Duchess snarled, "Then give us the Singer hatchlings if you really
are Thanna, arrogant dragon..."
"Oh? You mean these little ones?" Thana asked with a knowing smirk.
She gestured towards the edge of the forest, where two Nocturne hatchlings were tied to stakes, their wings bound, eyes closed.
Thunk.
Duchess promised she'd never lecture Shadowsong ever again, as the young mage had hit the Nocturne over the head with her knobbly staff. Despite the fact that Shadowsong couldn't work the scepter's magic quite yet, it served as a handy clobber if needed.
Thana collapsed, unconscious, to the ground. Shadowsong stood behind her, reared, staff still clutched tightly, chest heaving heavily.
"And I thought
I was the warrior..." chuckled Aztec.
"Alright! Great job, Shadowsong. Now, let's go free those Singers and make history!" Duchess cried, excitement replacing her fear once again. Then, right before her very eyes, the limp form of Thana disappeared, evaporating into thin trails of blue light, which in turn, vanished. Maniacal cackling filled the air, and the Nocturne reappeared, right behind the Singer twins, a wicked, sickle-like claw at each of their throats.
"What are you going to do, Duchess? You really thought you could make history? With a stupid Warrior who does nothing and a Mage who can't even use magic? Really, Duchess, I think your dreams are too big. But no worries... Because you won't need to dream, if you're dead!"
Thana spread her wings as if taking to the sky, but instead, disappeared. Aztec turned in a full circle, wings spread cautiously, warily eyeing the skies. Shadowsong curled into a tight ball and started muttering something under her breath.
"What's wrong, Aztec? Are you
scared?"jeered the voice of Thana, echoing into the empty night. The Singer twins writhed unconsciously on their pickets.
"H-how do you know my name, you creep?!" Aztec retorted, unceremoniously tripping over his own tail.
Soft, cold, laughter sounded in Duchess' right ear.
"See what I mean, my dear Scholar? You're with these two?
Tssk, tssk, tssk."
"Just hand the twins over, Thana, it's not that hard." said Duchess tiredly.
"Oh, but I have big plans, big plans indeed for Voidsong and Nightsong, dear Duchess, it's really not that simple."
Thanna flicked a claw, causing the two Singers to collapse, chains loosened, hanging limp around their tiny limbs.
"Come, you two. Let's show this Scholar what making history is all about."
As if in a trance, Nightsong and Voidsong's heads snapped up like they were marionettes. They started sauntering towards Duchess, eyes unfocused, wings dragging behind them like limp burdens of skin and bone. And they attacked.
Nightsong launched himself towards the Scholar, small, pointed white teeth flashing in the moonlight. His brother attacked Aztec and Shadowsong, hissing and spitting.
"Have fun, you guys! Meet the Singers of Thana's Lost Nocturnes while you're at it, too."
A slight breeze stirred as the invisible Thana brushed past the brawling Scholar and Singer twin. Nightsong seemed to come out of a trance, looking over his shoulder to see what had caused the sudden gust in the still night.
So maybe they aren't completely controllable, Duchess mused. An idea popped into her head.
"Hey Shadowsong? Do you know how to work that staff yet?" she called, trying not to hurt Nightsong as she gently pinned the Nocturne down by the shoulder blades.
Shadowsong and Aztec clearly weren't as successful in disabling the possessed Singer.
"What? The- UGH- staff? Nope- OW! AZTEC! WHAT WAS THAT FOR??!" Shadowsong exclaimed.
Suddenly, a blinding flash lit up the night, issuing from the end of the Mage's staff. The two Nocturne twins were tied with glowing ropes, and both were asleep once again.
"HA! Take that, you stupid Singers!" crowed Shadowsong triumphantly.
"Scratch that, you
can work the staff..." said Duchess with a smile. "Alright, do you think you can use a little more of that luck to get us out of here?"
Nodding, Shadowsong squeezed her eyes shut and gripped her staff so hard that her knuckles were prominent through her white scales. Naturally, nothing happened.
"You stupid, useless Mage..." came Thana's disembodied voice, echoing tantalizingly, causing a look of rage and fury to appear on the Spiral's face.
"I've HAD ENOUGH, YOU STUPID LITTLE NOCTURNE! I'LL SHOW YOU USELESS," bellowed Shadowsong.
Jets of white-hot flame shot from the staff, flying in all directions like homing missiles. One found its target, and Thana appeared, falling from the sky.
"You might kill me, but it'll take more than my death to take the Singer twins, Duchess!" the Nocturne roared, wincing in pain.
Shadowsong, eyes full of maniacal spleen, brought her staff, its end glowing with pulsing white light, down on Thana. The Nocturne evaporated, her dying scream lingering in the air.
Duchess' young Mage had collapsed, body heaving, soaked in a cold sweat.
"We need to get out of here," said Aztec, panic creeping into his voice.
Grabbing Nightsong, he took the sky and was gone in an instant. Following his lead, the Scholar took Voidsong and gently tucked him in a rather large pocket of he field gear. She then cradled the exhausted Shadowsong in her front talons, and flew into the night.
The squad stopped a few times over the next nights, tending to the feverish Mage and making sure the Singers were safe and securely fastened into Duchess' many pockets.
At last, the Tangled Wood came into view once again, a sight for sore, tired eyes. The entourage set down in a small clearing. The famed Shadowsong and Frulbyss appeared out of the leafy foulage.
"You found them!" exclaimed Shadowsong.
"Well, not without our Mage, here," Duchess said proudly, gesturing at the blushing Spiral.
The Scholar carefully undid the straps of her multiple packs, and set the Singer hatchlings on the ground. Their eyes were closed tightly, and Nightsong growled in his sleep.
"What's wrong with them?" snarled Frulbyss.
Aztec and Duchess glanced at the Mage for explanation.
"Well... see, I kind of put a sleeping spell on them... They'll wake up... I hope." Shadowsong confessed.
"That'll have to do," announced the the female Nocturne. "I can reverse the spell. The Lost Nocturnes are forever in your debt, you three. We'll make sure you're remembered throughout the generations."
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THE END