"If you try to fight you'll be dead in an instant," The SandWing threatened. By the sound of the voice Storm determined it was a male. "As soon as I saw you in the market I knew you were up to no good. Why else would an IceWing be in the desert?"
So he has been watching me all day. Dung! I should have been more careful! Storm reprimanded herself. It was perhaps a good thing she wasn't in the First Circle right now since they probably would have kicked her out for being so stupid.
Without moving her head Storm shifted her eyes to try and look at Lotus. She could see the MudWing was also on the ground with a small SkyWing sitting on top of her. Lotus could have easily thrown her off, but the assailant was pointing sharp dagger into the back of her neck. One strong stab would paralyze the MudWing.
Very carefully Storm tried to look to see her own attacker, but from the position of her head she could only see his chest which had a single, large diamond pattern spread across it. She recognized it instantly.
Her attacker was the ring thief she had seen while waiting outside of the herbal tent.
Storm's ears twitched in irritation and her tail began to sway.
"You!" She accused, temporarily forgetting herself. She felt his tail tip pinch into her skin as her throat vibrated from speaking. Storm clamped her mouth shut but her outburst had been enough to confuse him.
"Me?" He responded, as if there was some OTHER dragon sitting on top of her with his poisonous tail around her neck that she could be referring to.
"Wait, do you two know each other?" The female SkyWing asked. She sounded pretty young which made her ability to take down a MudWing three times her size even more impressive. Even as she spoke she was tying up Lotus to keep her from escaping.
The SandWing seemed to become flustered at the question. "What? NO! Of course not…we just might have crossed paths in the market today, that's all."
Storm heard the SkyWing hum in disbelief. "But she recognizes you. So that means she saw you, and THAT means you were being sloppy."
With their faces still planted in the sand, Storm and Lotus exchanged confused gazes. Really? Storm thought. They're arguing NOW?
The SandWing snorted in offense. "I was NOT being slopping, I just…"
"You were stealing something again weren't you?"
The two attackers seemed distracted by their disagreement so Storm didn't waste any time preparing for an escape attempt. As slow as the glacial movements she shuffled her talons from beneath her and moved them towards her neck in anticipation to grab the barbed tail. She needed to be as close as possible to snatch it quickly before he struck. When she was satisfied with the positioning she took a few shallow breaths in preparation, and grabbed his tail. She pulled it away from her neck while at the same time using her tail to whip him against his face.
It stunned him, and Storm pushed up with all her strength to knock him off of her. He fell into the sand and Storm leapt on top of him, still holding his tail end in her talon. He extended his legs out just as she landed and kicked her in the stomach. It ruined her momentum and she stopped too short. She had been hoping to swat him in the jaw and knock him out quickly, but she was now too far away to get enough strength in her hook.
Instead she reached out and wrapped her talons around his throat. She had no intention of killing this dragon, but she was hoping to at least prevent him from breathing fire in her face.
"STOP! Or I'll kill your friend!"
Both Storm and the SandWing froze and looked at the SkyWing as she held the dagger to Lotus' throat. She was gazing at Storm with more venom that a SandWing's tail. "If you so much as hurt him I will end her life."
Storm heart was pounding but before she could react the SandWing spoke.
"Ember, don't! We didn't come here tonight to kill anyone."
"Oh really?" Storm practically shouted her skepticism. Her blood was still pumping from the fight, making her a bit loud. "Then why did you capture us? You seemed pretty intent on sticking your tail in my neck a few seconds ago."
The SandWing shrugged. "I wasn't gonna KILL you. It was just intimidation." He sighed. "Look, we just wanted to get some information from you two, that's all."
Storm hissed in frustration. "Information about WHAT? What we could possible know that's so important?"
The SandWing blinked in confusion. "You're with the Order of the Black Talon, aren't you?"
"We saw you two go into a meeting with them," Ember added.
Both Lotus and Storm groaned.
"No we're not WITH them. We were spying on them!" Storm explained. "Why do you think they were chasing us you puffin brain?!"
Lotus chimed in a bit more hesitantly. "We're after information as well." The blade was still to her throat, but the SkyWing seemed to be listening. She looked to the SandWing, as if waiting for his orders.
"Ah, then I see there has been a misunderstanding." He smiled charmingly and Storm held back the urge to strangle him. He hadn't even attempted to apologize. "So how about you get off of me and we can talk about this like civil dragons. How 'bout it?"
Storm narrowed her eyes and the SandWing gave her a wolfish grin.
"I mean, not that I mind you being on top of me or anything." He winked.
Storm hissed in disgust and climbed off, quickly getting out of range of his tail and mischievous smile. Despite her annoyance she couldn't help but blush at the implications. The nerve of him! How vulgar! How rude! If a male in the Ice Kingdom ever spoke like that they would get a tail lash for sure.
An exasperated hiss from behind her caught Storm's attention. It had come from the SkyWing who seemed as fed up with the SandWing's antics as Storm was. Storm's eyes met with Lotus' and she inched towards the MudWing.
Without taking her eyes off the SandWing Storm angled her head slightly and spoke to her friend. "Are you alright?" Storm asked the MudWing when she was in ear shot. Lotus looked down at her tied up talons, then to the dragonet holding a knife against her throat and then back at Storm.
"I've been better," She admitted with a hiss of annoyance lacing her voice. Slowly and calmly the SandWing rose to his talons, shaking off the excess sand. Storm pushed away her annoyance with him for now and recalled the SkyWing had called him 'Fang'. She assumed that must be his name and cleared her throat to gather his attention.
"Alright then, Fang, if this is to be a civil discussion then I demand you free my friend here as well," Storm demanded and tilted her head towards Lotus. The SkyWing hissed at Storm. Now that she didn't have her face on the ground she finally noticed the features of the small dragoness more clearly. Her scales were a crisp apple red and she had startling yellow eyes that matched the colour of the sun. Storm was surprised they didn't glow in the dark. She also looked younger than the SandWing, perhaps around Oryx's age. She wore several golden rings on her talons and had a ring on the flesh between her nostrils.
By the fierce glint in her eyes Storm was beginning to worry she would have to wrestle the knife out of the SkyWing's talons, but luckily it didn't come to that.
"She's right, Em. Let the MudWing go," Fang directed.
Ember hesitated, glowering at Fang. Finally she spit in the sand then groaned. "FINE, we'll just cut our prisoners loose will we? It's not like they could turn on us at any minute and escape," She complained but followed his orders. She turned the knife away from Lotus' throat and used it to cut the ropes from the MudWing's talons. Once Lotus was freed she backup towards Storm while Ember went to sit next to Fang.
The four dragons stared at each other cautiously.
Fang spoke first, "So now that no one is tied up or pinned to the ground, let's start over. Hi, my name is Fang and this is Ember," He tilted his head to the glowering SkyWing, "and we were wondering if you could answer some questions me have." He gave a jubilant smile and Storm snorted.
"Sorry but we're expected elsewhere, maybe another time," Storm said with mock politeness and began nudging Lotus forwards. Even though she had said it rather rudely it was the truth. Oryx and Canyon were probably worried sick.
The SandWing snorted in irritation, his tail swinging dangerously. "Look, ice-cube, either you give us that information or…"
"Or what?" Storm growled back. "You'll attack us again? Well that didn't end up so well for you last time so good luck!" Storm paused and his previous sentence ran through her head again. "Wait…WHAT did you just call me?"
Lotus tapped her wings against Storm. "Storm, please stop arguing, we have an issue…"
Fang blurted in, "Well from MY point of view you two were pretty helpless five minutes ago so I guess we DID do a pretty good job with our attack!" His frustrated grimace then slipped into a relaxed smirk. "Oh, and that's just my new nick-name for you. I've always wanted an IceWing friend to use it on!"
"Then you should save it for when you actually get an IceWing friend," Storm responded.
Fang put a talon to his chest in mock hurt. "Come on, ice-cube. Don't be so cold." He then burst into a fit of giggles, nudging an unamused Ember while asking if she got the joke.
Storm shook her head in exasperation. "Ok, well, so long and don't ever talk to me again." Storm went to push Lotus forward again but the MudWing was planted in place, looking towards the sky.
"Lotus, we have to go!" Storm insisted and tried to move her friend only to be pushed away with a small flick of the MudWing's wings.
"Storm…we have a problem."
Finally Storm followed Lotus' gaze to the sky and saw what was causing her concern. The Order was in the sky, closing in on them. Gnosis and the others were scanning the ground below. Sometimes one of them would fly down to the ground to check something out but would return with a disappointed shake of their head. Because they're still looking for us! Storm's stomach did a nauseating flip. They had to get out of there.
Behind her she heard Ember swear and when she turned her gaze on them she saw the SkyWing was wide-eyed with fear. Fang, on the other talon, wasn't afraid but it was obvious he was not eager to be caught by the order.
"Storm," Lotus nudged her. "We have to go! NOW!"
"Wait!" Fang called out and blocked their path. Storm nearly swiped at him. What is he doing! Does he WANT to get caught by the Order?
But that was not the case.
"Follow me, we know a way out of the market that will keep us hidden," Fang urgently spoke, glancing towards the oncoming dragons.
Storm hesitated and glanced towards Lotus, but the MudWing's face was only a mirror for Storm's own terrified expression. We don't really have a choice, do we? Storm knew she was taking a major risk, but she couldn't afford to decline. Not with the order moments away from seeing them.
"Fine, where do we go?"
Fang seemed relieved that she didn't object. He signaled for Ember to join them before turning to Storm. "Just follow me and stay close. Don't fall behind."
The SandWing ducked behind the booth that Lotus and Storm had first hid in. Keeping to the shadows he quickly weaved in between the tents and stands, going in the opposite direction of the oncoming Initiates.
Ember followed Fang close, then Lotus, and finally Storm at the back of the group. She desperately hoped her white scales wouldn't give her away. Finally they reached the back of a booth that was different than the others. It was larger, square and made entirely of wood whereas the others only had a wooden base. It looked more like a crate than a stand to sell goods.
"What is this?" Storm whispered but received no answer. On the back wall was a simple door with a large lock keeping it closed. Fang took off one of his earrings and began to pick the lock. It took him a minute or so but the lock finally popped off and fell on the sand with a thud. Fang opened the door and Storm was hit with the smell of damp and rotting cloth.
"Ta-da!" Fang exclaimed, motioning for Storm to enter. With no windows anywhere on the building the room inside was pitch black. Storm grimaced.
"I'd really rather not…"
Fang rolled his eyes. "Relax ice-cube, it's not like I'm going to lock you in here and leave you for dead or anything."
Storm stared at him with wide eyes. "Well I wasn't worried about that until NOW!"
"UGH, JUST GO IN ALREADY!" Ember growled and shoved Storm through the door. The IceWing crashed face first in a stack of folded blankets that smelled like rotting whale. With more grace the other three dragons followed her in and slammed the door shut behind, flooding the room with an impenetrable night.
"Now what?" She heard Lotus ask. There was a pause and the sound of someone dragon their talons along the walls.
"Well, I just need to find where it is…" Fang's voice dropped off and he breathed a plumb of fire. For an instant the room was made bright and shadows danced along the walls. In the brief seconds of illumination Storm saw that the room was filled with piles of carpets and tapestries. Then they were plunged back into darkness.
"Is this some sort of storage place?" Storm asked the darkness, hoping someone would answer.
Ember responded, "Yeah, some of the booths use it to keep extra stuff in…but by the smell of the place I guess they forgot about it."
"AH-HA!"
Fang's sudden exclamation made Storm jump. It was followed by the sound of an old wooden door being swung open.
"I found the tunnel entrance. Everybody in!" He breathed another plumb of fire long enough for everyone to locate him. He was on the other side of the room standing in front of what looked like a cellar door. When the light disappeared Storm tried to remember where he had been and carefully felt her way over. She only ran into something twice, but soon she reached out and touched something warm.
"Uh, whoever this is, would you mind letting go of my face?" The SandWing asked. Storm immediately retracted her talons and blushed.
"Erm, my apologies," She sputtered.
"Oh, it's just you ice-cube. Don't worry, I don't mind you touching my face," He said and Storm just KNEW he was winking or doing something else dumb.
Storm then felt someone run into the back of her. By the annoyed huff she knew it was Ember. "Jeez, IceWing! What's with you and not going through doors? Can we just GO already?"
"I'm not taking one more step until I can see where I'm going!" Storm argued back.
Another set of talon-steps joined them as Lotus approached.
"This is ridiculous," She said. "Here, let me through. I'll light the way." After some awkward shuffling around in the dark Lotus finally reached the entrance to the tunnel.
With short bursts of fire every so often Lotus entered the tunnel and the other's followed. The tunnel itself was surprisingly damp and cool. The sand down here was moist and clung to Storm's talons and between her toes.
They had been walking for a few minutes in silence and Storm decided to speak up. "Why is this tunnel even here? I didn't realize that selling carpets required such secrecy."
She heard Fang breath out a laugh. "Before that place was used to store carpets it was where the tavern kept all their extra alcohol during the war. They needed this secret tunnel to bring in important drinks that were illegal to have."
With that question answered the group walked in silence once again until Storm finally smelled the warm, but fresh, air that indicated the end of the tunnel.
She let out a sigh of relief as they emerged beneath the wide, starry sky. A gentle breeze ruffled her wings. Even though it was the desert and sucked in every way, it was still better than being stuck in that tunnel.
"See, I told you I knew what I was doing." Fang sidled up to her and grinned. "Don't worry, you can thank me later."
Storm didn't say anything but was tempted to remind him that they probably wouldn't have even ended up in this situation if they hadn't attacked her in the first place.
Storm looked around to see how far they had gone from the market and quickly panicked when she couldn't see a single landmark she recognized. She shifted her head around but in every direction there was only sand as far as the eye could see. Fear was starting to set in.
She snapped her gaze on Fang. "Where have you taken us? How do we get back?"
The male put his talons up defensively. "Calm down, alright? Our priority was to get as far away from the Order as possible and now we are safe. I can take you back into the market tomorrow but right now we should stay away."
Lotus came up next to her. "He's right. Let's just lay low for a while until they stop searching."
"But what about Oryx and Canyon?" Storm nagged. She was eager to get back to them as soon as possible. Lotus only shrugged.
"They will just have to wait."
Storm closed her eyes and took some calming breaths. Great. We're in the middle of nowhere with no help other than these mysterious dragons who may or may not be trying to kill us.
Storm was brought out of her thoughts as Fang wrapped a chummy wing around her. "Don't look so sour, ice-cube. You and Lotus can stay the night with us!"
"What?" Ember and Storm demanded at the same time.
Lotus, however, sighed with relief. "That would be great." She nudged Storm harshly in the ribs. "Right, Storm?"
Storm hissed and rubbed her side. "Fine. Thank you, that would be great," She said tightly.
Fang dipped his head. "Of course, and we're glad to welcome you. Right, Ember?" He shot the SkyWing a significant look.
Ember grimaced, then spit in the sand once again and struck Storm with her glowing orange eyes. "Just don't touch my stuff, IceWing."
It didn't escape Storm's notice that Lotus hadn't been given the same warning, but she let it slide for now.
"Great, so it's decided then. You'll come back with us," Fang rejoiced and began fluttering his wings in preparation to take off. Storm had to close her eyes and turn her face aside as the sand was strewn about like a little sandstorm.
Storm released a disgruntled sigh.
It looked like she was in for another long night.
The hideout was not far. After a ten minute flight they arrived at a large, sandy cliff that rose from the desert sand like a polar bear poking its head out of the water. Storm noticed that there was a small cave entrance at the base of the cliff. Tufts of dry grass desperately clung to the top of the mound and around the entrance. Storm couldn't help but be reminded of fur.
"Ta-da!" Fang exclaimed with pride as he landed. "Home sweet home!"
Ember simply rolled her eyes and entered the cave without so much as looking back.
Storm and Lotus landed beside each other. Storm inspected the entrance more closely, but as her wing brush against the edges some of the sand came loose and fell on her head. She let out a furious hiss as Fang laughed and Lotus pretended not to.
"This doesn't seem all that stable," She noted tightly and shook of the sand, but it was hopeless. She could already feel the small grains digging under her scales and getting between her extra horns. Great. Just great.
"Don't get your tail in a knot, ice-cube. I assure you this place is safe. Now come on, I'll show you around." Without waiting for them to follow Fang entered the cave, leaving Lotus and Storm alone. The MudWing's scales were saturated with moonlight, making her scales appear almost as creamy white as Oryx's.
"He just left us alone? Isn't he worried we'll run off?" Storm asked.
Lotus shook her head in defeat. "He knows we have nowhere else to go. Besides, we need food and water which they should have."
Storm tipped her head to the side, trying to shake off more sand. "Is that why you agreed to come here? Because we needed supplies?"
"That was part of the reason." Lotus looked back towards the cave entrance to make sure no one was lingering. "The other reason I wanted to come here is to figure out who exactly these two dragons are and how they're connected to the Order."
Storm furrowed her brow in concern. "So you don't trust them? Do you think they'll betray us?"
The MudWing sighed. "It's hard to say, but I am planning on asking a few questions myself. Information is valuable, maybe they'll offer up something in exchange for what we know."
Storm blinked. She hadn't even considered that they could do some interrogations as well. She clenched her fists in determination. "Yes! That's a great idea! So what's the plan? How will we get the information out of them?"
Lotus rubbed her neck and gave Storm a suspiciously gentle smile. "Listen…just let me do the talking this time, alright?"
Storm balked in surprise, and then snorted. "What is that supposed mean?"
"Well the last time you asked the questions we got chased out of a tavern by a cult."
Storm went to argue but found nothing to say. Instead she ducked her head in embarrassment and shuffled her talons in the sand. "Ok. I see your point."
"Are you two coming in or not?" Fang called from the mouth of the cave. His eyes glittered with mischief and perhaps something else. Or maybe it was just the starlight playing tricks.
"Yes, be there in a second!" The MudWing returned his call. Lotus and Storm gave each other one last reassuring nod before following the SandWing in.
They entered the torch-lit tunnel as descended downwards into the network of dens and chambers. Storm let out a sigh of relief as the cooler, underground environment soothed her hot scales. At first Storm was expecting modest accommodations, something similar to her own home back in the Ice Kingdom. But this was not the case. As they went deeper the sandy floor was shuffled beneath a soft purple carpet that looked more at home in an aristocrat's house.
Storm felt her curiosity pique. Fang and Ember seemed to be no more than petty thieves; at least that is the impression I got from them. But this feels out of place.
Soon they were led into a large chamber that seemed to be the center axis which all other tunnels and rooms fed into. Despite the lack of windows it was extremely well lit, with lanterns hanging from the ceiling and plenty of beautiful crystal lamps resting on exquisitely carved oaken tables.
Feathery couches made of silk and golden thread were pushed alongside the left wall and to the right was a messy shelf full of scrolls. Some looked brand new whereas others appeared so old that they might turn to dust if someone touched them.
"So, what do you think of our home?" Fang asked and handed Lotus and Storm a leather pouch filled with water.
"It's very…extravagant." Lotus carefully answered. The MudWing's suspicious lilt did not escape Storm.
Good. She thinks this is mega weird too. How can they afford all this stuff?
Something on a nearby table caught Storm's eyes. It was a little stone statue, but it looked like it had been buried for a thousand years. Its details eroded away or obscured by hard packed mud.
Storm approached the object and picked it up, rotating it around. It had a carefully imprinted texture like scales and it bore some resemblance to a dragon. Storm reasoned at one point it might have been a dragon rearing up on its hind legs, but now it just kind of looked like a bumpy potato.
What was strange about the statue was the place where the head should be. While the head had broken off long ago, there seemed to be two stubs where neck would have connected. It was as if…
As if this statue was two headed! This must be a statue of Siv and Anka! The Ice dragon concluded.
Suddenly the statue was ripped from her grasp by Ember, who blew a furious jet of smoke in her face. "I told you not to touch my stuff!"
"That statue; where did you get it?" Storm demanded, ignoring Ember's warning.
"That's none of your business." The SkyWing gave Storm a look full of daggers.
Storm stood tall and unconsciously rattled her horns for intimidation. "It is my business! That statue is an IceWing relic."
"Really?" Fang chimed in. Unlike Ember, the SandWing looked more intrigued than skeptical. "How can you tell?"
Storm hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed. "W-well, if you look at the statue here you can see that there were originally two heads. In the Ice Kingdom we have a legend about a two headed dragon and she is usually depicted like this: rearing up on her hind legs…and if her heads were still there they would be facing in opposite directions."
Storm gasped as she remembered where she had seen that depiction before. It had been all over the scrolls she found while snooping around the temple. But what was the connection?
After a nudge from Lotus, Storm returned to the present conversation. "Uh, so anyway, it's an IceWing relic. Now where did you find it?"
"Hmm," Fang hummed. "What a coincidence. It seems we both have questions we want to ask. So how about we do a little exchange…"
Storm rolled her eyes. She had already played this game with Canyon when they had first met. Luckily she was more prepared this time. "You want an exchange of information? Well how about this: We'll take turns asking questions. A question for a question. Lotus and I will go first," Storm dictated and looked to Lotus. The MudWing nodded. This was what they had planned.
When Storm looked back to Fang he wore a grimace, probably upset that Storm had anticipated his idea. He quickly fixed his expression to his usual grin.
"Great, so we're on the same page! Go ahead and ask the first question then," He spoke with barely concealed annoyance.
Storm was about to speak but slammed her mouth shut. As promised she would let Lotus to the asking.
Fang and Ember seemed surprised when the MudWing stepped forward and cleared her throat. "This first question should be pretty simple. What is your connection with the Order of the Black Talon?"
Fang sighed and seemed reluctant to answer. "So…don't freak out, but we kinda work for them."
"WHAT?" Storm yelled and Lotus inhaled sharply before growling. So they ARE in cahoots after all! Were they just stalling for time while the Order comes and gets us?
"Please, don't freak out!" He raised his talons up defensively. "It's purely business what we do with the Order." Fang sighed and his wings sagged. "Look, we're treasure hunters, alright? Clients pay us to find them animus artifacts and right now the Order has hired us on to get them some stuff."
Despite her immense annoyance Storm felt something twitch deep inside of her, something she thought she had gotten rid of long ago, but now seemed to have gathered strength with only a minute amount of encouragement.
"You mean, you're actual real-life treasure hunters?" She breathed. As a young dragonet she had once dreamed of becoming a treasure hunter, and now she was meeting the REAL thing! She looked at Fang with wide-eyed wonder and tried to stifle the ecstatic dragonet that was freaking out inside of her. Fang seemed to become flustered under her gaze but then quickly worked his charm.
"Yes, I am the real deal," he boasted with his chest puffed out.
"So you're tomb-raiders," Lotus hissed, certainly not as impressed as Storm was. "Actually, you're more like Scavengers, sneaking around and stealing dragons' treasure."
"Um, no," Ember argued, finally speaking after being silent for so long. "We only take things from DEAD dragons. Like, really dead dragons. They're not using it anymore so what's the issue? Anyway, it's our turn to ask again."
In a moment of realization, Storm's excitement quickly turned to anger. "Hang on…so YOU are the ones that gave the Order the enchanted candle?!"
Fang's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"
Storm tossed her water-skin aside and stomped up to him. "You INSUFFERIBLE PILE OF WHALE DUNG!" She yelled and then took a calming breath. She struggled to control her voice as she gazed up at the SandWing. "Do you have any idea what you've just given the Order?"
"We don't get paid to ask questions," Ember butt in. "We just hand the thing over and collect our money."
"Then you are a fool!" Storm lashed her tail back and forth. She glared at Fang and Ember. "Because of you two the Order now has what they need to attack my tribe!"
Ember and Fang staggered in shock.
"But… we just gave them a candle and some bracelets!" The SandWing defended but he had a guilty glint in his eyes. He stared at the ground as Storm's words sunk in. "They must have some powerful enchantments on them," He spoke somberly.
Storm nodded. "They do. The candle is enchanted to…"
"AhEM!" Lotus cleared her throat loudly and bore her rosy eyes into Storm. The IceWing quickly bit her tongue. Seal guts! I've just been standing her blabbing away all our secrets. Why can't I learn to shut up?"
Timidly Storm stepped to the side and let Lotus take the stage.
"If you want to know more about the artifacts then you'll have to count that as one of your questions." The MudWing hit them with in intimidating stare. Unlike Storm, she wouldn't be giving away any information for free.
Fang raised a questioning brow at Storm but then turned his attention to Lotus. "Fine, I guess it's our turn to ask," He huffed. "We'll ask the same question. What is your connection with the Order?"
"It's complicated," Lotus answered.
"Doesn't matter, just answer the questions," Fang ordered.
"And don't skimp out on the details!" Ember added.
Lotus kept it as simple as possible. She explained that the Order had captured their tribemates and, as Storm so naively blurted out, are attempting to attack the Ice Kingdom. As Lotus talked Storm became lost in thought.
As frustrating as this whole incident has been, maybe we can use this to our advantage. We could REALLY use some treasure hunters to help us find the map. Storm hated to admit it, but they needed Fang and Ember's help. There was no way they were going to find the map in time to save Caracal on their own. Storm frowned at the thought. Fang and Ember were about as trustable as a ravenous polar bear, but she would have to risk it.
She would risk anything to get Caracal back.
However, another issue soon came to mind. Payment.
Ember and Fang were professionals and their services probably came with a hefty price tag to match.
What can I offer them? Certainly not money, but perhaps something just as valuable. What would Canyon do?
Storm blinked as an idea struck her, but she instantly hesitated. It would be risky for sure, and they may not accept it. But it was all she had to offer. With a deep breath Storm rejoined the conversation just as Lotus was finishing her answer.
"And so, our goal is to take down the Order before they attack the Ice Kingdom and to free our tribemates," She said to an intrigued audience of two.
"Hmm," Fang hummed, sounding impressed. "Well it seems you guys do know a lot about the Order." He then smiled. "I hope you'll be willing to share more of this information."
"Of course," Storm spoke up abruptly. "But for a price."
Fang tilted his head in confusion and Ember stood up from where she had been sitting on the couch.
"What do you mean 'for a price'? I thought we were exchanging info, fair and square," The SkyWing complained.
"Storm, what are you doing?" Lotus hissed under her breath.
Ignoring their comments Storm stood tall and met Fang's eyes. "I have a business proposition for you if you're interest."
Fang's eyes sparkled and he leaned closer, practically touching her snout. "I'm always interested in what you say ice-cube, but go ahead, what's your proposition?"
Storm pushed his face away and cleared her throat to hide her blush. "I offer you all the information you want. You can ask me an unlimited amount of questions which I will answer honestly and thoroughly." Storm paused to let this sink in and then continued. "In exchange, I want to hire you two."
Ember let out a furious growl. "Hire us? You expect us to take your information as payment? Pfft, yeah right."
This is where the risk came in. Storm did have a lot of information to give, but whether they would believe her was another matter.
Lotus seemed confused at first but quickly caught on and thankfully joined in. "You can ask me any questions as well, although Storm knows more than I do. She was the one who investigated the Order's their hide out and saw their leader."
Storm sent Lotus a silent thank you. The MudWing was helping her bait the treasure hunters by letting small details slip out. It was enough to stir their curiosity.
Ember did look mildly curious but was still grimacing. Fang, however, was rubbing his chin in consideration. "That's an interesting proposition, ice-cube. May I ask why you want to hire us? It's only fair I know what I'm getting myself into before I accept."
Storm swallowed her nervousness, but her dry throat made her choke on it. I should have drunk that water when I had the chance.
"I suppose you're right," She acquiesced. "I need your help finding an artifact called Jerboa's map."
The treasure hunters' eyes widened and they drew their heads together, whispering aggressively. Lotus and Storm sat in silence for several moments before the two finally pulled their heads away.
"That's a really old artifact. I'm not sure it will be possible to find," Fang spoke.
"Don't worry, we have a lead," Lotus contributed. Storm realized Lotus was right. The Order had mentioned something about the hoodoos…whatever THOSE were.
Fang clasped his talons together in thought, but Storm knew they were wearing him down. He had a fascinated glint in his eyes. His curiosity was getting the better of him. Ember was also looking more agreeable than before.
Finally the SandWing spoke. "How about an alternative idea: We get to ask one, no, TWO questions in advance. If you can answer both of them then we will help you find the map, but we STILL get to ask as many questions as we want after that. Deal?" He offered his talon to Storm for a shake. Storm looked back at Lotus who gave a helpless shrug and nodded. It was the best they were going to do.
"Deal," Storm confirmed and shook his talon. She fluttered her wings to let off some nervous energy. She had no idea what he would ask, but she prayed to whatever spirits where nearby that she would have the knowledge to answer them.
"So what's your first question?" Lotus prompted. She was just as eager as Storm to get this over and done.
A coy grin spread over Fang's face. "Oh, is an easy question, don't worry." He turned to Storm. "So…do you have a boyfriend?"
Storm inhaled sharply and must have made a ridiculous face since Fang automatically started laughing. It didn't last very long since he got pummelled in the face by a pillow. Ember had thrown it from where she stood near the couch.
"FANG!" She scolded. "YOU SAND-BRAINED IDIOT!"
"She SAID I could ask any question," Fang point out, amused. He was currently using the first pillow that had been thrown at him as a shield from the other objects being hurled his way.
Storm took this moment to compose herself. Well, I did agree to answer any questions.
Blushing slightly she answered. "No, I don't have one." Although as she spoke an image of Canyon whisked through her mind.
Ember had finally run out of things to throw, giving Fang the chance to return his attention to Storm. "Hmm, interesting. I'm a little surprised to be honest."
He left it at that and Storm had a feeling he would be bringing it up again later.
"Alright, now for our second question and this time I'm asking it." Ember strode forward to face Storm. "I need to make sure you're not full of dung and bluffing, so my question won't be nearly as easy." She threw a quick, scolding glare at Fang. The SandWing had no pretenses of looking sorry and flashed the SkyWing a toothy grin.
"Anyway, are you ready?" Ember asked Storm.
Storm nodded since her mouth was too dry to answer. She pretended it was because of the dry air but she knew nervousness was playing a larger part. Quickly she retrieved her water pouch and took a long sip. "Go ahead," Storm croaked out.
Ember thought for a moment and then smiled coyly. Storm's heart went to her throat.
"If you really know as much as you say you do, then answer me this: Why does the Order want to attack the Ice Kingdom?"
Storm's brain froze. She had no idea what the answer was. "Um…could you elaborate please?"
Ember raised her eyebrow. Storm knew that Ember was aware she was struggling. Nonetheless the SkyWing played along. "It just seems strange that the Order wants to attack the Ice Kingdom. Really, what could they possibly gain? I just want you to tell me what the deal is," She said simply.
"Ah…yes…well the answer is very simple for you see…" Storm racked her brain.
Ok, I can figure this out. I have all the pieces now I just need to put them all together. Her hopelessly desperate optimism was the only thing keeping her from admitting defeat just yet.
So what do I know about the Order? Well, first of all they are obsessed with ancient "magic" and animus artifacts. They're looking for long forgotten secrets and power…which isn't helping me right now…
"If you can't answer it just let me know," Ember said and inspected her talons.
"Just give me a second!" Storm snapped and dove back into her thoughts.
I also know they want Jerboa's map. That probably means they are after something that is not on any other map…or something that has been hidden away for a long time…
Storm eyes mysteriously gravitated back towards the broken statue of the two headed dragon. She recalled the images that had been all over the Order's scrolls in the temple and suddenly the pieces snapped together.
Her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.
Meanwhile Ember let out an impatient puff of smoke from her nose. "If you don't answer my question in the next 10 second then the deal is…"
"I know the answer," Storm interrupted with confidence. Everyone looked at her with surprise.
"Really?" Lotus asked. She rushed over to Storm and pulled their heads together to whisper, "Are you just bluffing or do you actually know?"
Storm's ears twitched nervously. "I have an educated guess but I am confident it's correct."
"Hello! We're still waiting for the answer!" Ember growled.
Lotus gave her a reassuring pat on the wings and Storm turned to give them her answer. "The Order is after something that is in the Ice Kingdom, something old and lost to the ages."
Fang nodded, "Uh-huh, and that is…."
Storm spoke with conviction, "They're after the lost animus treasure of Sivanka."
Author's note:
WOW this is my longest chapter so far! No wonder it took me so long to write it up! Anyway, sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy ;3