The champion felt both honored and humbled by this special favor. But there were so many questions in his heart; he hardly knew where to begin. He looked at Kyria and saw the endless depths of her pure blue eyes. She knew the questions he had; there was no need to ask.

She closed her eyes and Caleb felt his mind hurriedly whisked away. In an instant his spirit transported three days distance, to the cave entrance of the golden dragon. From the height of the treetops, he looked down and saw himself standing in front of a giant drake, talking with his angel. He suddenly realized that Kyria had not only taken him to a different place, but also to a different time as well – three days in the past.

He watched as the dragon retreated into the cave and, moments later, saw himself mount Midnight and ride off into the distance. The spirit of Caleb and the angel hovered as the sun rapidly rose and set twice on the horizon, racing like a sprinter in a competition. He realized two days had passed but he was confused. “Why have you brought me here?”

Watch and see, said the angel.

The paladin’s wait wasn’t long. He heard a deep bellowing roar from behind. He turned to see an enormous black dragon speeding toward him. There wasn’t time to be afraid, for immediately another thunderous rumble echoed from below. The bestial scream came from the cave of the golden drake. Its long, scaly neck arched out and upward to track the ebony beast flying overhead.

With gray smoke trailing from the nostrils of its snout, the black dragon looked even more vicious than the golden drake. The ink-colored creature flew right through the incorporeal forms of Caleb and Kyria. White froth formed at his mouth and a crazed look inhabited his eyes. Ignoring the screaming amber dragon peering out from its cave below, the animal flew swiftly, motivated by an unholy hatred.

Suddenly it dawned on Caleb that the black dragon flew toward his beloved country. The paladin’s mind gasped. Unopposed, the drake could incinerate most, if not all, of his kingdom. But who could stop the unstoppable?

Another roar rumbled from below as the golden dragon leapt into the air with powerful hind legs and long sweeping strokes of its great, bat-like wings. It screamed defiance at the black menace in the sky. The ebony drake turned to face the annoyance trailing closely behind. Each creature opened jaws lined with large, thorn-shaped teeth and flew toward one another.

The two flying beasts collided in the sky and began aerial combat. Claws ripped and teeth severed as each tried to gain superior position with the flapping of wings. Drops of purple blood fell like rain as the multitude of wounds began to take their toll on the pair of combatants. Their dance of death would not stop until one of them died.

The two dragons fought on for several more minutes, losing altitude rapidly. Seconds before they hit the ground, Caleb saw twin exhalations of fire erupt like a dozen kegs of blasting powder. A thunderous noise exploded and the earth shook when the two drakes fell to the ground.

The champion felt Kyria guide him to the impact sight. Hovering overhead, he saw the twisted and mangled bodies of the black and golden dragons. The unnatural angles of their necks and torso, along with buckets of purple blood splattered everywhere, left no doubt that they were each dead.

As he gazed on the two dragon corpses, he felt his mind and spirit fall back into his body, three days distant and back in present time. It had been an emotionally draining experience. His mind felt bloated, as though information threatened to overload his thoughts.