Drops of Fire

Chapter 14- The Final Plan

Don't let Umbra Shadow reach your heart.....

Skywatcher quickly shut the door behind her, taking in deep long breaths to steady her racing heart. It closed with a deafening slam, and she half expected to see Umbra Shadow leap from the shadows, teeth bared like an animal, hungrily waiting to take down her prey with one swift swipe of her large deadly ax.......

A muffled noise came from the distance, making Skywatcher's hair stand on end. What could that be? She slowly made her way towards the sound all while keeping a slow pace to extract any possible clanking from her hooves. Slightly trembling, she hesitantly made her way around a corner and came face to face with a massive room made of towering stone. Flaming orange embers erupted from small encasings around the enclosure, sending tiny sparks of fire into the air. Skywatcher's eyes grew wide as her gaze landed on a tall throne made of slick slabs of glimmering rock in the center of a small stairway, with two more glowing embers on either sides of the throne; casting long shadows ominously over the shady wall. That must be Umbra Shadow's throne, she thought, suppressing a cold shudder. But if this is the throne room, where's Umbra Shadow?

That's when her eyes adjusted to the gloom to see a horrid line of massive large cages all lined up evenly in a single tight row along the opposite side wall. Only the stale light of the flaming embers gave away the silver metal bars shimmering in the half light. Skywatcher began to inch her way towards the silver mesh, new hope beginning to bubble in her chest. I wonder if Capper's around here somewhere. Maybe there's a chance I can find him!

"Mmmphh.. Skywatther..."

Skywatcher pricked her ears. That sounded more like a female's voice...

"Helfp! I'm in here!"

Skywatcher's heart leapt to her throat. "Phoenix Feather?!"

In the gloom of the darkness, Skywatcher could see her friend sitting upright in the largest center cage. Her blue eyes glittered with terror, and her long orange hair was rumpled and falling into her face, showing clear signs of previous struggle. She looked exhausted and a dirty white cloth was tied around her mouth, making it difficult for the yellow alicorn to speak. "Rigtth here!"

Skywatcher gasped in alarm. "Phoenix, what happened to you?! Why are you here?" Desperately squeezing her hooves through the metal bars, she reached in to pull the white cloth down from her friends's mouth. To her relief, no noticeable injuries showed evident on the mare's yellow coat. But how did she get here? Skywatcher pondered. Where's everypony else?

The white cloth loosened in Skywatcher grip, and Phoenix spat it out with a huff. She brought her muzzle just inches away from Skywatcher's, so that she could feel her friend's breath warm on her muzzle. "Skywatcher, please," she pleaded. "There's no time! The guards caught me and the others! You have to get out of here!"

Behind Phoenix Feather, Skywatcher could finally make out the frightened eyes of her friends in the back corners of the cage. Thunder Paw's deep blue, Storm's dark green, Graphite's unique multicolored......they were all here! Rage forced her hooves to tightly curl around the bars as she noticed all their front legs were brutally tied behind their backs, while their mouths were covered in the same nasty cloth.. Why that little....

"The guards found us on the lower floor!" Phoenix managed to splutter. "We weren't able to find anything! Not Capper, not the spellbook...." she shook her head as if trying to clear her rambling thoughts. "You need to get out of here!" she repeated. "Umbra's trying to find you."

Skywatcher snorted through her nose. "I can't just leave you, Phoenix!"

Phoenix's eyes flashed with terror. "But you have too! You don't understand, you're in serious danger!"