The Firelands

39 - The Darkness Within

13thday of the fourth Month, Joker's Moon

3:30 pm

Midnight City

"How do we find him this time?" Incendio groaned, massaging his neck. It was healed, with only a nasty red line to show anything had happened but it was still sore. Orlander had put some sort of cream on the cut to help it heal faster, something that Incendio was almost certain was that poison thing vampires could create when they bit into someone which grossed him out, but it dulled the pain almost completely. Would have made it fade entirely if he hadn't kept rubbing at it.

"I do not know," Zedkiel muttered, sinking onto a bench, not even pulling out his handkerchief, and running his hands through his hair. "We found him by simple luck last time; I cannot see it happening again."

"Not a chance, why isn't he dumber?" Incendio muttered.

"He's stupid enough," Theth said, walking past and sinking onto the bench. He was looking much better and wasn't so weak anymore after that light display, whatever it was. "He would have figured out a way to make sure he didn't get into this state if he was smarter."

Zedkiel frowned at him as Orlander looked up at the sky.

"How rare," he muttered, mostly to himself, "perhaps it's a bad omen."

Zedkiel looked at him. "What is?"

"The dragon," Orlander said, pointing, "You only get Night Class dragons around here... and they're too rare to be seen more than one every few deca-"

Zedkiel shot to his feet, staring at the dragon.

"You don't think..." Theth muttered. The dragon was too high up to see in any real detail, but they could see it's outline against the moon, it was circling, slowly moving over the city until it was out over the forest.

"Can't just be a coincidence," Incendio said.

"That must be Draco," Zedkiel said, running in the direction of the forest, the others following, not noticing Orlander looking between them and the dragon.

Zedkiel looked up; to make sure they were still on course to the dragon. He was still circling over the same spot, so he could assume Kalen wasn't moving anymore.

"What are you doing, Kalen?" he breathed as they left the city limits and headed into the forests. "Why the forests?"

He looked around as they ran and a white mist fluttered in front of his face, making him halt, the others stopping seconds later, turning to him.

Zedkiel frowning, looking around, trying to see the mist. He let out a breath and his eyebrows rose. The white mist was his own breath. It shouldn't have been cold enough to see his breath however; it hadn't been moments before when they had still been within the city boarders.

The others noticed soon after. Orlander frowned when he saw his.

"A Chill," he muttered, brushing a hand through his breath, "How strange."

Theth grimaced at the idea of more cold, tucking his hands under his arms while Incendio blew out a ring of icy air, momentarily distracted and instantly entertained.

"Why...?" Zedkiel breathed, touching his lips, he hadn't felt the temperature drop and it unnerved him, was there something else in this forest? "We must hurry," he said and ran on. Theth pushed Incendio on and the others followed, though Orlander started to hang back, his eyes darting between them, then up to the dragon which he could see through gaps in the forest canopy. They were now awfully close to the dragon and he had never met anyone who willing ran towards a giant fire breathing lizard - fire wasn't even his weakness and he wasn't keen on continuing. The boys just charged on ahead however, unfazed and focused on their single goal.