Friends and Harmony

Chapter 13

Tobias' Honor

As the group of friends continued walking through the dark and thorny forest, all of them, except Henry, had noticed that Cosette seemed a little too quiet as she kept her eyes focused intently on Henry's dagger, which was hanging from his belt. Felix nudged Ritchie and Tobias to come with him to the back. They slowed their pace to join her and Violet.

"Hey, Cosette." Ritchie said. "Are you okay?"

Cosette seemed to finally snap out of her strange daze. She slightly blushed when she saw the cowboy close to her. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, quickly erasing her pink color from her face.

Violet raised an eyebrow. "Darling, you had been quiet and just staring off into space for a while."

The huntress sighed. "You guys did notice Henry's dagger, right?" She asked. The others nodded. "There's just something about it that seems familiar."

"How so?" Tobias asked.

"I don't know." Cosette said. "It's been bothering me ever since I saw it. That insignia."

The others then remembered the black dragon imprinted on the sheath strapped on Henry's waist. The more they thought about it, the more they realized that it did seem familiar, but they still couldn't put a finger on why. Violet then gasped loudly, making everyone jump up, including Henry in the front.

"I know what it is!" She exclaimed.

"What is what?" Henry asked, turning to the teens behind him.

Felix had quickly covered Violet's mouth with one hand. "Nothing." Cosette said hastily. She then looked ahead of him. "Uh, are we supposed to head that way?" She pointed forward.

Everyone saw ahead and saw a deep ravine in their path, shrouded in thick fog.

"Are you sure that we didn't make a wrong turn somewhere?" Tobias asked their leader in the front.

"No, I'm sure." Henry said. "Just across this ravine is the cave where it is said is the final resting place of the Guardian Dragons."

"How are we supposed to get across if there's no bridge?" Felix asked.

"I'll find something that we can use." Tobias said.

"Here. Take this." Ritchie reached into his saddle bag and pulled out an axe that's familiar to Henry. "Astrid lent me her axe, just in case."

Henry chuckled slightly. "That's Astrid for ya." He said with a warm smile. "Always being prepared for anything." Henry didn't understand why right then, but the thought of his assistant still watching over him, even if she wasn't there with him, sent a warm tingle down his spine.

Tobias looked around for a bit to find a proper tree to use as a bridge. Finally, he spotted a tall enough oak tree that would work.

"Perfect." He said. He went over to it and began chopping at the base. He was impressed at the strength and sharpness of the axe's double blade. Astrid really must take really good care of it.

After a few solid whacks into the bark, Tobias finally sliced through the tree, and it came tumbling across the ravine, creating a makeshift bridge.

"Now to get the others." But before Tobias could call for the others, a wisp of dark blue light flickered past him. "What was that?"

The young pilot scanned the area, noticing that the fog seemed to get a bit thicker. He wielded the axe tightly in his hands. "Show yourself!" He shouted.

Out of the mist, three figures came out. They were dressed familiar to him; the dark blue jumpsuits with the thick red lines across the waist and torso. Tobias recognized those uniforms. Those were the royal air force uniforms.

"Greetings, Tobias Nelson." The one in the middle, who he assumed was the leader, spoke. "We have been looking for you."

"How did you guys find me here?" Tobias demanded, the axe in his hands ready to swing if there was anything suspicious. He knew he left the Academy to prove to them that he could get in the hard way rather than because he was the son of the most renowned pilot in the kingdom's history.

"We have decided that you have proven yourself worthy enough." The leader said. "Come back with us to the Academy."

Tobias raised an eyebrow, loosening his grip on the axe a little bit. "What's the catch?" He asked.

"Nothing." The leader said. "But you must come with us now."

"But, my friends are-" Tobias began.

"It's either us or them." The leader cut him off.

Tobias re-tightened his grip on the axe's handle. He looked back to where his friends were waiting for him, then back to the pilots. He looked ready to chop their heads off, but he instead took a deep breath.

"I appreciate the offer, but right now, my friends need me, and there's more important things that I need to do."

With that, Tobias swung the axe over his shoulder and took off. The pilots grimaced and vanished into thin air, the wisp from before flickering madly in their place and flittered away.

Tobias then returned to the gang. He handed the axe back to Ritchie, and the cowboy put in back in his saddle bag.

"What took you so long?" Felix asked.

"Had a little something to take care of." He replied. "But, I would never abandon my friends." Tobias beckoned everyone to follow him.

But before they could, a flash of bright green light appeared in the sky. The teens looked up and saw a dragon glowing green above them. Like the ones before, it had an ethereal presence, and its eyes were onyx black, while its scales were emerald green.

The dragon swooped down and circled above Tobias. With a roar, it morphed itself into an orb of green light and enveloped him in it. When it vanished, the young pilot was a little faint.

Felix and Ritchie helped him catch his balance. "You okay, partner?" Ritchie asked.

"Yeah." Tobias assured them. "I've handled worse."

"That's five." Cosette said.

"So, the sixth might be at the cave." Henry inferred. "Lead the way, Tobias."

The young pilot nodded with a smile and led everyone to the tree bridge. As they walked in a single line across it, the wisp of magic flew past the unsuspecting adventurers.

Author's Note

A/N: That's five Guardian Dragons down. One more to go.

I guess I will see you guys in Chapter 14, where a secret is finally revealed, if it wasn't obvious already. Please let me know about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)