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The following novella was written as a collaborative effort between myself and Dragonatic for the People. Project started March 2010. All characters and content are copyright to their respective owners.This series will only be made available for reading in its entirety for a limited time only, with parts released periodically!! All comments, critiques, and criticisms are welcome.

Of course, Donichus had no idea where he was going, but that didn't stop him from walking. Once outside the room, it didn't take very long for Talos to catch up to him. Eyes were peering at him from the shadows, but despite how hard Donichus tried to push them out of his conscious mind, the gazes continued to follow him until they seemed to develop a form of their own. And from the form came a voice. "Very well played," it jeered. "I could have easily cried."

Donichus snorted and shouldered over the voice as Talos gave a hearty chuckle from behind him. "I had my doubts the first time, but now, I can certainly see the Dark Mage in you."

"I'm nothing like you," Donichus snapped, continuing forward. "Leave me be!"

"There's one in all of us," Talos said down to his clawed fingers. "With all you've been through, a very powerful one at that. Why let all those hard feelings go to waste on something as petty as forgiveness when you can use it to get what you've always wanted?"

To this, Donichus stopped, but he didn't allow Talos the luxury of turning to him when he spoke. "And what is it that I want?"

Talos chuckled again. "Revenge, of course."

Donichus turned his head off to the side, refuting to answer.

"I can teach you how to get what you want. You'll have their lives on the tips of your claws, at your mercy to do with as you please. That's the power I've come to know well, and you can too. All you have to do is take care of a few loose ends."

"Tyrannio and I may have... an animosity for each other. Or, at least I do for him. But Jaqaran seems fixed on the idea he's good."

"Then we'll just have to get rid of him first, won't we?"

"Wait, we?" He quickly spun around to face Talos, but no one was there. For a full minute, Donichus was left standing alone in silent bewilderment before a loud holler followed by a raptorous screech resounded from down the hall he'd just quit from.

Without a second thought, Donichus broke into a sprint back the way he'd come. Bursting through the door a second time, he saw the room where he'd confronted Tyrannio and Jaqaran to be empty. Again, another cry from Jaqaran came from seemingly behind the walls. Head darting around the room frantically, it soon fell upon the bookshelf Talos had stumbled to when Tyrannio had cut him.

His hands glided over the books as the cries seemed to get louder. Like a mole digging blindly into the earth, Donichis clawed off the books from every shelf, then tipping them to the floor with a loud crash in succession. At last, he came across one that didn't fall off, and after giving it a good jerk, the entire wall rotated him into another chamber.

This next room was a stone chamber lit with torches. In front of him was a raised platform in which some sort of alter was made. Over which, Jaqaran was held firmly in place with Talos holding a short sword Donichus recognized to be Jaqaran's own. Off to the side was Tyrannio, also restrained by his own shadow.

"I never agreed to this," Donichus shouted.

"No one does at first," replied Talos, his voice hollow and grim. "But I think you're just uncertained by the fact that you do. So allow me to make up your mind."

Donichus wanted to fight him, but for some reason, his feet remained rooted in place. Not that his shadow was holding him down, which only meant he wasn't moving on his own accord.

"It'll only be painful for a little while, but what becomes of their deaths to you - and me, of course - will make us both more powerful."

"You can't do this!"

"Watch me."

Once more, the knife came down. A loud roar filled the entire chamber, resounding off the cold, stone walls. It was a cry filled with anguish, desperation, and a certain determination that Donichus would never expect to hear come out of someone other than himself.

Tyrannio lashed out at his shadow, throwing a handful of claws at his shadow's face. Sparks rang out where they raked across the wall, disintegrating the shadow, and though it appeared as though he'd hit nothing, in that very instant, three large gashes appeared on the side of his snout, splotching parallel lines of red against the wall.

As though these were but mere scratches to him, Tyrannio kept on going, hurling himself straight for Talos, who promptly turned to him, sword in hand. There came a sharp crack of metal, and Talos came plummeting down from the platform, landing square on one of his wings, which in turn cracked as well. He didn't even hark, but instead lay unmoving on the ground.

It was then Donichus finally got over himself and raced up to the platform, where Tyrannio was busying himself trying to free Jaqaran. His wrists and ankles were chained to the altar. The jaquar lifted his head up as Donichus approached, his eyes filled with the panic of loss. "Donichus! Tyrannio, he's hurt!"

"Don't mind me," Tyrannio grunted. "Let's get these off. Donichus, can you -" He abruptly stopped when he saw that Donichus was standing before him, his sword already drawn. He was staring at Tyrannio critically, for it was all Tyrannio could do to attempt to stare back.

One of the king's eyes was missing, a dark, gnarly hole of dripping red where it should have been. A corner of his snout had been cleaved clean off as well, and the middle gash was so deep, Donichus could nearly see straight into his maw. "If you still feel that it'll set things right, then take what's owed to you," he said. With every word he spoke, some drops of blood pittered to the floor.

Donichus knew he could never face his brother again in their current temperaments, and so he swung his sword.

When Tyrannio opened his eyes, he saw the chain holding Jaqaran's ankle had been severed. While Tyrannio only gazed at him in slight bewilderment, he made quick work of the other ankle and a wrist chain before the king suddenly collapsed to a heap on the floor.

"Donichus, look!"

Donichus turned, saw Tyrannio bleeding on the floor, and instantly rushed to him. He was breathing quite heavily, mouth gulping for air against the rivulet of blood flowing inside. Noticing another streak of red staining the inside of his shirt, Donichus tore off Tyrannio's tunic and saw yet another deep laceration sliced across his lower abdominal. Nearby, he spotted Jaqaran's small sword, also dripping.

"Donichus,"the king called hoarsely.

"Don't talk," he replied, quickly balling up the ripped tunic to soak up the blood. "Everything's going to be alright."

"The boy's right," he coughed. "You have good right to be angry with me. I've built walls of my own to keep myself from becoming close you after seeing the path that you were headed. But that hardly matters anymore now. I was so caught up in the grand scale of running a kingdom that I lost the one thing I always took for granted. The one thing that ever truly mattered to me." "Don't!" Donichus gritted through his teeth, trying his best to still sound angry, but even his clamped jaws couldn't hide the quiver in his voice, for it too was filled with the fear of loss. "You don't have to explain anything. Besides..." he looked off to the side. "I knew I was wrong. About you, about Jaqaran, about everything. But I just didn't want to accept it."

Tyrannio tipped his head in a shrug. "Well, don't get me wrong, I never considered you a fast learner."

"Only because I couldn't allow you the luxury of being right again, as usual."

The two of them shared a hearty chuckle, and even with half his face seemingly gone, Donichus could sense the upward curve to Tyrannio's mouth.

"I couldn't stay mad forever. How could a kingdom ever compare to a family?"

Donichus looked up. "But... after all the things I've done... and all that'd happen to you if-"

"That doesn't matter," Tyrannio interrupted. "I've already forgiven you. Now all that's left is whether you can do the same."

As usual, his head was whirling in a complicated vortex of emotion, but ironically, he found the answer to what he was truly feeling all boiled down to the simplicities: years of detestation and spite for his brother were still built upon the strong foundation of love and friendship they'd shared in their childhoods. Even after all this time, it was still there. Still standing. And once he saw it, the whirlwind of emotion calmed down. He could think clearly. What remained after all the dust settled was a simple yes or no to the forgiveness being offered to him. He wasn't sure he deserved it. What's more, he didn't quite understand how his brother could forgive him so easily and so quickly, but perhaps he didn't need to. He didn't want to. He was only sure he'd overcomplicate the matter. His past was a weight he'd grown strong hauling around, but as Jaqaran had said, perhaps it was time to let go.

Slowly, he nodded, his eyes fixed on Tyrannio's. "Yeah... I think I can."

Tyrannio nodded back and sighed, laying his head back down on the ground. "Good. Now I can go... in peace."

"Like hell you can! You didn't think I traveled all this way just to watch you die, did you?"

Tyrannio blinked. "Well... yes. I did, actually."

"You want to start this up again? I can hold a grudge and you damn well know it."

Tyrannio lifted his head again, the brow of his one eye furrowed as his voice turned stern and kingly again. "Personally, I didn't expect you to get past the forgiving part, but do you think maybe for once, I can die without all this bickering!"

"Not while I'm here!"

"Umm... I hate to interrupt, but..." Jaqaran yanked at the one chain on his wrist that held him in place.

"We'll talk about this later." Donichus grabbed up his sword again, and was just about to slice through the chain when he caught sight of Jaqaran's shadow on the wall. Before he could stop it, it reached out with both hands and gave Donichus's shadow a hard shove.

Instantly, Donichus felt the air in his lungs leave him as something unseen caused him to lurch forward. Tripping against the altar , he toppled back down to the lower level, as Talos had done. He almost landed square on his face, but a bent arm broke most of his fall - and the fall, in turn, broke most of his arm.

Pain riveted up Donichus's body. He roared and shrieked out in agony, appalled to look down and see part of a fractured bone protruding out from his elbow. It was the arm that held most of the weight of his sword. Of course, Donichus had seen many grisly sights during his time, but this sent him into a brief period of shock that blocked out all sensations of pain in his arm as he staggered back shakily to his feet.

And then he saw Talos flapping towards him, serrated dagger in hand. A black aura was burning furiously off his body, distorting his physical form into a dark blur on the other side of the room. From an adjacent wall, shapeless forms reached out and tried to grab at him, and Donichus's cloak was torn to shreds as he wretched them off with his one good arm. Still, they grabbed at him, seeming to wriggle out of the walls. Stooping down to seize his back his sword, he relied on throwing around his momentum to propel his blade through the air. The dark shapes dissipated upon contact.

Donichus heard loud grunts from atop the loft he'd fallen from. Tyrannio was occupied trying to fend off Jaqaran's shadow.

"Don't hurt it!' Donichus called to him. "Killing the shadow kills the person!"

"Need I be reminded!" Tyrannio screeched back rather irately. Immediately, Donichus sagged in regret of his comment, but was snapped to when Talos came at him, swinging his dagger from side to side. With a single arm with which he wasn't even used to training with, there was only so much Donichus could do to parry the onslaught of attacks. Eventually, his weapon was knocked from his hand, and when Talos flapped his wings at him, a powerful tempest blew that threw him back against the wall. More hands reached out to pull him back, and Donichus struggled against their grasps.

"Donichus!" Jaqaran's voice called to him from somewhere up on the loft, and from somewhere out of his sight, the boy's small sword came slicing through the air, making a uniform humming sound.

Wrenching off the shadows, Donichus reached out for it. He nearly had it in his grip before Talos's hand swiftly came out of seemingly nowhere and intercepted it. The shadows pulled him back, and now he was completely immobile again. Only this time, Talos was standing over him, Jaqaran's sword tipped down at him.

"For you to die gives me great power," Talos whispered, though his voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. "But for you to die in regret just sweetens the deal."

Down came the sword, and it entered Donichus's body, through the heart.

He roared out a dying cry, but he couldn't hear himself scream. His eyes were squeezed shut, but instead of blackness, there was a bright flash and Donichus saw himself as a child, running through the wide corridors of a castle and laughing with his brother Tyrannio close behind. The royal caretakers were yelling after them angrily, trying so hard to keep up.

Little Donichus collided into Big Donichus's legs, and instantly, the scene shifted. He was in another room, alit with fire everywhere. The bookshelves and ceiling rafters were crackling, moaning in an intense heat that just kept on building and building. He heard a cough and saw a slightly older Donichus stumbling through the room. A flaming rafter came crashing down, and he shrieked as it nearly fell on top of him. Holding his arms up, he jumped over and threw his weight against a pair of heavy doors baring him in. He heard himself cry out for help, banging with closed fists against the heavy frame. And then he stopped for a few seconds, holding the side of his head to the door before jumping back.

A loud thump resounded from behind the doors, then again. On the third thump, the wood around the door's handles splintered, and after a few more blows, the two doors were kicked wide open. Tyrannio threw down the sword he was holding and charged head-on in the smoke,, quickly grabbing the scruff of Donichus's shirt and shoving him out. With the doors now open, a fresh billow of oxygen permeated the room, and the flames lashed out in a violent explosion.

Donichus was just outside when a large piece of debris flew out from the blast, smashing into the back of Tyrannio's shoulder. He gave out a short cry and then tumbled over himself to the floor, the piece of debris pinning him down.

He said something over his shoulder, and when he saw that his brother still hadn't emerged from the smoke, he ran straight back in. Quickly taking up a corner of the debris in both hands, Donichus raised his head up and roared out with a fierceness that should have made the flames recede back in fear as the debris slowly lifted off Tyrannio. With a loud grunt, he threw it off to the side before coughing down to sling one of Tyrannio's arms over his neck and together, the two of them limped out of the room.

"He came back for me," Donichus whispered.

Another explosion, and as Donichus could feel the heat from it, the scene shifted again to yet another room; a great hall in which many royal officers were gathered - among them was Tyrannio, his arm slung in a cast and features very pale and grim. Faced before him was the younger Donichus, his hands bound, accompanied by guards on either side.

Tyrannio stood up from his center position among the other officials and cleared his throat. The hand which held the decree from which he was reading was shaking, and only now, Donichus realized that he was leaning against the table for support. "Prince Donichus," he announced in such a tone that made it sound as though he were the one in trouble. After clearing his throat again, he continued. The quiver in his voice steadied slightly, but the one in his hand didn't. "You are hereby exiled from this land and kingdom. If seen among us again, you will be... hem, you will be arrested and han- and executed without a trial."

"You can't do this!" Donichus shrieked at him. He took a step forward and the two guards quickly grabbed his arms. "I saved your life! I saved you! Doesn't that mean anything?"

Now Donichus noticed that Tyrannio wasn't making direct eye contact. He was looking straight forward, as though through space. The corner of his mouth quivered as he spoke his next sentence. "Take him away."

Donichus screeched and tried to lunge, but was promptly taken back. Additional guards came to seize Donichus and drag him out of the court, and the raptor struggled furiously, animally. His curses resounded throughout the room, and it wasn't until the doors slammed shut after him did it finally cease to its previously quiet state.

For some seconds, Tyrannio remained standing, staring off into space. His hand was still holding the decree for his exile. Some of the officials looked at him quizzically before one spoke, "Well, I think it's safe to say he'll never be a threat again."

"Your highness," another offered, "now if we can only get back to the important matters we have left to-"

King Tyrannio shrieked loudly, and with a power of unknown origin, he overturned the table, allowing it and all the papers to crash to the floor in splinters. Without another word, he stormed from the chamber in similar animosity.

Before Donichus knew it, he was back to what was left of reality. His one good arm held a hand to the blade that was dipping just below his shoulder. He looked up at Talos and growled through the blood rivuleting from his mouth, "I have... no regrets. All's been... forgiven."

After the last word, Donochus pulled out Jaqaran's sword, and just then, a white light, brighter and purer than anything Donichus had ever seen before, shimmered out from the wound. It sliced through the shadows holding him in place, dissipating them instantly. Talos's pupils dilated and he staggered back blindly as the light's brilliance dissolved his black magic aura. The entire chamber became filled with the light, melting away Jaqaran's shadow that had Tyrannio on the ground yet again.

Talos harked and cried and cursed profusely, holding his arms to his blinded eyes and flapping his wings madly. His head thrashed to the sides as he teetered back, away from Donichus.

Donichus gritted his way back to his feet after picking up Jaqaran's sword again. His wound hurt incredibly, but the light that was flowing from it gave him the strength to hold on - hold on until he could make sure Tyrannio and Jaqaran would be safe. The selfless thoughts made the light grow brighter, its luminance causing the feather tips on Talos's wings to singe away. He took another step closer and before long, Talos's wings had burned off completely. Another step. Talos cried out and attempted to throw his clawed hand in Donichus's general direction, but in mid-swing, his arm paled to dust then blew away.

Donichus watched in dismay as Talos began to disintegrate before his eyes. Along his arm, the paleness crept, turning him into clumps that scattered to an invisible breeze. At last, he gave one final sigh before his head collapsed in on itself, and all that become of the once mighty Talos was then a mere pile of ashes.

The light slowly began to fade, receding back into Donichus's wound. He looked down, both amazed and startled by the sight of it being sucked back to him. As the light receded, so too did the pain, and as the last sparkling glimmers retreated, the wound from which it emanated closed up.

Donichus was left standing idly in the silence that ensued. In place of pain from the puncture wound to his heart, he was now developing a headache that was proving to be equally excruciating.

"Donichus!" called Tyrannio from the loft overhead.

Donichus turned and his eyes widened.

"What happened to you," they both said in unison. Both cocked their heads. "What happened to me? What happened to you?"

After scrutinizing over Donichus's countenance some, Tyrannio carefully lifted a hand to his face. Some of the wounds there had healed as well. The openness to his cleaved snout was gone, though an obvious trail of scarred scales still traced its way across an empty eye socket.

From behind him, Jaqaran sprang into view. "I knew you had it in you, Donichus! All you had to do was let go of your hard feelings. You did it!"

To this, he shook his head, looking up at Tyrannio. "We did it. Together." He was about to say more, but upon taking another breath, his eyes rolled up and he fell flat on his back, passing out in cold slumber instantly.