Glorious Politics

AN: This is a lot shorter than I'm sure anyone wanted, but I literally only had six hours today to work on it. Normally, I work Monday through Thursday and have Friday through Saturday off. So, on Friday, I'm thinking I've got three days to work on this when realistically, I only need two. Seeing as I'd just bought a new game the day before, I decide to take Friday off and just work on this on Saturday and Sunday. I'd have enough time between the two to finish it, surely.

But then I get called into work on Saturday, and my whole plan gets screwed.

So, I went from three days to about eight hours total that I had to work on this. Not ideal, but it is what it is. I guess it's partially my fault for not doing any work on this on Friday when I had the time, but I didn't expect to be called in the next day.

So...yeah. Apologies for it being short, but I thought I'd have a whole 'nother day to work on this. If any such problems arise in the future that will prevent me from updating, I post little statuses here and there on my X (Twitter) account. Follow me there if you want sitreps about my wonktified schedule. Information is on my bio.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Nimbus, Sobek, Mistral, and Veneno are my OCs. Bloodwalker belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Certus, Solstice, and Swiftback belong to Epsilon33. Bear belongs to Schwanze. The concept for the character Soulseer partially belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Mystic belongs to Flerovium.

Chapter Forty-Four:

Despite her burning desire to ask questions during Deathbringer's story—and if Mistral's expression during certain parts was any indication, he had just as many questions—neither of them spoke or asked said questions while the Nightwing told his story. And by the end, Glory was dubious, and Mistral was downright not buying it.

"So let me get this straight..." the Icewing began. Almost as soon as he opened his mouth, Deathbringer was glaring at him with a surprising amount of hostility. She knew the two had clashed in the past, but she sensed there was something deeply personal there, more than just Mistral knocking him out several months ago. "Vulture approaches you in some seedy, backstreet bar in the Sky Kingdom, he tells you your father, who you've never met before, is working for him...and you believe him?"

Before Deathbringer could properly respond, the Icewing continued. "And not only that, you join him!? And you expect me to believe that you somehow convinced Soulseer, who by your own testimony had been part of Vulture's gang for a decade now, to defect and join you, killing Sobek and saving Hailstorm in the process?"

"I don't rightly care if you believe me or not," Deathbringer snapped. "It's the truth, for one. And two...your opinion doesn't matter to me."

Mistral scoffed incredulously. "Really? Because other than Glory, I'm the one in charge of the investigation into the cult. A single word from me could put you away for good." He stepped forward into the Nightwing's face with a hard glare. Deathbringer, though he was a half head shorter than the Icewing, wasn't fazed in the slightest and glared right back at the hostile Icewing. "And right now, I'm not believing a single word coming out of your mouth, so I'm sorely tempted to throw you in a cell myself until we confirm just how farcical it is." Deathbringer's jaw clenched, and he seemed about to blow, so Glory stepped forward to pull the Icewing back.

His tense muscles made her wary as she pulled him back. He resisted at first, but at her insistence, he did indeed retreat. However, the two males didn't break eye contact. She glanced at Deathbringer's snarling visage for a moment before pushing Mistral further back. With a claw on his chest, she urged him, "Go wait outside for a moment."

"I don't think so," he denied, which made her roll her eyes. She didn't know if this was his old anti-Nightwing feelings of his resurging or...whatever the moons this was right now, but it was clear he didn't trust Deathbringer anywhere near enough to leave her alone with him.

"Look..." At that, he finally did look at her. "All I need is a few minutes. You'll be right outside, but I highly doubt Deathbringer is any kind of threat. Yes...his story is a bit...suspect, but I've known DB for a long time. He's not going to hurt me."

Mistral studied her for a moment before glaring at the Nightwing again. At first, she thought he was going to agree, but she should've known he wasn't going to be cooperative. "No, he isn't, because I'm not leaving you alone with him."

Glory opened her mouth to argue, but Deathbringer responded before she could. "You know that's rich coming from you, seeing as how you broke into her office while she was sleeping." Mistral growled at the reminder of his poor behavior at the start of his professional relationship with her. "And I heard a rumor that you threatened to kill her, too. I don't know all the details, but I do know it's why you got demoted." This time, it was Deathbringer who approached, all but squishing the hapless Rainwing between the two aggressive males. "So don't give me all that 'high and mighty' noble crap. You look down on us 'commoners', but in reality, you're just as big of a piece of shit as the rest of us."

Glory gasped in genuine shock at the utter hostility coming from the Nightwing. Mistral growled in clear fury, and she knew the only reason he wasn't tackling Deathbringer right now was her claw still firmly planted on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding through the contact, a sign of his growing rage and adrenaline.

Knowing she needed to do something now before the two tried to kill each other, she raised one of her wings to break the line of sight between the two and shouted, "GUARDS!" Instantly, both of them looked to her in surprise, their mutual hatred of the other momentarily forgotten. Within seconds, the door was thrown open, and two Sandwing guards bolted in. To their credit, they seemed to recognize the tense situation without her having to say anything. "Escort Mistral out, please. Make sure he doesn't return until he calms down." The anger at her declaration was expected. The hint of betrayal on his face, however, was a surprise that instantly made her feel guilty. As the Sandwings approached and flanked his sides, her claw that was on his chest moved to his shoulder. "I know you're just trying to protect me, but getting into a fight with DB isn't the way to do it. Get your head on straight. I'll be fine."

Mistral studied her for a moment before finally nodding with a sigh. He allowed himself to be escorted out, though not before he leaned downed and nuzzled her cheek. The surprise at the brazen act of affection—public affection, at that—made her mouth fall open in surprise. However, upon seeing him glare at DB again, and hearing the Nightwing's growl, she turned to regard Deathbringer with a frown.

He was glaring at the Icewing as he left, his heated gaze not leaving Mistral's form until he and the Sandwings were out of the room and the door was shut. As soon as the door was shut, she instantly turned to Deathbringer with her own glare. "Alright, what was that about?"

The Nightwing frowned at her clear anger. "Am I not allowed to like someone?"

"That was a little more than just 'not liking someone'," she shot back. "You were acting like he personally ruined your life."

He muttered something under his breath that she imagined she wasn't supposed to hear. But hear it she did. "He kind of did..."

At first she puzzled over what that was supposed to mean. The two had only ever interacted a clawful of times. But then, she understood and groaned. "Are you acting like a complete ass just because I'm dating him!?" He didn't react at first, merely matching her gaze with his own, but then he gave a minute sigh, looked away, and shrugged. That affirmation just made her grind her teeth in frustration. "Get over yourself, will you? I gave you a chance, and you passed it up."

That made him growl, though more to himself than at her. "I've told you I don't know how many times that it was a joke. I was just trying to play hard to get, thinking you'd appreciate that sort of game."

"What dragoness would appreciate being lead on!?" she shouted at him, and that made him wince and look away. "I laid my heart bare to you, the first time I'd ever let myself be that vulnerable to anyone, and you shoved it back in my face!"

"It was a mistake..." he defended himself. "A mistake I tried to fix by spending four years as your verbal punching bag." That made her wince. His sudden spine was surprising, though. This was the first time in years that he'd actually argued with her about this.

"And I'm sorry for that." At first, he recoiled in shock, but then his eyes flashed with anger, and before she could continue, he cut her off.

"'I'm sorry'?" he scoffed. "Do you think the abuse you put me through is just going to go away from a simple apology?"

She frowned. "No, I don't expect it does. But if anything, it's a start. I've realized lately that how I treated you was wrong, and you can think Mistral for that." His gaze narrowed and he looked away, though she could see a bit of surprise in his expression.

But then, his expression turned dark. "Yet you can forgive him for his wrongs against you, yet it took four years and outside interference for you to forgive me." He sneered, an ugly expression that she had never expected to see on him—especially aimed at her. "So what does he have that I didn't? What makes him more worthy of forgiveness than me?"

As she struggled to come up with an answer, her mouth opening and closing as she stared at him in surprise. He growled again before forcibly looking away. Then, he stormed towards the door, which took her by surprise. "Where are—"

"Leaving before I say something I regret," he cut her off. He opened the door to reveal an empty hallway beyond. He made to walk out but paused at the threshold and sighed heavily. Looking back at her briefly, he gazed at her longingly, which made her equally flattered and uncomfortable. "I still love you...if that means anything anymore." Her jaw dropped at the admittance, but walked away and out of her sight before she could address it.

Left alone in the empty room, she had the chance to gather her wits and think further on what just happened. Deathbringer's confession was...odd. It wasn't a first. He'd confessed his feelings for her before. But it'd been a long time. Back in the early days, right after that misunderstanding that drove them apart, whenever he tried to tell her that, she pretty much exploded. Called him a liar and a no-good flirt and a player and all that stuff. After the third such episode, he'd refrained from saying that he loved her.

So his confession, coupled with his backbone and the argument with Mistral was an interesting development. She hadn't seen him so expressive for years. And as she thought further on it and his story, she realized something. Deathbringer had been the one to instigate that argument, which conveniently pulled her and Mistral's attention away from questioning him further on it.

And as she realized that, she frowned. Upon first hearing it, she had been skeptical. But now...as much as she hated to admit it, she was a bit suspicious of him, too. After years of treating him terribly and him still serving her despite that, she'd wanted to believe he would always be loyal to her. But now...maybe Mistral was right to be wary.

A few minutes later, Peril stuck her head around the doorframe and looked at the empty room. "I hear there was almost a fight between the two macho males."

Putting aside her concerns for a moment, she turned and gave a slightly forced smile to her Skywing friend. "Yeah...Mistral being an ass doesn't surprise me. You know he's not very fond of Nightwings. And DB...he's got some personal issues with Mistral."

Peril walked in, brow raised in interest. "Involving?"

"Me," she shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

"Oh yeah?" Glory gazed at her curiously. Peril had never struck her as a gossip, but maybe that was because until recently, the two had never interacted very much. "Got two tough, handsome males competing for your affection?"

"'Competing' suggests DB has a chance," she replied, making Peril huff in amusement. "I've been over him for years." Peril nodding and the short silence that followed was opportunity enough for her to change the subject. "So...anything interesting happen on your end?" She didn't expect there to be anything since Peril had just been waiting in the hallway for the last ten to twenty minutes.

She shrugged. "Not really." A short pause. "You want to go find some trouble or something? Get in a bit of training, maybe?"

Glory thought for a second and nodded. "Training sounds good. If anyone needs me, they can come find me."

AN: Yeah...it's short. Shortest chapter by about 1500 words, actually. I don't have time during the weekdays to do much writing anymore, otherwise I'd post it tomorrow night like I used to do.

Can't wait to get my book finished. If it does as well as I hope, and I actually make it as an author, I am going to be so happy! Because it means I don't have to worry about work interfering with my true passion.

Anyways...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22