Wings of Fire; Crowns of Betrayal

Chapter 14

Scorpion's eyes pinched as the cool night air stung her eyes, the chill seeping into her scales with a shudder. The sky was a tapestry of stars that danced across the sky with joyful twinkles and shimmers, the shrinking moons casting the sands in a sea of silver moonlight. Restlessness and frustration pooled in her stomach for days, twisting itself into knots and slithering underneath her scales where she couldn't scratch it away. The sensation made her skin crawl, and with the days slowly ticking down, it only grew worse and before she knew it, the eleven days were up. Cactus was set to leave tonight.

She felt hollow, her heart beating painfully in an echo that fell on deaf ears. Scorpion wanted to scream, to shout, but she couldn't. Tears of frustration would swell in the corners of her eyes, and just as quickly as they came, she would brush them away with a sharp blink or a harsh rub from her talons that left her face sore. Her throat would tighten as if she swallowed something too large, now lodged in the back of her throat and pressing uncomfortably against her collar, begging for release yet holding onto her breath with an iron grip. The making her chest burn.

I could still say something, I can still stop this before we leave, but she knew Camel wouldn't believe her and it made her feel hopeless. Pearl will believe me, she had to.

A coyote called off into the night, its howls piercing the air as a jackal met its cry with a cackle of its own. A cactus owl hooted, the ruffle of feathers in flight making her ears twitch. The deserts haunting and vast expanse was open, able to see far off into the horizon that seemed to be an ocean of endless sand that stretched on for miles. The early hunting patrol had left hours ago, flying off into the night to gather as many foxes, hares, lizards, and camels as they could to restock the kitchens. Some of the SandWings that tagged along were small and still in their dragonet years, but old enough to be out of the wingery.

The wingery was open to anyone who lived and worked within the palace, providing a safe place for the dragonets of servants, cooks, guards, nobles, and even royals. All growing up with the same climbing structures to leap from, the same sunken pool to cool off in the midday heat, and kept under the watchful eyes of ancient SandWings who taught Lioness fly, Beetle to be watchful of her tail, reminded Camel to cool off in the midday heat, and Scorpion and her brothers to be careful when they chased each other across the soft piles of sand surrounding the perches and ledges for dragonets to leap off of, with the promise of a soft place to fall into.

Scorpion ruffled her wings, stretching them out before tucking them back in with a roll of her shoulders. The sharp chill continued to nip at her scales, even as she tucked her tail in close, laying it over her talons as she watched the dunes illuminated by the sharp glow of the two moons that peered down like a pair of eyes, the third having completed its first of many full cycles for the year.

"Scorpion?"

A sense of deja vu rolled over her as she turned her head.

Cactus stood a few wing-lengths away, wings pulled in close against the leather armour and pouches that adorned his frame, making him look more like a soldier than a prince. His sharp green eyes pierced through the dark, reflecting the moonlight as he stepped towards her.

"What are you doing out there?" He asked. "You should be inside, as-....inside, you shouldn't be out here," asleep, Scorpion snorted. He was right, she should be, but no one was getting any sleep tonight with Cactus leaving on his own.

"I could be asking you the same thing."

He frowned, sighing in frustration. "Scorpion-"

"I was waiting for you," she turned back towards the horizon.

Cactus was silent for a moment, before walking up and sitting down beside her, saying nothing.

"The palace feels both empty and full at the same time," smiled Cactus.