Wings of Fire - Shattered Ice

Chapter 4

Several long, difficult weeks of training passed, and Verglas grew more confident as each session went by.

He leaped at Frostbite, knocking him over. He pinned his talons to the ground, making sure there was no way he could escape from his grasp. Frostbite tried kicking up to knock him off, but Verglas made sure his hind legs pushed his down, digging his claws into his scales. He drew an imaginary blade over Frostbites throat.

"Okay, get off," Frostbite grunted. Verglas stepped away, and Frostbite's eyes shone with pride.

"Excellent job, Verglas." Frostbite shook off some snow that clung to his scales. "You're about ready."

Verglas's stomach squirmed nervously. Soon Frostbite would bring him to the IceWing palace, where the Queen would hire him, but only if he passes examination.

So is there going to be some sort of test? What will she have me do?

Suddenly, he heard a roar behind him. He turned around and saw Frostbite leaping at him. Verglas grabbed one of his arms and swung him toward the ground, growling as he pinned his other free arm against the cold snow.

"Very good! You have to be ready when your enemies sneak up behind you," Frostbite said. He stood up, swinging his long tail behind him.

He looked Verglas up and down. "Hmm. We've got to do something about those scales, though."

That's when Frostbite's eyes lit up. "Wait! I think I have something." The old dragon rushed back into his hut, and came out holding a small, silver earring.

"Put this on," Frostbite said, handing it to him.

What will this little earring do? Verglas thought, unconvinced. But Frostbite was looking at him expectantly, so he put it on quickly. At first nothing happened.

"Okay? So do I look more like an IceWing because.. of my fashion sense?" Verglas snorted.

But then he let out a gasp of surprise as he looked down at his arms and saw that trails of white snaked across his dark scales, melting into a silvery-blue as they covered every inch of his NightWing features. Without hesitation, he ran to the frozen pond and caught his reflection. He looked oddly . . . normal. He no longer had darker scales trailing down his spine, and the black markings under his eyes had completely disappeared. His scales were now a pale silvery color, accented with lighter blues.

He ran back to Frostbite, who looked oddly satisfied.

"What the heck? Are you an animus? Why didn't you tell me?" Verglas growled.

To his surprise, the old dragon laughed. "Moons, no. Me? An animus?"

Verglas glared at him accusingly. "Then what is it then? This is clearly magic."

Frostbite blinked. "Obviously it is! I got it from a SandWing trader when I was on one of my missions one day, as I still worked for the queen at the time, when we passed the outskirts of The Scorpion Den. 'Gift of Disguise', he called it. Didn't know what it was supposed to do with it until I needed it the most."

"And when was that?" Verglas asked, eyes narrowed.

Frostbite paused. "Well . . . the queen ordered my execution after . . . an incident." He made no move to specify what that could mean, so Verglas didn't question it. "When the guards came for me, I had the earring on. It hadn't done anything before, so you could imagine my confusion when the guards searched aimlessly around where I was, unable to find me. Then I glanced down at my scales and saw that I was invisible."

Verglas snorted. "So how am I not invisible then? Only my scales changed."

Then realization dawned on him.

How could I be so imprudent?

It's the Gift of Disguise.

"So what you're saying is that the ring senses when you're in need of hiding? It will change your appearance based on what you're trying to do?"

Frostbite nodded. "It's a very dangerous object if you think about it. If you're a SkyWing trying to sneak into the SandWing kingdom, you can put on the earring and it will disguise you as a SandWing. Nobody would look at you twice before it's too late."

This is more than an enchantment, it's a weapon. How did a trader get his claws on it? I thought that only the queen is in possession of animus touched objects.

"This is why I currently reside in this village, located far away from the main palace. The queen sent me a written warning after I've been in hiding for several weeks. She warned me that if I show my face near her again, she won't hesitate to have me killed." Frostbite's eyes flitted toward the ground.

"It's too dangerous for me to go back. This is why I need you. I'm relying on you, Verglas."

You only just met me.

I wish I knew what Frostbite did. And what he learned.

Verglas glanced down at his strange, normal colored scales. Nobody would look at him twice.

"We depart tomorrow. But I won't be able to stay in the kingdom for too long. I'll bring you by the palace, and you'll take it from there."

"Um. Already? Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit . . . soon?"

Frostbite grunted. "I think you're ready. We can't waste any more time." With that, he turned around briskly, heading for his hut.

Instead of following, Verglas stayed behind, staring at his reflection.

Why can't I remember my family? Or anything at all?

He held up his wrists, tracing his perfectly normal scales with a talon. Then he gingerly tugged his earring, which was cool to the touch.

After pondering for a few minutes, Verglas headed back inside.