FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 35

The bars of their cell returned swiftly to their gloomy shade, indicating quite clearly that the window where the bars behave out of their original purpose is a short one. Easily killing any hope of escape from the prisoners.

The locked up dragons and a dragonfly didn't seem so keen to leave however so the threat of the bars was ignored completely.

Their eyes were locked on the draconic shape behind the specific window of their prison.

If not for Iris the group would have troubles identifying the dragon at first glance, he didn't look like the Ignus they knew in the slightest, age was the first thing that didn't match.

The red dragon before them was a young adult in the prime of his life, he was wearing an expensive looking, hoodless, green cloak which fit his frame perfectly, stating clearly that the responsible artist knew his craft well. It was embroidered with chitin looking stripes that were made of pristine diamonds, each breath the dragon took made the embroidered lines glisten, reflecting light like a wave of water.

His legs were adorned with pads, staring slightly below the shoulder and thigh and reaching all the way to the paws. They were made of leather, toned in green to match the color of the cloak, they were filled with sockets, some of them were empty while others had shining green gems in them.

None of the prisoners could be certain, but they had a feeling that those crystals weren't there just for show, especially when they looked a lot like the gem Bones used to empower the magic of this place.

Ignus himself was there to complete the bewildering image, his wings were neatly folded, membranes without holes and in perfect shape, body smooth and toned, with no sign of a bruise anywhere, while not powerfully built his figure was marking him as a dragon who doesn't like to stay idle all the time.

He still had two horns, both had small rings on them, his fiery eyes were full of life and intelligence, his smiling mouth despite the blood trickling down the corners was filled to the brim with sympathetic, youthful energy.

All in all before them stood a handsome dragon in his fresh adult years, a dragon of higher status that didn't fret away from attention considering the clamant attire he was wearing. A dragon that looked friendly, but also threatening considering the two lives he just took minutes ago.

A true cunning predator in the prime of his life.

Ignus reach into a small pocket in his cloak, digging up a soft piece of a pink material which he used to clean his mouth from blood, his paw moved in a practiced, fluent manner, he was clearly not doing it for the first time.

Even though the gesture seemed like a touch of civility the locked up group couldn't help but to feel a bit of a sociopathic taunt in the behavior. The dragon's goal was not to show that he was taught better social standards, he was emphasizing that he will have no troubles dirtying his fangs in blood if need be.

"Well, well, well, the rumors were true after all" Ignus noted with ringing amusement in his voice, flashing his still bloodied fangs from behind the small piece of material that was still busy with wicping his cleaning the blood

"Also I appreciate the distraction you offered my unknown, glowing, tiny friend, I so do hate wasting good clothing, it's very hard to come by in these special times"

No one said a word, every eye belonging to a prisoner was cautiously locked on the highborn dragon, all especially that of Iris who had her eyes closed or aimed at the ground.

With her backing practically to the end of the cell where Cynder was, the black dragoness could hear the girl shuffling nervously. Iris' lack of serenity was disturbing to put it mildly, there was enough danger as it is.

Of course she wasn't naïve to believe that he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, yet having that moment where they could feel that they have a supporter in this hostile land would be a nice kick of motivation.

Even though Iris' fear of him definitely ran deeper than the moment of the current hour.

"Bones got your tongues or what?" Ignus pocketed the bloodied piece of cloth "Did they not teach you proper manners from where you come from? You are supposed to say thank you when someone helps you"

"We didn't ask for help" Sparx scoffed back

Ignus grinned, displaying a perfect line of white teeth.

"Luckily for you then that I'm altruistic and can't watch unfair treatment unfold before me" the dragon sighed "Look, I understand your skepticism, but you must admit that having me here speaking to you is way better than the alternative" he nodded at the corpses "You got the feel of the latter already, wasn't the taste too sour?"

His eyes eventually landed on the dragons whose legs were still shaking even though the strengthened Binding magic was no longer seeping their powers.

"Besides you might not scream for help for me to know that you are in need of one. You won't fool someone like me my strange, little friend. I have many eyes in Skyward and I assure you I pick them wisely, they really take from their master and I guarantee that my eyes are quite perceptive"

Ignus sat down, nonchalantly polishing his claws against the gems of his cloak.

"Naturally, I can leave if you don't want me, you won't be lonely, there is already a big line forming somewhere of volunteers to see you, volunteers like the two in the corner" with a yawn he threw his claw back at the two draconic corpses "Its only a matter of time who will get here first, guys like them or Bones, neither is a good choice mind you"

He examined his claws, a smirk stretching his lips.

"So what it will be doves? Will you hear me out? Answer quickly, I'm an important dragon around here and I absolutely despise having my time wasted"

"My dad won't let me rot here! He's a Warden! We heard them speaking to Bones that he isn't supposed to touch us. He'll come down here and then I'll speak to him to spring us free" Cellsa protested

"A Warden's spawn?" the red dragon mused loudly, eyes focusing on the spot from which the voice came "Come closer to the light so I can see with who I am talking to"

Without hesitation the electric dragoness revealed her features more openly, despite the vibrations running through her muscles she was confident in her stride forward.

The frown of concentration on Ignus' snout deepened.

"I don't recognize you girl"

The confidence evaporated in ideal unison with the girl's widening eyes.

"Like hell you don't! How many active Wardens are there at any given time?" she stomped her paw "Exactly! One family! And I'm a daughter of that family! Cellsa is the name!"

"Oh, now I know who you are"

"Finally!" she blurted out in triumphant irritation, her wings opening up in victorious relief after all Wardens are important in the city, they are the bridge between the royalty and common folk, held in esteem by both sides and there is absolutely no way that there could be anyone in Skyward who wouldn't know of the current family holding the title

"You're irrelevant"

Wings dropped flat on the ground like the bones holding them to the body would be sliced away, colors faded from the girl's scales, turning her basically grey in those surrounding shadows.

"What?" she exhaled breathlessly

"You're female with no regard for our rules, a worthless troublemaker abusing her privileges. Being a Warden's child doesn't grant you immunity, you're only tolerated because we have more important things to do right now than being bothered by specks of dust like you. Our lack of interference is only motivated by our priorities and the faint interest that your excesses might actually be worth something to us later like the little gap you found in our walls, you might be thrilled to know that you won't slip away through that part of our defenses anymore"

A predatory grin spread the red mouth.

"I appreciate you doing our work for us totally free of charge"

Cellsa was pale, her eyes darting from side to side as if they would be seeing thousands of Death's scythes swishing in front of them.

"Every time you come back girl your family pays the price, you're too stupid to see that of course, but I assure you that your brother is paying off the debt for you right now that guarantees our lack of intervention, just like he did many times before. Every time you come back our loop on the necks of your parents tightens, a useful feature all in all even though if not necessary. Truth is girl that you're only alive because your brother seems to genuinely care about you for some reason and because Skyward's rules strictly prohibit killing of your own blood. Nobody will be coming for you Cellsa, your brother doesn't have the influence to reach this prison and as for your parents?" red shoulders shrugged "Having you tortured to death in this cell would be a convenient way of getting rid of you once and for all. Having the title of a Warden stripped from you has dramatic consequences my oblivious child, with direct death being the merciful option I assure you and for the past few years you were doing nothing but bringing trouble to your family's name. I hope you at least appreciated your brother's effort in keeping you safe, would be totally heartless of you if you wouldn't be even aware of it and kept giving him troubles out there in the open, dangerous road despite everything he did for you here amidst our humble walls"

Cellsa felt the world around her shattering to pieces, all this time she only wanted to be noticed by her parents, prove to them that she was more reliable, more bright and cunning than the males and her idiotic brother. That not having a dick between her legs didn't make her weak. She was aware that her idea of achieving that wasn't totally clean, but all this time she believed that the information or trophies she brings back amount to something. She only wanted to prove herself, prove that she wasn't worthless.

And now she finds out that her parents would be happier if she rotted here.

And fucking Orbis. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of him he only intensified the bite on her tail. And just when she believed that bringing back the spoils breaks some of those teeth, she discovers that the sleazy shithead used her to buy himself into more grace by showing just how a caring brother he was by paying off the punishment all by himself.

Of course the damn flashy, red dick might be lying. There might be no punishment or price to pay and all they did behind the curtains was having a party while mocking her just how stupid she was.

She hated this city, she hated this world and above it all she hated her brother.

She was speechless, for the first time in her life her usually lively tongue wanted to be locked behind the cage of her teeth.

"Now with that of the way" Ignus smiled pleasantly "Any other delusions of grandeur you wish me to wipe away, hmmm?"

"Why are you helping us?" Spyro asked

"I've already told you my friend, it's my altruistic spirit"

"I thought you wanted to wipe away all delusions of grandeur"

Ignus jerked his head back with a chuckle, the remark catching him unaware.

"Stabbing me with my own blade are we? Aren't you a cocky little thing. Must I remind you that it is you who are behind the bars?" the small laugh morphed into a clearly impressed, yet shy serenade "Pleased to notice that I'm not dealing with mindless thralls however" he threw a bored glance at the electric dragoness "We got too much of that already"

"What is the thing that you need us for?" Cynder asked bluntly

"Now this my friends" he pointed at the obscured in shadows girl "This is a question that needed to be asked, straight to business. I like it" the young red dragon smiled apologetically "Alas I can't answer it, my reasons are my own, all that is important for you is that my plans intertwine with your freedom out of this cell. It is still far more than you expected to get just a few minutes ago, yes?"

"Deals however require some kind of insurance though" he narrowed his eyes on the group "And since you don't seem keen on fighting against each other, despite the fact that I heard you were brought here after a battle between yourselves. I have my suspicions that your arrival in Skyward wasn't pure coincidence so here is my question that I will only ask once and mind you that you don't have the privilege I did of keeping your motives secret" keen red eyes scanned the group intensely "What are you doing here?"

The three long time friends threw a quick glance at Iris, the girl's stare however was blank and full of dread, she didn't seem to be interested in anything else right now. Seeing Iris scared was a rare sight indeed, it only made them more worried about the motives of this young version of Ignus. Still he was their best bet to get out of this cell before they will be drained dry.

The thought of lying to the dragon crossed their minds, but several more seconds of glancing into each other's eyes quickly removed that option from the pool of choices. They all agreed that Ignus knew more than he was letting own and his rather obvious intelligence wouldn't fall for some stupid trick.

They decided to say the truth, but with a little threat of their own. After all the young Ignus was unaware of the fact that they met his older version and are aware of his blood ties.

"We're here to see your sister" Spyro answered confidently

Even though Ignus tried to remain stoic it was obvious that the reply surprised and worried him, it was impossible to see the muscles under the cloak yet the shimmer the diamond embroidery created was an obvious hint that something cramped underneath from a bolt of stress.

The red dragon remained silent for a longer time than usual, no matter what he did this moment of total idleness betrayed his slip of control of the situation. His paw raised up, something he didn't seem to be aware of and instantly began scratching the bone extensions on the back of his head.

Scratching them as if it would be his furry, itching with fleas ears.

Behind the three friends Iris rose her head, noticing the familiar pattern in her uncle's behavior. He always scratched his head like that, resembling a Pup more than a dragon, when things happened not the way he expected them.

Over the years she saw him rubbing that thick head of his more times than she was willing to count. Still she never could get her eyes off of him when that happened, feeling a great dose of satisfaction whenever it happened.

Distress.

How good it felt to see someone deserving the worst being injected with the same poison that devoured her mind.

"You want to see Athron?" Ignus finally mumbled,, his voice wavering with palpable confusion it was hard to tell however if it was worry or excitement triggering the bewilderment

Might be both.

Like the strange feeling after finally catching the rabbit you chased for so long that it turned out to be your entire purpose. The moment of triumph when you finally get your hands over its ears mixed with the weird feeling of lost goal and the inability to say what to do next.

A moment where you become trapped in a prison of life sucking void where everyone has the brief taste of what's coming after you finally draw your last breath. Realizing that life is only about finding new goals that stir your mind away from the inevitable.

Iris glared at her uncle from the shadows, if there would be eyes capable of piercing darkness present in this cell they would see her smiling.

Spyro observed the dragon carefully, feeling his brother's elbow poking him supportively, they both were aware that the reply had shaken the confident dragon. They essentially admitted they were time travelers, yet it didn't matter that much since they believed that Ignus suspected something unnatural anyway, after all according to the Moonborne neither of the sides of the war wanted to see an alive purple dragon.

What Ignus didn't suspect however was the fact that they knew who he was and even though they didn't really get to know Iris' uncle that well it still was enough to sow a bean of cautiousness in the red dragon's heart, after all he might believe that they know of his plan and habits.

While not true, it gave them a necessary leverage, if he ever thought about double crossing them he will need to reconsider his options in fear of his biggest secrets getting revealed.

Even though a bluff was their original idea they couldn't forget that they had Iris on their side too, her fearful reaction obviously made her choose sides and whatever happened between the two it clearly made Iris distrustful of her uncle and knowing her she wouldn't have problems with showing just how much she hated him.

And of them all Iris definitely knew some of Ignus' dirty secrets.

They had the upper paw in this negotiations and judging from the calculating shimmer in the red dragon's intelligent eyes he also became aware of this. Royal blood or not the red dragon has no other choice now but to consider them in his plans.

And as prisoners of a cell that would most likely become their tomb this was more than any of them could ask for.

Ignus finally blinked, the bewilderment was gone from his eyes, disappearing quickly behind a veil of resolve. It wasn't gone though, merely hidden, locked away like an unwanted secret deep in the embrace of a closet.

"If your plan is to die then I propose to stay where you are, the next assassins my sister sends down here will definitely be skilled in taking lives away so you can be almost certain that you will be granted a clean death, something that my sister might have troubles to guarantee"

"Maybe you haven't noticed but we live in very...active times, you won't turn without seeing someone after someone else's head, such atmosphere births caution bordering on paranoia thickening the higher in the ranks you go"

Ignus narrowed his eyes on the group.

"Something an inhabitant of this world would be aware of"

They had their confirmation right there, Ignus knew that something was odd about them, after all this world was locked in a fight between two rival draconic factions with the land in between filled with races that turn lone dragons into food or slaves. And here, out of nowhere appear young dragons like them, growing to their age without anyone knowing.

Athron must have been aware of this too, she was the one leading the crusades after purple blood after all.

The question remained why her own brother would go against her wishes.

Everyone in the cell ignored the subtle nudge of provocation, the red dragon failed, he was unable to catch anyone by the tongue.

Irritation flashed in his eyes, they were quite certain that he would turn his back on them if not for the fact that he suspected them of knowing something about him he didn't want the populace to find out about. Still, despite his highborn tendencies of seeing danger in every corner, the dragon's body language betrayed a rather awe touched spirit.

Something similar Cynder noticed among the children when they first laid their eyes on her in her first days of Warfang after she joined forces with Spyro. A conflict between what they were taught and reality, eyes speaking of distrust and hate but the body, the body stretching out the limbs for a touch, sensing that the dark girl they were taught to fear isn't exactly as bad as they were told.

An internal struggle of a child in each adults heart that finally meets the hero of his stories that doesn't exactly turn out to be the way he was described in books.

Ignus was going through the same battle, being an adult he had more control of his reactions but Cynder still found the characteristic patterns. He was struggling with his inner child, Skyward was taught, or at least the ones who were worthy of it, that purple dragons are bad and need to be killed for some reason.

And then he laid his eyes on Spyro who not only showed any hostile tendencies, but also presented a palpable proof of his calm nature by having everyone alive around himself in this very cell. Not to mention the binding aura of sympathy and good that he radiated and she cherished so much.

Ignus was an adult, but still a very young one, the tales he heard were still a strong, vivid influence on his youthful heart.

"Look I get it that I might not be trustworthy considering what you've been through, but we need some sort of cooperation here my friends. My word might not be worth much to you, but I assure you that I care about those that fall under my protection"

Iris snorted quietly in disdain.

"Hence you cannot go to my sister, you will be dead, getting through the city gates was a clever idea, but it will take some time for the rumors to spread across the populace to the point that your presence won't be possible to ignore anymore. Go to Athron now and she will behead you. The easiest way to stop an infection from reaching your heart is to cut off the limb after all. Your presence here is like poison, it must reach the heart of Skyward, only then Athron won't be able to kill you. People would ask questions and questions don't work well with discipline and my sister is in a position where she needs all the support she can muster"

Ignus shook his head.

"And even then I wouldn't guarantee that she wouldn't orchestrate some kind of _accident_that might get rid of you. I don't know why you want to see my sister friends. I don't know what you heard about her but she isn't the most friendliest of creatures, she drank more blood in her life than water. Nevertheless if your intentions are to harm her I won't allow that to happen, are we clear on that? It doesn't matter who you are and what can you do, you won't survive if the entire city turns against you and I have means to make that happen, this little game of ours won't be played by your rules"

"Relax dude!" Sparx raised his arms defensively "Don't get your cloak all tight, you're the boss here, we just want to talk with the big lady, that's all"

"About what and why with her?"

Sparx' mouth clamped shut, he fought really hard against the notion to turn his head and gaze at Iris, fearing that it would betray their intentions and reveal the feathery girl as an heir to the ruling spot. It was hard to say what was the correct path here.

They all waited for Iris to make the decision.

Unfortunately for them the girl remained silent and unmoving in the shadows.

Ignus reached down, removing one of the gems from his pads, he raised it high, the green bars started to vibrate lively in its presence.

"This is the key and lock to your cell. I can make the bars go away or I can force them to suck you dry until you are nothing but withered husks. You are already shaking and believe me when I say that was only a foretaste of the potential this magic is capable of. You are on my mercy and it only depends on me if you get out of here alive. I demand insurance my friends, some pledge of honesty will suffice. Know what you will, your knowledge will be worth nothing if it remains locked behind bars"

More anxious silence thickened the air around the cell.

"Fuck this shit!" Cellsa growled, spitting hatefully on the floor "We're hauling the Wyrm's daughter from the future, little princess wants to see her momma and now open the fucking cage!"

"Cellsa! Shut up!" Cynder snarled at the girl

"You shut up! I won't be rotting here! I won't give my damn parents the satisfaction! I will keep living to make them curse every day of their miserable existence! Open the damn cell now!"

Instead of looking surprised or shocked the young red dragon burst with a cheerful, pleasant laughter.

"My bloodthirsty sister with a child? Her tail barely lifts for a bath! I think I would admire the poor fool who risked his neck to sleep with my sister, I hope he had a decent funeral after"

"It's not a joke!"

"Oh I'm aware dear Trouble, I'm aware" momentarily the drake's face took on a more serious expression "Future? What happened to us that you traveled all the way back here for a family reunion"

"You all died" Spyro commented coldly

"Forgive me my skepticism but didn't you just say that you're traveling with my sister's daughter?"

"It's complicated, we don't have the time to explain this now. In normal circumstances she shouldn't be here with us but some things happened that shook the reality as we got to know it. It doesn't change the fact that for us to be alive everyone else before us needs to die. This is sadly how it is and you are from an era that is long past. I'm sorry"

Ignus shook his head.

"This is preposterous" he clenched his paw against the gem so strongly that they could hear it crack

Everyone inside gasped, expecting shards of the gem to fall on the ground, dooming them to this cell.

Ignus thrust his paw forward however and touched the green bars that instantly flickered. The green magic surrounding them faded, turning them into solid metal, metal that moments later disappeared from view when the bars slid into the ground.

The way out of the cell was open.

They stared at the red dragon all eye wide.

Ignus opened his palm nonchalantly, blowing off the dust that reminded on his paw.

"So preposterous in fact that I'm willing to believe it" his eyes glowed bright with so much cunning that it would be unwise to say that he reached his stature by coincidence alone "Come my friends. We have a lot to discuss and a limited time to leave this place. I'm willing to bet my horns that there is already a line of all sorts of souls gathering up somewhere just dying to meet you" he waved his paw invitingly "Come now" he stepped back from the entrance, leaning against the wall "Don't be shy"

The group looked over each other, however before they could come to a decision if this is the game they wanted to play Cellsa sprang forward towards the freshly opened exit.

Red tail swished in front of her, its flaming tip reaching under the orange chin and propping it up, the heated flames threating to burn sever the neck. Cellsa froze in place, all her limbs becoming paralyzed.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Out. Like you said" she whimpered

"And why would I let you go knowing that you will only cause more havoc?"

"She's our guide, we need her" Spyro interjected "Besides we owe her for bringing us here"

"False sense of debt will only bring trouble on you boy"

"Be it as it may we had a deal and we want to respect the agreement"

"She's unreliable"

"She'll stay with us and we keep an eye on her"

Ignus glanced at the purple drake for a brief second and then shifted his attention back at the electric dragoness. Each muscle on his body showed that he was unwilling of letting the girl slip just like that and would be satisfied with slitting her throat right there and now to be just done with.

Yet his tail moved away.

To Cellsa's great relief, the girl exhaled so deeply that she almost fainted from the lack of air.

Ignus did not bother to explain his motives, he didn't even bother to look back at them, whatever reasoning went through his head will probably remain a mystery forever. Still it didn't escape their notice that for a short while there Ignus commanded an aura of almost parental authority that reminded them of his older version. Version that was used to raising a child, aware of the role model status to your pupils.

It was almost shocking to see in fact, the relationship between Ignus and Iris was far from loving, it was full of foul bitterness, but the short moment of seeing Ignus behaving like a parent should do, giving only the best of examples, reminded the group that sincere care wasn't as alien in Iris' family as she tried to depict.

No matter how many years can pass, blood always remains the same.

They watched Cellsa leave the cell, in this darkness they couldn't really tell what their physical form was and just how much time has passed, but looking at the girl made them realize that they definitely overstayed their welcome.

Her hair was matted with sweat and dirt, colorful strands resembling mucky webs than hair, some of the flocks were so stuck together that they revealed spots of bold scale, if not for the obvious youthful figure that no amount of dirt can cover she could easily been mistaken for some old, horrendous hag.

Speaking of body, her scale colors were faded as if they adjusted to the shadows and forgot how it was to shine under the light. Patches of dried, lumpy blood dotted her sides, the wound Spyro cauterized healed but it didn't close entirely still, unable to feel the touch of healing light it couldn't get rid of the bacteria that kept crawling back into the vulnerable flesh. The wound was ragged, full of pinkish flesh like someone would draw a very blunt dagger across her body.

Her legs were shaking, claws dirty and curling all the time to find a grip, unable to do so properly due to their rounded shape, the lack of movement preventing them from being properly sharpened.

They weren't really aware of their condition, but the sight of Cellsa was enough to tell them that it was far worse than it felt. The leeching they felt wasn't only a manner of speech, this cell was really sucking the life out of them and Cellsa's bloodshot, gloomy eyes were a blunt evidence of that.

The time they spent here aged them immensely.

The group of friends looked exchanged worried glances between each other, the cell was opened and they were free, yet their limbs were held back by this rather comical hesitation, fear, neither of them really wanted to know just how miserable they looked like.

Ignus chuckled, perfectly reading the reason behind the anxiety.

"Come on now, this isn't a beauty show. You're prisoners, you can't expect to sparkle and smell nice. I won't judge" he grinned "Promise"

With a defeated sigh Sparx pushed first, locking gazes with the red dragon as he flew past him until he finally made his way to the electric dragoness, despite the distance he still felt the scrutinizing glare of the dragon burning right through his soul.

He folded his arms, pretending to be oblivious to the fact. Back in the days he would bathe in the attention no matter how intrusive it might have been. Right now however he felt disgust, it was not because he wasn't in his best shape, not because his aura of light was dim due to all the dirt and stress, it was because the attention the red dragon was giving him had nothing to do with reverence he always believed to be worthy of.

There was passion in that dragon's stare, he could feel it in the shivers running through his flesh, but it was closer to dissecting fascination than actual praise.

"Fascinating. A flying lamp" the red dragon whispered in awe, giddy eyes turning towards the cell, awaiting another batch of interesting specimens to reveal themselves

Cynder stepped outside before Spyro, who in turn was taken aback by guilt and sadness when he looked at his weakened mate. Contrary to Sparx Cynder decided against challenging the dragon to a battle of stares, this wasn't her first time after all when she felt intrusive stares.

Getting used to it didn't make it any easier though.

She could feel the dragon itching with excitement, he was really fascinated by the unknown and clearly desired to touch her to satisfy that curiosity, luckily he had enough of good manners to keep control of his instincts.

Still, Cynder could feel Ignus' stare penetrating each molecule of her scales, the attention he was giving her was sickening and creepy to the point that she believed if he kept it a while longer he would be able to wipe the markings from her body under that intensity.

"What is your name my lady?" Ignus rumbled

"Cynder" she gulped nervously

"You're ravenously ominous Cynder. I could barely see you in those shadows. Your tar like body sows fear in my heart" his eyes turned towards the glowing ball in the air "And you my friend?"

"Sparx"

"Sparx and Cynder" he repeated reverently "Light and Dark. Two sides of the same coin, you remind me of myself and my sister, we are of the same blood but so different. Are you related by any chance?"

Sparx and Cynder looked at each other knowingly, whatever has blossomed between them didn't have a name, Cynder had no idea how to call this relationship because it definitely wasn't just friendship. Sparx was in a better situation, he learned what is family life and even he had troubles naming what was going between them even though he considered her his sister.

"Something like that" Sparx replied, sending the black dragoness a wink

She smiled and it was a wonderful sight to behold in this ugly place.

Spyro was next in line, and it was in his case when the red dragon's eyes sparkled with excitement close to that of a child receiving a gift with its favorite, dream toy inside. The purple drake was miserable like the rest of his group, dragging his tail and covered in dirt, yet Ignus' glimmering stare didn't seem to notice those imperfections. Red eyes followed Spyro's every move, but contrary to Cynder's case this attention wasn't intrusive, more worthy of an observer documenting the habits of an unknown creature than an abuser.

Cynder observed the scene with a melting heart.

This was not the first time people reacted to Spyro like that, it was more palpable in those who had never dealt with a purple dragon before, she like the rest of the Realm's populace got somewhat used to having him around. She still however remembered the first time she met him, he had this strange pull that at first had nothing to do with affection, only later she began to love it, for lack of any better explanation she called this sensation his golden heart, the same thing Ignus is going through she now only felt whenever she laid her head on his gold chest.

Back in the days she believed to be her fetish, as a corrupted creature of evil she simply desired to feel the warm touch of Good, some sort of positive energy. But seeing the reaction of all these people, it was easy to come to a conclusion that there is more to Spyro than just her own personal craving. The anchor that she considered him to be for her reaches far more than her own private wishes.

It was not for her alone to keep.

Her heart bled in protest, she didn't want to share, she was really possessive of her partner and there was nothing that could change that. She was afraid to lose him, folks would be able to relate to it if they spent so much time in the shadows as she did, but most of all she was afraid that someone will corrupt this force.

Not intentionally, not with evil coating per se, but simply by calling out to Spyro's good-hearted nature with no ulterior motives behind.

And he will react. Spyro always reacts.

And looking at Ignus right now, and remembering all the rest of the people, like the Moonborne or the guards of this place for example, it was clear that she won't be the only one affected.

Ignus did not dare to move a muscle, only watching as Spyro made him way to the rest of the group.

"What are you boy?" he whispered so quietly that the sound could be taken for a prayer "What's your name?"

"Spyro"

"Spyro" the red drake repeated breathlessly, his voice echoing like that of a priest finishing a sermon

A moment of silence followed soon after when the unintentional praise thickened the atmosphere, it gave birth to unnatural silence considering the situation, silence that instantly drew the group's attention towards the blackness of the cage since all of them expected it to be broken by the last dragon still hidden in the shadows.

"Come on now, we don't have all day" Ignus urged the stranger, with difficulty prying his eyes off of Spyro and at the cage, pupils however kept jerking sideways still, unable to silence the craving of keeping the dragon in their sight

In between the phases of shifting attention Iris slowly revealed herself from the shadows, she had her head aimed at the ground, dragging her tail and wings behind her slogging paws. The wound on her neck was as ugly as that of Cellsa's, so uneven and tattered that one could easily take it for a choker of thorns.

Feathers were flattened and glued together, making her wings look pitifully small, the mask she was wearing, together with her gold bracelets and amulet lost all their shine, looking more like chains than actually embroidery. The mask that Amela put on her was in horrible condition, it was still holding tight, but do to overall dirt it looked like a swollen scab, the holes for the eyes were blackened, irritating the eyeballs, making them bloodshot red and stingy from all the provoked tears.

Iris looked old and ragged, while her ideal feminine curves were still there, not even them were capable of recovering the trampled beauty. She looked the sickest of them all, not because her fate was worse than theirs, but because she was clearly pummeling herself down with this situation, most likely one look at them was enough to tell just how low she has fallen.

And for a princess being reduced to common rabble was the greatest shame of all, especially when faced with her uncle. Not to mention that she seemed to react to dirt exceptionally bad, withering her appeal even further by the inability to cope with it.

Still, for a practiced eye, it was still possible to discern that there was a majestic girl hidden under all those layers of filth. No amount of dirt can fool genetics.

Something that Ignus seemed to notice immediately the moment Iris stepped out from the cell and into full light.

His tail swished in front of the girl, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's you isn't it?" he gave her an almost lustful once over before propping her head with his tail to gaze into her eyes

Iris' stare was blank, to the group's surprise she was completely submissive, for the first time they all agreed that Iris had no intention to strike.

She gave up.

"White? Those aren't my sister eyes" he let go off the chin and the head fell down numbly as if it would be chopped away "The rest however?" he ran a toe across the flank, scooping up the dirt to reveal blue scale underneath, feeling the softness and fullness of her feminine figure until it finally popped from her thigh with the eyes being dragged to the tail and its characteristic tip

Iris remained paralyzed, numb like a corpse even though she usually shivered in disgust whenever someone touched her.

The way the dragon examined Iris and her unnatural behavior made the group really uncomfortable. It really felt like Ignus would be examining his property, instead of a breathing, living creature that was his family no less.

"The rest is sculpted after my sister..." he whispered almost reverently "But what's this?" he scooped up one of the wings, sinking his claws into the glued tuft "Ugh. Feathers?" he cringed in disgust, giving the wing some more squeezes for certainty "Feathers!" he blurted out in horror, jerking his paw back like he expected it to be sliced off any moment now

"Athron mated with a wind dragon?! A wind dragon is the feather of my niece?! Tell me he forced himself on her at least!" he shivered in abhorrence

Iris didn't seem too keen to explain anything.

"Ummm..." Spyro started uneasily, deciding it was better to appease the dragon than to provoke him "I don't have the information but from Iris told us and...future you. It was a true relationship that actually ended the war. Your sister from what I understood is who chose her mate and it was a wind dragon"

Ignus' expression only grew more bewildered, the level of disgust seemed to lessen after hearing the words.

"It was a willing relationship?" his snout grew dark, sheer disgust being replaced with fear and depression "Please don't tell me it was that son of a bitch Nirdren"

"We don't know the name"

Ignus looked at the dirtied girl, wanting an answer but seeing as if she wasn't about to provide any he backed away, shaking his head.

"No matter. It's not my niece's fault, what's done is done" he chuckled bitterly. "My sister with a wind dragon! I'm soooo going to rub it in her nose!" his eyes sparkled, he pointed at the purple drake "What was the other one who told you all this? It was future me, and....?"

Spyro gulped.

"Iris"

"Iris" his eyes dropped at the unmoving dragoness, sincere care seemed to glow inside the red pupils.

"Irises are my sister's favorite flowers. Of course she won't let anyone know that she has a girly nature. Why would she name her daughter with a pretty, soft name like that? It doesn't match her aggressive attitude at all" with great difficulty he fought back the weird urge to offer the girl some manner of protective hug "Have you reminded your mother what's it like to have a heart Iris?"

The ice dragoness remained silent, she behaved like a slave afraid of her master's whip to crack against her flesh at the single notion of disobedience or mistake.

Iris did not behave like Iris at all. Spyro noticed some change in her attitude, but he quickly connected it with specific gratefulness, thing is that he had no troubles finding the reason behind the change.

Here it was different.

Ignus gave her no reason to feel threatened and he was afraid that whatever demons shs was fighting right now were screaming only inside her head.

It would be really bad for all of them it the roar of those demons turned out to be so loud that it would take control of Iris.

"My niece, a half-blood. People see feathers and they already assume the worst" Ignus' gaze was rather troubled as he gave the girl another look over "Would probably do the same if I didn't know my sister, she had to have a reason to mingle with that filth"

The dragon let out a tired sigh, stretching out his neck.

"Mmmm. What's done is done. No point of dwelling on it any further. Just to be clear my friends. Not a word to anyone that you are harboring my sister's daughter. It's a very dangerous knowledge and trust that what you tasted here is only a pinch compared to the real threat you might face. Iris is a wind dragon, this pretense keep everyone safe, do we understand each other?"

The group nodded.

"Good"

"Where you'll be taking us boss?" Sparx' voice raised above the silence

"I want you to meet some important figures, but first we're going to get you cleaned up. We cannot afford you to look like rags in the Upper City"

Cellsa's eyes grew wide, a spark of electricity jumped in between her horns.

"We're going to the Upper City?" she let our an excited exhale "I never believed I'll ever see the Upper City! The Stretch was the highest I've ever been and that's only because Orbis showed me how to get to the Warden's zone between the districts!"

"Yes, I suppose you're going there. Disposing of you would be much more easier but I'm not without a heart and since you guided our special friends here you deserve some manner of...civility. Speaking of which, I'll get you also fed and provide water, also..." he reached into his cloak "I believe this belongs to you" he tossed a bag towards the electric dragoness

Cellsa bounced up in place when she caught the bag, recognizing it in midair. Despite her wounds and the seeping energy from earlier she somehow scooped enough strength to lift her paws from the ground.

"My treats!" she immediately popped a mushroom inside her mouth, munching on it hungrily

"Ugh" Ignus rumbled in disgust "I have to avoid mirrors today after returning this to you willingly, I won't be able to look myself in the eyes after giving this narcotic willingly to you. I even considered trampling them, but the risk of you going catatonic was too high, who knows what would you do with the limited brain cells you have left. It was far more preferable to keep you intoxicated"

"Thanks dude!" the dragoness cheered, in a second she seemed more lively and healthy, the wound on her chest even shed some of the dirt

"Keep an eye on her friends, these mushrooms are very addictive, we use them to treat the most severely wounded. It invigorates them. I heard that if you overdo it, you risk getting your brain dissolved and sometimes folks that stop eating them for a while have spasms of amnesia to the point where they can forget what to do with the tool they just picked up. Not to mention that supposedly prolonged withdrawal causes the ones eating them to become basically living corpses, catatonic, but with the possibility to become erratic and extremely dangerous since the spores they digest take over their minds"

"That's a load of crap!" Cellsa laughed "I've been eating these babies all the time and I'm fiiiiiine. I can stop any day I want, I simply adore the taste that's all. I mean. Guys. We just spent who knows how much time all huddled together and I haven't popped a single one of my cookies and nothing happened! So, conclusion? Load of crap! They have no effect on me!" she shook her head lively "None! Zero!"

"You're a worthless thrash for your parents"

Cellsa waved her paw dismissively, snorting cheerfully.

"At least I'm something!" she chirped "Besides, who cares! Let's have some FUN! Upper City here we come!" she laughed, dancing in circles

"Be careful" Ignus gazed at the group meaningfully

They had no troubles understanding what he meant, just a moment ago Cellsa practically crumbled when hearing that her parents left her to die, while right now she didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.

"Now my friends" he gazed at Iris "and family" he rearranged his expensive cloak to look more the part "If you'll be so kind as to follow me, we're going to slip into one of the unused chambers" he smiled broadly

"I will show you what it means to feel alive"

Iris shivered.

Of all of them she already tasted this presentation.

And it was clear that she didn't like it.