counted his talons in contemplation.

When he finally spoke it was in a weakened voice, flinching at the start of each sentence. Evidently his guest was still listening. "Once more you make perfect sense." His snout wrinkled; his frills pinned to his sides as a growl sounded in his throat. "Though I don't relish the idea of suffering throughout the ordeal. When I speak to our mother. We're going to have some choice words on letting us know what's coming."

"Precisely!" Infinity flicked her tail with a joyous warble. "Now you just stay right there...Rest your paws." She settled down next to him, sighing at their first chance to rest since the hail.

"But we cant." He sighed, trying to stand with wobbly legs. "The longer we wait...." His voice trailed off, a pained look crossing his features. He seemed to swallow whatever knot was in his throat before his brother turned to him. "We just have to keep going."

Infinity was right to him in three breaths. Though she suspected he was putting on a tough face she was going to follow. Besides, in some sort of way he was probably right. Though it might drain the lot of them, it was better than having everything snatched away. She didn't even want to think about that possibility. She nuzzled along his neck, warmth filling her as a small smile flickered across his lips. "Just don't go collapsing on us right? Otherwise I have to drag you to this avatar. What kind of impression is that? How could you ever live it down?" She tilted her head, raising her brow up and down.

"I wouldn't let him." Cordenth shrugged his wings, taking the lead. "Every day you'd hear that story. Of the brother we had to drag by his tail, kicking and screaming to this avatar."

"That's when you nod." Infinity nudged at Lyyreth's side, getting a smile and playful bat of his paw.

"Fine. Yes. Fine!" He warded her away, pushing back and forth as Cordenth led them away.

"Don't make me stop this journey and shout at you." Cordenth held up his head, peaking back with a sly grin. Without any other words it was decided they were just going to press on like nothing had happened. Keep their thoughts on better things, and how possibly adventurers could do such things. If _this_is what they got up to, she wanted nothing to do with it. Just give her a nice home away far from the cities, and free of the sorcerous lich whom she despised. But eventually to her surprise the forest opened into vast rolling fields of green.

Flowers of various colors hung like flag posts among the human sized grass. The stalks rested at dragon's shoulders, swaying silently in the breeze. The sun had started to creep through the clouds, shining down pillars of golden light like spotlights upon this oversized field. But even without the light the colors were obnoxiously bright, almost to the point Infinity thought she might be dreaming. Because no flower was this bright in real life. But as she helped scan this new predicament, they once more found the path. This time it took the form of a beaten down dirt way, bearing the signs of hoofbeats and a cart's wheels. She would have asked about that as well but shook her head. It was probably another answer just saying it was warping for them, and that just un-nerved her to no end.

The path here was more annoying than the forest, for it shrank in width. They could only walk single file if they wanted to avoid the thick grass that seemed to be reaching for them with every step. While non-threatening in appearance she couldn't shake the feeling it still was something bad. So, she eyed each piece that grew a tad too much in the path, and burned it away with her fire. At least they still _burned_like normal grass.

Soon enough the smell of such flowers was so thick that Lyyreth had sneezed for the first time in minutes. Then proceeded to continue to do so as if on a clock. Every thirty steps he'd hold back his head, twitch his nose and belt out the loudest sneeze he'd ever done.

"Can you stop doing that?" Cordenth finally grumbled after what seemed to be the hundredth sneeze.

"I can't!" Lyyreth hissed, eyes watering.

"How can you even be this sensitive?" Infinity curled back to search the sneezing green from paws to horned head. "You grew up in a forest of all things."

"Yea!" He stomped along. "But not from enchanted flowers"! This time when he tried to sneeze, nothing came out. But his body still convulsed.

Clouds had begun to drift outwards in long thick arms, speeding away with the wind to parts unknown to them. It brough back the sun, warmed the field, and returned the sky to a once normal blue. One that practically begged to be flown into. Though what should have been an enchanting sight was undercut by the brother's constant bickering.

"I'm telling you it's pronounced Grustaden." Cordenth stomped his paw down.

"And I'm saying you're full of hot air. It's actually pronounced Grahstadeen." Lyyreth proudly rose his snout, eyes closed. "And you're just being prideful."

"Says the one holding up his snout. Why don't you just go bug Infinity." Cordenth sneered, raising his head to march a solid three dragon's lengths away. "See if I can hear you now!"

"Good!" Lyyreth roared back. "Stay up there. You know I'm right."

"Can't hear you! Thinking of Lyndis!"

"Sure." Lyyreth warbled. "Thinking of telling her how right I am!"

Infinity's eyes almost rolled out of her head. How could they keep their brotherly bickering even now? She snorted; glad she didn't have any siblings to think of. At least she hoped she didn't. That would just add to the list of people that Nigel had taken from her. What if she had an entire clutch of siblings? She started shivering and closing her eyes, telling herself it wasn't true.

"Well go get mounted little brother! How about that!" Cordenth swung around his snout, sticking out his tongue.

Well...at least ONE of us is taking this seriously. What would Lyyreth do to get rid of this tension?

"Not before you! Would you like her to know of that time you lifted your tail for a gryphon visitor?"

Green went Cordenth's frills. "That was one time. ONE time!" his tail thrashed in annoyance. "And you better not! Or I'll be telling Infinity about how you used to play with your treasure like little toys!"

She snickered at that one. Quickly covering her snout when Lyyreth turned to her looking mortified.

Quick...Change the topic...Before you burst out laughing and hurt his feelings. She quickly nudged the dragon with her wing, then gesturing to the sky. "How about that sky huh."

"Yea its sure....blue..."

"Not the color." She smacked him on the snout playfully. "Its like it trying to seduce us into it. Not even a single cloud up there. Bet you could see for miles."

"I suppose." His nose twitched as he scanned all around. "It freaks me out honestly."

Uh...That's not what you wanted. Quick...another topic change!

"Well." She winced, "What do you want to do in Rothdell when we get there...That's the name of the human country right? The one with all the magicians or what have you? You know....When we're not busy getting killed." She quickly covered her maw with a wing.

Really? You couldn't stop yourself!?

But thankfully he didn't notice her slip up. He happily swished his tail, starting to smile. "Probably find some mages looking to depart some of their knowledge."

"Are you sure?" She shivered and thought back to her visions of Hadariel. If those were the mages. She wanted nothing to do with him. How could he? "Hadariel didn't have the best time."

"That was in the past though. At least what the travelers say." He moved a tad closer to her. "Now adays it's a much more peaceful place. Those magisters were part of the older order. They've crumbled and lost much of what they once were."

"How long ago was that?" Her head tilted.

"Two hundred years ago?"

Huh. She walked along in silence for a steady minute, nearly staring at her paws. She had visions of something from hundreds of years ago? That only added to the layer of mystery surrounding it. "And...if we find these mages...Why would you even want to? Can't you already you know...cast magic? Your mother could have taught you more."

His snout wrinkled. "But that wasn't the point. The idea was to learn a different way. I never liked her magic. All manipulation and tricks. I'd like to not remain stale."

"How so?"

"Well...maybe perfect the way I cast, by learning how other magicians over there cast? Make something new." He happily closed his eyes as if imagining his brighter future. "Who knows? That's the idea of an adventure. Knowledge, people, beauty."

"Bah!" Cordenth called back. "Magic is a tool to be wielded. It's certainly not an art."

That brought a growl to the green's throat. "Maybe your magic is like that! Cause you wield it around like a cudgel! I'd like to be using it as a civilized artist!"

"Or maybe a dancer?" Infinity teased, picturing the green prancing around like the humans. "Now _that_would be something to see. Or better yet." She nudged him with her nose. "How about casting magic like a poet?"

"Or a musician!" Cordenth called back. "You could enchant others with all the gravitas of an alley cat!"

Lyyreth pouted as she and his brother's good hearted laughter filled the air.

"Struck a chord?" She nuzzled at his cheek, crumbling what resistance his smile had. He too was soon laughing, forgetting all about his bickering and the demon dwelling in his chest. Back and forth they were soon whispering sweet things to one another, talking in length about different arts. Their giggles soon drifted to Cordenth's grumbling annoyance.

"I thought you weren't listening?" Lyyreth soon called out, nudging at the still giggling Infinity.

"Yea!" She interjected. "Mighty nosey for someone not wanting to listen!" She showed her teeth, loving how he snorted and continued to grumble along.

"And I just want to experiment..." Lyyreth continued, "Make it my own." His frills turned a darker shade of green. "Not to mention getting to see all the sights. Mortal architecture is rather actually intriguing. You know they have these things called aqueducts and bath houses..."

Cordenth just groaned and dramatically threw back his head. "Uggggh!"

"Then stop listening!" Infinity snapped, tapping Lyyreth gently with her paw. "You may continue. I. Don't mind listening."

Anything to keep your mind off the demon.

While not her interest, she listened politely. Nodding to show some fleeting interest as he went on the different qualities of mortal house construction. Especially showing some bouncing paws over the moving pictures that would race along Rothdellian towers. She only perked up in interest when he spoke about buildings woven out of trees, with giant perches to watch over the rest.

She imagined herself, safely alone from the gathering mass of people. Her tail draped over and twitching in interest. She could spend the day, watching the humans go about their daily routines, all safe from her perch on high. "Throw in some cushions on those perches and we'd be talking."

"Guess we could give the designers a pointers or two. Too bad Entis is so anti dragon. I've heard they have dozens of perches. He laughed nervously. "Cause of all the gryphons."

"Yea." Infinity stared at her paws, remembering the one she'd eaten. With a sigh she quickly changed the subject to distract her thoughts. "And this city...Entis...How can that be allowed to flourish. Especially with your mother close?"

Lyyreth shrugged. "It's a question we asked all these years. Cordenth to no end. You can be certain that it fits mother's agenda somehow. Or possibly there is more going on than we know."

That answer was disconcerting. Though if Emerald Lady and dragons like her were what the humans had to go on for their encounters, she could see why they hated them. She hated the green dragoness, and she could at least fight her. Well, at least better than the humans could without bringing an army. So, she said as much. "Someone ought to do something about it."

"That's what Cordenth wants to do." Lyyreth gestured to his brother's vigilant pose. "That way they don't send dragon hunters to hunt us down. Our friend Veledar had one sent after some charges brought against him by their king."

"Maybe he isn't such a wyrmling after all." She found herself smiling, keeping her voice quiet enough so Cordenth couldn't hear her. "And...This Veledar? What happened to him and this hunter?"

Lyyreth's frills turned a very dark shade of green as he chuckled weakly. "He's probably romantically involved with the hunter as we speak."

"HAH!" She threw back her head in laughter. "Bet that surprised those Lumarians. See? When they meet a _nice_dragon for once they fall in love with them. Bet that ruffled your mother's wings something awful."

"Are you having fun back there?" Cordenth called, irritation painted across his brow.

"Possibly? Is that a crime now?" She composed herself, chest swelling as she pinned her wings. She put on the regalest strut that she could manage. "Let's carry along princess. No fun to be had. No sir." She pretended to wave a way a bunch of invisible commoners. "Watch out my liege! They're trying to get you!"

"Oh no!" Lyyreth laughed, pretending to leap away terrified. "They have pitchforks!"

"That's it." Cordenth stared in disbelief, "It's finally happened. I've gone mad."

She smiled, showing off each one of her teeth. "I say it runs in the family. Try to not act so surprised."

He only snorted in reply, his gaze hardening like steel. Lyyreth followed behind her, trying his best to hold in his laughter as they continued up the flower laden path.

Like everything else this little moment of cheer and warmth didn't last long. For only a mile they got before things started to shift and change once more. The path had started to become windier, slowly at first, until it was twisting along like a dragon's tail. The flowers had frown shorter and shorter and until they were nothing, but little buds hidden amidst the field that had taken on the perfect appearance of one suited for grazing cattle.

In the distance, jagged mountains had risen to touch the sky. Their snow laden peaks looked more like teeth, dotted with thick dots of grey jagged stone. Forests wrapped themselves around the base of these teeth, adorned with leaves of nearly every color. Each breath brough the heavy smell of a summer's fire to the air, and the warmth that followed to caress every scale.

"Good job Infinity. Your mastery of spells astounds me to no end." A familiar voice chilled her blood. It was Nigel's. "The purest of dragon blood runs in your veins. Your father would be blessed to count you among his whelps."

She spun around so fast, spines flaring outwards. Her ears pinned as ice crawled through her nerves. Her teeth bared; her muscles tensed.

How could he be here? How did he find us? Of all the times he picks now to return?

She scanned the area, ready to pounce. She wasn't going to be taken away without a fight. She had allies. But as the brother's asked her what was the matter with all too much worry in their voices, she was drawn to an oddity. For it was indeed Nigel standing behind them, but his attention was not on her.

The elderly man was adorned in his baby blue robes, a stoic look in his wizened eyes. His arms were crossed, his lips creased in a smile. "Good show Infinity." He nodded in approval at a small black wyrmling bounding along the path. It was her.

Blue flames curled around her little self's paws as she sat upon her tiny haunches. "Well of course!" Her chest swelled with pride. "Father says my blood is really strong."

"And what of my efforts father?" The Axton from before finished etching a circle around smaller Infinity on the ground. It was lined with various runes along its border. "What do you think of this magic circle?" The boy rose, dusting off his hands.

Nigel was the boy's father?

"That's the bestest magic circle ever Axton!" Little Infinity cooed, tapping her paw several times against the border. Next came the inquisitive nose, sniffing ever so rapidly. "You going to activate it? Ooooo please tell me you are!" Up she shot before either could give her an answer. "We could pull a zombie into it...Watch that bag of bones crumble into...." She made a series of crackling noises with her maw, ending her little play with a flare of her wings. "DUST!"

Both the human and hidden lich laughed at the little dragon's display.

Infinity stood frozen, all too perplexed at the surrealness of the images. Was this the places doing? It had to be right? The brothers said this realm could run on memories. But if that was true, then her dreams were not some sort of random collection. They were indeed memories.

My memories.

The swish of her tail broke her frozen posture as the brothers slid up beside her. But they wisely held their tongue as the image of her crimson scaled father padded over to the scene, dwarfing them all.

The red dragon spoke with upmost care, minding how he worded his request. But within those eyes Infinity could see the hate brewing and bubbling around, seeking an avenue to escape. She knew it well, betting they could be found in hers as well. The adults seemed to ignore the request by her younger self to play with Axton. Which to her surprise, Nigel turned and approved with a shaking finger.

"But for not too long. Than it's right back to studying and practice."

"Awwwwww." Younger Infinity flopped dramatically to her belly, wings splayed on either side.

Why isn't he whipping us? Using magic to torment us? Infinity shifted from paw to paw. No scars were on her tiny body, not a single one. Maybe Nigel had the decency to not harm a wyrmling?

But how'd I even get into his care to begin with?

She fought back the pit in her stomach as Lyyreth nuzzled up along her snout. This was all wrong. Everything she thought about her past..." Words failed her.

"I-Infinity?" His voice was almost miles away, barely able to be heard over this image's enactment.

She shook him off with a lingering hiss. "Leave me alone." She couldn't look to him, it was all too much. She could do nothing but stare daggers when the images vanished. "This place is playing with my past. Conjuring half-truths to confuse me." But even as the words slipped her maw she wasn't so sure. It had seemed far too familiar for her liking.

Stop lying to yourself. You knew they were true.

"I saw." Cordenth nodded. "But I don't think it conjures fake things. If its using a memory..." The green dragon sheepishly shied away, pinning his frills. "Then it did happen."

"But that can't be right!" She stomped down her paw, grasping at straws. "I wasn't captured, tortured or enslaved! I looked, I looked, happy." She nearly vomited at the thought. How could it be that Nigel once looked to her in honest pride? "But Axton!" She curled back to Lyyreth, flaring up her wings. "That had to be fake." She shivered at the reminder that the teen had called Nigel father.

"You're right that it couldn't be...Your_Axton." Lyyreth perked up, acting as if he was treading carefully around broken glass. "It must have just been a treasured name. Perhaps that's why he chose your Axton to begin with? Something happened to _his Axton."

Ignoring the similarities to events regarding her, she snorted and stomped around the path in a huff. What kind of sick wizard would adopt an apprentice that had the name of his long-lost son? Course then again, what kind of person would capture a dragoness and one day torture her to no end? She scowled at her claws, reminding herself the creature she was dealing with. Who ever said it had to make sense?

"He's a sick thing then." She held up her snout, motioning the brothers to follow with a flick of her tail. She wasn't going to be stuck here for much longer than they needed. "Don't fall behind. Better we get further along before it decides to conjure up some _more_painful memories."

"Those were painful?" Lyyreth was quickly to her side, Cordenth wisely keeping his distance. "But you looked..."

"Lyyreth." She flicked her eye to him, "Just drop it." She hadn't the energy to even dwell on it. Less to have a conversation. Hopefully he wasn't his usual inquisitive self about it. Thankfully to her soul he didn't push any further, simply nodding in agreement.

She carried on with a swish of her tail, worrying what other things they were going to run into.