"Fluky bastards!" observed the queen in waiting.
"Quite so, quite so," agreed her psychotic other half, fingering the ring he'd appropriated from George.
"What's that you have there?"
"A magical trophy from the spoils of battle... the dragon king's ring, my love," announced Manson, not taking his eyes off his enemies for one second.
"Really..."
"For all the good it's worth. I was assured it provided the user with a near limitless supply of magic and some rather unique mantras from across the ages."
"And..."
"So far... absolutely nothing. It seems totally dormant. I've tried flooding it with my magic in an attempt to force my will upon it, I've tried to bond with it, pretend that I'm their new official king, which of course is pretty much the truth, and to prove to you just how desperate I've been to access all that knowledge and power, unbelievably, I've even... asked nicely. Two possibilities come to mind. I've been lied to, or it's tied directly to the king in ways that I can't begin to imagine. Either way, it's of little use now. Fancy rendering it useless for me?"
"It would be my absolute pleasure."
Faster than the eye could blink, Manson slipped off the ring and tossed it high up into the air. Unfurling her right index finger nonchalantly, Earth set the air on fire, dispensing a high voltage bolt of crackling, blue electrical energy, releasing so much power that what little hair Manson had left stood fully to attention, while the serpents entwined around Earth's head bathed in the spooky glow of the current. A fireworks display of supernatural sparks exploded high in the air above them both as the supposed magical band disappeared off into the ether.
"Nice shot!" remarked Manson, grinning inanely.
"I just imagined it was the dragon king himself. That was more than enough motivation."
"I know exactly what you mean, my dear. How about we take care of our problems once and for all... together?"
"That sounds positively... delightful!"
Reeling from the realisation that Tank hadn't been seen in any way, shape or form since almost the start of the battle, the sudden cessation of hostilities beyond their imposed new home caught them all off guard, as dark dragons and nagas alike all stood down, most turning their backs and retreating some distance.
"Something's going on," announced Hook.
"Perhaps they're going to surrender," piped up Janice hopefully.
Normally a glass half full kind of woman, their current situation offered the lacrosse playing superstar very little in the way of optimism, something that came through when she voiced her opinion.
"I very much doubt that. There's absolutely no reason for them to do so. They're up to something... I'd stake my life on it."
Not very wise words given the circumstances.
"Perhaps this is our chance to get to the library," offered up Peter.
George and Fredric shared one of their telling glances, and although nothing was said verbally, a whole conversation played out with just their eyes, as it did telepathically in their heads.
"I don't like this one bit. It reminds me of that siege in Burton," sighed Fredric.
"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"
"It wasn't me who thought it was a brilliant idea to go up against thirty well armed thieves and bandits. Oh, it'll be alright, I remember you saying."
"It turned out okay in the end, didn't it?" defended George.
"Only because of lady luck. All things being equal, you should have died that day. I'm glad you didn't, but the outcome was never in your hands. You should have realised that before you went in."
"It was a lesson learned, that's how I look back on that day."
"And what does your experience tell us is happening out there now?"
"Nothing good, I'm afraid," replied the king.
"I concur."
"And..."
"We need to be ready to fight with everything we have," added Fredric seriously.
"I thought you were always ready to fight with everything you have."
"I am," his friend replied. "I'm talking about everyone else."
"I see. Do you want me to tell them?"
"It's probably better coming from you."
"So be it."
And with that, their private conversation was done.
Clearing his throat with a fiery roar to gain everyone's attention, George stood up to his full dragon height, the eyes of everyone except Richie, Yoyo and a couple of injured personnel all upon him, waiting for whatever pronouncement he had to make.
"I think we can all agree that some kind of pivotal point has been reached somewhere outside. I don't know what it is or what they're going to do, but we need to be ready to respond with the full force of our fury and magic. Only that will do, only that will give us a chance and even that might not be enough. From behind this shield, while it's still intact and with enough power to keep us relatively safe, we need to go on the offensive. It might well be our only chance. So we'll have a look at what's playing out but you all, as a being, need to be ready to move on my command. Ready your magic, prepare to use it all in the most heinous of ways if need be. Now is not the point to be shy about using it, or have any regrets about mantras you may have or have not cast. If we survive, there will be no recriminations, no judgement... NOTHING! Today we do what we must to survive, all of us. I will say no more, other than: good luck. I'm proud to fight alongside each and every one of you, and yes... even those non-dragons amongst us. Don't forget, every living being on this planet is counting on us. If we don't succeed, the entire earth will become a breeding ground for evil, and its face will change forever. BE READY!"
Disappointed that he might never spend another day amongst the domain that he loved and had dreamed of returning to over the decades he'd been incarcerated, the goosebumps running up and down his arm were a sign to him of just how proud he was of his friend, and that he was exactly in the right place, at exactly the right time. One last stand in the fight to uphold good with his best friend right beside him was more than he could have hoped for in Antarctica, and so looking to make the beings outside the shield pay dearly for every drop of blood they'd shed, the founder of the Crimson Guards delved deep into his memory and found the deadliest, most dreadful and atrocious magic he could remember. In an instant it was primed and on the verge of being released.
Beyond the magical barrier, telepathic orders had gone out, very different to the call to arms Manson had issued only minutes ago. A huge swathe of space opened up like the parting of the Red Sea as dragons flew back into whatever gaps in the air they could find, and nagas slithered away into any small hole available. As the path revealed itself further, as that's very much what it now was, two beings holding hands strolled indifferently along it, slowly making their way closer to the light sided heroes sheltering behind their shield.
Behind the barrier, the king had a suggestion for his friend.
"I guess we're going to need to hear what they're saying. Perhaps now's a good time to reverse the effects of that mantra."
In the blink of an eye it was done, with the sound of wings flapping and tails swishing echoing throughout the confined space once more.
Watching the sickening couple approach the shield, Richie fought off the urge to forget about the magic she was channelling and just run out there and kill them. In her usual confident way, she was pretty sure she could do just that, but knew it would be at the expense of every being there. Even she wasn't that cold.