Wings Of Fire (WOF) : A dark family affair

Chapter 16

"... H... Hey... Hey, Nightjar," whispered a voice in Nightjar's ear.

- What... ?" she said quietly, still drowsy.

- We have to go now," said distinctly Maple, who was already up.

It was still dark in the room, and only the small silk filament of light was illuminating the room, as well as the dark blue rays of the moons that passed through the small window. The same silence that had accompanied the previous night's dinner persisted in the building and even in the streets. Despite some difficulty in motivating herself, she gathered all her strength to mobilize her muscles and stand up.

Nightjar still remembered the meal, which was strangely morbid. Usually, their discussions were always accompanied by fun, laughter, joy of living despite what was ahead of them. She didn't know if the end of this little daily routine was a taboo subject. In fact, on the one hand, it made them all anxious, Nightjar could not deny it. But on the other hand, she had seen the strange furtive glances that Charming and Dandelion were exchanging. Unfortunately for her curiosity, she did not have to dwell on the subject. Her attention would now have to turn to her main quest of digging up the past.

She walked towards the exit of the apartment with Maple. They passed in front of their host who signaled them to wait outside. Passing by the large empty living room slightly illuminated by the few lanterns present made Nightjar a little nostalgic. This feeling was perhaps ridiculous but this place and this rhythm of life which she had adopted during these short days had allowed her to find a little comfort. It was like being at home, with Root, Alligator and her siblings.

The outside of the city was deserted. Somethning normal at this hour she had thought. But she couldn't help imagining the place as abandoned and haunted. The atmosphere was clearly not the same one that suring the day. Moreover, in spite of the street lamps, it was impossible to distinguish correctly all that surrounded them, to the point that she believed to see passing, far away, fast dark silhouettes, like ghosts. Lack of sleep seemed to play tricks on her and she felt the need to entertain herself.

"Do you feel ready ? she asked Maple.

- I should be asking you, lazy girl," he laughed.

- Stop it this is not a schedule to get up you know that, she said smiling.

- Yes, I know that. And so ? How do you feel ?"

Nightjar realized that she was approaching the matter more calmly. There was a whole gang of criminals that she was probably facing. But things were different in her mind, for sure. "To be honest. I'm pretty stressed out, obviously. But... I'm not alone now, she argued, And so that makes me feel better in a way.

- Glad to know that," he said without elaborating.

She was surprised that Maple didn't try to extol the virtues of his presence. Normally, he would have said she couldn't have asked for a better sidekick. Even his posture was slightly unusual. He wasn't looking at her, his head turned toward the gloomy streets and was strangely distant. "Maybe all this is tormenting him more than he lets on. I hope he doesn't force himself". At the same time, she unconsciously wondered if she would continue her journey if he left her alone. But it wasn't something that was happening she thought, trying to convince herself.

She could feel a little tension in the air between them until the front door opened, revealing Dandelion's face as well as Charming, who looked tired. The red dragon had the same pouch as when they met for the first time, located against his side, and Charming looked like she hadn't slept enough. "I've come to say a final goodbye, declared the rainwing, I would have liked to go with you but I'm the one in charge now. Some people don't look kindly on it and I have to prove myself.