Sparkling II

In the spy/assassin business, there's no time to lament the mistakes you've made, especially while still in enemy territory. Even so, the death of Smolder weighed heavy on my mind and my heart after the duel and the bloodbath. I found myself at a bar more than once, drowning myself in fermented agave juice and palm wine. Killing Xero's best friend was a mistake, one I'd have to live with for the rest of my life. The death of his brothers and everyone else that fell in the Seawing's madness, while not my fault, showed me the level of death and depravity war brought along. It shook me, and I feared what Xerophilous would do to me when I came back.

One of those nights, I met a funny-looking Rainwing. Most Rainwings I know tend to have bright colors, very rarely going pale-dark like lavender or green. This dragoness was a mix of black and dark-green, her scales having an almost glossy, smoky luster to them. She took a seat next to me at the bar as I drank, confident and familiar as if we were both back in the Rainforest.

"Hey stranger," She chirped, "Why the long face? It's not everyday you find another one of your kin out in this wretched place."

"...You're not all Rainwing, are you?" I asked, wondering why this stranger was suddenly giving me so much attention.

"Nope!" She answered, wiggling comfortably on the leather barstool. "Wanna share a drink with me? I can tell you all about it, if you want."

I didn't have to be a mindreader to know she wasn't going to take no as an answer. I also knew the difference between a Rainwing flirting and a Rainwing just being friendly, and I could use someone to talk to. I shrugged and nodded, and the funny-looking Rainwing smiled.

"Hey, Slushy," She called to the bartender - an Icewing drake with silk-blue bowtie - holding out two silver coins, "Two of your signature drinks for me and my friend, please."

The bartender - evidently named "Slushy" - started mixing ingredients. Fermented agave juice, orange-infused alcohol, lemon and lime juice all poured in a mixing cup and sealing it with a glass. He breathed his ice breath onto the sealed container, shaking it thoroughly. After a few seconds, he then grabbed two flat glasses, rimming them in salt. Finally, he poured the slushy mix into both glasses, and handed them to us. I eyed the drink cautiously, taking a tentative sip as my new acquaintance did. I never had a cold drink before, but quickly learned what I'd been missing my whole life.

"Pretty good, right?" The stranger giggled. "That's the trick - Real Slushies are made with ice from an Icewing. This is the only place in the world where we can get a drink like this, so we're pretty damn lucky. I'm Dusk, by the way." She extended her paw.

I shook it. "Sparkling."

The rest of the evening passed rather uneventfully. Dusk and I chatted for many hours, sharing many drinks and stories together. It may seem foolish and unprofessional of me, but understand that Rainwings weren't fighters or traitors like other Tribes. I told her much of my mission, even confessing my actions upon Blister and Smolder, all the while certain that, at worst, she was one of Splendor's spies or connections. She was very interested in all I had to tell her (especially the parts about King Xero), and even offered to "continue the conversation upstairs". Tempting as that offer might've been, I declined. I might be new to this job, and I didn't think she was a honeypot, but I knew better than to complicate matters with a one-night stand.

After that night, I considered what my next steps should be. When I left the Rainforest, my three targets were Blister, Hallowglide and Tanwen. With the Princess gone, my two remaining targets both resided in Hawkstone. Regardless of who I was able to get or go after next, I had to make my way into that fortress. After clearing my head, I made my way to Hawkstone, under the cover of moonlight and in full camouflage. Slipping in was a great deal harder this time, as the Seawings had been replaced with local Sandwings. Because of the increased security, I had to go in without my trusty blowgun, following the steps of a loud, lumbering guard.

This particular guard had to be at the end of his shift, as I followed him away from the walls and into the Baron's mansion. Once he entered, I started canvasing the entire structure, looking top to bottom for Hallowglide and Tanwen. Alas, my targets were nowhere to be found. My investigation was hampered by the sheer amount of guards patrolling the halls, coming in and out of some of the rooms, blocking my paths again and again.

My closest brush with disaster was when I found myself stuck in a dead-end hallway, as a pair of guards were coming from behind me. Camouflaged as I was, I dropped to the floor and tried to make myself as small as I could. Fortunately, Hallowglide's home had rather wide and expansive hallways, and the guards were able to pass by me without touching me. Well, almost without touching me - one of the careless bastards bumped their spears right in my face. Hurt like a son of a bitch, and it took all my will not to cry out or move until after they passed by.

"Hey," One of them said, "You think the boss is makin' a move for the throne? Headin' out to the Queens' camp, invitin' them all to the banquet tomorrow? Seems to me like he's plannin' somethin' big!"

"Spirits, what's Phyrria comin' to?!" The other lamented. "First the Rainwings up and get themselves a Sandwing King, now we're stuck between two Nightwings as King. And one of them's a 'ness, now!"

"If the boss was smart," The first continued, "He'd marry that Tanwen girl and have everyone attack the Palace at once. The Nightwings can't possibly stop an army of a thousand dragons, even with their spooky powers!"

"What about those kooky cultists to the south?" The second pointed out. "Those crazy bastards worshipping the fucking Darkstalker of all things? They're up to all kinds of shit in the desert."

"Bah, I wouldn't worry about them." The first assured. "They're just glorified bandits. They'll raid caravans, but none of them have what it takes to fight out in the open. We'll get to them when the time comes."

As the guards turned the corner, I took my cue to get out while the getting's good. As I made my way back to the tavern, I had to reevaluate my options. While the Coalition still had no idea about what we were up to, even someone of my skill couldn't hope to sneak into their feast. As much as it frustrated and shamed me, I had to abandon my primary objective of assassinating Hallowglide. Having accepted that, there was still my secondary objective: Capturing Tanwen. But while killing a dragon's easy, taking one alive and moving them halfway across the continent is another thing entirely. Such things require planning, preparation, and most important of all, accomplices.

Fruit bribes continued to be an effective tool. Indeed, it seemed like Rainforest fruit was becoming the new currency of the Sand Kingdom, now that the Coalition troops were taking all the gold and treasure for themselves. A fellow Rainwing trader handed me a box of fresh guava, which I in turn used to get some of Tanwen's entourage to start talking. A few fresh fruit and the promise of a safe refuge in the jungle, I was able to get the servants to get me access to her tent within camp, where I snuck and waited for her return. It was late into the night, when the party had finally wrapped up and the lady in question finally returned.

She looked exhausted, her wings and tail drooping as she slunk her way to bed. From her dejected expression and angry sighs, the rumors from the guards were true, and Hallowglide was successful in bringing the Queens to his side. I waited until she was starting to fall asleep, before I readied my darts with Batty's Bad Batch #116, a potent sleeping agent. A well-placed shot to her jugular, and she was out like a light. I waited an additional minute or two to make sure she was fully unconscious, before I called up her turned attendants and my Rainwing aides to her tent. In short order, her limbs, wings and mouth were bound, her stinger corked, and rolled into the largest bag we could find.

It's no easy thing, putting a fully-grown, unconscious dragoness into a burlap sack, smuggling her out of her tent and flying her out of the camp without being noticed. Fortunately, most of the guards were at the feast, and those that remained were either bribed to look the other way, or were on the opposite side of where we were going. It took several days of flying over those familiar dunes, occasionally stopping to eat, rest, and dose Tanwen every six hours to keep her out. Between the five of us - two Rainwings, three Sandwings - we were able to make it over the Jade Mountains and into the Rainforest right after the Battle of the Portal.

I'd been worried that King Xerophilous would still be angry at me, considering my failure with Smolder and the Princes, and that I'd be put in a cell and denied sun-time for my transgressions. If his expression upon receiving his former rival was anything to go by, my fears were utterly unfounded. Indeed, in the days following my return, his mood only got better and better (whether this was because of how thorough our victories were, or because of the romantic attention from Queens Fruit Bat and Majestic is up for debate). As a reward for all my hard work, Xero's next assignment for me was a great deal safer and simpler: training more dragons to be like me...