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Description
Among the Ashes

Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racing with the wind
And the feeling that I'm under

Yeah, darling gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once and
Explode into space

Like a true nature child we were born
born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
~Steppenwolf "Born to be Wild"

Chapter 74
Inside Man

"Navarre!"

Vale threw open the doors of the tower and thundered inside, his red eyes glowing with fury.

Navarre turned with a start, his face still twisted and warped with the torment of his unfulfilled bloodlust.

"Look at you!" Vale threw out his boney white hands, seeming to drag in the darkness of night behind him. "You measly, miserable, weak - "

"My Lord, I can explain," he panted, backing away as Vale drew closer.

The tiny, withered old man seemed to grow, filling up the entire tower with his presence. Under his gaze Navarre shrank, and went to his knees.

"Please," Navarre begged, his voice cracking. "I can – "

"Save your explanations!" Vale reached out as though to strike with his hand, and an invisible force followed, landing a blow across Navarre's face.

Navarre's head whipped back but he held his tongue.

"I tell you you can have the girl," Vale hissed. "I leave you with her tied up, defenseless, all of her abilities shut down, and she still manages to get into your head?"

"She didn't get into my head!" Navarre contested. "She couldn't! It's just that – "

"I know, Navarre," Vale hissed, locking eyes with the kneeling Sentei. "I know all about it. You, and her… and him."

Navarre flinched, and gritted his teeth.

"You're weak." Vale tightened his grip on Navarre's mind, squeezing until he could feel the blood rushing to Navarre's skull. "I should kill you for this."

"No." Navarre tried to shake his head, but his body had gone rigid. His neck contorted, twisting at a strange, severe angle. He tried to speak, but whatever words he meant to say were choked off by the invisible grip around his throat.

He started to shake, though he could only manage to drop his mouth open in a helpless, silent plea. As his face turned red, then purple, his eyes started to roll up into the back of his head.

Vale kept his gaze locked on Navarre, his own ancient face warping with an expression that almost resembled a smile.

A drop of blood trickled from Navarre's nose, down his paralyzed face, and a pained, creaking gasp finally fought its way out of his mouth.

With a disgusted huff, Vale turned up his nose and let his face go slack.

Instantly, Navarre crumpled to the ground, coughing and wheezing for breath.

"If you can't manage to control your temper over your jealousy for that girl and her bit of human scum, how can I trust you to help me carry out what must be done?" Vale demanded.

"You can – " Navarre gasped. "You can trust me, Lord Vale. I swear – "

"I know you, Navarre!" Vale's raspy whisper of a voice rumbled up from the roots of the fortress tower with a power far beyond his physical stature. "I can trust you follow every animal instinct that pops into your head. To look out for yourself at all costs. And to do everything necessary to survive!"

Navarre slowly crawled to his knees on the floor, though he didn't have a reply.

"Don't mistake me," Vale interrupted himself, "I knew what I was getting into when I let you onboard. But I had thought that we had come to our current arrangement because we both recognized the value of this partnership."

"I do." Navarre nodded, his face still draining in color.

"Do you?" Vale cocked his head and scowled.

Navarre wiped his fist under his nose, smearing away the flow of blood, and sniffed.

"Look at you." Vale screwed up his face in revulsion. "You're pitiful! You want revenge and your answer is to beat a man to death! What's that going to accomplish?" he asked with a swell of indignation.

"That was… I only meant to…."

"You didn't mean anything by it, you just let her get under your skin and set you off on a rampage!"

Fury flared up in Navarre's eyes and he clenched his fists, seething again.

"This is your problem, Navarre." Vale reached out and tapped Navarre on the forehead with his finger. "You don't see the big picture."

"I do." Navarre sniffed again, trying to stem the flow of blood from his nostrils.

"You think you do."

"You know I do." Navarre looked up at Vale with renewed fire in his eyes. "Don't forget what I brought you. Untainted Varr blood." His eyes twitched. "You of all people know that's in short supply."

"Do not trifle with me, boy!" Vale's countenance shifted into a half-bestial form, his eyes glowing like fiery beacons in the darkness around them.

Navarre let out a strangled cry and clutched his head as though his skull were about to explode.

Vale held on for a moment, watching him writhe.

Then as quickly as he started it, he stopped.

Navarre lurched forward and took a deep gasp of air.

"I have his blood!" he panted, though the arrogance in his voice had disintegrated. He pushed himself shakily up onto his knees. "You need me!"

"And what's to stop me from smashing your skull right now and taking that little phial you carry around with you all for myself? Hm?"

Navarre paused, still trying to catch his breath, though his dark brow twitched with an unspoken threat.

"You think the same thought didn't occur to Kau after you so boldly laid all your cards out on the table with nothing left to offer?"

"If Kau didn't think I had anything to offer, then why am I still here?" Navarre staggered to his feet and extended his one good arm.

"Don't try to inflate your sense of worth to me," Vale warned. "We both know that as soon as you've delivered Akanea to Kau, he'll have you murdered on the spot."

Navarre's jaw clenched, and he glowered silently.

"What did you expect? You're a deserter who showed back up at his doorstep touting your little blood trinket as though you were king of the world. How long do you think a man like Kau is going to tolerate that?"

"He needs that blood," Navarre growled.

"Yes, and thanks to you, he has a living supply of it locked away in the dungeon," Vale reminded him. "You thought you had the big picture, Navarre, but you made a fatal error the day you spilled Banan's blood then left his sister alive. Your plan to stay valuable to the Fang died when she didn't."

"Then I'll kill her now," Navarre seethed.

Vale frowned and shook his head. "And how long will that buy you?"

Navarre glared down at the floor, pumping his fist at his side, but he didn't answer.

"Good as you are at avoiding being caught, you're not much of a thinker when you're backed into a corner," Vale observed.

Navarre raised his eyes, glaring straight into Vale's vacant stare.

"Why are you really here?" Vale asked. "Why come back to the Fang? Just to kill her?"

The hairs on the back of Navarre's neck prickled.

"No, you're in it for more than that," Vale discerned. "You want revenge. True revenge. And I can give it to you."

Navarre stayed silent for a long moment. "How?"

"You set out to kill a single man, while I plan the conquest of his entire nation." Vale took a step closer.

"I don't care about Aritia!"

"You don't care about the Black Fang, either," Vale replied perceptively. "Not anymore than I do."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, we're not so different, you and I. We see an opportunity and we seize it. The Black Fang is a pitiful joke of an institution, but it has its uses, as you and I have both seen. The difference is, I have Kau eating out of the palm of my hand and you… well, you're living on borrowed time."

"We had a deal!" Navarre growled, pulling a silver chain from around his neck.

He let Anri's Emblem dangle before Vale's foggy eyes.

The ancient man's nostrils quivered and he drew in a rattling breath that filled the tower, as though he were sucking in something more than air.

"The Blood Emblem," he sighed, his eyes half-shutting in ecstasy.

"Ah-ah," Navarre tutted, tucking the Emblem back into his tunic. "You keep your end of the bargain and I continue in your service, lips sealed. As long as I'm alive, Kau will never know a thing."

Vale snapped out of his reverie, but his thin chest continued to rise and fall rapidly, as though he couldn't catch his breath.

"Kau won't be a concern for much longer," Vale assured. "He's about lived out his usefulness."

"Just say the word." Navarre smiled maliciously.

"All in good time," Vale replied, though his voice sounded thinner than before. "We'll deal with him soon enough. But for now, we have bigger problems, and I have an assignment for you."

Navarre looked slightly disappointed. "What is it?"

Vale turned and started his slow, flowing glide towards the tower door. "I need you to go to the outpost Bulgar."

"Bulgar? Why – "

Vale turned to look over his shoulder. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Navarre rushed. "It's just that – "

"I can't have your little love triangle interfering with the task I've been trying to complete for over two thousand years!" Vale snapped with a sudden burst of rage. But he shrank back quickly, drawing himself up in his cloak. "Besides, there is nothing for someone of your unique skills left to do here at the moment. I need you in Bulgar. I have already counseled Kau on the matter and he agrees that you are the man for the job."

"Big surprise." Navarre gave a huff of a laugh.

A twitch of a smile that echoed Navarre's sentiment crossed Vale's lips. "That's what comes from being the head of the Black Fang's most trusted advisor."

"Right. So what is this assignment, exactly?"

"It's simple really. I need you to carry out the exchange. I'm sure you'll enjoy finishing what you started." Vale turned back once more with a pause. "After all, Akanea is your victory, and I will have my hands full here. Think you can handle that?"

Navarre lifted his head on his shoulders and nodded. "Of course, Lord Vale."

"Good." He looked Navarre over, then turned to face him fully. "You know, such willingness to serve and sacrifice deserves some simple reward, wouldn't you agree?"

Navarre hesitated. "Reward?"

"Hold out your arm," Vale ordered.

Slowly, cautiously, Navarre started to raise his right arm.

"The other one," Vale snapped shortly.

With a furrow of his brow, Navarre extended his still-wounded left arm as far as he could, though he couldn't much bend it at the elbow.

"I can't have my right hand man with only one hand, now, can I?" Vale asked, smiling menacingly through his yellow-aged teeth.

He put his withered fingers on Navarre's arm and held them there for a long moment.

Navarre's heavy brow stayed creased with suspicion and he kept his eyes on Vale's hand until he finally pulled it away.

"There." Vale stepped back. "Whole again."

Slowly, Navarre flexed his fingers, and worked the joint of his elbow, feeling the restored range of mobility. His eyes widened as he looked down at his suddenly-healed hand, as though he couldn't quite believe it.

"One condition." Vale stipulated. "Don't kill her."

Navarre glowered, looking extremely put out by the restraint.

"That's an order, Navarre. Don't defy me again," he warned. "You're not the only one who likes having insurance."

Navarre shifted his heavy stance with an aggravated sigh, but didn't argue.

"Patience," Vale admonished. "Patience…."

He took in a deep breath, his thin, cracked lips stretching with a smile that distorted his features.

"Can't you smell it in the air?"

Navarre glanced around uncertainly and sniffed, only catching a whiff of his own blood, still dripping from his nose.

Vale closed his eyes and tipped his head back in revelry.

"The brink of battle," he whispered in an almost exultant tone. "The thrill of conquest." He paused heavily, searching the skies. "Aritia and Akanea falling into my hands, one after another. It's a beautiful thing."

"Aritia is a strong kingdom," Navarre warned. "They won't be taken easily."

"No," Vale agreed. "But the mightier the beast, the greater the fall when it is slain. I have already brought Hyrule to its knees. If I can do that…."

"But Aritia already knows there's a threat, and with their Prince gone, they'll be at high alert. It was bad enough trying to sneak into that castle on a normal night. Even with a hundred Sentei, that place is guarded so heavily they'd never even make it past the gate."

"Do you take me for a fool, Navarre?" Vale asked with a sudden bite in his voice.

Navarre stiffened. "No, Lord Vale."

"Good." Vale drew back, and Navarre let out his breath.

"Even as we speak, I have a faithful servant massing an army for me that not even the might of Aritia can withstand." A vicious cackle flicked in Vale's voice. "And when I bring forth their Prince to be slaughtered before their eyes, they will break."

Vale lifted his head in preemptive triumph and continued his one-man procession out the door.

"They always do."

Navarre pondered that with a smile though it faded quickly.

"And what..." he asked, pumping his fist around the hilt of his sword. "Of Manasa?"

"She is no longer your concern." With a wave of his hand the heavy tower doors swung open, and Vale passed through. "I want you in Bulgar. You will leave immediately."

Navarre nodded vaguely.

"And, Navarre." Vale glanced back carelessly. "You might want to do something about that." He ran his finger under his nose in indication.

Confused, Navarre copied the movement, only to find more blood staining his fingers when he pulled them away.

Vale turned and slammed the doors behind him.

"Yes, Master," he huffed quietly, glaring after the old man long after he was gone.

He sniffed again and wiped fresh blood from his nose, his frustration mounting by the second.

With a snort, Navarre turned and unsheathed the sword at his side.

He gritted his teeth and slashed it through the air, readjusting his sense of balance now that he didn't have one injured arm pinned to his side.

With a quick glance around the tower to make sure he was truly alone, he swung the blade again, this time with more focused intent.

"Come on," he growled to himself. "Come on!"

His movements grew sharper and faster, but less controlled with every swing. He thrust and spun, hacking away at thin air with a growing sense of fury.

"Do it!" He danced around the empty tower with the sword blazing, as though fighting an army of invisible foes.

"Work!" Navarre ordered through gritted teeth.

"You stupid, useless hunk of metal!" he cursed and spat, creating a whirlwind as he frantically fought at nothing.

"Work!"

Navarre held the sword in both hands and brought it down like a hammer. Nothing but the swift whoosh of the blade through empty space followed.

With a mangled curse that turned into a wordless roar, Navarre pulled the sword back and hurtled it across the tower.

The Falchion spun out of control, then collided with a heavy thump into a wooden post. The blade embedded deep into the wood, sending a shudder through the room that faded with the echo of Navarre's scream, up the empty chamber of the tower into silence.

Navarre stood, panting and seething, his shoulders hunched and his knees shaking.

"Bulgar," he spat, then stomped across the tower to retrieve the still-quivering blade from the post.

He wrenched it from the wood, staring at his reflection in the clear, silver blade for a moment.

Another drop of blood beaded at his nostril then ran down the side of his lip.

With a sniff, he hastily wiped it away.

Then he stopped, his eyes suddenly lifted with a new sense of purpose. He almost smiled as he sheathed the Falchion at his side.

"To Bulgar, Lord Vale," he announced with a glint in his eye. "As you wish."

Navarre twisted on the spot and vanished from the tower.

*****

Link pushed open the flap of his tent and stepped out onto the frost-bitten ground. Pale dawn light of an already overcast sky peaked its way through the evergreen trees above him – the only type of tree left that could grow at this altitude.

A breeze picked up and Link pulled his hooded cloak up tighter around his neck.

Thank you, Zelda. He smiled to himself with a pause, but no answer came.

Still a month away from winter, the chill of the high mountain had already developed a ferocious bite. He looked up at the clouds, wondering if snow would reach them before they reached the Fortress.

He rubbed his hands together for warmth and walked out into the small, make-shift camp they had landed in late the previous night. Half a dozen Sentei stood scattered around a small fire, most of them in deep, intensive conversation with Jag right at the center of it.

"Morning, Link!" Terak called from his solitary spot, seated on a log as close to the fire as he could get. He took a massive bite of some sort of biscuit that left crumbs scattered across his wide cheeks.

"Have a sit!" he offered through a full mouth of food, still managing to grin at the same time.

"No thanks," Link replied blankly, keeping his attention on the animated conversation surrounding Jag.

"Well, at least have some breakfast." Terak held out a biscuit and shoved it into Link's hand.

"What're they talking about?" Link asked, jerking his head towards Jag's group.

"Huh?" Terak glanced back fleetingly. "Oh, just planning and arguing, like usual," he shrugged and rubbed his thick-fingered hands together above the flames. "Better to just hang out by the fire where it's warm 'til they figure out what we're doing. You want another – "

Terak extended another biscuit but Link was already striding away.

"Eh, more for me." He popped the biscuit in his mouth and chewed through a smile.

"Jag!" Link called, pushing his way into the huddled group. "What's going on?"

"Well, good mornin' sleepy-head!" Jag slugged him in the shoulder. "For someone who put up such a fight last night about not wanting to waste time stopping, you sure slept in late!"

"The sun's not even up yet," Link grumbled. "And I wouldn't have stopped except to let the wyverns rest."

He gestured over at the nest of sleeping Wyverns piled on top of each other in a clearing of trees like a litter of puppies. He could barely distinguish one beast from another through the tangle of wings and tails. Though he thought he recognized Maryann lifting her nose to yawn, letting out a soft, rumbling purr before she snuggled back into the heap.

"Aren't they cute?" Jag asked with a lopsided grin.

"We need to move." Link pressed.

"Grumpy, grumpy." Jag brushed him off. "You think we're just standing around out here messing around?"

"That's what it looks like!"

"Well, we're not," Jag retorted, all humor gone from his face. "We're planning. It may be your style to just barrel in head-first without looking, but you're not in Hyrule anymore. You're fighting Sentei, so you've got to think like one. Believe me, we've been at this game a lot longer than you, so you're going to have to play by our rules."

"There don't seem to be any rules around here." Link glowered. "This is complete chaos."

"Organized chaos, my friend!" Jag replied. "Believe me, I've got this all under control."

"Hey, Jag!" Terak called over his shoulder. "You know that guy who's been following us?"

"Yeah."

"He's almost here."

"What?" Link asked. "Following us? Who? Since when?"

Jag shrugged and picked up his bow, slinging it over his shoulder. "I dunno. Terak picked up on him yesterday, but he was pretty far behind. Don't worry," he assured Link. "We've been keeping an eye on him. Terak's amazing. Got ears like a hawk." He paused, thinking. "Well, I guess he's not really hearing anything, just picking up on brainwaves from a really, really, long ways away. So, there you have it, bird-brain!"

Jag smiled and clapped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks!" Terak grinned . "I think…."

"Wait," Link called them to attention. "Someone caught up with us? They must be flying. Another wyvern rider or - "

"He's not flying anymore." Terak brushed the crumbs from his hands into the fire. "I think he's on foot now."

He stood and grabbed his own quiver and bow.

Link glanced around at the other Sentei in the camp, all of whom looked as unconcerned as the brothers.

"I can hear him now." A young Sentei man perked up.

"Got him."

"Ready."

One by one the Sentei locked onto the approaching targets, and set their weapons at the ready.

"Me too," the only woman present spoke up as well.

"Quick as lightning, Zaira." Jag shot her a grin, raising his eyebrows in a taunt.

"As long as I'm faster than you, Jaggy-boy," she snipped back. "You got him yet?"

Jag coughed and tapped Terak on the shoulder. "So, which way's he coming?"

Zaira smiled with a roll of her eyes, and turned her attention back to the forest.

"That way." Terak pointed to the south. "About a hundred yards away now," he noted, fitting an arrow to his bow.

"All right," Jag ordered calmly. "Box him in, boys!"

"Hey!" Zaira spun on him with an icy glare.

"And girl," Jag added.

"Thank you." She spun on her toes, her long, dark hair whipping around her before she vanished.

One after another the Sentei around Link teleported into thin air leaving only Terak and Jag.

"She so likes me," Jag informed Link with an over-inflated swell of confidence in his voice.

"I think you got that backwards," Terak chuckled.

Jag shot him a look, but Terak vanished, teleporting to the opposite side of the camp with his bow trained on the seemingly empty forest ahead.

"You gonna use that bow on your back, Hyrule or is it just for decoration?" Jag asked, looking over his bow at Link.

"Who is it?" Link demanded.

Jag shrugged. "I dunno, but if he's following us, who cares?"

"I care." Link pulled out his sword. "I want to know who I'm shooting before I shoot them."

"Relax," Jag sighed. "And lower your voice, would you? We're just shooting to wound. We need to find out why he's tracking us."

"The way you shot to wound that Sentei that attacked our camp that night?" Link asked incredulously.

"Hey, that was an accident!" Terak whispered loudly across the camp.

"Keep your eyes on the trees!" Jag hissed.

"Oh, right." Terak jumped and repositioned his bow, which he had let drift so far it was pointed at a nearby tent.

"All I'm asking is for you to let me try first," Link explained, lifting his sword. "When whoever it is comes out of those trees, just let me take care of it."

Jag eyed Link for a moment, thinking.

"You're both standing right here, you've got your men surrounding him," Link posed. "If it looks like I'm losing, you all can jump in and start shooting. Deal?"

"All right, deal." Jag agreed with a glance at his brother. "Let's see what Hyrule's got…."

Link ignored the comment, though the corner of his lip twitched with a smile.

The forest fell silent but for the distant sound of rustling through the trees.

Link peered ahead, spotting the first movement along the treetops as the sound of approach grew louder. Whoever it was, they weren't doing a very good job of hiding their presence. Every heavy footfall crunched through the foliage, snapping branches and breaking through trees until the distant swaying of the treetops became a rumble that shook the forest from the roots up.

Link's eyes narrowed, and he widened his stance, suddenly much more convinced that whatever was barreling through the trees straight for him might pose a threat.

The ground quaked and he caught a blur of movement through the trees.

He tensed, ready to strike as the attacker drew nearer, coming faster now, at a dead charge.

Link raised his shield and struck just as the creature leapt through the trees, straight for him.

But he stopped his sword mid-swing, staring in utter confusion at the little ball of white fur huddled at his feet.

He dropped his sword slightly and tilted his head.

"Bunny?" Link asked, staring at the shaking little critter.

"Ha!" Terak burst out a laugh.

Then the trees before them exploded in a burst of flames as the head of a dragon stretched out into the opening with a deafening roar.

A wave of heat pounding into Link's face, and he squinted against the pressure of the flames spewing from the jaws of the massive beast. He raised his shield and once more leapt forward in attack.

But the dragon's flames died, and it drew back. Its sharp-toothed mouth shut and it cocked its head, looking down at Link almost in surprise.

Link looked up into the beast's orange eyes, and stopped in his tracks.

"Want some help now, Hyrule?" Jag called.

The dragon's entire body burst into a column of flames that furled to the sky, then quickly shrank back down, leaving nothing but a small figure standing on a patch of charred ground.

"Link?"

Link's jaw dropped and he nearly let go of his sword.

"Roy?"

"Ah ha!" Roy laughed and hurtled forward, catching Link in a massive hug. "I found you!"

Jag and Terak lowered their weapons with a curious glance at each other.

"You were the one following us?" Link exclaimed, hugging Roy back.

"Apparently!" Roy pulled away and slapped Link on the back. "Well, I was actually just trying to find something to eat. When I chased a rabbit out of the woods I didn't expect to find you!"

He looked up as the white bunny scampered across the campsite and vanished into the brush.

"And there goes my breakfast," Roy sighed.

"We've got biscuits," Terak offered.

Roy looked over at the two Sentei, and did a quick double-take.

"Holy Hartmut!" he exclaimed, his eyes bulging. "Jag? Terak! What are you two doing here?"

"Waiting to shoot you," Jag replied, indicating his bow. "How do you know our names?"

"Er…" Roy pulled a face. "Guess you two don't like me any more in this reality than the other one."

"Put it away, Jagat," Link ordered. "We're not shooting anyone. This is Roy, one of the friends I was traveling with before."

"Funny, I don't recognize him." Jag tipped his chin and narrowed his eyes. "We were tailing you all for weeks before the night of the ambush."

Roy shifted uncomfortably but Link spoke up for him.

"He wasn't with us then. We'd separated shortly before our arrival in Lycia." He glanced at Roy. "We've just been waiting to meet up with him again."

Roy gave Link a short, appreciative smile.

"How'd you catch up to us so fast?" Terak asked in awe.

"I'm a Dragon… I fly fast."

"How'd you track us?" Jag fired.

"I didn't," Roy shrugged. "Look, I was just headed for the Fang Fortress and ran into you all here. End of story!"

"You know where the Fortress is?" Link turned to Roy.

"Well, yeah," Roy replied simply.

"How?" Jag demanded.

"Sheesh, are you always this bad-tempered?" Roy snapped. "I've been there before, so, yeah, I remember how to get back!"

Link gave Roy a questioning look of confusion, but Roy wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Been there before, have you?" Jag asked coolly.

"Jag," Terak said warningly. "Don't do anything – "

Jagat teleported behind Roy's back and drew a knife to his throat.

"Stupid…." Terak finished, slapping his hand to his forehead.

"Hey, whoa!" Roy gasped. "What? What'd I say?"

"There aren't many people who can say they've been to the Black Fang Fortress and live to tell the tale!" Jag growled. "So who are you? One of Vale's pet Manakete slaves sent to raise the alarm or – "

"Jagat, stop it!" Link ordered.

"How do we know this guy's really your friend?" Jag posed, keeping his knife at Roy's throat. "He just shows up out of nowhere, already knows my name, and the location of the Fortress?"

"I didn't show up out of nowhere!" Roy argued. "I wasn't even following you, we just both happen to be going to the same place, because Link and I are trying to save the same people!"

Link kept his hard eyes on Jag, and gave a short nod.

"I don't like this." Jag shook his head at his brother. "This guy could be Sentei masquerading as a human to – "

"Jag, he's not a human, he's a Manakete." Terak pulled a crooked face.

"Half-Manakete," Roy corrected.

"Point is, he showed up as a Dragon," Terak said with an air of amusement. "How many Sentei can pull that off?"

Jag seemed to relax, his threatening expression melting away. "Oh, yeah."

"Yeah." Roy lifted his head. "But, if you'd like a further demonstration I'd be more than happy to give you one."

Jag let out a yelp and jumped back, holding his suddenly bright-red hand out in pain.

"Too hot for you?" Roy asked with a grin.

Terak let out a laugh but Jag just shook his singed hand and shrugged.

"Point made," he conceded, slipping his knife back into his belt. "Nice to meet you, Rod."

"It's Roy." He frowned.

"Whatever." Jag flexed his tender fingers as the skin of his palm faded from red to a dull pink. "All right, party's over. Let's get back to business here. Call everyone back, Terak. Tell them it was a just false alarm."

"Got it," Terak replied, staring out into the trees in concentration.

"Link, what's going on?" Roy asked hastily, dropping his voice. "How'd you hook up with these guys?"

Link glanced back at the Sentei with a shiver of impatience. "It's a long story. But they helped rescue me and Zelda during the ambush on our camp and – "

"They didn't get Zelda?" Roy cut in anxiously, his eyes filling with a desperate hope. "Did they – Is Elice…."

"They took her." Link shook his head gravely. "I – we did everything we could to stop them, but…."

Roy nodded and dropped his eyes, accepting the inevitable news.

"We'll get them back," Link promised. "Marth, Manasa and Elice."

Roy's head shot up. "Marth and Manasa, too?"

Link nodded.

"How did you and Zelda manage to escape?" Roy asked, with a definite lump in his throat.

"I told you." Link glanced over his shoulder. "These guys…."

The two paused for a moment, watching as Jag sucked on the tips of his fingers, trying to cool them down and Terak went back to polishing off the biscuits.

"Seriously?" Roy asked in an undertone. "They're – they're bad news, Link. They're… bounty hunters."

"How do you know them?" Link asked, dubiously.

Roy paused for a moment, thinking carefully before he answered.

"Nils," he whispered finally, barely more than mouthing the word. He gave Link a pleading look.

Link nodded understandingly. "We'll talk later."

Roy dropped his eyes to the ground, but nodded.

"But, for now," Link pushed forward, "let's just get ready to go."

"Yeah," Roy agreed, though he cast another suspicious glance at the Sentei brothers. "But I'm telling you, Link, whatever they've told you, they have an angle. They're not just helping out to be friendly. There must be something in it for them."

"Same thing that's in it for you!" Jag called across the camp. "Taking out the Black Fang."

Roy looked over, startled, but Jag just tapped the side of his head with his uninjured finger.

"Sentei." He reminded Roy.

Roy scowled deeply, turning back to Link with renewed suspicion in his startlingly orange eyes. "I'm telling you, Link…."

"You're mighty suspicious for someone so worthy of suspicion himself, Rex." Jag strolled over. "How did you know our names?"

"I – " Roy stammered, looking to Link for help. "I just…. What happened was…."

"He stopped in Ostia looking for us," Link interjected calmly. "Before we separated, we told him we would be heading there for supplies. He probably just stopped off there and Hector told him that I'd left with you two. Right, Roy?"

"Oh – oh, yeah!" Roy agreed enthusiastically. "Yeah, Hector! Marquess, my good old buddy that he is! I just stopped right by the palace and asked and he told me all about it!"

Jag smirked a little. "Nice. From someone who didn't even know he was following us."

"Heh," Roy let out a short laugh that turned into a cough, and he looked to Link again in desperation.

"Oh, come on." Terak stepped in and put his arm around Roy. "Leave the little guy alone, Jag. If Link says he's a friend, he's a friend. And if he wants to help us break into the Fortress and kick some serious Fang," he grinned, "I say, let him have at it."

Jagat looked Roy over again, his expression unfalteringly skeptical.

"He's telling the truth, Jag," Terak said in all seriousness.

Jag looked to his brother. "You sure?"

Terak stared down at Roy for a long moment, then nodded confidently.

"This kid's been through some mighty strange… something." Terak shrugged. "But he knows what he's talking about and he's not lying. He's been in the fortress… and he's escaped it."

Terak's brow furrowed and Roy squirmed uncomfortably.

The large Sentei cocked his large head curiously. "You used to work for the Black Fang?"

"I knew it!" Jag threw his hands up.

"Hey, who told you you could just read my mind willy-nilly?" Roy asked indignantly. "That's private stuff in there!"

"But he got out!" Terak said in awe. "You actually got out…. But the girl you were trying to save…" He screwed up his face in concentration. "She fell – "

"That's enough!" Roy roared, pushing Terak away. A flash of fire exploded from his hands and ran up his arms. The flames petered out quickly, sinking back into his skin.

"Sorry," Terak apologized. "Sorry, I don't usually get carried away like that." He shook his head, staring ahead blankly. "That was weird…. Your mind's so open and loud it's almost hard not to listen. You might want to work on that."

"Yeah, so I've heard," Roy muttered.

"Not like Link here." Terak punched Link in the arm. "Mister Silent!"

"Terak, shut it!" Jag snapped. "You're telling me this guy's been in the Fortress?"

"Yup," his brother replied.

Jag stood for a moment, dumbfounded. "How - "

"What does it matter? I got out, and now I'm here, so let's just… put the past behind us and move forward. Together." Roy's face went slack with horror and his jaw dropped. "Holy crap, I just sounded like Marth…."

Jag looked from Terak to Roy and folded his arms, but the pressure proved too much for his burnt hand and he broke his stance with another little yelp. He jumped around a little, cursing under his breath.

"Just think of it this way, little brother." Terak grabbed Jag around the neck and held him still. "Now we've got a Dragon on our side. One with inside information!" He arched his dark eyebrows up and down. "Could be useful, eh?"

Jag cracked a hint of a smile. "Couldn't hurt…. If we put our heads together – "

"Look, I'm not here to be your personal pet!" Roy snapped. "I'm going to get Elice! Come on, Link!"

He turned and started away but Link caught him by the shoulder.

"Roy, wait. Just… trust me. As much as you want to go rushing into this, it's not a good idea." He glanced back at Jag and Terak. "I agree with Jag. These guys have been at this for a long time. So, if you know what you say you do… put that together their knowledge of the enemy and my experience with prison breaks and there's no way we can't come up with a plan to – "

"What plan? Who needs a plan?" Roy shrugged in frustration.

"You think you can just go flying blindly into Black Fang territory?" Jag shot back. "If one of their patrolling dragons doesn't spot you and rip your wings off, the watchmen from their towers will shoot you through with so many arrows you'll look like a pincushion before you hit the ground!"

"I'm not flying blindly anywhere," Roy scathed, leaning up toward Jag's face. "I told you, I've been there. I know where it is and the entire layout - inside and out. I know where the guards are, when they're patrolling, and where their blind spots are. I know how to get in!" He took a breath, his eyes flaring with red heat as he glared up at the Sentei. "And I know how to get out."

The camp went silent for a moment, even Link watching Roy in stunned amazement.

Jagat considered carefully. His eyes narrowed and he tipped his head. "How do you know – "

"Do you want to waste all day asking me stupid questions?" Roy cut him off. "Or do you want me to help you destroy the Black Fang?"

Terak's eyes widened and his mouth shrunk into a silent 'ooh', as he watched his brother for his reaction.

Jagat tensed, his brow furrowing, and his face twisting slightly until he broke into a smile.

"I've gotta admit it! You've got guts, kid!" Jag punched Roy in the arm as hard as he could, but his fist crumpled against Roy's muscles. He yelped and jumped back, nursing his once-again throbbing hand.

"And we're still calling me 'kid'." Roy tipped his head up to the sky and sighed while Terak rolled with laughter behind him.

"Holy Hartmut this is great!" Terak chuckled, wiping a tear of joy from his rounded cheek.

"Oh, shut up!" Jag snipped.

"Jag?" the female Sentei came jogging out of the woods. "Is everything all right? I thought I heard your little girl scream."

"No worries!" He grinned through a grimace, clutching his fist to his stomach. "I'm good, Zaira. No need for concern."

"Who said I'm concerned? I just don't want your high-pitched squeals to alert the Fang."

Jag's already forced grin tightened. "Well, you can stop worrying because everything's fine."

"Then why do you look like you're hand is – " Zaira stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on Roy. Her fists tightened around her small double swords. "Who's this guy?"

"Rex," Jag replied, blowing on his fingers. "Rob… I dunno." He shrugged. "He's with Link."

"It's Roy," he stressed, but blew it off and turned to Link in all seriousness. "Come on, Link. Let's go."

"Robby is right!" Jag confirmed, tugging his fist away from Zaira as she tried to inspect it. "No more time to lose, let's blow this vulnerary-selling caravan!"

"You wish you had a vulnerary," Zaira replied, finally prying his hand open. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Zaira looked to the older brother.

"He burned it, then he broke his own fist trying to punch a Dragon." Terak grinned.

"Is that so?" Zaira shook her dark hair over her shoulder and cocked her head.

"Traitor," Jag muttered, then lifted his gaze to Zaira's with a glowing beam. "Just looking for any excuse to hold my hand, aren't you?"

Zaira looked down at their hands and quickly let go with a huff.

"Jerk," she snapped, and turned on her heel, marching away.

Jag smiled after her, but his moment didn't last long as the rest of his band began filtering back into the camp.

"We leaving now?" Roy asked impatiently.

"Hold your dragons," Jag replied. "If we're going to do this, don't you want us to fill you in on what we know?"

"I doubt you have anything I don't." Roy set his jaw defiantly.

"Oh, really?" Jag lifted his head with a grin. "Do you have a contact on the inside?"

Both Link and Roy perked up.

"What?" Link asked. "When were you going to let me in on this?"

"This morning," Jag answered simply. "Right before your Dragon buddy busted through the trees."

"All right, we're listening," Roy rushed. "Who is it?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information." Jag took to circling Link and Roy slowly.

"So what's the plan? What do you know? Is Elice safe? What are they doing with them?" Roy fired in rapid succession.

Jag's mouth hung open for a moment. "I don't know… any of those answers."

"Then what do you know?" Roy growled.

"Will you calm down, Robby?" Jag sighed.

"It's Roy!" he shouted, so loudly sparks flew from his mouth.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't singe anyone," Jag eased. "Just calm down. We don't get to talk to our inside man much, unless he's out of assignment. And right now, he's not. But, he always finds a way to get a message to us when something goes down and I would say the abduction of your friends counts as 'something'. So, we can count on him. He'll get us a message as soon as we're close."

"We have to be within a certain radius to be able to communicate telepathically," Terak reminded them.

"Which brings me to the good news, and the bad news," Jag went on.

"Which is?" Link urged.

"Well, the good news is, Terak's range is longer than any other Sentei's I've ever known."

"Other than Vale's!" Zaira called out from her position across the camp, stroking the nose of one of the lazing wyverns.

"Other than him," Jag conceded hastily. "But, it's still huge." He gestured widely with his hands. "Which means that we don't have to be right up on the Fortress before Terak can make contact with our guy."

Terak nodded encouragingly.

"And the bad news?" Roy asked.

"The bad news is, according to the last time we talked to our guy, Vale still has the entire Fortress under some kind of barrier that limits mind-reading and teleportation to a few choice, high-ranking individuals."

"Elitist swine," Terak grunted.

"So, that makes the good news useless," Roy sighed in exasperation.

"Not entirely!" Jag went on confidently. "Once we get in there – if we can find a way to take out Vale, we can cause a power-surge." His eyes started to glow with a fanatic glimmer.

"Take out Vale?" Roy asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Well, that's the whole point, isn't it?" Jag asked.

"But Vale is – and first we have to get through Kau and – " Roy stammered, completely flabbergasted. "How in Diem are we going to – "

"This guy, right here." Jag slapped Link on the shoulder.

Link didn't have to respond. The hardened look on his face said it all.

"If he's half the man he says he is," Jag said with a cocky raise of his brow, "we have nothing to worry about."

"Link." Roy shook his head in dismay. "I know you're… well, you're Link, but… Vale is – "

"Don't worry about me," Link replied. "I've faced him once – "

"And lost," Roy reminded him.

Link's eyes narrowed. "That's not going to happen again."

"Right," Jag agreed quickly. "So, we get in, bust your friends out, take out Vale, and we're good!"

"That's your plan?" Roy asked.

"Well, there's more to it than that, but there's no use explaining it now, especially before we hear back from our inside man. But, mister been-there-done-that," he challenged Roy. "You think you can get us to the dungeons?"

"Yeah," Roy said quietly, with a flicker of pain in his eyes. "I know where the dungeons are."

"Perfect." Jag shot Terak a grin.

"You're totally over-simplifying this!" Roy's voice rose once more in frustration. "Taking out Vale is not going to be easy! And even if you do, so what? Turning on telepathy won't affect the humans and the Manaketes who're crawling all over the place!"

"But turning on our ability to teleport will," Terak answered.

"But, if you can teleport and so can every other Sentei in the Fortress, how does that help us at all?"

"It'll help," Jag assured.

"And Sentei aren't even our only problem!" Roy pushed on heatedly.

"Exactly!" Jag exclaimed. "Which is why we have you two!" He pulled an arm around Link and Roy, and drew them both in. "And me. I'm… a bit of a swing vote."

"What does that mean?" Roy asked.

"It means, fellow half-blood," he tipped his head at Roy, "that I've embraced both sides of my nature and thus am not hampered by having only one skill set."

"Yup, instead he has two under-developed ones," Terak quipped.

"Ha-ha," Jag laughed hollowly.

"I'm just kidding," Terak assured. "If he weren't good - really good – you think he'd be the leader of our whole rebellion?"

Jag smiled a little, though he looked like he was at least attempting to contain it.

"Rebellion against what?" Roy questioned.

Jag's face became instantly sober. "Against the idea that the only hope Sentei have of surviving in this world is by turning to organizations like the Black Fang to 'save' them, when all they really do is drag you in and make you a slave to their will and further the widespread misconception that all we are is a bunch of savage, heartless, murdering, plundering thieves!"

Roy held his breath for a moment, then answered quietly. "Oh…."

Zaira glanced up at Jag, then hastily back down at her wyvern, trying to look as though she hadn't been listening.

"We're much more than that," Jag said, letting out his breath and letting his tensed shoulders fall. "We're capable of so much more. All we want is peace…. There's good Sentei all over the continent just trying to get along, but they can't. We'll never have peace with the Black Fang around.

"They've got their hands into everything in Bern, from plundering the smallest settlements to throwing their weight around in the highest rankings of the government. And their influence is only spreading. We've got to stop them, now." Jag finished with a pound in his voice. "Before it's too late."

"It's already too late for some," Link spoke up quietly. "For Hyrule…. We never even saw it coming. But that doesn't mean we can't take it back. That's why I'm here. I'm here to take back my home," he paused heavily, the weight of his words washing over him. "My Kingdom."

Jag looked at Link with a new sense of respect, and nodded firmly. "Then we're all in this together. Agreed?"

Link nodded, his head feeling a little higher on his shoulders than normal.

Roy looked to Link, hesitating a long moment before he finally gave in and sighed.

"I hope we know what we're doing." He turned his eyes briefly to the sky.

"Says the man who didn't need a plan." Jag retorted.

"If you call this a plan." Roy rolled his eyes. "All right, now, let's get going!"

Without further warning he burst into flames and his body exploded, filling out into his dragon form.

The sudden flash of fire sent the sleeping wyverns into a frenzy, and within seconds the entire nest had scattered into the trees or up into the sky.

Maryann hovered over Jag's head, glaring down at Roy and hissed, spreading her wings in threat.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jag called. "You." He pointed at Roy. "Cool it with the whole bursting into flames thing! And you," he turned to gaze up at Maryann, "don't worry, baby… he's just a Dragon. Kind of like… your cousin!"

Maryann beat her wings and hissed again, less violently this time. Eventually Jag was able to coax her down while the other Sentei scattered, reining in their own mounts.

"All right." Jag swung into his saddle and patted Maryann on the neck. She pawed in place, still eyeing Roy's massive orange figure suspiciously. "Let's mount up, boys!"

"Hey!"

"And girl," he added dully.

"Does this mean I get Harraz back to myself?" Terak asked, taking the reins of the wyvern Link had been riding for the last three days.

"Who'm I going to ride?" Link asked.

Jag grinned and glanced over at Roy. "He's your friend."

Roy bared his teeth and his wings lifted tensely on his shoulders.

"Do you mind?" Link asked uncertainly.

"Well… no." Roy glanced down at the ground then to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I guess not."

"All right." Link grabbed hold of Roy's scaly shoulder and hoisted himself up.

"Hey!" Roy flinched. "Watch it! Don't pinch my wings with your knees!"

"Sorry." Link put his hands up apologetically, and shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot at the base of Roy's neck.

"Well, this is awkward," Roy mumbled, scowling in a way highly reminiscent to a child's pout.

"Better get used to it, Roy," Link replied lightly. "Don't think this is the last time you're going to have to carry someone."

"Goody." Roy flicked his long tongue and hunched his shoulders.

"Come on!" Jagat called, already taking Maryann to the air. "Try to keep up, will you?"

"Keep up?" Roy lifted his head in defiance.

Link braced himself as the muscled beast beneath him tensed, coiling like a compressed spring.

"Roy…" Link glanced around for something to hold onto. "I don't have any reins or – "

"I don't need reins!" Roy pushed off from the ground and spread his wings, cutting through the air at an almost vertical angle, quickly cutting past the flock of wyverns.

Link leaned forward and gripped the bristly hair that ran down Roy's spine, almost like a very short, coarse mane of a horse. He set his face against the wind and hooked his knees into Roy's sides, lying parallel to Roy's neck as they climbed to the sky.

When Roy finally leveled out Link let out a whoop.

"Pretty good, huh?" Roy glanced over his shoulder. "I've been practicing."

"Not bad!" Jag cheered from behind.

"Just don't slow me down back there!" Roy called over the wind.

Jag laughed, "Lead the way, Robby!"

Roy let out a sigh that rumbled deep in his barreled chest, with a metallic flint, like fire on steel.

"Now I know how Kain felt," he mumbled to himself.

"Just keep flying, Rex," Link quipped.

Roy paused, then he actually laughed. "When did you get your sense of humor back?"

"We had to make do without you around." Link smiled. "But we'll all be glad to give you your job back."

"It's tough work being Roy, but somebody's got to do it!"

Link chuckled and leaned into the wind. "It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back."

Roy stretched out his wings to full spread and led the way forward, straight towards the Fortress that lay hidden in the mountains ahead.

*****

Description
Among the Ashes

Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racing with the wind
And the feeling that I'm under

Yeah, darling gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once and
Explode into space

Like a true nature child we were born
born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
~Steppenwolf "Born to be Wild"

Chapter 74
Inside Man

"Navarre!"

Vale threw open the doors of the tower and thundered inside, his red eyes glowing with fury.

Navarre turned with a start, his face still twisted and warped with the torment of his unfulfilled bloodlust.

"Look at you!" Vale threw out his boney white hands, seeming to drag in the darkness of night behind him. "You measly, miserable, weak - "

"My Lord, I can explain," he panted, backing away as Vale drew closer.

The tiny, withered old man seemed to grow, filling up the entire tower with his presence. Under his gaze Navarre shrank, and went to his knees.

"Please," Navarre begged, his voice cracking. "I can – "

"Save your explanations!" Vale reached out as though to strike with his hand, and an invisible force followed, landing a blow across Navarre's face.

Navarre's head whipped back but he held his tongue.

"I tell you you can have the girl," Vale hissed. "I leave you with her tied up, defenseless, all of her abilities shut down, and she still manages to get into your head?"

"She didn't get into my head!" Navarre contested. "She couldn't! It's just that – "

"I know, Navarre," Vale hissed, locking eyes with the kneeling Sentei. "I know all about it. You, and her… and him."

Navarre flinched, and gritted his teeth.

"You're weak." Vale tightened his grip on Navarre's mind, squeezing until he could feel the blood rushing to Navarre's skull. "I should kill you for this."

"No." Navarre tried to shake his head, but his body had gone rigid. His neck contorted, twisting at a strange, severe angle. He tried to speak, but whatever words he meant to say were choked off by the invisible grip around his throat.

He started to shake, though he could only manage to drop his mouth open in a helpless, silent plea. As his face turned red, then purple, his eyes started to roll up into the back of his head.

Vale kept his gaze locked on Navarre, his own ancient face warping with an expression that almost resembled a smile.

A drop of blood trickled from Navarre's nose, down his paralyzed face, and a pained, creaking gasp finally fought its way out of his mouth.

With a disgusted huff, Vale turned up his nose and let his face go slack.

Instantly, Navarre crumpled to the ground, coughing and wheezing for breath.

"If you can't manage to control your temper over your jealousy for that girl and her bit of human scum, how can I trust you to help me carry out what must be done?" Vale demanded.

"You can – " Navarre gasped. "You can trust me, Lord Vale. I swear – "

"I know you, Navarre!" Vale's raspy whisper of a voice rumbled up from the roots of the fortress tower with a power far beyond his physical stature. "I can trust you follow every animal instinct that pops into your head. To look out for yourself at all costs. And to do everything necessary to survive!"

Navarre slowly crawled to his knees on the floor, though he didn't have a reply.

"Don't mistake me," Vale interrupted himself, "I knew what I was getting into when I let you onboard. But I had thought that we had come to our current arrangement because we both recognized the value of this partnership."

"I do." Navarre nodded, his face still draining in color.

"Do you?" Vale cocked his head and scowled.

Navarre wiped his fist under his nose, smearing away the flow of blood, and sniffed.

"Look at you." Vale screwed up his face in revulsion. "You're pitiful! You want revenge and your answer is to beat a man to death! What's that going to accomplish?" he asked with a swell of indignation.

"That was… I only meant to…."

"You didn't mean anything by it, you just let her get under your skin and set you off on a rampage!"

Fury flared up in Navarre's eyes and he clenched his fists, seething again.

"This is your problem, Navarre." Vale reached out and tapped Navarre on the forehead with his finger. "You don't see the big picture."

"I do." Navarre sniffed again, trying to stem the flow of blood from his nostrils.

"You think you do."

"You know I do." Navarre looked up at Vale with renewed fire in his eyes. "Don't forget what I brought you. Untainted Varr blood." His eyes twitched. "You of all people know that's in short supply."

"Do not trifle with me, boy!" Vale's countenance shifted into a half-bestial form, his eyes glowing like fiery beacons in the darkness around them.

Navarre let out a strangled cry and clutched his head as though his skull were about to explode.

Vale held on for a moment, watching him writhe.

Then as quickly as he started it, he stopped.

Navarre lurched forward and took a deep gasp of air.

"I have his blood!" he panted, though the arrogance in his voice had disintegrated. He pushed himself shakily up onto his knees. "You need me!"

"And what's to stop me from smashing your skull right now and taking that little phial you carry around with you all for myself? Hm?"

Navarre paused, still trying to catch his breath, though his dark brow twitched with an unspoken threat.

"You think the same thought didn't occur to Kau after you so boldly laid all your cards out on the table with nothing left to offer?"

"If Kau didn't think I had anything to offer, then why am I still here?" Navarre staggered to his feet and extended his one good arm.

"Don't try to inflate your sense of worth to me," Vale warned. "We both know that as soon as you've delivered Akanea to Kau, he'll have you murdered on the spot."

Navarre's jaw clenched, and he glowered silently.

"What did you expect? You're a deserter who showed back up at his doorstep touting your little blood trinket as though you were king of the world. How long do you think a man like Kau is going to tolerate that?"

"He needs that blood," Navarre growled.

"Yes, and thanks to you, he has a living supply of it locked away in the dungeon," Vale reminded him. "You thought you had the big picture, Navarre, but you made a fatal error the day you spilled Banan's blood then left his sister alive. Your plan to stay valuable to the Fang died when she didn't."

"Then I'll kill her now," Navarre seethed.

Vale frowned and shook his head. "And how long will that buy you?"

Navarre glared down at the floor, pumping his fist at his side, but he didn't answer.

"Good as you are at avoiding being caught, you're not much of a thinker when you're backed into a corner," Vale observed.

Navarre raised his eyes, glaring straight into Vale's vacant stare.

"Why are you really here?" Vale asked. "Why come back to the Fang? Just to kill her?"

The hairs on the back of Navarre's neck prickled.

"No, you're in it for more than that," Vale discerned. "You want revenge. True revenge. And I can give it to you."

Navarre stayed silent for a long moment. "How?"

"You set out to kill a single man, while I plan the conquest of his entire nation." Vale took a step closer.

"I don't care about Aritia!"

"You don't care about the Black Fang, either," Vale replied perceptively. "Not anymore than I do."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, we're not so different, you and I. We see an opportunity and we seize it. The Black Fang is a pitiful joke of an institution, but it has its uses, as you and I have both seen. The difference is, I have Kau eating out of the palm of my hand and you… well, you're living on borrowed time."

"We had a deal!" Navarre growled, pulling a silver chain from around his neck.

He let Anri's Emblem dangle before Vale's foggy eyes.

The ancient man's nostrils quivered and he drew in a rattling breath that filled the tower, as though he were sucking in something more than air.

"The Blood Emblem," he sighed, his eyes half-shutting in ecstasy.

"Ah-ah," Navarre tutted, tucking the Emblem back into his tunic. "You keep your end of the bargain and I continue in your service, lips sealed. As long as I'm alive, Kau will never know a thing."

Vale snapped out of his reverie, but his thin chest continued to rise and fall rapidly, as though he couldn't catch his breath.

"Kau won't be a concern for much longer," Vale assured. "He's about lived out his usefulness."

"Just say the word." Navarre smiled maliciously.

"All in good time," Vale replied, though his voice sounded thinner than before. "We'll deal with him soon enough. But for now, we have bigger problems, and I have an assignment for you."

Navarre looked slightly disappointed. "What is it?"

Vale turned and started his slow, flowing glide towards the tower door. "I need you to go to the outpost Bulgar."

"Bulgar? Why – "

Vale turned to look over his shoulder. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Navarre rushed. "It's just that – "

"I can't have your little love triangle interfering with the task I've been trying to complete for over two thousand years!" Vale snapped with a sudden burst of rage. But he shrank back quickly, drawing himself up in his cloak. "Besides, there is nothing for someone of your unique skills left to do here at the moment. I need you in Bulgar. I have already counseled Kau on the matter and he agrees that you are the man for the job."

"Big surprise." Navarre gave a huff of a laugh.

A twitch of a smile that echoed Navarre's sentiment crossed Vale's lips. "That's what comes from being the head of the Black Fang's most trusted advisor."

"Right. So what is this assignment, exactly?"

"It's simple really. I need you to carry out the exchange. I'm sure you'll enjoy finishing what you started." Vale turned back once more with a pause. "After all, Akanea is your victory, and I will have my hands full here. Think you can handle that?"

Navarre lifted his head on his shoulders and nodded. "Of course, Lord Vale."

"Good." He looked Navarre over, then turned to face him fully. "You know, such willingness to serve and sacrifice deserves some simple reward, wouldn't you agree?"

Navarre hesitated. "Reward?"

"Hold out your arm," Vale ordered.

Slowly, cautiously, Navarre started to raise his right arm.

"The other one," Vale snapped shortly.

With a furrow of his brow, Navarre extended his still-wounded left arm as far as he could, though he couldn't much bend it at the elbow.

"I can't have my right hand man with only one hand, now, can I?" Vale asked, smiling menacingly through his yellow-aged teeth.

He put his withered fingers on Navarre's arm and held them there for a long moment.

Navarre's heavy brow stayed creased with suspicion and he kept his eyes on Vale's hand until he finally pulled it away.

"There." Vale stepped back. "Whole again."

Slowly, Navarre flexed his fingers, and worked the joint of his elbow, feeling the restored range of mobility. His eyes widened as he looked down at his suddenly-healed hand, as though he couldn't quite believe it.

"One condition." Vale stipulated. "Don't kill her."

Navarre glowered, looking extremely put out by the restraint.

"That's an order, Navarre. Don't defy me again," he warned. "You're not the only one who likes having insurance."

Navarre shifted his heavy stance with an aggravated sigh, but didn't argue.

"Patience," Vale admonished. "Patience…."

He took in a deep breath, his thin, cracked lips stretching with a smile that distorted his features.

"Can't you smell it in the air?"

Navarre glanced around uncertainly and sniffed, only catching a whiff of his own blood, still dripping from his nose.

Vale closed his eyes and tipped his head back in revelry.

"The brink of battle," he whispered in an almost exultant tone. "The thrill of conquest." He paused heavily, searching the skies. "Aritia and Akanea falling into my hands, one after another. It's a beautiful thing."

"Aritia is a strong kingdom," Navarre warned. "They won't be taken easily."

"No," Vale agreed. "But the mightier the beast, the greater the fall when it is slain. I have already brought Hyrule to its knees. If I can do that…."

"But Aritia already knows there's a threat, and with their Prince gone, they'll be at high alert. It was bad enough trying to sneak into that castle on a normal night. Even with a hundred Sentei, that place is guarded so heavily they'd never even make it past the gate."

"Do you take me for a fool, Navarre?" Vale asked with a sudden bite in his voice.

Navarre stiffened. "No, Lord Vale."

"Good." Vale drew back, and Navarre let out his breath.

"Even as we speak, I have a faithful servant massing an army for me that not even the might of Aritia can withstand." A vicious cackle flicked in Vale's voice. "And when I bring forth their Prince to be slaughtered before their eyes, they will break."

Vale lifted his head in preemptive triumph and continued his one-man procession out the door.

"They always do."

Navarre pondered that with a smile though it faded quickly.

"And what..." he asked, pumping his fist around the hilt of his sword. "Of Manasa?"

"She is no longer your concern." With a wave of his hand the heavy tower doors swung open, and Vale passed through. "I want you in Bulgar. You will leave immediately."

Navarre nodded vaguely.

"And, Navarre." Vale glanced back carelessly. "You might want to do something about that." He ran his finger under his nose in indication.

Confused, Navarre copied the movement, only to find more blood staining his fingers when he pulled them away.

Vale turned and slammed the doors behind him.

"Yes, Master," he huffed quietly, glaring after the old man long after he was gone.

He sniffed again and wiped fresh blood from his nose, his frustration mounting by the second.

With a snort, Navarre turned and unsheathed the sword at his side.

He gritted his teeth and slashed it through the air, readjusting his sense of balance now that he didn't have one injured arm pinned to his side.

With a quick glance around the tower to make sure he was truly alone, he swung the blade again, this time with more focused intent.

"Come on," he growled to himself. "Come on!"

His movements grew sharper and faster, but less controlled with every swing. He thrust and spun, hacking away at thin air with a growing sense of fury.

"Do it!" He danced around the empty tower with the sword blazing, as though fighting an army of invisible foes.

"Work!" Navarre ordered through gritted teeth.

"You stupid, useless hunk of metal!" he cursed and spat, creating a whirlwind as he frantically fought at nothing.

"Work!"

Navarre held the sword in both hands and brought it down like a hammer. Nothing but the swift whoosh of the blade through empty space followed.

With a mangled curse that turned into a wordless roar, Navarre pulled the sword back and hurtled it across the tower.

The Falchion spun out of control, then collided with a heavy thump into a wooden post. The blade embedded deep into the wood, sending a shudder through the room that faded with the echo of Navarre's scream, up the empty chamber of the tower into silence.

Navarre stood, panting and seething, his shoulders hunched and his knees shaking.

"Bulgar," he spat, then stomped across the tower to retrieve the still-quivering blade from the post.

He wrenched it from the wood, staring at his reflection in the clear, silver blade for a moment.

Another drop of blood beaded at his nostril then ran down the side of his lip.

With a sniff, he hastily wiped it away.

Then he stopped, his eyes suddenly lifted with a new sense of purpose. He almost smiled as he sheathed the Falchion at his side.

"To Bulgar, Lord Vale," he announced with a glint in his eye. "As you wish."

Navarre twisted on the spot and vanished from the tower.

*****

Link pushed open the flap of his tent and stepped out onto the frost-bitten ground. Pale dawn light of an already overcast sky peaked its way through the evergreen trees above him – the only type of tree left that could grow at this altitude.

A breeze picked up and Link pulled his hooded cloak up tighter around his neck.

Thank you, Zelda. He smiled to himself with a pause, but no answer came.

Still a month away from winter, the chill of the high mountain had already developed a ferocious bite. He looked up at the clouds, wondering if snow would reach them before they reached the Fortress.

He rubbed his hands together for warmth and walked out into the small, make-shift camp they had landed in late the previous night. Half a dozen Sentei stood scattered around a small fire, most of them in deep, intensive conversation with Jag right at the center of it.

"Morning, Link!" Terak called from his solitary spot, seated on a log as close to the fire as he could get. He took a massive bite of some sort of biscuit that left crumbs scattered across his wide cheeks.

"Have a sit!" he offered through a full mouth of food, still managing to grin at the same time.

"No thanks," Link replied blankly, keeping his attention on the animated conversation surrounding Jag.

"Well, at least have some breakfast." Terak held out a biscuit and shoved it into Link's hand.

"What're they talking about?" Link asked, jerking his head towards Jag's group.

"Huh?" Terak glanced back fleetingly. "Oh, just planning and arguing, like usual," he shrugged and rubbed his thick-fingered hands together above the flames. "Better to just hang out by the fire where it's warm 'til they figure out what we're doing. You want another – "

Terak extended another biscuit but Link was already striding away.

"Eh, more for me." He popped the biscuit in his mouth and chewed through a smile.

"Jag!" Link called, pushing his way into the huddled group. "What's going on?"

"Well, good mornin' sleepy-head!" Jag slugged him in the shoulder. "For someone who put up such a fight last night about not wanting to waste time stopping, you sure slept in late!"

"The sun's not even up yet," Link grumbled. "And I wouldn't have stopped except to let the wyverns rest."

He gestured over at the nest of sleeping Wyverns piled on top of each other in a clearing of trees like a litter of puppies. He could barely distinguish one beast from another through the tangle of wings and tails. Though he thought he recognized Maryann lifting her nose to yawn, letting out a soft, rumbling purr before she snuggled back into the heap.

"Aren't they cute?" Jag asked with a lopsided grin.

"We need to move." Link pressed.

"Grumpy, grumpy." Jag brushed him off. "You think we're just standing around out here messing around?"

"That's what it looks like!"

"Well, we're not," Jag retorted, all humor gone from his face. "We're planning. It may be your style to just barrel in head-first without looking, but you're not in Hyrule anymore. You're fighting Sentei, so you've got to think like one. Believe me, we've been at this game a lot longer than you, so you're going to have to play by our rules."

"There don't seem to be any rules around here." Link glowered. "This is complete chaos."

"Organized chaos, my friend!" Jag replied. "Believe me, I've got this all under control."

"Hey, Jag!" Terak called over his shoulder. "You know that guy who's been following us?"

"Yeah."

"He's almost here."

"What?" Link asked. "Following us? Who? Since when?"

Jag shrugged and picked up his bow, slinging it over his shoulder. "I dunno. Terak picked up on him yesterday, but he was pretty far behind. Don't worry," he assured Link. "We've been keeping an eye on him. Terak's amazing. Got ears like a hawk." He paused, thinking. "Well, I guess he's not really hearing anything, just picking up on brainwaves from a really, really, long ways away. So, there you have it, bird-brain!"

Jag smiled and clapped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks!" Terak grinned . "I think…."

"Wait," Link called them to attention. "Someone caught up with us? They must be flying. Another wyvern rider or - "

"He's not flying anymore." Terak brushed the crumbs from his hands into the fire. "I think he's on foot now."

He stood and grabbed his own quiver and bow.

Link glanced around at the other Sentei in the camp, all of whom looked as unconcerned as the brothers.

"I can hear him now." A young Sentei man perked up.

"Got him."

"Ready."

One by one the Sentei locked onto the approaching targets, and set their weapons at the ready.

"Me too," the only woman present spoke up as well.

"Quick as lightning, Zaira." Jag shot her a grin, raising his eyebrows in a taunt.

"As long as I'm faster than you, Jaggy-boy," she snipped back. "You got him yet?"

Jag coughed and tapped Terak on the shoulder. "So, which way's he coming?"

Zaira smiled with a roll of her eyes, and turned her attention back to the forest.

"That way." Terak pointed to the south. "About a hundred yards away now," he noted, fitting an arrow to his bow.

"All right," Jag ordered calmly. "Box him in, boys!"

"Hey!" Zaira spun on him with an icy glare.

"And girl," Jag added.

"Thank you." She spun on her toes, her long, dark hair whipping around her before she vanished.

One after another the Sentei around Link teleported into thin air leaving only Terak and Jag.

"She so likes me," Jag informed Link with an over-inflated swell of confidence in his voice.

"I think you got that backwards," Terak chuckled.

Jag shot him a look, but Terak vanished, teleporting to the opposite side of the camp with his bow trained on the seemingly empty forest ahead.

"You gonna use that bow on your back, Hyrule or is it just for decoration?" Jag asked, looking over his bow at Link.

"Who is it?" Link demanded.

Jag shrugged. "I dunno, but if he's following us, who cares?"

"I care." Link pulled out his sword. "I want to know who I'm shooting before I shoot them."

"Relax," Jag sighed. "And lower your voice, would you? We're just shooting to wound. We need to find out why he's tracking us."

"The way you shot to wound that Sentei that attacked our camp that night?" Link asked incredulously.

"Hey, that was an accident!" Terak whispered loudly across the camp.

"Keep your eyes on the trees!" Jag hissed.

"Oh, right." Terak jumped and repositioned his bow, which he had let drift so far it was pointed at a nearby tent.

"All I'm asking is for you to let me try first," Link explained, lifting his sword. "When whoever it is comes out of those trees, just let me take care of it."

Jag eyed Link for a moment, thinking.

"You're both standing right here, you've got your men surrounding him," Link posed. "If it looks like I'm losing, you all can jump in and start shooting. Deal?"

"All right, deal." Jag agreed with a glance at his brother. "Let's see what Hyrule's got…."

Link ignored the comment, though the corner of his lip twitched with a smile.

The forest fell silent but for the distant sound of rustling through the trees.

Link peered ahead, spotting the first movement along the treetops as the sound of approach grew louder. Whoever it was, they weren't doing a very good job of hiding their presence. Every heavy footfall crunched through the foliage, snapping branches and breaking through trees until the distant swaying of the treetops became a rumble that shook the forest from the roots up.

Link's eyes narrowed, and he widened his stance, suddenly much more convinced that whatever was barreling through the trees straight for him might pose a threat.

The ground quaked and he caught a blur of movement through the trees.

He tensed, ready to strike as the attacker drew nearer, coming faster now, at a dead charge.

Link raised his shield and struck just as the creature leapt through the trees, straight for him.

But he stopped his sword mid-swing, staring in utter confusion at the little ball of white fur huddled at his feet.

He dropped his sword slightly and tilted his head.

"Bunny?" Link asked, staring at the shaking little critter.

"Ha!" Terak burst out a laugh.

Then the trees before them exploded in a burst of flames as the head of a dragon stretched out into the opening with a deafening roar.

A wave of heat pounding into Link's face, and he squinted against the pressure of the flames spewing from the jaws of the massive beast. He raised his shield and once more leapt forward in attack.

But the dragon's flames died, and it drew back. Its sharp-toothed mouth shut and it cocked its head, looking down at Link almost in surprise.

Link looked up into the beast's orange eyes, and stopped in his tracks.

"Want some help now, Hyrule?" Jag called.

The dragon's entire body burst into a column of flames that furled to the sky, then quickly shrank back down, leaving nothing but a small figure standing on a patch of charred ground.

"Link?"

Link's jaw dropped and he nearly let go of his sword.

"Roy?"

"Ah ha!" Roy laughed and hurtled forward, catching Link in a massive hug. "I found you!"

Jag and Terak lowered their weapons with a curious glance at each other.

"You were the one following us?" Link exclaimed, hugging Roy back.

"Apparently!" Roy pulled away and slapped Link on the back. "Well, I was actually just trying to find something to eat. When I chased a rabbit out of the woods I didn't expect to find you!"

He looked up as the white bunny scampered across the campsite and vanished into the brush.

"And there goes my breakfast," Roy sighed.

"We've got biscuits," Terak offered.

Roy looked over at the two Sentei, and did a quick double-take.

"Holy Hartmut!" he exclaimed, his eyes bulging. "Jag? Terak! What are you two doing here?"

"Waiting to shoot you," Jag replied, indicating his bow. "How do you know our names?"

"Er…" Roy pulled a face. "Guess you two don't like me any more in this reality than the other one."

"Put it away, Jagat," Link ordered. "We're not shooting anyone. This is Roy, one of the friends I was traveling with before."

"Funny, I don't recognize him." Jag tipped his chin and narrowed his eyes. "We were tailing you all for weeks before the night of the ambush."

Roy shifted uncomfortably but Link spoke up for him.

"He wasn't with us then. We'd separated shortly before our arrival in Lycia." He glanced at Roy. "We've just been waiting to meet up with him again."

Roy gave Link a short, appreciative smile.

"How'd you catch up to us so fast?" Terak asked in awe.

"I'm a Dragon… I fly fast."

"How'd you track us?" Jag fired.

"I didn't," Roy shrugged. "Look, I was just headed for the Fang Fortress and ran into you all here. End of story!"

"You know where the Fortress is?" Link turned to Roy.

"Well, yeah," Roy replied simply.

"How?" Jag demanded.

"Sheesh, are you always this bad-tempered?" Roy snapped. "I've been there before, so, yeah, I remember how to get back!"

Link gave Roy a questioning look of confusion, but Roy wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Been there before, have you?" Jag asked coolly.

"Jag," Terak said warningly. "Don't do anything – "

Jagat teleported behind Roy's back and drew a knife to his throat.

"Stupid…." Terak finished, slapping his hand to his forehead.

"Hey, whoa!" Roy gasped. "What? What'd I say?"

"There aren't many people who can say they've been to the Black Fang Fortress and live to tell the tale!" Jag growled. "So who are you? One of Vale's pet Manakete slaves sent to raise the alarm or – "

"Jagat, stop it!" Link ordered.

"How do we know this guy's really your friend?" Jag posed, keeping his knife at Roy's throat. "He just shows up out of nowhere, already knows my name, and the location of the Fortress?"

"I didn't show up out of nowhere!" Roy argued. "I wasn't even following you, we just both happen to be going to the same place, because Link and I are trying to save the same people!"

Link kept his hard eyes on Jag, and gave a short nod.

"I don't like this." Jag shook his head at his brother. "This guy could be Sentei masquerading as a human to – "

"Jag, he's not a human, he's a Manakete." Terak pulled a crooked face.

"Half-Manakete," Roy corrected.

"Point is, he showed up as a Dragon," Terak said with an air of amusement. "How many Sentei can pull that off?"

Jag seemed to relax, his threatening expression melting away. "Oh, yeah."

"Yeah." Roy lifted his head. "But, if you'd like a further demonstration I'd be more than happy to give you one."

Jag let out a yelp and jumped back, holding his suddenly bright-red hand out in pain.

"Too hot for you?" Roy asked with a grin.

Terak let out a laugh but Jag just shook his singed hand and shrugged.

"Point made," he conceded, slipping his knife back into his belt. "Nice to meet you, Rod."

"It's Roy." He frowned.

"Whatever." Jag flexed his tender fingers as the skin of his palm faded from red to a dull pink. "All right, party's over. Let's get back to business here. Call everyone back, Terak. Tell them it was a just false alarm."

"Got it," Terak replied, staring out into the trees in concentration.

"Link, what's going on?" Roy asked hastily, dropping his voice. "How'd you hook up with these guys?"

Link glanced back at the Sentei with a shiver of impatience. "It's a long story. But they helped rescue me and Zelda during the ambush on our camp and – "

"They didn't get Zelda?" Roy cut in anxiously, his eyes filling with a desperate hope. "Did they – Is Elice…."

"They took her." Link shook his head gravely. "I – we did everything we could to stop them, but…."

Roy nodded and dropped his eyes, accepting the inevitable news.

"We'll get them back," Link promised. "Marth, Manasa and Elice."

Roy's head shot up. "Marth and Manasa, too?"

Link nodded.

"How did you and Zelda manage to escape?" Roy asked, with a definite lump in his throat.

"I told you." Link glanced over his shoulder. "These guys…."

The two paused for a moment, watching as Jag sucked on the tips of his fingers, trying to cool them down and Terak went back to polishing off the biscuits.

"Seriously?" Roy asked in an undertone. "They're – they're bad news, Link. They're… bounty hunters."

"How do you know them?" Link asked, dubiously.

Roy paused for a moment, thinking carefully before he answered.

"Nils," he whispered finally, barely more than mouthing the word. He gave Link a pleading look.

Link nodded understandingly. "We'll talk later."

Roy dropped his eyes to the ground, but nodded.

"But, for now," Link pushed forward, "let's just get ready to go."

"Yeah," Roy agreed, though he cast another suspicious glance at the Sentei brothers. "But I'm telling you, Link, whatever they've told you, they have an angle. They're not just helping out to be friendly. There must be something in it for them."

"Same thing that's in it for you!" Jag called across the camp. "Taking out the Black Fang."

Roy looked over, startled, but Jag just tapped the side of his head with his uninjured finger.

"Sentei." He reminded Roy.

Roy scowled deeply, turning back to Link with renewed suspicion in his startlingly orange eyes. "I'm telling you, Link…."

"You're mighty suspicious for someone so worthy of suspicion himself, Rex." Jag strolled over. "How did you know our names?"

"I – " Roy stammered, looking to Link for help. "I just…. What happened was…."

"He stopped in Ostia looking for us," Link interjected calmly. "Before we separated, we told him we would be heading there for supplies. He probably just stopped off there and Hector told him that I'd left with you two. Right, Roy?"

"Oh – oh, yeah!" Roy agreed enthusiastically. "Yeah, Hector! Marquess, my good old buddy that he is! I just stopped right by the palace and asked and he told me all about it!"

Jag smirked a little. "Nice. From someone who didn't even know he was following us."

"Heh," Roy let out a short laugh that turned into a cough, and he looked to Link again in desperation.

"Oh, come on." Terak stepped in and put his arm around Roy. "Leave the little guy alone, Jag. If Link says he's a friend, he's a friend. And if he wants to help us break into the Fortress and kick some serious Fang," he grinned, "I say, let him have at it."

Jagat looked Roy over again, his expression unfalteringly skeptical.

"He's telling the truth, Jag," Terak said in all seriousness.

Jag looked to his brother. "You sure?"

Terak stared down at Roy for a long moment, then nodded confidently.

"This kid's been through some mighty strange… something." Terak shrugged. "But he knows what he's talking about and he's not lying. He's been in the fortress… and he's escaped it."

Terak's brow furrowed and Roy squirmed uncomfortably.

The large Sentei cocked his large head curiously. "You used to work for the Black Fang?"

"I knew it!" Jag threw his hands up.

"Hey, who told you you could just read my mind willy-nilly?" Roy asked indignantly. "That's private stuff in there!"

"But he got out!" Terak said in awe. "You actually got out…. But the girl you were trying to save…" He screwed up his face in concentration. "She fell – "

"That's enough!" Roy roared, pushing Terak away. A flash of fire exploded from his hands and ran up his arms. The flames petered out quickly, sinking back into his skin.

"Sorry," Terak apologized. "Sorry, I don't usually get carried away like that." He shook his head, staring ahead blankly. "That was weird…. Your mind's so open and loud it's almost hard not to listen. You might want to work on that."

"Yeah, so I've heard," Roy muttered.

"Not like Link here." Terak punched Link in the arm. "Mister Silent!"

"Terak, shut it!" Jag snapped. "You're telling me this guy's been in the Fortress?"

"Yup," his brother replied.

Jag stood for a moment, dumbfounded. "How - "

"What does it matter? I got out, and now I'm here, so let's just… put the past behind us and move forward. Together." Roy's face went slack with horror and his jaw dropped. "Holy crap, I just sounded like Marth…."

Jag looked from Terak to Roy and folded his arms, but the pressure proved too much for his burnt hand and he broke his stance with another little yelp. He jumped around a little, cursing under his breath.

"Just think of it this way, little brother." Terak grabbed Jag around the neck and held him still. "Now we've got a Dragon on our side. One with inside information!" He arched his dark eyebrows up and down. "Could be useful, eh?"

Jag cracked a hint of a smile. "Couldn't hurt…. If we put our heads together – "

"Look, I'm not here to be your personal pet!" Roy snapped. "I'm going to get Elice! Come on, Link!"

He turned and started away but Link caught him by the shoulder.

"Roy, wait. Just… trust me. As much as you want to go rushing into this, it's not a good idea." He glanced back at Jag and Terak. "I agree with Jag. These guys have been at this for a long time. So, if you know what you say you do… put that together their knowledge of the enemy and my experience with prison breaks and there's no way we can't come up with a plan to – "

"What plan? Who needs a plan?" Roy shrugged in frustration.

"You think you can just go flying blindly into Black Fang territory?" Jag shot back. "If one of their patrolling dragons doesn't spot you and rip your wings off, the watchmen from their towers will shoot you through with so many arrows you'll look like a pincushion before you hit the ground!"

"I'm not flying blindly anywhere," Roy scathed, leaning up toward Jag's face. "I told you, I've been there. I know where it is and the entire layout - inside and out. I know where the guards are, when they're patrolling, and where their blind spots are. I know how to get in!" He took a breath, his eyes flaring with red heat as he glared up at the Sentei. "And I know how to get out."

The camp went silent for a moment, even Link watching Roy in stunned amazement.

Jagat considered carefully. His eyes narrowed and he tipped his head. "How do you know – "

"Do you want to waste all day asking me stupid questions?" Roy cut him off. "Or do you want me to help you destroy the Black Fang?"

Terak's eyes widened and his mouth shrunk into a silent 'ooh', as he watched his brother for his reaction.

Jagat tensed, his brow furrowing, and his face twisting slightly until he broke into a smile.

"I've gotta admit it! You've got guts, kid!" Jag punched Roy in the arm as hard as he could, but his fist crumpled against Roy's muscles. He yelped and jumped back, nursing his once-again throbbing hand.

"And we're still calling me 'kid'." Roy tipped his head up to the sky and sighed while Terak rolled with laughter behind him.

"Holy Hartmut this is great!" Terak chuckled, wiping a tear of joy from his rounded cheek.

"Oh, shut up!" Jag snipped.

"Jag?" the female Sentei came jogging out of the woods. "Is everything all right? I thought I heard your little girl scream."

"No worries!" He grinned through a grimace, clutching his fist to his stomach. "I'm good, Zaira. No need for concern."

"Who said I'm concerned? I just don't want your high-pitched squeals to alert the Fang."

Jag's already forced grin tightened. "Well, you can stop worrying because everything's fine."

"Then why do you look like you're hand is – " Zaira stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on Roy. Her fists tightened around her small double swords. "Who's this guy?"

"Rex," Jag replied, blowing on his fingers. "Rob… I dunno." He shrugged. "He's with Link."

"It's Roy," he stressed, but blew it off and turned to Link in all seriousness. "Come on, Link. Let's go."

"Robby is right!" Jag confirmed, tugging his fist away from Zaira as she tried to inspect it. "No more time to lose, let's blow this vulnerary-selling caravan!"

"You wish you had a vulnerary," Zaira replied, finally prying his hand open. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Zaira looked to the older brother.

"He burned it, then he broke his own fist trying to punch a Dragon." Terak grinned.

"Is that so?" Zaira shook her dark hair over her shoulder and cocked her head.

"Traitor," Jag muttered, then lifted his gaze to Zaira's with a glowing beam. "Just looking for any excuse to hold my hand, aren't you?"

Zaira looked down at their hands and quickly let go with a huff.

"Jerk," she snapped, and turned on her heel, marching away.

Jag smiled after her, but his moment didn't last long as the rest of his band began filtering back into the camp.

"We leaving now?" Roy asked impatiently.

"Hold your dragons," Jag replied. "If we're going to do this, don't you want us to fill you in on what we know?"

"I doubt you have anything I don't." Roy set his jaw defiantly.

"Oh, really?" Jag lifted his head with a grin. "Do you have a contact on the inside?"

Both Link and Roy perked up.

"What?" Link asked. "When were you going to let me in on this?"

"This morning," Jag answered simply. "Right before your Dragon buddy busted through the trees."

"All right, we're listening," Roy rushed. "Who is it?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information." Jag took to circling Link and Roy slowly.

"So what's the plan? What do you know? Is Elice safe? What are they doing with them?" Roy fired in rapid succession.

Jag's mouth hung open for a moment. "I don't know… any of those answers."

"Then what do you know?" Roy growled.

"Will you calm down, Robby?" Jag sighed.

"It's Roy!" he shouted, so loudly sparks flew from his mouth.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't singe anyone," Jag eased. "Just calm down. We don't get to talk to our inside man much, unless he's out of assignment. And right now, he's not. But, he always finds a way to get a message to us when something goes down and I would say the abduction of your friends counts as 'something'. So, we can count on him. He'll get us a message as soon as we're close."

"We have to be within a certain radius to be able to communicate telepathically," Terak reminded them.

"Which brings me to the good news, and the bad news," Jag went on.

"Which is?" Link urged.

"Well, the good news is, Terak's range is longer than any other Sentei's I've ever known."

"Other than Vale's!" Zaira called out from her position across the camp, stroking the nose of one of the lazing wyverns.

"Other than him," Jag conceded hastily. "But, it's still huge." He gestured widely with his hands. "Which means that we don't have to be right up on the Fortress before Terak can make contact with our guy."

Terak nodded encouragingly.

"And the bad news?" Roy asked.

"The bad news is, according to the last time we talked to our guy, Vale still has the entire Fortress under some kind of barrier that limits mind-reading and teleportation to a few choice, high-ranking individuals."

"Elitist swine," Terak grunted.

"So, that makes the good news useless," Roy sighed in exasperation.

"Not entirely!" Jag went on confidently. "Once we get in there – if we can find a way to take out Vale, we can cause a power-surge." His eyes started to glow with a fanatic glimmer.

"Take out Vale?" Roy asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Well, that's the whole point, isn't it?" Jag asked.

"But Vale is – and first we have to get through Kau and – " Roy stammered, completely flabbergasted. "How in Diem are we going to – "

"This guy, right here." Jag slapped Link on the shoulder.

Link didn't have to respond. The hardened look on his face said it all.

"If he's half the man he says he is," Jag said with a cocky raise of his brow, "we have nothing to worry about."

"Link." Roy shook his head in dismay. "I know you're… well, you're Link, but… Vale is – "

"Don't worry about me," Link replied. "I've faced him once – "

"And lost," Roy reminded him.

Link's eyes narrowed. "That's not going to happen again."

"Right," Jag agreed quickly. "So, we get in, bust your friends out, take out Vale, and we're good!"

"That's your plan?" Roy asked.

"Well, there's more to it than that, but there's no use explaining it now, especially before we hear back from our inside man. But, mister been-there-done-that," he challenged Roy. "You think you can get us to the dungeons?"

"Yeah," Roy said quietly, with a flicker of pain in his eyes. "I know where the dungeons are."

"Perfect." Jag shot Terak a grin.

"You're totally over-simplifying this!" Roy's voice rose once more in frustration. "Taking out Vale is not going to be easy! And even if you do, so what? Turning on telepathy won't affect the humans and the Manaketes who're crawling all over the place!"

"But turning on our ability to teleport will," Terak answered.

"But, if you can teleport and so can every other Sentei in the Fortress, how does that help us at all?"

"It'll help," Jag assured.

"And Sentei aren't even our only problem!" Roy pushed on heatedly.

"Exactly!" Jag exclaimed. "Which is why we have you two!" He pulled an arm around Link and Roy, and drew them both in. "And me. I'm… a bit of a swing vote."

"What does that mean?" Roy asked.

"It means, fellow half-blood," he tipped his head at Roy, "that I've embraced both sides of my nature and thus am not hampered by having only one skill set."

"Yup, instead he has two under-developed ones," Terak quipped.

"Ha-ha," Jag laughed hollowly.

"I'm just kidding," Terak assured. "If he weren't good - really good – you think he'd be the leader of our whole rebellion?"

Jag smiled a little, though he looked like he was at least attempting to contain it.

"Rebellion against what?" Roy questioned.

Jag's face became instantly sober. "Against the idea that the only hope Sentei have of surviving in this world is by turning to organizations like the Black Fang to 'save' them, when all they really do is drag you in and make you a slave to their will and further the widespread misconception that all we are is a bunch of savage, heartless, murdering, plundering thieves!"

Roy held his breath for a moment, then answered quietly. "Oh…."

Zaira glanced up at Jag, then hastily back down at her wyvern, trying to look as though she hadn't been listening.

"We're much more than that," Jag said, letting out his breath and letting his tensed shoulders fall. "We're capable of so much more. All we want is peace…. There's good Sentei all over the continent just trying to get along, but they can't. We'll never have peace with the Black Fang around.

"They've got their hands into everything in Bern, from plundering the smallest settlements to throwing their weight around in the highest rankings of the government. And their influence is only spreading. We've got to stop them, now." Jag finished with a pound in his voice. "Before it's too late."

"It's already too late for some," Link spoke up quietly. "For Hyrule…. We never even saw it coming. But that doesn't mean we can't take it back. That's why I'm here. I'm here to take back my home," he paused heavily, the weight of his words washing over him. "My Kingdom."

Jag looked at Link with a new sense of respect, and nodded firmly. "Then we're all in this together. Agreed?"

Link nodded, his head feeling a little higher on his shoulders than normal.

Roy looked to Link, hesitating a long moment before he finally gave in and sighed.

"I hope we know what we're doing." He turned his eyes briefly to the sky.

"Says the man who didn't need a plan." Jag retorted.

"If you call this a plan." Roy rolled his eyes. "All right, now, let's get going!"

Without further warning he burst into flames and his body exploded, filling out into his dragon form.

The sudden flash of fire sent the sleeping wyverns into a frenzy, and within seconds the entire nest had scattered into the trees or up into the sky.

Maryann hovered over Jag's head, glaring down at Roy and hissed, spreading her wings in threat.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jag called. "You." He pointed at Roy. "Cool it with the whole bursting into flames thing! And you," he turned to gaze up at Maryann, "don't worry, baby… he's just a Dragon. Kind of like… your cousin!"

Maryann beat her wings and hissed again, less violently this time. Eventually Jag was able to coax her down while the other Sentei scattered, reining in their own mounts.

"All right." Jag swung into his saddle and patted Maryann on the neck. She pawed in place, still eyeing Roy's massive orange figure suspiciously. "Let's mount up, boys!"

"Hey!"

"And girl," he added dully.

"Does this mean I get Harraz back to myself?" Terak asked, taking the reins of the wyvern Link had been riding for the last three days.

"Who'm I going to ride?" Link asked.

Jag grinned and glanced over at Roy. "He's your friend."

Roy bared his teeth and his wings lifted tensely on his shoulders.

"Do you mind?" Link asked uncertainly.

"Well… no." Roy glanced down at the ground then to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I guess not."

"All right." Link grabbed hold of Roy's scaly shoulder and hoisted himself up.

"Hey!" Roy flinched. "Watch it! Don't pinch my wings with your knees!"

"Sorry." Link put his hands up apologetically, and shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot at the base of Roy's neck.

"Well, this is awkward," Roy mumbled, scowling in a way highly reminiscent to a child's pout.

"Better get used to it, Roy," Link replied lightly. "Don't think this is the last time you're going to have to carry someone."

"Goody." Roy flicked his long tongue and hunched his shoulders.

"Come on!" Jagat called, already taking Maryann to the air. "Try to keep up, will you?"

"Keep up?" Roy lifted his head in defiance.

Link braced himself as the muscled beast beneath him tensed, coiling like a compressed spring.

"Roy…" Link glanced around for something to hold onto. "I don't have any reins or – "

"I don't need reins!" Roy pushed off from the ground and spread his wings, cutting through the air at an almost vertical angle, quickly cutting past the flock of wyverns.

Link leaned forward and gripped the bristly hair that ran down Roy's spine, almost like a very short, coarse mane of a horse. He set his face against the wind and hooked his knees into Roy's sides, lying parallel to Roy's neck as they climbed to the sky.

When Roy finally leveled out Link let out a whoop.

"Pretty good, huh?" Roy glanced over his shoulder. "I've been practicing."

"Not bad!" Jag cheered from behind.

"Just don't slow me down back there!" Roy called over the wind.

Jag laughed, "Lead the way, Robby!"

Roy let out a sigh that rumbled deep in his barreled chest, with a metallic flint, like fire on steel.

"Now I know how Kain felt," he mumbled to himself.

"Just keep flying, Rex," Link quipped.

Roy paused, then he actually laughed. "When did you get your sense of humor back?"

"We had to make do without you around." Link smiled. "But we'll all be glad to give you your job back."

"It's tough work being Roy, but somebody's got to do it!"

Link chuckled and leaned into the wind. "It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back."

Roy stretched out his wings to full spread and led the way forward, straight towards the Fortress that lay hidden in the mountains ahead.

*****