"I can't do this!"

Blaise threw his hands up in frustration. He lay in the mud below the obstacle course, the icy rain pouring down on him. He sat up with a heavy sigh, rubbing his sore muscles. Every time he thought he was doing better, he would slip up again.

Stop being so negative. You almost made it to the top that time. You did it yesterday.

"This is ridiculous! We been at it all day, and for months before now. I don't wanna do this no more—I keep fallin'!"

"That's what the repetition is for."

Despite what Blaise thought, he had changed drastically in the months since coming to Draconia, especially in his training with the Occultus Draconem.

When he had been brought there from Cadmus, he was emaciated, starving and in pain from what he'd been through. There were some days that he couldn't even attend training sessions because he'd be in bed, writhing in pain or vomiting from how much Zane's presence affected his Human body.

But still, since then, he'd built muscle and stamina, and could, to a degree, will away both Zane's presence and the pain it brought. He just couldn't seem to master the obstacle course.

"Anyone can get lucky and do something once or twice," Kenric said, "but you have to keep doing it, until you can do it right every time."

"But it don't rain every time, man. It's like a whole 'nother course!"

Kenric opened his mouth to reply, but Theron's voice came from across the arena.

"Do ya really think Ken's lookin' to hear yer lame excuses, kid? You ain't made it up yet today, so get yer ass outta the mud and get goin'!"

Theron had been absent from training for about two months. According to Kenric, he'd contracted some kind of illness that only affected Dragons. He was paler and a bit thinner than the last time Blaise had seen him, but Theron still carried himself well, and he still wore that cocky grin on his face.

Blaise let out an exasperated sigh and got to his feet, wiping the mud off his bare arms. Ezekiel and Phoenyx, who were waiting patiently for their own turns, watched as he tried to scale the walls again. But Blaise's boots slipped on the slick stone again, and he hit the mud, face-first.

"Why ain't ya workin' the course together?" Theron asked, and the other two just shared a confused glance. "Ain't no Draconem member ever gonna go nowhere by himself. If ya can't do it alone, let yer squad help ya. Gotta have faith in each other just as much as in yaselves. So, all of ya, get up there."

"What good would that do?" Ezekiel asked, looking at the water running down the walls. "If we can't scale the wall, what will it matter if we help each other or not? We'll all just end up in the mud together."

"Ken, whatcha been teachin' 'em all this time?" Theron asked, turning to Kenric. "Man, I ain't gonna ever get sick again, so I can be here while yer trainin'. Don't they know nothin' 'bout their powers yet?"

"They know about their powers," Kenric said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "As for their lack of teamwork, I can't spoon-feed them every little thing. I was hoping they'd figure it out on their own."

"Figure what out?" Phoenyx questioned.

"Y'all really ain't the brightest bunch, are ya? Ya can use yer powers for more than just combat, ya know?"

"Oh!" If it was even possible, Phoenyx's big blue eyes got even wider than usual. "I think I know where you're going with this!"

"I don't," Ezekiel noted, wiping rainwater off his face. They were all soaked to the bone and tired of being out in the rain.

"I see yer as big a dope as ever," Theron replied. "Use yer powers to change the obstacles. Get it? Make it work for ya instead of workin' for it. Ain't every day ya got three recruits with totally different elements to work with. Between the three of ya, ya could probably navigate through anything."

Blaise watched intently as Phoenyx approached the obstacle course. Her bright eyes darted around, taking in everything around her. She was incredibly perceptive, and Blaise believed she'd be the first one to master the course.

She took in slow, deep breaths, building up her power. Waving her hands in front of her, the water came free from the walls, extending out into small, frozen platforms. She couldn't keep them solid for very long, though, and the quickly melted away. She sighed in disappointment, her shoulders dropping, but then Blaise got an idea.

"Hang on, Nixie. Do that again. But this time, just do 'em one at a time, goin' all the way up the wall."

Hey, that's pretty smart.

"Um... okay. I'll try."

As Phoenyx created her platforms of ice, Blaise used them as stepping stones to propel himself up the wall, and they melted away under his feet as he leapt off of them. When Phoenyx realized what he was doing, the platforms started appearing in more convenient spots, and they felt more sturdy under his weight.

Near the top of the wall, before Blaise could just barely reach the top of the wall, the last platform melted away under him. He fell, but stopped himself a few feet from the top by clinging to a metal bar that protruded from the wall. He tried to pull himself up, but the bar was cold and wet, and he struggled to keep his grip.

"What happened?" Phoenyx asked. She waved her hands, desperately trying to created a new level beneath Blaise, but nothing happened.

"You've used too much of your power," Kenric explained, eyeing Blaise as he hung from the wall. "The more you train, the more power you'll have, and the less you'll need to perform simple tasks. But you're still very new to this, and you've reached your limit."

"Help him before he falls!"

"We ain't doin' nothin', kid," Theron interrupted, crossing his arms. "You three gotta figure this stuff out on yer own. Ken and I ain't always gonna be 'round to save yer asses. He got powers of his own too, don't he?"

"That's a good question," Kenric said thoughtfully.

"Dammit," Blaise muttered under his breath. He was trying not to panic, but he could feel his fingers slipping. "Ain't you gonna help me none, Zane?"

And do what? My powers are fire-based, like Theron's. Besides, we have no idea how it would affect your body.

"Move," Ezekiel said, pushing past Phoenyx. At the bottom of the wall, his thrust his hands up into the air, sending a gust of wind upwards. It lifted Blaise into the air, and he landed safely on top of the wall.

"Oh, man," Blaise said, clutching his aching chest. His heart was pounding, and he had to sit down to catch his breath.

"There ya go!" Theron clapped happily, beaming with pride at Blaise. "About damn time!"

"I think that's enough for one day," Kenric said, running a hand through his soaked hair to brush it out of his face. "You can practice and start perfecting your techniques when the weather gets better. Theron, get Blaise down."

After training, Blaise was eager to get clean and dry. He rushed to the small home he'd been given in the small city just outside Castle Draconia. It wasn't much—just the ruins of the old kingdom—but it was a place to live.

He quickly undressed, hanging his clothes in front of the fireplace to dry, and he scrubbed the mud from his skin over a small basin of water that he had warmed.

Once he was clean, he didn't even bother getting dressed. He dropped down onto his bed with a tired groan, clutching his chest. He was relieved that Kenric had cut training short that day—his whole body ached. It hurt every single day since he'd been taken from Cadmus Orphanage, but his chest hurt more than usual, especially when he was doing too much physical activity. There were some days when he couldn't even get himself out of bed.

Why don't you ever let me know when you're in pain? We share this body now, but I can't always feel it. I can help, though.

Blaise let out a small gasp when his heart fluttered a bit, and it sent healing magic coursing through his veins. The pain subsided, like cold water putting out a fire in his body. He was amazed by the powers that Dragons had, and he sighed in relief, his tense muscles finally relaxing.

"How come Humans ain't got all kinds of powers like Dragons?"

Humans have power too, but very few are born with it. That's why most mages rely on spellbooks. Without those spells, they wouldn't be able to do anything. As far as I'm aware, the only Humans born with magic are to the east—the royal family that rules over Anzino.

"I still dunno why I'm s'posed to be so secretive 'bout this. You owe me more of an explanation that whatcha given me, 'specially since yer takin' a free ride in my body. I'm tired of askin' the same questions and gettin' no answers. Where the hell is yer own body?"

At first, no response came, and Blaise let out a sigh. Zane always became unresponsive when Blaise tried to inquire about his past, and it made Blaise crazy.

Why should he bother to help the Dragon Prince, when he wouldn't even share his plans? Blaise didn't owe him anything. Did Zane expect him to just go along with everything, willingly ignorant? That didn't seem fair. A jolt of pain shot through Blaise's forehead when Zane finally replied.

If you really need to know, I have no idea where my body is. The point of using a host body was to evade Agni. Although, I suppose that plan went out the window when the Enforcers found out about you.

"What makes you think I wanna help you anyways? I ain't obligated to do none o' this. I could just refuse."

Unless you want to be subject to the Cleansing along with me, you'll help me. Where would you go otherwise? Where will you hide when Agni takes control of every other kingdom and wipes out the rest of the Dragons. If we don't do this, you'll never be free, and I—

"All right, I get it," Blaise said, rubbing his temples. Zane's voice caused him a great deal of pain. He wished he could refuse to help. He didn't want to see anyone else die, and he knew the path he took with Zane would only bring more death.

"Blaise?" Phoenyx's voice came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a shy knock. "Can I come in?"

"Hang on," Blaise said, scrambling to get some dry clothes out of the chest at the foot of his bed. The last thing he needed was for Phoenyx to see him naked, but really, he just didn't want her to see his scars. When he finally opened the door, her eyes were wide with curiosity, as always.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked, glancing over his shoulder into his home.

"No one," he said curtly. Getting up so suddenly had caused his pain to come flooding back, and he was irritated. "Maybe I just like talkin' to myself. Got a problem?"

Hey, be nice. She was just asking a question.

"Sorry," she said, looking down at her shoes, her cheeks red. Blaise immediately regretted snapping at her. "I just... wanted to see if you wanted to go for a walk."

"A walk?"

"Well... yeah." She looked around, seeing if anyone else was in the area before she leaned in close, speaking in a hushed voice. "I know where Kenric is meeting with the Occultus Draconem. Wanna check it out?"

"Since when do you like breakin' rules?"

That group isn't full of stupid people, kid. Kenric especially. You're going to get caught, so just say no.

"Yeah, I guess we can check it out."

"Great!" Phoenyx clasped her hands together with a grin, her eyes bright with excitement. She was all too pumped to be spying on the Occultus Draconem, but Blaise found her endless curiosity to be a bit endearing.

This is not a good idea.

Trying to block out the pain and noise from Zane's continuous protesting, Blaise followed Phoenyx quickly and quietly through the halls of Castle Draconia. They had to step lightly, otherwise their footsteps would echo and bring attention to themselves in the darkened corridors.

When they reached what had once been the castle's war room, they pressed their ears to the closed doors.

"All right." Kenric's voice was muffled by the door, but it was so powerful that they could still hear him well enough. "As of right now, we've got thirteen squads patrolling the borders of Cadmus and Draconia. There are three more squads within Cadmus itself, collecting information on the fortress, and five members—Theron and myself included—going every other night to exchange information. There's been a lull in Enforcer activity in recent weeks, but it hasn't ceased entirely."

"We ain't got enough eyes on Cadmus Fortress, Ken," Theron said. "We're outnumbered, ten to one, and that ain't gonna change no time soon when we only got a total o' ten recruits at various levels of trainin'. The only ones closest to bein' ready ain't even barely figured out how to work as a team."

"Is he talking about us?" Phoenyx asked in a whisper. Blaise just put his finger to his lips to hush her so he could hear what the others were saying.

"Phoenyx and Ezekiel have excelled in their training," Kenric replied. They could hear him pacing back and forth, his boots clicking on the stone floor. "Blaise worries me, though. He hasn't shown any signs of Draconian power."

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Ken? We seen what he's got. In case ya don't recall, he was mid-transformin' the day we found him."

"You're right." The sound of a chair scraping across the floor reverberated through the room. Kenric must have sat down. "But he hasn't transformed since then, and he flat-out denies that he's a Dragon. I thought the obstacle course might push him to use his powers, but if he really is a Dragon, he's pretty dedicated to the lie."

"Then why bother trainin' him, man? Ain't it a waste o' time to be workin' with a kid who ain't got no potential for nothin'?"

Phoenyx glanced over at Blaise with a look of pity, and he turned away. Theron was right. There was no way for him to control what Zane did. He was just his host body... a puppet for the Dragon Prince.

That's not true, Blaise. You could do a hell of a lot more with my power if you'd just cooperate with me.

"Be quiet," Blaise hissed, rubbing his throbbing forehead.

"I didn't say anything," Phoenyx said.

Remember what we discussed about talking to me around other people? They're going to think you're crazy.

"I'm not crazy!"

"I didn't say you were." Phoenyx raised an eyebrow at him. "What's going on with you, Blaise?"

"What's it matter to you? Leave me alone!" he snapped, shooting a hateful glare in her direction. She recoiled, clearly hurt by his words, but he didn't care. Everything ached and Zane was annoying and she wasn't helping the situation. He wished he could just drop dead... anything to end his pain.

Pain shot through his chest, and Blaise fell against the doors. It was becoming overwhelming, trying to deal with Zane's presence in his body.

"Are you all right?" Phoenyx asked, trying to help him stand up straight. While she was aiding him, the doors to the war room swung inwards, sending the two of them toppling to the floor.

"The hell do ya think yer doin'?"

Theron grabbed Blaise and Phoenyx by the backs of their shirts, dragging them over to the table where many Occultus Draconem members were gathered, fully uniformed. Their identities were concealed by their masks, but Kenric's unruly red hair gave him away.

"Look here, Ken. A couple o' spies." Theron shoved the two of them towards the table.

"This is a private meeting," Kenric said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. His green eyes glowed from behind his black metal mask, and Blaise tried to gulp down his fear. "You haven't been officially initiated into the Occultus Draconem, so you're not allowed to be here."

"The two of 'em been sittin' in the hall, listenin'."

"Explain yourselves." Kenric stood, looking down at Blaise and Phoenyx with an air of power that Blaise had never seen. It was no wonder why the Draconians followed him. "Answer me!"

Phoenyx whimpered, gripping Blaise's forearm tightly. Blaise wished he could ease her fears, but he couldn't even ease his own. He didn't know what punishment might await them. What was the penalty for listening in on a secret meeting? He was no stranger to pain or punishment, but he would have preferred to leave the room unscatched.

"We was just... lookin' for you," Blaise lied, trying to sound more confident than he felt as Kenric stared him down. "We... uh... well, we had some time to rest, and we know ya don't like us trainin' when you ain't around, so..."

Do you even remember who you're talking to? He can tell when you're lying.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Kenric asked, moving around the table to where Blaise stood, with Phoenyx cowering behind him. Of course Kenric knew he was lying—he was a master of mind-reading. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let Theron throw the two of you out of here, put you on double cleaning duty, and make you spend the next two weeks training in the rain."

Blaise wanted to speak, but couldn't seem to find his voice. The truth was, he was terrified of Kenric.

You can't even stand up for yourself? Here these guys are, talking about how you have no power or potential, and then say you're not allowed to be here? I think it's time to let them know what's going on. You've got everyone's attention, and no one here that could interfere, so—

"Stop," Blaise begged, clutching his head in his hands. Zane's voice was too loud, too demanding... and the angrier Zane got, the less control Blaise felt over his own body.

"What did you say?" Kenric asked, leaning forward to hear better.

"Zane, stop this," he begged, speaking even though no words came out of his mouth. "This isn't going to end well for anyone."

It all happened as if Blaise was watching from a distance. Well, maybe he was, in a way. All control of his body seemed to vanish, and every attempt to take it back sent jolts of pain coursing throughout his body. He opened his mouth to speak, but it wasn't his own voice... it was Zane's.

"I have as much right to be here as anyone else," Zane told Kenric.

Zane's voice was loud and powerful... nothing like Blaise's.... and Kenric narrowed his eyes. Blaise wanted to scream in pain as Zane straightened his back and puffed out his chest. He could hear Phoenyx gasp, and Theron laughed.

"Oh, really?" Theron crossed his arms, eyeing him from head to toe as a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. Blaise's fingers twitched, and he could send Zane's urge to slap the grin right off Theron's face. "What makes you think that, kid?"

Don't touch him, Zane. Please... We're in enough trouble right now without you starting a fight.

"Because," Zane said, shaking off Blaise's attempts to regain control of his body, "I'm not just some child off the street with nothing to bring to the table. You need me."

You're hurting me, Zane. Stop this!

"Forgive me, Lord Kenric," another Draconem member spoke up from his seat at the table, "but what the hell is this? Get your recruits out of here and let's get on with this meeting. There's a war going on, remember?"

"Hang on." Theron put his hand up to silence the group when they began to voice agreements. Not once did he take his eyes off of Blaise. "Tell me, kid. What makes ya think we need you? What makes ya think you ain't just as replaceable as anyone else?"

"Blaise, stop," Phoenyx pleaded, but Zane pulled his arm out of her grasp. Blaise wanted to listen to her, but Zane seemed to be looking for a fight now. "Come on, Blaise... just apologize and let's get out of here. Please."

"I'm not replaceable," Zane stated. "In fact, I'm everything you're looking for."

"We don't need nothin' from no arrogant brat like you," Theron growled, getting up in Blaise's personal space, glaring down at him. If he had gotten any closer, the two would have bumped chests. "Just 'cause yer doin' okay in trainin' don't mean shit when it comes to the real stuff, like fightin' Enforcers. You ain't ready for none o' that, and you ain't never gonna be ready."

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Enough!" Kenric's booming voice demanded everyone's attention, and the silence became so heavy that Blaise could hear his own heart pounding wildly. He still struggled, trying to regain control despite the pain, but Zane's will was stronger than his own.

"All right, Blaise," Kenric said with a sigh, removing his mask. He eyes were deep with concern as he looked over Blaise, trying to find some indication of what might be going on, but Zane kept him shut out of his mind. "What's really the issue here?"

"You're nothing without the Dragon Prince," Zane said. "And he's been right under your noses this whole time."

"The hell ya talkin' 'bout, kid?" Theron asked. The rebels started to whisper between themselves, and even Kenric looked suspicious.

"Blaise..." Kenric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No one has seen or heard anything in regards to Prince Zane since the start of the Cleansing. That was over five years ago, long before you came to Draconia. What could you possibly know about Zane Bedalia?"

"I am Zane Bedalia, the Dragon Prince, trapped inside this boy's body," Zane said, and a few of the Occultus Draconem members laughed.

"Ridiculous," one member said. "What a notion! What proof do you have of such an outlandish claim?"

Zane fell silent. There was really only one way to prove it, wasn't there?

Zane, please... don't do this.

"He ain't got nothin'," Theron said, turning his back to Blaise. "Just get outta here, kid."

"Blaise, please," Phoenyx begged. "Do what he says."

Zane, listen to them! You're taking this too far!

"I won't be going anywhere. I am the Dragon Prince, and this is my kingdom, not yours!"

"Yer outta yer damn mind," Theron said with a laugh.

In a moment of blind rage, Zane grabbed Theron by the arm and pulled him back. As he spun around, Blaise's fist collided with the side of his face.

What the hell are you doing?

"What was that for?" Theron wiped the blood from his nose, and anger radiated from him like flames. "Yer gonna pay for that, ya stupid brat!"

"I said enough!" Kenric shouted, his voice echoing through the room. It didn't stop Theron, though. He grabbed Blaise by the front of his shirt, fist raised.

Blaise's entire body went tense, and he doubled over, clutching his chest as pain flooded through his veins. His heart pounded, and waves of nausea churned his stomach. His knees hit the floor hard, and he pressed his forehead to the cool stone, crying out in pain, begging for the pain to stop.

Zane, please don't do this to me.

"Blaise, what's wrong?" Phoenyx knelt beside him. He could just barely feel her arm around his back, but she quickly pulled away with a gasp. "Kenric, he's bleeding!"

"I didn't do nothin'!" Theron backed away, his hands up in his defense.

I'm sorry, Blaise, but this is the only way to make them see.

Blaise felt his shirt become wet with blood as his skin tore away, making way for bright green scales, and black spikes tore out along his spine. The pain was so intense that he couldn't tell what was hurting or where, he just knew it hurt. The sound of his own bones breaking apart made him want to vomit, but when he retched, nothing came out of his mouth but clouds of dark smoke. The heat that built up in his stomach, moving up into his throat was more intense than anything he'd ever felt, like he'd swallowed a mouthful of flames.

Blaise still couldn't use his own voice, and there was nothing he could do to stop the gruesome transformation. He dug his nails into the floor as they grew into large talons, gouging the stone. It was the last thing he saw before he lost all sense of control to Zane, darkness overtaking him.

"Blaise, what's happening?" Phoenyx reached for him again, but Theron pulled her away.

"Stay back, kid," he told her. "I ain't never seen no transformation like this before."

"So much for all of that denying that you're a Dragon," Kenric said, watching Blaise writhe on the floor with intense curiosity. He was the only one standing close to the young man—everyone else had moved to the other end of the room, their eyes wide with shock or fear.

"Why are you just standing there?" Phoenyx cried out, her eyes filling with tears. "Help him!"

"And what would you suggest I do?" Kenric asked. Of course, nobody had the answer to that question.

Blaise's body grew in size, his teeth becoming sharp fangs. The harder he breathed, the more smoke flooded the room, leaving everyone coughing and squinting through the smog.

Cries and gasps escaped the mouths of the Occultus Draconem as a large clawed foot came down through the smoke, crushing their table to splinters. One of the men used his elemental power to conjure a gust of wind that cleared the smoke from the room.

The enormous Dragon paced back and forth like a dog in a cage, his fiery red eyes focused on Kenric. His emerald scales glistened and sparkled in the light from the torches that lined the walls, and his long tail thumped against the wall as he whipped it around.

"I don't believe it," Kenric breathed, barely louder than a whisper. Green scales and red eyes were a unique set of traits, one that only two Draconians had inherited in the past century. Kenric knelt down in front of the Dragon with his fist over his heart, bowing his head. "Forgive me, Prince Zane."

Zane let out a long huff of smoke through his nose. Draconians couldn't speak any Human languages in their Dragon form, so Kenric was forced to try to read his mind.

Zane could feel Kenric's presence in his mind, digging through his thoughts like a red-hot poker, giving him a splitting headache. Was this how Blaise always felt? The man was trying to sort through their collective thoughts, emotions, and memories, trying to differentiate Zane's from Blaise's.

It was all too muddled and messy, like trying to dig a hole while it caved in at the same time.

"I don't understand," Kenric said. His own mind felt as though it were unraveling. "Two souls in one body?"

It was too much. Kenric's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, one of the members of the Draconem rushing forward to catch him.

As Zane took one threatening step towards Kenric, Theron stepped between them. He glared up at the Dragon Prince, blocking Kenric from him.

The Dragon Prince let out a terrible roar, but Theron was unmoved by his ferocity. Theron, being a Dragon too, transformed before him. There was no pain it in... no blood or tearing of skin. In fact, it was the opposite—releasing from a Human body was sweet relief.

Theron bellowed, just as thundering as Zane's voice, and the Dragon with sleek black scales curled protectively around Kenric and everyone else. Some of the Draconem members had to cover their ears to block out the deafening cries of the two Dragons.

"Get out of my way," Zane demanded.

"You keep yer filthy claws off him," Theron responded, slamming one massive foot down with a boom. "Just 'cause yer the Dragon Prince, I ain't gonna let you harm no one!"

"You will show the proper respect to the heir of the Draconian throne!"

"I ain't gonna show you no more respect than ya deserve, and right now, you ain't deservin' o' nothin'! You ain't gonna scare me neither—I ain't afraid o' no Dragon Prince. You ain't even been 'round for years. We didn't need ya then, and we ain't be needin' ya now. You wanna help? Then give that kid his body back. But if yer tryin' to get to Ken, ya gotta get through me first!"

"What in the world is going on?" a Draconem member questioned, watching the two Dragons shrieking back and forth at one another. In Human form, Dragons couldn't understand the Draconian language either.

Theron and Zane stared each other down, but Zane was the one who finally backed down. It just wasn't worth the fight. They were supposed to be on the same side, after all. What good would come from attacking Theron or Kenric?

"Very well."

The nauseating sound of cracking bones echoed through the room as Zane's body shrank down, everything snapping back into place. Zane's emerald scales receded beneath Blaise's tan skin, leaving Blaise face-down, naked in a pool of his own blood.

When Theron returned to his Human form, Phoenyx rushed to him. She pressed her face into his chest and sobbed.

One of the members of the Occultus Draconem members went to Kenric and pressed two glowing green fingers to his forehead. His chest shuddered and he gasped as his eyes shot open.

"You good, Ken?" Theron asked, holding Phoenyx while she continued to cry.

Kenric sat up with a groan, clutching his head in his hands. Once the pain subsided, he got up and went to Blaise. When he rolled the young man onto his back, a dark look fell over his face.

Blaise's chest heaved with labored, raspy breaths, his entire body exposed to the room. There were audible gasps around the room at the amount of scars in his skin, embedded with a history of pain and suffering. Nothing stood out as much as the long, jagged scar that ran from his collarbone all the way down to his bellybutton.

"Dragons don't bleed when they transform."