The Dawning Night: Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Rain of Ash</u>

Shade awoke to find the library empty. He jumped out of his chair to look around. The ridgedor rubbed his nose but a burning smell kept reaching his nostrils.

Delwia? Wujaru? You guys okay?

Shade felt his side: no swords and no reply.

"Am I dreaming?" the ridgedor said aloud.

"Yes and no," a growling voice said behind him. Shade spun around to see a large crimson wolf sitting defensively in one of the big chairs. The wolf was much larger than a regular wolf, with bigger muscles as well. Shade gasped when he realized this could only be the Darblin Asmodeus.

"I… must be dreaming… You can't be here…" Shade stammered.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Asmodeus's voice was soothing.

"What…"

"You're sleeping but I brought you here; it's time we met. Honestly, I'd like to rip your face off right now, but I can't in this telepathic state. I have to make this quick since the connection could be broken easily."

"I…" Shade searched for words.

"You must know that I'm Asmodeus," the wolf continued, absently using his claw to get something out of his razor-sharp teeth.

"Yes…" Shade muttered uncertainly.

"Do you know of my sword Delwia?"

"Yeah, he –"

"All I asked is if you knew him!" Asmodeus snarled suddenly.

"What… about Delwia?" Shade felt more afraid than ever. He could feel Asmodeus's fury. The Darblin was so filled with rage that there was no other thing to him. Still, a glint of strategy and intelligence glowed in the wolf's persona. He may mercilessly murder people, but the creature had very elaborate plans for his killings.

"Do you know what he really is?" Asmodeus growled.

"He's… a sword?" Shade shook his head, confused.

"Not quite," the wolf raised his nose to the air and gave an angry bark. "Seems you're being called on. Have fun dousing the flames. And don't worry: we'll meet again, boy. It will be longer then. Maybe you'll learn a few things."

Before Shade could reply, the Darblin's eyes suddenly glowed with ferocity and he howled, raising his head up. The ridgedor felt himself pull away from the dream. Maybe he had just imagined it. Shade still was baffled at the conversation he and the wolf just had. Asmodeus was just so… sinister. The presence of him still shook Shade to his core. What was this creature's plan?

***

"Shade! Wake up!" Cyle was yelling.

"What?" Shade looked around bleakly; everything was blurry.

"They're burning it!" Cezial began to wail. "My library!"

Shade jumped out of his chair and his eyes cleared. Everywhere, flames sprouted like plants. Every bookshelf and all its contents were blazing. Shade now realized he really did smell the fire. He coughed as the smoke emanated from the burning table in front of him.

"I have Lightning," Shade located Cyle's voice from in the hallways and was about to go to him.

"Stop! Cease! Desist! I don't want my library to burn!" Cezial's voice came from behind Shade. The ridgedor spun around and could see Cezial running around, making bursts of icy mist spring out of his hands and trying vainly to quench the flames.

"Shade, help!" Cezial yelled.

Ya better get him out of here.

Right…

Shade ran to Cezial and tugged on the boy's sleeve. "Come on, let's go," he said.

"What? No, I can't!" Cezial replied. "The hilocks are throwing fire on the house!"

"Then we'll go outside and beat them and then will come back and put the fire out."

Cezial reluctantly followed Shade as he ran out to the hall.

"Out here!" Cyle's voice roared outside.

Shade ran and pushed the door open and suddenly stopped in front of the steps, Cezial smashing into him from behind. Only three hilocks were in front of the steps, but there were dozens in the air, throwing flaming sticks on Cezial's and Cyle's house. Cyle was battling the three on the ground valiantly but was slowly being pushed back because he held Lightning in one hand and Quill in the other. Cezial was staring back at his house and seemed to ignore everything else except the rain of ash flying from the burning building.

"Alright," Shade snapped out of his reverie. "Cezial, you help Cyle while I –"

"THEY'RE BURNING IT!!!" Cezial roared, causing Shade to step backward. The ridgedor suddenly shifted into a light pink frost dragon, his scales appeared white when they glinted in the sun. Cezial's eyes were deep blue but they glowed with rage and his spiked tail thrashed back and forth. He was a very small frost dragon, compared to Izzodiac. Shade's master was double his size, but Cezial did have the icicles along his spine and five long, ivory claws, and both frost dragons walked on four legs.

Cezial suddenly rammed his two pointed horns into one of the hilock's stomach. The other two gaped at him, shocked. The angry frost dragon turned on the other two, smacking one into the ground with his tail and freezing the other. He roared to the hilocks above and launched into the air. Shade looked up, mouth open, and watch as Cezial froze hilocks left and right and the creatures came down and shattered when they hit the ground. Shade smiled and looked at Cyle.

"Shall we join my brother in his rampage of carnage?" the other ridgedor said coolly, lying Lightning near a tree.

"We shall," Shade nodded happily. He shifted into an ampithere and watched as Cyle became a Western Dragon. He was decently big, with a long burgundy tail and a tan mace tail-tip. He had two curled, tan horns that resembled a ram's and his brown eyes gleamed with anticipation. He had a lot more muscle than Cezial and his scales remained its dark burgundy color. Cyle's wings were tan on the inside and were spread wide, ready for flight. He stood on two legs, like Gonshow, and his arms were crossed. Cyle's four white claws on each of his legs and arms were sharpened menacingly.

"This ought to be fun," Cyle grunted, he and Shade flying into the air where Cezial swiped at hilocks wildly with his claws, all the while roaring about his library and yelling words at the hilocks that Shade didn't even want to know the definitions of.

"You know it," Shade replied cheerily to Cyle.

***

"I can hardly believe this… It's gone, my dear library, perished in a torrent of flames…" Cezial murmured as he turned for the fifth time to look at the burning glow of his house behind them.

"Don't worry, bro, we beat the hilocks," Cyle encouraged.

"Yeah, but it was already too thick of a fire to put out."

"We can rebuild."

"This is all – your – fault!" Cezial rounded on Shade.

"What?" Shade asked indignantly. He touched Delwia's hilt, ready if Cezial attacked.

"If it wasn't for your interference, I could have stopped it…" Cezial murmured.

"Forget it, bro," Cyle shifted Lightning's limp body to his other shoulder.

"Is he ever going to wake up?"  Shade asked.

"I guess I must have hit him harder than I thought," Cyle confessed sheepishly.

Wait for it… 3, 2, 1…

"Huh…" Lightning mumbled.

Right on cue…

Impressive.

"Shade, it…" Lightning's eyes snapped open and he leaped off Cyle, tail fluffed up. "What happened? Where's the FLET?"

"You've been asleep for awhile," Cyle said, putting his hands in his jean pockets.

"Yeah, but it didn't give you much beauty," Shade nodded to Lightning. The chequick's fur was ruffled and stuck up along the spine. His ears were ripped at the tip. Lightning looked at his torn claws and bloody pads. The chequick hissed in annoyance.

"Where are we?" Lightning glanced from Cezial to Cyle.  "Who are these guys?"

"This is Cyle Crookedtooth," Shade swept a hand to Cyle. "And this is Cezial Coldfrost." He nodded to Cezial, who hung back in the shadows.

Lightning started to pace back and forth, occasionally looking up at the rain of ash coating them from where the house was.

"Aw darn, I didn't bring a litter box," Cyle joked.

"It's not funny," Shade muttered, he didn't want Lightning to get more anxious.

"Would you quit with the stupid cat jokes!" Lightning snarled.

"Geez, fuzzball, don't get your fur in a bunch," Cyle held up his hands innocently and flashed a smile at Shade.

"Guys!" Cezial shouted. "Don't you realize we have no idea what to do now?"

"That's easy, we go to Alpha," Shade said dismissively.

"Oh, sure because Alpha isn't having a war right now!" Cezial hissed.

"Well where do you want to go? Obviously we aren't going to be safe in a library! You can't hide behind a book forever Cezial!" Shade retorted.

"Look, let's just cool down for a second," Cyle interrupted.

"NO!" Shade and Cezial roared in unison.

"Why can't you fight like you did back there?" Shade asked the frost ridgedor angrily.

"I only use my strength for dangerous situations!" Cezial explained.

"You're useless most of the time, then."

"Shut it, both of you!" Cyle yelled, smacking Cezial's and Shade's heads together.

"Sorry…" Cezial murmured while Shade grunted, rubbing his head.

"Look, I think we should go to Alpha," Cyle decided.

"Alright," Cezial nodded, glancing at Cyle's muscles with envy.

"Finally," Shade smiled happily.

"One problem," Cyle turned to look at the endless trees.

"What?" Shade asked.

"We have no idea how to get there," Lightning answered him.

There was a long silence before Cezial started to jump up and down with excitement. "I know!" he cried. "We can ask Drax!"

"Who?" Shade interrupted.

"Drax Duskclaw, a physician," the frost dragon ridgedor grinned.

"That crazy weirdo?" Cyle said with scorn. "He is no physician. The last time I went to him, the entire house blew up when he was making an elixir. Physician? Ha, more like a pyrotechnist!"

"It's worth a try," Lightning decided evenly.

"No, I will never go near him!" Cyle shouted stubbornly.

"Then we'll have to force you there," Shade replied.

Cyle raised an eyebrow, looming over the smaller ridgedor. Shade gave an unsteady laugh and decided against force. Cyle was kind of big.

"Uh… please?" Shade smiled weakly.

Cyle turned away. He felt the scar on his face, replying reluctantly, "Fine, but just pretend I'm not there."

"No problem," Lightning sneered.

Shade shook his head and pushed in between Cyle and Lightning. Cezial followed him as the ridgedor led the others through the forest. Cyle hung behind them, mumbling angrily. Shade turned to look around at the unfamiliar trees. He had no idea where to go.

"Do any of you have something of Drax's?" Lightning mumbled suddenly, shuffling his paws.

"Why?" Cezial asked.

"I might be able to find him by the scent," the chequick replied.

"What do you think you are: a bloodhound?" Cyle muttered.

"Cats can smell too," Lightning snarled.

"Well, I have one of the experiments he tried," Cezial held out a vial filled with yellow liquid.

"What is it?" Shade asked.

Cezial gave him a warning look. "You don't want to know."

Lightning sniffed it gingerly, jumping back. He scraped at his nose with his paws, hissing, "Why didn't you tell me that was –"

"Oookay," Cyle interrupted. "Let's just go."

Shade raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

"Wow, you are really, really stupid," all three of the others said.