Wings of Fire: The Extremely Awesome Amazing Epic Legend Of Kinkajou

Chapter 7

No one moves for a long moment, even the light bouncing the glittering water of the fountain seems to still. Worthy? me. Kinkajou thinks. Epic. Also so cool. We're not going to get frozen into icy popsicles now either. Yay.

"The amazing epic awesomeness of Kinkajou strikes again!" she cries. "Were are so going to save the day, and not turn into statues." Blinding colors flash over her scales. Gold and yellow and pink and orange and silver. A blinding tornado of colors.

The gift of protection begins towards a small tunnel hidden close to the back of the throne. "Now, I think you were looking for a certain sword. Follow me." It says as it glides over the shimmering blue ice. Smug. But so cool.

"What about Tsunami?" Moon asks.

"She will accompany you when you leave, until then, she will remain." it says without pausing.

"But..." Moon starts, as if wanting to argue, but then decides against it.

"Don't worry Moon, we will get the sword and tell her all about our awesome quest and me being totally worthy. She will be totally impressed and wowed."

In front of them, the Gift of Protection disappears into the tunnel. Kinkajou and Moon take one last look at the statue that was Tsunami, then follow behind. The tunnel soon connects at an intersection and then another, and another, and another. As they descend the mountain, the temperature plummets, and the walls become rougher. They better hope the gift of protection knows where they're going because she certainly doesn't. It's a deep epic maze that makes her want to explore it all until she finds the epic gift of a pineapple that rests at the bottom.

"What exactly happened to the icewings? What was their logic in creating you? How could that possibly have been a good idea for them?" Moon asks. "Why did Coldspike create a gift that would kill the entire icewing palace?"

"Mayybee, Coldspike had a grudge against his queen. A very very large grudge. That seems like a grumpy icewing thing to do."

"His queen asked for a gift to protect them from the other tribes, unlike his brother who created the sword you seek, Coldspike compiled, or tried to comply. His logic was that icewings were a superior tribe and all of them would be worthy because they were icewings and no other tribe could ever be as worthy as them. He was wrong." The Gift of Protection replies.

Smug icewings, Kinkajou thinks, of course, they thought that. What they needed was a pineapple smushed in their nose. They didn't deserve to get turned into frozen popsicles though.

In front of them, the Gift of Protection comes to a stop in front of a smooth wall of ice. The gift then reaches up and places its talon on the center of the wall. Freezing as still as if it was carved of ice. Which I guess it is. She thinks, So, I guess as if it was a regular statue of ice instead of a magically enchanted one.

"Wh..." Moon starts, then stops as the wall begins to melt away from his talon, turning into water and disappearing into the floor. What was once a dead end was now an opening into a cavernous space.

"Coool, a awesome magic door," Kinkajou says. "Do you have other magic doors in the palace, or is it just this one."

In front of her, the Gift of Protection holds out its talons, "Welcome to the icewing's forbidden treasury."

Nooks line the wall, each filled with countless trinkets. A floating globe of golden light sits in one, an ancient scroll that looks as if it would fall apart the instant it was in the next. Below each of the nooks are words carved into the ice. Gift of Beauty reads one, another one reads Gift of Reverence, a third reads Gift of Death, even from here she can feel the dark energy radiating from that nook. She shivers, it feels so unnaturally wrong and dangerous. So absolutely not a good gift for whichever animus created it.

But it is not these many gifts that really draw Kinkajou's eyes. What draws those is another ice statue resting in the middle of the room, talons outstretched for a small unremarkable stone hidden in one of the nooks near the back. A look of fierce determination is molded on her face. Below the stone she is reaching for, the words Gift of Warding, Protects the user from animus magic are carved into the ice. Most remarkable of all is the small golden tiara resting on her head.

"Saphira, eldest princess and heir to the throne of the icewings. She froze trying to save not herself, but her subjects. Out of all the dragons in the palace, she was the closest to being worthy out of all of them." It pauses, "Now, the sword."

This is a dragon. These were all dragons. No dragon deserves this, no matter how "unworthy." Poor icewings. She thinks. Even as she says this she feels pieces of a sad blue lodging themselves throughout her scales.

As if replying directly to her thoughts the Gift of Protection says "Worthy, unworthy. Life, death. What does it matter to me? I was created for a purpose, and I will fulfill that purpose until the end of my immortal existence."

"That is the absolutely worst reason I have ever heard for killing thousands of dragons," She says, "Actually, I take that back. Killing an entire tribe for an ancient boring war that was over 2,000 years ago has to take that prize. But still. Totally bad reason."

It continues to a small cranny in the corner of the cavern hidden almost entirely behind a large suit of armor without replying. Gift of Security, the nook reads, weapon against animuses. Few can wield. Inside rests an unremarkable sword.

The sword is plain and made of ice. Like everything here, what's wrong with a bit of yellow or blue or green every once in a while. Maybe even a few plants would be nice? The hilt is covered in soft skin, some kind of animal. What animals live in the ice kingdom. Polar bears maybe? Winter mentioned polar bears once.

Tentatively Moon walks over and reaches to pick up the sword, but as her claws brush the sword she immediately recoils as if it had shocked her. "I-I can't. It just feels so wrong." Moon says.

"Then let the little one try, the sword may choose her as its wielder," The gift says.

Carefully Kinkajou reaches for the swords, and as she lets her talon touch the smooth unblemished leather of the hilt, an epic feeling of calm rightness falls over her. It thrums comfortingly, cool and inviting. Pulling the sword from the alcove, she starts to walk back to her epic friend and the ice statue that is actually a moving animus-touched gift.