“Wait,” Adan breathed, his reptilian eyes turning down the passage on their left. His pale skin possessed a soft glow in the white light of Inara’s orb, his shaven horns dull by comparison.
“What is it, Adan?” the Guardian asked.
The Drake, clearly recovering, tilted his head. “I can see the magic from his bones.”
Inara didn’t question Adan’s observation, his supernatural sight proven time and time again. Instead, she moved in front of him and led by his directions and the point of her Vi’tari blade. Like all the previous passages, this one offered multiple avenues, daring to tempt wayward explorers further into the maze. Adan guided them left and right, reassuring Inara and Gideon that they weren’t going in circles.
“Stop,” Adan bade, his tone soft. “His aura goes no further.”
Inara turned back to the Drake with a question to match her confusion, but it was Asher himself who provided the answer. Dropping down from above, his legs having braced him between the walls, the ranger landed amongst them like a feral beast. The only thing separating his movements from those of an animal were his precise and effective actions, chief among which was an unorthodox twist that launched Adan into Gideon. Before either hit the floor, he planted a boot in Inara’s gut, throwing her further down the passage.
By the time any had recovered enough to assess the situation, Asher was dashing away and disappearing around a corner. “Why would he do that?” Inara managed, picking herself up.
Gideon rose to his feet and steadied Adan in his hands. “Let’s ask him.”
Together, they sprinted back the way they had come until Adan picked up his trail again. Here and there, they caught glimpses of his green cloak before he vanished behind another wall. Their chase continued through the dark but it soon became apparent that Asher wasn’t one to be captured.
Adan drew to a halt and looked in every direction. “I think he must be doubling back on himself. His aura is more intense, but it is beginning to mix with both of yours. I’m losing him.”
Gideon slowly shook his head. “He’s spent decades evading some of the best hunters in the world. We’re not going to find him in here, not in the dark.”
Inara couldn’t reconcile the ranger’s actions. “Why would he attack us?”
“He didn’t attack us,” Gideon countered. “We’ve all seen what happens when Asher goes on the attack. I think he was defending himself.”
“From us?” Inara questioned incredulously.
Inara! Athis’s call turned the Guardian to the east. We have him!
Having heard something similar from Ilargo, Gideon reacted first and darted for the next passage. It wasn’t long before they were exposed to Erador’s northern chill. Leaving the cover of the grand entrance, the three companions ran out into the light fall of snow as twilight beset the realm, casting Drakanan in a cold gloom. Carved out of the mountains, its high walls loomed either side, as did many of the statues that lined the central path.
For all its grandeur, nothing could take away from the spectacle of two living dragons. Ilargo and Athis, green and red, dominated the path, their wings spread out beside them. Both predators were angling their horned heads like spears at the ranger, who found himself with nowhere to run.
Inara’s orb of light pushed ahead and remained at an elevated position above them all. Getting a better look at Asher, the Guardian wondered if he was better compared to an animal after all. There was a wild look in his eyes, a desperation that bordered on violence.
“Asher!” she called, being sure to stop before entering the swing of his arm. “What are you doing?”
The ranger gave no reply but to tug on his old satchel, shoving it further around his hip. His other hand, however, began to creep up towards the hilt on his belt.
Ilargo lowered his head even further and loosed a threatening rumble from his throat. Athis refrained from doing the same, but Inara could feel his muscles tensing around his front claws. A single swipe from either would kill the ranger.
“Asher,” Gideon began, taking one step towards him.
The ranger altered his stance in the blink of an eye. He was shorter now, his knees tensed, with hunched shoulders, and a confident grip on his broadsword. Ilargo’s claws dug into the ground.
“Don’t do it, Asher,” Inara warned.
“He is not himself,” Adan surmised. “Even fools can see the folly in confronting two dragons.”
Athis silently lowered his head towards Asher’s back and sniffed the air. The dragon immediately pulled his head back and turned to Ilargo, though their conversation escaped Inara. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but think of all the times she had shut Athis out while carrying on a conversation with others. Irritating as it was, the Guardian kept her focus on Asher, who looked like he could explode into action any second.
Without warning, Ilargo lifted his head into the air and unleashed an ear-piercing roar. So close was the ranger that he bowed his head, instinctively covered his ears, and shut his eyes. In the silence that followed, Asher slowly lifted his head and took in his surroundings. That wild look had left his blue eyes, replaced now with startled surprise. Turning one way then the next, the ranger orientated himself to the environment and those that encircled him.
“Asher?” Inara called softly.
He stood up straight with one hand gripped to the strap of his satchel. “I don’t know… I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
Gideon sheathed Mournblade on his hip. “I do,” he said, briefly meeting Ilargo’s eyes. He took a step towards Asher, who immediately took a step back before catching himself.
“What’s wrong with me?” Asher muttered.
Inara harboured the same question and looked to Athis. His facial expressions were impossible
