Wings Of Honor: Heart of Ice

Chapter 8: Inteerceeding an IceWing

"She's not all right," Moon whispered to Winter. "Her mind is all scattered and foggy. I don't know why."
She was right. Everything in her head was badly scattered, barely intelligible, and also draped under a thick layer of grey.
A freezing cold shiver ran down my spine as we watched Winter's sister stagger into the washed out light. Her arctic blue eyes were bloodshot, crackled with dark blue veins. Like shattered glass. The scratches and cuts I gave her in the fight at Jade Mountain still hadn't healed. She was streaked with mud and blood — not just her own dark blue blood, but splatters of dark red that must have come from the NightWing she killed.
I could only imagine what she used to look like. Winter always held her in high regard. She was more perfect, more pure than him. More beautiful, more powerful, more fearless, more... everything.
And yet, here she was... standing here, battle scared, worn down, on the run.
She clutched the edge of the tunnel with her front talons, leaning against the rocky wall and glaring at him. I hesitated running to help her, she was still a credible threat.
"Icicle?" Winter started. "Are you —"
"Why are you here?" She spat. "To ruin yet another of my plans? You don't feel satisfied that you've already guaranteed Hailstorm's death?"
"What's wrong with you?" Kinkajou blurted. "You look terrible."
"Could be worse," Icicle snarled. "I could look like you."
"I want to help you find Hailstorm," Winter said, ignoring Kinkajou's confusion at that insult. "If he's really still alive—"
"I don't need your help, of all dragons," Icicle said with a hiss, limping forward a step. I rattled my MKB back up to eye level. "You don't have the claws to do what needs to be done." She touched her head, wiping away a trickle of blood from her left horn. "And she's probably killed him by now anyway."
"What did Scarlet say?" Winter asked. He spread his wings, blocking her path. "When she found out Starflight and the others were still alive?"
"I haven't spoken to her." Icicle swayed a little on her feet. "I can't — I don't want to see her — to admit I failed — your fault — but what if she kills him in front of me — or what if he's already dead... and she shows me his body ..."
She took another staggering step and Winter reached out to catch her, but she recoiled, snapping her teeth at him.
"But how have you —" he started.
"She hasn't slept," Grace said quickly. "Not since Jade Mountain." Moon looked on in wonder, while I admired her feat. Days without rest, after a fight, and your family in danger.
"If I don't sleep," Icicle muttered triumphantly, "then she can't get to me. She can't visit my dreams if I don't have any. Ha ha!" She made a sickening laugh. I didn't know whether to be shocked or impressed.
"But it's been days!" Kinkajou cried. "You haven't slept in days? Don't
you feel awful?"
"I don't need to sleep," Icicle said. "Whenever I get tired, I lie down beside the lava until the pain wakes me up." She spread her wings, and I saw with a shudder that she had blisters and small burns, bubbling in spots across her scales. I shivered at the thought of the pain. The suffering.
This... this wasn't anything any normal dragon, or person would put themselves through. This was a battle hardened dragon warrior, who would rather face burns and blisters than torture or ridicule. This wasn't for anything else than honor. Honor and family. That I understood all too well.
"Icicle, we need to know if she's killed him," Winter said.
"I'd wager a few camels that she hasn't," said Qibli. "He's more use to her as a bargaining chip than as a corpse. Not very useful, corpses, as a rule— All right, shutting up now," he added, catching the looks Moon and Grace were shooting at him.
"Do you have any idea where she is?" Winter asked Icicle. "If we can get to her and find him —"
"If it were that easy, I'd have done it," Icicle snapped. "I've considered all the options, trust me. There's only one way to save him, and that's killing the RainWing queen."
"I'm not going to let you kill Queen Glory," Kinkajou said stoutly.
Icicle barked a ragged laugh. "And how are you going to stop me, you preposterous pink dragon?"
Kinkajou lunged at Icicle, flying past Winter in a red-and-orange blur before anybody realized what was happening. The little RainWing knocked Icicle over onto her back and wrapped her talons around the IceWing's throat.
"Nobody threatens my queen!" Kinkajou shouted.
"Hey!" Winter shouted.
"Kinkajou! Stop!" Me and Grace shouted almost simultaneously.
"Get off me!" Icicle raged. She swung her tail at Kinkajou's wings, but missed. Her vicious claws went up, the serrated edges glittering dangerously from my flashlight beam, ready for a killing blow at Kinkajou's underbelly.
"Kinkajou!" Moon cried, joining us going for them.
But before we could reach them, before Icicle could strike, before Winter could do anything, I made out an eerily familiar whistling. Something small came flying through the air and embedded itself into Icicle's neck with a small thunk.
Icicle let out a gasp and jerked back. Kinkajou jumped off of her with a yelp and joined me looking up at the sky where the dart had come from.
Winter also followed her gaze to the clouds and then watched as the gray melted and shifted, like dragons bursting out of snow, into nine dragons in shades of red, gold, and vibrant green.
"Icicle of the IceWings," Queen Glory announced, "you are under arrest for murder and attempted murder."
"No!" Icicle roared, clawing at her neck. She rolled over and shoved herself upright, but her legs wobbled and her head was starting to droop. I spun to meet her with my rifle, horrified at the realization. "What have you done to me? What is happening?"
"It's only a tranquilizer dart." said Deathbringer, winging down to land beside them. "We find it makes transporting prisoners much simpler. You'll wake up just fine in a few hours."
Oh crap.
"No!" Icicle shrieked. "I can't sleep! Don't make me sleep!" She hurled herself at Winter, dug her claws into his shoulders, and shook him with all her fading strength. "Winter, stop them — help me — tell them I can't — she'll find me! She'll tell me he's dead and then it'll be over and he'll be gone! Winter, keep me awake!"
"It's too late," Deathbringer said, studying her with a puzzled expression. "It's not that bad, the dart sleep."
Icicle slowly collapsed forward onto Winter, her talons clenching open and closed as if she was trying to claw herself back to waking. "She'll come for me," Icicle whispered.
"So let her come," Winter said. He crouched as his sister's weight pressed him down, bringing his mouth close to her ear. "Go ahead and sleep, Icicle. You can't stay awake forever anyway. Talk to Scarlet and tell her she can still get what she wants."
"But she can't." Icicle's voice was barely a mumble now. "I'll be — prison —"
He leaned closer to Icicle, close enough for the skyfire pouch to touch her scales as well as his own. Something was off, even more off than all of this. I went invisable, running up to them. As his sister's eyes drooped closed, he whispered, "Tell Scarlet if she can prove that Hailstorm is still alive ... I'll kill Glory for her myself."
You son of a bitch.