Wings of Fire • Journey of Metamorphosis [Book 2]

scene vii.

Hello friends!

AS SOON AS I WROTE THE ENDING TO THIS CHAPTER I COULDN'T WAIT TO POST IT

Lots of stuff happens - good, bad, bad but secretly good - and I can't wait for y'all to read it. That being said...

TRIGGER WARNING!! Direct mentions of child abuse. It gets a little heavy as it is a side plot point, so skip the first half of the chapter if it's not your cup of tea until Hawker finds Demi. They talk about it too, a little.

The signs are really hard to pick up on and I hope I did the situation justice. If you or someone you know is going through a hard time, you can call crisis hotlines at any time and talk to a professional. Helped me once and I have to say, they're so calming and can really help you when you don't know what to do. These days you have to be careful about calling a scam line, though, so I'll share the one I know is genuine: Canada's 24/7 crisis line is 1-877-825-9011. If a crisis line asks you for credit card info then it is a scam.

- ❈ -

Hawker had no idea where his wings were taking him until a familiar skyhouse appeared on the horizon. For a moment, he debated whether or not it was a good idea, but he decided Bloodworm Hive could wait until he'd seen her. She should know about Jewel and Diddy.

     Unlike Gomphus' estate, which was comprised of two buildings and expansive gardens, Demi's family's skyhouse was a single structure rising from the mountain (entirely too modest for Emerald's standards, but they were only merchants, so she was forced to dream).

     He didn't visit often, as his father's old skyhouse stood only a mountain away. It was too painful to look at but Hawker couldn't help it. Only the thought of seeing Demi was enough to tear him away, and a new sadness rose inside of him at the thought.

     I wish I had better news to tell her...

     He landed on the public level – the first and largest floor – to find a scene similar to what he'd found when he'd arrived at his home. Some of the staff recognized and smiled at him. Skimmer, the blue DartWing at the head of their staff, approached Hawker as soon as he landed. "Ah, Hawker, it's good to see you've returned safely. What brings you here?" he asked, though he already knew.

     "I wanted to see Demi," he asked, "is she around?"

     "No, I don't know where she went. Her parents might, I'll escort you to them." Hawker sighed at the thought of dealing with Emerald but accepted it and schooled his features into his polite public mask.

     They were on the second level where private gatherings were held. To Emerald's chagrin, her gatherings were not as extravagant as Gomphus', and Hawker was sure to hear an earful about the matter soon. The dragons he was expecting were sprawled on old silk pillows and conversing over stacks of papers on the low table between them.

     "Lady Emerald, Lord Anax, young Lord Hawker has arrived."

     The green dragoness turned to him with a crocodilian grin. "Oh, how convenient! We were just going over the details of merging our estates."

     Yay. Emerald was likely trying to write a clause that would enable her to use his assets to fund her functions, but Hawker would die before he let her waste his inheritance.

     "Do tell," he mused, taking a seat in the closest empty place. Rather, the seat was mostly empty; Anax's tail was lying there and he refused to remove it for Hawker. He simply sat beyond it, though this caught Emerald's attention.

     "Move," she snapped at her husband. He grumbled and adjusted himself, making sure to show her through body language how much he detested it. Then, to Hawker, she said much more sweetly: "I am so pleased you wanted to join our House." Gesturing to the piles of papers, she said eagerly, "as you can see have a lot to discuss."