Ink

“Red!” The name echoed through the cavern, the tone insistent, if not a hair on the side of being peeved. A red cloak billowed in the wake as the Spiral dragon twisted his way through the tunnels, away from the booming voice. “Red! Come. Here. NOW!” Punctuated with a growl, the Spiral knew avoidance would not work this time around.

His entire body set in a sulk, limbs limp, head hung down, wings barely moving, the Spiral made his way back toward Ametrie. The other dragon waited with a hard, unforgiving expression. Aspire couldn’t help but resort to old tactics and habits.

“I didn’t do it.”
A challenge in Tree’s tone, the Guardian growled, “Didn’t do what?”
“Whatever it is that you think I did, I didn’t do it.” If words were a tangible thing, Red would be eating them as Tree held up his ‘acquisitions’ bag. The black material moved as something, obviously alive, inside struggled to get out.
“Oh.” Red sniffed, as if it was of no consequence.
“That.”

The bag was shaken lightly, before being thrust into the Spiral’s talons with a growl.
“Explain.”

Duckie had flown over to see what the commotion was, and now hovered nearby, clearly not about to interrupt his top officer of the guard. With great reluctance, Red reached into his bag and pulled out a hatchling.

The banana and emerald hatchling was small, looked almost emanciated. Its struggles within the bag had used most of the little one’s reserves, and it lay limp in Red’s hold.
“It was laying there. Dying. Can’t just leave something like that, right? Mother wouldn’t have.”
Mentioning Mother might not have been the wisest, as the female Guardian brought enough wayward hatchlings on her own to make space a tight commodity now and then.

“It’s usually for the best. The strong survive, it is the way of..” The Guardian stopped speaking abruptly when the hatchling opened its eyes and blinked up at the loud, booming voice. “Look at those eyes! It’s a plague dragon!”
Tree’s voice rose as he berated Red even more.
“You should have let it die! Give it to me, I’ll see the right thing is done!”

Tree had reached to grab the hatchling, but Duckie held fast to the Guardian’s talons.
“Tree. Being plague does not mean its life is any less valuable. Or would you rather have Anon perish? What of Aster, even now in the hatchery being taken care of? They are plague as well.”
Tree grumbled and growled, but stopped trying to grab the hatchling.
“This one is sick, Duckie. Look at how thin it is, how weak! What if it spreads that sickness to the others?”
Red warily eyed the two while keeping the limp hatchling held protectively against his body. He very nearly hissed at the Guardian, but the Fae moved between them to get a closer look.
Everyone was silent as the Fae held the hatchling’s head and examined it. “It is starving, not sick. The eyes are focused, there are no obvious respiratory problems. It is cold and starving, Tree.” Duckie looked up at Red then and patted the Spiral’s bird mask.
“Thank you, Red. Please see it is taken to Nursery Bazaar and tell Mother to keep it separate for now. It will need extra attention, perhaps assign Avon to tend to the hatchling full time for the next day or two.”
The Spiral ducked his head and nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
With a snarky grin tossed in the Guardian’s general direction, Red whirled around and flew through the tunnels toward the nursery. He even cooed at the hatchling with the wide, red eyes.
“Nothing wrong with red at all. Red’s my favorite color, you see. You’ll be fine. And I think Duckie liked you.”
The hatchling let out a soft little squall.
“Yessireebob. You’ll fit in just fine here.”

“I have it.”
The steam-punk clad Fae exclaimed, his crests moving quickly with excitement.
“I have it.”

This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, it happened about once a week when the clan founder got it in his head that they needed a new name. A better name. Some of the members thought Duckie was just trying to find the right one, surely he would stop when it ‘felt right’. Others were pretty certain the clan name would forever change.
A strange, monotone sounding giggle came from a nook above, echoing slightly in the cavernous room.
“What is it this time?”
The female Fae stuck her head out of the hiding hole to peer down at the one she picked as a mate. A moment later, she was flying down to meet Duckie for the 'grand announcement’. A mechanical whirring followed her motions, created by the golden wings, hand crafted for her use.
“Is it good?”
Duckie’s crests gave a short, sharp jerk before continuing to flutter as he talked.
“It is always good.”
He stopped tinkering and lay the new mechanized vest on the table before turning his full attention to Allie.
“There hasn’t been one that isn’t good. They simply have not felt right enough to keep. This one may be the one. Time will tell.”

Duckie had not noticed Red slowly slinking into the room, but Allie gave the Spiral a little finger wave before focusing again on her mate’s announcement. Keeping his cape close to his body to minimize the sound he made, Red lingered in the shadows, prepared to act as if he had just entered the room, should the clan 'leader’ notice him after all. He would hear the announcement and be certain to spread the news among those who needed to know most.
The male Fae straightened his posture, the crest stretching out as far as it was able to, essentially 'puffing up’.
“We are no longer called the Circle Of the Appropriate Tangent. We are now the Ice Flight And The Linked Crystal.”
Even in his monotone voice, there was clear emphasis on each word. Every word was important to a name in his book. The female Fae clapped and fluttered her own crest while Red masked the surprise he felt inside.

While Allie and Duckie puffed proudly at the new name, Red slipped away just as quietly as he had arrived. As soon as he was out of possible hearing range, his speed picked up dramatically. Turning to writhe through one of the many Spiral shaped tunnels spread throughout the lair, he made a beeline for the 'office’ of the Clockwork Defiance.

Red growled deeply upon arrival, nearly creating a small whirlwind of air in his wake.
“It’s too close. Does he know something? Fool Fae! He can’t! He’s too lost in his gears and cogs. If he knew… he would have done something, SAID something!”
Talons struck out at the nearest bookshelf, items crashing to the floor.

“What is it this time?”
Another Spiral, black and gold, snaked into the room from another tunnel. Ink fit almost perfectly into the shadows, and was one of the few Spirals that could actually hold still.

Red nearly hissed at his friend, his trusted right-hand in the Clockwork Defiance.
“The name. It’s too close to…” Another growl escaped before he finished speaking. “..the Catalysts.”
This caused Ink to tilt his head and steeple his talons in front of him, waiting for Red to reveal the source of his ire. He only had to wait a couple of minutes, minutes where Red caused other items to fall to the floor in his temper tantrum.
When the angered fit had seen its course, Red curled up and hovered in place with a sigh.
“Ice Flight and the Linked Crystal.”

Ink let out a slow whistle before gesturing to another Spiral of their group who had entered during the tantrum and wisely chose to stay quiet and relatively out of the way. Periscope gave a nod to Ink’s gesture, and moved to clean up the room. Items that were broken would be examined to see if they could be fixed before being disposed of. Otherwise everything would be returned to their places. Red had small outbursts like this occasionally, so this was nothing new.

Ink murmured, “Well. Looks like we may want to assign someone to keep closer tabs on our dear 'leader’ and his mate.”
Red hissed and was about to say something, but Ink cut him off with a display of talons held outward, palms toward the other Spiral.
“No, we will not hurt either of them. You’ve already made it clear your dear Allie and her chosen will not be harmed. I’m just suggesting a closer watch on either of them. See what they do or do not know.”
With Red’s nod, Ink addressed the Spiral tidying up.
“Peri, tell Rain and Oz to meet us in an hour. The officer’s quarters, please.”
The purple cloaked Spiral needed no more instruction and quickly slithered away. Ink reassured Red, "It’s fine. We’ll get it sorted. Go play with your mate and we’ll rejoin in an hour.”
The blood Spiral huffed but flew away as well, leaving Ink alone in the room.

Something dark quickly writhed in the edges of his periphery from the corner of the room. Ink peered into the shadows, even slowly moved to check every corner and tunnel entrance. With a bit of a huff, he decided it was nothing, and moved down a tunnel to prepare the officer’s quarters for the meeting to come.

Days passed since the emergency meeting with the higher ranking members of the Clockwork Defiance. Red felt unsettled still, but not with the same intensity. It was more of a restless feeling, waiting for the other iron boot to drop. When Ink came racing through their tunnels calling his name, Red was certain it just dropped.

“Red! Red! There’s something you need to see.”
With a growl and a nod, he moved to follow, heading into their ‘Spiral Network’. Tunnels intersected other pathways all sized for the Spirals. The tight spaces twisted and bent at angles any other dragon breed would find extremely difficult to maneuver, save perhaps the small Fae. They were already monitoring the few Fae in the clan, so having them use the tunnels was not currently a concern.
Eventually, they wound up at the hatchery, or above it, actually. Silent to avoid calling attention to their 'observation’, Ink gestured with a talon toward the newly hatched clutch. At first, Red didn’t see anything spectacular, until the hatchlings moved and exposed one in particular to his view.
It was a blood red Tundra with aqua wings. The small dragon snapped at the others when they grew too close for comfort. It flapped its wings and postured in a challenging way, determined to defend its space.

The two Spirals watched for several minutes, then Red shot out of the tunnel, across the hatchery room, only to disappear down another path entirely. Ink followed hot on his heels, not stopping until they reached the officers’ room. Red turned, head bowed, eyes aglow with delight. Even his tone of voice reflected his excitement.
“Take him. Mother won’t remember. Ariste won’t say anything if we threaten Mother. He’s the perfect coloration, I’ll convince Annese he is ours.”
Red laughed, writhing in the air with absolute glee.
“You are brilliant, Ink! He is perfect. Perfect!”
Still plotting and planning, the Spiral couldn’t stay in one spot.
"As soon as possible, Ink. Let me know when, and we’ll get Fig to bring in the Catalyst for the change.”
Ink tilted his head, “So, still no side effects when changing to a Spiral?”
“None. Only when changing to a Pearlcatcher so far. And it’s been to our advantage. We can tell them the sky is maroon, and they’ll believe it. It must have something to do with the whole pearl thing. They didn’t make the pearl, it isn’t filled with their memories, it isn’t really theirs at all. Fascinating, isn’t it? Make sure Rain and Oz put that on their list to investigate further.”
Red turned to head to his own quarters, but paused, turning back to look at Ink again.
“Thank you again, Ink. You always have my best interests in mind." There was another excited twirl in the air. “Let me know as soon as you have him. Tonight if possible.”
He barely made a sound as he left, leaving Ink alone in the room.
Ink slowly drifted to the darker parts of the room, choosing the tunnel nearly swallowed by shadow. A tone infused with subtle malice cackled softly.
“Yes. Best interests in mind. Of course. Of course."
Ink’s maniacal laughter as he disappeared down the blackened tunnel was not what it used to be.

“DUCKIE! DUCKIE!”
The Fae put down the brass plate he was working with and lifted his goggles to look at Aewine. The Coatl was flapping his wings and feathered gear like wild as he continued to screech Augie’s nickname until he was standing just a foot in front of the Fae. Even then, he kept ‘enunciating’.
“DUCKIE! DUCKIE! DUCKIE!”

The Fae’s crest flicked back and forth a few times, until he could get a word in.
“Aewine. What is it?”

The Coatl was very well known throughout the lair for the way he always talked, just shy of yelling. Aewine stated more than once it was just enunciating, as the Coatl found it especially difficult to talk when not humming.

“MOTHER IS DESTROYING EVERYTHING! SHE CANNOT FIND ARISTE. NO ONE CAN FIND ARISTE. JUST LIKE BELLA, HE IS GONE AND NO ONE KNOWS WHERE.”
Duckie dropped everything, his crest flicking faster now. His mate, Allie, perched in her alcove above, knew how dangerous this could be. Mother was a Guardian, and very few could calm her down when she went into a rage. The one that could ease her anger was currently missing.
“Where is she now?”
Aewine was panting, out of breath and full of anxiety.
“THE BLUE ROOM.”

The blue room was currently used as an extra den for guests and those not yet of the clan. Luckily, they didn’t have anyone in there at the moment. It only had one way in and out, and was a perfect spot for possible containment.

Duckie waved to Allie, “Get Tree and the others of the Wing. We’ll need to have them help us contain Mother to the blue room. I’m going to see about getting any of the hatchlings moved in with her. She’ll never hurt the hatchlings and it might keep her mind off other things.” Allie gave a nod and flew out of the room with a whirr of her mechanical wings.

Duckie looked to Aewine, knowing the Coatl always meant well, but would likely get in the way or talk about what was going on to other clan members Duckie wasn’t ready to tell yet.
"Aewine. I need you to do something very important for me. I need you to stay in this room until I get back. Not Allie, not anyone else. You need to stay here until I get back. I need all the tinkering materials protected, and I know you can do it. Okay?”
Aewine accepted this with a puffing of his chest and a stretch of his wings.
“AEWINE IS VERY GOOD WATCHER SITTER. AEWINE WILL STAY HERE UNTIL YOU, DUCKIE, GET BACK. NO ONE ELSE MATTERS. ONLY DUCKIE CAN RELIEVE AEWINE OF HIS POST!"
There was a wing salute, and Aewine started marching back and forth in the room. Duckie flew out to find members of the Nursery Bazaar.

The Wildclaw female had been instructed by Duckie to take a look through the lair for the missing clan members, Ariste and Bella. They were doing their best to keep the noise to a minimum, as the Fae didn’t want the clan members to grow worried just yet. They would search through the lair first, and consider another course of action if the search didn’t turn up anything.

Claws clicked along the stone floors as the dragon meticulously traveled each corridor she could fit through. One by one, she inspected each room. To anyone who asked what the Wildclaw was doing, Amethyst simply replied, “We’ve lost a box of the tinker’s materials.”
Seemed very plausible, given the shifting attention span possessed by most in the Tinker Mechanic And The Written Flight unit.

Everything was routine, though she was finding nothing useful, until she came to a corridor Amethyst couldn’t remember being there before. It was dark, and a cold breeze washed over the Wildclaw as she stood, trying to peer into the depths of the room. It was difficult to tell if the breeze was responsible for the sudden pit of apprehension in her gut, or if it was the darkness as it seemed to grow thicker, darker.

The large talon on her hind right foot tapped the floor three times.
Click. Click. Click.
The room needed to be checked out, one way or another. She was a member of Glacier Of The Wing. She could do this, it was just a dark room.
Click. Click. Click.
Amethyst huffed and sneered at the shadows. She had to duck her head just enough to fit through the doorway, and was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
Nothing could be discerned as amiss from outside the room, but in the room, there was blood. There was so much blood, accompanied by the cracking of bones and the tearing of flesh that lingered for several minutes. When the heart stopped beating, and the body stopped bleeding, something was tapped against the wall of the room three times.
Click. Click. Click.

The Wildclaw never reported back in. The time it should have taken Amethyst to complete her check had come and gone with no word. Her mate, Malachite, was beyond worry, but he was guarding the blue room, where Mother rested with the hatchlings. She was quiet for now, quiet enough to have prompted a peek to make sure all was well. And it was. If only that could be said for the rest of them.

“It’s buddy system time. No one goes anywhere without your buddy. Any. Where. Tree, how many members are gathered here?” Duckie addressed the gathered members of the Glacier Of The Wing.
The male Guardian, Ametrie, had been keeping track. “Eleven, including you and I.” It was a handful compared to what their clan had grown to be recently. Purposefully absent were the Spirals and their mates. Tree anticipated Duckie’s next question, as they had often planned out cases of emergency and threats to their lair.
“The adjoining room is holding a few, but can hold a lot more. Like the blue room, there are no extra tunnels, only one way in and out. We’re also moving the Sentinel into the room with Mother and the hatchlings.”
Duckie’s crest flicked slowly back and forth as he thought of what all needed to be done. There was a threat to his clan, but it wasn’t yet clear what the threat was, or who. He had his suspicions. “Fine. Send out two patrols, two members in each patrol. Gather up all but the members we had discussed last week. We’ll save them for the next phase.”

He had spoken at great length with Tree and other members of the Wing as they helped him train in the coliseum. He wasn’t much of a fighter, but he was proving to be quite an adept healer. Turned out, they all shared the same concerns, and had noticed the same things, but believed it too early to raise alarms. That was just last week. How quickly things escalated.

“Tree. Be careful.” Duckie watched the two patrols heading toward the living areas where the other clan members resided. Tree did his best to give a reassuring nod of his head, but something was in the air tonight.
Something dark.

The patrols had gathered those they could, as long as they were not a member of the Clockwork Defiance, or one of their mates. Most were waiting in the extra storage room, with members of the Nursery Bazaar in the Blue room, helping keep Mother calm and the hatchlings protected. It was time to begin the next phase.

Duckie spoke with the dragons who volunteered to help round up the remaining members. They would be confined to another cavern away from the others until they could discern what or who was threatening the lair.
“Anyone not currently gathered together, is suspect. Whether directly, or by association. You will need to watch your back. It is a sad state of affairs I have led us into, and I accept the blame fully, but I will get us out of this, or die trying.”
Allie hovered next to her mate, her crest hung low, limp with concern. Duckie gave her a small smile before continuing.
“Allie and I will head back to the Tinker’s hall. There are several devices there which can traverse the Spirals’ tunnels. I won’t send one of us in there. Tree, take your unit to the cluster of the Spiral’s residences, do not enter any of them, but do your best to convince them to come out and escort them to the designated area. Goldie, your unit will go with him. I want two units dealing with that area.”
“As for the rest of you, half will stay here, protect these two rooms at all costs. The other half, make your patrols and we will meet in the Great Hall. Any resistance needs to be dealt with firmly and swiftly. Capture is preferred, however, if your life is at stake, I trust you to do as you must. I believe in you. Now, I am going prove that you can still believe in me.”
The dragons took a moment of silence, and then the two Fae were flying off toward the Tinker’s den. The other patrols quietly moved to see to their own tasks. Silence filled the lair, where there was once so much laughter and joy.

The black and gold Spiral, Ink, had done a lot of the shadow’s work. He was very diligent in building up a sense of ‘us versus them’ mentality among the Spirals, specifically those of the Clockwork Defiance.
"We out number them, and as such, we’re frightening them. Haven’t you noticed how we aren’t being included in a lot of the clan meetings? Or how Duckie looks at us when he thinks we’re not looking? They’re afraid, and they will be doing something about it sooner rather than later. I know. I’ve heard them. I’ve seen their tinkering devices meant to pursue us through the very tunnels we created!”

At first, most of the other Spirals dismissed his claims as being just his imagination. They had a good clan here, and Duckie had never discriminated against their breed before. The idea of him starting now was rather ludicrous.
However, Ink laid 'proof’ here and there. He constructed carefully laid out scenes where he knew what the general reaction of the Fae or the guard unit members would be.
One time, he had inquired as to why Duckie was suddenly spending so much time in the Coliseum.
However, he had timed it so the Fae was thoroughly distracted by whatever tinkering was happening at the time. Duckie had fallen right into the 'play’ without knowing it.
“What does it matter? I just am. I do not have the time for this right now, Ink.”

The dark Spiral had several scenes played out of a similar nature with other key members of the clan. In each one, he made sure another Spiral who doubted his claims was present in one of their tunnels to overhear and be a witness to the very well orchestrated event. One by one, the others were starting to see weight in Ink’s words, and that was enough to plant the seed of doubt. The seed of 'us versus them’.

Now, it was time for the real test, the real thing. The shadow whispered in his ear and stroked his growing desire for power. It was time to set everything in motion. Ink took a moment to call upon his acting skills, and then bolted through the tunnels. He made sure to take the long way, so several others would see him streaking through their rooms in what appeared to be panic or alarm.

He arrived in the main room used for officers of the Clockwork Defiance, slightly out of breath to help support his 'alarmed’ state of being.
“Red! Red! It’s happening. They’re sending the guard to collect us and our mates! They’re going to round us all up and 'deal with us’. We can’t let them take us, Red. I don’t know about you, but I will fight to protect my mate!”

Aspire, known as Red, shook his head, “It’s not going to come to that, Ink. Why do you think..” He was cut off as a pair of Spirals, two he trusted, came barreling into the room shortly after Ink.
Oz and Rain had been with him when they first arrived in the clan, but none of them realized how deeply ensnared they were by Ink’s lies and perfidy.

“It’s true, Red! We saw Tree and Goldie heading this way with their own guard units behind them. They’re actually coming for us! Just like Ink said!”
Oz curled around Rain, saddened and fearful all at once.

Ink saw his chance to help strengthen his plans. “We have to defend ourselves. They may have the training, but we have the numbers. We need to separate them, take them down one by one. Together they may be stronger, but we’re smarter. Then we’ll take control of his lair once and for all!”

Red took a moment to study Oz and Rain, then Ink, and the other Spirals who had followed Ink through the tunnels, trying to see what Ink was alarmed about. They were worried, almost all of them had mates they had grown to care for deeply. And some even had hatchlings in the nursery. They started muttering, adding in their thoughts their fears, their worries, some had anger at the perceived threat to their own flesh and blood. The room was quickly filled with a cacophony of rage and terror.

“ENOUGH!”
Red bellowed to be heard, and the others grew silent.
"If they are coming for us, if try to gather us like sheep to the slaughter, then … we have little choice but to fight. If this is their decision, they have made their nests. And we will burn them down. No touching the Fae. Is that understood? You will leave them for me.”
Red worried about Allie, the Fae he had brought in from the brink of death. It felt like so long ago. How did they come to this?

“You can stay and fight, defend your families, or you can take your chances out there in the cold and leave. I will not judge you either way. Those of you staying, gather up. We’ve got only a few minutes to come up with a plan of attack.”
And somewhere, in a dark room, the shadow cackled with glee.

Not everyone stayed to fight. Vincent, known as Beast, wanted to support his fellow Spirals, but his mate, Beauty, was afraid. Afraid enough to be physically shaking and his mate came first. They quickly gathered what little they thought they could not leave behind, and headed for one of the Spirals’ emergency exit tunnels.

It wasn’t a smooth escape.
Something chased them, hot on their heels, swathed in black intent. It didn’t want anyone to escape, not when it could feast upon their corpses instead.

Beast was nearly lost, shadowed tendrils clung tight to his tail, pulling him toward a gaping maw of obsidian and bloodied teeth. Beauty threw what possessions she carried at the open mouth, gaining the element of surprise. Her mate was able to throw off the hold, and they bolted free of the lair. They never looked back.

In another part of the lair, the male Skydancer, Eridani, was not as certain of the events unfolding as his mate, Braid, was.
“Why don’t we just talk to them, see what is going on first?”
This earned him a scathing hiss from the Spiral female, and a glare usually reserved for when he forgot their anniversary.
“Yes, that’s a great idea. We’ll go and talk to them and they’ll skewer us where we stand! We must strike first, and strike true!”
Braid had been filled with the whispered lies of the shadow while she slept. She was especially susceptible because she recently hatched a nest, and her emotions were easily swayed by the mere thought of her hatchlings being threatened.
“There. I see Tree and Goldie. We will come from above when they pass through the intersection there. See? Are you with me?”

Eridani’s gaze was focused on his mate. He would go to the ends of the world for her, only he didn’t think they would last the day to make it there. He bowed his neck and touched the top of his head to the Spiral’s before whispering back. His voice thick with emotion.
“Yes, love. I am always with you.”
He prayed their hatchlings would be told only good stories about their parents.

The sounds of fighting filled the lair and echoed through the many corridors and tunnels. The air was growing stale with the smell of blood and magic. Floors became littered with bits of torn wing, broken talons, lost teeth. And then there was a scream.
"MY BABY!”
Azalea, known as Oz, swooped down and cradled the body of her daughter, Braid. Araine was right behind her.

Tree watched the pair of spirals closely as Goldie did her best to bandage up his wounds. His voice was deep and reverberated through the passageway.
“Surrender, now! There is no need for further bloodshed.”
He truly hated having to cut down fellow lair members, but he had given them several opportunities to cease their hostilities. Braid had been relentless, and in the end, he had to show no mercy.

It looked like the pair were not going to attack, and Rain even engaged in conversation.
“What is all of this about, then? If not to round us up and dispose of us?”
The Spiral stayed curled protectively around his mate, who continued to sob over their daughter’s unmoving form.

“That’s not what we’re here for. Duckie wants all the clan members gathered and kept safe until we can determine .."
Tree didn’t get to finish. Right then, a furious blast of ice pushed the large Guardian backward. Red was glimpsed high above and he shouted orders to the Spiral pair.

"Get your mate out of there, NOW RAIN!”
Grabbing Oz firmly, the male Spiral pulled her away, and they disappeared down one of their tunnels. Red covered their escape with a relentless blast of ice, until they were safely away, then he turned and disappeared down another corridor with Goldie’s guard unit hot on his heels despite Tree trying to order them to stay in place.

“I am needed.”
The female Pearlcatcher, Amorin, stated in a clear and calm tone of voice. One hand rested lightly against the side of her mate’s face, Airon.
“We. Are needed.”

An officer in the Way Of the Dreaming Kingdom, other clan members knew of her visions, and did not question her knowledge. Even with an unidentified threat in the lair, all it took was a word from the seer, and they let her and her mate pass, albeit with great reluctance.

The Pearlcatcher was somber as they passed through rooms with blood and torn bits of their lair brethren. Airon stayed close, watchful and wary as they continued walking down a corridor leading away from the main residences. The shadows lingered, thickened and seemed to dance of their own will along the stone and ice walls. A chill that had very little to do with the temperature drew goosebumps from the pair, and still, Amorin walked onward.

Heartbreaking sobs drifted to them as they neared a particularly dark cavern. It was the sound of true anguish, but the seer did not stop or pause in her steps. She led them both into the thick black, closer to the sound of abject loss. It wasn’t until they were deeply entrenched in the shadows, when she pressed a hand against the Snapper’s chest, drawing them to a stop. Her words were still calm, but filled with a sadness he couldn’t place.
“Here. We must make our stand here against the darkness.”
It was growing increasingly difficult to see her, but Airon felt both hands touching his face briefly.
“Remember, I love you.”
“Amorin?”
“Do you love me?”
“With all that I am, and ever will be. I love you.”
“Good.”
And then the world as they knew it, shattered.

Duckie and Allie made it to the Tinker’s hall without incident. Aewine was still pacing, ‘on guard’ as Duckie had left him.
“DUCKIE! AND ALLIE! I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! AEWINE KEPT YOUR THINGAMAGIGGERS AND BOBBERS SAFE!”
The Coatl flapped his wings this way and that to show how everything was in its place. Save for one box that had fallen onto the floor, the parts inside scattered about slightly.
“THAT FELL ALL ON ITS OWN! AEWINE DID NOT TOUCH IT. OKAY, MAYBE TOUCH A LITTLE. IT MADE A NOISE. AEWINE HAD TO SEE WHAT IT WAS AND..”

Duckie’s crest flicked back and forth as he had to cut the Coatl off, they simply didn’t have the time.
"You did very good, Aewine, thank you. I need you to stay here though, we aren’t done yet.”
Allie was already zipping through the room, finding the boxes they had stored behind a secret panel. Duckie joined her and they quickly wound up the devices Allie called 'Tunnel Doves’.

They didn’t have a chance to set them free before Ink and Red were upon them. Ink was quick to keep the lies alive and strong.
“Look! They’re about to unleash their weapons into our tunnels! They must be stopped by any means!”
He was already firing off a blast in the direction of the Fae female, but Red pushed him violently aside, causing it to hit the wall.
“NO! I said no harm will come to them! What is wrong with you?”

Duckie spoke up then, having moved to a different part of the room, drawing attention away from Allie as she worked feverishly to release the mechanical doves.
"He’s not your friend anymore, Red. Look at his eyes. What color should they be? What color are they now?”

Ink struggled to get free of Red’s grip so he could attempt to blast the meddling Fae dragons again. Red had been able to get a look, just long enough to tell that the nature dragon he called friend, no longer had eyes of green, but black, as dark as any void he’s ever seen.
Aewine was staying very still in the far, far corner of the room. Even took up a pose, hoping to appear like a statue. The same couldn’t be said for the female Fae. Allie managed to release one of the devices, and it whirled and clicked, disappearing quickly into a Spiral tunnel up above.
“NO!”
Ink screamed, and fought with talon and tooth to get free of Red.

The moment Ink broke the other Spiral’s hold, he bolted down the same tunnel the device disappeared into. Red was about to follow, when Duckie called his name.
“Red! Do not trust him, or anything he says. Something has a hold of him, and is likely behind the disappearance of Bella, Ariste and Amethyst. Be careful.”
The male Fae took one of the other devices and pushed it into the red Spiral’s talons.
“Take this. Press this button when you are near Ink. I can’t guarantee it will work, but .. it’s all we have right now.”
Red took the tunnel dove, and with one more look at the pair, turned to follow after Ink.

When Red finally caught up with Ink, it was a scene unlike anything he could have imagined.
Airon lay inert in front of Amorin who held her pearl high in the air while chanting something Red couldn’t make out. Blood spattered both of the dragons, fresh based on how it dripped down the female Pearlcatcher’s body. Ink was being wrapped in a shroud of pure black tendrils. The form was little more than a glob in the darkest corner of the cavernous room, but its whispers were almost heard over Amorin’s chanting.

Red’s blood ran cold when he saw the other two dragons in the room. Araine was cradling the body of his mate, Azalea, and sobbing inconsolably. The dragons were his two best friends, and they had originally arrived here together, now one lay dead, and the other wishing he was dead with her.

“Like your handiwork, Red?”
Ink hissed at Aspire from where he was being held by the shadowed form.
“Thanks to you, this was all made possible.”
Ink’s mouth moved, but it wasn’t ink’s voice that came out. It was something unnatural, primal and infused with malice.
“You and your trinket. And that Catalyst dragon you discovered. I suppose in a way, that makes you my father, and her my mother, hm?”

Red held one of the fae’s turtle doves in his talons, but it seemed to be of little consequence now. He couldn’t fathom what good it would do, what anything would do. The weight of his deeds began to bear down upon him, whether or not he had intended to better the clan in the beginning.
Like a series of flashbacks, he could see each choice he made, and how they began to all turn toward the dark. Until Red was unable to separate what was good for the clan from the dark whispers swirling in his head.

“You gave me life, you were instrumental in the death of your friends and brethren. How can you even hold your head up? Useless. Worthless. You were but a pawn to everything. Drop the toy and come here. I’ll make your death quick.”
Red found his grip on the turtle dove lessening, until two small figures flew in from the overhead tunnel.
“Red! Don’t listen to it. Push the button! Push it, Red!”
Duckie shouted at Aspire, even as he set down the crate they had carried with them.
“Allie! Help Amorin.”
The female fae was a member of the Dreaming Kingdom, and knew the chants by heart. She quickly joined Amorin and her voice mingled with the Pearlcatcher’s, nearly drowning out the whispers of the shadowed being.

Red looked up in time to see Duckie releasing a small pitying of mechanical turtle doves. Each one whirled and headed straight for the corner where Ink and the darkness stood. He pressed the button on his own and let it go, not staying to see it joining the others. Aspire had turned and bolted down another tunnel, making a beeline for his own quarters.

Frantic, he searched his room until he found what he came here for, the trinket. The dark orb that pulsed with a strange purple and black hue. They had used it for so many things once they had discovered the Catalyst, the female dragon named Blush. It started there. Turned her from an Imperial to a Pearlcatcher, and it didn’t stop.
"It will stop today.”

Holding onto the trinket, Red dashed back to the room where the others were just in time to see Ink wrestling with Allie as the female Fae attempted to protect Amorin, the seer. Duckie lay on the floor, hurt but alive and trying to reach out to protect Allie. Red growled and charged Ink with everything he had.
Allie slipped free and moved to assist her mate, while Red battled with Ink and the dark tendrils. Growls and roars not of this world filled the room as again blood was shed. It looked like the shadow had the upper hand, as Ink pressed Red into the floor. Dark tendrils drank the spilled blood and grew thicker, stronger.
“You should have come to me earlier, now your death will not be so quick.”
Red just snarled and grabbed one of the turtle doves that lay wriggling on the floor. He pressed it against the trinket and pushed the button just as whatever was possessing Ink realized what the dragon was doing.
“Noooooo!”
A small explosion rocked through the room as shafts of light shot out from the turtle dove, bright enough to penetrate even the unnatural shadowed form. Red felt pain lance through every part of him, before the darkness closed in with a deafening roar.

All by Betterwithduckie~