The Legend of Spyro: A Duel with Destiny

Back in Black

The sun was setting over the city, its dying light tainted the low clouds a deep bloody red. A dragon stood upon a rooftop garden, facing the west, still as a stone statue. The sun faded, night rose, the stars were hidden by deep black clouds.

A storm was brewing. Rain lashed the city, lightning split the sky, at each flash the dragon was revealed, still standing in its place. A few late dragons arrived at the city that night, something momentous was meant to happen tomorrow. A freezing hour passed, the dragon did not move, a second hour went by, then more followed until at last midnight approached. The storm tore itself into oblivion and silence reigned. Midnight was a fine time for dark business, but the dragon on the rooftop still let the time go by.

At last in the third hour of the morning a shadowy figure descended from the roof and followed the grand spiral staircase down. Four dragons took the stairs in the minutes after three AM but no meeting took place and no alarm was raised. The dragon continued its silent journey.

A traitor waited at the foot of the stairs, after a deep bow they led the dragon into the depths of the city. Two guards on either side of a door lay still and silent, dead or unconscious the dragon neither knew nor cared. Down to the vaults of the city, the traitor stood to guard the door, like the original guards had, albeit in a more successful fashion. Chests locked by powerful magic ground open as the dragon passed. The contents of two of these chests would not be found in the morning. A crystal trapped in a prison of black iron, and a pair of snake charms, such as might be put around the necks of a pair of young dragons...

The traitor looked into the vault after several quiet minutes had passed, it was empty. They entered the room and looked over the chests. As they carefully took the item the dragon had left behind they were struck with a disturbing feeling, perhaps the room was not as empty as it appeared. With a shiver of fear the traitor returned to their own sleeping chamber, sleep did come, but they were tormented by nightmares until dawn.

Earlier that day

Cynder the black dragon, former terror of the skies, twisted under the monster's furious attack. With the ease of long practice she danced behind it and struck out with her long bladed tail. She should have cut skin, and the elemental poison in her strike should have ended the fight then, but that wasn't going to happen. This was an elite troll and it wore a mask of earthy green, that mask had saved it when the creature known as The Destroyer had destroyed the world. The world hadn't quite been properly destroyed, it hadn't even been destroyed very well, but that's what had happened: almost three years ago, the world was destroyed.

Cynder's wings spread and she skipped gracefully over the troll's back, her agility made her untouchable. The troll seemed untouchable too, only earth elemental attacks would knock that mask off.

"Spyro!" Cynder cried, but no purple dragon came to her aid.

She had lost him.

Cynder felt her eyes fill with tears and blinked them back angrily; she shouldn't have been crying, it wasn't like Spyro was even dead. She just hadn't been able to keep him. That hurt her feelings and her pride more than Cynder would ever willingly admit. Cynder nearly paid for her lack of attention, the troll's gnarled fist missed her by inches. Cynder rose and hovered above the beast like a hawk, her manipulation of the wind made the action seem weightless and effortless. She glanced around looking for a way to win her battle. A nearby cliff held possibilities, as she taunted the monster over to the cliff, antagonizing it with gusts of wind and Siren Screams, Cynder couldn't help but think of the past.

The three months that followed the defeat of the purple dragon Malefor and the "end" of the world had been the best of Cynder's not very nice life. She and Spyro, connected by a chain of magic and their shared love, exploring the new world, playing and celebrating, fighting the hapless remnants of the evil dragon's army and sleeping together under the stars.