Wings of Fire: Rogue Power

Chapter 9

Rogue...

"What happened?" I ask, finally waking up. 

Looking around I see we're hovering just behind the ice wall, Void looking at it uncertainly. 

"I don't want to cross" at first, I think it's because he thinks I'll get hurt since I'm not an Icewing, but then I see the fear in his eyes and features. 

He's probably never left the ice kingdom before, or at least, he's afraid of how different it is out there now, without his friends and family.

"It's alright, um, I'll go across by myself" I gently launch myself off his back into the air, righting myself a little clumsily. 

"What! But-" before he can finish, I turn the dial on my arm back to Icewing. 

Slipping back into the cold scales, I ignore Void's confused face and cross over. Maybe, if I do it first, he'll feel safer about crossing. 

"I don't have time to explain, are you coming or not?" I look back at him pleadingly, the seconds ticking by as the futures he comes become slimmer and slimmer. 

When only 5 seconds are left till it's too late, he finally flies over to my side, still a bit fearful, but he gives me a reassuring smile.

I let out a sigh of relief. If he had stayed, without me to let him protect himself, they would have locked him up again. Even if he stayed conscious forever. 

I nod to him, and take one of his talons in mine, whispering to my ring again.

Once it glows red, both me and Void become completely invisible. We fly in place in silence as guards fly right through us, scanning the area in large groups for they're mysterious intruders.

I tug Void away from them, and we fly off towards the lab. Fear invades my senses again as I recall my vision. But I try not to look ahead. I will not let that future be true. 

When it finally comes into view, I almost fall from the sky in shock. 

The fire is long put out, but there's still smoke coming from a few areas. I watch the Icewings that worked there sift through areas of it, picking out anything not destroyed already. 

I spot Seel on the outskirts, sitting hunched over by the garden. Nothing but black ground remains of the years of research and care.

Then I spot the body's. By the back entrance, now collapsed, are three corpses layed beside each other. 

I recognize all of them. One was a girl, although she wasn't overly kind to me, she showed me how to prune the few flowers in the garden. One of them watched me for my father once and he let me fly outside. Another was a retired doctor, and he fixed my leg when it got sprained around when I first came.

I land on the ground beside them with a sob, tripping over my talons. I realize once again how small I am compared to them, how young I still am.

I barely register when Void lands beside me, draping a wing over me silently. I lean onto his cold scales blankly, unable to process for a minute what I'm seeing. 

We sit there till night starts to fall.

I'm not sure where my father is, but I don't sense his thoughts anywhere close by. I sense Void's, but, instead of hearing his thoughts there's only a deep darkness, much like Stoats but more comforting. I let myself fall into his thoughts, unable to hear the loss and pain from the others thoughts as they take away the bodies solemnly, walking right through us.

"You ok?" Void finally speaks to me, and all I do in response is press closer. If I try to speak now, I know I'll break down. 

Why didn't I see this sooner? Why? Is it my fault? Maybe meeting Void is the cause? No, I looked down that path and it felt strange but not dangerous. Not like this. This feels... sudden. Like it was a last second change. It wasn't something I could have predicted. 

Yet I still feel responsible. They did this because of me. Because I'm half Nightwing. 

If I stay to find my father, they'll do everything in their power to kill me, and use him against me. We have to leave.

"I'm sorry. I'll, uh, explain later. We should go somewhere. Anywhere. Just not here" my voice is small and weak, and I truly feel how much I still don't know yet. 

Void stands, leading me away from the building slowly. We take off into the sky after a bit, and all I remember after that is following his snowy white figure through the clouds. 

Void...

I may not know what's happening exactly, but I know this dragonelle is hurting deeply.

Seeing the destruction at that building was not to exciting for me. I have seen worse things in my lifetime. But she broke down in an instant, and I knew those dragons had been important to her. 

I've left the ice kingdom a few times, but only with my mother to watch battles from far away. Somewhere there was a cave we sheltered in once because of a blizzard. 

When she asks if we can go anywhere else, I instantly started leading her in that direction. It was the only shelter he knew about that wasn't far. 

When they get there, he's relieved to see it still standing, relatively unchanged. 

The girl walks in and lays by the farthest wall, falling asleep almost instantly. This whole time he kept forgetting she was only 2 years old at least. 

I asked if I could make a fire, but only got a sleepy sigh in response. I took it as a yes and made one with ease, the flames lighting up a bright blue hue. 

Settling down a bit aways from her, I too sleep, for the first time in about 2,000 years. 

???...

I dig my claws into my throne in frustration. First, we don't find the Nightwing, and now, someones stolen an important icewing weapon. 

All well. At least he's no longer our problem.

And, even with the destruction of the lab, the findings recovered were enough to continue it here in the kingdom. I already have that liar kohlrabi back at work in one of the empty courtyards here at the castle.

I can't be too hard on the hybrid though. He wasn't aware fully of the dangers Nightwing's bring. 

Now, he'll never forget it.