DISCLAIMER: I do not own Wings of Fire. It and the characters within (Qibli, Winter, Thorn, Moon, Riptide, Kinkajou, Capybara, Cobra, Vulture) are Tui T. Sutherland's. Falcon, Oleander, Arid, Pearl and Moor were created by me.
Oooof, this almost did NOT happen on time. I'm sorry its a *little* shorter, but I promise I'll reign it in for next next week.
I would love to know what you thought about the story or characters! All critiques are welcome!
Qibli felt his heart rate spike like the spines on a cactus before he forced his breath to steady. Through the darkness and rusted cold metal bars, he saw the glint of two dangerous eyes, peering out at him. As he approached unsteadily, the candlelight exposed more of that striking yet frightful face.
On it, he saw an unreadable expression. There was none of the malice that stained his earliest memories, nor the outrage from being imprisoned. She just sat there, waiting for him. Trying to figure out what I'm here for. She just needs to know how to play me to get what she wants, but I won't let that happen. Not this time.
"Oh, and it looks like you brought your friend again. Does that mean you two did get married after all?" She asked, with amusement in her voice, but the same cold, calculating eyes.
"No, but I bet it's only a matter of time. He's already asked me to move in with him," he joked, pretending to puff out his chest proudly and arrange his wings, but really just trying to loosen the tension in them.
"SandWing LIES!" Winter boomed from behind him. "I asked for his help on one little thing, and now he's following me, like a pesky stray penguin. He's all yours if you could please take him off my talons."
He let out a short snort and sat down opposite to Cobra, decidedly as far as he could get so his tail brushed against the opposite row of cells. Winter, on the other talon, laid calmly on his stomach in the middle of the corridor.
"Does this mean Thorns finally decided what to do with me?" Cobra asked, turning her attention to Qibli. "Or perhaps," she narrowed her eyes at Winter "you need something from me. Why else would you finally come visit your dear old mother."
"Not so much dear, but definitely old," he corrected.
"Oh was that your take at an insult?" Cobra asked unimpressed. "Needs work."
He felt a light growl rising from his throat. That insult was fine! There was nothing wrong with it! Before he could snap back at her, Winter cleared his throat purposefully.
"I'd suggest you listen to your friend," she said smoothly. "I think I'd be in a much more helpful mood if you weren't trying to ruffle my scales." She ran one talon down the rusty bars, drawing out an ominous note.
Focus Qibli, this is your mother, not your grandfather. Just because he's back doesn't mean she's working with him. Letting out his breath, he closed his eyes. "Fine, but tell me this. Did you really want to betray grandfather? Or was that all a ruse?"
There was a long tense pause before she began in a low voice "listen here wor—, listen. As I told you and everyone else in this moons forsaken palace, my father didn't send me here to assassinate Thorn, or steal the Eye, or take the Obsidian Mirror away from him. Everything I've done so far is against what he wants. So no, it was not all a ruse."
"Well, everything except gaining my trust. That was always you and grandfather's plan wasn't it? And you even told him I wouldn't give Thorn up for you, so it's not far off to think you had a contingency plan. Gain my trust by escaping with me, then use me for whatever plans you had in store?"
"That's far fetched and you know it," Cobra barked.
"Well, I don't." he said adamantly.
"And imagine, why would she need to escape if, as you pointed out, she was in that Oubliette for less than a day?" Winter cut in. "She wouldn't have been in any danger so it'd make sense if the escape was pre-planned."
He widened his eyes at Winter's revelation. "You're right. She wouldn't be in any immediate danger either way, so betraying grandfather would have endangered her more." They turned their collective gaze back towards Cobra.
Now she was unmistakably mad. Her fiery eyes snapped between them and smoke began to rise from her snout. "Fine you aggravating dragonets." she sneered. "You want to know the obvious piece of information your blind eyes seem to miss? Such as your grandfather's murderous mindset that gives a rat's tail about true familial bonds? Do I have to remind you of the relentless lessons from the Scorpion Den?"
Qibli felt his fear rising at the reminder but tried to cover it by matching her anger. "Of course I remember! I was the one who had to live through it! Including the punishments you laid down." He leapt to his feet. "But that 'family," he spat the venomous word like poison, "was everything. No matter how torturous, he always chalked it up to finding and training a perfect heir."
Now Cobra stood bristling as well. "Exactly! So what's the point of keeping me around?" She growled threateningly. "He doesn't seem particularly interested in me taking over. Besides, if it was all part of his master plan, don't you think he would have broken me out of prison when he attacked the treasury and had the chance? If I was that important to him?"
He lashed his tail back and forth. Yes. He turned away uncomfortably, thinking through the various possibilities. Maybe the plan was still in motion. She's stayed alive this long already, so grandfather doesn't seem inclined to get rid of her. Not to mention she's still a useful asset to his criminal enterprise. Even so, she would still have to look over her shoulder. Her life was a threat to his power. A combating thought came into his head. And Rattlesnake seemed intent to take over the business… So why not Cobra?
He turned towards Winter, hoping to get his input but was met with an equally indecisive expression. He let out a heavy sigh and settled back down onto the cold sandstone floors.
"Then why? Why betray grandfather now, and not before I came around?"
"None of your business!" She retorted.
"If you want us to trust you, you need to tell us," he tried to reason.
"Remind me why I need you to trust me?" Cobra hissed.
"Because if we don't, you'll never see the light of day ever again," Winter interjected.
She slowly turned her withering gaze back onto Winter. "Oh and remind me what role you play in all that, IceWing, if I'm still allowed to call you that." His back spikes bristled and he narrowed his eyes, but before he said anything Qibli jumped to his defense.
"Because he's my friend, and my other friend just happens to be Queen Thorn," Qibli said.
"Not to mention the obvious: I'm not the one behind bars." Winter added, drawing his spiked tail across the rusty wall behind him for emphasis.
Cobra's tail twitched behind her, as if she wanted to plunge the tip into both of them. Luckily, it was still wrapped in chains to prevent her from doing just that. Gritted her teeth as if she was being asked to eat a whole rotten camel, she said "fine. If knowing is sssso important to you. I saw where you were, your position... it seemed like a chance for me to be rid of the cursed family and trade it for something... different."
"I'm sorry, no, I don't believe you. Why would you give up everything? Just because I was what, friends with Thorn?" Or did she miss me? And she finally had the chance to be with me?
"Not because you were friends with Thorn, cactus-for-brains." Her glare seared into him like the hot desert sun. "You were… you, and ended up as the Queen's right wing dragon. No manipulation, backstabbing or cruelty required, yet true power at your clawtips."
Qibli took a step back in disbelief. "Are you trying to say you admire me?" Is she proud of me? Does she finally see a reason to love me?
"Don't fool yourself," she barked, and stared off into the dark corridor. "But I did think you could be helpful for protection if it ever came to it. With the resources you have, I'd survive, and we might have the chance to take father's treasure for ourselves."
Ah, he thought wilting. That was it. She saw an opportunity to use my influence to protect herself. He couldn't stop his eyes from drifting down to his talons.
"Look snake, you wanted to know the truth, so there it is." She said harshly. "As disappointing as it is. I do not, and did not have any plans to harm Queen Thorn."
It's believable at least. She saw it as a way to survive, to look out for herself. Use me to take out the bigger risk to her. And yet, a small part of him still murmured, she wanted to escape with me, her 'true' dragonet. She wanted to take down the family with me by her side. Isn't that what I've wanted all along? Doesn't that count for anything?
With a heavy sigh, Qibli said "Alright. We believe you."
"We do?" Winter interrupted. "She wanted to use you, no problem, definitely no plans against the Queen? Definitely not in cahoots with Vulture?"
Cobra growled at him, but Qibli answered first. "My mother is all about survival and looking out for herself. She saw an opportunity to get ahead by using me. She could gain the favor and protection of the Queen, while taking over and dismantling my grandfather's dangerous network. Then she wouldn't have to look over her shoulder ever again while being set for the rest of her life."
"And that means we should trust her why?"
"Because it's what I'd expect from her. And after betraying grandfather, her only hope of survival is to be in Thorn's favor."
"Or, I'll remind you because it seems you've forgotten, she could still be working with Vulture."
"What about a trade?" Cobra hissed.
"A trade for what?" Qibli asked intrigued.
"I trade you the information you want, and in turn, you trust me." she curled back against the wall to her cell.
Winter snorted. "Or we just torture the information out of you and we won't need to trust you at all."
"Do I have to remind you which family you're dealing with? I could lie or take whatever information I had to the grave if I was already destined for it." She narrowed her eyes tauntingly. "And yes, that is to spite you."
Winter growled and Qibli rested his talon on his shoulder. "Let's just hear her out." Looking towards Cobra, he said "do you know how we could find Vulture?"
"It's not that easy. By now he'll be laying low, running his network of spies while constantly moving from hideout to hideout. He won't stay at one location for more than a day." While talking, she began to rub her shoulder, as if she was entirely disinterested from the conversation.
"So we thin out his hideouts and we'll eventually catch him right?" Corner Vulture like a panicked lizard caught in the open? Except Vulture would be the hunter, not the hunted. "Do you still know where those are?"
"Listen brat, instead of interrupting me every second, how about I just finish my thought and we all get to move on with our lives?" He shot her a frown just as Winter let out a subtle snort which she took as a cue to keep talking. "Even if we try and thin out his hideouts, he could just as easily pop up a new one. We need to find a way to keep him close or draw him in, even if we don't know exactly where he is. Wiping out his hideaways is the definition of spooking him. Instead, let him think he's still holding all the cards, and then we strike."
"And how do you suggest we do that? Not to remind you, but you still haven't given us any concrete information that should make us trust you." He saw Winter nodding beside him.
She narrowed her eyes, her patience wearing thin. "I can give you the location of one if his stores of wealth. A significant stash might I add. But, I need to get out of here first. And I need a guard who can pose as a dragon I've turned to our side."
"Our Outclaws are loyal!" Qibli flared instinctually.
Cobra simply shrugged her shoulders and began massaging her wings. "Your Outclaws maybe, but not all the guards were Outclaws. It's been done might I remind you."
"What? Which traitorous —"
"Oh, they're gone. Dead I believe. You met what remained of them last time we were in my father's compound."
The SandWing? Does that mean… the NightWings. Of course, Thorn was wondering how they managed to escape. She always thought they got the jump on the guards: drew them in and snatched the keys. They must have let them out and followed them to the rainforest where they stumbled into Darkstalker. Thorn would never have guessed that they sided with the NightWings. Why? But the reason was apparent. He'd even had the same doubts in his own mind. Thorns an illegitimate Queen. Regain the NightWings one Queen and then sort of the SandWings? That seemed believable...
"Fine, then what?" he asked, clearing his head.
"I'll go signal the guards in a different hideout and try to make contact, establishing that I'm still on his side. You can do whatever it is you want with the location of the settlement."
"No way. I won't even consider letting you out until we know you aren't lying to us."
"And what? I get to go suspiciously after one of his safehouses fall? I might as well serve my head up on a silver platter, he'd think I ratted him out." She paused deep in thought. "No, let me go first. I'll say I was going to warn him of the incoming attack. At the same time, you attack. Win-win"
"Besides the fact that you could by lying, in which case we have no idea where you could have gone off to." Winter chimed in.
"Your Outclaw would be with me," she replied leaving enough room for an implied 'obviously'
"That's true! I always wanted to be responsible for signing a dragon's death certificate." Qibli said sarcastically
"Fine, then what do you suggest?" she snapped.
Argh, how do we confirm what my mother is saying without tipping Vulture off? He started pacing as he ran through the ideas. Keep her with us, confirm a location, then send her? Do we really need to send her out at all? Could we hide the attack as a rival? Fake Cobra's death? He realized that each idea was progressively less believable.
"Look Qibli, you need to trust me, but you need me to trust you too." When he looked at her, she didn't look deceptive or angry. "Do I have to remind you that I'm in here because of you even though I helped you escape? So don't take it lightly when I tell you this: due south from the Scorpion Den, and along the coast is a hidden cave vulture uses to transport his gold. It's marked by a large pointed peak above it. It's guarded, but remote. Attack from the water if you must, there's guards along the cliffs, but they watch inland primarily."
Shocked, he squinted at his mother. She's right of course, she trusted me and she's in jail because of it. And she hadn't necessarily gone against her word. Sure she was spying on Thorn with grandfather, but that didn't mean she had to run away with me or that she was going to kill Thorn. And she did rob grandfather of an invaluable tool. She could have easily left the obsidian mirror with him but she took it… though…
"Wait, what about the obsidian mirror," he asked. We could spy on grandfather.
"I have a feeling it's not working considering Vulture is still out there," Winter observed snarkily.
"After so many months of spying on others, you honestly believe Vulture wouldn't have thought of it? He's probably resorted to non-verbal communication to protect his movement." Cobra added.
He sighed again. This is an awful idea. "No guard."
"What?" Winter and Cobra both asked.
"No Outclaw guard. We'll let you out alone, while we go investigate the coast. You're right. The only way to get Vulture not to murder you on sight after you stole from him is to play into what he wants more: me. Say you've gained my trust and draw him out."
Cobra looked thoughtful while Winter was outright doubtful. "I still think it's a bad idea to trust her."
"Me too, but she's right. Trust goes both ways. And I think this might be the only way for Cobra to infiltrate Vulture's new organization successfully." Turning towards her, he added "but don't get me wrong. If you double cross us, I will make it my life's goal to track you down, and lock you into a dark hole for the rest of your life. And know that's not an empty threat. I can reach out to the other queens for assistance."
"Why not just do that now?" Winter asked. "Pyrrhias at peace, so we could work together to clear out the stray riff raff."
Qibli mocked, "because that would be too extreme given the current situation." He gave Cobra a pointed look. I also don't know if other kingdoms would care for our problems, but I don't need Cobra to know that.
"And when he asks how I gained your trust?" She hissed.
"Tell him the events line up, and you convinced me. We won't attack the coast, so he doesn't get suspicious. But we'll make sure it's there and that you're not lying. Then we'll let you go, and if you help us take down Vulture, you're free. Deal?"
"Agreed." Cobra growled.
Looking between Qibli and Cobra, Winter just shrugged. "Well, I for one am hoping you're going to ask your Queen before you release your murderous mother."
"I don't remember you asking your Queen before you left Jade Mountain o' famed Glacier's nephew," he joked. But even he knew that he couldn't release Cobra without getting Thorn's approval.
Since she wasn't present in the palace, and wouldn't be returning for a week, they needed to send her a message. In the middle of writing, he had a fresh wave of 'am I doing the right thing?' pass through his mind.
Frowning up from the letter, he looked around to see where Winter had gotten off to. They had traded the foreboding dungeons for the gloomy palace library. It was as tall as a mountain with high shelves studded with scroll holes. It smelled dusty and old, and made him want to sneeze. Even in the dim lantern-light, he should have been able to pick out Winter's contrasting scales. He got up nervously and began picking his way past each shelf. Even though he was in the most heavily fortified place in the Sand Kingdom (okay, maybe equal with Vulture's own compound), the endless shadows still gave him the creeps.
"Winter?" he called out softly. The only reply was the creaking bookshelves. He tried to shake out the irrational tension in his wings.
Then there was a loud CRACK! behind him. He whipped his head around and crashed painfully into a bookshelf which groaned in protest. Letting out a yowl, he saw the thick scroll that now laid on the floor. Glowering up towards the laughing coming from the ceiling, he found Winter hanging on the handholds which allowed dragons to rest as they searched the shelf.
"Really!?" he cried, rubbing his side tenderly. "Quit playing around, there's more important things to do!"
Winter dropped beside him and eyed him skeptically. "I thought you were writing the letter. I felt quite useless so I wanted to look through the scrolls." He tilted his head towards them loftily. "The IceWing royal library has better."
"Oh yes yes very good, the IceWings are amazing." He grumbled waving his talons. "But more importantly, am I doing the right thing?"
Winter picked up the scroll and turned towards him. "By going after your grandfather? Is that a trick question? Yes? You are doing the right thing?" He flew up and replaced the scroll on the shelf.
"Not that… trusting my mother?" He called, looking up. "Is she just going to betray us?"
"Well, if you want the honest answer, probably. I don't know if I would trust her," echoed down to him. "But she didn't seem awfully fond of them — your family. She was even prepared to kill your brother and sister just to escape." Dropping back down beside him, he added "If it works out, you'd bring her over to our side, which seems more favorable than locking her up for eternity, or killing her."
Qibli flinched when he mentioned that. "I don't want to see her dead," he admitted.
"Then just stick with what you laid down. And if she does betray us, we can take your Queen friend and her allies to demolish her," Winter concluded logically
"Argh, you're right," he grumbled. Obviously.
"Literally repeating what you said. Seriously, it's like I could be replaced by the echo of an ice crevice and it'd have the same effect." Winter offhandedly.
"Oh you know, self doubt, inadequacy, regrets..." Turning away he picked his way back to the table holding his worst nightmare.
When he completed it, Capybara had it flown out to Thorn. Instead of hosting a moon festival at the palace, Thorn had wanted to tour the various settlements and participate in each smaller celebration. She wanted to connect more with the dragons she ruled (and to try all the delicious local cuisine and to get 'out of the palace' as she had put it).
It also meant that Qibli and Winter could verify Cobra's claim while they waited for her reply. After watching the sun fall, they took off into the cooling evening air. They soared towards the coast, aiming for a patch of sand, west of their target so they could head to sea before searching. Even though the desert heat had cut through the clouds gathered that morning, the coastline brought a fresh blanket rolling in from the sea.
That provided them with a perfect cover to spy on whatever they were looking for. Not to mention being the perfect escape route if things took a turn for the worst. Flying out to sea, the coast soon became a thin line sandwiched between the water and the clouds. They then began to sweep east, scanning the horizon for any signs of a secret cavern.
"What are we looking for?" Winter asked as he scanned the hopelessly dark coastline.
He looked along the coast and realized the issue immediately. "I'm not sure. Dragons entering a dark cave? Signs of hidden treasure?" He looked left to right nervously. "Maybe we should get closer."
"If we do I'd suggest sticking close to the clouds. We'd blend more with the white than the dark water below us."
He agreed and they swept precariously close to the shore. Even though Cobra had said most of the dragons looked inland, it was more than likely that a couple dragons faced the ocean as well. As they glided forward, the coastline got gradually rockier. And soon, the rocks traded places with towering cliffs. It was the intersection of sun bleached stone, bathed in moonlight against the constant onslaught of the ocean waves.
The longer they searched, the more hopeless he felt. It was as if each cliff face was a reminder that he was lied to. That he was fooled again. She wouldn't, would she? We just haven't gone far enough. It's just around the next bend.
Flying for so long without landing was also beginning to wear on the two of them. They could head inland, but that was a risk he didn't think he could take.
"Maybe we should turn back, I don't see anything."
"Don't tell me you're giving up that easily," Winter retorted.
"Or maybe we missed something…"
"Your mother said to look out for a cave with a pointed peak above it. We haven't come across any notable caves with a pointed peak above it, so we'll keep going." Turning around to look at him, Winter added "We should at least search until we reach the mountains in the distance."
"But how long is that going to take? We can't search all night." He glanced into the distance and saw jagged mountain range reaching into the clouds.
"Well, if you want to trust her, you can't go half way about it. We haven't been spotted, and we haven't spotted any caves with peaks above them, so we keep searching."
They kept flying for almost an entire hour, constantly hoping for some sign along the water until finally there! He reached out and nudged Winter in the side. When he looked over, he pointed with his snout.
"There! Is that anything? I see the peak but not the cave."
Continuing in the moonlight, they kept their distance while coming at it from a different direction. Eventually the mouth of the cave gaped out at them. She wasn't lying. His heart leapt hopefully at the thought.
Silently, the two hovered in the clouds, and gradually made their way closer. They didn't notice any guards yet, but if this was in fact a secret hideout, they would be hidden from sight. Would they see us first? Even just one guard might notice us… But that was overshadowed by who was laying outside, plain as day. He noticed the leopard like scales glowing in a patch of direct moonlight next to the looming cave mouth.
His wings faltered for a second which threatened to bring him out of the clouds when he felt strong talons hoist him up.
He swung around and sputtered, "he's right there! My grandfather, we have to attack before he leaves." He tried to shoot forward but was held back.
"We can't do that! It's just the two of us… who knows how many dragons he has in that cave." Winter followed his gaze. "Besides, isn't it strange that he's just… sitting there? For a dragon that's not speaking to avoid being spied on, it seems rather careless for him to be out in the open."
"It doesn't matter! Our entire goal is sitting right there! We have to try…" Listen to Winter. Fight your grandfather! Listen to reason. End your worries!
"It's not going to help anyone if you attack and end up captured, or worse: dead. We can't rush into this."
"By the time we get back with reinforcements he'll be gone." He growled.
"Then we'll just track him down with Cobra's help. Let's be smart about this Qibli. Nothing good ever comes from rushing into bad ideas." He's right was barely audible in his mind against the roar of other thoughts.
"Treat it like we never saw him here. We'll head back, wait for Cobra to make contact, and investigate the supplier. The good thing is we know Cobra was telling the truth, at least this time." To make a point of it, Winter let the wind lift him higher into the clouds, and turned back the way they came.
Now's my chance. When Winters not looking. I could take Vulture, if I sneak up on him. I can do it, stem all my worries. Capture the biggest threat to Pyrrhia's stability. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. At least not by himself. He felt the raking guilt claw through him as he turned and followed Winter back towards the Sand Palace. This won't be my only chance. We'll find him, and we'll be prepared next time. Or, at least, he hoped.
Something I'm struggling with is if I'm making Qibli too... tame? Sun-baked? He seemed more headstrong and I'm worried I'm digging a bit too much into the 'scared to death' aspect for him. Let me know if you have any input!