Wings of Fire: Beyond the Horizon

Chapter 15

Polyphemus    701 CT
Three months before Piedmont’s arrival…

Life on the surface was hard. Polyphemus and Tantite had just escaped from the Subterranean Systems about two weeks back. Navigating the unfamiliar parts of their home was certainly challenging, but at least the ground there was dense enough in minerals to grow sun crystals. Now, they had to settle for small caves they rarely came across in order to grow their food for the next couple days.

Their most important objective was to avoid being seen at all costs. If any, and Tantite meant ANY of the four other tribes saw them, their cover would be blown, and their whole expedition would be for nothing. “They would all be screaming,” Tantite said, “‘Run away, run away! The CavernWings are alive and they’re coming to kill us all!’ Which is what they’re going to do, by the way, if we don’t find a way to stop the rest of our barbaric tribe.”

It was a little difficult to be sneaky with a bunch of bioluminescent crystals naturally growing on your body. Polyphemus and Tantite would remove each other’s crystals, save for a few on their tail weapons, just in case they needed to use them. Thankfully, their evolved night vision, sonar, and small size worked to their advantage quite well. They could even blend into caves and certain mountains, although some were made of minerals that didn't quite match their colors.

Their expert stealth worked for quite some time, until one day, they found themselves in a forest. Based on the lack of structures and the abundance of trees, this place was likely uncharted by dragons.

“This is a great place for a base,” Tantite said rather loudly. It was a good thing there weren’t any other dragons here...or so they thought...

A beam of light flashed onto them, almost as bright as the sun. How can it be this bright at night? Why is it so concentrated? At first, Polyphemus suspected that Tantite was messing with him by using the contraption they called a ‘flashlight’ to make the light. But an unfamiliar voice silenced the wildlife with its volume alone.

“Don’t move!” the voice bellowed. “Keep your talons where I can see them, and tell me who you are!”

“We don’t mean any harm!” Polyphemus yelled back, holding his talons up. He focused on the source of the sound, approximating that it was around fifty feet away. Then, he picked up another sound. Talonsteps, swiftly heading towards them. It was approaching, fast, only about fifteen feet away.

Something pressed up against Polyphemus’s neck. It was sharp, which Polyphemus knew wouldn’t work on his stone scales, but he wasn’t going to break free from potential allies. If there were dragons living in the forest, and they had guards, that meant there could be many more somewhere.

“What the hell are you?” the dragon from behind him asked. The blade looked like that of a SunWing, but it wasn’t attached to a tail, oddly enough. “You’re too small and chunky to be a PeakWing, plus you’ve got wings. You’re not from this continent, are you?”

“Have you ever heard of the CavernWings?” Polyphemus asked the voice. “We were allegedly wiped out five hundred years ago, but we’re still alive. And we need your help to make sure a disaster doesn’t happen.”

“There’s no way you’re real,” the dragon said.

“Touch my scales,” Polyphemus said. “Or better yet, give me your best shot.”

A small thud echoed through the air. The dragon took a swing at him and immediately recoiled in pain. “See? I’m real.”

“No way. It felt just like punching stone,” the dragon said.

“And why do you know how that feels?” Tantite asked.

“I got a little frustrated, and punched one of the walls of our base-” The dual-bladed dagger at Polyphemus’s throat sunk as the dragon holding it realized his mistake.