Wings of Fire - The LostWing Chronicles, Book 1 - The Awoken

Chapter 5

The SeaWing princess's expression was caught somewhere between the realms of concern, frustration, and wonder as she gazed upon the revitalized Summer Palace and the dramatic form of Estuary. Anemone bore a far more simple expression: one of complete shock, as if she couldn't believe a dragon with the same powers she had bore had created this towering structure and not drained their soul twice over. The eyes of Auklet and Queen Coral were suspicious and fearful, and Anadrom wondered if they were recalling the evil caused by the animus Orca, the queen's first daughter, who had cast a spell upon a statue to kill all unborn heirs to the throne.

"How is this POSSIBLE?" roared Tsunami, seeming to settle on outrage. "It's the cursed NightWing powers all over again! How many times will we be CERTAIN some magic threat has disappeared only for it to resurface a few years later? By all the stars, why is life so DIFFICULT?"

"Calm down, dear," Queen Coral said to her in a voice that almost seemed level, and shifted her majestic gaze upon the gathered crowd of dragons. Most turned and bowed before the queen, but a few shifted closer to Estuary as if she already was their ruler. "I assume this is your work?" the queen commented, boring Estuary with her eyes as she gestured towards the palace. The blackmailer barely shifted before her and boldly flashed her royal patterns in affirmative.

This had the intended effect, for Queen Coral suddenly inhaled a sharp breath. "Impossible," she cried. "We've monitored each new hatching closely and there were not any animus powers in any of them. You simply cannot be a royal!"

Estuary bowed down to the queen, although her eyes lacked any hint of respect. "Your majesty, I am your lost granddaughter," she lied. "My egg was taken by the roaming agents of the Loyalist Force, and I have only now returned."

The Loyalist Force was one of the criminal groups terrorizing the continents, a gang of dragons devoted to keeping the tribes separate from one another through any means necessary. Queen Coral considered this for a moment. "We have had several reports of stolen eggs," she mused, looking at Estuary intently. "You would not know which prince is actually your father, though?"

Estuary prodded Anadrom with her tail in a way that nobody else would notice, and she guessed the blackmailer's command, enchanting her to have a full knowledge of the SeaWing royal family and to know which members had indeed lost some eggs. Apparently unspoken desires for enchantments also fell within her jurisdiction. "My powers revealed to me that I am the daughter of - Prince Halibut," Estuary announced, with a barely noticeable pause. "And that he perished two years ago along with several of his siblings when the Scaleating Virus reached the deep palace."

"Ah," Queen Coral said. "I am sorry that you never got to meet him; I am sure he was a decent dragon. I never really spoke to him." The queen gazed upon Estuary for a moment longer, absorbing the fact that she could be a potential challenger, and a powerful one at that. "And who is the small dragonet hiding by your side?"

Anadrom blinked, startled to be noticed by her queen (for she certainly was still loyal to Queen Coral, even if she wasn't technically a SeaWing) and wondered exactly what Estuary wanted her to say. The false animus apparently decided to speak for her. As she thrust Anadrom forward into the glare of most of the SeaWing tribe, Estuary announced, "This dragonet was in league with the Loyalist Forces, a traitor who sold them information on the layout of the Deep Palace. I captured her during my escape and decided that such filth could serve an actual purpose." Estuary paused, sneering down at the crowd, and continued, "So I transferred the soul-draining aspect of my powers over to her - for every enchantment that I cast, a bit of her soul is lost rather than my own."

There were collected gasps from the audience, and Tsunami cast a disgusted look down upon the both of them. Of course - she would hate anyone that assisted in the thieving of royal eggs after her own was taken, Anadrom thought. Once again, the sheer force of Estuary's cunning cut through her. The SeaWing had instantly established a reputation of cruelty for herself, gaining a significant influence over the gathered dragons. If Anadrom was to ever go insane from the enchantments she was casting, it would look as though Estuary's powers had caused it rather than her own, effectively allowing the other SeaWing to remain an animus in the public eye. And if all of the SeaWings thought she was allied with the dreadful Loyalist Forces, nobody would wish to talk to her and discover the truth anyways. Anadrom shied away from the hateful glares being thrown in her direction, and stumbled back to Estuary's side as quickly as possible.