Wings of Deceit

Chapter Two

I cursed colourfully under my breath. Of course they had to return at one of the worst possible moments. I hadn't even thought about how I was going to explain the Dragon-born passed out over our dining table yet. Taking a deep breath, I waited until the world stopped spinning before I made my way out to see my family.

Standing in the doorway was both Haera and our mother. Relief washed over me to see her back safe and sound. While Haera took after our father in features, I was nearly the exact copy of our mother. Her sun-kissed blonde hair was plaited neatly and trailed down her back, keeping her face clear of any stray strands. The shade of emerald in her eyes was so dark that it almost appeared to be black. In her hands, she held a piece of parchment with what seemed to be a list written on it.

"You're okay." I smiled at the sight of her, walking over to give her a hug.

"I am," she responded with a chuckle, the dimples in her cheeks visible as she replied. "Haera was worrying over nothing."

"I told her that," I replied, shaking my head. "How was the meeting? Why did it take so long?" Hiding my hands behind my back as I pulled away from our mother, I prayed nobody had noticed the blood that stained them.

"It was very exhausting but good. The mayor wanted to go over the list of people we will be receiving in the next week and where they will be staying. There were a few extra people that we didn't account for that we had to squeeze in somewhere, so it took a little longer than usual."

"I thought as much. See Haera, I told you there was nothing to fear." I turned to my sister as I spoke to find her staring at me with uncertainty.

"What's wrong, Zo? You look really pale. Did something happen?" She left taking off her boots and stepped towards me in concern. "You only look this bad when you've healed someone."

"About that..." My voice was a mere whisper as I wracked my mind for any semblance of an explanation. "I may have healed someone while you were out."

"There's blood on the floor!" My mother cried, rushing over to me. "You're not the one hurt, are you, dear? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I can't heal myself, so you'd be able to see if I was." There had to be some sort of drawback to a power so strong. Squeezing her hands gently as I took them into my own, I realised my mistake too late.

"Who's blood is that?" Haera snatched my hands away to look at them closer. "I wasn't even gone for that long, who could be injured that much for you to heal them?"

"It was a... Dragon-born soldier," I offered as I grimaced, refusing to meet any of their stares.

"Did you just say a Dragon-born?" My sister questioned. "As in, the creatures tearing down every home and person in sight?" She looked at me as if I had lost my mind completely, I couldn't blame her for it. "Where is it now?"

"In the kitchen," I replied with a nervous laugh.

"I'll call the village guards." Our mother backed towards the door with a panic-stricken expression. "They can kill it and we can be safe again. If one of their kind is here already, there could be more around the corner too."

"Wait! We could get information out of him! It could help our kingdom win this war," I explained. If the Dragon-born was killed, all of my healing would have gone to waste.

"I'm still going to inform the guards about what is going on." Our mother took a deep breath and then met my gaze. "Zofia, what you've done is incredibly foolish and dangerous. Not only could you have been killed, but the whole village could be harmed because of your actions." Gone was the heart-warming smile she always wore. It had been replaced by a cold exterior, one she reserved for the most severe occasions. "Haera, make sure to protect you and your sister, and neither of you are to go into that kitchen until the guards are here. Understood?"