Realizing that Sombrana had given completely to her rage, Chiara and Schaddig had no choice but to leave her behind.  They could not get through to her, and they could wait for her no longer.  They took off for the Queen’s palace with the still-struggling Chuki in tow.

Completely oblivious to the fact that her fellow dragons had departed, Sombrana continued to spiral into her unbridled rage.  Securing her prisoner with light magick, Sombrana decided to have some fun with the flea-trap before she killed it.  She repeatedly kicked and beat Kilani, channeling all of her fury into each assault and rendering Kilani unconscious.

Then, Sombrana had an idea.

Deciding that she didn’t want a tiger’s death to sully the lush beauty that existed in this part of the Dragonlands, Sombrana mustered all of her strength and carried Kilani into the air.  Despite not being able to carry her very high or very far, Sombrana was still able to make her way to a small expanse of desert just to the south of the ex-sanctuary.

Sombrana grinned.  The drop from their current height wouldn’t kill her, but it would certainly bring her close.  Then, all Sombrana had to do was deliver the killing blow once she landed.  The thick, sandy environment would even serve as a perfect burial spot.

With ferocious glee, Sombrana let go.

Kilani’s unconscious body dropped like stone, impacting the gritty surface and merely tumbling twice before the sand quickly slowed her to a halt.  By the time Sombrana had landed, Kilani was a bloody mess, practically inches from death.  Creating a new dagger from her magick, the light dragon readied herself to cease the furbag’s breathing for good. 

It was either fate or fortune that smiled on Kilani that day.

Sombrana had become so engrossed with her treatment of her captive that she was completely unaware that Kess, Shie, and Riah had discovered them both while venturing into the Dragonlands looking for “lucrative opportunities”.  Realizing what they had stumbled upon and seeing her sister beaten mercilessly by one of the scalies, Kess used her trio’s advantage to get the drop on Sombrana.

The fight was not an easy one.  Though Kess and her companions outnumbered Sombrana three to one, the dragon was still more powerful.  Her fury made her even more so.  Fortunately for them, that rage made Sombrana’s attacks wild and unfocused.  Sombrana fought like a caged animal.  Through quick thinking, tactical maneuvering, and a healthy dose of Zhirite, the three were able to take Sombrana down.  Shie and Riah managed to secure their defeated foe in the Shackles of Binding while Kess tended to her sister.  Kilani was barely alive.  Fearing the worst, Kess put her differences with her sister aside as fear and concern took over.  She felt helpless as she continued to tend to Kilani’s wounds, knowing that her sister might not make it… 

Chiara and Schaddig made it back to the palace safely with the Queen’s daughter.  Upon meeting her offspring for the first time, Oscura was awash in relief.  Chuki, on the other hand, was petrified.  She trembled in fear, surrounded in a strange place by strangers who terrified her.  The Queen realized what had been done to her child.  Her own daughter had been brainwashed by her enemy.  There was no recognition in those young eyes.  Just fear.

This would not do.  Oscura realized that her legacy could not be carried on by this dragonling.  She would have to be reconditioned.  But reconditioning took time, and it could be painful.  Despite knowing this and not wanting to harm her daughter, Queen Oscura realized that it had to be done. 

It was a long an arduous process, but eventually the Queen’s experts were able to reverse the programming that had been done to her daughter.  Once the reconditioning was complete, Oscura bestowed upon her heir a new name fitting of a light dragon, "Lumina."