Wings of Fire • Dragon of Secrets [2]

Chapter Seventeen

Brisktail padded along the halls, finding a few differences about this level than to the one where he originally found Whitecloud on. First of all, he could hear dim breathing echoing along the tunnels. Some sounded laboured and sick, while others were light and healthy; the stark difference between patient and caretaker.

     Brisktail could smell the differences too. The air was thick with the smell of plant's bitter juices and the metallic scent of blood. Brisktail found himself able to see the differences when he turned to look into the first patient room.

     The room was long, with cots filling it in rows of five on each side. Three nurses were inside, one standing guard and two inside readjusting bandages and poultices. The nurses, although gaunt and tired, looked infinitely better than the soldiers they were tending after. Each soldier Brisktail saw in the rooms was covered in wounds, some head-to-talon in white bandages. Some he was able to see breathing (he slowed down to check) but some were breathing so shallowly that even when he slowed to a stop Brisktail couldn't tell if they were alive.

     With a worried flick of his tail, Brisktail continued on. He had to admit, he never had to come here; he could have just asked his pebble what had happened when he was gone, but he had wanted to see first-talon what had happened:

     He remembered asking his pebble where Lightningtail was, a while ago, when he had been trying to find out if she needed his help. It had said she was in the Forest Kingdom, and since she went nowhere without Thunderclap he assumed she would be fine. Since she and Quickclaws were courting now, he also assumed that he had gone with her.

     But since he had seen the SkyWings in the "prison," Brisktail was skeptical. He had tried to hide it, but he still felt a foreboding sense of terror within him. He couldn't help but think that Quickclaws was in here, and he needed to see with his own eyes that his best friend was safe.

     And so, as Brisktail patrolled the halls, his talonsteps increased in speed. He frantically searched the halls, any well-thought-out plan in his mind disappearing as he looked for visual confirmation that Quickclaws was alright.

     He found none. Brisktail had run around the entire third level twice and there was no sign of his silver-horned friend. He was now sitting in a deserted corner, pulling out his pebble and trying not to look too desperate. He realized that no dragon could see him but he didn't care.

     "Pebble, who is Quickclaws with currently?"

     The stone answered: "He is with Lightningtail, Thunderclap, and Rainwind."

     Brisktail blew a sigh of relief. At least he had three other dragons with him. His heart faltered at the mention of Rainwind – they hadn't [parted on the best of terms. Brisktail remembered fighting with her over the second explosion of the tunnels she caused, and that they hadn't properly made up in his eyes. Now that he had spent a long time away from her, he realized how stupid that argument was. He should have been glad she was safe – that their friends were safe. And yet, he was too narrow-minded to see.

     He asked another question: "Where are they?"

     "Somewhere in the Forest Kingdom."

     Brisktail cursed under his breath. The Forest Kingdom should be that last place any SwiftScale should be after what he did – he had started a fire. Brisktail didn't know the extent of the damage, but he did know that it was a large fire. Coupled with winter, any damage dealt wouldn't be able to fully start healing until spring, a few months away. Brisktail felt torn between that – remorse for those innocents and actual good dragons like Evergreen and her family, Maple's village and the sick dragon in it named Leaf, and then he felt absolutely nothing for the queen or the city that had called upon him to kill. He felt no loyalty to them, but he was still worried about the choice good ones.