Wings of Fire • Dragon of Secrets [2]

Chapter Twenty

Part Three – Witness

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Brisktail power-flapped his wings, trying to make it to the nearest shelter in the storm. He had just left Stratusstream's cave and he hadn't accounted for the ferocity of the storm. The wind howled around him like a live thing, grabbing at him and trying to tear him apart. Brisktail could barely see one dragonlength in front of him, much less his talon. He flared his wings in alarm as he smacked right into a cliff. This was where being a SwiftScale came in handy.

     Normally, his wings (which had started to scrape against the icy rock) should have been shredded and ripped with tiny holes and scratches. But because the skin stretched between his wing-fingers was thicker than normal it didn't get damaged all the way through. He used his tail to flip himself around and he dug all of his claws – the ones on his talons and the four on his wings into the rock to keep steady.

     He was left hanging on the cliff wall like a gecko. Not that he had ever seen one or known what it was, but it was definitely what he looked like. He remembered how Bloodworm the CaveWing had clung to the wall and wished he had those powers. He scrambled up the wall as far as he could, hoping he would either reach a cave or the top of the wall soon.

     His talon slipped on some sleet and he split open his palm. He squealed in pain, the scream of the blizzard quieting his cry. Blood from his talon dripped down the cliff, promising his next few steps would be slippery.

     With the wounded talon all he could manage was to inch up the wall by flapping his wings and praying to whatever existent or non-existent dragon spirits were up there that he would make it safely. Miraculously, after what felt like hours of painful struggling, he finally made it to the top. The wind battered him from all sides and he felt like he would be blown off the wall. At least the pain of his palm ebbed away.

     Brisktail staggered forward, hoping to find the safety of the woods. Trudging through the snow, he made it, collapsing under a pine. He burrowed close to the trunk, using the large branches to shelter him from the wind.

     He needed to find his invisibility pebble again but he couldn't do that in the storm. He needed to either wait for it to die down, which, with a storm this strong could take days... or, he could make his own solution.

     Brisktail broke off a small branch, whittling it down to a stick. He lifted the stick and shouted over the roar of the wind, "I enchant this stick to make the storm stop!"

     Within seconds, the storm was gone. Brisktail climbed out of his hiding spot and looked down the treeline for a clue to where he had hidden his pebble.

     The trees had changed their shapes. The snow had turned them into white pillars and Brisktail had to rely on his memory. He went to the place where he had seen the SwiftScales gathered after the SkyWing battle. He tried to orient himself to face the way he had faced when he had exited the trees. He did find a spot that worked.

     Slipping into the trees, he went in the direction that he would have gone when he hid the pebble. He knew that there was a crooked tree stump and a crescent-shaped rock nearby but they would be hidden by the snow now.

     Brisktail hissed in annoyance. He would need another way to find it, or, he could make another pebble entirely. But he'd rather not leave an unattended magical item alone. He'd done that before with his shell and the truth stone and he didn't like the feeling that this one could be discovered.

     Maybe I can enchant something else to help me find it... He turned back around and made his way out of the woods.

     He could use a compass. He didn't know of any other places besides the school that could have them. He would go there.