Wings Of Fire: Fallen Kingdoms (Book 1)

Chapter 16

      Jellyfish's limbs were stiff when she was woken up.

     "Hey," Jasmine said, nudging her shoulder. "It's your turn for keeping watch."

      Aconi was gone, and when Jellyfish looked at the pine tree, she could see her purple scales rising and falling peacefully. Jellyfish sighed and stood up.

     She stretched her sore legs and flexed her talons into the ground. Her wings felt welded to her sides. Why was it so cold? 

     She climbed up on a rock and watched the thin line of smoke from Stratus's fire. If she used her SeaWing night vision,  she could see his back peacefully rising and falling. 

     A closer look can't hurt.

     Tentatively, she reached out with her wings and slipped off the edge of the rock, soaring down the mountainside. The cold air stung her eyes and between her scales, and glided over each of her four wings.

    Not as silently as she hoped, she landed on an outcropping above Stratus, careful not to disturb the wind around him. He was laying with his back to the dying embers, shaking slightly.

    A pang of sympathy rang in Jellyfish's heart. While she usually had her friends to keep her warm, Stratus was out here alone, freezing by an old fire.

    He's a murderer, she reminded herself. He doesn't deserve the embrace of friends or family.

    But he's still a dragon, just like her, wasn't she? Yes, he killed someone, but so did Bermuda. She killed out of self-defense, and we don't know the whole story of what happened between Stratus and Jackpine. That could have been self-defense, too.

    Don't give him the benefit of the doubt.

    But what else does he have? All evidence points to him, sure, but even though he killed someone doesn't mean he is unworthy.

   Besides, if he did kill Jackpine, Aconi said it herself. He did it because he loved Jasmine. He did it because he cared about someone. No, I don't support murder, but I do support fighting for those you love.

    She squinted at Stratus. He had a scratch on his tail, and there was a mild burn mark on his neck. He probably got attacked by those raiders earlier.

     His ring was gone too, she noticed, which meant his mind was open to Jeweldreamer. It was probably stolen by the raiders.

     As fast as lightning, a blast of flames shot into the rock beside Jellyfish's head. She ducked and rolled, diving off the edge of the rock. Another blast of flame arched over her, and Jellyfish felt the hot crackle of heat against her spine, singeing her spikes and webs on her back.

     Stratus bounded after her on the ground, another fireball gathering in his throat.

     "Stop, Stratus!" she yelled, not quite sure if that would make him stop or just get angrier. "It's Jellyfish!"

    "What the hell are you doing here?" Stratus yelled, but stopped running and attacked, thank the moons. Jellyfish soared around him in circles in case he tried to do something again.

    "Um," she said. How do you not sound like an asshole saying this? "Checking on you?" 

    He laughed to her surprise. "You mean following me?"

    "Yeah, that,"

    "You can land, I won't hurt you," Stratus said.

     Jellyfish hesitated for a moment, and then landed a few feet away from him. "You promise?"