An Assassin's Choice {Wings Of Fire Fanfic/AU}

Chapter 67: When Nightmares Come To Life

     RedRunner walked down one of the many cold, stone hallways. He kept as silent as possible, finally putting his discarded assassin training to use.

     While the rest of the palace but a few guards were sleeping, he had snuck out to look for his parents' hiding place yet again. He couldn't remember exactly where it was or how he found it, but all he knew was that he was inside it now.

     He blinked, silently readjusting his wings as he padded through a narrow passage. He froze as he heard slight shuffling noises ahead. Oh no.. he thought, holding his breath.

     A guard who he recognized as none other than Prince HellWing walked through the hall that intersected with his own. The rouge Prince didn't see him, since RedRunner was engulfed in shadow, but the fact of being caught loomed above his head like a sword held with a single horse hair.

     When Prince HellWing's talonsteps faded, RedRunner let out his breath and cautiously moved on. He quietly entered the hallway that Prince HellWing had walked through, his orange eyes raking the stone walls. He spotted a stone that seemed a bit out of place. Bingo! his mind exclaimed as he pressed it in.

     A scraping sound went off as a stone door right beside the button opened. RedRunner smirked walking through it. As he moved on, he could see a dim light coming from the end. He ran toward it, determined to rescue Feather.

     He skidded into the room, a hopeful smile on his face. The first thing he took note of in this "prisoner room" were that his parents were there. His heart sank as he spotted the glimmering white egg in Arson's talon. He and Sear stood in front of Feather, who was crying.

     RedRunner could also see all of the other kidnapped dragons, but his attention was glued to Feather and their fragile egg that was in so much peril.

     He gasped as the blood red SkyWing turned his head to glare at RedRunner.

    "Well, well, well, what have we here?" his father asked in a playful, yet menacing voice. RedRunner's eyes became unfocused as fear and unease overtook him. Feather looked at him, her eyes tinted red from crying.

    "I might ask, what is this?" Arson asked holding the egg higher. Sear stood beside the bloody-looking SkyWing, her reason to care completely vanished from her.

    "It was an accident!" RedRunner blurted. Mightyroar, who was the fourth in the row of dragons chained to the wall also stared at RedRunner. He had cuts and scrapes all along his black and purple scales as if he'd been tortured, and he stared at RedRunner with pleading purple eyes.

    "Oh really?" Arson asked, stepping forward. RedRunner's eyes widened as Arson turned his talon to the side, dropping the egg. RedRunner darted forward in panic, diving forward to catch it, but it was too late. The egg crashed on the ground, letting out a heart wrenching crack. The goop mixed with some blood started to pool on the stone, only confirming his fears. Feather let out another sob at the sight.

     RedRunner stared as more fluid leaked out of the egg. His egg. He couldn't think anymore, couldn't do anymore. He was paralyzed, with fear or with shock, he didn't know.

    "Oops," Arson sneered, breaking the silence. If RedRunner had known then what Arson would do next, he would've killed him, slaughtered him, kicked his ass, done something, but, he didn't.

     The merciless SkyWing proceeded to walk to the end of the line of kidnapped dragons.

    "Oops," Arson exclaimed, snapping Princess Sunny's neck. Starflight gasped in shock.

    "Oops," he quickly bashed the NightWing's head against the stone, cracking his skull. Golddust looked at her parents' bleeding bodies and screamed, trying— and failing —to run away.

    "Oops," he ripped the Princess's throat out. RedRunner had realized what Arson was doing but he was still paralyzed, he couldn't stop it...

    "Oops," he sliced Prince Kadal's underbelly wide open, exposing his organs. The dragons' blood curdling screams echoed through the mountain. Topaz frantically tried to fly whilst still chained.

    "Oops," he stabbed Topaz through the heart, the yellow-orange SkyWing flopping down on the floor.

    "Oops," he blasted Princess Aurorablaze with fire, burning her to a crisp. Mightyroar let out an agonized cry.

    "Oops," he slit Mightyroar's throat, silencing the Mind Reader. RedRunner desperately fought the paralysis as his father continued his brutal massacre.

    "Oops," he grabbed Pink-Lemonade's barbed tail and stabbed her with it. Admiral Kenobi tensed, appearing battle-ready.

    "Oops," he grasped Admiral Kenobi's throat anyway, choking him to death. As the Admiral's body slumped down, limp, Arson finally stopped at Feather. She backed away from him as far as she could.

    "Oops," he announced, smirking as he stomped on her head as well, crushing her skull.

    "No!" RedRunner managed, briefly escaping the paralysis as his fiancée was slaughtered.

    "What? It was just an accident," Arson mocked, making his way to RedRunner. He left red talonprints on the floor from the numerous dragons' blood all over him. RedRunner was still frozen as Arson grabbed his head.

    "This is what happens when you defy orders," he said simply, jerking his talons to the side, snapping RedRunner's neck.

     RedRunner leapt up in a cold sweat with a cry. He was breathing heavily, but realized something. He rubbed his head and gingerly brushed his neck with a talon. He was alive, and on a bed with orange-dyed covers.

    "It.. it was just a dream, a.. a nightmare," RedRunner sighed, still shivering. He blinked rapidly, trying to completely come to his senses.

    "It felt so real though..."