The dragon was not sure in his flight by any means, but he managed a graceful glide as he sailed down the hillside of Bastion toward the Masters.

In front of him, Syrce was running at full speed.

"Get back!" She screamed at them. "Head to the woods!"

The words were barely heard by the Masters, and they looked at each other in confusion. They could take flight again, but with an adversary that could also take to the air, there was no advantage. The only option was to head beyond the treeline and hide among the branches.

The cohort retreated. Under the shade of a tree that could rival a ten-story building, they took refuge. They turned to peek at Bastion.

Despite her expeditious running, Syrce's emotions were calm and collected. Child of Promise frowned.

'How can she be so serene? We should help her!' Noble began to leave the tree, ashamed of her cowardice.

Flint pulled her backwards. 'I am not going out there, and neither should you!'

Before any argument could begin, Syrce reached the edge of the city at the bottom of the hill. The Prince was almost upon her, his good eye wide with lust for her destruction. Reaching the water, the Saint sheathed her sword and drew her hands together over her head.

Just before the dragon could give her a warm welcome, she dove into the lake. The surface of the water boiled under the unnatural flames, but only for a moment.

When the dragon soared down over the water to search for the soaked Saint, he was met with a nasty surprise.

"What in this Realm?!" Noble couldn't believe her eyes.

A tentacle lifted from the water, wrapping firmly around the dragon's neck.

Where had it come from? Did Syrce have a second transformation? Was that even possible?

Noble watched with morbid fascination as the tentacle tightened.

The Prince's flight over the water abruptly ended as he was pulled beneath the surface in a spectacular splash. A wave washed over the shore, going far beyond the bounds of the lake.

When the water receded, it left behind a bedraggled woman with mossy-colored hair.

Wrenching herself free of Flint's grasp, Noble ran for the other woman. "Syrce!"

The Saint pushed back her dripping braid over her shoulder and smiled at her floating companion. "I'm fine! But you really should listen when I say to get back. Come on!"

The lake continued to churn, not from heat, but from the furious battle going on under the water.

As the women returned to the safety of the trees, Flint glanced between the dripping Saint and the lake she had just crossed under the surface.

"H-how did you...?" he stuttered.

"I've always been a strong swimmer, Titus. Living near the locks, one had to be...though come to think of it, if I had failed, I suppose I would have just fallen over the edge of the dam, and my skills would have been of no use anyway." Syrce mused, reflecting on her childhood.

"Your swimming skills are beyond reproach." Noble coughed lightly. "But I think he was asking how you got the water monster to attack the dragon."

"Ah, yes, that. That was tricky. I had assumed the creatures of Darkness that have taken up residence in the lake would be more excited about the dragon coming so close, but it seems I was wrong. I had to poke one and wake it before it lunged into action. I just had to make sure I didn't get hit first. Luckily, I have the power to make other things look more enticing than myself. That abomination barely registered that I was there!"

"You… poked that tentacled beast?" Roan looked at her from the back of his griffin.

"It was either that or use my transformation, and I didn't really want to find out how that form handles underwater. What would you have me do?" Syrce wrung out her hair.

Helping Aether dismount from the echo's back, Roan never got a chance to answer.

At that moment, the dragon broke the surface of the water.

In his teeth, a still writhing tentacle was dripping blood.

Other arms flailed, failing to capture the Prince and drag him back below the waves. The altercation, for now, had ended.

Landing back on the shore of Bastion's ruins, the newly cleaned beast swallowed the inky arm in two bites.

Then, finding the sun to already be irritating his broken scales, the Prince retraced his path along Bastion to the top of the hill. As he searched out a pile of rubble that would suit him for shelter until he could recover himself with dirt, the humans released the collective breath they had been holding.

"See? I told you he wouldn't go beyond the border of the lake." Syrce smoothed back her bangs.

Noble's eyebrows shot upward. "I thought you said he couldn't fly!"

The Saint held up a finger in objection.

"I believe I said his wing is broken, which is true. My scouts have said nothing about whether the Prince could take to the air. It seems his ability to fly is inhibited but not entirely gone."

Roan laid the bleeding Aether out on the ground, and Flint began his ministrations. The scion of the House of Night let him do his work without complaint.

The healer complained enough for both of them. "How could they not have mentioned that thing could fly?! Your scouts should have taken better notes!"

"I agree." Syrce snapped her fingers. "You there..."

Seeing he was being addressed, the young man sat up slightly with a wince. "My name is Aether, ma'am."

"Where are your notes?" the Saint persisted.

"Notes?" Noble furrowed her brow. "What notes, Lady Syrce?"

The young man pointed. "They are a quarter of the way around the lake. When I am feeling better, I will retrieve them for you."

"And will the information about the Prince's ability to fly be among what is written?" The Saint's grey eyes stared steadily at him.

"It will be before it reaches your hands," Aether dipped his head.

"Hold still, blast it." Flint clicked his tongue. "My lady, he needs a moment of rest."

"Understood, Titus. I will head back to the group. Bel?" Syrce held out her hand.

"I am stuck until Aether is well. You head on without me." Child of Promise squeezed the other woman's palm gently.

The Saint stopped and tilted her head. "Something tells me you would want to stay even if you didn't have to. That is just who you are. As soon as you realized my scout was up there, you dove headlong to save him. Thank you."

Noble flushed slightly at the praise.

"No need to thank me. I know Aether would have done the same if the roles were reversed."

Hearing the certainty in her friend's voice, the Saint raised an eyebrow.

"How can you be so sure? Oh! Is he another of the ones you lost?"

Noble nodded.

"That is good news! Who would have thought that one of my scouts and my third-in-command would end up being close to my dearest friend?" Syrce looked down at Aether, her gaze softening. "You should thank your friend. Without Bel, we wouldn't have known you were up there. You are quite lucky."

The Saint straightened and continued.

"I will see you all back at camp. We will set up where we left the wagons."

With that, she swept out from under the shade of the tree and boldly crossed the expanse toward the other humans in the caravan.

"Thank you," Aether smiled. "Thank you all for coming. I don't know what I would have done if..."

Flint nudged his patient roughly before moving to the next spot needing treatment. "Yes, yes, we are your heroes. We know. Now tell us what we really want to know. Where have you been for the past week?!"