A/N: This is a chapter that I have been looking forward to writing for a long time. The title is inspired by the movie What the Deaf Man Heard, although it doesn't really take anything from the movie itself. Just a fun fact, I guess. Kudos if you've seen it.
Anyway, feel free to favorite/follow and leave a review if you like the story. And, as alway, enjoy the chapter.
Ch. 30: What the Seawing Heard
Altogether, things were going much better than expected.
Indigo had known as soon as Darkstalker came out of his meeting with Diamond that many of the horrible futures that he had been dreading had failed to materialize. That was largely because he actually walked out of the room—something he had told her he feared he'd never do—but especially because she saw the unconcealable grin on his face and the twinkle in his eye. His delivery of the message to the Icewings waiting outside the chamber regarding Queen Diamond's instructions to begin preparing a treaty only confirmed her suspicions that whatever had happened had been good.
For her part, Indigo had felt approximately equal parts joy and relief. Sitting outside the room, waiting to hear word from inside while her mind ceaselessly went over hundreds of scenarios—most of them bad—had quite possibly been the second worse time of her life, ranking just below the Seawing royal massacre. But at least then she had been able to do something to help; here, all she was able to do was wait. And that had been veritable torture.
But, in the end, all the fears seemed to be unfounded. As soon as Darkstalker had relayed the same message he'd given to the Icewings to the Nightwings, sparking a flurry of activity within that camp, the two of them had gotten a few moments alone together where (after sharing a particularly long and deep kiss) Darkstalker had been able to give her a rundown of what had happened in his meeting. Queen Diamond, it seemed, was not in fact a maniacal animus dead-set on destroying the Nightwings, but rather a dragoness set on reclaiming a close relative that she'd thought was stolen from her. Or at least that was the impression that Indigo got from the story that Darkstalker told her. Either way, the Icewing queen was not too blinded by hate to see reason, and Darkstalker was more than hopeful that the results of his efforts would be coming soon in the form of a war-ending treaty.
Unfortunately, that same treaty demanded his attention, cutting their time much shorter than she would have liked, but she was still certainly glad to have been able to have that moment. Especially since much of the rest of the night would be spent drafting and going over different aspects of the treaty that would be proposed, with runners flying back and forth between the rooms of the Icewings and Nightwings, attempting to get information and attempting to hammer out details of what would be in the initial treaty draft. So far, Fathom hadn't even been needed for anything as the two sides worked, but she was sure he'd be part of it all soon.
As a guard to the Seawing queen, Indigo had seen firstclaw how long and tedious some of this treaty stuff could be. Issues of trade, boarders, compensation and retribution all had to be handled. Arrangements for the release and transfer of prisoners had to be made and agreed upon, as well as addressing issues of military law, such as the treatment of prisoners accused of various war crimes. All of this could take days—weeks, even—and Indigo knew she'd probably see precious little of Darkstalker until it was all over. Well, actually, she'd probably see a lot of him, but it would be in formal situations where she had to stand still and proud as a part of the Seawing Honor Guard and not fly to him and embrace him and melt into his wings like she wanted so desperately to.
Needless to say, it was shaping up to be a long week.
Perhaps that being on her mind, then, was why, when midnight came upon them and Icewing and Nightwing alike retired, she remained awake on her bed and unable to sleep. Then again, it could have also been the fact that it had been a short day in order to allow them to rest from the flight, but for her part, Indigo preferred to blame the thoughts in her mind. After all, a lot had happened in the past few hours, much of being very good news. Yet still, despite all the smiles and hope that seemed on the faces of all the dragons she saw, something felt…off.
Maybe it was because she hadn't gotten to meet queen Diamond herself and hear the story. Maybe it was that there were still some things that didn't add up, like the confusion Darkstalker had told her about involving dead Icewing guards back when Arctic fled the Ice Kingdom. Or maybe it was just an odd feeling that something as monumental as ending this war and bringing peace between two enemies like this simply felt too easy that kept her awake, staring at the wall as she tried to force herself to sleep in this unfamiliar bed in a town of unfamiliar dragons in a miserable desert that was too cold right now in the nighttime but in the daytime would soon get so unbearably hot that her scales felt like they would melt off.
She closed her eyes, then opened them. She shifted on the mattress, then tried again with the same result. From beneath the door came the faint sound of snoring—Fathom's, she was sure—from a dragon that had happily already drifted away into blissful slumber. She lifted her head and looked out the window and outside to see two of the three moons high up above, shining brightly as though laughing at her.
Giving a growl, she rose and left her bed, opening her door gently so as not to wake any dragons that slept. She didn't escape the notice of Lionfish, though, the other guard having taken first watch and sat reading a scroll by flickering candlelight. He glanced at her and tilted his head questioningly.
"I can't sleep," she told him, quietly, "I'm going for a walk. That should help."
Her fellow Seawing gave a nod of acknowledgement but otherwise said nothing as she made her way outside. Stepping out the doorway, she took a deep breath of the cold night air and glanced around her at the empty streets. Not a single dragon was stirring in them save her, most likely all of them sleeping. Which was where she would prefer to be, if she could.
Indigo shook her head and began to walk across the town, towards the building that housed the Nightwings. With nothing better to do, she thought she'd stop by and see if Darkstalker was having the same trouble sleeping she was. It was unlikely, of course, and if he was asleep then she wouldn't try to wake him, but it was better to have a goal than just wandering aimlessly.
The only light save the moons and stars illuminating the streets of the town were a few torches hung on large, lamppost-like stakes in the ground. The firelight flickered faintly as she stepped through the empty streets, her Seawing eyes, built to be able to see in the darkness of the abyss, doing most of the work. Around her, buildings sat unlit and lifeless, marketplaces barren, and doors and windows carefully barred as the owners slept and waited for the rising of the sun to renew another day.
Save for Lionfish back at their dwelling and some of the Icewing and Nightwing guards forced to out of necessity, Indigo doubted there was a single dragon awake in the whole town.
Which is why, when she caught sight of a faint light moving across an alleyway that she passed by, she was both surprised and curious. More so when, after doing a double-check, she saw the flash of white scales on a tail disappearing from view beyond the alley.
Indigo paused, looking down the alley where the light was now fading. She glanced back toward the route she was taking to Darkstalker, then again to the alley. Lashing her tail, she gave a huff. Part of her said to just leave it alone and do what she was planning to, but at the same time, she was irrationally intrigued.
Just a brief look, she told herself, I'll see who it is, then go to Darkstalker's room. Chances are it isn't even anyone I know.
Satisfied, she turned and made her way down the alley, chasing the faint light and the dragon that bore it.
She exited the alley just in time to see movement and the light going down another one, and without thought she pursued it, then again as the same thing happened twice more. Determined, she made her way through the unfamiliar streets, hearing small echoes of sound around the corners, hushed whispers of talk almost devoid of words. Once or twice she lost track of the light, but each time she was able to recover it, until at last it seemed to pause at the end of yet another alleyway, in a dark street corner hidden away from the center of town where the chase had begun.
Indigo slowed her approach, voices now becoming clearer as she crept closer, sticking tightly to the buildings and the shadows they cast. Part of herself urged her to turn around now, telling herself that she didn't know what she was getting into, but she was in too far now to turn back. Not without at least getting a glance. For some odd reason, she needed to see what was happening.
Stealthily, she made her way to a set of crates that had been set outside one of the buildings, just on the edge of the alleyway looking out towards the light. They reeked of spoiled fish—Indigo had to wonder where the fish had come from this deep into the desert—and teetered dangerously as she hunkered herself behind them. Around her, she noticed how worn and torn all the buildings around her seemed to be, with scratches on walls the walls, broken and cracked windows, and rubbish strewn about on the ground. It was not an ideal place, and Indigo had to wonder what would have drawn an Icewing (she assumed it was an Icewing by her brief glimpse of white scale) all the way here. Unfortunately, the crates were just a little too high for her to peer above them, an so she was forced to rear up on her hind legs, grabbing the top one for support which shook in her talons but remained steady as she braced herself.
Then, delicately, she raised her head just high enough over the crates to peek, and saw a sight she was not expecting.
It was indeed an Icewing standing there in the square. Five of them, actually, but only one truly caught Indigo's attention. Because even though their meeting had been brief, Indigo instantly recognized the Icewing princess who sat frowning in the street, tapping her tail impatiently and observing her claws while the other guards behind her glanced nervously around.
What is Snowfox doing here? Indigo asked herself, narrowing her eyes before ducking out of view as a guard turned her way. This was the last place she would have expected any member of the diplomatic delegations, let alone a princess, to willing be. It was far away from everything and in a clearly unideal part of the town, let alone it being in the middle of the night when the Icewings should be asleep.
Cautiously, she raised her head again and gave a small sigh of relief as she saw she hadn't been noticed. Snowfox herself seemed unconcerned, but the guards with her—one of which held the lantern that had guided Indigo here—were decidedly less so, their eyes scanning around them looking for threats. Indigo couldn't blame them; as a guard herself, she was sure she'd be doing the same.
However, being both concealed and in the shadows, Indigo wasn't too worried about being seen, at least for now, so she turned her attention back to Snowfox. The Icewing princess and general looked bored, as if she was waiting for someone or something as she idly sat by. A moment passed uneventfully, then another. Snowfox shifted a little, shot a glance to one of her guards that coughed, then straightened herself into a more regal position in a sudden swift motion.
Indigo tilted her head in confusion at that last part, until she saw another faint glow of light coming from down another street. It cast before it a dark, malevolent shadow that seemed to twist on the ground with each step, a black foreshadow of the dragon that bore the light. Yet Snowfox seemed unimpressed, as if she expected nothing else, and she showed no signs of surprise as a single Nightwing emerged from the darkness and approached her.
"You're late," the Icewing princess hissed.
"It was unavoidable," the Nightwing responded, and Indigo had to keep from gasping. For although she couldn't quite make out the Nightwing from the shadows, she knew that voice. It belonged to Queen Vigilance.
"I had to ensure the way was clear, and that none saw me," she continued, the group of dragons oblivious to the confusion in Indigo's mind as she watched. There was a pause, and a slight tapping of claws on stone before Vigilance spoke again. "I thought we were to meet alone."
"Don't worry, the guards are loyal to me," Snowfox told her, "Pay them no mind. Now, I'm sure you are aware of why I wished to speak with you so urgently."
"Indeed," Vigilance lashed her tail, "Things are not going as we planned. The only reason I agreed to this ill-fated scheme of yours was because—"
"Yes, yes, I know," Snowfox interrupted her, "My aunt's reaction was far…tamer than I had anticipated. I had hoped but not expected that she would have solved the issue for us, but I didn't think that she would agree to your peace, let alone so quickly. My young cousin must have a tongue as silver as the scales behind his eyes. That, or Diamond has grown even softer than I'd thought."
"I expect it was a bit of both," Vigilance observed, "But regardless, she now wants peace, something you assured me was out of the question, and something we cannot allow. What do you propose we do?"
Snowfox gave a small growl and a snort. "It's simple. If Diamond makes peace, then everything we've worked for is ruined. We cannot allow this meeting to continue."
The Nightwing queen laughed a dry laugh. "And how do you propose we do that? I can't simply walk away from the peace talks now, not when terms are being drawn up and not without reason. My generals would turn on me and the soldiers would riot."
"Then we bring the peace talks to an end in a different way," Snowfox spoke, and even from her poor vantage point Indigo could see the wicked yet humorless smile on the Icewing's face.
Vigilance seemed to hesitate for a moment, and when she spoke again it was just a little bit softer. "I don't think I like what you are proposing."
"Come now," Snowfox told her, shifting a little where she sat and pulling her tail around so that it rested at her claws, "The end goal has always been the death of my beloved aunt and my ascension to her throne. We attempted to help it along through prolonging a war, but those efforts to weaken her failed to yield any gain. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Diamond grew only more loved by the dragons under her, hailed as a tragic mother fighting for the life of her son. Even as we suffered loss after loss in these past few years, her popularity never waned, nor did her personal strength. Now I think it's time we attempted a more direct approach."
"If you want to kill her, do it in a challenge," Vigilance huffed, "I thought that was your plan."
"It was," Snowfox hissed, "But as I said, the war itself has not had the effect on Diamond that I was hoping for. She's as strong as she was the day this all started. If I challenge her, I will not succeed."
"And so you turn to assassination?" Vigilance asked.
"Indeed," the Icewing tapped her tail lightly, "And it must be done now, before whatever treaty can be signed. We are away from the Ice Kingdom, the territory is unfamiliar, and the situation of the guards is less precise. Here we have an opportunity; once this is over, it will be gone."
There was a pause, and the Nightwing queen tilted her head. "What do you propose?"
"I just received word that Queen Scorpion will be arriving tomorrow evening to assist in overseeing the treaty, since all of this is in her kingdom," Snowfox told her, "When she meets with Diamond, all eyes will be on her and her escorts. None will be on her own guards…or mine. We will strike quickly, and Diamond will fall."
"And Queen Scorpion?"
"It matters little what becomes of her, although she may have to go as well," Snowfox answered, "Regardless, the act of treachery will be placed upon her wings. For if both myself, the queen of the Icewings, and yourself, queen of the Nightwings, both confirm that the act was done by the Sandwings, who will challenge us? We will make peace—our peace—and turn our attention toward the desert in an honorable war to avenge the fallen queen. We already have our strongholds there from this war, and it will be a small matter to use them for the next. The Sand Kingdom will fall between our forces, and then we can turn our ambitions to the rest of Pyrrhia, to the Skywings and Mudwings. With our two armies and the wealth of the Sand Kingdom, none will be able to stand against us."
Vigilance nodded. "Yes, you've said as much before. It's why I agreed to prolong this war instead of crushing your forces like I should have. You've no idea how tempting that is when I have a seer who knows your every move. Had I not provided you with her reports, I doubt you would have seen any mercy from my generals."
Snowfox frowned at that.
"Regardless," Vigilance continued, "I fear things are not as simple as you made them out to be. Killing an animus is not easy. That was proven by the assassin I hired on your behalf. He was the best I had, and he failed horribly. The attempt failed to even convince Darkstalker to begin using his magic. At this rate, I fear nothing will prompt him to use it."
So, Diamond did hire Quickdeath, in a way, Indigo surmised at the Queen's words. That certainly explained why Darkstalker had read no lie in the assassin's mind both when he admitted to being hired by Vigilance and when he confesses to being hired by the Icewings. Indigo shifted, trying to get a better look without revealing herself, and bumped the crates slightly, the wood shifting ominously but holding up as her heart skipped a beat. She gripped the top crate tighter with her claws, pushing down on it to keep the others standing.
"Yes, but your assassin relied on speed on power," Snowfox spoke, "We shall rely on cunning. Diamond will not see the blow until it has already fallen."
"What of Arctic and Darkstalker?" Vigilance asked, "We agreed that I would obtain an animus from this, but neither seem keen to cast spells. Darkstalker in particular has done nothing but defy me, and it is he who put us in this situation."
"Arctic and Darkstalker are too close to Diamond, I imagine," the Icewing said with a nod, "They will need to meet the same fate as her, preferably at the same time. Arrange for them to attend the meeting with Scorpion, and we shall strike down all three."
Vigilance growled. "But my animus—"
"You still have Arctic's daughter," Snowfox interrupted her, "You can breed another, although it may take a few tries. And next time I would advise you to train them to be more compliant."
Indigo could see Vigilance lashing her tail, and she could imagine the look on her face, still concealed in the shadows. "Very well," the queen hissed, "Do what you must. I suppose we have come too far to turn away now."
"We have," Snowfox agreed, "But it will all end soon. I will be queen, and Pyrrhia will crumble beneath fire and ice."
Indigo swallowed, a shiver going down her spine. What she was hearing was obvious; there could be no doubt as to the plan she'd overheard. Darkstalker, Diamond, Arctic, and pretty much all of Pyrrhia was in imminent peril. She was witnessing the plans for their downfall, and in that moment only one thing was clear in her mind: I have to warn them!
This meeting in the shadows was clearly reaching its conclusion as Indigo went to step away and leave unseen the same way she'd come. Gently, she released her hold on the top crate, lowering herself down. She glanced behind herself, making sure no one had approached her from the rear while her focus was ahead. Unfortunately, doing this took her eyes off the crates, which, unbalanced after her bumping of them, no longer could stand without her claws to steady them. Indigo looked back towards them just in time to see the stack leaning dangerously, and she didn't even have time to try to lift a claw to resteady them before they fell with a loud clatter.
She paused only for a second, feeling a sense of dread as five pairs of Icewing eyes and one pair of Nightwing ones turned in her direction.
Indigo ran.
She heard the yells and clawsteps behind her as she sprinted down the alley and turned into a street, her gaze searching for any place to hide or where should run. She couldn't take to the sky—she'd be too exposed and easy to follow—so she had to keep to the streets. Stopping for one instant, she looked around to try to get her bearings before running down another alley and another street. She had to keep moving, but most importantly she had to find Darkstalker as soon as possible. She had to warn him.
The moonlight glinted dangerously in the windows of the houses as she ran, torchlight casting shadows that seemed to join in the chase. Briefly, she considered yelling for help, but she had no idea what kind of help would come. And even if the Sandwings did step in, who would they be more likely to believe? The Nightwing queen and an Icewing princess, or a random Seawing? No, she was on her own.
She took a left, then a right, finding none of the streets or buildings around her familiar, and she inwardly cursed herself for not better memorizing the map of the town. Turning down an alley, she skidded to a stop as a tall wooden gate sat halfway though, a large lock on it. The walls around her were too narrow for her to fly over; it was a dead end. Doubling back, she found an Icewing guard at the other end, trapping her in the narrow corridor.
The guard growled, and without hesitation she charged. He reared up, claws out and teeth bared, and Indigo met him claw to claw, driving herself into him and pushing him back. She felt claws digging into her sides as she fought to turn herself, working her way to his outside. Pushing with her hind legs, she was able to get her left forearm around him, slipping under his grip and spilling out beneath him into the street as he fell forward into the alley. In an instant she was up again, running once more as the guard roared and bit at her retreating tail.
That one must have been the faster, however, as two more guards appeared, following in her wake as she risked a look back. The sharp pain in her forearm didn't help matters, either, as a glance down at it revealed split scales and red blood illuminated by torchlight. The Icewing had given her a decent scratch with his serrated claws, and already it was affecting her speed. The other guards would be catching up soon.
She still wasn't sure where she was, she just ran. The clawsteps behind her grew louder, foretelling doom. Suddenly, the air around her grew colder—as frigid as ice—as a blast of frostbreath just missed her. She needed to lose them, fast.
Another twist, another turn, but still they followed. Even as she did her best to create distractions, knocking down whatever she could find that might impede them or taking sharp turns to try and throw them off, they slowly caught up. She wasn't going to make it.
Then, finally, a stroke of luck. She recognized a storefront, an indicator of where she was. The Nightwing housing wasn't far from her. Just a little bit more, and she would find Darkstalker.
Finding a burst of speed, she pushed herself just a little harder, taking a hard turn into another alley, her deep breaths beginning to burn from exhaustion as well as the desert sand getting into her gills and lungs. She hissed as she saw another wooden gate like the one that had blocked her path earlier, but this one was smaller. Determined, she kept her speed and leapt it, gritting her teeth as she pushed herself with all her might off her hind legs.
It was almost enough. Her chest and forelegs cleared it. Her hind legs did not. She felt a slight sting as the top of the gate clipped one of her ankles, tilting her forward. She tried to steady herself in the air, but landed hard, collapsing on her injured arm that screamed at her in pain. She hissed and tried to stand, but only managed to half-stumble forward to the end of the alley, her body and mind dazed from the fall. She collapsed again, grimacing as her body failed to obey her mind's orders to keep going.
It was only then that she noticed the other dragon, the one standing not far from her in the street. At first Indigo felt alarm that it was one of the Icewing guards, but then saw that the black of the scales was their natural color, not a shadow. It was a Nightwing. Furthermore, it was a familiar Nightwing, and the relief that Indigo suddenly felt was practically incomparable.
"Clearsight?" Indigo gasped as she got her legs under her and was able to stand shakily again. Behind her, she could hear the Icewings at the gate, a banging noise, and the sound of splintering wood as they tried to follow without attempting to leap over it. "Clearsight, you have to help me. Snowfox…Vigilance…they're trying to ruin the meeting. They're going to kill Darkstalker…and Diamond…and Arctic! You have to help me. You have to…Clearsight?"
The Nightwing dragoness didn't appear to have any reaction to her words. In fact, Clearsight hardly even seemed to be looking at her at all. She just stood there, eyes slightly wide, almost looking out of it like she was having a vision. But then she blinked, and took a small step back, looking over her shoulder.
"Clearsight, you need to listen to me," Indigo tried again. "They're going to try to start another war. You have to warn Darkstalker. Please, Clearsight. I—"
Clearsight gave a small shake of her head and took another step back. The look on her face was apologetic as she uttered two words. "I'm sorry."
Indigo opened her mouth to ask why, but the answer came in the form of two Icewing guards that appeared not from the gate behind her, but from off to the sides of Clearsight, just out of Indigo's view from inside the alley. One had a few fresh scratches, and she recognized him as the one that had almost caught her earlier. Her gaze flickered between them and Clearsight, then remained on Clearsight as they came alongside her and pushed her roughly back to the ground. Behind Indigo, the other two guards that had been chasing her broke through the gate and joined the others.
"Why?" she croaked, and for a moment it looked like Clearsight would answer, but then a fifth Icewing stepped in front of her, blocking Indigo's view and cutting off any explanation or gloat of betrayal.
"A Seawing," the final Icewing observed, and Indigo didn't need to see her face or even hear her voice to know it was Snowfox. "Interesting."
Indigo shifted against the dragons holding her down, but it was no use. Not even a member of the Seawing queen's Honor Guard could stand against four highly trained Icewing guards. Not in this position, at least.
"I must wonder if this is an issue of espionage or fatal curiosity," Snowfox mused, looking her over, "I'm inclined towards the former, although it escapes me why the Seawings would show so much interest. Would you care to explain?"
Indigo stayed silent, casting her glare at the Icewing princess. She would not justify anything to her, not one word.
"A pity, then," Snowfox snorted, her voice not carrying any pity at all. "Kill her."
The guard that bore the scratches she'd given him was happy to oblige. Indigo struggled again as she felt his claw on her neck, his talons digging into her throat as he prepared to slice them through her scales and end her life in one swift motion. In just a second it would all be over and—
"Stop."
A voice interrupted, and the claws dug into her neck a little bit less. The voice itself was firm, but impassionate, devoid of any true urgency. Indigo looked up to see her unexpected savior, Queen Vigilance, approaching. There was a slight frown on her face as she walked up to and stood alongside Snowfox, a kind of indifference bespoke any true concern for Indigo's well-being.
Snowfox narrowed her eyes at the Nightwing queen and lashed her tail. "I presume you have a reason for interrupting the disposal of a liability."
"I do," Vigilance nodded, "I know this Seawing, although I care little for her. However, a certain animus I know does care a great deal."
The Icewing frowned in confusion for a moment, then gave a dry laugh. "Darkstalker fancies a Seawing?" she asked, incredulously.
"He does," Vigilance confirmed.
Snowfox gave a snort. "Like father like son, I suppose. Though it matters little. Soon both will be nothing but an unpleasant memory."
"It matters quite a bit, I think," Vigilance corrected her. "If you fail to slay him, it will be better to have a bargaining chip to use. She is more valuable alive."
"I do not intend to fail," Snowfox spat.
"If things always went how you intended, we would not be in this present situation," Vigilance bit back, and that gave Snowfox pause, even if the Icewing clearly wasn't thrilled.
"Point taken," she hissed after a moment, "What of the other Seawings?"
"We tell them nothing," Vigilance said, "By the time they figure anything out, it will be too late."
"And if they do find anything out," Snowfox sneered, "Then they will meet the same fate as my aunt and cousins."
Vigilance nodded. "Indeed."
"Very well," Snowfox said, "Guards, take her to the prison, or jail, or whatever this town has. She will meet her fate once Diamond and Darkstalker have met theirs."
Snowfox gave a wave of her talons and Indigo was hoisted to her feet. She struggled again as they began to drag her away, but she was unable to free herself from their grasp. She did get one last look at Clearsight, though. The Nightwing refused to meet her eyes as she was taken away.
She was led to a stone building near the outskirts of town, an ominous looking place that looked cold and empty even from the outside. A knock on the door, a few words (lies) exchanged with who Indigo had to assume was the Sandwing warden, and she was taken inside. A loose muzzle was tied around her snout—enough to keep her quiet but not restrict speech altogether—and a snap of iron locked around her risk, a symbol of her imprisonment.
Next was a cell, a dark room devoid of light save from a small, iron-barred window too high for her to reach or look for and far too small to even try to fit through. She was thrust inside roughly, iron bars not dissimilar from the ones in the window closing behind her. No words were spoken by her or the Icewings as this happened, but she had enough dignity to glare at them from inside the cell until they departed.
Once they did, she immediately began to observe her situation, looking for an escape. She had to escape; there was too much at stake. Not only her own life, but that of Darkstalker and so many others. Even now, her goal remained: warn them at all costs.
But she couldn't. It was easy to see that there was nothing at claw to use; the cell was completely devoid and empty. Three walls and iron bars were all she had, and all kept her perfectly in place. All she could do was attempt the lock, futility trying to fit her talons into a keyhole that was designed specifically to prevent that exact thing, and when that failed, she turned to force. She threw herself against the bars. Then she did it again. And again. Time after time she thrust herself against the bars in a vain effort to force them down, achieving nothing but bruising her scales and wounding her forearm further.
At last she sunk down, defeated. I'm sorry, Darkstalker, she thought as exhaustion took root, her claws trembling and eyes wet with tears. I tried. I tried so hard. Now all she could do was wait and hope that Darkstalker would make it on his own. If any dragon could, it was him. Perhaps he already foresaw the plan and knew what Snowfox and Vigilance were up to. Maybe he was coming for her right now!
She did her best to comfort herself with those thoughts, as well as thoughts of curses for Clearsight. If she got out of this, she was going to deal very severely with that traitorous worm. Once she would have called Clearsight a friend, not now. But she chose to dwell more on the hopeful thoughts, and so she waited, even as hours began to pass by. Soon, the sun was rising outside, the faint light filling her dark cell.
There was still plenty of time until whatever Snowfox had planned would take place. In accordance with the current late-afternoon-to-midnight schedule of the peace meeting, Darkstalker would likely be asleep until at least noon, and the earliest Snowfox could try something would be after that. Still, Indigo could only wait, looking out the window and trying to gauge the time. It didn't help, either, that the cell was dreadfully hot in the sun and had little air movement. She wondered if this had been an intentional choice on the Icewing's part for a Seawing; if she had to remain there for more than a couple of days, she was sure she'd die of dehydration or heat stroke and save Snowfox the trouble.
Indigo may have nodded off a couple of times (frustratingly so, since it was the lack of being able to sleep that got her into this mess), but it was around noon by her measure when something unexpected happened. She heard a small tapping from outside, as though a stone was being repeatedly thrown against the building. Specifically, as though it was trying to be thrown inside, as it sounded like it was hitting very close to the window. In fact, as she watched, she saw something hit and bounce off the iron bars, echoing a ringing sound. Then, a few moments later, whatever it was made it through, a rock-like object sailing into her cell and bouncing on the stone floor, resting at her feet. Curious, Indigo picked it up.
She gasped through her muzzle. She knew what this was! It wasn't just a rock; it was a sapphire. And it wasn't just a sapphire; it was the dreamvisitor that Darkstalker had given her!
What…how…? Indigo couldn't comprehend it. Somehow, someone must have known and gone out of their way to get this to her, but she had no idea who or why. But in that instant, it didn't matter. Suddenly, in a Sandwing jail all alone, Indigo had exactly what she needed.
Bringing the dreamvistior close to her head, she closed her eyes. She had only tried this once or twice before—she'd wanted to do more, but the preparations for the meeting had drawn Darkstalker's attention and she decided it was better not to be bothering him in his dreams—but she was pretty sure what she was doing. It had worked before.
Softly, she whispered Darkstalker's name and prayed that he was still asleep.