pt. 3

<Year 13>

Struggling against many other dragons, Aztoria was snapping at them and flailing wildly, doing absolutely anything to deal damage. Zastair waited impatiently while they pulled her down slowly, eventually pinning her against the grass. He smirked at her and stood next to her, placing a paw on her head and lowering his own head to hers to hiss, "Nice try." She growled at him and snapped at his face but could barely move and widely missed. "Hmmm...the strongest dragoness in our tribe that could rival the royals refused to become one of the leaders and ran off with a weakling."

"If we're speaking of weakness, you're the fragile one. I never once agreed to be yours, you just assumed." He pressed his weight into the paw on her head and she stopped, the pressure too much.

"Even if you begged me with your life, I would never heed the words of a worthless lizard that lost the will to fight."

'As long as the children are fine, then I don't need to struggle. If they're safe...everything will be fine.' She squirmed under the other dragons for a moment, then glared at Zastair. "You think too highly of yourself. Why would a lizard beg for anything from a worm?" Rage flashed through his eyes and he started to dig his talons into her head, drawing blood easily.

"Let's see how long you can speak to me like that." His voice was eerily calm, sending a shudder down the spines of each and every other dragon there except Aztoria, who only smiled at him knowingly. Without prior knowledge into why this was so important, it was difficult to understand completely. It was a past she didn't wish to remember though and had, as a result, not shared it with her kids.

"Do what you will, the words have already been spoken and my legacy passed on." Her eyes glinted with a self-congratulatory gleam.

He stiffened immediately, then stamped down violently. "Who?! Who did you dare to give it to?! That belonged to me!"

"You have no reason to chase after me now."

His dark green eyes narrowed. "Yes, but now I no longer need you alive. I can get my revenge for all your betrayals with no shield."

She closed her eyes nervously. 'I hadn't thought that far...maybe I've been talking with Nylotte a bit much recently. But, at least he won't be able to get my power.' His paw got heavier as he released his bloodlust, not even trying to stop it anymore. 'What he doesn't know is that it'll only be passed on when I die. Maybe this is for the best...'

'(Momma, get ready!)'

'(Zyrtec?)'

Somewhere in the sky above the group of dragons, Zyrtec sent Darezen a message quickly after seeing the situation. '(Now!)' Choosing not to question the voice in his head, he activated his magic, holding out his hands and pouring it into creating a box around Aztoria. Her scales became coated in magic and Zastair's talons skittered off when it solidified, forcefully removing his contact with her. When that finished, Darezen lifted hands, clawing his fingers to pull it out, making the magic expand. The dragons were pushed away from her as it formed into a large cube made of pure magic energy that cut the inside off from the rest of the world. Diving, Zyrtec joined her with Darezen giving him a way in. Keeping his head low so his friend wouldn't fall from sitting behind his head, he landed gently. Darezen climbed off carefully, making sure his focus remained on the powerful barrier. "Momma!" Zyrtec dashed over to her as she stood with great effort, her energy drained.

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't want to leave, so I got help." She looked at Darezen whose tail was moving side to side slowly in concentration, then at the box he'd made.

She was surprised. 'How can he use so much magic power? What kind of person did Zyrtec even find?'

"I told him we were dragons and he still wanted to help. We should be able to trust him momma."

Shaking her head, she said, "Zyrtec, you should've just left. Too many here are after you and your siblings."

"I know." The dragons outside were shaken by the strength of the barrier, Zastair the only one able to focus and standing right at the edge, glaring at those within. Spreading his arms out to both sides, Darezen sighed in relief when he finished setting it, dropping his hands to his sides.

"It should stay up on its own now." He looked behind him at the two dragons with uncertainty.

"Thank you, young one." Aztoria smiled at him without letting her fangs show so as to not shock him. Before anything else could be said, a roar resounded from outside and the barrier shuddered, taking heavy blows one after the other as Zastair rammed his head into it, then breathed fire. It coated over the outside of the barrier, causing visible damage as he continued. Darezen scowled and automatically raised a hand, his eyes glowing fiercely in response. Swiping his hand downward, what looked like another barrier slammed down on Zastair's head, plowing him into the ground with terrifying force. His tail lashed angrily as he applied more pressure over time. The other dragons reacted with fear, some trying to flee while others desperately tried to help their leader. 'This much power when he's as old as Zyrtec…'

Zastair snarled, his muscles bulging as he pushed against it, slowly managing to get his paws underneath him. "AZTORIA!" He reared his head, forcibly dispelling the attack as blood dripped down from his head and one of his horns broke off. Winds whipped the surroundings with his roar and his spread wings, tearing up the ground and assaulting the barrier simultaneously. Darezen flinched away in horror and back up until he was standing with his back against Aztoria's leg. She raised her wings over the two next to her protectively when the full force of the attack was centered onto the barrier. Cracks formed immediately and the entire thing shattered, allowing the attack to head for the three. Darezen reacted quickly and put up a wall in front of them, only able to block from one direction.

Aztoria frowned seeing this. "You two need to leave. Neither of you have enough power to help me now."

"No, I'm not going to leave again!"

She growled, "Leave. Now. Take your friend with you, I'll be fine." He looked at his mother desperately, but she stood firm, watching the small cracks already appearing in the strengthened barrier. Zyrtec grabbed Darezen in his front paws after his mother moved out of the way, rolling to the side with him and heading for the sky.

Noticing the two flying toward the town, Zastair roared, "Her vile spawn are hiding in the human home! Hunt them down! Destroy everything!" Landing on top of the grounded dragon with her full weight, Aztoria snapped a few rib bones and dug her talons into him ferociously.

"You'll leave them alone or die here!"

"If I can't kill you here, I never intended to leave in the first place!" They tore into each other without hesitation, one with the anger of losing what he wanted and the other with every pent up emotion she had.

'I wish I had the strength to fight alongside her…' Zyrtec was speeding off reluctantly, Darezen holding onto the paws carrying him.

"Why are we leaving?!"

"She wouldn't let me stay."

"So you're just going to let her fight alone?!"

"I'm not strong enough!"

"Isn't that why you brought me with you?!"

Zyrtec's wings hitched momentarily but he kept going. "I won't disobey her! She wanted me gone for a reason. I need to trust her."

"I hope you know what you're doing then." A moment of silence fell over them, but then Darezen shouted, "Zyrtec! Fly faster! They're behind you!" Reacting on instinct, he furled his wings and dropped, narrowly dodging the huge talons slashing for him. Picking up the pace, he went as fast as carrying someone allowed, twisting around wildly to prevent getting hurt or pulled into battle. Diving the second he was above the town, he ignored the screams of the people and shapeshifted, still holding onto Darezen. They landed roughly, rolling over the cobblestone. Getting up in a hurry, they sprinted just to escape, no real direction in mind. Unexpectedly, pillars of flame rose, spreading rapidly as the dragons attacked the town itself to get them. "What now?!"

"I don't know! Just run!" Shrieks of terror sounded through the large kingdom, knights rushing for the source of the danger. Fire erupted around them even as they fled, blocking many paths to safety. '(Hey! Where are all of you?!)'

At the same time, each of his siblings responded, '(Following the knights to the bunkers!)'

"Darezen, are there any bunkers here?!"

"Oh! Know that you mention it! This way, follow me!" Having to shout over the noise, it was lucky they could hear each other at all.

Soon, one of the knights stopped them saying, "I'll take you two to the bunkers, stay close to me!" They went along with it and just hurried after him, ending up near the large castle. He moved one of the large stones aside and guided them in. The two hopped down, dropping into a dark space that seemed to be a tunnel, the only source of light coming from the opening. "Follow the path and you'll get there! I'm sorry, I can't lead you and have to close the entrance, so you'll have to feel your way through!" The stone was dropped over the opening, blocking off any light they had and muffling the sounds from outside.

"I can't see now…"

"I can. Put your hand on my shoulder, I'll lead the way." He did just that and they walked for several minutes before light began to filter down the tunnel. Exiting the path, they stopped at a ladder that took them into a huge cavern that had been carved out of the stone. Climbing down, they joined the small number of people already there, an uneasy quietness over everyone present. They sat on the ledge that went all the way around, shaped to be a bench for many people. Not long after, more people showed up from different tunnels, even his siblings, but they didn't dare speak yet. Zyrtec sat there huddled with his brothers and sister, Darezen next to them. Their future was unknown, and the battle was ongoing.