A little after Myrkr rejoined her friends, the second half of the magic class started up. Sanguine paired up with Myrkr so Porael couldn't, or that was what the Cí'mehia was convinced of. It didn't matter either way, she didn't have any special feelings for the gold dragon.

     Myrkr helped Sanguine make the simplest rune she knew—creation of light—in a red topaz. When asked about the gem, Sanguine answered, "If I mess up, nothing too valuable will be lost. I don't care that the quote-unquote 'rare' gems humans can't find aren't the slightest bit rare here. They still have their better qualities. Besides, topaz and amethyst are the softest of the gems. I need to perfect my precision of chiseling before I decided to undertake a normal, harder gem."

      Myrkr didn't mention that she had had to learn the hard way, and that it made her make sure to do it right, else she would lose magic as the rune she had been chiseling got a mistake. Her only choice was to break the gem itself. Considering her half-Gemstone background, it was probably easier for her to chisel the emerald or ivory that were shaped into runing gems. The emerald for Gemstone reasons, ivory due to repetition. That was how one learned, was it not?

Myrkr drew the rune character out, and pointed out how Sanguine should go about making it, which lines of this and that to do in this order. Nothing she thought Resivora would have to step in for, since it was simple and on a soft topaz.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

The pair of emerald eyes scanned the steep mountain that housed the Ziixi Academy. The owner of the eyes knew that getting in undetected and alive that way was not an option. It had been tried before, for assassination purposes, and the corpse of the impaled assassin was found in the morning, stabbed through the gut with a horrendous amount of blood around it. The crimson was what had drawn the attention of a dragon, who inspected the corpse, finding orders and poison, and, if all else seemed to have failed, a small crossbow, good for short ranges. The body was still there, frozen from height.

But the pair of emerald eyes had no wings. Only fangs and claws, and hands. Nothing else to scale the impossible mountain to get inside once more.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

Sanguine carefully carved the symbol for light. He was in his human form, since it was easier with hands than talons. When he was done, he was exhausted, but he didn't want to fall to the ground with Myrkr next to him and Porael's stare on his back. Something was...off. The gold dragon seemed more attentive to Myrkr after the mid day break. Sanguine had to have a strong outwards appearance. Did Myrkr tell Porael how bad he was at making runes? She never told excess information unless she had to, but Porael seemed to be having just as hard a time as Sanguine himself was.

     Sanguine handed the red topaz to Myrkr when he was done. "Keep this for me? I have no use for it, you have better use of the runes than I do."

     Myrkr shrugged and took it. "What would I do with light?" The tone was sweet, Too sweet, Sanguine thought, but the smile that played upon Myrkr's face was teasing mockery. She would find a use for it. Or try, in any case. She seemed to know her voice sounded false, and hissed the answer quietly. "Porael likes me, I think. He's staring at us. You know that, right?"

Sanguine nodded. "I think he's thinking we're a thing," he replied. Myrkr nodded, this time.

They worked together, making harder runes in Sanguine's case and Myrkr teaching, for the rest of the class.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

He watched, emerald eyes attentive, for the whole day. No Mythic left the academy, as they rarely ever did. He knew that there was an inner courtyard that was all the nature the busy students could get away to. The figure wrapped his golden, dark spotted tail around him and fought off a shiver. The mountains were cold, and his fur didn't keep the wind from his skin for long. But waiting was worth it, for he knew there was someone very valuable in the castle that was the famous Ziixi Academy.

     He needed to be the first to get there, ahead of the queen's little agent. He knew dangerous things were brewing in the Isles, and he prayed to Ysamaldrí a quick, few worded plea for the safety the target would need, and that Amakí would hurry up. He knew she didn't like the cold of the mountains, but she should have been here to get him into the castle by now. The night dragoness hardly was always on time, but it's been a while.

     He heard the flapping of dragon's wings, and quickly slithered off the pile of rocks he was using as a vantage point. Even though he knew no Ziix-affiliated dragon would venture so far for no reason, there was also no reason to make foolish mistakes. His mission could only have one attempt.

     Flapping sounded, then smoothed out as the dragoness started to glide. When the emerald eyes locked on the dragoness, he knew it was Amakí, later than usual, but here. He slipped out silently as the the night dragoness landed.

     "You're late," he said, his voice monotone. His eyes danced with more emotions than his voice—impatience, calm, and, most of all, anxiety. "You know we only have so much time."

     "Oh, fine. I only am helping you because the Mion Queen is looking for war, and Mogh-Sillians don't want the Isles to break out into another war." Amakí lowered herself closer to the ground. "Well?"

     "Amakí, I already know why you're helping me. But we can't leave yet, tonight is going to be cloudy, and the moon will be covered. That is the only time we can leave, otherwise we might as well go home." Knowing how much the young dragoness hated the cold, he moved closer to her, sharing his body heat with her. "This rock-cave really isn't bad, though. It keeps most of the wind away."

     "You are very lucky, you know. If I didn't trust you, if I didn't believe in this myself—"

     "—you wouldn't be here, and neither would I, and war would ravage the Isles. Yes, yes, Amakí. I know. Now, let us sleep. No Ziix-affiliates come so far west, since this is basically no-Mythic's-land. We can rest for tonight. Can you set the time?"

     "I will. Sleep well."

    "Same to you."

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

     That night, Myrkr was reading. She picked up a book from the library, though not Gemstones of Ysamaldrí. That would have made things a bit obvious, at least in Luna's case. Instead, she looked at chimaera stories and lore. Conveniently, cheetah chimaera, both human-dominant and cheetah-dominant, created the Cí'mehia, so their lore stories were very intertwinted. The book was called, rightfully so, History of the Chimaera and Creation of the Cí'mehia. There were pictures of various types of chimaera, but Myrkr focused mostly on the cheetah ones, since they were the Original Genetic Specialists, as her people called them, and ancestors of all Cí'mehia of the present. Cheetah-chimaera and geneticly-made–Cí'mehia seemed to have intertwined in reproduction to make a more natural race. No other geneticly-made–Cí'mehia exist, or very few do, but there still are cheetah-chimaera of both dominances. The Isle or Isles the chimaera frequent, however, are unknown.

     It spoke of weapons, simple combat styles, and cultures. It was very interesting, and when Myrkr checked the clock again, she noticed it was one in the morning. After a hissed, "Damn," she closed the book and tried to sleep. She knew she should sleep, since the class would be combat, but she couldn't. The history and creation were far too interesting to let go. Looks like things won't go well for training today, she thought. Waterfall will be so very happy with me later.

When Myrkr finally got to sleep, she wasn't visited by Azure Star or Tahl'drí. She was left to actually sleep, and she would definitely need it.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

Amakí woke him up with a light brush of her wings. The landscape looked haunted, light being a very dark or pale gray, or no light at all. It was hard to see for even him, with his natural night vision. "Time set has come," she said. "Come on." She crouched as low as she could as he got on her back, carefully keeping himself as flat as possible to avoid the drag of wind.

"Then let us be off. Tahl'drí must be foiled."

"What if she discovers you? What if Maple discovers you? I have to leave, I can't enter with you."

With a solemn, low growl, he replied, "Then my death is something that must be. But I have to get there and at least warn. Things aren't going to go well for the rest of the Isles if the queen succeeds."

"This may be the last time we meet in this life," Amaki said. "May I know what Mion is planning, if only to protect my home?"

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

Myrkr woke in the night. No one stirred, not even Maple. She knew she was too awake to just go back to sleep, so she got up. It was four in the morning, so it wasn't too bad. At least she got a few hours of sleep.

Quietly, so as to not disturb her roomates, Myrkr slipped from her bunk and the room to the common rooms. There were fires going in each one, so she sat on the couch and let the flicker of light take her visual attention and the crackle took her auditory attention while her mind focused on the problems at hand.

Mion and its queen. If Tahl'drí made a plot to catch her...

Silver Wings and Seaglare. If they were found out...

Possible spies? The thought came so suddenly Myrkr twitched violently on the couch. She then calmed herself. No. Everyone is an enemy, a potential one, and we can't trust them. Her mind went back to Luna, though. Her ability to detect lies was disturbing. Then again, maybe that almost made her worth trusting. Myrkr didn't know how to determine if one was lying very well, since most of her life has been focused on real life issues: combat and defense, magic and tactics. Nothing had prepared her for psychological warfare.

Calm, Myrkr commanded herself, and let herself be distracted by the fire again. Surely, nothing could get her other than normal recruit worries? Passing classes, obeying rules? The security, too. She saw it while aboard the Cloudy Skies when they were starting to dock. Large dragons surrounded the castle at varying heights and distances.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

"Amakí, will you let Dhalra know what happened to me if I don't contact you by tomorrow morning? I think she should know more than...the note I left..." This was the answer, not an actual one.

Amakí gulped, and he knew she was about to cry. "I will, Delrahj. She will know what's happened to her son, and be proud while we grieve."

Noticing her silence to the unanswered question, he appreciated it. But she deserved some explanation. "Whether you know or not, you won't survive. You are lucky the Sign and Song are elsewhere, but they won't know. At least the Sign is experienced, but the Song..."

"You count us out too soon. Do you know who your Emerald is? Cí'mehia or dragon?"

"No, our Guardian is unknown since Evjit's death. I just hope it isn't some Mythic with such a heartless soul."

"Oh, Delrahj. But he was your blood. You can't tell me you don't miss him." Amakí was starting to decend; the castle was only a little more.

"Amakí, I am Delrahj M'lakara, and I do hate him. He is the reason Tahl'drí is hunting, and why I am here, and why my flesh and blood is in that death trap she is setting up. You know that whoever the Emerald is, Tahl'drí wants them dead."

"I understand." Amakí was soft-spoken like those of her Isle, but she had more personality than most. Delrahj knew this, and he was saying goodbye to her, most likely never to meet in this life again. I will probably die.

"Amakí, I will miss you. Take care, please."

"I will."

They were above the courtyard. Of course, there were dragon guards there, but Delrahj was a good user of Wil'qué, taught by other Cí'mehia who were known Shaljí, or Elites. He was only allowed so much, but that "so much" has saved his life on more than one occasion. He slipped off of Amakí's back from a height that would kill a human, shifting to his Hybrid form, and he whispered something and landed as if he were only a foot above the ground. He glanced up and saw the shadow that was Amakí fly away. Time to get into the castle.

With ease Delrahj slipped past the guards. There were more than there had been when he was a student, but that was a few years in the past. Once, he was close enough to have slit one's neck, and that scared him. Not because he thought he would become a killer, but because Mion Tribe Shaljí are far more advanced in stealth tactics than he, and he was a cub compared to their talents. Shaljí could kill all the guard dragons easily and soundlessly at the same moment.

Delrahj got into the northern side of the castle, and all was quiet. The jumble of scents, new and old, shocked him for a moment. It was all stone-cold, with the various scents of the Isle races. One caught his attention, however, even though it was from a few days prior. It was unusual, but he pushed the thought aside. In silence, he bounded through the long north hall toward the dorms, now back to his cheetah form. Instinctively, he headed for the male rooms, but the strange scent went the other way. A similar scent, though not quite as rich, led to the male rooms, while the intriguing scent led to the female dorms. This will get awkward if anyone is awake. With a slower pace than before, Delrahj followed the scent with caution. He knew what he was looking for, but not the gender or skill set. He would have to be ready for anything.

The first level common room was just like the male's, though a mirror image. He heard nothing, besides the ever-crackling fire, and moved to the stairs, his pawsteps silent with the soft fur keeping echoes away.

Turning his head, a fresh and familiar scent met him, and he realized it was the mixture of normal Cí'mehia scent and the rich scent of a forest—the Revak Feykro, the Sacred Forest, to be exact—and was met with eyes as green as his own on the other side of the fire.

✎ ⌨ ☠ ⌨ ✎
Funny how by the twelfth chapter of my Pokémon fan-fic everything was wrapping up, and in this, the thirteenth chapter, is where things are starting to pick up. This will be a long series, I can tell. With this chapter being about five hundred words more than usual, that is an accurate assumption!
Well! The stuff with Delrahj and Amakí was something, wasn't it? More Cí'mehia, oh my!
So, what do you think about Delrahj? What do you think he's looking for, and what is Tahl'drí planning? I hope I didn't make what he's looking for obvious, but I might have. Oh well. That's how stories go.