Part 2 Chapter 20: Complications

"It was me."

The cave was as quiet as a tomb as Blaze's words sank in. The three other dragons present, Cobra's lieutenants by the looks of things, glowered at her, no doubt surprised and furious over the sudden intrusion. But Blaze could hardly care less what they thought of her. Right now, her gaze was fixed on Cobra.

Her niece looked as though she'd just been stabbed; her expression contorted into one of disbelief, confusion and pain. Blaze's admission had shaken her deeply-that much was as plain as day. Far less clear was how Cobra was going to react.

Was she going to attack? Would Cobra strike her down right there and then for her apparent betrayal? The very thought of it should have terrified Blaze but she just couldn't find it in herself to feel anything besides the intense pity welling up inside for her distraught niece. What had Cobra done to deserve the many tragedies that had blackened her life? Why should she have to sacrifice herself to resolve something that was never her fault in the first place?

Whatever's coming, I deserve it, Blaze thought, steeling herself for the worst.

But Cobra didn't raise so much as a talon to hurt her. A few tense moments passed before her niece regained enough of her composure to speak.

"Blaze," she said, keeping her hoarse voice from shaking. "What are you saying?"

Hearing the exhaustion and brokenness in her niece's voice almost moved Blaze to tears. But she couldn't afford that now.

"I'm saying that if anybody was to blame for your mother's death, it would be me," Blaze told her. "I understand that you may not believe me, that you may think that this is another attempt to save Thorn, but I need you to at least hear me out. Please."

Cobra met her gaze and nodded. "I'm listening."

Intent that this precious opportunity should not be squandered, Blaze started right away.

"On the Brightest Night, after Burn was killed, Blister challenged me to a duel for the throne," Blaze began. "I knew there was no chance I could win and I'd never wanted to fight my sister in the first place so I spent most of the battle cowering and trying to get away from her."

"We were interrupted when the dragonets of destiny somehow managed to turn up the Eye of Onyx amid all the confusion," Blaze said. "After they handed it to Thorn, Blister completely lost interest in me. Instead, she went straight for Thorn and managed to wrest the Eye away from her. But then something happened that I can't explain."

"To put it plainly, the Eye of Onyx turned your mother to dust," Blaze said, hoping it wouldn't sound too far-fetched. "Thorn didn't lay a single talon on her, none of them did. They had no part in Blister's death. But I did."

Blaze took a deep breath before going on. "I mourned Blister for weeks on end. First my mother died, then Burn and now she was gone too. She had wanted me dead but she was still my sister and it was difficult to come to terms with the fact that I'd never see her again. But there was something else. Through all my grief, it occurred to me that perhaps this tragedy had been in some way my fault."

"I tried my hardest not to think about it-it was too horrible for me to even consider. But try as I might, it just wouldn't go away. It haunted me relentlessly until finally, I had to face reality."

"I thought long and hard on what had happened at the peace summit," she said, dredging up the unpleasant memories. "I realised that if I had just faced Blister like I was supposed to, if I'd had the backbone to fight her and die fairly, she might've survived. She would've been the only heir to the throne left and there would have been no need for her to go after the Eye of Onyx."

Blaze locked eyes with Cobra, determined to see this through to the end. "It was my cowardice and inaction that killed your mother and that cursed stone, not another dragon. So if you want revenge, here I am. I just want you to know how truly sorry I am for all the hurt I've caused you."

Her part said, Blaze fell silent. Now she could only hope that her niece would believe her and that no one else would have to get hurt. It felt strange. Before, she'd always been the first to run from danger to save her own scales.

But so much had happened since then; first she'd drawn the renegades away from Thorn and the others in a desperate bid to save them and now she was at it again, having effectively signing her own death warrant to redirect Cobra's vengeance. It was like she was a totally different dragon! Had she not been so afraid of what would surely come next, Blaze might even have laughed at the irony, not to mention the absurdity, of the whole thing.

And there was yet something that continued to puzzle her. Somehow, in spite of her newfound boldness, she was still terrified. Surely this wasn't the way it was supposed to be? She knew she should've felt some measure of steadfastness or comfort in doing the right thing but she just couldn't shake her incessant fear.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Cobra, who till now had been as still and tense as a coiled dragonbite viper, finally stirred. Blaze steeled herself for the worst. There was no turning back now.

"So the Eye really was animus-touched," Cobra mused absently, to no one in particular. "Oh mother… if only you'd listened," she murmured softly.

"You… you believe me?" Blaze managed to say.

"I believe you, Blaze," Cobra said evenly. "It matches what her bodyguards reported to me the night she died. I refused to believe them then but to hear the exact same story from you after all this time-that can't be a coincidence."

"She had us searching for the Eye of Onyx, you know," she continued. "There were all sorts of rumours flying around that suggested it was magical at the time but my mother dismissed them as fairy tales and mere superstition. I remember trying to warn her that there might be some truth behind it all but she wouldn't listen. To her, it was only a symbol of the SandWing Queen's legitimacy, just one more way to strengthen her claim to the throne and nothing more."

Noticing Blaze's unspoken anxiety, Cobra sighed. "Blaze, I'm not going to hurt you. I don't blame you for what happened."

"You… don't?" Blaze asked hesitantly.

"Anyone in your position would have done the same," Cobra replied. "The will to survive is ingrained in all of us. It would be ridiculous of me to fault you for trying to stay alive. You had no idea what would happen as a result."

"Besides, it's obvious to me that you cared about Blister," she continued. "And I've seen first-hand all that you're willing to go through to save the dragons you care about. In all, I have no doubt that, with the benefit of hindsight, you would have acted very differently and Blister might still be with us today. But the past is the past. And it's not your fault."

In spite of this, Blaze was concerned. "Cobra, you don't still blame Thorn, do you?" she asked worriedly.

Cobra shook her head. "It's like you said, Thorn never laid a claw on Blister. And if none of us knew what the Eye of Onyx was capable of, I see no way she could have either. As far as I'm concerned, there was no foul play where Thorn was involved."

Three moons, that turned out better than I'd hoped, Blaze thought as she heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said. "Words cannot express how grateful I am."

But then Cobra grimaced. "Blaze," she began hesitantly. "I don't know how to say this."

Her heart sank. A leaden weight began to form in the pit of her stomach. "What do you mean, Cobra?"

"I want you to know that I don't blame Thorn in any way for what happened to my mother," Cobra said, her voice shaky. "And I don't want to have to do this."

Blaze's relief had all fled and she now listened with a growing sense of dread.

"But for the sake of all the dragons under my command, I still have to kill Thorn."

For a moment, words escaped Blaze. Had all her efforts amounted to naught? Why was Cobra so fixated on Thorn's death? What did she hope to achieve by all this?

"But why?" she asked finally.

"Because it's not just about revenge," Cobra said. "The soldiers taking refuge in these tunnels are my friends and comrades. I want them to have a chance to escape from here and go back to living in peace. But they can't do that as long as Thorn's forces are on the alert for us. They need a diversion."

"The death of the Queen will throw the SandWings into sufficient disarray to allow my dragons to sneak back into the Sand Kingdom," Cobra told her. "You won't have to worry about anything. I plan to bring you along when I go to face Thorn. I'll see to it that you're returned home safely."

"No," Blaze refused flatly. "This is a terrible plan and I won't just stand aside and let you go through with it."

Cobra gave a heavy sigh. "Blaze, I know Thorn means a lot to you and I'm sorry," she said, a hint of frustration colouring her voice. "But-"

"She's not the only one," Blaze said softly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Thorn's not the only one who means a lot to me," she answered. "Before all this, I had to live with the reality that my whole family was gone. I had to bear with the fact that they'd left me all alone and they were never coming back."

"And then, all of a sudden, I met the niece I never knew I had," she continued. "Sure we had a rough start but it got better from there. And just when I start thinking I was wrong-that maybe I wasn't completely alone in the world after all-you decide it'll be a great idea to get yourself killed. Because that's exactly what's going to happen if you go through with this!"

"Don't you think I know it's a one-way trip?" Cobra demanded. "But I've got no other choice. I will not force my soldiers to endure another year like this. The war is over and they don't deserve to suffer any more than they already have! This is the only chance they'll get to live out the rest of their lives in peace. And if I have to pay the price to give them that chance, then so be it!"

"You're right," Blaze conceded. "The war is over. But your plan won't win your soldiers any respite."

Cobra scowled at her but she continued anyway. She had to make her niece see the flaws in her desperate plan. It was the only way she'd dissuade her from it.

"Sure, you might manage to get to Thorn," Blaze speculated. "You might even manage to assassinate her before her guards get to you. The SandWing army might be thrown into chaos with the loss of the Queen. But I know General Six-Claws. It's far more likely that he'll keep them in line while they sort out the business of choosing a new Queen. At that point, your soldiers wouldn't have a chance in the world."

"And let's say they do in fact succeed in sneaking back into the Sand Kingdom. There's no way they'll be able to live out the remainder of their days quietly as you seem to think. Nobody will believe that an army could just vanish into thin air overnight. Your soldiers will be hunted. For the rest of their lives, they'll have to watch their backs, constantly on the run to escape the authorities. That's hardly peaceful retirement by any stretch of the imagination. Your plan isn't going to work."

"What would you have me do instead?" Cobra snapped, her eyes wild. "To stand by and do nothing would be to condemn them to die from starvation and disease. There is no other choice!"

"Isn't there?"

"Well if you have a better idea, then spit it out already!"

"The war is over as far as you're concerned," Blaze said. "But in spite of this, there was never any agreement to stop fighting. Thorn made peace settlements with all the other tribes and even Burn's supporters but you never came to the negotiating table. Maybe it's time you did."

Cobra rolled her eyes despairingly. "That's your big plan?" Cobra demanded incredulously. "Don't you think I've already considered that? The other tribes held clout and authority and Burn's loyalists had a grip over most of the territory in the Sand Kingdom. We on the other talon have nothing to bargain with. In all likelihood, Thorn wouldn't even bother to parley with us if we came out of hiding-she'd be more than happy to see us wiped out!"

"That's where you're wrong," Blaze said. "She's the last dragon on Pyrrhia who would want to see any more bloodshed among the SandWings. She gave all of Burn's soldiers a full pardon after she took power and she even arranged the release of every SandWing still held prisoner from the war. She wants to heal the divides within the Sand Kingdom and repair our fractured tribe, not to cause more conflict and suffering."

"All you need to do is to show her that you're serious about peace," Blaze continued. "Once she knows that you're honestly committed to a resolution of the conflict, she'll have no reason to prolong hostilities. Once you've reached an agreement, you and your dragons will be able to return freely to the Sand Kingdom. Nobody will have to get hurt."

"And how do you expect us to do that?" Cobra snorted. "You can be sure our most recent attack will be fresh in Thorn's memory. There's no way she'll be willing to take our overtures at face value."

"And that's where I come in," Blaze replied. "It's true that she won't trust you if all you have to offer is a spoken promise. But if you accompany that promise with a gesture of goodwill, I can guarantee that she'll be more willing to hear you out."

"I'll accompany you when you reach out to Thorn," she continued. "Returning me unharmed will demonstrate to her that you're sincere about ending this conflict peacefully. And I'll help you to explain to her that this was all caused by a misunderstanding. She'll be reasonable about it once she's got the facts, trust me."

Cobra didn't reply immediately. But her face was distant, as if she was deep in thought. Blaze dearly hoped that she had been convincing enough to at least get Cobra to consider the idea.

One of Cobra's lieutenants spoke up.

"How do we know we can trust you?" she demanded. "Who's to say this isn't a ploy to escape just so you can go to Thorn and lead her right to us?"

"Escape?" Blaze asked. "If I'd really wanted to escape, I'd have done it by now instead of coming here. But that's just the thing; I've always run away from my problems. And each time, someone else ended up paying for it."

"When assassins came after me during the war, I ran and my guards lost their lives trying to protect me. When Blister challenged me, I tried to get away from her and she was killed as a consequence. When I fled to the Ice Kingdom and got them involved, I inadvertently caused the war to escalate to the point where the entire continent was dragged in."

"I'm done running," she said with a note of finality. "My sisters and I created this mess when we allowed our family's power struggle to turn into a full-scale war. The dragons who lost their lives, all the families torn apart in the violence-that's all on us. I would give anything for a chance to go back and stop all of it from ever happening. But wishing for the impossible won't do any good for anybody."

"I can't change the past," Blaze conceded. "All I can do is to try to make amends. I'm under no illusions that anything I do now could possibly make up for what I've done. But I can't stand by and do nothing-I won't. I owe this much to every dragon who ever suffered in the war and to those who still continue to suffer in its aftermath. So you can be sure that I'm on your side. I'll vouch for you before Thorn and I'll make sure that you're allowed to return to the Sand Kingdom without any fear of retribution. That is, if you'll give me this chance?"

The lieutenants were silent on the matter. Blaze didn't know if it was just her imagination or whether they actually looked a little less fierce and angry than when she'd first barged in.

It was Cobra who broke the silence. "Alright, Blaze," she said resignedly. "We'll give your idea a shot. I can't believe I'm saying this but it's the best option we have."

But her eyes undercut her reluctant tone. For the first time since Blaze had met her, she actually looked hopeful.

"Thank you," Blaze told her. "I won't let you down."

"Let's go see Thorn," Cobra said. "Before my common sense gets the better of me."

There was a sardonic chuckle from the other dragons in the room. It took Blaze a moment to realise that her niece had made a joke and she allowed herself a little smile. But it was no to last.

All of a sudden, one of Cobra's soldiers burst into the cave.

"My apologies, General," he said. "But we have a problem."

Cobra was all-business in an instant. "What is it, soldier?"

"There's a SandWing outside one of the tunnel entrances-a berserker by the looks of things. He must've followed one of our dragons to get here. A few guards tried to deal with him but he fought like a dragon possessed. They only barely managed to force him back."

"A berserker?" Cobra echoed, a faint tinge of horror and disgust entering her voice. "I thought only Burn kept those monsters around."

With a start, Blaze recognised the description. It's Dust, she realised with a growing sense of alarm. He must've given chase from the camp. I hope he's alright.

Meanwhile, Cobra assessed the situation with a look of consternation. Turning to her lieutenants, she ordered, "Jackal, go round up some dragons and reinforce that entrance. A berserker cannot be allowed to get in here-our wounded would be defenceless."

"Wait!" Blaze exclaimed. "I know this dragon. Please, let me go out there instead. I can get him to stop."

Cobra looked at her sceptically. Then she sighed. "If you're sure," Cobra said. "I don't relish the thought of losing more of my soldiers to one of these things. But if the situation turns ugly, my guards will pull you back. We still need you if we're to negotiate with Thorn."

Blaze nodded and turned to the guard. "Can you take me to him?" she asked hastily.

"Follow me," was the reply and the soldier set off down the winding tunnels.

Blaze took a deep breath. She had told Cobra and her lieutenants that she would make amends. Now it's time to prove that I mean it, she thought to herself. Just hang on, Dust, help is on the way.

With newfound courage born of determination, she hurried after the soldier, ready to face whatever fate had in store for her.

Author's Note:

Hey everybody! My deepest apologies for taking so long with this chapter! The number of rewrites I had to put it through before finding a satisfactory version was simply astounding. But here it is after a long wait. I think this one takes the cake for being my longest chapter yet-hopefully that makes up a little bit for the delay

As always, my deepest gratitude for your patience, support and kind words! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll try to get the next one to you without as long a delay! Thanks again everybody! ^^