Wings of Fire - Cavernous Promises

Chapter 33

MALLOW

Mallow watched as Admiral slotted a key into the door, he paused a second before turning the key. He paused before looking back at Mallow. "Umm, Mallow your expertise is needed, this is the door that leads into the room that holds the crystal helm. But... you should come look." he said, looking back at the open door. Mallow slunk up to him, keeping her wings tucked low and peered down into the room. The door appeared to be a back entrance to the room. The room was small, with a podium in the centre. The walls were smooth and undecorated, with a single, large, wooden door with intricate carvings at the front of the room. Then Mallow saw them, ridges and shelves around the door and around the lower half of the room, covered in masks, masks carved of wood, mask made from a mosaic of gems, pale masks, dark masks, masks with intricate details painted on them, masks of all shades and colours, all the same size and shape. Wasp wears masks? Why? Is she afraid of something? Then her eyes fell on it, the Crystal helm, she didn't know what she expected, but the helm wasn't what it would have been.

The helm wasn't a helmet or a horn ring, it was a mask, made of a glittering, ruff hewn crystal, with very worn and faded looking leather straps, with rusty, copper buckles. A shaft of pale green light from a skylight fell on the helm, making it sparkle and glint with a beautiful light. It was mesmerising and just looking at it made the uneasy feeling in her belly, that had been there since killing Blackjack, melt. There's no disguising that that item has some pretty powerful magic behind it. It rested on a red silken pillow, with golden tassels. It did not appear to be in any sort of case, but Mallow saw a lock resting on the edge of the podium.

Then Mallow saw the guards, five of them. One was almost white, with dark splashes on their muzzle. Another deep red with amber splashes like cascading water and their tail faded to black. A third was the same orange as the setting sun, with black horns and muzzle. The fourth was pale orange, with dark stripes beneath their eyes and on the tops of their wings. The fifth and final was almost identical to Blackjack, except he looked older and had a pale yellow tail tip. But how, I killed Blackjack, I felt the leaves' pain as he struggled, I felt his acid on my back, how could he be here?

"Can you sneak down there and get the helm, invisible?" whispered Admiral, pushing the key toward Mallow. She picked it up and nodded, before lifting the night whistle to her lips and blew. She then stepped forward and drifted down to the floor. "Did you see that Horntail?" asked the pale HiveWing, looking at the pale orange dragon. "Nope, nothing 'cept the door being pushed open, we should report that to Wasp." replied the pale orange dragon, who Mallow now knew as Horntail.

"Do you want to?" muttered the pale HiveWing, fanning her wings.

"Not really, it would actually be better to be able to retire and go back to my dragonets." Horntail murmured, swiping his tail.

"Mm, it's not like she'll let us off easily, I hate this job. It's boring and nothing happens, except Wasp storms in and shouts at us on occasion." snapped the dark red one, flicking her tail impatiently, "And she won't call me 'Carpenter' instead of Calico."

"She stuck in her ways Carpenter, she won't accept those who don't conform to her rules." said the orange one, whipping his tail back and forth, dangerously close to Mallow's leg, "Izula, what do you think?"

"I think it's stupid, my brother helped her get to the throne, I should be treated better." snapped the dark one, his tail resting in a curl with a stinger exposed in the tip. Mallow began to feel sorry for these guards, they were as badly mistreated by Wasp as the LeafWings, maybe not on the level of being erased, but on a different level. Maybe, just maybe, I can get them out of here. They deserve a break. Mallow slunk forward, careful not to step on any of the guard's tails. She reached the podium and slotted the key Admiral gave her in the lock. It shrank in her claws, she then turned it and the lock sprang opened. Mallow cautiously reached out to take the helm, but then her claws contacted a sticky film, invisible from her perch. Mallow tried to draw her claw back, but it was completely stuck, she couldn't draw it out. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! What is this stuff?

"Wait, guys, I see something around the helm, if you look closely you can see the sap's quivering slightly." murmured the pale HiveWing, stepping toward the podium. They lunged forward, landing on Mallow's back, or she tried to, instead she slipped on her tail and slammed down behind Mallow.

"Jeez, I thought you were better than that Vespa." chuckled Horntail, settling down on his claws and looking at the pale HiveWing. Mallow was still struggling against the sticky fibres. Then arcs of flaming silk shoot throughout the room. They hit each of the guards, tangling their wings and claws in the spools of silk.

"Oh, great, there goes my pride." muttered Carpenter, as she slumped to the ground.

Admiral, Locust, Cobalt, Rosy, Aster, Dragonfly and Acacia swooped down from the door, Cobalt walked forward and shot a strand of silk next to the side of the helm, instantly the film caught fire, and the flames quickly spread to Mallow's claw, she pulled back with a yelp. She stamped down her claw, putting out the flames. Eventually the fire died down, the helm still sitting on the, now charred, cushion. Cobalt reached her claws out and hooked the helm into her claws, gazing down at it with glowing eyes.

"Mallow, are you okay?" called Admiral, running over to her general direction, glancing around, "I'll wait."

"Hey, kiddo, you don't mind letting us go, we won't tell anyone, trust us, Wasp hasn't truly stung us yet." called Carpenter, gazing at Dragonfly.

"Do I know you?" asked Izula, looking confused at Locust, "Your colours look somewhat familiar to me..."

Locust looked down at Izula, paused and then grabbed the helm from Cobalt's claws and jammed it onto Izula's horns.