Twin Furnace
Dragon tribes
Iciclewings: Pale white, blue or purple with stormbreath and thick scales
Abilities or weapons: Stormbreath, jagged teeth, whiplike tails
Current Queen: Tempest
Desertwings: Grey with spines on tail and black eyes
Abilities or weapons: spines, fire, endure heat
Current Queen: Cobra
Stormwings: Dark blue or grey, often larger than most dragons and long tails
Abilities or weapons: fly through hurricanes, blend into night sky
Current Queen: Thunder
Firewings: Red, orange or yellow, with spines along back and unusually long claws
Abilities or weapons: swim in lava, fire, survive in extreme temperatures both cold and hot
Current Queen: Whiplash
Dustwings: Pale brown with sandy colored wings and black spots all over
Abilities or weapons: blend into surroundings, poisonous bite, make mini hurricanes with wings
Current Queen: Granite
Cloudwings: White or creamy yellow, with gills and translucent wings; also venomous claws
Abilities or weapons: blend into sky, breath water, deadly claws
Current Queen: Wisp
Junglewings: Green with thin bodies and tails
Abilities or weapons: very fast, shape shift into animals, known to be sly
Current Queen: Vixen
Snakewings: Purple or black, with long tails and black eyes; usually very large. Interestingly, none of the other tribes have ever seemed to find this dangerous tribe of dragons. They exist to all the others as myths and legends
Abilities or weapons: hypnotize prey or dragons, read minds, fire
Current Queen: Taipan
Prologue
A pale grey dragon winged through the raging storm. Her sides were crisscrossed with cuts, only recently gained.
The dragon was a Desertwing, and she was carrying a wooden crate. It was small, but the Desertwing struggled to grip it in the slippery rain.
Suddenly, lightning pierced the sky. Thunder crashed, drowning out the shriek of the dragon. The smell of burnt scales and blood filled the air. The Desertwing plummeted towards the jagged rocks below. Just before the dragon crashed, she hugged the wooden crate to her chest, protecting it from the impact of the fall...
•••
Two burly Stormwings emerged into the stretch of rocks. One sniffed the broken body of the grey Desertwing.
"Look, Falcon. She must have died in the hurricane. Seems like lightning hit her." The taller Stormwing growled.
Falcon spat. "Serves her right for trespassing. I wonder what she was up to."
The taller shrugged. "Probably with the Horns of Rest. As surely as my name is Lightning, they are going to find out that the tribes can't be joined."
Falcon nodded his head, then paused. "Hey Lightning, look over there." He slithered over to a crate. It was lying on a clump of heather. There wasn't a single scratch on it.
"What the crocodile?" Lightning peered at the crate. "Do you think the Desertwing was carrying it?"
Falcon shrugged. "Lets see what's inside it."
Lightning sliced his claw across the wood and lifted open the top. Lying in a pile of velvet cloths, was a speckled golden egg.
Chapter 1
Amber yawned and stretched her golden wings as far as they could reach. Her black spikes rattled in the wind.
Climbing to her feet, Amber scanned the surroundings. The bare cliff loomed against the sunrise. Behind her, the cave she lived in was cleverly hidden between two boulders.
The mountain wind stirred her spirits and Amber decided to have a quick fly.
Spreading her large wings, she leapt off of the cliff and glided down. The lake at the bottom reflected her glittering scales.
Cursed scales. Amber thought bitterly. For ever since she was a hatchling, Amber never could stay with other dragons. According to Lightning, her adopted parent, her scales would summon danger and misfortune.
The night that she hatched, a storm that wrecked the palace raged through the land. A year later on her birthday, an earthquake killed a patrol of Stormwings. Two days after that, frost destroyed the palace's crops and stores.
Amber thought that these were merely coincidental natural disasters, not having anything to do with her. But Lightning had insisted she leave, so she did.
Now she was almost five, only a year away from being full grown. Already she was bigger than an average dragon, but she didn't know that.
Gliding over the forest where she hunted, Amber spotted a fat deer. Folding her wings, she plummeted down into the trees. Before the buck even knew what was happening, Amber quickly looped in a small circle, caught the deer on her turn, then shot into the sky again.
Landing back on the cliff ledge, she ate her breakfast. When she was still gnawing on the biggest bone, wingbeats sounded from near her cave.
Whirling around, Amber spotted a group of about six Desertwings land on the cliff. Their black eyes glittered coldly and Amber wondered what they wanted.
The largest dragon stepped forward. "Greetings, Amber of the Stormwings. My name is Venom, and we were banished from our home just like you." His voice was low and smooth, but Amber didn't like his empty, cold expression.
Venom continued. "We wanted to stay with you in your home, since we are all in the same conditions. His fellow dragons started to slowly creep in a circle around Amber.
She growled slowly. She hadn't met a dragon in a long time, but she had a feeling that these dragons didn't really want company. They were here for something else.
Snapping at a Desertwing who got too close, Amber hissed. "How do you know my name?"
Venom smiled. "We have heard about you from your former tribe, the Stormwings. We don't believe in bad luck, so we came to see if you would join us."
Amber growled low in the throat. The Desertwings had closed their circle and were now inching closer. She thought she saw the flap of a hood with one of the dragons behind her.
Well, they won't take me down without a fight! Amber though fiercely.
Curling her claws, Amber opened her mouth as if to reply to Venom, then shot a burst of white hot fire at him. He ducked away but the fire singed another dragon.
Then, before they could recover, she spread her wings and, kicking a large Desertwing in the chest, cannoned into the air.
Venom roared commands to the other dragons. Wingbeats pounded behind her and Amber felt the heat from the Desertwings' breath on her tail.
Lashing her tail, Amber suddenly flared her wings, letting the wind slam her into the dragon behind. He grunted in surprise, giving her time to twist around and slash his nose with her blade sharp claws. The dragon snarled and smacked his claws across her face, leaving it smarting.
Amber hissed and slammed her large tail onto his head. Going limp, the Desertwing plummeted to the ground. Amber's stomach twisted in horror and she dove after him. Before she could catch him, more talons closed around her wings and tail.
Amber snarled and struck out at her attackers but they pulled a sack over her head. Lashing her tail, Amber let out a burst of fire, but the sack seemed to be fireproof.
Talons fumbled for her snout through the cloth, and Amber promptly bit them. A howl of agony echoed in her ears. But before she could fling herself out of their claws, something knocked on her head and darkness closed over her.
...
Amber slowly cracked open her eyes. Only darkness met her eyes. She assumed the sack was still over her head.
Pain buzzed in her skull. She gingerly reached her claw up to touch it then stopped. Her arms were tied together.
Muffled voices reached her ears. "... the queen will take care of her... nearly escaped... almost bit Cactus's talons off..."
Amber wriggled her whole body, realizing that her wings and hind legs were roped as well and her jaw was wrapped closed with a metal band.
Suddenly, a commotion made Amber freeze. Claws scrapped on rock and she heard low growls. Talons padded towards her and Amber tensed, ready to fight, even with bonds.
The cloth was pulled from her head. Three Desertwings stood gazing down at her with glittering black eyes. They were in the back of a dark cave.
Amber glared back at them, wondering if she could take them on.
Almost as if she could read her mind, one of the Desertwings bared her teeth.
"There are five more guards at the entrance and you're roped. Don't even think about a fight." She snarled.
Amber didn't reply, only watching for their next move. Grabbing a chain, the Desertwing attached it to her metal band. When it was securely fastened, the Desertwings sliced through the ropes around her legs and wings.
Rearing up, Amber flared her golden wings and glowered angrily at the three Desertwings. Her claws itched to lash out a them but she knew it would be better to wait for the right time.
One Desertwing warily tugged at the chain to see if she would follow. Amber stepped forward.
Gaining confidence, the Desertwings led her out of the dim cave she was being held in. At the entrance, five more guards watched her as she emerged.
The cave was located at the base of a large dune in the middle of a desert. Not far away, a sort of temporary camp was set up in the blazing sun, with hundreds of different grey Desertwings milling around.
The dragon holding Amber's chain spread his wings and lifted into the air. Amber followed while the other two brought up her rear.
They flew into the camp, attracting dozens of black eyes. Amber stood out like a sandbar in an ocean. Her captors led her to a tent larger than the others, with colorful designs.
One Desertwing lifted the flap, and Amber ducked inside. Four scarred warriors sat at a table playing with dice. When they entered, the dragons looked up.
"Where's the queen?" Amber's guard asked.
One of the warriors pointed to another flap. "In her room as usual."
The guard shifted on his talons nervously. Amber wondered if she should strike now.
Before either of them could make up their mind, a huge jet black Desertwing emerged from the other room. Her eyes were dark and empty as a bottomless pit, and they seemed to demand the attention of everybody in the room. She was at least three times the size of Amber, and towered over the other Desertwings as well. Gold necklaces and armbands covered her strong body, and she was evidently very rich.
Silence fell on the dragons, and the air buzzed with tension. Finally, Amber's guard stepped forward and bowed. Amber noticed that none of the dragons met the queen's eyes.
"Queen Cobra. We've brought her to you," he said, tugging on Amber's chain. "Just as you've ordered. But there are rumors that the Stormwings are preparing for an attack."
The queen listened with piercing eyes. Then she spoke in a slow, scheming way.
"Prepare the army. The Stormwings were fools to think the other tribes wouldn't find out sooner or later. But no matter. We have her now, and they won't ever get her back." She hissed.
Amber growled. She had no idea what they were talking about but she wanted to find out.
Queen Cobra turned to her. The obsidian black eyes that met hers were too strong and powerful. Amber dropped her gaze to the floor.
"So this is the dragon I have heard so much about." She mused, stepping forward to cup Amber's chin in her cold talon and force her to look up. Amber stared into her black eyes and shuddered. They were so black, so endless...
Amber stopped shifting, as she stood staring, paralyzed, in the queen's gaze. She willed herself to move, to tear herself away, but her body wouldn't respond.
Queen Cobra stroked Amber's neck with her other talon, sending shivers down her spine. "Such a fine, powerful dragonet. Too bad the Stormwings didn't see your potential. But I do darling. You can be my little champion."
The words seemed to pound in Amber's skull. What was happening? All she could think was that she was drowning in those black eyes, and that Queen Cobra was slowly gaining control over her in some way. Slowly wrapping up her existence and replacing it with someone else.
She had to get away. Amber directed all of her strength in looking away. Tearing herself out of the queen's gaze, Amber focused on a cactus plant in the corner of the room.
Queen Cobra growled and released her chin. Amber gasped for air as in she had been holding her breath.
The queen glared at Amber for a couple of seconds, then returned to her sly smile.
"Sand, take the dragonet to my arena. I think she needs to learn how much power she holds." She growled.
Amber struggled as Sand, her guard, began to lead her out of the room. The other Desertwings rushed to his aid and Amber was swept out of the tent.
Soon, she was ushered to a large stone arena, with metal cages built in along the sides. Amber was placed with some difficulty in one of these cages and the gate came crashing down, trapping Amber in the hot stone room. The Desertwings used a weird metal pole to unhook the metal band around her about. Amber rubbed her jaw.
The guards didn't stay around. They hurriedly slipped out through the large iron gate which was the only escape route and closed that as well.
Amber looked around the arena. The top was closed off by crisscrossed metal poles. The spaces in between were only big enough for a newly hatched dragonet to squeeze through. Other dragons from different tribes were in the other cages. Many of them carried evidence of battle scars.
Before Amber could start to think about what had happened, a horn blasted through the air.
"Make way for the just, ever powerful, Queen Cobra!" An announcer shouted.
Amber looked through the gate and glimpsed the queen's dark scales above the sides. Crowds of Desertwings surrounded the arena, looking into the pit where two dragons would soon fight to the death.
The announcer started again. "Today, Queen Cobra, may she live forever, has decided that the match will be between two very interesting characters. First out, Blizzard of the Iciclewings!"
Gears creaked, and a cage at the other end of the arena opened. An Iciclewing barreled out of the dark, his pale blue eyes gleaming, and his serrated claws flashed in the sunlight.
Blizzard paced in front of his cage, snarling and flexing his wings.
"Next, we have a dragon the queen believes to be an Talin: Amber of the Stormwings!" The announcer shouted.
The gate rose and Amber shot out, sending a blast of white hot flames into the air. Applause came from the crowd up above.
Amber crept forward. "Please, we don't have to fight! We can escape together then free the other prisoners." She pleaded quietly.
In reply, Blizzard sent a burst of ice and nearly froze her snout. Amber growled.
Fine, have it like that then. She thought.
The two dragons circled each other, and once in awhile a burst of fire or ice would shoot out of their jaws.
Queen Cobra watched the match with a satisfied smile. Occasionally, her tail would flick dangerously, like she wished she were in the fight herself.
Amber lashed her tail, waiting for an opening to strike. Blizzard briefly looked away to glance at Queen Cobra. It was less than a blink, but that was enough.
Amber darted forward and raked her claws across his underbelly. Howling, Blizzard tried to pin her to the stone, but Amber quickly slipped out from under him.
Blizzard backed away, blood starting to pour from his wound.
"Wait, we can still stop this fight!" Amber shouted. Blizzard glared at her with hateful eyes.
"Never!" He hissed, and collapsed to the ground. Amber stared in shock at the lifeless body a few feet away from her and wondered how far away she was to being just like that.
Queen Cobra clapped her talons, looking bored. "Ah well, I guess we will just have to pit her against someone stronger. Guards, clean up the mess and bring out our victor."
Amber pressed herself in a corner, as far away from the body as possible. When the body of the Iciclewing was dragged away, Queen Cobra raised her wings.
"And now," she hissed," Amber of the Stormwings will fight against our current victor: SKYCRUSHER OF THE STORMWINGS!"
Five Desertwings flew out of the sky, carrying a thrashing dragon. He was large for a Stormwing, with an unusually long tail.
Amber braced herself as the Desertwings dropped Skycrusher into the arena. Immediately, Skycrusher charged Amber, his wings flared.
Yelping, Amber barely managed to leap out of the way. Skycrusher didn't miss a beat as he swerved around and charged Amber again.
Dodging and rolling, Amber didn't have any time to strike back or even fly away. Skycrusher was faster than any dragon she knew, and it wouldn't be long before he caught her.
Just then, Amber slipped on a spot of smooth rock. Her wings tangled under her feet. In an instant, Skycrusher was on top of her, his heavy wings battering her face.
Talons closed around Amber's throat, and she gasped for air. Darkness started to appear at the edges of her vision.
Suddenly, as Amber began to despair, her belly began to burn with a warm fire. It grew quickly until Amber felt like she was made of flames. But oddly, it wasn't painful at all.
She heard a shriek, and Amber looked up to see Skycrusher stumble off of her, his talons and wings smoldering. He shielded his eyes with his wings, as if they were a bright light behind her.
Puzzled, Amber looked down at her gold scales. To her utmost surprise, they glowed brighter than the full moon, and smoke poured off of them.
Amber glanced at Skycrusher. His talons and wing tips were black with burns.
"Cursed!" Skycrusher snarled, even as he gasped in pain. Amber winced at her familiar nickname. Would she never escape being an outsider?
The crowd watching the fight suddenly erupted into a frenzy of shouts and wingbeats. Many flew off into the air, but some stayed, arguing furiously with each other and pointing at Amber.
Meanwhile, Amber's scales dimmed until they returned to their original state. She hesitantly poked a plant sticking up in the rocks, but it didn't burn at all.
Queen Cobra entered the arena through the large gate. She eyed Amber with an impressed air.
"Well done, dragonet. You see, you're so much more powerful than you could ever had imagined. But, you don't know how to control, or summon these powers. I do. I'll make a deal with you. If you serve me as my personal champion, meaning killing off a few traitors and maybe winning a couple of battles, then I will teach you how to become the most powerful and dangerous dragon in all of Serpania." Queen Cobra said.
Amber opened her mouth in defiance, then hesitated. She was sure that if she declined, the queen would kill her. And without the use of her new powers, she wouldn't have a chance. But if she accepted and slowly learned how to control herself, then one day, she would escape.
Amber looked up at the queen, although not directly into her hypnotic eyes.
"I accept. But you have to promise to leave the Stormwings alone." She growled.
Queen Cobra laughed, a sweet, ringing sound. "We will only attack if they threaten us. But now, we must see to your training right away. Guards, return Skycrusher to his cage. Come dragonet, fly with me."
Amber flicked her wings. "My name is Amber." She said. "Don't call me a dragonet."
Queen Cobra laughed again. "Very well." She said as they exited the arena. Spreading their wings, Queen Cobra and Amber flew over the crowds of Desertwings, towards the queen's tent.
—-Hi everyone thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Twin Furnace. Please comment and tips or correction would be greatly appreciated! Thank again the next chapter will be coming soon!—-