Wings of Fire; Crowns of Betrayal

Chapter 10

Scorpion's ears were ringing, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as her blood went cold, wings tingling numbly. "What did you say?" She asked, muttering, as she stared at the IceWing. "Say it again, who did you say hired you?"

He blinked, "Jackal," he repeated, "Jackal hired us."

Jackal hired them, one of my own sisters hired for our murders, and got Sundance killed, she didn't know if she was numb from the shock, or from anger. It wasn't a surprise that a princess would be trying to get rid of her sisters, but that usually meant....she was planning to challenge for the throne, and didn't want to have any competitors to challenge her after she'd taken the crown. Is Jackal planning to challenge Camel? Is that why she's trying to kill us? But then why would she want Ray and Thorn dead too? What about Tarantula- wait.

"You said there were two?"

"What?"

"You said there were two dragons, it wasn't just Jackal. There was someone else."

Shudder opened his mouth before it snapped shut. She watched the internal fight dance through his eyes. "Yes, they were mentioned," he ground out, "but never there. No name, no face."

Her tail lashed in frustration. Scorpion shot for the door practically ripping it open.

"Where are you going?" The IceWing demanded, "aren't you supposed to be interrogating me?"

"Interrogation's over," she shot over her shoulder, calling for Rattlesnake who was just down the hall, "but I'm not giving you to my mother yet."

"You're not?" He didn't sound convinced, raising a brow.

I still have more questions that I need answered, Scorpion's grip tightened around the door, her talons digging into the dry wood, the force making small splinters fray with audible CRACKS. I just- I just need to think about this, just need a moment to think.

Rattlesnake quickly trotted down the hall, "is something wrong?"

"I need you to turn him back into a SandWing again," she ordered, "we're not handing him over yet."

"We're not?"

"No, I need more time to question him."

"Well, you can now-" Rattlesnake paused, staring at her. "Scorpion?"

"I found out who did it," Scorpion says, rubbing at her face with her free palm, dragging it down her snout, "I just....I just need a minute."

With a nod, the grey SandWing slipped past her, but not without giving her a final concerned look that made Scorpion's heart pang.

Jackal hired them, she sucked in a breath, she promised to pay them once we were dead, and me and my brothers were first. Were they going to eventually work their way up to camel and Ringtail? Shudder said they were being paid for the entire royal family as far as he was concerned, did that mean Jackal didn't think she could take Camel in a royal challenge? Camel was a large SandWing, the royal family generally had been for years since Lioness and Beetle, but sometimes a few didn't manage to get that size, Jackal included. The only ones in her family who seemed to have the height passed down to them were Vulture and Scorpion.

But why? Why would Jackal do this?

She shouldn't be surprised, should she? They were princesses after all, and there were seven- no, six of them now. Six princesses all of age to challenge their mother for the throne. They technically could've challenged her from the moment they turned six, but they were still dragonets at that age and would be until they turned ten.