The dream was different now. The woman was no longer far away; she was very near, getting closer all the time. Her arms were around him; she was comforting him, letting the blood fade away from his hands. Her soft white dress caressed his skin. All around them was a steady, cool-burning fire—

"Heero!" Quatre said, and touched his shoulder. "We have to leave soon."

Heero sat up, shaking his head. The air was moist; it must have rained during the night, but the thick tree cover above had kept them mostly dry.

He looked around. The others were all up, and eating some cold breakfast, for a fire was not possible with the damp wood, and would have given away their position if they were being followed.

Heero realized that there was a new person among them. Also a fairy, she had translucent wings like Hilde’s, only hers were purple instead of pink. She had long honey-colored hair, in two twists on either side of her face. Heero rose and walked over to where she was speaking with Duo and Hilde.

As Heero approached, she looked up at him. "Hello, Heero," she said. "My name is Sally."

Heero nodded in greeting.

"I will be leading you the rest of the way through the mountains," Sally said. "I know the land here better than Hilde, and she must return to her sisters and rest."

Heero nodded again and looked at the others. They were all standing, preparing to leave.

"Want some breakfast, Heero?" asked Duo, offering him a piece of bread. Ever since they had escaped, Duo had been quieter and somehow different towards Heero.

Heero shook his head. "Not hungry."

Hilde turned to Duo. "I’m sorry I can’t come with you," she said. "But Sally will guide you well, and there’s nothing really I can do for you—"

"I understand," said Duo, and took her hands in his. She blushed slightly and looked away. Duo said, "You’ve done more than enough already."

Hilde looked up again, and her eyes were filling with tears. Then she flung her arms around Duo. "I’m going to miss you," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

Duo put his hands on her back. "Don’t worry," he said, and pulled back to give her a cocky smile. "We’ll be back this way in a couple of days."

She nodded, wiped her eyes, and stepped away. "I have one more thing to give you," she said, turning to the rest of the group. Reaching up, she touched the teardrop-shaped pink stone on her forehead. At her touch, it came loose and fell off into her hand, and she held it out to Duo.

Duo took it, looking slightly confused. "Thanks," he said.

"It’s a transporting stone," she laughed. "It has the power to take one of you on a round trip to anywhere you want. Just hold it and think of the place you want to go, then do the same to get back." She shrugged. "It won’t do much good now because you all have to get to the entrance to the spirit world, but maybe it will be useful somehow."

Duo held it out again to her. "We can’t take this," he protested.

"It’s okay," she said, pushing his hand back. "I’ll grow another one." She gave him a smile. "Just be careful, and promise you’ll come and see me on your way home."

It was still raining. It had been all night. Mud covered everything, like a strange disease. Zechs was soaked to the skin. He had been out in the rain for a long time; he didn’t know how long. The officers were dispersing slowly, drifting away from the glistening stone vault where Noin’s body had been laid to rest. Zechs placed a hand on its side, and his fingers slipped through the water on its surface. As the raindrops dripped off his nose and ran across his mask, one image burned in his mind: the blood, running down the gilded blood channels of the Epyon of Ironblood, and the young face of the boy who wielded it….

He looked back towards the governor’s building where he could see a figure, tall and commanding, standing on the porch, out of the rain. Other figures waited around him like obedient children.

Zechs walked toward the figure, pulling his feet away from the sucking mud, and finally climbed the stairs to the porch where he stood level with the figure. The other men standing around shifted and resettled to make room for Zechs as he stepped out of the rain. He saw Lady Une standing back in the shadows.

Treize looked out to the vault for a brief second. "I came as fast as I could. And I brought the item you requested." His calm voice mixed with the sprinkling sound of the rain. He looked at Zechs. "This turn of events is most unfortunate."

Zechs did not reply. Behind the burning sensation in his head, he was glad that Treize could not see his eyes. "Yes, sir," he replied automatically.

Treize looked harder at the magician. "We are sending a detachment after them." His face shifted and he seemed to be studying Zechs, although Zechs’ mask hid any emotion that might have otherwise shown through his eyes. Then Treize said, "Do you want to go with them?"

Zechs was silent for a moment as he calmed the images of blood running across his vision, then said tensely, "Yes."

Treize nodded slowly, looking thoughtful, then said, "My men will be able to handle them without you."

Zechs did not hesitate. "I must go."

Treize nodded again. "I see." He looked at the vault, distant and dark behind the curtain of rain. He looked again at Zechs, and his gaze was more penetrating than ever. "Let me tell you something, Zechs," he said, and his voice was soft. "The death of a soldier is not something to be mourned. She cannot be avenged because she pledged her life voluntarily. And grieving for the death of a soldier can only lead to disaster."

Zechs repeated, "I must go."

Treize’s eyes looked slightly remorseful as he replied, "Well, you must do what you think is necessary." His gaze turned away. "That mask alone shows that you are a devoted man of honor."

Zechs stiffened at the mention of the mask.

Treize turned to the open doorway where Lady Une was waiting and began moving towards it. But he paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Zechs," he said, and the coolness in his voice and in his eyes momentarily stilled the fire in Zechs’ mind. "Zechs," he repeated, "I cannot lose you. Do you understand?"

Zechs nodded slightly, and Treize moved into the darkness. As Zechs moved after him, he stopped and glanced back at the tomb for what he knew to be the last time, and stepped in out of the rain.

After coming out of the forest, the river became steeper, falling down from rocky ledges scattered with hardy brush. The group of travelers had now stopped and taken shelter under a small ledge, for the rain was making the rocks too slippery to climb and the river dangerously swelled.

"Here," said Sally, passing the meal bowl to Heero. They were sharing a short lunch until the rain subsided. Heero took his share of the food and passed the bowl on.

"How far are we?" asked Duo sleepily from his reclining position.

"Not far," replied Sally. "The Cave of the Dragons is right at the source of this river."

"’Cave of the Dragons’?" repeated Heero.

Sally looked at him. "You haven’t heard the legend of the dragons?" she asked.

"The magicians told us all they could," said Trowa. "But they didn’t say anything about dragons."

Sally nodded. "Then I will tell you," she said. "The entrance to the spirit realm is located inside a maze of underground passages and caves; this river issues from a spring in one of these caves. They say that if you entered the caves without a guide, you would never find your way out."

"Unless you have some kind of strong magic that could guide you," said Heero. He was thinking of their pursuers.

"Yes," said Sally, realizing what he meant. "That is why we must hurry to reach the caves before they do."

"Come on already!" interrupted Duo. "What about these dragons?"

Sally nodded and continued. "Living in these caves are five dragons, the kings of all the spirits in this world. They guard the entrance to the spirit realm against any kind of evil that might threaten it." She raised a hand to count as she continued. "The dragon Shenlong is the Spirit of Justice. Sandrock is the Spirit of Healing and Life. The Heavyarms dragon is the Spirit of Knowledge and Wisdom. Deathscythe is the Spirit of War and Death, and the dragon called Wing is the lord and master of all the dragons and all the spirits in this world."

"Will they allow us to speak with Queen Relena?" asked Heero.

"Yes," answered Sally. "They will undoubtedly be expecting your arrival. They will send the Maiden of the Dragons to greet you, and then you will be brought to meet the dragons themselves."

As Sally spoke, the rain outside had been gradually tapering off, and now the sun had broken through, leaving just a small sunshower.

"We should move on," said Sally, ducking out of their little shelter. "From now on we must make all haste to reach the cave."

The apprentices climbed out into the open one by one, and Sally followed up after Wufei emerged. The six travelers climbed slowly and warily up the steep rocks as the light rain continued to fall.

Sally, watching Wufei’s back in front of her, noticed a distinct trudging as he climbed, and a moody silence, unusual even for him. She fell in beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Is something troubling you?" she asked.

Wufei growled, "No," and continued to climb, but Sally’s fairy instinct could sense the genuine distress behind his grumpy mood.

"Wufei," she tried again, "Please tell me. We all must be honest with each other for this mission to succeed."

Wufei sighed heavily and stopped, turning to her. "If you must know, woman, I am disturbed about something."

"Oh?" said Sally, her tone prodding him to go on.

"Those people," he started, hesitating slightly as he searched for the right words. "In the stadium. How did Zechs get control of them so completely?"

Sally thought she knew what his concern was, but said reassuringly, "His magic is very strong. You felt it yourself."

"No," said Wufei. "It wasn’t just the magic. He told us the reason: the people’s faith in us was weak. They readily accepted the idea that we are their enemy."

"Well," said Sally, "they hadn’t seen your magic in action for many years. They had no reason not to trust Zechs."

"But they had forgotten!" Wufei said, and his voice actually carried some distress. "They had forgotten all about the first Heero Yuy!"

"The father of this Heero’s clan?" asked Sally.

"Yes," said Wufei. "They had forgotten all the great things he had done as the first leader of the Five Magicians. They had forgotten how hard he fought to get the Epyon of Ironblood away from the dark magicians and into safe hands."

"That was a generation ago," said Sally.

"But shouldn’t they remember?" asked Wufei. "We fight so hard, as did our Masters before us, and still they will turn on us and betray us at the first suggestion of it."

"Wufei," Sally said, and placed her hands on his arms. "You have to understand that you are not fighting so that the people will recognize your deeds. You are fighting so that they will be free, and someday they will know the reason for your magic." She paused, and as her eyes searched his for some reaction, she saw him blink and his resolve melt for a moment. "Do you understand?" she said. "So now you must fight without their support, for the future – theirs, and yours."

Wufei did not move. He seemed to be searching for a reply, when Duo’s voice came echoing down the mountain, "Are you two coming or what?"

Sally gave Wufei a respectful smile telling him that he didn’t have to say anything. But before they moved to catch up to the others, she was surprised to hear him mumble, "Thanks." The next moment she was looking at his back as he climbed nimbly up the rocks.

The rain picked up again presently, but the rocks were leveling out and the climb wasn’t as steep. The river grew smaller, too, as they climbed past numerous tributaries running down off the mountain. Soaked to the skin already, they waded through the smallest neck of the river where the path crossed it, and Sally nodded ahead: they had reached the source. Down a small ledge up ahead was a grotto, out of which the river flowed. Looking upriver, Quatre’s eyes widened. "The river’s flowing up that ledge!"

Sally gave him a smile. "The magic is strong here," she said.

As Heero looked into the dark mouth of the grotto, its walls covered in the shifting marble pattern of the water, he saw a flicker of white. He gasped and strained to see. There was a figure there, dressed in white! But even as he looked, he saw that it wasn’t her….

Sally followed his gaze and said, "That is the Maiden of the Dragons. She will lead you into the caves." She looked around at them. "I must leave you now. I wish you good luck on your quest." She gave Wufei a quick glance. "Be strong, and I hope to see you again someday."

"Thank you," said Heero, and she began her descent from the mountain.

The apprentices turned to the grotto and the woman waiting there for them. After making their way along the river and down the slope where the water flowed uphill, they stepped out of the rain into the grotto.

The Maiden of the Dragons was standing beside the water. Her white dress hung to just below her knees, her blond hair was long and hung loose, and there was a strange intensity around her blue eyes. Heero noticed that she did not carry a lantern from the caves.

Quatre stepped forward. "We thank you for your help," he said. Heero noticed that he watched her face with an intense gaze. "My name is Quatre."

She nodded and looked at each of the others in turn. "Heero, Duo, Trowa, Wufei." She turned back to Quatre, returning his gaze. "And my name is Dorothy."

"I see you were expecting us," said Trowa.

Dorothy nodded. "I know you must be tired, and would like to rest and bathe," she said, "but the magician called Zechs is very close, and we must waste no time." She turned to the inner wall of the grotto. "I will take you to meet my lords immediately."

She walked forward, through a dark passage that Heero had not seen before. They were not following the river now; it had taken a different course out of the mountain. This was a passageway with a smooth stone floor, wide enough for three people to walk abreast. Small, steadily glowing points of light were suspended along the walls, magic torches to light the way.

Dorothy led them through the caves with no hesitation about which direction to take. New passages budded off the first one, and after a while, Heero could not keep track of the turns Dorothy had taken. He fully believed what Sally had said about getting lost in the caves.

Finally, Dorothy stopped before one doorway that was strangely obscured by a filmy, translucent substance over the entrance. After giving them an encouraging glance, Dorothy stepped through the doorway into the chamber beyond and disappeared.

The apprentices followed, finding that they could step through the doorway with no trouble, and found themselves in a chamber that stretched for some distance to either side, but the long wall of which was not far in front of them. Looking up the wall, they saw five great niches carved into the wall, and in these rested the dragons.

To the far left was the dragon Shenlong, long and snakelike, with silver and blue scales covering its body. It was enormous, and was curled over many times in a great mass. Resting on its forehead was a great stone medallion, carved with a symbol of scales, representing justice. Next to Shenlong was Deathscythe, the spirit of death and war. This dragon, equally enormous, was covered in ridges and spikes, giving its red and black body the appearance of an arsenal of bladed weapons. Its medallion was carved with the picture of a scythe. On the far right was Heavyarms, smooth and rippling with thousands of tiny orange and yellow scales. The medallion representing wisdom and knowledge was a quill. To the left of this dragon was Sandrock, the spirit of healing and life, covered in yellow and white scales, and with scalloped fins along its back. Its medallion bore the picture of a sun. And in the center of these dragons was Wing, the lord of all the spirits of that world. It was red, blue, and black, representing the three elements: fire, water and earth. The medallion on its forehead was uncarved, a great smooth circle, representing the circle of the Earth and of life itself.

The apprentices stared in awe at these great creatures. They saw Dorothy bowing to the floor before them, and followed suit. "You may rise," came the voice of Wing, echoing around the chamber and spreading through the air. They stood to face the dragons again.

Wing’s eyes were great, deep orbs as it addressed the apprentices. "We have watched you as you made your way here," it said. "We commend you on your courage." The other dragons nodded their heads in agreement.

"We thank you, lords," said Heero, stepping forward and bowing slightly.

"You are familiar with the magician Zechs?" Wing said.

Heero stood, a little too quickly. "Yes."

"He is on his way here, and is not far away." Wing looked to Dorothy. "Take them to rest." Then, again to the apprentices, "Try to sleep. You will need as much strength as you can get when they arrive. Zechs has with him his best apprentices, and they will fight you well."

Dorothy bowed, as did the apprentices, and they followed her out of the room, through the translucent doorway, and down a series of more passageways. The chamber to which she led them was arranged with five sleeping pallets. "Sleep well," she said, and left them.

At first Heero despaired of falling asleep in the face of such a monumental battle, but before he could realize what was happening, he was fast asleep in the folds of a woman’s soft white gown.

Stay tuned for Part 6 of Ironblood

Next Time: Zechs arrives at the caves with his dark apprentices, ready for a fight, and bearing a special weapon: the sister sword of the Epyon of Ironblood, the Zero. And his dangerous magic means trouble for Heero and his friends….