It took a bit of shuffling to get all dragons in an optimal position. Kint and Bizo, the larger dragons, sat at the back corners while Ravi and Gossamer, the smaller ones, sat at the front. Ivisian, the strongest out of the dragons, guarded the door. A shimmering barrier stood between them and the barn, and the same sheen wrapped around their bodies as they stood like statues. When dragons stood to protect their "hoard," their barrier was near-impenetrable as long as they stayed there.

The teens were instructed to stay within the barrier along with the supplies, but that was including the prince and Blaine.

"We need to look for them."

Gath looked Carthadeus straight in the eyes as he said that. It wasn't common for the older boy to be so serious. He was fine with staying in the background, letting the only other sixteen-year-old and someone two years younger than him take the lead, but at that moment, he was not taking a no.

"We were told to stay here," Carthadeus said back, but it was as if he was trying to convince himself to do it.

"I-I-It-t w—on't-t-t b-be l—long," Aitor offered, stepping between the older teens as a way to keep the peace.

Carthadeus let out a deep sigh. "Ok. But we only look at the outskirts and don't step foot into town. If they are in town, someone would've brought them here by now."

"Y-You d-d-d-don't th—ink-k they're—re dead-d-d, r—ight?"

"I...don't know." Carthadeus motioned for them to move. "But let's move. Best case scenario, they're hiding somewhere outside the village."

Nagan took the lead as they made their way along the outskirts, weaving between homes and fields. If they heard someone nearby, Nagan would scout ahead to look for the best route before giving the others the ok to follow.

They were losing hope fast as they neared the forest where they had been not even an hour earlier. Nearly all the way around the village, and there were no signs of the prince and his attendant. Nagan almost motioned for the squadron to head further into the village, not wanting to be caught near the field for too long, but Az suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Wait! Do you hear that?"

The teens stood and listened, at first hearing nothing more than shouts and the sounds of a fight progressing in the sky, but above the din floated the sound of a faint, child's cry.

"L-Left!"

With less grace and stealth than before, they all bolted in the direction of the cries. All protocols were abandoned when they saw the scene before them.

Three raiders hurled strike after strike at a dome barrier. The barrier cracked and groaned under the pressure, and inside sat Blaine, one arm clutching Georgivus to his chest while his other hand clenched around a black figurine, whispering prayers to the gods. Georgivus howled at the bright flashes around him.

"Sor!"

"Drae vak!"

The chime of a bell and a rich red light arched in the air before hitting one of the raiders in the chest. A second spell and a dark green strike hit another. Nagan winced as the two raiders broke out of the spell due to impact, but he pushed on as the teens quickly got into a formation.

Equal feet away, Gath, Az, and Aitor crouched low as a wider, stronger dome barrier surrounded them. Carthadeus and Nagan stood near back to back with only Blaine and Georgivus between them. After the third raider was knocked away after taking a vine to the face, Nagan released the time spell completely.

They were quick to realize that the raiders before them knew very few spells, almost exclusively limited to strikes and shields. But they were powerful ones. Effective and unknown. If it weren't for three Dragonmages on a single barrier, their shield would've been shattered in an instant. Whatever magic crystal Blaine had activated to protect him and the prince, it was a strong one.

Nagan and Carthadeus nearly danced around each other as they rotated, Carthadeus keeping an eye on the two chanters while Nagan mimicked the motions of the caster. Together they fought relentlessly, firing spell after spell to keep the raiders on the defensive. It was apparent the raiders had spent too much time trying to break the other barrier as their spells became slower and less accurate.

For a fleeting moment, the teens saw victory on the horizon.

But it was at that moment a black tendril slashed against the barrier, shattering it instantly.

Aitor shouted in surprise and pain while Az grunted at the shock. Gath, being more accustomed to a shattered spell, quickly pulled himself together to erect the barrier again.

Nagan activated the time spell again as another man emerged from the buildings. His face was gaunt and his thin arms were wrapped in bandages. With a torn cloak, it looked as if he was a corpse freshly risen from the grave. This was not the Hooded Man, Nagan knew, as the man's eyes didn't shine with a putrid green, but this was someone who also used dark techniques.

"Watch my back!"

Nagan didn't wait for Carthadeus' reaction, charging forward at the dark mage with his sword drawn. He knew there was no way to fight off such an enemy with magic, especially when they didn't know a way to counter it, so he depended on the hope that the dark mage would use the sword at his side.

As he felt the time spell come to a close, he released the surrounding area and focused it on the man before him. Nagan had raised his sword to swing when the spell truly faded, forcing the dark mage to stumble back in surprise. There was only enough time for the other to draw his sword before Nagan attacked again.

Nagan vaguely heard Carthadeus shout orders to change formation, and he caught glances of red and green light continuing to engage with the other spell casters. At one point he could've sworn he saw Aitor beyond the barrier, taking on the caster by just using his binding vines as a weapon. But there wasn't time to contemplate it.

Exhaustion wore down at Nagan as he fought. Pushing his time spell to the limit wasn't doing him any favors. His arms felt like lead as repeated blows rattled his bones. He felt sweat drip down from his forehead to his jaw.

Yet somehow, in some way, he still had the advantage. The dark mage was skilled but just as weak as he looked. Whenever given the opportunity, he would lash at Nagan with a black coil, but it only stung more than it cut. While powerful enough to shatter barriers, it was not the kind to sever flesh.

Nagan had finally broken the dark mage's guard, leaving the other fully exposed. He was only one stroke away from delivering the last blow. But it was not meant to be as a hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back, causing him to land harshly on the ground. Alarmed, Nagan raised his arm in defense, but it was the black and white lung dragon overhead that confirmed who took his place.

By the time the whole interaction had completed, the dark mage had raised his guard again, but in the end, he was no match for Carvolier's combat professor. It only took Professor Fai a few strikes before his sword connected to the dark mage's neck, and with a wet gurgle, the man fell to the ground.

Nagan could only stare in shock at what had just happened, a strange numbness washing over him. Someone retched from behind him. He didn't think of it at the time, but if the professor hadn't pulled him back...he knew it would've been his sword stained with blood.

"I had that," he still said weakly as Professor Fai helped him up.

"I know."

Professor Fai gave Nagan a pitying smile, patting him on the shoulder before turning to the others.

It was clear the rest of the teens had taken care of the other raiders. All three of them were wrapped tightly with vines, unconscious.

The teens themselves, however, weren't in as good of shape either. Most if not all had nicks and mild burns on various parts of their body, and all looked exhausted. Az blocked Aitor's view of the body as the latter continued to cough hunched over the grass. Gath patted him comfortingly on the back.

Georgivus' cries had reduced into quiet whimpers, still clutching onto Blaine's shirt as he kept his face hidden. Blaine, on the other hand, looked pale—almost too pale—as he continued to clutch at the statue in his hand and stare blankly at the area ahead of him. The barrier had long since faded.

Carthadeus distracted him from the odd behavior as he strode up to him.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked.

"I'll be alright"

...

"And you?"

"Could be worse."

There was a thump to the side, and Georgivus screamed.

"Blaine! Blaine, wake up! Wake up!"

Nagan whirled to the side to see Blaine fallen on the ground as Georgivus shook his shoulder almost violently. Blood soaked deep into Blaine's shirt.

By the time Nagan, Carthadeus, and Professor Fai had rushed over, Az had already begun stabilizing as Aitor transferred. Gath promptly scooped up the young prince to give the others more space, and Georgivus, too tired to fight, continued to cry.

"What happened?" Professor Fai demanded as he hovered over the scene.

"Stabbed through the abdomen. But it wasn't from just now, or else Georgivus would be injured as well."

"Then we better get him to the market square. That's where we're bringing the injured." Professor Fai waved his dragon down from where it floated in the sky. "Can he be moved?"

"He should be fine as long as he isn't jostled."

"Perfect." Professor Fai moved to where Aitor was transferring and said gently. "Aitor, you're still shaking. I can take over from here."

With a weak nod, Aitor withdrew and stepped back so the professor could take his place.

"Someone prop him up so I can bandage him quickly."

It took only a few minutes for Az to finish wrapping the wound. Professor Fai then instructed Nagan and Carthadeus to carefully lift Blaine off the ground and onto his dragon. It took a bit of adjusting, but it wasn't long before Nagan, Carthadeus, Az, and Professor Fai all sat on the dragon with Blaine lain across them. The teens were surprised that a dragon with no wings could hold so many people, but Professor Fai assured them that Chenshui was more than capable of it.

"We'll meet you there," Gath said, holding Georgivus with one arm while keeping the other wrapped around Aitor's shoulders, keeping the younger angled away from the corpse.

Professor Fai nodded back. "Keep your guard up as you go. We drove back the raiders, but there could be still a few around."

"Will do, Professor."

And with the smoothest take-off Nagan had ever experienced, they were up in the air and headed to the center of the town, the black figurine weighing heavily in his pocket.

•________________________________•

Brought to you by anxiety and bad decisions.

Good night XD