Clearsight's Choice

Chapter 19. Clearsight. Agate Mountain.

Clearsight was curled up in a ball, her wings tucked in close to her sides. Darkstalker was sleeping beside her, and she noticed that even in his sleep, he looked powerful and almost... regal. Clearsight wondered what would have happened if she had never buried him under the mountain. Would he have really become king of the NightWings? Would she and Darkstalker be ruling the kingdom now?

For a moment, she fantasized what could have been. She could imagine him waking her up every morning to go on a flight around the kingdom. Him happily sharing dinner feasts with her and Whiteout. It would have been a dream come true.... Or at least, that was what she thought.

She forgot to think of all of the other things.... The terrible things that would have happened if he were king. There would have been a giant shield around the tribe, weapons sent after the IceWings.... A dead queen of the NightWings, and a tribe filled with terrified, dis-loyal dragons.

It was as if those possibilities had been removed from her mind.

Suddenly, she remembered what she had to do, and shook herself out of her fantasies. She glanced over at her lover, checking to see if he was still asleep, before closing her eyes. She didn't want to, but she was required to check in with that strange dragon once every day or night. Clearsight's breath was shallow as she had the same panicked thought over and over again: What if it doesn't work? What if I can't see the future... even in my sleep?

Her anxious thoughts made her unable to fall asleep; so she laid there, on the cold, hard ground of the cave, staring into the dark exit tunnel. Clearsight's class twitched, as well as the tips of her wings as she wondered what would happen to her.

Once again, she wished she could still see into the future. But no matter how much she hoped-- no matter how many times she wished-- she knew it wouldn't help.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she nudged Darkstalker awake. "Love, Darkstalker, dearest--" she whispered, trying to wake him up. The larger NightWing shifted and groaned, protesting against her. Clearsight gently batted him with one of her wings, and he finally blinked open his eyes.

"What?" he growled. His shoulders slumped as he sat up, and his eyes revealed just how exhausted he was. Clearsight felt a mixture of guilt and love stir in her chest, and she had to take a deep breath to focus.

"I'm sorry for waking you, my love. I just... I need a favor, please?" she started, almost hesitantly. Darkstalker sighed and stretched his wings. "Alright, fine. What is it?" Clearsight looked down at her talons. "I-- it's my foresight." she said softly. "It hasn't been working for me for the past.... Well, since you were first.... You know what I mean." she said, shaking her head.

Darkstalker remained quiet, as if he had expected her to say more. Clearsight supposed she should have given him a better explanation, but in time, he understood.

"So, what you're saying is.... You need me to bring your powers back." He didn't say it like a question, but rather more like a confused statement.... As if he were piecing something together in his mind.

Clearsight nodded solemnly. She shifted her weight from one talon to the other. Her skin seemed to prickle with embarrassment as he eyed her closely. "What exactly do you mean?" Darkstalker asked, sounding more like a confused baby MudWing than anything else. "It's just... 'not working'? How does that make any sense?"

Clearsight shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted glumly. "It just doesn't work...." Darkstalker picked himself up and sat back on his haunches. "Alright," he said. "If it isn't working, it isn't working. I'll bring it back, love, don't worry." Clearsight sighed with relief. She watched as Darkstalker stared at her, his eyes seeing right through her. She shuddered. It was as if she were a ghost. She saw Darkstalker's lips move, and realized he was mumbling a spell. Clearsight tensed, waiting for something to happen.

After a while, Darkstalker relaxed and smiled. "It should work now." he said with a satisfied tone. He saw Clearsight hesitate and reassured her: "Don't worry, my love. I cast a spell to bring it back, that's all. I enchanted your bracelet." And as he said that, he picked up the snapped bracelet on the ground, the one that she had used to put Darkstalker to sleep....

Her lover fixed the bracelet with a simple spell and offered it to her. Clearsight didn't take it. She gazed at it, skeptical. Would Darkstalker force me to have the same fate as him? She thought anxiously. Does he want revenge? Suddenly, flashbacks of that night soared through her mind, reminding her of everything that had happened.

While she was distracted, Darkstalker gently took her arm in his talon and slipped on the bracelet. Panicking, Clearsight gasped and reared away, trying to rip off the bracelet. It flew off of her wrist and landed on the cave floor, breaking it yet again. Darkstalker laughed and repaired it a second time. "It's okay, I'm not going to make you fall asleep. There are no tricks, dear, I promise." Clearsight took a deep, shaking breath and took the bracelet from him. She slipped it on and braced herself for an inevitable, inky blackness that would force her to sleep for eternity.