Dawn of the Elements - Book 2: The Hand of Threngar

Chapter Twelve: Return of Tao Ren

Eight individuals jumped from the window, into the courtyard below. Gold and Lyna immediately broke off from the group, and ran for Silver, helping him stand. "Ah, more Elemental Masters." Loran observed with a chuckle. "The Hand has feasted upon your kind before. It shall do so now."

He then looked at Gold. "Even your servant girl has come to protect you." Silver could sense Gold's temper rising. "She, like the rest, will fall by my hand."  Gold let go of her brother, and slowly advanced on Loran.

"Can a servant girl do this!?" Gold hollered, cerulean flames erupting from her hands. Silver could see a look of shock on Loran's face. "I'm the Elemental Mistress of Blue Fire!"

"That's not possible!" Loran shouted, anger in his voice. "There can't be two Elemental Masters of the same Element!" He visibly started throwing a tantrum. "Silana was lying to me! She had to have!"

Gold then retreated back to her brother. "Silver, are you alright?" She could sense his inner flame, still working. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Could your flame accelerate his healing more?" Terry asked, concern in his voice. "Jumpstart it maybe?" Gold, with her hand still ablaze, grasped her twin's left hand.

The flickering in Silver's chest vanished. Almost instantly, flames poured from his eyes. Standing, he ignited his hands, crimson flames dancing around his fingers.

"Only together, can you defeat him." Tao Ren's voice spoke in both Silver and Gold's heads. They looked at each other. "Only together, can my powers be set free."

"Do you trust me, Goldie?" Silver asked his twin. He held out a blazing crimson hand. "I have to know." Gold looked at her brother's hand.

"Who cares if she trusts you!?" Loran shouted, clearly getting impatient. "You're at full strength again! I came here for a worthy fight, a fight worthy of your demise! And I'm going to get it!"

"Of course I trust you, Big Brother." Gold responded, taking her brother's hand. Their flames danced, merging into a vibrant purple colour.

The purple flames shrouded their bodies, and took them into the air, farther then any man could see. "What is this nonsense!?" Loran screamed.

The purple fireball fell back to earth. When it dissipated, everyone in the courtyard was in awe. Standing, in the middle of the courtyard, stood a purple, red, and blue three headed dragon. It's twin tails lashing about.

"Finally, after a millennia of waiting, I am free." A mix of Silver, Gold, and a growling voice spoke. Lyna slowly approached the dragon. "Finally, the threat of The Hand of Threngar will come to an end."

"That's just impossible!" Loran screamed, throwing a mini tantrum. "The Elemental Deities are long gone, vanished as quickly as they were created. You can't exist!" Lyna put her hand on the dragon's leg.

"Tao Ren?" She asked. "Is it really you?" She felt his cool, yet also warm scales under her hand. "You left with the others. How are you here now?"

"We left over a millennia ago." Tao Ren explained. "We retreated into our Elemental Masters, our powers dormant within them. But our Masters never discovered how to channel our powers and summon us back. The Master of Fire was incapable of channeling my powers. Only together, through the prophesised twin Masters of Fire, could I be set free."

"ENOUGH!" Loran shouted. "I came to face the Master of Fire in battle, and that's what I'm going to do! Begone Dragon, and let Silver atone for his ancestors sins!"

Tao Ren proceeded to wrap Loran in one of his twin tails. Squeezing, he brought the Normalite up to his center head. "You and your ancestors are a stain." The Elemental Dragon stated, breathing smoke in Loran's face. He could feel Loran trying to use The Hand of Threngar to free himself from his grip, but to no avail.

The dragon increased the pressure of his squeeze, knocking The Hand free from it's owner's grasp. It fell to the ground, and was picked up by Lyna. The dragon then threw its captive against a wall, then dissipated back into Silver and Gold.

"Return it to me!" Loran screamed, running at Lyna. He never made it though, as he watched a flaming fist connect with his face, sensing him to the ground.

A pair of guards rushed outside, followed by Queen Serenity, and Grenadine. The guards slapped a set of cuffs on Loran, and helped him stand. The Normalite Alchemist struggled against the cuffs, trying to reach for The Hand, in Lyna's grasp.

"Loran Silverlance, you are hereby..." Queen Serenity started. However she was cut off, by a tired, angry sounding voice.

"Loran Silverlance, you are hereby placed under arrest." Silver informed the man. "On accounts of treason towards the crown, assaulting a member of the Royal Family, and fifteen accounts of murder."

"I've done nothing wrong!" Loran screamed at the Young Master. "All I did was try to avenge my family! Undo the wrongs your ancestor did to mine!"

"Get him out of my site." Silver said, moving out of the guards way. He watched, as Loran was taken away to the dungeons, where he would live out the rest of his days.

Queen Serenity has a guard take The Hand of Threngar to Silver's office, then approached the Young Master. "Silver, May I talk to you?" The young Master nodded, and went off to the side with her.

"I know you two may not be ready, but I have a proposal for you." The Queen said, watching a look of confusion appear on Silver's face. "I've been watching you grow, ever since you thwarted Caius' plans a few months ago. I e seen you grow into the leader you were meant to be."

"You want to step down as Queen, and give the reigns to Lyna." Silver stated, interrupting her again. "But in order to do so, she has to be married. Is that right?" The Queen nodded.

Silver beckoned for Lyna to approach them. "Lyna, how would you like to get married sooner, rather then later?" He asked. The look of joy spreading across Lyna's face was immeasurable.

She screamed "YES!" At the top of her lungs, then hugged her fiancé. "It's all I e ever wanted, Silver." She continued. "To be by your side. Forever and always."

Silver kissed his blushing fiancée. "Then it's official. We have a wedding to plan for." He was then tackled by Gold, who heard Lyna's exclamation.

"You aren't planning anything without us!" She hollered in her brother's ear. Silver turned, to see his family smiling at them. It was right then, and there, that it was confirmed. He was right where he was meant to be.