The Darksield Chronicles, Book 1: Legend of Spyro

Chapter 11: A New Form

Cynder POV

When Cynder woke up, it was morning. She stretched and walked out onto her balcony. She leaned against the railing and stared out at the city. Today was the first day of the academy. The guardians wanted her to be one of the first students. She had resisted, but eventually, Flame and Spyro had managed to convince her. She sighed. How did she let herself get talked into these things?

She looked back out over the city and wondered where Wraith was. Probably running across rooftops or something, she thought. Just then, a shadow passed overhead. She almost ignored it except the shadow was getting darker.

A voice yelled, "Heads up!" She ducked down, and something whistled over her head.

As soon as it passed, she jumped to her feet and looked up toward where it had gone. She gasped. "Wraith?"

He waved at her with one hand while holding onto a rope with the other. "Hi Cynder." Then he started falling back toward her. "Look out below!"

She ducked, and he swung by overhead. She raised her head. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know," he replied as he swung back around. She stepped back as he swung by again. "The usual. Just decided I might have a little fun and swing on by. Literally," he added as he swung back down.

She watched him in amusement. "Do you ever wake up and not do something crazy?" she asked.

"Nope," he called back as he swung by a fifth time. Then he shouted, "Flame, watch out!" There was a loud crash, and Wraith swung around to rest on the wall below her balcony. "Sorry, Flame!" he shouted.

Cynder peered over the edge of her balcony and saw Flame laying spread eagle on the floor of his balcony. He glared at her. "This is not funny!"

Cynder tried and failed to cover a smirk.

Then Wraith called up from below, "Hey, Cynder. You gonna leave me hanging here, or what?" She spread her wings and flew down toward him. Grabbing onto his shirt with one of her claws and flying him up to the roof, she set him down and landed beside him. "Thanks," he said and began to untie the end of the rope from around a stone that jutted out from the roof.

"I thought you said you'd be back around noon," Cynder said.

Wraith shrugged. "I was, but then I decided to have a little fun." He winced and glanced down toward Flame. "Sorry about that!" he called as he began to wind up the rope. Soon, he had it fully wound and tucked it into a bag that Cynder hadn't noticed before.

She pointed at it. "What is that?"

Wraith glanced at it. "Oh, that's just my bag. It's where I pack extra things like this rope." He held up the rope for emphasis. Then he set it back down in the bag. "So, I guess I'll see you down in the hall."

She stared at him. "How are you going to get back down?"

Wraith grinned. "Like this." He turned and jumped off the roof.

Cynder raced to the edge and saw Wraith swinging down from balcony to balcony.

"Race you!" he called.

Cynder grinned. "Oh, it's on."

Wraith POV

Wraith landed on the ground in front of the doors and ran inside just as Cynder started down the stairs. He grinned at her, exhilarated. "I win." He leaned against a pillar for support.