Wings of Fire - The Curse of Magic (UNDER REWRITE)

Prologue

March 7th, 7 681 AS

Princess Abalone glided above the blood-stricken fields, feeling a metallic taste in her throat. She stared at the bodies strewn across the land that was supposed to be theirs.

If this is Doomsday, then they have won already.

She remembered the last-minute betrayals and how only she and Queen Dawn had truly trusted each other, stayed together.

Just like the prophecy.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at all the SeaWings who had followed her into battle today, trusted her, and promptly got slaughtered.

It was horrendous, and Abalone did not want this to be the fate of Pyrrhia.

She landed beside Dawn, brushing her wing against hers, as Dawn glanced at her with a crooked smile. "Fancy seeing you here," Dawn said, standing on her head legs, her long tail sweeping around them, knocking dragons down and her wings flaring out for balance.

"Don't you dare put on one of those fancy Pantalan accents," Abalone laughed, launching herself at an enemy. "This is a warzone, not a time for silly accents."

"I still don't understand why it bothers you so much," Dawn said languidly, breathing out fire at an enemy warrior, Abalone ducking her head to avoid the flames. "I---" Dawn stopped abruptly.

"Yeah? What were you going to say?" Abalone stabbed someone in the chest with a spear, turning around. "Are you---"

Dawn collapsed to the ground, clutching at her chest. The elegant SkyWing let out a screech full of pain. Abalone looked at the spear almost identical to the one she held in Dawn's chest, then up at the IceWing who had stabbed her.

"Run," he said, and Abalone wasted no time in doing that, shooting one last regretful and sorrowful look at Dawn before taking to the skies, flying away, because she was too afraid of death and facing her fears, her consequences. The spear slipped out her her grasp while taking off and she grimaced.

An arrow pierced her wing membrane, and she cried out, looking down at who shot her. The same IceWing who had killed her friend, of course. Her eyes drooped, and she only had time to think no, no, NO! before she fell down, fully asleep, in the sharp rocks below her.

Princess Abalone had died, and that sealed the fate of Pyrrhia.

Princess Sunset huddled beside her younger sister, Princess Sunrise in her room as they cried silently, afraid of somebody overhearing and still mourning over their mother.

"She's not the queen in the prophecy, is she? I mean, the one that's going to save us? She was meant to die if so..." Sunset murmured, her voice cracking a little.

"Well, that's useless to me, because Mama is still dead," Sunrise said fiercely, wiping her tears away but they just kept flowing.

"But everything fits!" Sunset cried and then glanced towards the wooden door, and she lowered her voice. "Everything fits, Auntie Aba died without a known heir to the throne and she was the SeaWing Princess and Mama died beside her and she was the Queen and everything and I hate the prophecy and why did the universe have to make them die? Mama promised..." the last part Sunset added in a whisper.

"I know." Sunrise hugged her, her words ringing with truth. She knew better than everyone, better than their dead father and their imprisoned aunts by blood and every SkyWing that pretended to know Queen Dawn on Pyrrhia. "But why," Sunrise continued, "Why would the universe leave us with those freaks, the ones who killed them? The enemy? Why would they leave us with the Harbingers?" Sunrise looked up, renewed with energy, her eyes dancing with a fierce determination.

"I don't know," Sunset whispered, looking down at her talons. "I don't know..."

"Maybe the prophecy is fake! Maybe it's just a scam! Maybe MAMA DIDN'T NEED TO DIE AND WE ALL JUST SENT HER TO HER DEATH!" Sunrise's voice raised in volume, and Sunset whipped her head around to stare at the door, her talons finding their way towards Sunrise's, and squeezing them hard.

Three short knocks.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sunset gasped, then covered her mouth. A tall, regal IceWing stepped in. Dire, she recalled. The murderer.

"Well, what do we have here?" his slippery voice washed over Sunset and she cringed away from him.

"Nothing, sir," she managed to gasp out, looking at him fearfully, trying to cover her sister with her wings.

"Remember, we don't take liars very well," he warned, smiling cruelly. "I see your sister, Princess Sunset, and if you have an ounce of self-preservation anywhere you will step aside.

"No, no, she has done nothing wrong!" Sunset cried frantically, "She's only six!"

"And you are eight, old enough to understand politics and how things work. Step. Aside. Or you will be detained and arrested for going against my word."

"What's going to happen to her?" Sunset asked fearfully, glancing up at her. She shifted her wings to cover Sunrise a bit more. For once, the talkative dragonet was silent.

"She will be given a trial for attacking multiple Harbinger guards and giving them severe injuries," Dire said smoothly, his eyes flicking down to glare at what he could see of Sunrise beneath hooded eyelids.

Sunset wanted to laugh bitterly. If a six-year-old dragonet was talented enough to give serious injuries to many adult dragons with weapons, it was a wonder how they had ever defeated the Resistance. Instead, Sunset shook her head. "No," she replied, "If she's going down, I'm going down with her."

"Pity," Dire said coldly, sighing. "Guards, detain them."

A bunch of royal and Harbinger guards alike rushed in, and Sunset's heart shuddered when she saw Holly, looking pained, to be amongst them. Holly was an IceWing Sunset's mother, Queen Dawn, had found years ago, on the streets of a village she was visiting, and she had taken her in and with dedication and effort, in a few short months, had risen to become part of Sunrise's personal guard. Once, she had overheard them talking.

"Your Majesty, why have you selected me to be part of Her Younger Highness' personal guard?" Holly asked.

To which her mother replied, "Because I see a loyal and hardworking dragon in front of me. I can see a fighter in you, Holly, and you are strong and capable."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

But however much she liked Holly, Sunset was angered when Holly grabbed Sunset, pinning her wings, arms, and legs in place as a SkyWing rushed in holding shackles and a gag. She watched as Sunrise roared and inhaled, clawing and kicking and scratching, and as multiple dragons fell down, clutching their eyes, wings, and tails. Her sister breathed out a plume of deadly, white-hot flame, scorching everyone who was attacking her until the same SkyWing who brought the shackles bound her wings, arms, and legs together and then bound her mouth using the metal gag. Sunset watched helplessly, her arms going numb beneath her, and then her anger and helplessness turned to fear as the SkyWing---Harrier, she realised, My mother's right-hand dragon---also bound her wings and put a gag on her mouth.

"Be lucky we didn't tie your arms and legs together," Dire said coolly, "Guards, take them to the dungeons until tomorrow where we will hold Princess Sunrise's trial."

Holly nodded, along with the other guards, and as she led Sunset down to the dungeons, Holly whispered a quick "sorry" to Sunset, who could only nod, hoping that she wasn't going to be killed.

As Sunset was thrown into a separate cell from her sister, the only thing she could find comfort in was that if they both died tomorrow, they would be with Mama.

2023/08/30, edited 2024/04/04