Danger of the Shadows

The Answers

"Crumble..." Spirit groaned. She had ridden Crumble all the way through a couple rooms. She had closed her eyes but remembered seeing exactly where they went. She had seen dragons looking at her and mumbling to each other. She remembered feeling her legs walk across the crystal floor. But her eyes had been closed the whole time and she had not been walking, she was lying on Crumble's back.

"What do you need, Spirit?" Crumble asked.

"Why did I feel like I was walking here, when I wasn't?" Spirit murmured.

"I don't know but Tree's gone somewhere to get help and answers. For now, I can show you around. You've been asleep for a while now," Crumble offered. Spirit stood up and stretched her tired limbs. She flapped her wings and flew after Crumble as they traveled through the crystal caves. "This room is the training room, where we learn to fight and protect," Crumble explained. "Over there, that's Storm and Cosmo. And that's Darkshadow, he came here only one season ago." Darkshadow, a small blue and purple fae, was flying around and breathing fire. Storm, a green fae with blue wings and yellow lightning patterns on her scales, was watching and correcting the smaller fae. Cosmo, a cream and violet guardian, was blocking Darkshadow's fire with his wings. Spirit watched them train and noticed that Crumble was already heading for the next room.

"This is the sleeping cave," Crumble showed her. The sleeping cave was a crystal room with piles of hay, leaves, and wool. No dragons were sleeping there currently, but Spirit could tell that it was used recently by the fact that the bedding was pushed down. Spirit followed Crumble through a small tunnel that Crumble himself had to squeeze through. When they emerged from the tunnel, Spirit gasped. The tunnel had led to a big ledge made of crystal overlooking the ocean below. The sky was a pale blue and clouds drifted across it. The sound of waves crashing against the crystal spike calmed Spirit. She took a deep breath as cool wind blew against her face. She landed and sat down.

"This is my favorite place, too," Crumble sighed. "While we wait for Tree to come back, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" He sat down next to Spirit and wrapped her in his wing.

"Well, I have these friends... Caywa, Riptide, and Demon." Spirit felt a pang of longing when she thought of them. "Riptide went to Water Clan, Demon went to Shadow, and Caywa got put into Arcane, like me."

"You'll have to fight Demon," Crumble realized. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Spirit sighed. "I wonder where Caywa is."

"She could be living in the observatory," Crumble suggested. He looked at a large island with a huge telescope pointing at the sky. Spirit realized that all of the crystal spikes were leaning toward the observatory.

"Maybe." Spirit looked at the sky. Two dragons were flying toward them. She stood up hurriedly. "Are we being attacked?" Crumble stood up, too, and squinted at the sky.

"No, that's Tree! He's back!" Crumble jumped up excitedly. "Now, if you don't mind, let's go figure out what's wrong." Crumble led Spirit back inside the cave and into Tree's library room. Almost a heartbeat later, Tree and a small orange fae with a white tail and green wings flew in. Spirit looked at the little dragon in confusion. She has never seen a fae dragon as small as her before. The dragon didn't look at her. Instead, her cloudy white eyes looked down at the ground.

"I got some answers," Tree announced. The fae's eyes drifted toward Tree but she didn't look directly at him.

"Who's that?" Spirit asked.

"I can answer for myself!" she snapped. She wasn't looking at Spirit, but at the wall. "I'm Erlen. Call me Erlie."

"Hi, Erlie," Spirit greeted her.

"We can have introductions later," Tree told them. "So Spirit. That eye-glow you had was actually very important. There was a prophecy." Tree slowly explained the last part as if Spirit couldn't hear properly.

"A prophecy?" Spirit repeated. "What did it say?"

"He probably would have told you if you didn't interrupt him!" Erlie growled.

"Erlie, calm down. Or I'm going to have to give you your raynga berries," Tree scolded lightly. When Erlie grumbled and sat down, Tree continued. "Two lights will come together. Two lights shall travel far. Shadows must turn light for true day to begin. But a blood-hungry evil will stand in their way..." Spirit thought about this for a moment.

"No, I don't understand it," Spirit concluded.

"Of course you don't!" Erlie roared. "It's a prophecy, dwarf-brain! Only gods and a few Light Clan dragons can understand prophecies! You are just a young, lonely, cursed, Arcane dragon!"

"Erlen! Eat your raynga berries! Now!" Tree handed Erlie a small box.

"You can't make me!" Erlie flew into the air and out of the cave.

"Erlen, come back! It's not safe for you!" Tree shouted. But Erlie was already gone. Spirit had no idea what in the name of Light Clan was going on. She felt her eyelids get heavier. She wasn't sleepy, just wanted to close her eyes. When she did, she was flying over the rough ocean with Erlie's box in her claws. But they weren't her claws. They were Erlie's claws.