Manx was wide awake, after trying to sleep for a few hours after she had set up her sleeping bag next to Vaskin. Not too surprisingly the great dragon TaaNa'Roq was a very quiet and sound sleeper. It was a combination of the thoughts itching at the back of her mind, the fact that she didn't trust the dragon, and that Vaskin talked a lot in his sleep that kept her up. She was still upset at Vaskin for misinterpreting her words to think that she didn't have feelings for him. Truly, she did have very strong feelings for him, but it was so hard to show it, and she didn't understand this whole dating thing. Ever since she had answered yes to the first time he had dared ask her out, he had wanted to hold hands and hug and kiss, and she wasn't sure she could take it at times. It was not that she didn't like giving and receiving affection, but she had always been skittish about physical contact because of the beatings and manhandlings she had received growing up in a dungeon. Her past there had left her emotionally and physically scarred, though the physical scars never showed up because of her golden fur and the fact that she made sure to dress modestly to hide any trace of scars there might be. Vaskin muttered something in his sleep and Manx rolled her eyes, hoping that morning would come soon. She could see perfectly in the dark due to her kind's natural night vision and the fact that her powers allowed her to control the shadows themselves.

An owl crooned off in the distance, and Manx noticed its eyes through the blanket of night. She looked up at the sky through the gaps between the trees, noting every star. Frogs croaked noisily and the swamp air was humid and chilled. There was a sucking sound coming from under the mud nearby, and she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Something had just dove under the mud and muck. Manx silently got to her feet and walked in the direction of the sound, not sure what it was. She saw it surface not far from where she was standing, but did it see her? From what she could tell, it was unaware of her presence. It looked like a large lizard, with a flattened paddle like tail and its skin looked as if it was made of a glossy blue-black ooze. It turned its head and looked at her out of glowing green soulless eyes and opened its wide mouth to reveal rows upon rows of sharp serrated teeth. It licked its slimy chops and sank back into the mud, but she could see it swimming towards her through the muck and mire. She stepped back as it leaped at her, its fleshy feet held close to its sides as it leaped over her head.

"Foolish beast." Manx muttered under her breath, slowing her breathing and focusing on the shadows around her. The creature suddenly shoved her from behind and she fell face first onto the ground. She regained her composure and focused on summoning a weapon. She felt the shadows bending to her will, forming a long sharp spear. The next time the creature struck she had it skewered through the chest, droplets of something sticky oozing down the spear and off of its flesh. The creature squealed and writhed on the shadow spear, and Manx pushed against it as she got to her feet, pinning the creature on its back. It was nearly twice her size, and yet somehow she had managed to lift it. There was a bubbling hissing sound, and the creature writhed and twitched so much it was hard for her to concentrate on keeping the spear's physical form. Suddenly, it stopped moving and it somehow had escaped her spear. Then just as it had appeared, its body oozed into the swamp never to be seen again as if it were just a figment of her imagination. Manx released the shadows, letting the spear dissipate into thin air. Dismissing the encounter as nothing more than the attack of a dumb animal, she sat back down on her sleeping bag next to Vaskin. She had easily scared it off, and if it came back she'd show it who's boss.

Manx lay down on her sleeping bag and once again gazed up at the stars. Soon Vaskin's sleep talking had died down and was replaced by soft snoring. Manx felt her eyelids getting heavy, the sound of frogs serenading all around her a soothing melody, and against everything nagging at her mind, she felt herself feeling drowsy under the trees and the vast night sky, the spongy swamp ground beneath her surprisingly soft and comfortable. Soon she was fast asleep.

*****

"Talyn, I need you to be a lookout. Let me know if there's a sign of them. Have the others bar the windows shut. And for his own sake, get my brother inside!" Leif called out, pacing the halls.

"Yes Empress. Anything else?" the wyvern replied, spreading her wings.

"I need a pile of papers in my office right away. And a pen. I need to make it look like I'm too busy. If they get past the main gate, act like the palace is on high alert and see if you can scare them away." Leif said, breathing quickly. She felt her blood rushing to her limbs, and Talyn tilted her head and asked, "Empress, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Everything's fine. Alert the kitchen staff, dust the columns, sweep and shine the floors. This place needs to be spotless!" Leif said.

"Maybe you should lay down." The wyvern captain of the guard said, concerned.

"Of course! That's it! I'll convince them I'm sick! Wait, no. That'll just get them on my case like fleas on a mutt. Garrrr! Why does it have to be THEM?" The Empress replied. Talyn shook her head and flew off to attend to her duties.

Leif dashed up the spiral staircase, which was easy since it was built for much smaller feet, and she hurtled into the library and grabbed a large mouthful of all the books she could carry.

"Hi, Empress!" Ravenna called as Leif dashed out the door. Leif replied with a short "Mmmph." as her mouth was full of books.

"Hey! How come she gets to eat books?" Thorryn, Ravenna's little white, yellow, orange, and green dragon called.

"I don't think she's gonna' eat them, and I've told you that you can't eat paper!" Ravenna scolded. Thorryn dilated his pupils in an attempt to make the most pitiful face he could muster. The Empress dashed by into the library again and grabbed another mouthful of books.

"Are you gonna' eat those?" Thorryn called after her. The Empress dropped the books, swiveled her head around, and panting heavily, she said, "I have to...get...as busy...as I...can!"
"Why?" Thorryn innocently asked.

"I can't... talk now!...They...are coming!" The Empress said between gasps of breath.

"Why?" Thorryn repeated. Ravenna stepped in front of her dragon and said, "Empress, are you okay? Maybe you should take a breath before you continue speaking."

The Empress shook her head and said, "I have to go!" before gathering up the books she dropped and rushing away.

"What's her deal?" Ravenna muttered, as suddenly a wyvern raced past with its wings full of the Empress' paintings from the main lobby.

"Hey! What are you doing with those paintings?" Ravenna yelled in alarm, chasing after the wyvern.

"I have to hide these before THEY get here!" The wyvern called over his shoulder.

"Who are they?" Ravenna asked. But the wyvern was already out of earshot. Suddenly the curtains framing the windows were released, eclipsing the hall in total darkness. There was a sound like clicking, whirring gears, and impenetrable metal shields slowly locked the windows further.

"She really installed a lot of security since the battle." Ravenna muttered under her breath, feeling for the wall. Something lit the torches with a long jet of scarlet flame, and Ravenna looked up at the towering outline of a red dragon, his face eerie in the dim red glow of the fire.

"H...Hadrix? Is that you?" Ravenna asked nervously.

"Boo!" Hadrix said, suddenly snuffing out the flames he had just lit.

"Hey! That's not funny! I can't see!" Ravenna said.

Hadrix snuck a claw behind her and gently ruffled her hair, saying, "Well, I can perfectly see that big hairy spider creeping down onto your head. Us dragons have excellent night vision."

Ravenna screamed, grabbed onto the attacking thing, and felt the warm scales of the dragon's paw. "Wait a minute! I'm not falling for that trick again!" Ravenna said, somewhat annoyed.
Hadrix lit the torches again and shrugged, saying, "It was worth a try."
"Whatever. Oh, uh, do you know anything about this 'them' everybody is worked up about, and why the palace is on lockdown?" Ravenna asked. At that, Hadrix's pupils narrowed to slits, and he recoiled, saying, "not THEM! Anything but THEM!"

"Why? What's the big deal? And why is your sister having a panic attack?" Ravenna replied.

Hadrix stepped back a bit and said, "The question you should be asking..."he paused for dramatic effect and then continued with, "...Is why aren't YOU having a panic attack?"

Thorryn whimpered and hid behind Ravenna's legs, and Ravenna looked around in terror.
"W...why sh..should I b...be having a p..panic attack?" she asked.

"Are you telling me you've never heard of THEM?" Hadrix said.

"No. Why?" Ravenna asked.

"THEY are just horrible! THEY creep into the cracks of your sane mind and slink around in the darkest depths, reaching out to drag you below. You should stop talking about THEM or THEY might appear right behind you, THEY could even be lurking...right...behind..."

"Right behind where? Where?" Ravenna shrieked.

"Don't look behind you." Hadrix said in barely a whisper, blowing out the torches and running away all of a sudden, his claws scrabbling across the marble floor.

"Why shouldn't I look behind me? Wait! Hadrix!" Ravenna quietly pleaded. She felt Thorryn trembling around her ankles and said, "Thorry, if there's ever a time for you to light something on fire, it's right now!"

"No." Thorryn replied.

"Oh come on! I know you can breathe fire! You've nearly burned our house down ten times in the past week!" Ravenna said.

"You told me not to ever flame indoors, around trees, vehicles, animals, books, or anywhere else." Thorryn said. She couldn't see the look on his face but she could tell he was extremely smug and self satisfied.

"Oh please! Do it! Do it for mommy now, Thorryn!" Ravenna said, sensing something moving behind her.

"Why can't you do it?" Thorryn asked indignantly.

"Because I don't have a fire thingy whatchamacallit!" Ravenna said, getting more nervous by the second.

"If I flame will you tell me?" Thorryn asked.

"Will I tell you what, because I'll tell you anything if you just flame like a good little dragon!" Ravenna asked.

"Anything?" Thorryn said, a calculating tone in his voice.

"Anything! But hurry up and ask because I'm getting scared!" Ravenna said.

"Okay then. Tell me..." Thorryn began slowly, thinking over his question for a long time.

"What?! Tell you what?!" Ravenna snapped, growing slightly exasperated and panicking a little.

"Tell me where babies come from." Thorryn finally decided.

"Oh please, ANYTHING but THAT!" Ravenna said.

"You said you would tell me anything." Thorryn huffed.

"But not now! You're too young and little and..." Ravenna started.

"You should hurry and tell me. Something is behind you." Thorryn said.

"Okay, fine. Babies come from mommies." Ravenna said.

"Wait, what?" Thorryn asked.

"Can you hurry up and light a torch so we can see?" Ravenna pleaded.

"You said I came from you..." Thorryn said, confused.

"I didn't say...Tagnarkh!" Ravenna said.

"What's a tagnarkh?" Thorryn asked, intrigued.

"Thorryn, don't you ever let me catch you saying that word again!" Ravenna warned.

"Why?" Thorryn asked.

"It's a naughty word. Now please make a fire!" Ravenna said.

"But why do I come from you?" Thorryn asked.

"Um, no. Uh...see, well, um, your real mommy kinda uh...um...went to go live in the clouds. And uh, your egg was left alone see, and I found you." Ravenna said awkwardly.

"How can I come from an egg if I came from a mommy? And why is my mommy in the clouds? Did she wanna' see Sheena?" Thorryn asked.

"Some mommies lay eggs, see. And that's where dragon babies come from." Ravenna said nervously.

"You ate babies for breakfast!" Thorryn screamed suddenly.

"Oh mother of...puppies! Now calm down..." Ravenna said, before continuing, "You don't want to make a big fuss with THEM, now do you?"

"Ravenna eats BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!" Thorryn screamed in hysteria, bolting down the hall. Ravenna chased after him, hoping that whatever was behind her didn't choose to follow. Eventually she got to the stairs, which thankfully were well lit by the torches, and she chased Thorryn all the way down to the palace's main lobby, just as there was the blasting of a warning horn, and a couple of wyverns gasped, "THEY'RE here!" And at once everything was still.