A/N: I keep telling myself "I'll make the next chapter much faster", and lately I keep failing miserable. Ah well, there's only a few left anyway. We'll see how timely I can be with them.
As always, feel free to favorite/follow and leave a review if you like the story. And, of course, enjoy the next chapter...
Ch. 32: Downfall
There was a brief pause as the fight came to an end, Snowfox's lifeless body being the only thing that held anyone's attention. Darkstalker had only known his treacherous cousin for a couple of days, yet all the same he felt a sense of all the ambition and danger that she possessed. She was a dragoness that would have killed him, his father, and his grandmother without a hint of remorse, and she had been planning to do just that for years—since before he even hatched. Yet now, just like this, all her hopes and schemes had come to ruin. It was anticlimactic, almost, for plans made for so long to meet such a quick and sudden end, cut short without hardly a fight at the end of all things.
Darkstalker wondered how often, in all futures possible and avoided, he could meet a similar, unelaborate, and inglorious end.
But musings on such things would have to wait. Now that Snowfox had been dealt with, there were more pressing matters. Well, at least one, as far as he was concerned. Because with the revelation that Indigo's warning had not, in fact, been just a nightmare also came the realization that for Indigo to be forced to use a dreamvistor instead of contacting him directly meant that something was very wrong. And he did not like the further implications of that.
Most of the dragons in the room were still looking at the fallen princess and processing what had happened when Darkstalker whipped himself around and glared at the surviving guards that had followed Snowfox. They seemed to cower before him, although they were clearly frightened enough as it was. Trying to kill a queen and failing like they had most likely meant that their lives were already forfeit, but he had need of them at the moment. He needed information, and with any luck, they would have it.
"Where is Indigo," he hissed, baring a claw threateningly and bringing it down on the tail of one of the prisoners, who yelped.
Aside from that, though, they remained quiet, only glancing at each other in nervous confusion. A moment passed in silence before one tentatively spoke: "Who?"
Darkstalker snorted, not sure if the guard was serious or playing some game, but his patience was thin and he would not have it. "The Seawing," he demanded, "Where is she? What happened to her?"
"What does a Seawing have to do with anything?" he heard Diamond ask, but he ignored her.
"I don't know anything about a Seawing…" one guard began to say, trembling, and a look in his mind revealed that was the truth. However, the mind of the guard right next to him indicated that he knew, and Darkstalker's fiery gaze fell on the one who's mind had revealed its recognition.
"Where is she?" he demanded again, this time directly challenging the one that he knew had at least some knowledge. The Icewing met his eyes, and there was fear in them, yet still some fight. "Tell me, and I'll let you live," Darkstalker growled.
"That offer is not yours to give," the guard had the gall to challenge back, "In the eyes of the queen, I'm sure I am already dead."
"You are," he heard Diamond's voice confirm, and he noticed her coming alongside him, "But if you cooperate, your death will be swift."
The guard remained silent.
"Fine, then," Darkstalker hissed, "If you will not talk, then I will enchant the worst death imaginable upon you, with pain unlike any dragon has ever faced. I will break you until you either talk, or until you cannot."
It dawned on Darkstalker, somewhere in the back of his mind, that this was not the first time he had threatened a dragon like this for information. But unlike Quickdeath the assassin, he was not bluffing this time.
"There will be no need for that," Diamond interjected, putting a calming wing on his shoulder, then addressing the guard. "Snowfox is dead, as are whatever plans you had, and soon you will be as well. Tell Prince Darkstalker what he needs to know, and die honorably, as an Icewing. If you've a family, they will not know of your treachery. This is my offer, and I suggest you take it."
The guard's wings slumped, and his gaze flickered to the corpse of Snowfox. "Very well," he said, "We took her to the town's prison. She was to be insurance in case things went wrong—some good it did us."
That was all Darkstalker needed to hear. At once he turned and began his rush toward the room's exit and, eventually, the prison, pushing past a bewildered-looking Queen Scorpion. He vaguely heard Diamond and his father issuing some sort of protest, but he didn't even look back. He had to get to Indigo now.
Of course, it wasn't until he burst from the town hall, looking frantically around him for where he should be running to that he realized that he actually had no idea where the Sandwing prison was.
But that was okay, really. Darkstalker was a seer, so theoretically he could look ahead to see what directions best guided him there. It would take a little longer, of course, and it was rather unideal, but it would work. It had worked in similar situations before.
He lashed his tail as he tried to do that, looking to see which choice on which direction to go would lead him there. He forced the flashes of visions across his mind fast, scanning each for but a moment. Considering that he had no idea what Indigo's situation was, there was no time to waste. If news had gotten to whomever was holding her that Snowfox's assassination attempt had failed, who knew what might happen.
"Darkstalker!" a voice ripped his mind away from its focus, and he whipped his head around for a moment before his eyes landed on a Seawing approaching him. For an instant his heart leapt in his chest before he saw the green scales, realized it was just Fathom, and his heart fell back down.
But if his attitude towards Fathom not being Indigo was visible, Fathom didn't comment on it. Instead, he made his way over to where Darkstalker stood in front of the town hall from the building across the street that served as the Seawings' quarters.
"Darkstalker," Fathom spoke again, his voice fast and more nervous sounding than usual. "Have you seen Indigo? She's missed her shift, and that's not like her, and she didn't even leave a note. I've had Lionfish out looking all morning; I'm afraid something's happened to her."
Darkstalker resisted the urge to snort, or to make a witty comment about his friend being behind with things. As it was, in that moment he just wished that Fathom would have told him this before he found out the difficult way that Indigo was in danger along with the rest of them.
"Where's the prison," Darkstalker asked, his voice snapping more harshly than he meant it to as he ignored Fathom's question.
The Seawing was taken aback. "The what?"
"The Sandwing prison. Do you know where it is?"
Fathom shuffled his feet in the sand, crinkling his snout as he thought for a moment. "I…don't think so, no," he finally said, "I think it might be on the north end of the town, or maybe the northeast."
"It's the northwest," a new voice interjected from behind, and Darkstalker turned to see Diamond speaking, no doubt having followed him out, albeit at a slower pace. With her were Arctic and several of her guards. Her gaze flickered between him and Fathom for a moment before she gave a motion with her head. "Follow me."
Since she seemed to know what she was doing, Darkstalker fell in with her as she began to lead them (presumably) to the town's prison where Indigo most likely was. Fathom, looking confused as ever, followed at his flank.
"I don't understand," the Seawing murmured, "What's with the prison? Darkstalker, what's happening? Where's Indigo?"
"Snowfox just tried to kill us," Darkstalker explained simply, "And by us, I mean myself, Queen Diamond, and Arctic. She was trying to seize the throne for herself and eliminate all the competition. Queen Scorpion was there, too; perhaps she was trying to eliminate a potential rival queen as well in one fell swoop," he looked to Diamond, "What happened to Scorpion? She's not with us."
"Queen Scorpion took off with her guards to safety," Diamond answered him, "I don't feel she took what almost happened very well, but that's no large matter. I'm sure we'll hear about it later, all her diplomatic protests and anger at being endangered, but I doubt she'll show her face again for a while."
"Unlikely, with how she was carrying on," Arctic added.
"But what does all this have to do with Indigo, and the prison?" Fathom asked, still lost.
"Indigo tried to warn me last night about what would happen using her dreamvisitor," Darkstalker explained, "The device I enchanted to allow dragons to visit each other in their dreams. I'm pretty sure I told you about it at one point."
"Sounds useful," Diamond muttered beside him.
"It is. Anyway, since she did that instead of just telling me face to face, I realized something was wrong. Talking to those in league with Snowfox confirmed it, telling us she was being held there."
Fathom nodded, still worried, but now understanding. "I see." He began walking a bit faster, as did the rest of them.
"I still don't know who this 'Indigo' is, but she sounds like an ally worth saving if she was able to warn you," Diamond said, halting in front of a large building. "Regardless, here is the prison."
The building didn't look like much. Just a large plain square-like structure made out of the sandstone brick so typical of Sandwing houses. But the iron-barred windows did confirm that this was not a place meant to be easily left.
Fathom shifted nervously as he looked it over. "So, how do we do this?" he asked, "Do we smash though the wall and break her out or…?"
Diamond answered by merely opening the door and stepping inside. Darkstalker followed, as did Arctic and the rest of the Icewing guards.
They were met with the sight of two Icewings sitting in a kind of lobby set apart from the rest of the prison, both looking bored and even sleepy, but which perked up at the noise of them entering. On the ground were the bodies of two Sandwings—no doubt the legitimate guards of the prison—with the spears still stuck in their hides. The Icewings looked at them for a moment, then at each other. Darkstalker heard their shocked minds rapidly spin; they were obviously not expecting Queen Diamond to walk into their commandeered prison.
"The prisoner!" one exclaimed, and he rushed towards the doors no doubt leading to the cells. The second one picked up a spear and charged blindly into Dimaond's guards, who quickly subdued him.
But Darkstalker's focus was on the first guard. He rushed after him, sprinting across the room. And before the Icewing could even make it to the door he was upon him, leaping onto his back and slicing his shoulders with his talons as he dragged him to the ground. The Icewing roared in pain and struggled, but only until Diamond's guards caught up to Darkstalker. Once a spear tip was at his throat, the struggle ceased.
Darkstalker released him and stood up, his sides heaving. He fixed the Icewing with a sneer. "Where are the keys?"
The Icewing meekly pointed to a key ring hung on the wall next to the door. Darkstalker promptly took it, then began his search.
The prison was small, though, and it only took a minute to find Indigo. She was sitting in her dark cell, throwing a pebble high up and against the side of the wall and catching it as it bounced back down. She turned her head as she saw him approach, and he saw a brief flash of the worry in her beautiful purple eyes before she looked down and gave a long sigh of relief. When she looked back up, there was a weary smile on her muzzled face.
"Took you long enough," she teased lightly. Through the bars she reached out her tail and wrapped it around his own as he struggled to find the right key to unlock her.
It felt like forever until he was able to open the cell door, and another frustratingly long moment as he worked to remove the muzzle covering her snout. But as soon as those things were done, he was free to embrace her, pulling her into his wings and drawing her into a rather long and very passionate kiss.
Darkstalker held her tight, basking in the feel of her purple scales on his own and the taste of her mouth on his. He felt relief flow through him as well as the bliss; who could tell how close he'd come to losing her?
Never again, he vowed to himself. So long as he lived, he would never allow her so close to disaster.
He reluctantly pulled away from her at the sound of shifting clawsteps, and it was only then that he remembered that he wasn't quite alone. Diamond and her guards were watching them silently, the Queen in particular looking more than a little confused. Which was to be expected, of course, all things considered. How was she to know about his relationship with the Seawing?
The queen's gaze flickered from him to his father, then back to him. "This is Indigo?" she asked after a moment had past, her voice carefully neutral.
Darkstalker nodded. "She is."
A long pause of silence fell as Diamond looked the purple Seawing over.
"And you're…"
"Yes," Darkstalker answered the question before she could actually ask it. "We're courting."
Diamond's eyes shifted to Arctic. "And you approve?"
Darkstalker's father answered with a small shrug of his wings. "I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't."
The Icewing queen snorted. "Like father, like son, I suppose."
Darkstalker felt Indigo move against his side, then slip out from his wings. She took a few steps towards the queen, then bowed low.
"Your majesty," she said respectfully, as one who knew how to handle such formalities (every now and then, Darkstalker still had to remind himself she was technically part of a queen's honor guard), "It is with great pleasure I meet you. I take it that Darkstalker passed along the warning that I gave him."
Darkstalker swallowed, feeling a bit guilty for some reason. "It took me a while to realize it was a warning," he spoke before Diamond could, "I thought it was just a nightmare until it was almost too late."
"But you weren't," Diamond told him, then shifted her attention back to Indigo, "Luckily, we stopped the attack of the traitors. Princess Snowfox is dead."
"And Queen Vigilance?" Indigo asked.
Diamond narrowed her eyes. "What of her."
Indigo frowned and looked back at Darkstalker. "Did you not—maybe you didn't. I was so desperate to try to warn you I can't remember what all I said," she looked back to Diamond, "Queen Vigilance is—err, was—in league with Snowfox. They were conspiring to extend the war for some reason, I think to harm you in some way. I'm not sure. I overheard them talking last night, planning your death together and a new war on the Sandwings to follow. I would have warned you in person, but I was captured." She gestured to her cell.
Vigilance! Darkstalker thought as he growled. He should have known the Nightwing queen was part of all of this somehow. She'd been so against peace since the prospect of a meeting was proposed, almost irrationally so. She probably had never even planned to actually make an attempt to end the war at all.
Vaguely, he heard Queen Diamond's mind thinking some of the same things, an anger in his grandmother's heart. Clearly, she was no more pleased at the Nightwing queen than he was. And already her mind was developing ways to deal with this situation.
But there was another important question in Darkstalker's mind. "If you were captured," Darkstalker asked Indigo, "Then how did you get your dreamvisitor to contact me with."
She deflated a little. "I…I don't know," she told him, "After I was captured, I was brought here. Then shortly before noon someone just tossed it through the window. I've no idea who or why. I thought it might be Fathom." She looked over at the Seawing prince, who had been watching silently along with the Icewing guards.
Fathom shook his head. "I didn't do anything," he exclaimed.
"Then it must have been Clearsight," Darkstalker observed. It was the only real option, after all. "I don't think anyone else even knew about them."
Indigo frowned and lashed her tail. "It wasn't Clearsight. Of that I'm certain," she hissed, "If she wanted to help me, she had ample opportunity. She was there when I got captured, and she didn't lift a claw for me. No, Clearsight is in league with Vigilance."
It was Darkstalker's turn to frown. That…didn't seem right. If Vigilance was planning to extend the war and kill his grandmother, that didn't feel like something Clearsight would help with, no matter how things were between the two of them. It just wasn't like her. But all the same, he could see that Indigo was not lying at all. Clearsight had betrayed her into capture—that was a simple fact.
But perhaps why was less certain.
"So, queen Vigilance is against us," Arctic spoke up, tapping his tail in thought, "What do we do about it? She is the queen of the Nightwings, after all."
"I don't know if there's anything we can do about it," Fathom huffed, "We're in a pretty precarious situation right now, in between two armies. If Vigilance believes that we might do something, well…I'd rather not be in the middle of a massive battle."
"Queen Vigilance will be held accountable," Diamond hissed, her voice certain, "I will not allow it to be otherwise. None conspire against me and my family without facing consequence."
Darkstalker nodded. He wasn't sure how to handle it, but he knew that he could not simply ignore the Nightwing queen's involvement. He had never liked being under her, but now he knew that he could never be again. He would not serve a queen that tried to have him killed, but neither was he ready to abandon his tribe and flee the Night Kingdom.
"What do you have in mind?" he asked his grandmother.
Diamond tapped a claw, then looked to Fathom. "You had the full itinerary of both tribes. What is the schedule of the Nightwings?" she asked, "Do we know where Vigilance is?"
"I…uh…" Fathom thought for a moment, "I believe she's in a meeting now in one of the buildings near the town hall. Unless I'm mistaken, she's been going over the details for the treaty with her top generals and aides."
"I see…" Diamond narrowed her eyes in thought, and Darkstalker could hear the plan beginning to form in her mind. She turned to Indigo. "Do you know how connected Vigilance was to my niece's plans? Will she already know of its failure?"
"I…I don't know," Indigo shook her head, "Maybe? I didn't overhear any talk of what would happen after they tried to kill you. It's possible that she's merely waiting for the news." She paused, then realized what the queen was getting at. "Does anyone know about what happened?"
"Queen Scorpion and a few of her guards," Diamond answered, her voice more in musing to herself than in conversation with the Seawing, "But they left quickly; they likely didn't stop to chat with anyone. Other than that, the only dragons that know are here with us now, or back at the town hall cleaning up the mess."
Arctic frowned. "You mean to confront her?" he asked. "I recommend against it. As Prince Fathom pointed out, if it goes wrong we could have a serious conflict on our claws."
"Will we?" she asked, and it took Darkstalker a moment to realize she was addressing him.
"Let me look," he said, then quickly scouted the futures that jumped to the forefront of his mind. A few saw Arctic's fear become reality, with two armies clashing over the desert sand as the war went on and on. But others avoided that entirely, with little risk of such devastation. "It's possible, but not certain," he told his grandmother. "I say we do it. But we'll need to act quickly. I'm sure Vigilance is waiting on news of our deaths as we speak."
"Indeed," Diamond nodded, then turned to her guards. Quickly she gave orders to most to return back to the town hall, but also to several others to fly to their camp and gather as many soldiers as they could as quickly as possible. To others, still, she pulled aside and gave even more specific instructions as they made their way out of the prison and outside into the sand, passing the body of the Sandwing warden and one of the two traitors that had killed him. Queen Diamond didn't even look at the survivor as she walked past, but she did tell one of her guards to throw him into Indigo's cell. He could be dealt with later.
They did not fly to the town hall, but their walk was by no means leisurely. The sun blazed down hot from up above, cooking his black scales and making the sand miserable to walk on. Normally, he would have made sure to only walk in the shade of the buildings, but there was little time for that. They strode down the middle of the streets, their footsteps fast.
Even Fathom kept up, walking right beside him and Indigo. He gave his fellow Seawing a relieved smile as they went. "I'm glad you're alright," he told her, a slight tear in his eye despite the heat threatening to evaporate it, "I was worried that I'd lose you. I don't know how I would have—"
"It's okay," she told him, touching his wing with her own, "I'm okay. Nobody is losing a friend today."
Darkstalker's tail remained entwined with Indigo's as they went; he was unwilling to release her just yet. She relayed a more detailed explanation of what she'd seen to him and Diamond as they went along, specifying what role Vigilance had played from helping hire Quickdeath to try to kill him to her betraying Clearsight's future seeing so that no decisive victory could be won.
Soon enough they reached the town hall, stopping at the doors. One of the guards Diamond had sent ahead was waiting for them, and she instructed him to speak before he even had a chance to bow.
"Vigilance and her generals are two doors down, on the next street," he told her, pointing roughly behind him, "It's a municipal building with a few large rooms not too unlike the one we've been using. Two entrances, both likely guarded. I spied it out, and there's no indication that she is aware something has happened."
"Good," Diamond nodded, "That's very good."
"What about Clearsight, though," Indigo hissed, "She might have already seen that it failed, and that we're coming."
Darkstalker frowned. That was true, yet all the same, he couldn't help but feel that it had had no impact on the futures he'd seen. As far as he could tell, Clearsight was not a factor. "We'll have to take that chance, I suppose," was all he replied with. He turned to Diamond. "Shall we go?"
"In a moment," Diamond told him, "We should not rush this effort. More soldiers should be arriving within minutes, and then we will move."
"Let me grab my spear, then," Indigo told him, nodding over to the Seawing's abode right across from them. "I'll only be a second."
Darkstalker hesitated, not quite willing to let go of her tail. But she gave him a look and clearly aimed a thought at him that clearly said I'm not a little dragonet, and he released her. It was just across the street, after all. And Fathom moved to walk beside her as well. A few seconds later they disappeared into the house.
Several more Icewings began landing near them in the meantime. Some looked downright confused as to why they'd been instructed to fly there, and some of Diamond's own guards began filling them in on the situation. One of them, however, had come not from the sky but out of the town hall. Darkstalker noticed his eyes following the Seawing's closely as they'd gone. He recognized the dragon as the captain of the guard—Snowcap, if he wasn't mistaken—the large Icewing having a fairly commanding presence.
"Are you sure this is wise, my queen?" Darkstalker heard him ask her, "All we have is the word of a Seawing that Vigilance was involved. We could be making a big mistake."
Diamond saw Darkstalker watching and waved him over with a wing. "Do you trust her, Prince Darkstalker?" she asked.
He nodded immediately. "I do. With my life."
"Then we will believe her as well," she told the captain. "Besides, I know Vigilance. I would not put this beyond her."
"But still, Queen Diamond," the guard insisted, "You hardly know him, either. All I'm saying is that we should exercise caution."
"Your concerns are noted," Diamond told him, "But this is not the time to stand idle. We cannot allow her to slip out of our talons. This war will end today. Now, did you bring me what I asked for from inside?"
"I did," Snowcap nodded, and he raised a sack in one of his claws. Darkstalker noticed blue stains on it, and that he was holding it carefully.
"Good," Diamond said simply, "We can leave momentarily, then."
Darkstalker looked back to the building Indigo and Fathom had gone to and saw them coming back out. His other two guards, Wharf and Lionfish, came with them. All of them had weapons save for Fathom.
"Myself and my guards are at your disposal," Fathom told Diamond once they'd crossed back over to the town hall. "We will assist however we can. This attack may not have been on us, but it threatened us nonetheless, and we will see justice done."
Diamond snorted but gave a small smile. "Quite bold, for Seawings," she observed, "But I accept your offer." She paused and looked to the sky, then nodded to Snowcap. "I doubt many more are coming, and we would be best not to wait. Let us go now, and hope for the favor of the moons."
Almost as one, the Icewings began to move off, guided by the guard from earlier who had scouted out the scene. But before they could leave, Diamond called Darkstalker and his father aside.
"Do not put yourselves into needless danger," she told both of them, then looked to Arctic in particular, "I will not lose you so soon after having you back."
They nodded, and that was that. Diamond turned and they followed the Icewings forward. Darkstalker stepped next to Indigo, who gave him a reassuring smile.
The walk to the Nightwing's meeting place was short, which was good. Soon Darkstalker could see the Nightwing guards lazily stationed on the exterior of the building. They should have been keeping watch—perhaps they ever were—but all the same they looked completely surprised as, at an order from Diamond, the Icewings leapt towards them, swarming them and disarming them without hardly a fight. Darkstalker noticed another group going towards the rear of a building, and he heard a clatter from there.
A group of Icewing soldiers arranged themselves at the door, Snowcap at their head. At a nod from Diamond, they burst it open. At least a dozen streamed in, and there was silence. Darkstalker shifted uncomfortably before Snowcap's head reappeared in the doorway. He gave them a nod and Diamond walked in. Darkstalker followed behind.
Immediately, he could feel the tension. As the guard from earlier had pointed out, the room was not too unlike the one he'd met Diamond in—nice and spacious. It also happened to be filled with Nightwings, many of them well armed and bearing their claws and spears at the Icewing soldiers who had entered and were doing the same. None of them looked to have been wounded, but it was clear that one wrong move from anyone could easily change that.
Across the room, Queen Vigilance stood at a table, surrounded by many of the Nightwing generals. Darkstalker recognized generals Stargazer, Warbringer, and Swiftclaw, among others. Clearsight was there, too, sitting alongside the queen. She tilted her head at the Icewings, but otherwise said nothing. The rest looked on with varying degrees of surprise, concern, and fear on their faces as they watched him enter with Diamond, and the Seawings entering behind them.
"Queen Diamond," Vigilance was the first to speak, her voice a sharp, indignant hiss. "What is this?"
"I think you know very well what it is," Diamond growled back, "Or are you so surprised to see me alive?"
"What are you talking about?" the Nightwing queen retorted, "And why do you assault me with claws and spears," she looked around to her generals, "Icewing treachery, no doubt," she sneered, lashing her tail.
"There was Icewing treachery," Diamond snorted, "But it was not done by me, and it was not done alone," she motioned to Snowcap, who stepped forward with the sack Darkstalker had seen him holding earlier.
"Perhaps this will enlighten you on what I mean," Diamond growled, taking it from him and tossing it towards Vigilance and the other Icewings. It hit the ground with a wet smack, and out tumbled the severed head of Princess Snowfox.
Several of the generals and guards gasped in confusion and shock—some of them, Darkstalker could tell, weren't even sure who the dead dragoness was—but Vigilance just looked on at the lifeless eyes of the Icewing princess staring up at her. And somewhere in her mind, so often protected and impenetrable, Darkstalker heard the first twinge of fear.
"We know what you were conspiring to do," Diamond growled, moving aside as Indigo, unplanned but as if on cue, stepped out from behind her and revealed her presence, standing next to Darkstalker. Vigilance's eyes narrowed at the Seawing, but she said nothing as Diamond continued. "We know that you worked to extend the war, sacrificing your own citizens as well as mine in some vain attempt to weaken my strength and resolve. We know that you worked to keep the truth of this war hidden for your own personal gain. And we know that you worked with Snowfox to assassinate myself, Prince Arctic, and Prince Darkstalker in order to help her steal the throne."
"Lies, all of it," Vigilance spat, "I had never even met Snowfox until this very meeting."
"Yet you still helped her," Darkstalker spoke, "So long as your goals aligned, why not? A longer war meant a weaker Ice Kingdom, military positioning to attack the Sand Kingdom—we know of that plan, too—and no doubt a wealth of gold and jewels as a gift from the new Icewing Queen."
"Preposterous," Vigilance dismissed him with a wave of her wing, "You cannot prove any of this. What do you have? The word of a Seawing? It's all lies."
"No," a new voice spoke, "It's the truth."
Darkstalker looked beside Vigilance to see that it was Clearsight who had spoken. The Nightwing queen looked at her with equal parts hate and confusion as the seer took a few steps away from her before turning to her fellow Nightwings.
"What the Icewings are saying is true," Clearsight continued, her voice nervous but certain, "Queen Vigilance worked with Princess Snowfox to try to kill Queen Diamond. They conspired to extend the war, and Vigilance has had no intentions of bringing any sense of permanent peace. I know this to be true from my visions, as well as hearing it from the queen's own mouth."
Murmurings broke out between the generals and the other Nightwings in the room at Clearsight's statement. Vigilance now looked furious. "You treasonous worm," she spat, baring a claw and stepping menacingly towards Clearsight, who hastily stepped back, "I should kill you myself for that."
"Your times of killing are over," Diamond interjected, stepping forward, "As are your lies. A dragon such as you is unfit to rule."
"And what will you do?" Vigilance scoffed, "Kill me? Come now, Diamond, it is uncouth and barbaric to kill fellow royalty. Foolish, too, in a room full of her subjects."
"I have already shed the blood of one royal today," Diamond answered, her voice firm, "It will be a small thing to do so again."
Vigilance looked into her eyes, and Darkstalker saw a second twinge of fear in the Nightwing queen's mind. It evaporated almost as quickly, though, as she looked around her at the other Nightwings that filled the room. Vigilance narrowed her eyes, then chuckled, her voice low and dark.
"You will not have the chance," she told Diamond, "Guards, kill them."
It wasn't exactly an order that would be easy to carry out. After all, the Icewings were armed and by no means at the Nightwing's mercy. But the Nightwings did outnumber them, and while they could possible escape unscathed, the distraction of the fight likely would mean the same for Vigilance. Which was probably her intent, in the end. A few guards die fighting to provide her an opening, and she flies away.
But in the moment between Vigilance giving the order and the guards carrying it out, another Nightwing beside her cried out, "No! Stop!"
It was general Stargazer—likely the head of more than a few guards and soldiers in the room—and at his voice the Nightwings hesitated, confused at the suddenly conflicting orders.
"What?" Vigilance growled, whipping her head towards him and the other generals.
"If the Icewings have an accusation that you conspired with Snowfox, we should investigate the claim," Stargazer spoke, his voice remarkably even given the circumstances, "Especially when corroborated by a seer such as Clearsight."
"I agree," General Swiftflight nodded, "We came here to make peace. Attacking without real provocation jeopardizes that."
Several of the other generals and diplomats nodded along, their muttering muted, but generally in agreement. Darkstalker could hear that many guards—although not all of them—felt the same. Some had lost friends and family in this war, after all, and knowing that there was a likelihood that their queen allowed it to happen infuriated many of them.
By now, Vigilance was truly seething, the emotion radiating off of her in ways Darkstalker had never seen before, "Traitors and cowards," she roared, "I'll have all of your heads. I'm your queen. Guards, I said to kill them! Fight!"
The guards still made no move, most of them just shifting nervously, not sure what to do. The few that did move paused before attacking, wary of fighting alone.
"Have you no defense?" Diamond challenged Vigilance, now confident in the situation. "Your own tribe wishes to see the truth. Would you not give it to them if you were innocent?"
Vigilance lashed her tail, her face distorting into a defiant sneer. Slowly, she stepped out from and around the table, leaving her generals as she approached Diamond. She stopped a dragon's length away, standing next to one of her guards that stood uncomfortably still, spear trembling in his claws.
"I still have one defense," Vigilance hissed, "If these worms won't stand for me, I will stand for myself. A Nightwing queen is not so easily ruined!"
In one quick motion she ripped the spear from the claws of the dragon beside her and thrust it towards Diamond. The Icewing queen barely stepped out of the way, no doubt having seen the move coming, and she immediately leapt at Vigilance, the spear clattering from the Nightwing's claws as she dropped it to meet the Icewing's charge. The two queens collided into a mess of scales and claws, and Darkstalker heard them roar as their claws ripped into each other.
Few of the guards from either side moved to interfere, and those that did were stopped by the spears of others. Apparently, the Nightwings were content to let the queens fight, but not allow any others to interfere. Darkstalker himself stood still after realizing that was the case, merely watching the fight. Diamond was the stronger queen, of that he was sure, but Vigilance was by no means an easy opponent. While feared primarily for her cunning, the Nightwing queen was neither small nor weak, having the strength to deal with any challengers for her throne. Already Diamond was bleeding more heavily than Snowfox was able to make her to, and Vigilance was far from fallen.
Diamond reared up on her hind legs, swiping down at Vigilance's face. The black dragoness responded by thrusting her head forward, jamming her forehead and horns into Diamond's belly and bowling her over. Vigilance went for the neck, then, but Diamond rolled to protect herself and brought her tail up and around, delivering a slicing whip to Vigilance's side.
Vigilance gasped and stepped back, allowing Diamond back to her feet. Diamond only took a moment to breath before she charged ahead and rammed into her opponent, with Vigilance bracing herself hard to avoid being knocked down. She slid to Diamond's side and lifted her talons up, clawing at the side of her neck and flank as she opened and closed her mouth, feeling for something to bite. Diamond seemed to be doing the same, but pushed off of her using her wing and the two separated.
The Nightwing queen seemed to be a bit worse for wear now, but she pushed on. Her chest seemed to glow for a moment, and suddenly she was releasing her fire. Diamond caught only a little bit of it as she dropped low and rolled—a few of her scales sizzling—then she met it with a blast of her frostbreath. For an instant the room was a mix of both incredible heat and icy cold at the same time.
A couple of Icewing guards quickly used their own frostbreath to put out a few fires Vigilance had started in the room as the two queens ceased their own fire and ice and charged into each other once more. But Diamond's strength now began to show through. Her teeth caught hold of one of Vigilance's horns, and the force at which she twisted it made Darkstalker think the Nightwing's neck would snap. As it was, for an instant Vigilance was at Diamond's mercy as the Icewing used her leverage to spin her around and thow her into the table that her generals had been sitting around. It shattered under her, and Vigilance was slow to rise. And when she did rise, she was heavily favoring her right forearm.
Vigilance hissed and snapped, but stepped back as Diamond approached her. Her eyes flickered around, and Darkstalker heard desperation in her mind. The Nightwing's gaze fell on Clearsight, who had moved closer towards the other Nightwings once the fight had begun. She took a step towards the seer, and Darkstalker could feel more than hear her malicious intent. But General Stargazer stepped in front of her somewhat protectively, and Vigilance looked back to Diamond.
The Nightwing queen fought once again, lashing her claws and tail at Diamond, but her strikes were weakier, sloppier. Diamond ripped through her defenses, slashing her chest before gripping her wing with her teeth. Darkstalker heard the wing tear in its socket as Diamond pulled with enough force to almost take Vigilance off her feet. The Nightwing howled in pain as Diamond pushed her back, the black dragoness stumbling and falling to the ground not far from Darkstalker's feet.
He looked at her for a moment, seeing her once regal body battered and broken. In that moment, he almost pitied her.
But there was no pity in her eyes as she looked at Darkstalker. There was only fury, and hatred. "You," she hissed, spitting out a mix of red and blue blood, "I should have killed you long ago, animus or not."
"Perhaps I should say the same," Darkstalker mused. Part of him had always wanted to, after all, back when his only aspiration was seizing her throne.
Vigilance's eyes flickered beside her, and a glint of metal caught Darkstalker's eye. It was the spear she'd used earlier to try to kill Diamond, discarded on the floor and now within her reach. Even still lying on the ground, Vigilance reached for it, and he could hear the full intent she had to run it through him as her claw gripped it.
But she never got to use it. Before she could even begin a true thrust, another spear entered his vision, impaling itself into Vigilance's neck and slicing effortlessly through her scales. The queen's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out save a low gurgle. Her eyes shown one more her hate filled gaze, then she collapsed at his feet.
Indigo pulled her spear out of Vigilance's neck and let out a shaky sigh. Her claws trembled slightly—but only slightly—as she looked at him and met his eyes with her own. Their tails wrapped around each other's as he gave her a nod of thanks, and she returned it.
He'd thank her more later, privately, but for now that was enough.
Like Snowfox before her, the Nightwing queen was dead.
"So falls Queen Vigilance," Diamond grunted, making her way over to them. She was limping slightly, but was otherwise in okay condition. She had some wounds and those burnt scales, but most of the blood on her was red, after all. "It happened none too soon, I think."
Around them, the Nightwings that had been watching now looked to each other to decide what to do. Having just stood aside to watch the death of their queen, most of them were at a complete loss. As were many of the generals in the room, who stared disbelievingly at what had happened, despite the part they played in it.
"What happens now?" General Stargazer finally asked, drawing Diamond's attention, "She may have betrayed our tribe, but she was still our queen. We cannot pretend what happened here did not; it's not as though only an heir was slain."
"You are correct," Diamond told him, her voice confident and matter-of-fact despite her deep breaths as she recovered, "With the queen dead and no true successor, your tribe will likely fracture. Unless we take action, differing leadership will interfere with plans and possibly even extend this war further than it needs to go. Even if you return with a signed treaty, who will honor it if there's no queen?"
Stargazer frowned, "I'm not sure I like what you mean."
Diamond snorted. "Don't worry, you and your soldiers are safe. I do not intend for there to be any more fighting. However, for this war to end, it will have to be won, and order will have to be installed, perhaps even by force."
Darkstalker stepped forward, confused, "What do you mean? How do we win the war now? And how without fighting?"
He was answered with a brief laugh—although he did not know what was so amusing. "Tell your soldiers to lower their weapons and stand down, both inside the town and out," Diamond told Stargazer, then turned back to the Icewings with her, "And tell our troops to make ready to leave camp. We are leaving this desert behind, and we are going to the Night Kingdom."