Wings of Fire: The Hidden Power

Prologue

                                                            TARANTULA

"Three moons, I hope this works."

A hybrid walked through the woods. He'd found his required sacrifices; actually, he'd had them the whole time. Well, except for Wasp's old crown, obviously.

His starry wings shimmered in the moonlight. Kind of annoying, when you're trying to be sneaky, he thought. But I doubt anyone else would be there.

He was trying to find a graveyard—one that no one had been in for, what, three-hundred years?

The Royal HiveWing Cemetery had been considered haunted ever since Queen Wasp was buried there. Well, she won't be for much longer, thought the hybrid as he swatted away mosquitoes.

As he stepped into a clearing, he sat down. Here I am, he thought. Probably for the last time. He looked down at his talons and sighed. He reached into a pouch and grabbed Wasp's crown—one that the history scrolls never talked about. Probably because she never wore it.

The cemetery looked beautiful. Long grass everywhere, fireflies flying around... and the graves. Not very beautiful. Nor were the trees that surrounded it.

Flowers were blooming everywhere. But the hybrid was looking for something else—not a nice place to sit down or enjoy the view.

The hybrid walked around until he found Wasp's grave. He smiled to himself. "I'm so very clever, aren't I?" he asked himself proudly.

He set the crown on Wasp's tombstone. "I enchant the dragon that this crown once belonged to to come back alive," he said, keeping one of his orange talons on the crown. "I am willing to sacrifice. Bring Ex-Queen Wasp of the HiveWings and SilkWings back."

He waited for a moment. Then, an image of a dragon started to appear—first flashes, then a faded image, then a solid dragon.

The dragon had yellow and black stripes all along her body. Her horns were so dark that they blended in perfectly with the dark night sky. If you looked into her eyes, it was like staring into an empty black hole.

"Queen Wasp," said the hybrid, bowing immediately. "Your Majesty."

Wasp looked at him, tilting her head. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Tarantula of the HiveWings and NightWings," the hybrid responded. "I brought you back to life."

Wasp smiled. "That's impossible," she said, looking at her talons.

"I have magic," Tarantula explained. "Animus magic."

Wasp raised one eyebrow.

"It's true!" Tarantula insisted. "Animus dragons used to not be able to do things like that—but now they can. But only once a century. So now, no one else can bring someone back for a hundred years."

Wasp hissed with pleasure. "Is that so?" she asked, but she obviously wasn't really asking. "Well, thank you, Tarantula. Now, where's the plant?"

"What plant?" Tarantula asked. "There wasn't a plant required in the spell."

"I mean the mind-controlling plant," Wasp spat. "Obviously. Where can I find it?"

"Oh," Tarantula said. "Um... they were all destroyed over two hundred years ago," he said. "Maybe even three."

"Three moons," Wasp muttered. "How long have I been dead?"

"About three-hundred years," Tarantula said. "But you look like you're my age!"

Wasp hesitated. Then she smiled, like she had an idea. "With this... animus magic of yours, could you... do anything?"

"Yes," Tarantula responded. "Why?"

"I want you to make me your age," she said. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-four," Tarantula replied.

"Ah, yes," Wasp said with pleasure. "Yes, make me... thirty-five."

"Okay," Tarantula said. "I enchant this dragon to become thirty-five years old mentally, physically, and every-other-way-possibly."

Wasp smiled as she shrunk a little and her scales looked shinier. "Hm. Now make me able to use my mind control again," she ordered. "With the injecting in eggs thing, again. Without having to eat a plant," she added.

Tarantula nodded. "I enchant this dragon to become able to inject stuff into eggs that makes her able to control that dragon's mind," he said. "Okay, well, I'm sort of limited to three spells a day."

"By who?"

"Myself."

"Why would you do that?!" Wasp roared. "When you have that much power?"

"I don't want to go crazy," Tarantula said.

Wasp hissed. "Suit yourself," she said. "I couldn't care less."

She spread her wings and lifted herself up into the air. Tarantula followed her.

"Tell me everything that has changed," Wasp said.

"Hm... ok." Tarantula thought back. "Well, there are only five hives now," he said. "One for Queen Widow, one for her daughter Thorax, one for her other daughter Beetle, one for her sister Mite, and another for her other sister Inchworm."

Wasp scoffed. "What kinds of names are dragonets given these days?"

"Dumb ones," Tarantula answered.

"Hm. Well, tomorrow, I have another spell in mind for you," Wasp said.

"I'm listening," Tarantula said.

"Enchant all of the Hives to disappear," she said. "And then make a few new Hives. Make sure that all HiveWings survive, too," she added. "I need to have dragons to rule. And we'll come up with the names of the new Hives in the morning."

Tarantula nodded. "Wait, how will you be able to control the HiveWings that have already hatched?"

"Simple," Wasp said. "After killing their queen and all of her possible heirs, I will summon them all and tell them to be loyal to me. If they refuse, they will be executed."

"How will you know if they're lying or not?"

"Your magic."

"And how will you become the new queen?"

It was a stupid question. Tarantula knew the answer. But for some reason, he asked anyway.

"By killing her," Wasp answered.

The rest of the flight was silent, or at least it was until Wasp broke the silence.

"I suppose you're wondering what I'll do with you," she said.

Tarantula nodded.

"Well," said the soon-to-be-Queen-of-the-HiveWings, "how do you like the name King Tarantula?"