The Golden Light
Part V of VI

The full moon emerged behind thick, dark clouds as a silent figure made its way over the grassy fields on a fast steed as the sounds of the town festival could be heard for miles around, but this one was not rushing to the castle for the merriment...there was a friend's life in their paws and nothing would stop them from making sure that dragon survived beyond tonight.

She traveled as swiftly as the steed could carry her, when she heard the terrible news of Ahndeleck's and his sister's activities, she couldn't help but offer some way to aid them. She was cloaked in black for the ride, but her blue dragoness form was clothed in the most expensive of attire in order for her to gain easier entry into the castle itself. There was no time for this sneaking in and out, moreso because the problems of Ilith managing to get her mate out of the dungeon caused there to be a good deal more protection in that area. The only other way was to somehow feign her station as someone of enough importance to be admitted to the more formal celebration within the grand ballroom and make her way from there. This was the plan she and Ilith worked out before she had taken leave of the gold dragoness' lair, although it pained her to leave her friends tending to the dragon that was struggling for his life.

She brought her steed to a halt at the large doors of the outer walls surrounding the castle that were thrown open for the people to enjoy the many types of festivities the king and his court had to offer. Beyond the large bonfire she was directed to the heavily guarded castle doors, here she dismounted and allowed a small child tend to the steed and lead it away to the stables. She lowered the hood of her cloak to reveal a shimmering crest of gold and bronze with a brilliant stone set in the middle of her forehead. The guards hastened to let her through as she held her head high and was told to see the head advisor about her place at the king's table.

She walked gracefully inside and presented herself as the heir to the thrown of a neighboring kingdom that had been late with communications lately, but the advisor was more than ecstatic that she could attend. She then inquired, as eloquently as possible just as Ilith had instructed, by the importance of her counsel who recommended, about the studies of alchemy that was still practiced within the castle walls unlike any other in the country. The advisor was impressed that she knew so much and offered for her to go and discuss such things with a wise mage named Seth.

She politely thanked the advisor and was escorted to the mage's chambers, then was left alone to enter. Inside she found many books and experiments littering the floor and the many tables in the large room. She was rather nervous now because she was not sure at all what to say in order to move the conversation with the mage toward the poison that infected her friend, but she did as Ilith said and tried her best to stay calm and clear-headed. As she walked further she was amazed at what she saw, but toward the back of the room she heard loud noises and what she thought were the clanking of heavy chains.

"Who's there?" She called out loudly. "Master Seth? The advisor suggested for me to come and speak with you..." The dragoness walked closer and peered just beyond a large bookcase until she was a well-built female wolf chained to the wall.

"Who are you?" the wolfess asked.

"Derian, should I assume you helped Ilith earlier today? She told me that a friend of hers was captured - "

"Yea, that would be me, how do you know Ilith?" the female interrupted.

"I came here to get you out of here and to find..."

Suddenly a loud creak of the metal door closing was heard and both Derian and the wolf became quiet. Frowning, the wolfess rattled her chains and a voice came from somewhere beyond the sea of literature and scientific junk all around, "Quiet down! You're lucky you didn't die when you came in here."

"Master Seth?" Derian inquired.

Just then an elderly Siberian tiger came into view, leaning slightly on a wooden staff, "Yes, that would be me, what do you want, m'lady?"

"I was wanting to ask you about your studies of alchemy on behalf of my kingdom...and to ask why you have this female chained?"

The tiger made a scoffing sound and lifted a vial of red liquid from the table near him. "Female? Yes, she is now...I assume you have heard of the escape of one of our prisoners, a jealous wolf who killed one of the best lieutenants of our army...that one there was one of the ones who aided whoever it was to get him out."

"Really?" Derian turned toward the wolf with mock surprise. "Why is she here then, instead of being locked up?"

"Because of what I did to her."

"What did you do to her, then sir?"

The tiger held up the vial a little higher and smirked. "This is a formula I had created some years ago, it changes the gender of any being to the opposite once ingested," he nodded toward the wolf and grinned. "She used to be a male, and is still much too strong to be handled by the guards in the dungeon - apparently one side effect of the formula."

Derian nodded and looked at the wolf a bit solemnly. After almost an hour of hearing about the history of alchemy, Derian began to ask questions about the surrounding vials and weapons created by the mage to better aid the army. He led her to a side room where all of these powerful weapons were stored.

"And what is that one?" Derian pointed to a bundle of arrows with blue markings near the arrowheads.

"Ah, now those are very, very poisonous...to a dragon at least, it changes the blood to turn upon the organs of the creature. It takes up to a day or maybe even half of another for the dragon to die," the mage replied calmly despite the look of horror on her face. We only use these on the more dangerous feral dragons when our patrols head into the mountains, no need to worry, miss."

Derian nodded and walked back out of the room, stopping a moment. "And is there any way of reversing those effects?" She asked as she glanced back at the mage.

"Yes, actually, but there could be no way for anyone to get it."

"How so?"

"Because it has to be the blood of the one who created the poison...not just a drop either!" the mage chuckled.

"I see..." Derian replied and glanced a bit slyly toward the female wolf, who could not help but grin slightly.

Derian then purposely stepped closer to her and hoped that somehow they could manage to get her - him, unchained and returned to normal. Just then the wolf lunged at Derian and held her by the throat, although nowhere near enough to actually pose any harm to the water dragoness, she struggled in the wolf's grip and called for the tiger for help.

Seth stepped closer and used his walking stick to strike the wolf in order to free Derian. As he was about to impose another hit the wolfess grabbed the stick and tugged him close enough to get her claws dug just deep enough into his neck to keep him in place. Derian then came before the mage and sighed, she knew what had to be done even if she was a gentler creature than this other female seemed to be.

"How can we get her back to normal, sir?"

Seth gasped and struggled in the wolfess' grasp at his neck, his words barely reaching a whisper, "There is a-another vial, it has green liquid-"

Derian ran quickly to one of the tables and searched for what she heard, then she holds up one of the vials for him to see.

"Y-yes, that's it...now let me go," he gasped a little more loudly.

"Well, we can't do that just yet," the wolf said loudly.

Seth gazed at her wide-eyed and he struggled more.

She looked up from the mage and smirked, "Derian, right? Go get one of them empty jar things...I think we got what ya need right here."

Derian nodded and reached for one of the empty glass vials, her paw shaking slightly as she brought it to the wolf with her writhing prey.

= = =

Derian and the wolfess, now clothed in knee-high leather boots and a hunter's tunic with a long blue cloak, calling herself Tysta; are able to get to the stables just outside of the castle before a guard stops them.

"Leaving so soon, miss?" he asked, nodding toward Derian.

She looked up and nodded, "Yes, unfortunately we must, my protector was sent ahead of me to make sure everything went smoothly, and my business here is done, sir."

The equine guard nodded and stepped closer, bowing slightly, "Very well, but even though I believe your story, madam, I do not think the other guards will."

Derian looked at him a little confusedly, "What do you-"

"I can help you get out of here, I know who you are doing this for," the guard interrupted.

"And you are?" Tysta asked a bit gruffly.

"My name is Balestarius, one of the main constables of the city. May I have your names?"

"Derian led-Kersan is mine and hers is Tysta," Derian replied.

The equine nodded and told them to hood themselves, so they would have less of a chance being seen and captured. Derian and Tysta mounted their horses and followed at a walking pace behind the constable. Derian couldn't help but glance around her at the many guards that were in groups of twos and threes, talking together or just watching what was going on about them.

Balestarius led them to the gates of the city and told the other guards there that he would be escorting the ladies a little ways down the road for their safety. The large gates were opened and he led them through and walked with them just like he said he would, except now he walked at the side of Derian's horse.

"Why - how did you know who we were doing this for?" Derian asked at last.

Balestarius glanced at her for a moment, no real emotion in his features or voice she could tell from since he stopped them earlier. "Just doing a favor for something she did for me, even if it may not be a very important one..."

"What did she do for you? Cause she always seems to be getting me into trouble," Tysta chuckled.

Balestarius nodded and reached into his cloak, stopping with them and turning to Derian, placing a rolled up piece of parchment in her paws. Derian smiled and carefully unrolled it, revealing a stunning portrait of the equine with the recognizable symbol that signified it was Ilith's work.

"It's very beautiful, was this the first one ever done of you?" Derian asked as she rolled it back up and handed it to him.

Balestarius nodded and took it carefully, placing it back within his cloak. "She was in the tavern, in the city a few months ago...and I've had great pride in it, but she never came back so that I could do something to repay her for that kind gesture. I hope helping her friends is a good way to do so."