The Rise of a Queen

A Dark Truth

Shimmer slid through the halls of the Ice Palace, ears constantly searching for the faintest sound. The spears she had taken from the guards were carefully strapped to her back, with cloth tied around the points to avoid any accidents. Most dragons were asleep, the only ones that were awake were guards lounging by windows. Each of these, she either killed or knocked out. Nothing would compromise her mission. At last. She opened the door to the records room and entered slowly. No one appeared to be inside, and there was no light. Voices sounded behind her and she hastily shut the door and crouched in the shadows, one of her new spears ready, eyes half lidded. 

"But why was she killed?" The voice of a young dragonet asked as the doors were flung open by on obviously ancient and exhausted IceWing. They both had the colorful, glowing orbs in their horns.

"She  was black. She looked like a NightWings. That stupid tribe likes to cower on their volcanic island and seek the death of IceWings." The elder replied with a yawn. Are they talking about me? Shimmer wondered, anger flaring in her chest at the "stupid NightWings" jab. 

"That sounds stupid." The dragonet said offhandedly. Shimmer rolled her eyes, but carefully kept them half closed. The florescent icy blue would definitely reflect light and give her away. 

"Never, Princess, speak of the Queen's orders in that way! IceWings know what they are doing, we are the perfect tribe after all." The dragonet's mentor snapped. Shimmer watched the dragonet roll her eyes. Maybe it's better I grew up a NightWing, and not with all these puffed up dragons. Shimmer decided. But, Princess.... now that is a dragonet I could use for leverage. Is she actually Tundra's daughters, or one of her nieces? She wondered, following the two dragons, staying in the shadows. 

"Oh alright, alright, but Auntie Tundra already knows I don't think it was a good idea." And that answers that question. Not a direct descendant. Shimmer noted.

"And you wonder why you're in the seventh circle. Your parents are already low enough as it is, Princess Blizzard." The dragonet shrugged. 

"Sorry." She said sarcastically as they rounded a corner and looked through a drawer. She pulled out a slate of ice and walked to a table. More dragons were coming, they sounded worried.

"General Arctic!" Shimmer and the two other IceWings jumped as large IceWing guard burst through the doorway. "You must come quickly. Two of our guards were found under the light tree. Both are statues of ice, and their spears are missing!" 

"What?!" Roared the General standing to his full height. Shimmer crouched in the shadows for once, grateful for her small size. "No dragon except an IceWing could survive this far north."

"An. . . an animus might." The guard replied shakily. General Arctic snarled at him.

"We would know. We know all the animus in all the tribes. It must be an IceWing." He charged out of the doors with the guard shouting, "protect the Queen! Treason! Protect the Queen." Princess Blizzard didn't move and watched them go. After a minute, she turned back to her reading. Now or never. Shimmer thought, and she set the point of the spear against the dragonet's neck. 

"Tell me, Princess, where are the files on the black IceWing?" She hissed as the dragonet froze. Shimmer felt bad, threatening a child, but she couldn't let anything compromise her mission.

"I-I. . .it's right here, I w-was just going to read it." Princess Blizzard said, her voice freezing up in the icy, still air. Shimmer pulled back the spear and leaned it against the table, pushing the Princess aside as she lifted the ice tablet. Despite being made of ice, it was actually quite beautiful. Shimmer suddenly realized, she couldn't read. She had never needed to. This frustrated her. Why hadn't she thought that part through?

"Read it to me Princess." She hissed, sitting back and hefting her spear. The dragonet cleared her throat, watching Shimmer, squinting.

"Black dragonet, hatched twenty winters ago to Queen Tundra. At the Queen's order, the black dragonet was stranded on hostile premises as a fitting form of execution for the de-defective r-r-r-runt." The Princess gulped and stumbled over the last two words. I'm related to this child? The Queen is my mother? Well, isn't this going to be fun. Shimmer thought standing and pulling the slate from the dragonet. "Are-are you a NightWing?" The dragonet asked, still trying to see her in the dark. 

"Yes." Shimmer growled, "now go, before I kill you." The dragonet ran, yelling at the top of her lungs. 

"NightWing! NightWing in the records room!" Shimmer broke open a window and leapt out over the courtyard, sliding the tablet into a small sack that hung from her neck. She dipped down and grabbed an orb and put that in the bag as well. By now the guards had spotted her and were in pursuit. A howling wind picked up, throwing snow in her face as she ascended into the air.

"I am the heir by right." She growled to herself, as she dove into the hurricane.