It was a long walk back to the main cave, where Cody had reunited with Inferno, but when they reached it he found that it was well worth the wait. The golden sunlit caressed his paler than usual skin with its gentle beams of light, and Inferno and Destiny glistened dazzlingly bright as soon as they emerged from the tunnel at the rear. His happiness remained with them long afterwards, though it was only a few seconds later that they went down another tunnel.

A while later they came to a large door that opened slowly when Blissful knocked in some odd pattern. The room that was revealed to them was larger than any room Cody had yet seen in the Dreamkeeper's realm. The floor and about ten feet up the walls there was intricately painted forest land, rivers, lakes, and prairies towards the end of the 400 foot-long hall so that it looked as though with each step they were flying over the forest and not just stepping over a painting. The rest of the walls and the ceiling, which rose perhaps a hundred feet up, were painted the richest blue of a summer day, with thin, wispy clouds at the top and a bright golden-orange sun actually shining and giving off perfect light in the distant corner.

"This is the hall where many of the Dragon Warriors of old would train, before your land was civilized for the Warriors to live together, without us to depend on. Using a vast store of magic, over a dozen riders and dragons sculpted out this hall, painted it, and trained later riders the art of magic, with room enough to practice flight and aerial techniques as well. We still use this hall to train our own, but as long as you are here it is yours to use as you wish and will be left untouched," Blissful explained.

Willful nodded his head and added, "We must leave now, but at the end of the hall you will find two doors. The one to your right leads to the library where you will find your mentors and the door to the left leads to your rooms. We wish you all luck in your training, and hope that you will grow to enjoy our home."

And just like that, they were gone. They all stared at the massive door, even after it had closed behind the king and queen, before finally turning back to the room. Everything about it was so realistic, and even without knowing magic, they could all feel that the very air was thick with it.

"Can we fly, Rider?" Inferno asked, an audible whimper bursting from his lips as he pleaded.

It took Cody mere seconds to leap into the silver saddle strapped onto Inferno's back, it having been strapped back onto his back after being healed. It took Inferno even less time to leap into the air, wings extended to their full width. And for the first time since Inferno's horrible injuries, they flew. They flew for the first time in a long time, as rider and dragon.

Inferno rushed up into the painted sky faster than he had ever climbed before, the wind rushing over his scales and buffeting Cody as he did. When they neared the ceiling the dragon flipped over and scraped a claw over the smooth surface of a cloud, making it ripple somewhat. He pushed off from the ceiling and spiraled quickly around for a few seconds before opening his wings again at the end of the hall and flipping around to view their companions.

To their surprise, Destiny and Avalsmokes were floating towards them with fantastic speed. It could not come close to the feeling of flying in an actual sky, but no one cared. The four of them were flying again, and from the looks of it Omen and Ashheart were perfectly satisfied looking up at them from the ground. They were all happy to be free, healthy, and on the wing.

As Destiny approached, Inferno twisted over onto his side and dove away from her approaching form, but she skillfully dove down near him in close pursuit. Then the black dragon spiraled through the air for a second time, but faster, making Cody close his eyes as he clung on tight for dear life. When they stopped spinning, a shadow passed over them, and Cody opened his eyes, only to burst out laughing. Above them he saw Aval, hanging from the blood-red saddle on Destiny's back as the gold dragon did an intricate dive around Inferno's form. Together the two dragons did a complicated dance of diving, twisting, swooping, and spinning around each other. After perhaps ten minutes of this the dragons finally landed upon the floor once again, short of breath and with eyes glowing brighter than ever.

"I had almost forgotten what it feels like to fly free among the clouds!" Destiny announced with a bugle of triumphant joy.

"You? What about me, the one who thought he'd never fly again? Besides, we are not even outside," Inferno complained jokingly, though by the fire in his limbs and the light in his eyes Cody could tell that he was ecstatic.

"In any case, we should meet our mentors sometime soon," Cody said, trying to calm himself down after the ride.

Aval rolled his eyes and slid from Destiny's back, Cody following close behind, and the other rider commented, "And then there's Cody, ruining the fun for us all."

"Hey if we get done with our training we might be able to go outside and fly whenever we want all the time," Cody pointed out as he approached the door about 20 feet away.

Inferno and Destiny stayed where they were and focused on steadying their breathing while Omen wordlessly came up beside them on Ashheart and quickly dismounted to join his friends. Inferno slowly sat down and stretched his wings briefly before folding them tight to his side. Out of nowhere a silvery-white claw struck Inferno playfully in the middle of his neck, and he looked over just in time to see Destiny's right wing-claw curl up nicely in the folds of her own wings.

"You and I both know you liked it," the gold dragon teased as she bared her razor-sharp teeth in a grin of amusement.

Inferno returned the gesture before settling into a laying position with a hidden smile on his own draconic features. Meanwhile, Cody and his friends reached the door that they had been sent to and opened it up. The three of them stepped carefully inside to find row after row of ancient-looking books and scrolls in a relatively small room. To the side there was a table where three men and two women of varying ages sat talking together. When they noticed Cody and companions, they all smiled a bit.

One man of perhaps 30 years with normal golden-blond hair and emerald-green eyes, obviously the leader of the group stood and nodded in Cody's direction. "Greetings Dreamwalker, Goldscales, and Rider of Wolves, I am Thoughtful, and this is Playful, Doubtless, Doubtful the brother of Doubtless of course, and Fearless. We are your mentors as long as you are here, each to teach you different things. I teach Dreamkeeper social skills and political knowledge."

"I have studied dragons many years, and I am here to instruct you in all of the things that each pair is naturally able to do as a team, such as aerial maneuverability and general tricks and skills," said Playful, a young woman of perhaps 20.

The one called Doubtful, obviously oldest of the group at what Cody guessed in human years to be late 60s, and said, "My sister Doubtless and I will teach you magic. More specifically, she will teach you how to use your most powerful ability and hone it, and I will teach you the more general understanding of magic, including dragon fire."

"I will teach you battle and all the skills that will assist you in battle and as a guard. You will find that Playful and I often work together. We have always worked together on finding new techniques for riding and fighting at the same time," said Fearless, a man of around 25 as Cody guessed.

There was some silence before Thoughtful jumped in again, "There is time for me to answer a few questions before we show you your rooms and rest for the night, if you have any."

Cody's eyebrows rose slightly at the idea of finally being able to slow down and speak. "Actually, the only concern we have for right now is what the actual ranking system is."

Thoughtful smiled and chuckled a bit before answering, "I could have guessed. It's pretty simple, really. There are about ten ranks that are actually labeled by elements of magic and nature, but for now we will stick to numbering them. Just know that the first rank, your rank, is Water. Unfortunately at that rank you have very few rights, but as you train you will move up in rank and gain new responsibilities and freedoms. For now you will no longer be allowed to leave the area of the hall out there, this room, and your own rooms without being accompanied by an older warrior or guard and I will be your only mentor for now. But don't fret; this first rank will not last long at all."

When he finished he began walking out the door and gestured for the others to follow, but Aval quickly asked, "What do we get at the next rank?"

Thoughtful barely took the time to slow down before he answered, "At the second rank you may go about all of the basic halls of our kingdom and start your lessons with Playful on the various tricks and stunts you may need to perform in the future. Before you ask, the third rank allows you to go to some of the more secretive areas of our mountain and go outside with the company of senior warrior or guard and you can start battle training. The fourth rank allows you to go on patrols around our entire territory and you can then start learning the basics of magic, which is far harder to learn at first than you might think."

"Does everyone here learn magic?" Omen asked as they entered the door on the opposite side of the hall with the dragons and wolf in tow.

"For the most part," Thoughtful said after a moment. "Many people do not have the ability to use magic, but most of us do and are trained to use their powers. However, very few of us learn more than simple tricks like shifting wind and water and the most basic ways to trick the eye."

"What can you do?" Cody asked curiously.

"Not much I fear," he answered with a sigh. "The best I can do is bend the air a bit to my will."

"Can you show us?" Destiny inquired.

Thoughtful turned to them briefly and Cody felt a slight breeze ruffle his hair. He would have never even noticed it if he hadn't expected it, but Thoughtless seemed pretty pleased with how good it had been. Cody instantly felt bad for him, living in a world full of magical creatures with such meager powers.

"Don't feel too bad for me," Thoughtful chuckled, seeing the look everyone gave him. "I can still shift into an animal just fine. And you are all more inquisitive than you said you'd be."

"Then would it bother you if I asked what animal's form you can take?" Inferno asked.

"Not at all, dear Inferno. I suppose while magic is my shortcoming, shifting is my strong suit. I am a saber-toothed cat with the most magnificent fur you could ever see on a shifter. It is very rare that one of us shifts into an animal that is extinct or endangered, so I feel proud of that."

"Pleased to hear it," Inferno said.

After that they walked in silence, all trying to get a good look at their surroundings. The walls were very angular and mostly unadorned and undecorated, but occasionally Cody could notice the faintest little scratches of tiny paws on the walls and the floor had several indents in places from padded feet. However, it wasn't very long at all until they came to three doors at the end of the tunnel. The one directly ahead was clearly meant for a dragon, as it towered more than thrice Inferno's height above them. On either side were doors about 10 feet tall to allow room for only the Dreamkeepers, who Cody remembered once again, sometimes reached heights of eight feet or more.

First of all Thoughtful led them through the first door, which opened surprisingly easily when he pushed on it. When he did, Cody was surprised to find an area similar to a horse stable, but with a few key differences. There were about ten stalls, each easily large enough for a dragon thrice Inferno's size to live in with ease. There were thick metal doors and the edges were plated with metal, though the latches on the door were very simple, and could easily be opened by even the largest and clumsiest of dragons. On the inside, each stall's floor was lined with massive animal furs and hides and large pillows of varying colors. Attached to each stall was a small little stall only about twice the size of a horse's similarly decorated.

Thoughtful walked forward and said, "Inferno, Destiny, and Ashheart, you are all free to choose a den that you like, and when you do there are some plaques at the end of the room that your riders can write your names on and you can hang them on your den's door. As for you riders, your own dens are through the door on the left when you leave; I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Thank you for all your help, what will you have us do now?" Cody asked.

Thoughtful looked around for a moment before responding, "Do what you please, but I expected you well-rested and ready to train in the morning."

"How can we tell what time it is?" Omen asked in confusion.

"Many have found that while in the halls of the Dreamkeepers, it is surprisingly easy to guess the time accurately, even if you have not seen the sun in entire years. I bid you farewell, and hope to see you in the library early tomorrow to begin your training."

"Good-bye," everyone said in unison as Thoughtful left, closing the massive door behind him.

"I suppose I'll find a spot to call my own," Inferno said.

Destiny quickly added, "As close together as possible, I should think. We may have the entire room to ourselves, but I think it would be safest in this new environment."

"Agreed," Ashheart said as he ruffled his ashy-grey fur. "I suppose I am to make my home in one of the smaller cells, so I'll wait for you two to make your decisions first."

"Perhaps the very end? You could have even more privacy there," Cody pointed out.

"Fine by me," Inferno said.

"Me too," Destiny added

Ashheart gave a wolf's toothy grin and said "To the end of the hall it is then."

Each rider climbed onto his mount and was carried over to the opposite end of the stabling area in about 20 seconds. When they came to a stop, Cody noticed the pile of hard wooden slabs in two nice piles against the wall. There was also a large pool of fresh cave water beside the piles. Refocusing on the wood as he slid from Inferno's back, Cody noticed that one pile had plaques about three feet long and about a foot tall, while the pile beside it had plaques no more than a foot long and less than a half-foot tall. Without a word, each rider grabbed a plank and found an edged rock nearby before writing the name of the owners. Cody carefully etched the name "Inferno Blackscales" as neatly as he could onto the board. He looked over and saw the other plaques labeled "Destiny" and "Ashheart", but catching Cody's idea, Aval quickly scratched the name of Goldscales on the bottom of his.

"Now that that's settled," Cody began as he stood and threw his rock to the side, "Where were you thinking of going?"

Inferno twisted his scaly head to his right at the nearest "den" before explaining, "We've decided that to be my den. The one beside it is Destiny's, and Ashheart has chosen the den attached to mine."

"Alright," Aval said as he hefted his board and walked over to the second den Inferno had indicated.

Cody and Omen carried their boards over to the area as well. Inferno tenderly took the board from Cody's hands with two careful talons and slowly lifted himself onto his hind legs to reach a little ledge in the metal doorway. When it was perfectly straight and he was satisfied with it, he lowered himself back onto all fours.

"It's backwards," Cody pointed out.

"Blast."

Inferno reached back up and carefully flipped the plaque around so that the writing was facing outwards, ignoring the humored chuckle from his rider. Destiny and Omen, luckily, had set their plaques straight and the dragon and wolf went in their dens and began sniffing everything to become accustomed to the feel of their dens. Inferno followed their lead and tentatively stepped into his own den and sniffed at the pile of furs beneath him. A sudden sense of glee settled over him so strong that Cody could feel it through their link as clearly as if it were his own emotions.

"Are you happy to have a den of warm, soft furs, as you've always loved?" Cody laughed telepathically.

Inferno paused for a moment, as if he suddenly noticed that Cody was watching him. "No, I can detect the faint traces of the last dragon that has lain here. I have smelled other dragons before, of course, but this is far different from the others or even the eggs. It is...ancient, and feral, but stirs my emotions in a way I've never thought possible."

"After all these years...how fascinating." But Inferno hadn't heard him, as a sudden wave of grief washed over him. "What's wrong Inferno?"

"This is too different from any of the other dragon scents, but it is not as old as you may think. It is from a time just before the last Dragon Warriors went extinct. I understand now how truly corrupt the others are," Inferno growled, his mental voice rising with anger.

"I imagine Argos did what he thought was best for us when he tried to train us," Destiny surprised them both. "He may not have tried to harm us in any way."

Cody shook his head and said, "No, I believe he and Heyrone did their best to support whatever they thought was important, which meant using us to get rid of Merikh. And even when they were trying to do good things, they seemed confused. Like the dreams Heyrone sent us to tell us where to go, it always seemed like he didn't want us to even get to Mrana Akano Furista; his directions were so conflicting and confused, and he only brought me to their land when I was nearly dead. Having me dead wouldn't have helped them in any way."

"So what, do you mean to say that they were trying to raise their own army of servants?" Destiny asked, surprised.

Cody shrugged. "It's very possible."

"But they still had good intentions, did they not?" Inferno asked.

"Perhaps," Cody began, "But it's difficult for me to decide whether they should be allowed to command all of those people."

"I see your point, but for now it is far outside our concern. We should focus on where we are now, if you ask me. And frankly, I can't focus on anything except this sudden weariness that has come over me," Inferno said.

"You may be right, I should go look at our dens and go to bed quickly as well. Good night Inferno, Destiny."

The two dragons sent him a thought of recognition before both parted from his mind and settled into their beds, Inferno falling immediately asleep. Cody looked around him and saw Omen and Avalsmokes stepping out of the dens with tired eyes and weary limbs that mirrored Cody's.

"Off to our own awaiting beds, I assume?" Cody asked after a long yawn.

The other two nodded and began walking to the door. Cody suddenly realized how tired he was after all the excitement of the day, and everything that passed by was a faint blur. He hardly noticed when he opened the door Thoughtful had said would lead to their dorms, and he couldn't focus on anything after that point. The last thing he remembered was falling onto a thick, comfortable mattress before going straight to sleep.