Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.
NOTE: In a few places the wording will be similar if not the same as the Sutherland books. This is done because a re-word would sound silly and the setting, plot, universe, and characters are distinctly different enough to not constitute an infraction of the "no posting the original work with thoughts thrown into the flow of the work" rule.
After Cavern finally died, to the sounds of uproarious cheering, Cyclone – no longer elemental – was flown back to his tower by frightened guards and locked down again. He could see that extra chains and wires were added, to keep him from escaping.
He glanced toward the palace and saw Tempest flying toward him. When she got here, she said, "Oh hi. You were amazing today. I had no idea that there could be someone else like me - it's probably because you're like, a part of The Prophecy or whatever." She looked at her talons reflecting the sunlight. "Why aren't your scales clouding now?"
"I'm a Dragonet of Fate, so maybe it can turn off – when I'm in a perfectly okay emotional state – I guess." He grumbled that middle part.
"Oh." She looked up, studying the stars peeking through the sun's rays. Tempest suddenly turned toward him and asked, "Can you do something for me?" Her question was random.
"What is it?" Cyclone responded, looking her in the eye.
"Queen Vulture is holding some kind of trial in a week, and I'm not allowed to watch. Usually, I'd be okay, until she told me I can't go. Listening to dragons talk about laws is about as exciting as picking feathers out of your teeth. Plus it always ends the same way, Queen Vulture just likes the drama of trials and formal executions. Nobody's ever innocent." Tempest stated.
"Kestrel." Cyclone said. "It must be Kestrel's trial. Queen Vulture said something about that."
"Well, whoever she is, I want to watch." Tempest said stubbornly, almost like Tsunami. "So I thought maybe if I hid up here, behind you . . ."
"Sure." Cyclone said. He glanced around him, Winter was asleep, and the spot to his right now held Flare, who was also asleep, curling around a warm-looking rock that Cyclone wasn't sure how she got. The other dragonets had been moved close by, the next unknown dragon was a ways away from Cyclone.
"Thanks a million. I wonder where Kestrel's from, probably from the Sky Kingdom. I've never left it you know." Tempest rambled.
"Why not?" Cyclone asked. "You must be one of the most powerful dragons here. Why don't you just come and go as you please?"
Tempest looked a little shocked. "I would never disobey Her Majesty! That's how my mother got killed." A theory suddenly popped into Cyclone's head, but before he could explain it, Tempest kept talking. "Besides, I have to eat the black rocks every day, or I'll die. The queen makes sure there are always enough for me."
"Black rocks?" Cyclone asked. She was probably talking about coal.
"It's part of the curse of having too much lightning." Tempest said with a shrug. "I'm lucky the queen takes so much care to keep me alive."
"Have you ever tried not eating them?"
"Once, when I was a lot younger." Tempest said, shifting her talons awkwardly. "I got mad at Her Majesty because she wouldn't tell me anything about my mother. I wanted to run away. So I stopped eating the rocks to see what would happen, and I got really sick. Like, almost dying sick."
"Hmm . . ." Her story had a feel of wrongness to it, like scales that didn't overlap properly. It seemed pretty convenient that the queen just happened to have a way to control the most dangerous dragon loyal to her.
"Is that also why you don't challenge her for the throne?" Cyclone asked. "Because I'm betting you or I could beat her in a heartbeat." Cyclone looked her in the eye, and suddenly Tempest looked shocked.
"Y—your eyes . . ." Tempest exclaimed.
"What?" Cyclone asked, becoming worried.
"I can't believe it! About nine years ago the Queen's youngest son's egg was stolen and never heard of again. She only has one surviving male dragonet, Condor, the guy who announces stuff in the arena. But now, there's two! And you're my age, and like me, and not my real brother, and - and wow!" Tempest stared in awe at Cyclone. "You're royal! All ten of you are!"
"Yeah." He said, ashamed a little. "I know."
"Why are you upset?" She tilted her head. "How'd you find out?"
"Nebula, our Voidwing guardian, told me."
"Oh, okay." She spread her wings. "I have to go, see you tomorrow." Tempest said disappointment in her voice. She leapt off the spire, and didn't bother to catch her fall until she was almost to the ground. From what he heard about how they got their eggs, she flew a lot like Kestrel.
Cyclone had a pretty good idea why Tempest wasn't supposed to watch the trial next week. Queen Vulture had said something about Kestrel disobeying her. Plus there were those burn scars on Kestrel's talons.
And it wasn't too hard to imagine Kestrel trying to kill her own dragonet. Especially once she figured out there was something wrong with her.
Tempest thought her mother was dead. How would she react when she found out it was Kestrel – and she was still alive?
Thanks for reading!