A Brighter Future Ahead
AN: So here's the next story to get updated with my return to the living. I don't really have much to say other than I hope you enjoy. We're getting close to the end, and things will start to get real from here on out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Zephyr belongs to me.
Anaconda:
The Queen of the Rainwings sat at her desk, drumming her talons upon its wooden surface as she waited for news. Ordinarily, she would be asleep by now since it was past midnight—probably closer to dawn at this point—but even now, she was far too excited to sleep. Despite the long wait already, she refused to sleep until she had her answers. She needed to know if her deceptions had succeeded. Otherwise, the consequences of Darkstalker finding out the truth from the assassin would be…harsh.
Dawn had just broke, and her eyes were finally starting to betray her, when it happened. She had just closed her eyes for a moment before the door to her private quarters was thrown open. She startled awake in time to see Zephyr sliding to a stop in front of her, a look of panic on her face. "I can't feel him!" she cried.
Anaconda had to blink in order to process that. It took her a few moments before she remembered what her adopted daughter had told her about the spell she placed on Darkstalker. Zephyr had had the brilliant idea of creating a direct link between her and Darkstalker's minds without the Nightwing being aware of it. With her link, not only could she speak and taunt Darkstalker—making him angry enough to lose control to the alter ego Zephyr had created within him—but she also had limited guidance over the alter ego. She couldn't control him like a puppet, for example, but she could influence his actions with a well-placed suggestion or two.
The fact that such a complicated yet subtle spell worked as well as it did was absolutely staggering, and she was quite proud of Zephyr for thinking up the idea on her own.
"What do you mean, 'you can't feel him'!?" she demanded, her eyes narrowed and her voice sharp. "You assured me that it was impossible for him to break free of your spell!"
"I—I thought it was!" the young Skywing stammered.
But Anaconda was having none of it. Perhaps if she wasn't moderately sleep-deprived, she would be more understanding, but this wasn't a good time for things to fall apart. "You thought!?" she all but yelled.
Zephyr shrunk back, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open in shock at her mother's furious tone. After a few seconds of speechless fumbling, her resolve seemed to harden. "No, I know it was! He couldn't have freed himself…" she trailed off under Anaconda's scrutiny.
She studied her adopted daughter with a critical eye before nodding. "Very well. I believe you. How then can the impossible be possible?" she muttered more to herself as her tired mind became much more alert as she tried to reason out what happened…and if she had cause to worry. As far as she could tell, there was only two possible explanations. Either Fathom had somehow figured out what was going on and freed the Nightwing or Darkstalker was dead.
Neither option was desirable.
However, Anaconda didn't get to where she was by acting on mere speculation. No, she would wait until she had more information. There was always dragons watching her four trophies, and no doubt at least one of them would be on their way here to report what happened. She would wait for that report before deciding on a course of action.
Until then, a quick nap wouldn't hurt.
It was around noon when word finally reached her of what happened. One of the dragons she had assigned to watch them had relayed his report to her and Zephyr while Anaconda read his thoughts and memories to fill in any blanks in his story. To say she was relieved that Darkstalker didn't suspect her was a gross understatement, but the matter regarding him being freed by the dagger's power was most troubling, indeed.
Once his report had been given, the spy left, leaving her and Zephyr alone to discuss their next course of action. "What do we do now, mother?" the young Skywing asked hesitantly after a moment. "Without my spell, we can't control Darkstalker…"
Anaconda merely shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, my dear. Your spell was most useful in negating the rather sizable risk manipulating Darkstalker brought, but it isn't necessary. We can do this the old-fashioned way just as easily…" she explained, then grimaced. "Though the risk involved is much more…considerable."
At least both Clearsight and Indigo were out of the way. Without them, and with Fathom seeming to support Darkstalker, things should be easier. She would still have to be careful, though, since no doubt Darkstalker would want revenge, Clearsight's revenge would doubtless make him even more ruthless and paranoid. Perhaps Fathom could be useful in curtailing his more violent tendencies.
After all, she couldn't rule the other tribes if the other tribes ceased to exist.
Silence fell for several minutes before one of her guards knocked on the door. "Enter," she called.
The door opened, and the guard peaked his head in to report. "Darkstalker and Fathom have just entered the village, My Queen," he said in a quiet yet serious voice.
She nodded to herself. She was about to order the guard to inform them that she wanted to speak with them, but then thought better of it. It might look suspicious if she called upon them so soon after returning—especially if she wasn't supposed to know what had just happened. So instead, she said, "Keep an eye on them, but don't intervene…yet." She stressed the 'yet' in her statement, and the guard nodded, retreating out of the door and closing it behind him.
Zephyr looked at her mother curiously. "What's your plan, mother?" she asked.
"The plan hasn't changed…but the stakes have," she said grimly.
AN: So Anaconda still thinks she can manipulate our favorite homicidal Nightwing... I wonder if she's right?
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22
