Chapter 13
Well, kind of alone, Hunter thought as he looked across the room at Queen Ash's two children. The boy, Phoenix, was looking at him with an interest in his eyes while the girl, Ember, had her arms crossed and looked very annoyed like she didn't want to be there.
"Ugh, this is so boring," Ember said. "How is this going to help me get ready to become the next queen over these lands?"
"Hey it's okay sister," Phoenix said. "You have to learn to talk to dragons from other tribes when you become queen."
"Augh, whatever," Ember said. "I don't care because when I'm queen, other dragons can do the talking for me. Who knows, maybe I'll assign you as one so that you can stop bothering me!"
"Sorry about my sister," Phoenix said to Hunter as he walked up to him. "She can get… very picky sometimes."
"Augh, I'm going to go find mom!" Ember said and flew out of the room.
"I can see," Hunter said and looked back at Phoenix. "So it's Phoenix, right?"
"Yep," Phoenix said. "And you are?"
"Hunter," Hunter said.
"Okay, well nice to meet you, Hunter," Phoenix said. "Say what tribe are you from? I know that there are more tribes out there but our mom or dad won't tell us about them. It's weird honestly."
"Tell me about it," Hunter said. "I'm a part of the Webwing tribe back on Petonix."
"Ah, I've heard of that place before," Phoenix said. "Obviously not from any Lavawing but from an Earthwing friend I have, who heard it from a Divewing, who heard that from another Divewing, who got it from a Thunderwing, who…"
"I get it," Hunter said, covering Phoenix's mouth. "You heard it from someone else."
"Yeah," Phoenix said. "But that's all I know about it and any other continent at all. I know there are multiple out there since I see my mom take different portals to them but I've never been allowed to go on a mission with her. She says that they are too dangerous and wouldn't want me to get hurt. Like, I'm not a tiny dragonet anymore, I can take care of myself!"
"So you don't know what she does when she goes to the other continents?" Hunter asked.
"Nope," Phoenix said. "Weird that she doesn't allow anyone to go with her but she's the queen and our mom so we can't complain about it."
Hunter looked around the room before dropping to a whisper to talk to Phoenix.
"Would you like to know?" Hunter asked.
"Uh, I guess," Phoenix said. "But why are we whispering?"
"Listen, just follow what I am going to say," Hunter said. "It will only make sense once everything is told."
"Okay, so what?" Phoenix asked.
"Well dragons are seen and dragons are known," Hunter said. "But not everything about a dragon will you know."
"Oh you're talking in riddles," Phoenix said.
"Shh," Hunter said. "Listen. Places are burnt and lives are killed. One's actions are to blame."
"Who's?" Phoenix asked.
"One who has been close to you all the time," Hunter said. "One that isn't who they are told to be."
Phoenix took a deep breath and went over to one of the windows to look out of it. Hunter walked over next to him and looked out the window as well.
"I know who you are talking about," Phoenix said.
"And, you understand?" Hunter asked.
"Mostly," Phoenix said. "Something has always been off about my mom but I just can't figure it out. But if you're saying that something is different about her then I know that there are things that she is hiding from me."
"Yes, thank you, I'm glad that not every dragon here is being mind controlled by her," Hunter said.
"Huh?" Phoenix said. "What are you talking about?"
"Well it's obvious, she has mind-controlled everyone here to listen to her," Hunter said. "So we just have to break them out of the mind control."
"Um, everyone here isn't mind-controlled," Phoenix said.
"Ah, it's okay, I'm here to save everyone," Hunter said. "No need to hide it from me."
"Hunter, listen to me," Phoenix said.
"So where do we start first to free this continent?" Hunter asked. "The Earthwings, Divewings, or how about the Stormwings? I would love to meet Thunder's parents."
"HUNTER!" Phoenix screamed, stopping Hunter in his trail of thoughts.
"What is it Phoenix?" Hunter asked.
"Just listen to me," Phoenix said. "Everyone here isn't under mind control no one on this continent has ever been mind controlled."
"What?" Hunter said. "But that isn't right. If that was the case then why aren't dragons rebelling against Queen Ash?"
"Because they can't," Phoenix said. "Think about it, if you had the most powerful magic in all of Phales, then no other dragon would want to threaten you. Queen Ash is untouchable."
"But that isn't right," Hunter said. "She seemed sloppy sometimes when she was teasing us on Petonix, she can't just be invincible."
"Teasing with dragons is her most fun thing to do," Phoenix said. "But when she is here, she is 100% focused and has more power than she does on other continents. So direct confrontation wouldn't work against her."
"Augh, come one, there has to be something that we can do," Hunter said. "Some way to expose her."
"Listen," Phoenix said. "You need to get out of here before something happens to you. The longer you stay, the more likely you will never return to your continent."
"But I can't just leave everyone here like this believing that Queen Ash is good," Hunter said. "I have to do something."
"And you can," Phoenix said. "Are you a royal back home?"
"Why yes," Hunter said. "But I don't want to be."
"Now why's that?" Phoenix asked.
"Because being one sucks!" Hunter said. "Other dragons are forced to look up to you, to follow what you say, I don't want to be controlling other dragons like how Queen Ash does!"
"Hunter, that isn't what it means to be a royal," Phoenix said.
"But what else is there to it?" Hunter asked.
"A lot," Phoenix said. "More than I can tell you but just know that being a royal doesn't mean that you are above everyone. You can use that status for a whole lot more good than you think you can."
"But… won't that still take away from other dragon's rights?" Hunter asked.
"Not necessarily," Phoenix said. "As long as it is to help everyone in the end, then it isn't taking away their rights it is giving them more freedom than before."
"But how will I know if I'm doing it right?" Hunter asked.
"I guess that will be up to you to figure that one out," Phoenix said. "But don't doubt yourself, your royalty can be the savior in this, not your enemy. Now you have to get out of here before my mom gets back."
"But how?" Hunter said. "I have no way to get back to my continent. The only way is for Queen Ash to use her magic to bring me back."
"Hmm, one sec," Phoenix said and then flew out of the room.
"Hey, where are you going?" Hunter called out.
"Just wait here!" Phoenix said. "Everything will be fine!"
I hope so, Hunter thought as Phoenix closed the doors behind him, leaving him officially alone in the lab. Hunter was just planning to lie down and wait but he then looked around the lab. An idea then popped into Hunter's head as he remembered that Queen Ash's master plan was in this room. He has to figure out what it is and that may give them an advantage over Queen Ash.
Hunter started to walk around the room and looked at all the equipment that was there but it was already everything that Queen Ash had told him about. Armor and weapons were being made for her army for what she said were "safety reasons," but Hunter knew better. There was something else going on and he had to figure out what it was. He continued to look around the room while knowing in the back of his mind that the more he looked around, the less time he would have to escape from Queen Ash.
But if I leave before figuring anything out, then how are we supposed to be ahead of Queen Ash on her plan? Hunter thought. She is hiding something and I don't believe that she is good. I just have to find it.
Hunter decided to walk to the middle of the room where there were a bunch of circles made with amethyst rocks going all around in one massive circle. Hunter walked to the middle of the circles and when he stepped foot in the middle, he felt the ground underneath him move as he had just activated a pressure plate on the ground. The ground underneath him started to shake and a passageway with stairs that lead down opened up in front of Hunter. Hunter looked down the passageway but couldn't see the bottom of the staircase.
Welp, I've come this far, might as well go the full way, Hunter thought and headed down the staircase. Hunter ventured down the staircase into complete darkness, but he had his mind set on trying to find out whatever was down there.
It's here, I know it, Hunter thought. Just a little farther.
Hunter then took a step and he felt the ground wear out from underneath him. The next thing he knew he was falling down the darkness of the staircase without seeing when it would end. He twisted and turned to try to correct himself in the way that he felt was up and started flapping his wings to slow down. Except that he must have been facing the wrong way because he felt himself speed up until he heard a massive splash and he felt water all around him. He realized that he was underwater but couldn't figure out where the surface was. He turned his body from side to side until he noticed a small light in the distance. He instinctively swam towards it until he emerged out of the water and pulled himself onto some rocks. He took a second to catch his breath before figuring out where he was. He looked around and realized that he was in a massive cavern that must be located in the mountain underneath Queen Ash's lab.
Ok, so why is this here? Hunter thought and then got his answer when he looked in front of him. Over in the middle of the cavern were two dragons who seemed to be in some sort of cylinders that were holding them.
"What the…" Hunter said and then felt a presence appear behind him. He turned around and met face-to-face with Queen Ash.
"You shouldn't have come here," Queen Ash said in a deadly voice. "You should have taken my son's advice."
"You knew everything that I said to him?" Hunter asked.
"Why yes," Queen Ash said while walking around Hunter and to the dragons that were in the test tubes. "I can read any dragon's mind, did you forget?"
"No, I just thought that you would give your kids some freedom," Hunter said.
"No," Queen Ash said. "That would be stupid because then they could be planning something against me without my knowledge."
"You are a very paranoid dragon, you know that?" Hunter asked.
"SHUT UP!" Queen Ash said and Hunter felt himself get dragged over to Queen Ash and land right by her claws.
"Ow," Hunter said.
"SHUT UP WORM!" Queen Ash screamed and pressed Hunter's face into the ground with her claws. "You are the most annoying dragon that I've had to deal with!"
"Then let me go!" Hunter said.
"No," Queen Ash said and put back on her creepy voice. "You wanted to know my master plan and it seems like you stumbled onto it earlier than I was going to tell you. So I might as well tell you what it is."
"So what is it?" Hunter asked and then felt Queen Ash push his face back into the ground before lifting him to have him meet her eyes.
"Before I tell you, I think you need a makeover," Queen Ash said and then Hunter saw Queen Ash lift one of her claws and, with what felt that lightning speed, slashed across his face, hitting his left eye in the process and leaving a massive scar across the left side of his face.
"AGHHHH!" Hunter screamed in pain while closing his left eye to try to minimize the pain he was feeling in it.
"It looks good on you," Queen Ash said before tossing him to the ground and forcing him to look up at her.
"Wh… why," Hunter struggled to say.
"Because bad things happen to dragons who don't obey the ones above them," Queen Ash said. "And now that I've given you your punishment, I can tell you my master plan or to be more specific, what these two dragons have in it."
"And… what… I… is it," Hunter said, fighting through the pain he was feeling throughout his body.
"Why it should be obvious by now," Queen Ash said. "But I can understand if a dragon like you didn't realize so I will tell you now."
"Which… is," Hunter said.
"Why these two dragons are very special," Queen Ash said. "The white scales on this dragon that make her look like the clouds in the sky and the black scales on this dragon that make him look like something you would see in your nightmares, why it is obvious what they both are."
"And… what… are… they?" Hunter asked, still struggling through the pain.
"Why they are very special to us," Queen Ash said. "They are what created everything here."
"What?" Hunter said.
"Hunter, come see a Godwing and a Deathwing," Queen Ash said. "Come meet our creators."