The Devils Gambit

-Chapter IV-

 "I remember these halls being longer," Clyde commented as he and Luna walked through the operations building.

"It's just as you remember it," She smiled and punched in a code to a keypad next to a hefty looking door.

"The Conference room," He remembered.

"You used to love coming in here when you were little. You always asked your father or I to let you in. I thought it would be a fitting place for us to talk."

"Sounds good."

"Boss there are no cel's in there... I can't see anything past those doors," I informed him anxiously, this never happened.

"What do you mean you..."

"Oh I'm sorry Shadow that's my fault. A simple protection enchantment but anything not of this world can't see inside. Desperate times call for careful measures to be taken."

She opened the door and allowed us to walk inside the dark room with

"Pump the breaks, Mrs. Siv you can hear me?"

"I am a creature of the night Shadow," She smiled, "I hear you just as easily as my son does."

"Forgive me Mrs. Siv, but weren't your powers stripped from you after you denounced... him... as your father?"

She took a deep breath and responded, "There is always a way to draw power from creation, Shadow. Humans have been doing it for millenia, but unlike them..."

She raised her hand and a candle flame, as black as the night, sparked to life in her hand.

"I'm not human."

As easily as she sparked it to life, with a close of her hand the flame extinguished, "That and I've had more practice."

"I have to know how she did that."

"In due time my little Dragon," She laughed but her smile quickly flattened, "I wish we could talk all night like this Alban but, unfortunately time isn't on our side."

The smile on Clydes face faded as he took a seat at the table, "Right. Of course."

"I'm sorry son, but we need your help. Though your father won't admit it."

"When does he ever."

"He's not perfect, but he tries his best. But this time he bit the bullet and accepted he needed your help."

He narrowed his eyes at her and laughed, "You convinced him didn't you?"

She shrugged, "I knew what he needed, I just reminded him that he needed it too."

"Thank you mom. So what's the job?"

---

"They've done as you predicted they would, my Prince."

The sound of rolling thunder filled the darkness of the eternal prison as the advisor laughed with anticipated delight for his master, "I advise we move quickly your highness, advance to stage two while the element of surprise is still ours."

"Have I not taught you patience Paragor," The Dark Prince rose from the pool of fire and tar, turning to face his advisor with flawless skin and a smile that would make any hardened soul's spine shiver.

Paragor, shocked by his response, responded with a tremor in his voice.

"You... you have, your highness."

"Then remember my teaching. We possess the Continental, the Parallax, now it's their move. It's time for them to show us what else they have."

His smile grew and with it his eyes burned with red and orange fury, "And for my grandson to show me what HE can do. Inform our allies to expect his coming, and... Put out a kill order."