Alistar gathered up the herbs and wildflowers Axel and Jags had brought him into a heaped pile. Jags huffed, puffing out his cheeks and throwing up his hands in exaggerated frustration. Alistar ignored him and started to mix and burn what had been brought to him, turning the wispy tendrils of the fire black, then blue, then a sickly violet.

"What are you doing?" Jags sighed in defeat, sitting down to watch him work. Axel emerged from the bushes carrying an armful of brambles and black berries. Nightshade. He let the plant fall to the ground beside Alistar and collapsed, shaking.

"I don't know how long I can keep doing this," he grumbled. Alistar agreed; they were running out of wolfsbane and fast. The sight of the eternal night hanging overhead was driving the animal inside Axel insane, and more of the plant was needed to keep it under control. Jags had suggested they use the amulet when Minx got back, but then that would leave her vunerable. Alistar continued to work in silence, mixing and throwing herbs to the hungry flames until the smell of burning ash and cinders clung to the air like a parasite.

"What are you doing?" Jags' nose wrinkled as he sniffed the embers, his fur standing on end. This smelt unfamiliar, the smell of old magic.

"No matter where we go, we want to go quickly, right?" Alistar said, pinning a long thorny bramble to the floor where he started to strip the outside layers away, revealing white flesh.

Axel snorted. "That's an understatement. Continue."

"Shadow walking takes energy," Alistar explained. "I need more energy if I'm to get everybody there in one go."

Alistar blew gently into the flames, calming the spitting embers. The light fell, burning low as the wind picked up, pushing the flames back and forth as they fought to stay burning. So he lay across jt, shielding the glow from the breeze. "Those kids better hurry up."

~

"Find anything?" Nyx called over his shoulder. Luna shook her head, kicking a chunk of rotten wood with her boot.

"Nothing. Minx, how we doing on that door?"

Minx took a deep breath before throwing herself at the door again. For wood, it was proving surprisingly resilient. She groaned loudly, sliding down to the floor before reaching up and jiggling the rusted handle weakly. "Open!"

Quin had given up almost as soon as they'd for there, resorting instead to creating a fire that he now sat in the centre of, sulking. "I thought you said this was going to be easy!" He whined, playing with the flames nibbling his shirt. The hissed but didn't bite, didn't burn, contending themselves with blackening the ends of his jacket.

"So what now?" Nyx crouched down, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet and drumming his fingers across the dusty floor. "We've tried fire, my power and raw strength. Anything else?"

Luna had nothing. She picked her way over to the door and tried the handle. It didn't open. She hovered over the flaking metal for a moment before leaning in close, placing the side of her head against the wood. It was faint at first, but the more she heard it the clearer it became. Scratching. Like someone was gently dragging there fingers over a chalk board again and again. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. She stepped away and took a deep breath.

Luna knocked loudly, startling Quin. In response the flames leapt higher, snarling angrily.

"What the hell Luna!" Quin yelled, swatting the embers that rose up to settle in his hair. "Next time give us some warning before you-"

He stopped as the door creaked open, all eyes suddenly trained on the darkness that lay beyond. The scratching was louder now, definitely coming from the shadows. Luna stepped forwards, the smooth floor giving way to rough, unpolished stone.

"Hello?"

The scratching stopped. "Hello?" a voice echoed back. Luna flinched but pushed forwards. Seconds later she heard the sound of footsteps ringing back and forth across the walls behind her. Her eyes adjusted to the dark as she went, and soon she could see the fractures and erosion the stairs had stuttered over years of use. But from what they knew,  that door hadn't been opened in years. So what had been using them?

"Luna?" Quin whispered, coming up beside her. His hand was alight, casting dancing shadows across his face. She glanced back to see the blurry glow emitted by Minx following a few meters away. "What're you doing?"

"Something was scratching...something's down here. Can't you hear it?" She said, staring to move again. This time she could see exactly where she was going as Quin struggled to keep up.

"No," he said. "Nothing."

She rolled her eyes. The scratching was ear piercing, unrelenting as it tore away at her brain until the noise was all that existed. They stopped before a large sprucewood door, coated in dust and cobwebs. A far, black spider scuttled across the floor in front of her and Luna watched it disappear into the gloom. Nyx and Minx joined them before the doors. Quin frowned.

"Another door?"

"Try knocking again," Nyx suggested, motioning to Luna. She narrowed her eyes and he shrugged. "It's worth a shot, right?"

Luna squaredher shoulders and rapped her knuckles against the door. The scratching stopped. The door sung inwards and white smoke poured out. For a horrifying moment Luna thought the room might have been burning, but her pulse quickly settle again when Nyx began coughing and sneezing. It was just dust. Just dust. The scratching started again.

Minx was beside Luna in an instant and the two shared a knowing look before stepping inside. Soft blue light showed them a long, narrow corridor that ended in an open doorway. But there was a door; it was just in pieces, scattered across the floor. Luna felt a growing sense of unease building up in the out of her stomach and she took a shaky breath. She has stared to get the feeling that they weren't alone.

"Hello?" she shouted. Her own voice felt stange to her; tinny and distant. It didn't sound like her anymore. A reply came in the form of a heavy slam. Luna span around an her heart dropped; the door was shut. From the other side She could hear Nyx yelling, his cries muffled.

"You smell like him, you know," A melanchonic voice hummed. "Like the forest. Like all things wild.'

Luna raised her fists and Minx growled, spreading her wings as far as she could. The voice laughed. The scratching was replaced by footsteps, the steady clicking of claws against stone.

"And you, Guardian, I wasn't expecting one of you to come alone. Which one are you? Jashalock? Seafoam? No, they wouldn't fit down here..." the voice droned on.

"Minx!" Minx growled. The voice fell silent.

"I see. I can smell Pasirima too. I take it he's in you head? Did Axel use that amulet of his? My master gave him that, you know, before he left."

"Who are you?" Luna said slowly. "Listen, we just need the journals. Are they down here?"

"You should have burned that night. But I save you. I couldn't save the others. The guilt haunted me. I hope you can find it to forgive me. You must have been lonely all these years," The voice whistled. Lights flashed to life along the corridor, glowing moss that clung to the walls. Tiny insects buzzed around and now Luna could see that wildflowers bowed their heads, growing between cracks in the floor. The end of the corridor was no longer empty.

That dragon that stood there was tall and slender, neck so long it had to bow its head to fit. It's eyes were milky white, but the dragon's nostrils flared and it swung its head around to face them.

"Forgive me," it sang mournfuly. "But the Pyron and the Mystic cannot set foot in here. I was given express orders not to let anyone except my master's relatives or a guardian in."

"Guardian?" Minx snorted. The dragon laughed - it sounded like tricking water - silver and gold scales flashing. It approached, more flowers springing to life where ever it stepped.

"We were warned, you see, that this would happen. And though my master's death pained me, I swore I would guard his treasures until the day they were needed came."

The penny dropped. Luna swayed, her head spinning. "You mean, you're-"

The dragon bowed. "Hello to you, Luna Autumn, the one who is said to take over my master's role as the dragon Hunter, the slaughter of mountains. My name is Eli, forest silver claw and partner to the legendary Hatchet Autumn," it turned, platinum tipped wings casting a gentle summer breeze that ruffled the flower petals, tearing a few from their stems and sending them twirling after it. It padded off, tail sweeping back and forth like a metronome. "Come, we have much to discuss."