The Sisters and The Sectets

Prologue

Sandstorm (That's Queen Sandstorm to you, by the way!) tapped her claws impatiently on her throne, her tail making clink, clink, clink, noises as the tail bands hit the back of the throne. Her daughter Komodo was supposed to meet her in the throne room to discuss plans with Sandstorm and Sandwasp.
Sandstorm let out a hiss of disapproval, Sandwasp not even trying to cover her sly smile. It was as clear as day that Sandwasp hated Komodo. There was a long list of reasons why, but the main one being Komodo was next in line. So she always had to have a guard close to Sandwasp, the only time she'd get privacy was when she was sleeping, — though the guard was outside her room — when she was with Sandstorm, and when she was with Mirage. Since Mirage was the most mature out of the four.
The throne room doubled as a planning room, the throne at the end of a long table, with moss beds in rows on either sides for sitting. There was a chandelier that lit the whole room, with small golden HiveWings holding the candles in their talons, — Sandwasps' choice, of course — with a blank stare. There were shelves with scrolls lining the walls, with the figurines Bone made over the years of her family. Including, her father. Who explained that he flew farther behind everyone else.
Sandstorm and Sandwasps' heads lifted in unison to the opening doors, to reveal Komodo. Finally. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.
"I know I'm late," Komodo started, walking towards them. "But a SandWing named Chihuahua wanted to know where the Claws of the Clouds Mountains were."
    Sandwasps' four wings twitched as Komodo sat herself on the leaf bed closest to Sandstorm. Komodo let her own two wings rest at her sides as Sandwasp grabbed the rolled map, placed it on the table, and sat across from Komodo.
    "So," Komodo started. "I was thinking we send a battalion around the Ice Cliff," She tapped on the other side of the drawing of the ice palace. "Since that's how the SilkWings and LeafWings — and father — made it here. Yes, I know Queen Snow Fox has been sending patrols around the area of her palace, but if we get a MudWing battalion as well, it'll work."
"But didn't siblings get broken up and die that way?" Sandstorm remembered, testing if Komodo was as heartless as a dragon-bite viper.
    "Well . . ." Komodo looked over at Sandwasp for a moment before looking at her mother. "That was because whoever arranged the MudWing battalion, didn't realize it was mostly dragonets, not all adults like I ordered."
    "I'll make sure to have a talk with Queen Toad," Sandstorm promised, putting her chin in the palm of her talons, resting her elbow on the armrest of the throne. "She's a queen, she's supposed to double check these things, if not triple check."
    "Back to the matter at talon," Sandwasp continued. "I've been getting reports of SkyWings attacking at the outskirts of the village, around . . . Here." She got up and pointed to a spot on one of the maps on the walls. The writing above her talon read: "Outskirts of Gobi Village," in black letters. "I was thinking of sending a patrol to the outskirts of the Sky Kingdom, and adding guards around Gobi Village."
    "That's the first non-violent thing I've heard you say." Komodo observed, earning a scowl from Sandwasp as she lowered her talon from the map. "And since the guards will have to potentially kill any SkyWings, that's saying something."
    Sandwasp rolled her eyes, sitting herself across from Komodo again. "I'm not all violence." Sandwasps' wings twitched again as she glared daggers at Komodo.
    "I've also gotten reports of IceWings and SkyWing traveling in groups together to the Mud Kingdom." Sandstorm reported, flopping her tail across her back talons, followed by a few more clink-ing noises. "So I think they've formed an alliance. I've already sent out dragons to spy on Queen Snow Fox and Queen Cardinal."
    "But won't SandWings stand out like sore talons?" Komodo looked up at Sandstorm, tilting her head.
"I've told them to get caught by Queen Cardinal," Sandstorm explained. "Since she's so obsessed with SandWings, she's been wanting to know how we survive with little food and water, she's wanted to know how our barbs work, she's wanted to know how our eyes worked if they were obsidian black, the list goes on and on."
"Won't that mean she'll try and experiment on the spies?" Sandwasp asked thoughtfully. "Since Queen Cardinal may look like a sweet and kind queen, but she's as twisted as—"
"You!" Komodo interrupted sarcastically, earning another scowl from Sandwasp.
    "Enough," Sandstorm split the oncoming argument. "I'll organize guards, spies, and patrols. You two, go."