Wings Of Fire: Spotlight

Chapter Eight - Strings

Mako whipped her head around, her heart pulsing with alarm. Her spines prickled warliy, and she dove under her desk, covering her head with her talons.

What's happening?! Is Stonemover back? Is he here to kill us? Or me? What do I do?!

The ear-splitting squeal had broken like shattered glass, and it know sounded as if the victim was being slowly strangled or choked. Mako uncovered her eyes. Her rainy eyes took a moment to adjust to the pitch dark cave, but eventually she made out the shadowed navy form of Butterfly. A scarred dragon. And behind her was...

What. Is. THAT.

That dragon...

Was that a WoodWing?

No, it's a ghost. Can dragons even still use their powers after death?

But either way, she couldn't leave Butterfly in danger. What if something were to happen and she died? Or what if it was a WoodWing? Mako's eyes darted across the room. Nobody knew what was going on. As far as they knew, Butterfly was choking on thin air. Nobody could see the ghost...

I have to do something...

With a lopsided heave, Mako clumsily charged at the ghost. Crashing into its side head-first, she sent it barreling into the wall. Her vision reeled as she reared onto her hind legs and blindly lashed her claws in the air. She caught onto wispy scales and held on, vaulting herself onto the ghosts back. She slashed at the cloudy dragon's neck, feeling her claws dig into the skin. It felt strange, like a foreboding mist spraying on her claws.

The dragon let out a roar and fell backwards, launching Mako off and crashing into the wall. Mako spun, wobbling, struggling to find her footing. A menacing hiss sounded through her ringing ears as something yanked her tail, swinging her into a group of desks. Dragons around her yelped and sped off for cover, and Mako could see Butterfly, freed from the stragling strings, collapsing to the ground, gasping for the air she lost. She could see the feathery dragon marching closer, it's translucent form billowing wisps of smoke tendrils. The strings looked like cobras, ready to strike, as they launched at her.

Mako whipped a ruler from the floor and shielded herself with it, the vine-like smoke wrapping around it. The ruler snapped and splintered, and the vines lunged for her again.

But it was all haunted by a flicker of torchlight.

The ghost stiffened with alarm and faded back into the background, as if never there. Flames erupted on the torches, and everyone frantically scanned the cave, dazed.

It was like the horrific scene of the night before; tables were toppled; papers were trampled; wood was snapped; damage was most definitely done.

But instead of seeing the clear situation...

"Butterfly! Mako!" Moonwatcher roared, half-stunned over the situation. "Principal's office, now!"

Butterfly and Mako exchanged remorseful glances before nodding and taking off down the halls. The tunnel curled and spiraled and dipped through the mountain, illuminated by flickering torchlight. Mako felt anxiety bubble and fizzle and pop in her chest like a sparkling lime drink, and she looked over into Butterfly's eyes, which had a cornflower hue, and saw the same.

How can I convince Principal Tsunami that we were fighting a ghost? She is already denying Stonemover... Will we get expelled? No, you're related to her.

It was true. Apparently if she'd done her research, she was Tsunami's first cousin twice removed and OH MY MOONS JUST SLAP ME WITH AN EEL ALREADY.

Don't think about confusing family trees... Find something else.