In fact, the battle was going poorly. Ulana and Jadu were running themselves ragged bouncing between the larger clusters of automatons, just trying to keep the alliance army from being over-run. Fortus took over as the Lion General after General Artibus was killed, and he divided the well-trained lion soldiers into smaller assault teams to spread out and support the other armies in an effort to keep everyone standing. The Wolf Tribe was doing the best job of keeping their formations together, Fortus had to give their partner maneuvers credit for that, but even they were struggling not to break ranks under the relentlessness of their enemy.

Fortus didn’t even want to know what the casualty count was. He was just grateful that Lolo wasn’t around to witness this bloodbath, because she would kill herself overextending her energy to try and protect everyone. Everywhere he looked, people were falling. He didn’t know how long they would last like this, but he knew that they couldn’t retreat either. The automatons would simply chase their fleeing backs and cut them down from behind.

Philige was grateful for the moment’s reprieve, and once again, he was astounded by Lolo’s heart bond and the power and adaptability of her ultimate. Her shield had done something different. Instead of breaking the toy soldiers into stoney chunks to hurl dangerously in all directions like before, the shield had crushed them into a fine powder, destroying all of them within the shield’s radius without causing secondary injuries to the men. Additionally, any automatons that made contact with the shield after the initial shockwave were similarly destroyed, so as nearby soldiers retreated into the shield, their mindless attackers were instantly obliterated trying to follow them in. The shield wasn’t up for more than a minute, but it was enough to regroup.

General Baatar was exhausted but proud of his men. Despite the enormous losses that the phoenix army was taking, the young and inexperienced soldiers were fighting courageously. Ulana had been sticking close to the phoenix army since the lion primordial (Fortus was it?) had divided up the lion army to help support the smaller tribes and the ravaged Bear Tribe army. (It was a decent plan for desperate times. He knew that the bears had already lost their general and his sons which meant most of their military leadership was gone. The small tribes were struggling too. A few of the smallest tribes had lost their entire armies already.) Ulana’s ultimate was particularly inspiring to his young soldiers. Seeing her shoot into the sky like a phoenix gave them hope, like they weren’t fighting alone, and those who were hosts to their own phoenix spirits gained an extra measure of courage and strength each time they saw her wings of fire.

As the sun hung low, Zhongyan was trying really hard to keep a brave face on. As the new Alpha, he didn’t want his men to see the fear in his eyes. This battle was nothing like anything he could imagine. As the wolf soldiers were wearing out, their lines were breaking and their casualties were soaring.

“Captain Jianshu and Fengli are dead,” Lingdao informed him.

“Rensui is severely injured,” Qingchi’s emotional report about his twin quickly followed.

Zhongyan could feel the rising panic, so he used that anxious energy to smash a few more toy soldiers open.

“Zhongyan!” He heard Haowan call his name and turned around to see three automatons, daggered hands up to strike him from behind. This was it. He closed his eyes in acceptance and felt himself hit the ground, blood splattering his face.

“NO!” he heard Qingchi scream and opened his eyes to realize, confused, that the blood wasn’t his. Qingchi was smashing the automatons to bits from behind.

Haowan collapsed across Zhongyan’s lap, and Zhongyan finally grasped what had happened. His twin brother, his faithful Beta, had knocked him out of harm's way and taken the hits for him. The incredible, primal cry of pain that escaped his throat as he held his brother’s lifeless body shook the entire battlefield.

The Alpha Call.

Everything went hauntingly still. The alliance watched in shock as the automatons began ripping themselves apart from the inside out. Zhongyan’s call had awoken the tormented spirits held hostage inside them, and just like that, the battle was over. This was of little consolation to a bereaved Zhongyan, and his sobs were quickly shared by many as soldiers found their family, friends, and comrades among the dead.

Jadu healed as many mortal wounds as he could, meditating to recharge his spiritual energy multiple times before the light completely faded. Then the casualty reports began trickling in. Of the one hundred and ninety thousand men they had started with, they’d lost nearly half of that.

“Almost eighty-five thousand dead?!” Fortus’s head spun trying to grasp that reality, and he had to sit down.

Jadu nodded mournfully. “And another fifteen thousand severely wounded. Almost everyone else has at least one minor to moderate injury.”

Fortus nodded blankly, processing the numbers.

“Have you informed the others that the battle is over?” Jadu asked.

“You mean Lolo?”

“And Standig,” Jadu nodded.

“Not yet. Not until they complete their mission,” Fortus grimaced. “I need to check in with them again, but telling Lolo that her brother is dead will crush her.”

“Then be vague about the casualty report, but knowing that the battle was won will be a relief to her.”

Fortus nodded and took a few deep breaths.

Lolo, Standig and Tamkhee worked their way silently around the edge of the same training camp where they’d spent the Dragon Tribe exchange together. Lolo was feeling much better for having meditated. She was ready to face the Black Dragon and accept her fate.

“Lolo, what’s your status?” Fortus asked.

“Almost there and all tanked up. What’s yours?”

“The battle is over.”

“What?!” a feeling of dread washed over her and hollowed out her stomach.

“Zhongyan’s Alpha Call somehow destroyed the toy soldiers.”

She almost laughed from the relief she felt. “How is everyone?”

“The casualty counts are coming in, but Philige is safe.”

“And my brothers?”

Fortus hesitated which made her anxious. “I know that Rensui was pretty badly injured, because Jadu patched him up. And obviously Zhongyan is alright. I haven’t heard about the others yet,” Fortus lied. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about Haowan. Not yet. Not right before such a critical mission.

“Ok. Keep me informed?”

“I will. Be careful, Lolo.”

“Guys, the battle is over. They won!” Lolo shared with Standig and Tamkhee.

“How is everyone?” Standig asked.

“Fortus hasn’t gotten a full casualty report yet, but Philige is ok.”

Lolo watched as Standig’s shoulders relaxed.

Tamkhee looked pensive.

“What is it?” Lolo prompted.

“The training camp. It’s so quiet,” he replied. “It’s too quiet.”

Redirecting their attention to the camp, Lolo and Standig listened. Tamkhee was right. There were no voices, no shuffling of feet, no signs of human life, and it was only barely dark.

“What are you thinking, Tamkhee?” Lolo asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know. One of two things. Either the rest of the dragon army really was killed to make those fake soldiers, or Fortus and the others will be in trouble again really soon.”

“Sir!” someone came flying through the camp to find Fortus. “We’ve got company.”

“More fake soldiers?”

“No. Real ones this time.”

Fortus jumped to his feet. “How many?”

“In the dark, we couldn’t tell. But a lot of them.”

“Where are they?”

“Approaching the pass. We’ve got teams set up to hit them with rock slides once they enter the pass completely.”

“Good. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Jadu, coordinate efforts to get the wounded out of here. Ulana, you’re with me. Soldier, spread the word. Send me everyone that’s still capable of fighting, and send the rest with Jadu.” Fortus left the tent barking orders, trying to suppress his growing fear. They weren’t prepared for another battle. Everyone was injured and exhausted while the dragon soldiers were fresh. They couldn’t win this fight. The best they could do was to give the injured a chance to clear out before retreating themselves. “Ulana, please tell me you remembered to meditate before the sun went down.”

“I did.”

“That’s something at least. We’re going to have to be strategic about how you use your fire. And Ulana, I know you don’t like it, but-”

“You want me to keep my mind open for you,” Ulana griped.

“Yes. We can’t win this fight through conventional tactics. We’re going to have to be clever, which means coordination.”

Ulana sighed heavily. “I’ll try, Fortus.”

Ulana and Fortus were met at the pass by a ragtag collection of demoralized alliance soldiers. A few bonfires were set up to light the already blood-soaked battlefield that they’d only just finished clearing of the bodies of their comrades. Those still capable of fighting numbered about seventy-five thousand. The rest were too badly injured. Tamkhee had said that there should be one hundred thousand dragon soldiers left in reserve, and Fortus steeled himself against the impending carnage while looking around for ways they could use their environment to their advantage.

They were standing in an open field with a forest behind them and mountains in front of them. Rockslides were planned for an initial assault. They had Ulana’s fire to work with, and they needed to divert the dragons' attention away from the injured soldiers camped out to the north.

“General Baatar,” Fortus found the curly-headed Phoenix General standing with his men. “I need you to be my co-leader.”

“You have a plan?”

“Yes. Ulana, come join us. We might have a shot at winning this.”

They reached the palace without meeting a single person. Once they were inside, they only had a handful of guards to deal with on their way to the room Tamkhee had told them about. Lolo just hoped that the Black Dragon was actually there. Otherwise, they'd have to search the palace and hope that he hadn't escaped or gone into battle or something. She'd spent so much energy worrying about what would happen when she met the Black Dragon, that she hadn't stopped to consider what would happen if she couldn't find him in the first place. At least they had Tamkhee with them who was familiar with the palace.

“I know the room is somewhere around here,” Tamkhee halted the group to inform them in a whisper before turning the last corner. “I’ve never been in this area of the palace before, but this is where the Pahaad woman was caught, so I know that we are close.”

Lolo and Standig nodded to indicate that they were ready to continue. Tamkhee exhaled sharply and rounded the corner. They were looking down a long, dark hallway with a large set of blue double doors at the end. Catching sight of the doors, the Silver Wolf in Lolo’s chest seemed to snarl. They were close, but it felt too easy. Shouldn’t there be some sort of defense or resistance in place?

Tamkhee was the first to hazard a step forward. Lolo reflexively threw a small shield up to protect them from a series of poisoned darts triggered by a pressure plate he’d stepped on.

“Thanks for that,” Tamkhee whispered.

“Don’t mention it,” Lolo said, dropping the shield again. “Maybe I should go first?”

“Be my guest.”

Lolo picked her way carefully across the floor and the boys followed her footsteps exactly to avoid stumbling into more booby traps. They managed to make it to the doors safely, and the doors opened at the top of a long flight of gradually spiraling stairs that led deep underneath the palace. Fortunately, there were no more traps to worry about, but the hairs on the backs of their necks prickled uncomfortably.

The stairs ended abruptly. Staying low, Lolo peeked an eye around the corner to get an idea of what was ahead. It was a giant cavern. She wasn’t sure how deep the stairs had taken them, but it was clear that they were in a cave under the ground with natural pillars of stone supporting the high ceiling covered in stalactites. It occurred to her how strange the lighting was down here. She could only see a handful of strategically placed braziers, but the cavern was illuminated with a blue hue by something in a state of flux that she couldn’t locate or identify. And the air was electric with energy. Despite the silence, the energy seemed to hum.

Lolo recoiled as a dark shadow passed across the back wall of the cavern. Someone ahead inhaled deeply.

“I’ve been expecting you Silver Wolf. I know you are here. I can smell you.” She’d only heard that voice a couple of times, but she knew exactly whom it belonged to. “And you’ve brought friends.” The Dragon General took another deep breath and laughed in surprise. “You’ve even persuaded my host’s worthless offspring to help you. How quaint! No doubt he’s convinced himself that there is some human nobility in betraying his own father.”

Next to her, Lolo felt Tamkhee flinch, and she rested her hand on his arm to settle him.

“And who could the other friend be?” The Dragon General continued sniffing the air. “It smells like a bear… the Black Bear? You two were always close. So tell me, how’d I do, Silver Wolf?”

In the pale blue light, Lolo gave Standig an apologetic look that he couldn’t quite understand.

“I’m losing patience. Show yourself!”

Lolo took a brave step into the cavern, followed closely by Tamkhee and Standig.

The Dragon General started laughing the instant he saw them. It was a cruel, deep laughter that burned in her gut where her insides were already squirming. “I’d say that I was spot on. And I’m delighted to see that your taste hasn’t changed much, Silver Wolf. A weak little girl as your host? You don’t honestly believe that she stands a chance against me, do you?”

The Black Dragon’s fiery red eyes were glowing in his host’s skull, and Huo Lohse realized that General Yudha no longer existed. He had been completely taken over by the monster he had been host to. “How long ago did you supplant your host’s spirit, Black Dragon?”

“Caught on, have you?” he smiled wickedly. “He was in the way. I kicked him out and turned him into one of my soldiers after we killed your host's mother.”

Lolo felt an instant pang wind her, and any doubt Tamkhee had about betraying his father died. This really wasn’t his father anymore. His father was dead.

“You used the massacre to force your host's spirit out?” Standig realized out loud.

“Very good, Black Bear. And I thought you were slow,” the Black Dragon laughed again. “Yes. Once he decided that the lives of his own kind no longer mattered to him, he could no longer resist my power. His body became mine, and I made him a new one to show him my gratitude.”

Tamkhee hadn’t been at the Wolf Tribe battle. He hadn’t even heard about the massacre. This was all news to him, and the fact that his father was responsible, that he had decided that human life was meaningless to him, cut him to the core. His father really had been evil.

“This is where you create your soldiers?”

“In a way. This is where I harvest souls and put them to sleep before giving them their bodies,” The Black Dragon’s face twisted into an evil smile and he drew his sword. Lolo and her team did likewise. “I plan to collect your souls tonight too, you know. You’ve already been generous enough to provide me with tens of thousands of new souls by abandoning your men on the battlefield.”

“They won the battle,” Lolo glared at him, trying not to believe him. “Your soldiers were destroyed.”

“Yes,” he said, still smiling, “but not before most of your army was killed. Including one of the Wolf Tribe princes.”

“You’re lying,” Lolo breathed. She knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t help but wonder what he knew, if it was true. Fortus hadn’t given her a full casualty report.

“I assure you, Silver Wolf, I’m not lying. Look around my chamber! Examine the souls I’ve already captured. These are all fresh from the battle today.”

So the souls were the light sources. Lolo couldn’t help herself and looked up.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Lolo hit the ground hard, dazed and disoriented with a gash above her forehead on the right side. She felt blood trickling down the side of her face, dripping off her jaw and onto the cold cave floor. As she tried to get her eyes to focus again, she watched Tamkhee and Standig fight the Black Dragon together. The Black Dragon was truly powerful, and even against two expert swordsmen, he was winning. Tamkhee and Standig were struggling against him.

Huo Lohse tried to sit up. She tried to find her feet to get back in the fight, but she was so dizzy, she collapsed before she got very far. “Silver Wolf, I’m sorry. He knows my weakness.”

“I know, because it is the same as mine."

"Is it true? Is what he said true?!"

"I don't know. True or not, he will say anything to hurt you."

Tears welling up, Lolo tried and failed for a second time to find her feet.

"Trust your friends and take a moment to recover. I’ll help you.”

Lolo felt the Silver Wolf’s calming warmth flood her body, granting her energy and emptying her mind. She let her eyes close for a minute to help clear the fog and sat up to meditate, absorbing energy to aid her recovery.