Youna's people took full advantage of the fact that they had raised the drakes of the Dragon King's soldiers. Fortunately, the beasts still responded to the call of their trainer's whistles and the resulting chaos made crossing the chasm without engaging in combat easier.

Only one person remained astride her mount while the rest jumped down and led all the drakes away after. Although drakes were nothing compared to the dragons of old – simple animals and unable to use magic -, they did still possess considerable strength and deadly fire breath.

Unfortunately, they were not the soldiers' only means against aerial enemy, and the bird folk had to quickly land and engage in close combat too before they were shot down with bows and arrows. Luis cast shield spells around everyone he could, but he could not maintain more than two protective barriers at once, and there were simply too many people.

Samantha and Alex helped the best they could, but her eyes were on the battlefield more looking for Lana than anything else. The girl was nowhere to be seen. She could see the large door in the stone building partially embedded to the base of the Tree, though. Maybe in there...?

"Seto, can you take us to that door?" she leaned forward and spoke to his ear. "Lana might be there."

He surveyed the situation for a moment. The fighting had moved inside the outer walls but was still taking place far enough from the door. But the Dragon King was too close. On the other hand, unless they rescued the princess, he might take her hostage.

"I will distract him," he finally stated. "Go save her."

Rouan drew his sword when Seto landed between him and the door and the two children scurried inside, Veka close on their heels. The Sanctuary had rejected him, yet the heavy door opened soundlessly to let the heirs of Merlin in. "You and your kind should have stayed out of this," he warned the sky wolf. "You have broken your vow not to oppose my rule."

"You are not a rightful ruler, and your actions would destroy Ildathach. We still remain loyal to both Clans." Seto returned to air. The door had closed securely between them and the children, and the mad King could not afford to ignore the actual battle. "I will hold to our promise nonetheless. I have no intent to directly fight you."

It was pitch dark inside. Samantha and Alex couldn't see a thing.

"Think of light and say it," Veka adviced them.

"Say what?" Alex asked, confused.

"Say that you want light, of course! Remember what Valeria said. Magic is all about will, not fancy words."

"Veka..?" Lana's scared voice echoed in the room along with theirs. "Sam? Alex?"

"We're here, Lana!" Samantha quickly replied. "We've come to save you!"

Alex tried to concentrate really hard. He held his hands cupped in front of her and imagined a sphere of light on them. "Um...light!"

Bright illumination washed over them before condensing into a small ball on his cupped palms.

Lana hesitantly stood up and approached them. Then, convinced they were really there, she rushed to Samantha's arms. "I was so scared!" she wailed.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Samantha whispered and gently stroked her back as Lana sobbed in her embrace.

Veka wagged his tail, proud of their accomplishment. "I knew we could do better than the grown-ups!" He hadn't quite taken into account yet that they still had to get out and back to Mariana for the Medallion of the Sun in one piece.

Meanwhile, Mariana went straight for the Dragon King. He had less than two dozen people left, and they were scattered all over the garden surrounding the Sanctuary. She would win this battle!

Some part of her wanted to run in screaming, to make him pay for what he did to Ilyana, Sarkan and everyone they had fought side by side with. But she knew that she was no match to him in direct combat. Even before he had married the Dragon Queen, he had been praised as a warrior worthy of legends. No, better to use her own strengths while he was busy fighting off Youna's people. Elsewhere, the fighting was already ceasing, almost all of the King's soldiers dead or having thrown down their weapons.

She sheathed her sword and took the sun medallion in one hand. "Light..." she whispered. "Become a prison for the darkness. Unbreakable. Unending."

Then she extended her hand towards the Dragon King. If he noticed her before the prison was complete, he'd kill her before she could react.

Luis noticed what she was trying to do from his vantage point in the air and guided the sky wolf he was riding to the other side of the Dragon King to distract him further. "Hey! Where is my daughter?" he shouted.

Rouan snarled as he slew one of his assailants in cold blood. "So the thief comes back for slaughter...Hand over the Medallion of the Sun and I might let you see her before I kill you!"

Almost ready...

Luis nearly fell off when his mount had to dodge an unexpected fireball that the Dragon King threw their way between sword swings. Sky wolves were sacred in Ildathach. To knowingly attack one showed just how far the King had gone in his insanity.

"In the name of Merlin and by my will!" Mariana spoke to tap fully to the power of the medallion. The words themselves didn't matter – in better times, the Bird Clan had channeled their magic through song - but giving shape to the will made directing the magic easier.

A cage spun of pure light trapped the enraged Dragon King. Rouan roared in anger, but even all his power wasn't enough to break the prison.

Mariana sighed in relief. He didn't have the Medallion of the Stars. Or perhaps it didn't obey him. If it had come down to the clash between two artifacts created by Merlin, she might not have come out a victor.

"All your warriors are defeated! Surrender and your life will be spared!" Not even nearly everyone fighting at her side agreed with that offer – the Dragon King had stolen their children and killed their friends and family -, but not showing mercy was something he would do in this situation. She refused to fall to his level.

"You still don't see, do you? There is no life for me without her!" His lips twisted into a cruel smile. "None of your lives are worth anything compared to bringing her back. If you won't kill me, I will not stop trying."

"Mom! We got Lana!" Samantha called out from the door of the Sanctuary building.

Mariana sensed something sinister, a surging power she had never felt before, from the Dragon King. She quickly tried to make up for her lapse in concentration and tighten the magical cage around him.

The Dragon King smiled. "Too late."

He was enveloped in dark flames, and an ear-shattering roar pierced the air as his form changed, growing bigger and bigger.

Luis and his sky wolf mount swooped down and pulled Mariana to safety right in time before a huge serpentine tail hit the ground where she had been standing.

"This isn't possible!" Mariana couldn't believe her eyes as she beheld the red beast at least fifteen feet high at shoulder. "The great dragons went extinct centuries ago! Nobody in the Dragon Clan has that power anymore!"

"Do you see now? Nothing will stop me from reviving her!" he spoke to their minds mockingly. "Now give me that medallion!"

"Sam, get Lana and Alex back inside!" Luis yelled at them.

A circle of flames suddenly surrounded the children. "Stay there and WATCH, little princess. Watch as your family dies and there is nothing you can do. Then you will share my wish."

Samantha and Alex formed a protective shield around them together. Although the fire didn't spread any closer to them, the heat was intense.

Lana wanted to close her eyes, to not see the desperate struggle around her. Both the bird people and the dragon people were doing everything they could to defeat the dragon, but even their numbers didn't help them gain an upper hand. And they were trying so very hard!

Why couldn't she do anything? Everybody was saying that she was special, a chosen one who would save Ildathach. But she couldn't even do anything to help while others were fighting for their lives. Even Sam and Alex could protect her.

She just wanted to keep everyone safe! What use were these "sun wings" if she was still this helpless?!

It is not the wings that make a chosen one. They are only an outward mark of a heart filled with kindness and love for others.

Lana looked around, puzzled. Who was speaking? And why was there suddenly mist rising all around her? She couldn't even see Sam, Alex and Veka anymore.

We are the guardians of the Sanctuary.

Shadowy shapes – HUGE shadowy shapes – appeared in front of her. One of them looked like a dragon. The other one was a bird.

Call our names with all your heart, and we will answer your summons.

She really didn't know what was going on, but they looked big enough to stop the Dragon-King-turned-real-dragon. "Mr. Dragon! Mr. Bird! Please help us!"

The creatures exchanged a long look.

What do they teach children these days? She even got your gender wrong.

There was a long exhale like a sigh. I suppose it's still good enough. We will help you.

It was like time itself slowed down for the combatants as two brilliantly shining creatures emerged from the trunk of the Tree of Life around the doorway to the Sanctuary. On the left appeared a golden bird whose long tail feathers and the fierce-looking crest shone like the sun. Its eyes were like gigantic sapphires, bluer than the depths of the ocean. On the right was a dragon with silver scales, each one glimmering like the stars of the night sky.

The red dragon roared in rage as the beasts twice his size fell on him like ravenous wolves. Despite all his furious efforts, the battle was over in mere moments. The mad Dragon King was no more.