Chapter 22

Jewel

Two large HiveWings carried a nervous-looking NightWing into the cage that Jewel sat in, he seemed like he was surrendering to the HiveWings before being stabbed with a paralyzing stinger. The threw the NightWing into the cage, just barely missing Jewel and turning away without a word.

Her mother came and went a few times, spectating her prisoners, lecturing Jewel about being queen meant having to make tough decisions.

It took a couple days of waiting, but the NightWing blinked awake and immediately beelined for the water, when he was finished, he laid against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Rumors have it that you caused some problems," Jewel said, getting a chuckle from the NightWing.

"No big deal, I could've caused more damage than spraying paint absolutely everywhere and killing some HiveWings, but I chose not to," the NightWing replied.

"You seem very calm about being prisoner..." Jewel commented on him not even acknowledging that he was in a cage.

"Hardly my first time Jewel, except this time I'm not being made to work for the tribe I just annoyed."

"I'm surprised you know my name NightWing, I've always had to introduce myself," Jewel said.

"Shame. It looks like I'm the only one who has any respect for you anymore... Queen Jewel," the NightWing said.

The NightWing was now suddenly holding a long object with beady-looking balls connected by a string for unknown reasons.

"What is that?" Jewel asked the NightWing.

"You'll see in about a second..." he answered, his head turning to the clicking of talons approaching from behind the cage. "Who is it?" he called.

"...Queen Wasp, I shouldn't have to answer idiotic questions like that, and I brought food for you... Not that you even deserve it," her mother said, only inspiring a grin on the NightWing's face.

"Leave it on the doorstep and get the hell outta here," the NightWing said.

The food was thrown into the cage, but her mother did not come into view. "I should be paying myself for dealing with prisoners... Some scales or treasure would be nice... Wasn't one of my subjects talking about something called 'money'?" her mother mumbled.

The NightWing was clearly trying to restrain himself from laughing, but he continued speaking. "What money?"

Her mother seemed confused, just her silence was enough to get a small snort from the NightWing. The guards turned to the prisoners with a curious look on their faces, they seemed to want the NightWing to keep going.

"What, are you going to pay me? You don't have any scales," her mother finally said.

"Is that a fact? How much do I owe you?" the NightWing asked, summoning a small pile of scales into his talons.

"... We'll see if one is manageable for you," her mother said, the NightWing gave a scale to one of the guards and gestured for him to give it to the queen.

"Keep the change you filthy animal," the NightWing said, making the other guard laugh, but she immediately regained her composure, possibly to avoid dying.

"Excuse me?!"

"Hey! I'm going to give you until the count of ten to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property before I pump your guts full of lead," the NightWing said. Jewel tilted her head, this was not going to end well.

"One, two... TEN!" the NightWing blew a small burst of flame onto the strange object and it began popping rapidly, the black dragon laughing hysterically while Queen Wasp came into view with an angry look on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Jewel exclaimed at the NightWing.

"Thanks for playing along Wasp, you're a good sport," the NightWing said to the angry queen.

"You have the audacity to say that after insulting me?" she asked.

"... Yes I do, mainly because there's nothing you can do to me," the NightWing said, smiling.

"Jewel, did you have anything to do with this?"

"No, he just did it without any warning," Jewel said.

The NightWing froze for a second, then smiled more than she'd ever seen a dragon smile before. "My friends are going to destroy you the moment I give the signal."

Daniel

"I don't feel comfortable with this..." Daniel mumbled. "What book are we even on at this point?"

"We are well past book fifteen, and don't worry, Jack knows what he's doing... Despite us having to rescue him..." Malcolm explained.

"Look, if Jack gets captured, it's because he knows what to do next, he's usually very smart when it comes to things like these," Ian said.

A note appeared in front of them, it seemed to have Jack's handwriting.

Wait for my signal; when the instruments play, wait until the opportune moment during the song to become backup while Jewel and I fight HiveWings.

...Yes, I gained animus magic since the last time you saw me...

"Instruments?" Daniel asked. "I don't see any instruments..."

The note gained more words: The instruments are invisible, they'll play themselves.

"Oh..."

"What song is it?" Ian asked the note.

There was an image of Jack smiling. Thunderstruck

"So... We wait?"

Yes.

"How long?"

Not long... Three, two, one...

Daniel could hear an explosion nearby, and a laughing voice saying that it was time to die.

They waited about a minute, and when Jack was on the ground, it played.

An electric guitar, drums, and the disembodied voice singing the lyrics to Thunderstruck.

Ian stomped to the rhythm of the music, and when it said the title of the song, they all jumped to the floor below them and saw a small group of HiveWings trying to fight Jack and Jewel.

"You called?" Malcolm asked.

One by one, they killed the HiveWings with such ferocity that it scared the others.

It was when the song ended that the only enemy left standing was Queen Wasp herself.

"Well, how the table turns..." Jack said to Wasp.

Jack took a deep breath, and froze Wasp to death.


List of the whereabouts and status of The Fiery Four: (Last recorded)

Jack: Identity: Lightwing, whereabouts: Wasp Hive, status: alive

Ian: Identity: Sunburst, whereabouts: Wasp Hive, status: alive

Malcolm: Identity: Iceclaw, whereabouts: Wasp Hive, status: alive

Daniel: Identity: Bandit, whereabouts: Wasp Hive, status: alive