Smooth Talker - A Wings of Fire Story

Smooth Talker

Well. that did not go as planned. Deathbringer thought as he allowed two Icewing guards to bind his wings with restricting cuffs, preventing flight, a rope tied tightly around his maw to prevent him from breathing fire and melting the place. The guards pushed him forward into an empty cell, tossing him in most rudely, closing the iron door with a painful slam. Through a small window in the door, Deathbringer could see the two guards leaving, a long female Icewing wielding a sharp spear taking their place.

"Queen Glacier is away on business." She hissed, standing right beside the doorway the other guards walked out from, "You'll be staying here until she returns."

Deathbringer sat down, working the rope off around his mouth with ease. The knot was tough, but he had been trained just for situations like this. "And then what?" Deathbringer asked as the rope fell to the ground.

"You'll probably be punished. Sentenced to death, presumably." The Icewing said, holding her spear tightly as she advanced towards the window, noticing his mouth was no longer bound. "If you're lucky, it'll be quick."

"Charming," Deathbringer said, looking around his cell. There was not much to speak of in Deathbringer's temporary home. It was an icy, dragon-sized room he could cross in about five steps, yet big enough to spread his wings out if they weren't bound. Deathbringer's mind worked through the possibilities of how he could escape. On one talon, he could try and carve his way through the icy wall, but he had no idea how long that would take, and using fire was too risky. On the other talon, he could wait to be taken to the queen and try to escape then. But on the third... He looked towards the dragon watching over him, who sharpened their spear with a whetstone.

She scowled, "Why are you smiling at me? Get that stupid grin off your face, Nightwing."

"Fair warning, if I'm gone for too long, my tribe will start looking for me, and you do not want my tribe to look for me." Deathbringer tried, using this excuse whenever he got into trouble.

"If I had a piece of gold every time I heard that one." she snorted, going back to sharpening her tool.

Deathbringer thought about his methods again. Chances are he would be there for at least a day, and he would not be left alone for even a second to try and tunnel out. He looked at the guard again. It was a stupid thought, but he knew that the only way out currently was through that dragon. "Well since we're going to be here for some time, may I at least have your name?"

She snorted again, "What's it to you?"

"Just trying to be friendly. I've never talked to an Icewing before." He smiled at her, "My name is Deathbringer."

He heard the stranger mutter something under her breath and then say, "My name is South."

"South." He repeated, "That's a nice name."

South sat down so she was directly in front of him, "So what were you doing in our territory?"

"Technically I wasn't in your territory." Deathbringer pointed out.

"It was close enough." She hissed, "Tell me."

"I was looking for somebody." Deathbringer said, looking at the walls of his prison, "Three moons, this place is dreadfully boring. Couldn't you at least put a painting in here? Give it some color?"

"I do not know what you were expecting from a prison, Nightwing." She shrugged, "Who were you looking for? Someone important, perchance?"

"You can say." Deathbringer said, crafting a story in mere seconds, "Do you happen to know a dragon by the name of..." He hesitated.

She looked up, her eyes looking through him as if she would know the second he tried to lie to her, "Yes?"

"By the name of... Arctic?" He hoped that using the name of a dragon from the Darkstalker story he was told as a dragonet wouldn't raise the guard's already rising suspicions.

"Arctic..." She tapped her spear on the ground, "Can't say I do. Why? What's so important about this dragon that you had to trespass into our territory?" He glared at her.

He bit his tongue to suppress himself from smiling at his cleverness, "If you must know, that dragon is somewhat of a friend of mine. Well, we used to be, anyways." He walked closer to the window, "We've been seeing each other in secret, and she wanted to see me today so we could go for a fly around the kingdom."

"Uh-huh..." Said South, her expression faltering a little bit, "I'm assuming there's a perfectly logical explanation for the weapon in your satchel?"

Deathbringer turned on his mock-guilt face, "I know..." He sighed, "I just had to have something just in case someone saw me." He said, taking care to make his voice sound full of regret.

"You know you were trespassing, Nightwing."

"I just wanted to see her, so I decided to go further away from the place we usually meet." Said Deathbringer, looking away to hopefully add to the illusion, "I didn't mean to get so close, I promise. I planned to stay and wait for her, and once we met, I would leave. I know Nightwings aren't your tribe's favorite dragon, but trust me just this once."

He squeezed a few tears into his eyes, blinking quickly to get them to fall onto the ice below them. South looked uncomfortable, but most importantly, guilty, "Where's this spot where you meet this dragon?"

He looked back at her, "The... Edge of the kingdom." He wiped his eyes.

"Just the edge of the kingdom, right?" South said, Deathbringer's ears perking excitedly as he heard the jiggling of keys.

"Yes, I swear on my life!" He said almost too excitedly, South bent down, and with a click, the iron door opened up slowly, "Thank you, thank you!" He said, bowing to the Icewing.

"I will escort you to the edge of the kingdom so you can meet this dragon, and I'll vouch for you when the time comes." South said as he felt her remove the bindings on his wings, "Don't make me regret this, Nightwing, or I'll punish you myself."

"Thank you so much, friend. There really is still kindness in this world." He bowed again, deeper this time.

"Yeah yeah." She rolled his eyes, "Come on, quickly, before I change my mind." She said, starting to walk.

"Of course. Arctic is probably waiting for me." Deathbringer said, walking behind her. As he was led out of the prison area, Deathbringer smiled at himself. Very soon, Blaze. He thought, clenching a paw as if he were crushing the soon-to-be-former queen's heart. By tomorrow morning, Blaze would be dead.