Can't Shred Our Love - Ripnami

Chapter 24

sorry update a bit late but it's better than a couple of months at least, this one's also a bit short but at least i managed to get it out lol

"This is an insult to the SeaWing tribe!" Mother stormed. "We will take up arms and March against them if I command it so!"

"We just stopped a war-"

"We will weed these rebels out for once and for all, with no mercy!" Coral roared.

"...mother-"

"This is unforgivable! They have crossed the final line!"

"Mother, for the moons' sake, listen!" I growled.

"You can't expect me to ignore this insult yet again!" Mother shouted.

"But if we attack them it's just going to turn into full out war," I pleaded. "We need some way to bargain or some strategy to get them back."

"We have a commander who's in charge of strategy," Mother responded. "The only way out of this situation is war! There's no way to avoid it anymore!"

"We have to at least try to avoid war." I determinedly pestered.

"And why should we do that? They've taken princes. Princes! How dare they? This has gone beyond just rebellion. It's turned personal."

Sure, personal, as if you can actually even remember their name. But it wasn't as if I could say much to her argument, and though I tried a few more times to stop her, she still refused.

"But I'm sure there are other, more peaceful ways out of this–"

There could be, but to stand up and let them walk over me is in no way a queen!" Coral declared. I said nothing in response. I sort of understood where she was getting at, but still didn't agree with it.

But I could hardly just leave my brothers in the hands of Typhoon. And as much as I disliked the army mother was sending, they were still the best way to get to the rebel group's headquarters, where I assumed they'd keep both my brothers. Riptide, to my surprise, agreed with this idea, with one little catch.

"But I'm coming with you."

"You are not coming," I replied stubbornly. He rolled his eyes.

"And of course I imagine you have a plan?" Riptide drily replied.

"...fine, you can come. But how do you have a plan if you don't even know where they're kept?" I growled. Then I relaxed as much as possible. "Sorry, I'm just irritable because, you know."

Riptide nodded and stroked my back soothingly. I almost flinched with surprise but contained it.

"Let's go, then." I said to cover up my surprise.

We reached the HQ of the rebel group, yet the stone walls were devoid of life. It appeared almost completely abandoned. No guards patrolled the wall and the coral appeared to have been cut. Coral frowned, but ordered her siege soldiers to move in anyway. In no time, the gates were broken, yet still, there was no one within. Soldiers poured in with noisy clatters and into the covered courtyard, in which there was no water for some strange reason, disturbing the former eerie silence.

Eerie silence...there was nobody here. Yet, there was also no proof that anyone had indeed been here once. All evidence of life had been wiped away, which meant that they'd been warned.

It also meant that my brothers weren't here, which was less of a source of concern to Coral than me.

"How did they know we would come here? They must have been warned." Coral growled. "Spies, spies in my court!"

At that moment, there was sudden metallic clank, like the flicking of a lever. Coral frowned, and a group of soldiers headed vaguely into the noise's direction. And then, there was a quiet rustle, like the whistle of a wind. For a moment, I thought I'd mistaken the sound.

Yet then, from the ceiling and the towers and into the open courtyard, fell giant nets, almost invisible, fine silver strings interwoven together. The soldiers gave shouts of panic. I ran forward and grabbed mother out, yet it was too late, for the wings were already tangled up in the strings. Mother, however, simply swiped through the net with her narwhal tail, unpetrebuted, the string sliced easily and diverted on her tail, wrapping themselves instead upon the tail. But very infuriated.

"They have the audacity to dare try and trap their queen! And not only that, but they believe that I am one so weak as to be kept down by nothing but a net to trap fish! As if kidnapping the princes wasn't enough of an insult!"

Then the floor cracked underneath us, loudly, sickeningly. Soldiers yelled in alarm as they were carried down with their wings sickeningly bound. Mother, also caught by surprise, flailed as her tail swung desperately, trying to balance. I rushed forward and catched her, Riptide running behind me and catching me before I fell as well. Underneath was a lake of pure, bubbling lava.

So that was the reason why there was no water. I watched in pure horror as the soldiers writhed.

"Quick! Cut the roof open and let water in!" I shrieked as soldiers fell desperately. A few of the remaining soldiers at the edge immediately obliged, shooting up and slicing the cloth roof in seconds. Water poured in immediately. I peered over once again. A few soldiers had already begun to skim the surface of the lava, yet the water fell faster than the dragons, the weight of the ocean pushing it down, with the help of the remaining soldier's tail sweeps. Water enveloped the lava, turning it into stone. The soldiers relaxed, stopping their struggles and landing on the stone floor.

Yet suddenly a warm blast of water forced its way in. A stream of water in the centre heated up to the point of boiling, turning the water around it warm as well. Guards flopped away from the stream desperately, and I swiped my tail to send cooler water to the stream, yet it was no use. The water vanished to be filled by cooler waters, yet the cooler waters were also boiled. The roof had somehow also repaired itself, I noticed as I glanced up.

"So, your soldiers managed to escape death, I see," A disdainful voice sounded. I turned. A SandWing stood where the water was still being heated, accompanied by a SkyWing and SeaWing. All three wore ridiculous black hoods covering their heads, yet upon the SandWing's chest was a golden medallion.

Upon the medallion, was a distinct symbol.

An emblazoned vulture.