Wings of Fire: Burning Iron

chapter 10

"Alright. Let's go!" Cloudjumper said. Cloudjumper pushed Simmer out of his hammock.

"What was that for?" Simmer said. His face is now covered in dirt from the ground.

"We got to go," Cloudjumper said. "And I want you up quick."

"Okay. Let me get ready." Simmer then washed his face. When he was done, Simmer grabbed the sword Cloudjumper gave him. Simmer strapped the sword under his right arm. Simmer is left clawed, this gives him an advantage in sword-fighting. Cloudjumper however, is right clawed.

"Where are we going?" Simmer asked Cloudjumper.

"We are going to sabotage the Sky army and kill Scarlet," Cloudjumper said simply.

"You're kidding. Right?"

"nope," Cloudjumper replied. Simmer sighed. Cloudjumper looked out the window and saw a goat. Cloudjumper then grabbed a curved stick with a string going down the end of each tip of the stick.

"What is that?" Simmer asked.

"I call it a 'bow'" Cloudjumper told Simmer.

"What does it do?"

"It is supposed to shoot these sticks with metal tips. You rest the 'arrow' on the notch right here" Cloudjumper indicated a small ledge at the middle of the 'bow'. "You then put the end of the arrow to the string and pull back then release." Cloudjumper then grabbed an arrow from the worktable. Cloudjumper set the arrow to the notch at the middle of the bow and pulled back. Cloudjumper then released the arrow. It flew across the rocky landscape impaling the goat at the neck.

"Wow" Simmer said. "That would be incredibly useful for taking someone out quietly."

"I am still working on it. I need to make something pointing where it would shoot. I also need to make it more accurate." Cloudjumper told Simmer. When Cloudjumper finished gearing up then said, "Let's get some revenge."

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What are we doing out here?" Simmer whispered. Simmer and Cloudjumper are crouched behind a rock on a very steep hill next to an open field.

"At sun high, the sky army is coming to camp here for the night," Cloudjumper answered.

"So close to the palace?" Simmer asked. Looking north, about 5 miles, you could see the Sky Palace.

"This is a meeting place. The army is going to wait here until the mudwings arrive in the morning"

"Oh." Simmer then asked, "how long until they get here?"

"Soon," Cloudjumper answered. About thirty minutes later, Simmer and Cloudjumper saw the army coming from the palace. The horde of orange and red dragons is humongous. There are at least 90 dragons.

"that's a lot of dragons," said Simmer. "How are we going to sabotage them?"

"With these," said Cloudjumper while indicating to the pile of dragon-flame cactus that Cloudjumper insisted to bring. "But we need to put fuses on the cactus" Cloudjumper and simmer started putting fuses on the spikey plants. Cloudjumper wore his metalworking gloves to protect himself from the needles. Simmer wore one of Cloudjumper's spare gloves. When they were finished, they had 15 dragon-flame cacti with fuses. The Sky armies camp is right at the foot of the hill that Simmer and Cloudjumper are on. When the Armie was camped for the night, Simmer and Cloudjumper put the cacti in position. Cloudjumper lit two torches. One for himself, and one for Simmer.

"Light the cacti and then push them down the hill on three. Ok?"

"Okay." Said Simmer. Cloudjumper and Simmer then lit the fuses.

"One. Two. Three! Push Simmer push!" Simmer and Cloudjumper pushed the cacti down the hill, straight to the army. The cacti rolled down the hill straight into the middle of the camp. And then the explosions and screams started.

"we'd better get out of here." Said Cloudjumper.

"Not so fast Skywing." A deep voice said from behind them. Cloudjumper turned and there stood the general of the Mudwing army.