xVexVamp

10 Years Later … Peacemaker was lying on the beach, beneath the shade of a bowing palm tree. The sky was bright, and the sand was glowing like white gold beneath the rays of the midday sun. Ocean waves crested in swirls of turquoise and white, and sleek gulls danced and sang on gusts of salty wind. The sand beneath the palm tree shifted coolly against Peacemaker’s scales, and the briny air tugged at the edges of his wings. Seeker had her head resting on his tail, her eyes closed and her breathing relaxed. Auklet was seated a few paces away, working on a small blue weaving patterned with some simple fish shapes. Further down the beach, where the waves tugged hungrily at the shoreline, Cliff was running with three little dragonets at his heels. “Get back here!” called the largest of the dragonets. He was a unique-looking little creature, with the broad wings and long neck of a SkyWing, but the webbed talons and pale green scales of a SeaWing.

The sun was still rising when they arrived back at Jade Mountain. The top of the sky was as blue as a robin’s egg, with streaks of purple and gold painted along the horizon. The twin peaks of the mountain stood in sharp relief against it, and the stone was haloed in fiery light. Peacemaker’s wings faltered slightly. This was it. This was where he would have to face his friends again. Moon and Hope hadn’t quite believed Seeker when she’d first promised that she would bring Peacemaker back home. Still, they had agreed to meet her afterwards to find out for sure. They would almost certainly be expecting her to come back alone. Seeker flapped up to Peacemaker’s side. “Are you all right?” Peacemaker released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Maybe a little nervous.” “It’s going be okay,” Seeker assured him. “I’ll be with you the whole time.” Peacemaker turned to look at her, finding comfort in her loving, steadfast

Peacemaker flew for what seemed like an eternity, unaware of any real destination. He sailed low over the mountains, carried by the cold wind blowing in off the sea. The storm was beginning to break up now, and the dark clouds drifted apart in small, shattered pieces. The sky beneath was the dark, dull shade of blue which comes just before the dawn. Peacemaker’s flight was lilting and uneven. His wings were heavy and his head was on fire, but no pain could match the fierce, persistent agony digging like a knife into his heart. It was over. He would never get his magic back. He would never be Darkstalker again. All those dreams – all those futures – had shattered like the storm clouds drifting away on the wind. All he had managed to do in pursuit of those broken dreams was hurt everyone around him. Peacemaker didn’t realize that he was flying towards Agate Mountain until he found himself staring down into the dark crevasse slashed across the crumbled

“Seeker, what are you doing here?!” Moon demanded. “I told you to stay at the academy!” “I’m sorry, Moon,” Seeker said, flapping her way rapidly towards them. She looked shaken and out of breath, as though she had been struggling to catch up with the two larger dragons. “But I have to be here. I have to help him. Somehow I … I think I’m the only one who can.” Seeker began to veer close to promontory where Peacemaker stood, and Moon bolted upright, gasping sharply at the pain in her torn wing. “Seeker, be careful!” Seeker hovered momentarily, eyes darting from Moon’s injury to the blood-splattered dagger still clutched in Peacemaker’s talon. An alarmed expression passed briefly across her face, and for a split second Peacemaker expected her to change her mind and fly right back to Jade Mountain. But she didn’t. Instead, she pulled her wings in and descended in a neat spiral onto the promontory next to him. “Seeker!” Moon

“Does she live … or does she die?” At first there was only stillness and silence, like the moment between a bolt of lightning and a clap of thunder. Finally, Turtle gazed past Peacemaker one last time, watching as Kinkajou tried to pull herself shakily off the ground. The SeaWing prince then stepped towards the edge of the precipice, the enchanted scroll gripped firmly in his claws. “Okay, Peacemaker,” Turtle said, winding back his arm in preparation to throw the scroll across to him, “you win.” “Stop!” a voice cried through the cacophony of distant thunder. Peacemaker whirled in the direction of the sound, his heart beating furiously in his chest. It couldn’t be! A midnight-black form suddenly emerged from the gloom, eyes burning like green flames in the darkness. “Mother?!” Peacemaker exclaimed. “Wh … what are you doing here?!” “I should be the one asking you that,” Hope said, veering around the spire to

Peacemaker flew south, following the river weaving among the mountains on its journey towards the sea. The towering summits slowly petered off into rocky hills and stunted peaks, mantled by dark, heavy clouds. Blinding flashes of lightning frequently tore across the horizon, as though invisible talons were trying to rip open the sky. Kinkajou flinched at every clap of thunder, but the binds around her body and the threat of Peacemaker’s blade kept her moving forward. In the beginning, she had tried many times to meet Peacemaker’s eyes, frantically attempting to convey some kind of wordless message. Her green gaze had been desperate and pleading as she’d gestured to her bound snout, begging Peacemaker to let her speak to him. But Peacemaker wasn’t in the mood to hear anymore lies. He’d turned his back to Kinkajou, ignoring any further efforts to get his attention. After awhile, she had just stopped trying. Now she flew with her eyes cast down and her

Darkstalker Peacemaker was flying against the wind, cruel gusts jerking his wings painfully up and sharply down, making his flight shaky and erratic. Blackness crept at the edges of his vision. Darkstalker? You must be joking. That’s the creepiest name I’ve ever heard. He had no strength left to resist as the air threw him about like a fallen leaf. His lungs felt tight and constrained, and each breath was a fight. With every heartbeat, he felt himself grow dizzier and weaker. It’s not every day that I meet my soulmate. Just this once, in fact. Right now. Peacemaker felt the wind suddenly shift directions, and he was pitched violently towards the valley below. The tops of the trees whipped his tail and talons, but he scarcely noticed the pain. If the wind had wanted to carry him straight into the mountainside, then he would have let it. It all hurt too much to fight anymore. Today the beach is all ours! I’m

Peacemaker spent some time wandering aimlessly, unsure of where to go. The cold wind stung against his tearstained face, and his throat clenched tightly around his gasping breaths. The excitement he had felt upon his mother’s arrival seemed an eternity away. All the happiness he had anticipated was gone. All he had left now were questions. All he ever seemed to have were questions. He needed to talk to someone. Seeker? No, she would see him crying and immediately blame herself for what had happened. Cliff? Auklet? No, they were off somewhere in the mountains and might not be back for hours. The truth was, there was only one dragon Peacemaker wanted to talk to right now. He found her in the early learning classroom, helping Kinkajou sort through a number of scrolls scattered messily along the floor. Both dragons looked up when he entered, surprise turning to dismay in an instant when they saw the look on his face. “Peacemaker!” Moon