Wings of Fire #1: Sahara's Destiny

Chapter 18

When Sahara reached the other side of the palace, she could see the other mountain surrounded by a large forest. This mountain, compared to the other, had just as many prisons, but with fewer dragons. She could only spot about twenty of them. When she swooped up to the first prison, there was a beautiful RainWing lying in the sunlight with his wings spread wide. The RainWing had blue scales and white underscales. his head was black and so was the end of his tail. He had white stripes on his neck, wings, and body. His horns and claws were black and so were his wing membranes.

The RainWing must've heard her wingbeats and opened his eyes. His left eye was blue while the right was yellow. "Hello." he yawned. He stood and stretched, his scales shifting colors before returning to normal.

He walked up to the hole and smiled at her. "Um, hello. Are you a prisoner here?" Sahara asked. The RainWing laughed and shook his head.

"Nope." he answered. "No chains."

"Then why aren't you in the tower?" Sahara puzzled. Was this RainWing being kept here because Topaz thought that he might be dangerous? Could he have an ability that threatened her? The RainWing looked to the side and shrugged.

"No room," he said. "The queen says there's not enough room for me in the tower." He looked back at her. "Says it's too much for me. Might stress out. She says it would be better if I stay here."

"What's your name?" Sahara asked.

"Bluejay." He responded.

"Well, Bluejay, do you know where I can find Canyon and Quake?"

Bluejay nodded and flapped beside her. "Sure, follow."

He began to fly to the right and Sahara followed him as they glided beside the mountain. Sahara had noticed that Bluejay didn't talk that much and he would occasionally glance back at her. As they flew, when he beat his wings, she saw the pattern of NightWing wings under his. Is Bluejay half NightWing? She wondered curiously. That could be part of the reason why parts of him are black. Bluejay hovered in front of the prison and he pointed with his tail. "One SandWing and MudWing."

Sahara swooped into the prison and saw Canyon and Quake sitting on separate sides of the cave. Canyon had cream colored scales and yellow underscales. His crest was white and his eyes were grey. Quake had brown scales and golden underscales. Her eyes were brown and she wore a small flower on the right side of her head. They both had copper wires tied to the necks, wings, and legs, and they didn't seem happy. When Sahara entered, they stared at her and she grinned.

"Are you two Canyon and Quake?"

The two dragons nodded.

They're really quiet. She frowned. I wonder why they're so upset. Bluejay swooped in behind Sahara and gave Quake and Canyon a stern look.

"Can't you ever get along?" he asked them. "It ain't that hard, y'know."

Canyon lashed his tail and glared at Quake. "Well sometimes differences can get in the way." he hissed.

"I could never bring myself to like him." Quake grimaced. "Especially when he is always so irritating." She snorted smoke and turned her nose up at Canyon.

Sahara sighed and shook her head. She didn't have time to deal with these two's problems. She needed to tell them about her plan to escape.

"Listen, I'm going to help you and your friends escape." Sahara said.

Bluejay was the first to react. He twisted his head towards her with his eyes wide and his ears perked up. Canyon and Quake stared at her in surprise, then Quake frowned. "Who?"

"You, Canyon, Vulcan, Algae, maybe Seastar, Zodiac, Hail, and Lavender." Sahara replied. "Along with a few of my friends."

Quake slowly nodded and her face hinted at a slight smile. Canyon didn't look convinced and he snorted.

"I'm serious!" Sahara snarled.

The SandWing nodded and gave her a smug look. "You know why I don't believe you?"

Sahara shook her head.

"Because it hasn't happened yet." Canyon told her. "Queen Topaz knows better than to let anyone steal her dragons. Every time one would try to escape, she'd recapture them. Sometimes, she would even kill them. So, you're expecting to help seven other dragons, including yourself and some others, without getting caught? You would either have to be super smart or just lucky because there's no chance of you being able to pull that off. You'd get killed in an instant, maybe including us and your friends."

Sahara blinked and her wings drooped. Why would Canyon not believe she could help them? He must think I'm real dumb. She glared at him and lashed her tail furiously. "You may think that, but I'll prove you wrong. You'll see." She turned to the exit and flew off, with Bluejay right behind her.

She was going to show Canyon she could save all of them without getting caught. She knew she could.

By the time they reached the tower, Sahara had forgotten Bluejay was still with her. "Are you coming with me?" Sahara wondered as she twisted her head to glance at the RainWing.

Bluejay glided beside her and smiled. "Yeah, I think your plan could work. So, I want to help." he answered.

Sahara couldn't help but smile back. She was happy to know that there were other dragons that were willing to believe in her. When they returned to her prison, Falcon had returned as well. Bluejay perched himself on the entrance once Sahara flew inside.

"Did you find all of them?" Falcon asked her.

Sahara nodded and Falcon let out a small sigh of relief. "Good." He took off Sahara's pouch and strapped on her chains again. "It's almost time."