Fire and Water → Wings of Fire [2] ✓

Chapter 16'

Gem listened to her friends as she sat gnawing on a monkey Clay had caught for her, unable to chew. Deathbringer sat not far away, keeping an eye on all of them.

Not that they were going anywhere now.

The Dragonets of Destiny enjoyed themselves in the Rainforest, and although they had wanted to go to Starflight's home, nobody knew where it was except for Deathbringer, who refused to take them there. None of the dragonets would force him.

"But I think we should make our way to the Night Kingdom," Glory said after a while, stretching out in the sun on her tree platform, her scales shimmering with purple, green, and gold. She was as beautiful as ever, and Gem felt increasingly uncertain about herself. She had peculiar scales with golden lines between them and couldn't move much without burning them off.

At least, when she was angry, which wasn't often, but it could happen.

"But Deathbringer has to take us there," Starflight said, resting on his tail. "I don't want to force him," Glory snorted, her scales flickering red and orange. "And I'm sticking to that!" Deathbringer declared from his spot at the edge of the platform. Gem and Glory glanced at him but said nothing.

On the other hand, Clay paid no attention to them. He was engrossed in a conversation with Sunny, discussing why lizards were so fascinating and why SandWings didn't need more than that to survive. Of course, they ate some camels occasionally, but lizards were fine too.

Gem lay down and stretched out her golden wings. The sun warmed them instantly, and she felt much better than in the cave beneath the mountain.

The sun never reached there, and she was always cramped in small spaces, unable to spread her wings enough to fly. Her mother had come from a very sunny kingdom too, and that was when she first experienced the sun's warmth.

Perhaps that was the best thing about the Sky Kingdom — the sun rarely set there.

"Well, I think we can find the kingdom," she said, and all her friends turned to stare at her. She felt uncomfortable under their gaze and scratched her arm nervously. "What? We can at least try. Even if Deathbringer doesn't want to, there must be more tunnels here."

"Gem is right," Starflight said, and Gem smiled at him. He blushed and looked away. "But you'll never find it," Deathbringer said, a little too pleased with himself. Gem glared at him and flicked her tail. "I say we give it a try. If we don't find it, we'll try elsewhere. It should be around here, shouldn't it?" Soon, they were all on their way to the stone where the first tunnel was. Gem felt uneasiness creeping over her scales, and she shuddered. Deathbringer had said he would accompany them, and he stuck close to Gem the whole time, which was strange.

"It must be around here somewhere," Sunny said, searching near the camphor stone. Gem helped her, but her sharp eyes found nothing. Finally, after a while, she sat down. Her head throbbed with pain just below her scales, and she thought maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Deathbringer must have a good reason for not wanting to show us. She sighed and looked over at the black dragon, with dark blue creeping from the edges of his wings halfway to where it became lighter. He was handsome; she couldn't deny that.

But he was way out of her league anyway.

But back to the task at hand. Gem shook herself and spread her golden wings as she sat. Her headache had returned, and she bared her teeth in pain, her claws curling into the ground beneath her. Clay noticed her distress immediately and walked over to her, his worried expression evident on his snout. "Gem?" he asked, and Gem looked at him, her eyes flickering with pain.

"Yes, Clay?" she replied.

"Are you okay?" Gem sighed and flicked her tail. "I just have a headache. I think I've been in the sun too long, or maybe this tunnel is causing it." She growled at herself, well done, showing weakness, and to Clay of all dragons. She stood up and spread her wings wider. "I'll take a little flight," she said to her friends, and they nodded, but Deathbringer looked concerned.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "What if someone attacks you?" Gem snorted and launched herself into the air without saying anything else to him. She just flew. Long, calm wingbeats carried her through the trees, and soon she arrived at a pond where she spiraled down. Her claws dug into the ground as she landed.

Her headache had subsided a little, now just a low pulse. The sharp pains courting her had disappeared, leaving only light pressure.

"What are you doing here, little SkyWing?" hissed a voice, and Gem snapped her wings shut. The creature laughed, a long, rattling sound like a snake shaking its tail. "Calm down, little dragon... I hiss hold no prejudice against you," and a large shadow emerged from the thorns. It was a formidable monster, and Gem wasn't sure what it was. It was bigger than her but still smaller than her wingtips.

"What are you?" she asked, and the creature let out its empty, raspy laughter again. "Many have asked, few have discovered... cough something to prolong their lives."

Gem eyed the creature warily, unsure of its intentions. She knew better than to trust strange beings she encountered in the Rainforest. But curiosity got the better of her, and she cautiously inquired, "And have you discovered such a secret?"

The creature's eyes gleamed with an eerie light as it leaned closer, its voice filled with a mysterious tone. "Oh, little dragon, I have indeed uncovered secrets that grant longevity. Secrets are hidden in the depths of this ancient forest. But they come at a price."

Gem's heart raced with both excitement and caution. She knew the Rainforest held many enigmatic secrets, and the allure of extending her life was enticing. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that dealing with this creature would have consequences she might not be ready to face.

She looked at the mysterious creature before her and asked, "Who are you?" It responded by flicking out its black tongue and said, "They call me... The ghost that never dies, but you can call me Ghost."