by Ben Marble
"I think it's too late for no more tests unless you plan on hanging up your robes," Brianne could hear clothes being pulled on. "You know that we don't blame you right? No one thinks you tried to kill Xander on purpose, and half of us have considered it before."
The curtain pulled open and Michael appeared in a white T and jeans. Water spots showed that he hadn't even bothered to towel off before dressing. She had asked him to hurry and sure enough, he had hurried. Brianne was sure the only reason his hair was clean was that Michael had used magic to speed the process along. He grabbed his black robes and pulled them on around his clothes. That was not strange since most of them wore robes over normal clothing. Living in a cave, even with magic it often got cold.
After his robes were on Michael ran his hands down to straighten them. "The point you are missing is that it wasn't an accident." Michael kept his eyes on the floor and tied his robes carefully shut. "I meant to kill Xander. I can’t talk about what I did that caused everyone to panic. I know what I achieved, a temporary dead spot for manipulating energy." Michael started picking dirty clothes off the floor and throwing them to the side where they seemed to disappear as they hit his invisible clothes hamper. "I had every intention when I cast that spell of killing Xander, I saw him go down and I felt joy at the thought of destroying him. I wanted to paint the floor with his blood." Michael ran out of dirty clothes, stood up and looked down at her. "I then was going to go up and kill all of you. I had it planned out in my head." He stepped forward until he was inches from Brianne and looking down making her feel small. "I would have taken out Ember first. It would be impossible, and I knew it, but I was still prepared to hit her and paralyze her. Sierra was the next target, with Chandler right after. They were close enough that I could have taken them with a fireball. You would have been last. The others I would have depended on surprise and shock, but you I planned on taking my time with."
A shudder went down Brianne's spine as Michael leaned down until he was inches from her face. His voice got low and quiet, and his eyes did not seem to blink as they locked hers down with icy cool calm. "I knew I could overpower you, I wanted to take my time to pull you apart piece by piece." Michael's eyes finally closed, and she saw a tear run down his cheek. "I am so afraid those feelings will come back. I don’t want to hurt you, Xander, or anyone else, I just want to practice magic. I don't know if I can do both now. If those feeling return, next time it could be you I hurt."
Brianne reached up before she knew what she was doing and pulled his face down and kissed him gently. Michael's body stiffened then relaxed into the kiss and he was suddenly leaning into her crying and kissing back. She softly stroked his back and did her best to support him, however, it felt to her like Michael was twice her size.
"You're a good person and you know it." She continued to stroke his hair and hold him. "We will not let you do anything stupid so straighten up and let's get going before Ember sends someone else." She kissed him one last time. "Then when we get back, we are going to talk some more, without the others around until I can make you forget the thoughts you had. If you were a bad person, you wouldn't be having all this guilt right now." She pulled her arms from Michael and let him stand up straight.
He didn't talk, he just looked at her and gave a sad smile. Then he leaned in and grabbed another kiss. This time Michael looked happier as he straightened back up, but some of the shadows refused to leave his face.
Brianne looked forward to helping him get rid of those shadows later.
Torch’s
The cave was strangely quiet as Xander appeared on the bare stone floor. He was in a cave similar to Ember's yet the air seemed thin and cold. Torch's perch took up a lot more space in this cave opening than Ember's did suggesting he was a larger dragon. For a moment Xander questioned whether dragons could control their size, but he quickly brushed it away instead of focusing on the stillness in the air.
The other apprentices slowly popped in one at a time around him as he looked around. The cave opening was at the top of the cave and off to the side. A stream of light told him it was still the middle of the day here. The stone walls and dark shadows in the large cavern did not tell him much more. He could not lose the feeling that everything was just empty. While the others were getting their bearings Xander closed his eyes.
Normally in Ember's cave, he could hear things that screamed life. It might be the sound of a startled bat in the main chamber, a voice that happened to echo up from one of the chambers when spoken in just the right spot, or even the sound of breathing would give away people's whereabouts. While he had been able to see for years now, he never lost his ability to navigate in the dark and listen to his surroundings to figure out where he was and what was going on. The other apprentices had learned long ago to move silently around him during battle practice if they were trying to be sneaky. Normally he just caught sounds a little better than those around him, but when he focused like he was doing now, nothing tended to escape his notice. There was simply nothing to hear.
"Ember," he said softly. The dragon turned and looked at him, still in her large form almost blinding when he opened his eyes and caught some light off her golden scales. "Something's wrong. Nothing is here, you must have chosen the wrong cave."
"No, this is the right cave they just must have gotten tired of waiting for us." Ember started shrinking back into her human form. In a moment it was her smaller self that addressed Xander. "I have been here several times. I know it's the right place."
"Then something is wrong because there is literally nothing here. No animals, no people, no dragon. I hear nothing." Xander started developing an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
"Did you consider that maybe the living quarters are soundproofed from the cave?" Ember turned and started walking towards the main tunnel. "I understand your caution, but there is nothing to fear." Xander hurried forward to keep up with her as the rest of the apprentices followed suit.
The Tunnel quickly turned into the main hall, once again like Ember's. They passed several empty study rooms on either side as they went deeper into the cave. Claustrophobia started pressing onto Xander's chest which was a strange sensation after living in similar conditions for years. The stillness did not let up. There was no scraping of apprentice's pets or light thumping of footsteps. Just the hollow silence that seemed to surround his group.
After what seemed an eternity, they came to the main dining hall. It was just as empty as the rest of the cave had been. A table similar to Embers was out and set with enough space for twelve, yet the food on it looked dry and cold like it had been sitting. In a place where magic could keep food hot and fresh for hours with a little effort, it was a strange sight. The grand fireplace which had been set with silver stones placed where they could help reflect the light through the hall lie cold as well. Xander started unconsciously gathering his shield around him. He felt the other apprentices start doing the same thing. When Ember looked back at him, arched an eyebrow but did not say anything he knew for sure something was wrong. Walking into a dragon's lair shielded was considered rude. If she did not tell them to drop their shields something felt wrong to her as well.
"Should we check the apprentice’s quarters?" Michael fingered the hem of his robe with twitching fingers. "Maybe there was an emergency and Torch had to leave, they would have left someone here to greet us. They could have gone back to their rooms when we didn't show up on time."
Ember's eyes glowed and the fireplace roared to life. "Do that, stay together but check all the rooms. Maybe someone is still here like you said. I will wait in here in case someone returns." Ember took a seat at the end of the table where she could sit facing the entrance from the cave. "When I say stay together, I mean it. I don't want anyone wandering off."
Pretty sure now that this cave was an echo of the one they lived in Xander started to lead the way down the side hall that would have led to the living quarters in their cave. The other halls would have led to various store rooms, mayb
e practice areas and labs. There was probably an extra exit as well. That thought almost made his feet slow as he considered checking that direction first. No, if someone was here, they were likely in the living quarters.
Just like their cave the hall opened at the side into a large kitchen before it continued on to the five rooms spaced for the apprentices at the end. It did not escape Xander's notice that food scraps were still lying on cutting boards, and not all the dishes had been cleaned and put away. This would have been unacceptable in Ember's cave and he had no doubt that Torch would have similar standards. He did not have to say anything to the others, he could see their eyes darting around taking it in as well.
A few steps past the kitchen they came to the first two rooms. Just like their cave, there were two doors on the right, two on the left, and one at the end capping off the hall. Apprentices always slept near each other in case there was a need they could be woken easily. The apprentice quarters themselves varied as apprentices would shape their rooms to suit their needs or desires. Xander prayed that the room on the right didn't look anything like Chandler's when he opened the door. If it did, he might have a heart attack at how much this felt like a bad copy of Ember's cave.
"This one first!" Sierra's voice made him jump. She had her hand on the door on the opposite side of the hall.
"Why?" Xander didn't want to get into an argument here, but he felt that Sierra was going to challenge his lead.
"Because..." Sierra twitched uncomfortably. "This would be my room." Instead of a challenge, she gave Xander a pleading look. It was apparent the similarity wasn't lost on her either, and she was working hard on masking her fear as well. He could have demanded that they check the room he was at first, it was his right unless Sierra took the lead spot. Instead, he nodded sensing her need.
Slowly Sierra opened the door and the rest of the group fanned out behind her. The door was a gray wood that suddenly gave Xander the feeling it was a ghostly double of the dark cherry that Ember favored, and as it swung inward he almost expected some sort of specter to be sitting there looking dully back at them.
Instead, the room could have belonged to any teenager. Well, any teenage dragon apprentice. The comforting thing jumping at him was the large four poster bed with golden filigree that did not look anything like the beds in Ember's cave. This apprentice had shaped the room so it was long and narrow with a couple of smaller rooms off to the left. The design being very different from any of the rooms back home seemed to shatter a light layer of icy fear that had grown over Xander's heart as they walked in. A quick search showed no sign of the inhabitant, causing the momentary relief to be overshadowed by worry again.
"No water in the shower, it's dry," Brianne looked at him searchingly. For the first time, Xander realized that Michael had been standing close to her since they came back from her fetching him. In different circumstances, he would have shot her a smile but now was not the time.
"They could have dried it after showering,” Xander started to motion the apprentices out and to the next room. "Or they could have not showered this morning, let's not read any more into things than we have too. It's too easy to let our imaginations run away from us right now."
"I'm all for running away," Michael gave a weak grin. "I actually think I would enjoy the exercise. Anyone with me?"
"If I'm running with you, I might suffer it." Xander tried to return Michael's grin, which resulted in Michael suddenly looking away with a confused look on his face. "I need you at my back man, someone has to take care of the ladies while I walk into danger."
"I'm pretty sure we can take care of ourselves." Sierra sighed, and sidled past. Michael could not suppress a grin at her irritation and it made Xander smile a little bit as well. Things were tense right now, but they would return to normal. He could feel it now.
The next three rooms were the same. Meticulously cleaned and organized, but empty. There were no signs that anyone had been in them for a day or two. The only comfort was that none of the rooms resembled any of their quarters, and with each one, the cave seemed less and less the reflection of Ember's striking away the feeling they were walking into an empty and haunted version of their own. At the last door, Xander paused.
"They may have been gone for days." He turned and faced the others. "If they had enchanted the food to be fresh Torch and his apprentices could have left days ago, and we would not know it. If they had left days ago why wouldn't Torch have let Fuego or Ember know they were gone?"
"Now who is letting their imagination run away?" Chandler put a hand on Xander's shoulder. Come on, let's check this room and get back to Ember. I'm done letting this place give me the willies."
Xander slowly opened the door and found a smaller room shaped much like his. A knot formed in his chest for a moment as this would have been his room at the end of the hall back home. Then the differences jumped out at him. There were pictures on the walls, and the bed was shorter and had more blankets than he used. The person who lived here had a lot more connections to the world than Xander did, and that person was lying on the bed facing away from them.
A small pop in his ears told Xander that this room was spelled to be sound proof from the outside. The other apprentices walked in behind him and they all sat staring at the figure on the bed as if wondering what to do. The figure himself was facing the wall, and Xander couldn't decide if they were asleep or even if he was breathing over the sounds of everyone else who had entered behind him.
Chandler was the first one to react. He stepped forward and put a hand on the mystery kid's shoulder and shook him lightly. The kid jumped in surprise and smacked Chandler across the face in a panic. Chandler went down with a grunt of surprise, but his shield took the impact that might have hurt him.
"Hey, hey, hey," Xander put his hands out to keep the others back and to give the kid some room. "We aren't here to hurt you, what is your name?"
The kid had huddled back against the wall and was watching them wearily through black brown eyes. He had to keep sweeping his hand up through a mop of dishwater blonde hair that normally would have fallen about to his shoulders, but it was a mess that could have resulted from him sleeping or not having a chance to take care of it. Xander was not about to jump to conclusions.
"I'm Dell," the kid was still giving them plenty of room.
"Well Dell, Fuego sent us here. Torch told you we were coming to visit, didn't he?" Dell just gave Xander a blank stare. "Well, come on out and you can tell us what happened to everyone else. We are all wondering where everyone went."
"What do you mean where everyone went, they should all be here." Dell sprung up and ran through the apprentices knocking them to the side, mostly out of surprise rather than from brute force.
"Well, he has spirit, I'll give him that." Michael was helping Brianne up. Xander shook his head and then turned to follow.
*****
Ember watched Torch's apprentice run into the room with surprise. She should have realized before this point that someone alive was left in the cave. As far as she could tell before this moment the cave had been abandoned, and all living things had been expunged. Xander had sensed it before her to his credit, but she had written it off since Torch would have let the rest of the dragons know if he had abandoned his home. Something had happened here, and it would be up to her to find out what.
Her apprentices soon followed Torch's apprentice in, and the young man stopped short when he saw her. He turned as if to run the other direction but stopped again as her apprentices appeared. The young human was left rubbing his hands against each other as he looked back and forth.
"Ember this is Dell," Xander stepped forward and was watching the other apprentice. "Dell his was sleeping in his room when we woke him up. From his reaction, I am not sure he knows where his fellow apprentices or Torch went to."
"Dell," Ember inclined her head politely, but internally she was doing all she could to not snarl. Something felt very wrong here, and it had increased when Torch's ap
prentice had appeared. The air itself seemed twisted and it felt like a little bit of burning ash was entering her lungs every time she took a breath.
On instinct, she reached out to touch Dell's mind. He had been sleeping, so there is a chance he had been under an enchantment. If so some of the residual energy should remain to let her know if that had been the case. Instead of residual energy, she felt a large black wall blocking her out. She stood up and screamed before she could help it. Dell's mind wasn't corrupted, but he had made a shield out of Chaos.
The moment she screamed her apprentices were moving. Shields flared, and they were looking for enemies everywhere, everywhere but Dell. While Ember was getting her magic ready for release Dell had already cast. They all could feel the tearing of energy as Torch's apprentice drew upon chaos and a large green fireball flew at Chandler.
Chandler turned and managed to deflect the fireball. However, a bit of it broke off and stuck to his shield causing him to start icing himself down. Ember was launching some fire of her own when she felt the air break behind her. She turned and threw the fireball on instinct and it was all that saved her.
The Chaos Dragon that had appeared had thrown his own spell. It was hot lightning that crackled and forked all around Ember. Unlike Ember, he was in full dragon form, which meant physically he was as much of a threat as magically. Ember felt her hair standing on end as her shield absorbed the lightning which would have killed her. Shield or no if the Chaos dragon had not had to move from her fireball, she would have been done for.