Having watched in total silence, barely able to believe what he'd seen, the king of the nagas now looked on with a semblance of a smile crossing his reptilian face for the first time in many years.
"Majesty," declared Fredric, bowing his head ever so slightly.
"Youuu offffff allll beingsss need nottt callll meee thatttt."
"If you would allow me..." offered the founder of the Crimson Guards.
With a nod of his head, the naga king granted his permission to his fellow captive.
Grasping the chains constraining the king, Fredric tapped into his vast supply of willpower, and with the words that Flash had passed onto him, the ones that had changed his life and granted his freedom, let rip with the mantra. A small glow along the length of the chain and a slight change in colour were the only clues that anything had happened, until a guttural roar from Fredric echoed around the cavern as his muscles bulged, seemingly about to rip through his skin. With his chest expanding and a terrifying snarl on his face, 'SNAP!', the chains broke in two, freeing the naga king once and for all.
Panting heavily, Fredric tossed the remnants of the now laminium chain across the icy cavern, straight at Flash, who caught them easily with one hand.
Slithering and sliding, the naga king extended himself to his full height, something he had struggled to do with the chains encompassing him.
"Thhhhaaaannnk yoooouuuuu."
"No problem," replied Fredric, aware that time was not on their side.
"I aaaaaammmm theeeeee kkkiiiiiing offfffff theeeeee ennnnnnntiiiiiiirrrrre cllllllannnnn offfffff naaaaaagasssss... buuuuuut yooooou maaaaaay calllllllll meeee byyyyy mmmmmy giiiiivennnn naaaaaammmmme... Vasuki."
"I am Fredric, and it's a pleasure to be standing here beside you... free. After everything we've been through. But now is not the time to dwell on that. We need your help, Vasuki. It appears that for whatever reason most of your kin are currently allied with a cruel and wicked being named Manson, intent on taking over the earth and transforming it forever. Is there any way that you can get a message out and let them know that you are free and that their obligation to this psychopath is null and void?"
Ever more creased lines stretched across the naga king's forehead as he scoured his mind for anything that would help. It was almost impossible to see how he could contact even one of his kind without knowing exactly where they were, let alone all of them.
A misty, hazy silence encompassed them all. With the naga king racking his brain, abruptly Yoyo chipped in.
"We have to leave this place. It's too cold. We won't be able to survive for much longer."
Flash turned expectantly to Fredric, who was only now weighing up the whole situation. Even with the immense amount of power from the laminium chains, it would be difficult to sustain everyone here for any length of time. But what played on his mind the most were the events taking place on the other side of the planet. If only they were there, then they wouldn't have to worry about being destroyed by the biting cold and could help defend the dragon king, his friend, from whatever fate was now trying to throw at him.
24
Steel Yourself
Stepping over debris and climbing over mountains of rubble as a group was odd in itself. But not as odd or strange as climbing over it all without making any noise, almost as if someone had hit the mute button or the sound had been abruptly cut off on the television news. Still they ploughed on, wary of being ambushed amidst the devastation of what was once a proud and esteemed city. It felt that way no more. Fires blazed, choking smog and smoke made up the air wherever they were, and the scent of death was almost a constant. Weaving their way through the desolate remains of an underground monorail station (they weren't even sure which one, that's how bad the damage was) the old shopkeeper and the humans remained firmly in the middle of the small renegade band, constantly on the lookout for danger. Abruptly the dragons at the front stopped, the leader holding up a closed fist, not for the first time in the last few minutes. With the tension palpable, the eclectic mix of prehistoric beasts and their human charges readied themselves for what at some point would be inevitable... a fight! It hadn't happened so far, thanks mainly to the noise cancelling mantra and the highly skilled nature of those dragons at the front in charge of cutting their way through the ravaged infrastructure. But luck had most definitely been on their side, an ally that was almost certain to desert them at some point in the very near future.
Snaking his long neck out to one side in an effort to see what was happening down at the start of their line, the master mantra maker let out a stifled gasp on witnessing the lead dragon suddenly pulled around the corner of a blazing shop, before being physically thrown up into the air, twisting and writhing uncontrollably, most undragonlike. Like an atomic dust cloud, albeit on a much smaller scale, debris and dust scattered up into the air, before anyone else even had a chance to react.
'THIS IS IT THEN!' was pretty much the single thought that all of those accompanying Gee Tee had simultaneously. Magic humming, crackling and flaring, weapons readied, the group charged as one, determined to use the element of surprise to their full advantage.
"STOP!" came the flustered and rather out of breath shout from their front dragon, belly down on the floor, looking rather more the worse for wear than he deserved to. As one, the old shopkeeper's force hesitated, still ready to act, all wondering what on earth was going on.
From out of the shadows, surrounded by scorching fire just the way he liked it, a young dragon, shiny and supple, cut through the choking black smoke, wings spread out behind his back, muscles rippling, magic arcing across his fingertips. Most stood rooted to the spot, some in awe, most in fear. The look currently emblazoned across the newcomer's face was enough to inspire terror inducing nightmares.
With not a thought for his safety, the master mantra maker wriggled free of his rather constricted position in the middle of the group and with one flap of his aging old wings, propelled himself straight to the front of the line, landing with the delicacy of a feather.
"Tame your temper child. We're not looking for a fight," quipped Gee Tee, tucking back his wings and showing off both his hands in an effort to look as non-threatening as possible. It was only then, close up... that he noticed it. For all intents and purposes, this loner looked young... almost impossibly so. But close up, in the light cast out from the blazing building, there was something else, something the old shopkeeper's know-how recognised immediately: an intelligence and experience, much like his own. Like could easily recognise like and this was no youngster. This was something much more formidable.
"STATE YOUR BUSINESS!" demanded the mysterious dragon seriously, all the time magic lighting up the end of his fingertips.
Taking a breath to compose himself, with everyone else looking on, the shopkeeper replied,
"We're looking to thwart what's going on in and around us. We could certainly use some help."
Surprised at how the encounter hadn't played out as he'd envisaged when he'd caught sight of the dragon poking his head out from around the corner, briefly he wondered how this day could get any more bizarre. It took him no time at all to reach the conclusion that it really couldn't. A dream, was all that he could think, but he knew that not even the darkest dragon mind could conjure up the nightmarish visions that had plagued him since he'd awoken, seventy-two hours ago. This was as real as it gets... unfortunately for him.
"HOW CAN I BE SURE OF THAT?"