Heart of the storm

Prolouge

A HiveWing stared out into the ever-churning storm.

As lightning flashed and rain pattered heavily on stone, Thorax smiled.

After all this time, he was so close. Soon, very soon, he'd have a whole tribe under his command. A whole tribe to control. To use. There were many possibilities.

He just needed one thing.

Something small, but infinitely powerful. Something continent-conquering.

In the faint light of the setting sun, a dragon child with scales of sea blue and amber yellow stared with curious eyes at a large cave in a sheer cliff face.

He hesitantly raised his large wings, failing to notice the two red shapes crawling towards bright body.

*

Thorax whisked around at the noise of steps against the cold rock. It was one of his two guards, Wax, shivering from the rain and icy air.

Thorax growled. "I told you to stay outside!"

"Sorry sir, but we caught one of them."

Thorax's expression changed into one of glee.

"Bring the dragon to me." His voice sounded bold and precise, but there was no way of hiding the excitement laced inside it.

Wax awkwardly shuffled out of the room.

Thorax looked back into the grey sky and proceeded to study every detail of the swirling vortex.

How could any dragon live in something like that? He found himself wondering. Even after she'd told him, it still seemed impossible to understand.

Well, it seemed impossible to understand ANYTHING related to the haven. For one thing, the so-called Storm was massive. It must have stretched at least two kilometers in diameter. The churning mass also blocked the sun for most of the day, creating a huge shadow that stretched over the valley, throwing everything in darkness.

Why had no dragons besides his parents ever put together the pieces? Surely some HiveWing had listened to their rumors, the supposedly 'childish tales', and worked out that there was something the whole continent was failing to notice.

All it showed was the power of the object. Which was why he needed it.

It was so disappointing. If the HiveWings had this kind of power earlier on, they wouldn't have had to perform any of the nonsense with that mind-controlling stuff those years ago. Thorax still hated how unnecessary the whole idea was. You didn't need a weird plant to manage a continent. All you needed was a threat. Something that you could hold to a dragon's snout that they could do nothing about.

All you needed was power.

There were grunting noises, and then three dragons stumbled into the cave. Two were his guards, and one was ...

Different.

He looked similar to her, but the yellow streaks were less defined and the dragon had more muscle. He wasn't a dragonet but didn't look older than ten.

The dragon snarled and thrashed to escape from the guards' firm hold. But the HiveWings held tight, and after a few seconds, the prisoner gave up, defeated. He knew he was overpowered. There was no escaping. Not now. Not ever.

"Hello, VoltWing," Thorax said bitterly. "What's your name?"

The dragon's eyes widened and he stared at Thorax in horror and disbelief. "How-how do you—"

"I know many things, little lightning dragon. You see, I have plans regarding your tribe..." The grinning HiveWing gestured to the swirling storm visible outside the cave's mouth. "Now I ask you again—what's your name?"

The dragon looked torn but eventually replied. "Charge."

"Well Charge, it's a pleasure to meet you." Thorax walked towards the VoltWing, circling the terrified dragon. The VoltWing started sweating and looked at the ground to hide the fear in his amber eyes.

There were many things he could use this dragon for. A spy? Maybe an assassin? No, for now, he just had to reinforce some facts, to make sure she had told him the truth. If all the things really were true, then—

"You won't get away with your plans, HiveWing. You'd never get past our defences. I know you think you're more powerful than us, but we will crush you like the little bug that you are."

Thorax had to stifle a laugh.

"I haven't even said anything yet! And besides, I wouldn't bet on it, VoltWing. You dragons are completely helpless without your swirling cocoon. It's your only strength. Inside it is a dragon tribe of cowards that are too weak to join the rest of the world." Thorax spat. "All I need to do is crack the shell," Thorax gestured a twisting motion with his talons, "and the goods will flow out. And in your case, the shell has one weakness. One that I in fact want, more than the goods themselves."

Charge's eyes blinked, and suddenly he looked pained.

Thorax was intrigued. Was he receiving a message from the Heart? What even were the limits of the thing?

Charge meanwhile, was darting his eyes towards the cave mouth with a new sense of urgency.

He actually thinks he's going to escape. Thorax smirked internally. Well, sorry to disappoint VoltWing, but you're not getting.

Thorax's tongue flicked in and out of his toothy mouth, like a snake. Striding towards Charge, he rested his face inches from the petrified VoltWing. "It's too late for you."

Charge growled and said nothing. Then he fell silent, and a gentle hum escaped through his throat. Thorax's smile vanished.

What was he doing?

"Close his jaws!" Thorax yelled, confused and angry. Thorax tried to grip Charge's head but Charge shook and kicked Thorax to the floor with power. Thorax fell to the ground and looked up.

Whipping his head to the side, and opening his mouth, a bright bolt of lightning erupted like a bullet from Charge's wide jaws, and met his guard Wax's chest.

The HiveWing immediately collapsed and started shaking on the rock, groaning, with veins pulsing from his neck.

The other guard let him go, and Charge began to race to the cave entrance, already raising his vast wings.

"No!" Thorax roared, grabbing Charge's tail and digging his talons into the VoltWing's scales. But Charge managed to slip away into the dark sky, straining to fly towards the slightly glowing shape of the Storm in the distance.

Thorax didn't hesitate to dive after him, and this time the VoltWing didn't make it very far.

Thorax stabbed his tail into Charge's side, causing the blue dragon to wail and then freeze mid-air, before tumbling to the ground, an unsurvivable height below.

Thorax didn't wait to watch the VoltWing's body slam into the forest. Instead, he flew his way back to the dark cave, where he met his second guard next to Wax's dead figure.

"You," Thorax spat. "Get rid of the bodies. And do it quickly. And add some cover to this cave - some poisonous leaf or something."

Without a second glance, Thorax strode to the front of the cave and stared at the Storm for the third time. He was mad at her. Of all the things, she had left out the fact that VoltWings could shoot lightning. How funny. Thankfully he would be done with her soon.

Those VoltWings, he thought. It won't be long until you all are out of your wretched storm...

And under my rule.

High up in the air, a small ball of energy flickered in murky darkness.

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