Wings of Fire: A Game for Glory

Chapter 19: The Ambush

The clouds had finally rolled past and the night sky was as clear as a crystal. None of the moons was full on this night, all of them were preparing to go into their waxing stages. The charcoal black sky that was uncontrollably covered in thousands and millions of bright specks always sparked Envy's interest-- he'd always ask the royal NightWing scientist, Moondancer, about the stars and what they are. "Some of the stars are flaming balls of gases," Moondancer would say. "While others aren't stars at all-- instead, some are planets, maybe even supporting life like ours." 

He turned his head to face behind him, glancing at the dragons who were trailing him. Caribou, still angered about the situation, was flying slower than the others, while Newt was flying somewhat close to Envy's side, but far enough that his wings wouldn't hit the NightWing's body, and Ceiba was camouflaged, her multi-chromatic scales keeping her completely invisible from any dragon's sight. The dragons were off to the ruins of the Summer Palace, in the SeaWing kingdom. Envy didn't know if the sea dragons were involved in this war for the enchanted pearl-- they already have two animus dragons, Princess Anemone and Prince Turtle, and maybe even more in the royal hatchery! 

Envy looked down at the ground. Below, the blacked out swamp of the Mud Kingdom had a soft, yet eerie and faint blue hue, and the calm waters reflected the moons' light, the water sparkling as if it was filled with diamonds. With only the starlight and waxing moon for light, the blackness was almost complete, so Newt and Caribou was partially blind during the flight, but the glow from the sword Envy still had his grasp lit the way for the two IceWings. Thank the moons that IceWings were able to be unaffected by very bright light.

Envy looked up, noticing that the land narrowing into the tail of Pyrrhia. He was in SeaWing boundaries, but he did not expect any sea dragons to be on shore at this time.

"Is that the Summer Palace?" Newt says as he squinted his eyes.

"No, it's a duck," Envy replied sarcastically.

"Wait, what do you mea--"

Envy grinned. "I'm kidding, you squid-brain. And yeah, I think it's a palace."

Envy felt his wings ache every time he took a flap. He winced lightly, realizing that he needed a break. So, he descended towards the ground, landing on the cool grass. Caribou landed a few feet in front, still silent. Her thoughts hissed in Envy's mind: "My entire life is screwed up because of these stupid dragons." Even the angered tone of her thoughts was audible in Envy's head, but he disregarded it. Maybe she'll calm down soon enough.

"Oh holy moons... this place is awfully eerie," Ceiba states as her scales were turning pale green, in fear, for a few moments before she forced them to go back to a navy blue.

While approaching the destoryed palace that looked like a silhouette in the distance, Envy saw a glimpse of a dragon sitting under a small palm tree. It was difficult to tell what features the dragon head at this distance, and he felt curious-- why was a dragon up in the middle of the night? If it was a NightWing, why would they be so far from the NightWing kingdom?

"Uh," Envy began to say, nervousness tinting his voice. "Hello, there..."

Once Envy inched closer, it was a bit easier to see what the dragon was wearing. It was a large charcoal-black cloak that covered their horns, only the very tip of their snout was revealed. He was pretty big, bigger than Envy and Newt, so he must be an adult. The dragon's snout was thick and white in color, indicating that he was an IceWing. 

The dragon didn't speak, though. The stillness of the air seemed to suck even the sound of Envy's footsteps into the nothingness of the area. Even the trees seemed not to rustle as if they were tense with nerves for what was to come. Newt said, "is this dragon deaf or something?"