The scaled beast roared as an arrow nicked his flank. Cormag reached down and patted the torn skin as the ranger was skewered with an axe. He then took flight and raced round the tight corner, sword sliding through a weakened swordsman and moving onto a rallying great knight. Noticing a flash of red hair, Cormag turned his mount and landed near a column. The pontifex was safe; the wyvern lord noticed as he flew towards the galloping mage knights, guarded by his faithful general and enthused niece.

The blonde knight shook off a cast inferno and drove his sword through a rider's neck. He grasped an iron spear and twirled it as his shattered blade fell to the cold stones. Another mage fell to the flagstone when Cormag lowered the weapon.

He swiveled on his mount, searching for that familiar shock of red hair. He found the paladin's horse standing off to the side, nickering unhappily as a warrior flung an axe in his direction.

Cormag whistled to Genarog and soared over the attacking warrior. With the enemy destroyed, Cormag leant over and examined the slumped over knight. His breath caught when he noticed the closed eyes and lax grip on the reins. He slipped off his hovering wyvern, throwing a glance over his shoulder to see that Ross and Duessel had the passage under control.

"Hey," he called gently. He placed a hand on the other's knee and shook it. He then tore his glove off and held his hand under Seth's nose, throat relaxing as he felt the paladin's even breaths. Cormag shook Seth's knee again and called his name loudly. The knight gave a slight smile before pressing his forehead further against his war stallion's soft mane.

With an annoyed shout Cormag called Ewan's attention to the sleeping paladin. The young druid was dancing behind Ross's back, throwing dark circles and flickering flames at the enraged swordmasters and laughing. He heard Cormag's call and raised a staff, grinning as the bulb lit brilliantly.

Cormag felt the wound on his thigh close and growled in annoyance, pointing at the slumped over knight. Ewan withdrew the heal staff with a sheepish grin and rummaged beneath his robe for another. He raised the new staff with a triumphant smile and pointed it in Seth's direction.

The adjoining passage was flooded with light, drawing Cormag's attention to a hunched over bandit. He angrily flung a spear at the cowering treasure hunter and turned back to Ewan who gripped the torch staff nervously and shrugged. He hadn't thought to grab the needed staff, it seemed.

A dark armored general strutted in front of Ewan, drawing the druid's attention from Cormag's annoyed glare. While the left chamber had been lit, the passage parallel to the pontifex remained unlit. A scraping noise issued from the dark depths, causing the wyvern lord to call louder and prod Seth's slumbering body.

A speeding arrow came forth from the depths, convincing Genarog to drop behind the stationary stallion and fold his sinewy wings. The blonde knight placed a foot atop the horse's stirrup, sliding against Seth's foot, and placed a knee on the horse's back in front of the saddle so that he was level with the oblivious knight.

Cormag shook the man's shoulders as the rasp of a sword on stone caught his attention. Additional arrows came forth from the hallway. "Come on! Wake up, Seth!" he shouted into the pale ear, frowning when the redhead sighed and attempted to rollover on his horse. The stallion jockeyed and dodged a feathered shaft. With an irritable snort the horse bucked and Cormag clung to the slumped shoulders.

The wyvern lord had an idea on how to wake Seth; and he figured the other wouldn't remember if he jumped off quickly. Genarog gave a cackling bark, as Cormag's features grew heated. He cast another glance at the shadowed passage and reluctantly pulled Seth's chin upwards, pressing his lips against the other's pale ones fiercely.

A sudden spark startled Cormag, making him nearly fall sideways as pressure and heat danced at the joining of their lips. He thought about pulling away, he hoped the magic had been thwarted, when the heat intensified and the slumbering body shivered, gloved hands resting in oblivion on his waist. Cormag then forgot all but the heat at his lips and the odd churning sensation in his chest. He placed a hand behind Seth's neck and tilted his own mouth upward in a last-ditch effort to wake the man. He pulled away when an over shot arrow grazed his gauntlet and red lashes fluttered questioningly.

Seth opened his eyes and blinked when the sounds of battle reached his ears. His felt intense warmth leave his lips and tightened his hands, clasped around something firm, he noticed, in confusion. Red orbs locked with startled blue before the man jumped to the ground and mounted his wyvern.

The paladin grabbed his spear, turning to question the flushed knight before his stallion gave an aggravated cry and charged the approaching warriors.

--

Duessel paused in the dark corridor, hand feathering along the stone wall as he heard two voices.

"It, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time." The Obsidian recognized the voice as Cormag's, the flustered note in the baritone making him quirk an eyebrow.

"No, no. I'm quite grateful, I assure you," the Silver Knight, it seemed, "I just thought I'd come and thank you properly," Duessel edged along the wall, head turning around the dark corridor to see the two unarmored knights talking in the moon light of a window.

"Oh, sure. It was nothing,"

Duessel watched Seth take a step forward, a certain peculiar quality to his garnet eyes. "No, it wasn't," Seth argued, arm extending to rest on the scarless side of the blonde's face. "It was everything," Cormag took a slight breath, back leaning against the flagstone wall, eyes wide and hands twitching at his sides. The Silver Knight brought his other hand against the wyvern lord's side and rested it against a clothed hip, thumb pressing against the warm sliver of skin at the edge of the blonde's shirt.

"I...well, then you wouldn't mind, maybe, if I ah-, well..." Duessel shook his head at the flustered tone; the best warriors lacked the skills to deal with foreign emotion. The great knight pulled back from the passage, the slight sound of a breathless chuckle following him back to his quarters.