23
Sub-Zero Success
With a roundhouse kick so powerful that it shattered the naga's spine, the bloody battle beneath Antarctica drew to a close. It had been a resounding triumph despite a number of life-threatening injuries sustained by Yoyo's young dragons. But the danger had been neutralised, the jailer vanquished to hell, and his mysterious fighting force dispatched from this plane of existence. As Yoyo and the rest of the young dragons tended to their injured, Flash and Fredric came together in the middle of the cavern, the latter having wrapped himself in the laminium chains that were no longer his captor, but now in fact his saviour. He looked magnificent, his taut, bulging muscles glistening for all to see, in the same tattered rags that had covered him for decades. Words seemed hard to find for them both, at first anyway.
"You came back. I knew you would."
"No being deserves to be held in this place, least of all a mighty dragon like you. I'm sorry it's taken so long."
"Given how long I've been here, the time that's passed since your last visit seems almost insignificant."
"I'm sorry for everything you've been through. And I'm not the only one."
This piqued Fredric's interest.
"The king has done everything in his power to try and free you, since I reported back to him after my brief visit and he learned of your captivity."
Fredric's eyes glazed over, and very briefly he became lost in his own thoughts, caught up with his best friend back in a time long, long ago.
"As well," announced Flash, "there's someone else."
Startled back to the present, Fredric found it hard to think who else it could be.
"Your grandson... PETER, he's been involved in everything. He's one of my best friends."
Raw, unadulterated emotion flooded the founder of the Crimson Guards from head to toe, forcing the hairs on his arms to stand to attention and his legs to go momentarily weak. It was all he could do to hold back the tears.
"My boy!" cried Fredric. "How is he?"
'Here we go,' thought Flash, having no idea how the next few moments were going to pan out.
"When I left... yesterday, we found out he'd been captured by the being that seems to be in charge of this whole New World Order thing and goes by the name of Manson. As far as we can tell, he and the 'White Dragon' are to be used as bargaining chips against the king, who as far as we know is holed up in his private residence, surrounding by a huge fighting force that has pretty much taken London, made up of dark dragons and nagas, who are being held ransom by the captivity of their king, and they more than likely have a grip on the rest of the planet."
"RRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH," bellowed Fredric, so loudly in fact that icicles dropped from the ceiling in far flung parts of the cavern. Astounded, those still able to turned to look in his direction.
"I'm sorry," added Flash. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but I figured you'd rather know the truth."
"You're right, of course... always the truth. But what can we do from here to affect events on the other side of the earth? I assume we're somewhere beneath the Antarctic?"
"We are. In a place called Law Dome, and quite far from the nearest form of civilisation."
Out of nowhere, a soft voice echoed across the confines of the icy cavern.
"FLASH!"
It was Yoyo. Both Fredric and Flash looked over to where the healer knelt, tending to two of his injured youngsters.
"What is it?" asked Flash from where both he and Fredric stood.
"They're dying... and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
Instantly Flash took off, Fredric hot on his heels. Sliding to a halt only moments later, the ex-Crimson Guard took in the scene that lay before him. Two of the young dragons, one who he remembered as Hillier, lay prone, blood seeping onto the ice, mortal wounds obvious for all gathered around to see. Closing his eyes, Flash racked his brain for anything that would be of some use, any unusual or unconventional magic. But before he got any further than that, a powerful arm tugged him out of the way.
"Let me have a look," commanded Fredric, the golden chains encompassing his torso rattling slightly as he moved. As one, the young dragons circling their injured friends moved back, in awe of the mighty being that had been trapped in this icy hellhole for all this time.
"There's nothing that can be done. I've tried all that I know. Nothing can save them now," mouthed Yoyo, glancing up at Fredric, glistening transparent tears rolling down his cheeks.
Putting a comforting arm on Yoyo's shoulder, a sudden burst of familiarity blossomed inside Peter's grandfather.
"I know you... don't I?"
"You do seem familiar," replied Yoyo. "I do believe I may have patched you up once or twice."
"I think you might be right. But now's not the time for all that. Let me take a look. With the laminium from these chains, nothing seems out of reach for me."
Yoyo got to his feet and stepped back, joining the rest of his shivering youngsters, the damage to their suits irreparable. Nodding at Flash, Fredric closed his eyes and let his mind wander out over the injured dragons. Much as he had with Flash during the battle with the jailer, Fredric's mind encompassed everything, right down to the finest detail or molecule. Nothing now seemed beyond him. With the speed of a supercomputer and the dexterity of a magician, the Crimson Guards founder used his mind to great effect, multitasking on a phenomenal level. Curing two badly injured dragons simultaneously, as well as healing the wounds of everyone else in the cavern... 'epic' would be the only way to describe what was happening. Never before in history had one dragon had so much magical power. It really was mind blowing, and took the breath away from every dragon there.
Witnessing one of the most miraculous events he'd ever seen, it was only then that Flash realised something inside him was... WRONG! For the briefest moment, his mind harked back to his last visit to this frosty hell, and wondered if once again he'd been poisoned by one of the nagas during the battle, because he was sure the feeling deep inside him was somehow related to that. But a more detailed assessment found something absolutely mind-boggling, and only then did he realise what had happened. Not only had Fredric saved his life when the evil jailer had all but killed him, but somehow, using the power stored in the laminium chains, he'd transformed his DNA back to its original state, back to before he'd encountered Antarctica and any of those damn nagas. In effect, Flash was now the dragon he once had been. Everything he'd missed had been returned to him. No longer was he damned in this falsehood of a human form. Happiness ebbed and flowed inside him. Any thought of taking his natural form though was cut short at the thought of what the blistering cold would do to his prehistoric body without any sort of protection. That dream would have to wait just a little while longer.
Releasing a long, slow breath that all but froze in the chilly air, Fredric opened his eyes and watched the injured dragons do exactly the same. Gasps of amazement from those all around rang throughout the surroundings, accompanied by mutterings of thanks. Yoyo offered out his hand, which Fredric duly shook. All the fighting force had survived, and were now fully healed and fit to carry on. But carry on to what? That was the question.
Clasping Flash on the shoulder, Fredric ventured,
"With me."
And so it was that Peter's grandfather strode across the icy cavern, weaving in and out of the butchered cadavers, heading straight for the naga king himself.