Wings of Fire: A New Regime (Book 3)

Chapter 8

The dungeons of Aconi's palace were dim and gray, making Bermuda feel something similar.

She was kind (or careless) enough to let Cloudy share a cell with Bermuda, with the immediate threat of seperation before they were put into the cell. There were many cells, but only a few were occupied. Across from her, there was an older male SandWing, who was mostly white with a few light yellow bits. Beside them, hidden by a stone brick wall, was Iodine, who hadn't stopped pacing since they'd arrived.

Cloudy was throwing pebbles at the metal bars, making tiny clink noises. They had been dumped here hours ago, and the aloof IceWing, of course, had been making noise since, according to the SandWing since Bermuda had been unconscious.

Bermuda didn't remember much. She had been captured, obviously, and by Aconi, a little less obvious if you suffered a mild form of memory loss. She could only remember the cold, icy snow pressed against her face, and the blurry shapes of Glass holding her friends down as Aconi arrived.

What had happened before that?

"Cloudy," Bermuda asked. They looked up, halfway through reeling their talon back to toss another pebble. "What happened?"

"What in particular?" they asked.

"Before we were captured?" Bermuda asked.

"You mean when our friends and the camp were defending the camp and horribly almost losing the battle?" Cloudy asked.

"Yes. What?" Bermuda asked. "Are they okay?"

Cloudy gave her a look and raised their talons to wave at the cell around them.

"Right, we were captured." Bermuda huffed. She slumped against the wall. For Aconi's style, of white winters and a glass army, the rough, stone gray dungeon didn't quite fit. She had breifly seen the outside of the palace- an elegant series of quartz walls and towers, that seemed to grow out of the ground, wreathed in giant spikes. Not crystals- spikes. It seemed airy, and even perhaps heavenly, far from the dismal condition of the dungeon.

"What's our plan?" Iodine asked.

"Shut it!" the SandWing hissed through his bars. Now that he had turned his head, Bermuda could see an eyepatch crossing his face. "You seriously think it's a good idea to say that aloud?"

"Why not?" Iodine asked.

"They may be glass, but they can sure damn hear. They'll tell the Queen your plans in a heart beat." he said.

"Oh," Bermuda said. She winced at the thought of Aconi being called Queen. "I didn't think they could talk."

"Some can," he said. "Like the ones that are used as guards down here. Talk and listen."

"Great." Iodine said. The SkyWing sounded sad, and Bermuda understood. The poor girl had searched the entire continent for her little brother, only to be captured and lose him again, without any way to know if he was all right or not.

There's no way for our friends to know if we're alive or not, Bermuda realized. If they can't find us, it's best to assume we're dead.

Hell, they wouldn't even know where to try and rescue us. They don't know what happened.

Help isn't coming.

Bermuda looked up at the tiny window, which cast a small ray of dim sunlight across the cell. It illuminated part of her tail- her barb specifically, making it seem to glow against the dark floor. Other than Cloudy's shiny scales, it was the lightest thing down here.

Suddenly, four Glass marched down. They each stopped by each cell- one in front of Iodine, one in front of the SandWing, and two in front of Bermuda and Cloudy. They stood very still and each held a wickedly pronged spear.