Wings of Fire: The Secret of Silverstripe

~Ch.14: A New Role~

The first place that the SeaWing King and Queen took Silverstripe and Turquoise was the Royal Cemetery.

The graveyard was built behind the Deep Palace, covered in dark-colored coral. There were various marble gravestones sitting in long rows that Silverstripe assumed must be a generation each.

This is our generation, Queen Coral explained, gesturing to the second to front row with a wing. And this is the next generation, she added, gesturing to the front row.

There were six gravestones in the front row. Silverstripe read each:

"In Memory of Princess Orca"

"In Memory of an Unhatched Daughter"

"In Memory of an Unhatched Daughter"

"In Memory of an Unhatched Daughter"

"In Memory of an Unhatched Son"

These were the Queen's dragonets.

Princess Orca was my only daughter to survive dragonethood, Queen Coral flashed. She challenged me for the throne when she was seven, younger than you two, I think. I've tried for another heir since her death, but with no success.

These are the previous guards' failures, the sapphire blue SeaWing added, pointing to the gravestones marked "In Memory of an Unhatched Daughter".

Silverstripe pointed to the gravestone marked "In Memory of an Unhatched Son" questioningly.

That was one of my many sons, Queen Coral replied. So far the only of my brood to be stillhatched.

King Gill nodded sadly at the gravestone.

Queen Coral seemed to be less sad at the death of a son than the deaths of her daughters, Silverstripe noticed.

She must not care very much for her sons, being so concerned with hatching an heir, Silverstripe realized. But King Gill is still sad about the son. He must care for all of his dragonets, regardless of the gender. That must be the difference between them, then. Coral is focused on running the kingdom, and Gill connects with dragons.

Queen Coral flashed, I need an heir. If by the time of my death there is not an adequate female of my line to take my place, then the Kingdom of the Sea will fall into anarchy. She then turned to Silverstripe and Turquoise. You must succeed. This assassin that has been destroying my eggs must not strike again. If it does, then I swear by my name that I will rip every single scale from your bodies and feed what's left of your corpses to the sharks.

Silverstripe and Turquoise nodded grimly.

Queen Coral picked up a gravestone from the sand, etching into it with her claws "In Memory of an Unhatched Daughter". She then placed it into the sand next to the unhatched son, and dug a hole with her talons.

King Gill kissed the dragonet's pale blue head before he gently lowered it into the hole. Queen Coral smoothed the sand back over, concealing the dead dragonet's body.

We won't do this again, Queen Coral flashed, looking down at her talons, which still had the scales of the teal SeaWing caught in them. The next two will live. They must.

King Gill nodded forlornly.

Queen Coral then turned to Silverstripe and Turquoise. Now you must begin your new jobs, Hatchery Guards, she flashed.

Silverstripe and Turquoise nodded solemnly.

Queen Coral swam away first, shortly followed by King Gill, then Silverstripe and Turquoise. The queen led them down the depths of the palace, so deep that Silverstripe felt a little claustrophobic in the grey shades of her night vision.