Wings of Fire: The Secret of Silverstripe

~Ch.4: The SeaWing Kingdom~

Silverstripe gasped as they emerged from the secret underwater entrance to the Island Palace.

It was even more stunning that she had imagined!

The sunlight filtered through the leaf canopy above them, which was shaped like a dome, and gave a greenish hue to the place.

The structure of the palace was different than anything she'd seen before. The stone walls below the canopy were dotted with openings where dragons might enter. The pool below them was filled with SeaWings darting in and out, moving across the palace, and going about their daily lives.

The pavilion was by far the most impressive, appearing to have risen up from the stone itself and spiralling up, creating twelve massive levels for dragons to enter and perch.

The whole palace looked as though it had grown from the island itself.

"Here we are," Turquoise said after a moment.

"It's... It's beautiful," Silverstripe said. "My mother always said it was beautiful, but to see it right in front of you..."

"Yeah," Turquoise said, nodding. "Thousands of years ago it was enchanted to grow from the island. The place used to be pretty ordinary until an animus magicked it up, and now we have this palace that we can live in, work, and bring visitors to occasionally."

"Wow," Silverstripe said, watching as a group of dragonets splashed in one of the pools closest to the wall. "Do you live here?"

"No no no; mostly nobles live here, I live in an underwater settlement with some of the soldiers and servants," Turquoise replied. There was then a quiet moment before he said, "Well, here you go. The pearl hunters should be up there, in the third level from the top." He pointed a claw at where the third level was so Silverstripe could see.

"Okay, thank you, Turquoise," Silverstripe said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Turquoise said. "It was my pleasure. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon, help you get adjusted and whatnot."

Silverstripe nodded.

Turquoise brushed his wing against hers as he took off back down the entrance tunnel.

I wonder if I'll be able to see him again... Silverstripe thought.

Well, time to meet the pearl hunters and establish an identity.

Silverstripe flew up to the level of the pavilion that Turquoise had pointed to. As she entered, she saw a group of at least fifteen dragons, each with a waterproof pouch she guessed carried pearls. At the back was a bright green SeaWing with ripples of dark green along her gills, wings, underbelly, and tail. She seemed to carry an air of authority about her as she talked to a teal SeaWing.

As Silverstripe padded closer, the green SeaWing looked up, saying, "Hello. I don't recognize you. Are you lost?"

"Is this where the pearl hunters meet?" Silverstripe asked.

"Yes; I'm the Mistress of the Guild, Seasnake," the green SeaWing replied. "How can I help you?"

"I'm a new recruit sent from another settlement, Abyss. You got the message to expect me, right?" Silverstripe asked, carefully choosing her lines to fit the identity she was creating.

"Hmm... Yes, I was expecting a new recruit, but not for another month," Mistress Seasnake said, touching her chin in thought. "Tell me, Abyss: was Angler your previous Master?"

"Yes, why?" Silverstripe asked, hoping she was choosing her words correctly.

Mistress Seasnake pressed a talon to her face in with exasperated sigh."He's so forgetful; that's why I didn't get the message to expect you early. Anywho, how much experience do you have?"