Wings of Fire: Overcast

Chapter Thirteen

Things were not going according to Eclipse's plan, but at least she had an IceWing to entertain her in their makeshift prison. This wasn't the war camp for the IceWings in the war; it was the training camp where they trained IceWings. It was perfectly safe, because of Queen Diamond's gift of healing, to heal frostbreath injuries, so no one got seriously hurt.

"I'm just wondering, why would you question authority like that?"

"Authorities, you mean? According to Stalactite."

"Aurora - answer the question." Iceshard was patient as always, but sometimes he couldn't always keep up with her back-and-forth conversations, all the snarky comments, and basically just... Everything.

"I'm more rebellious than you, I'll say," Eclipse said in her calmest voice, like she was staying a fact.

"We try to drill that out of IceWing dragonets," he said, surprised.

"How old are you - five? Do you even know what goes on in the Ice Kingdom?" she asked airily.

"You look four. And I'm six." Just like she'd thought.

"I didn't say I knew what goes on, I'm just saying, don't assume you know everything."

Iceshard nodded slightly, but he still looked a little shocked. He'd probably never met another IceWing like her. She wasn't an IceWing, after all; she was a cleverly disguised NightWing. Maybe it was a good thing Darkstalker hadn't come. He would never have been able to pass off for a regular IceWing, especially if he was wearing his earring that made everyone think he was handsome and charming.

"Well... We can't afford to waste a perfectly healthy IceWing. We'll need to train you up for the war."

Eclipse made a mental note that she now had freezing frostbreath instead of fire. "Okay," she said.

Iceshard tried to fight her to train her, but with swift NightWing reflexes and her own strangely developed fighting tactics, he could never pin her down, and in the end it was her slamming him into the ground and grinning triumphantly. He tried to gain an edge by stabbing at her with his tail, and she was too slow, failing to dodge it. His hard strike glanced off her scales and he yelped as his tail stung from the impact. She'd forgotten about her invulnerable scales; that hit should have given him an edge in the battle.

"Are your scales made of rocks?" Iceshard demanded as he continued his barraging assault to no avail. She twisted and weaved between his claws, casually ignoring the question before landing a hit with her tail that sent him flying backwards. Oops... The bracelet that enhanced her strength. She was probably wearing too many protective measures.

"Shouldn't be. They're scales, aren't they? Is your tail just made of snow?" She teased.

Iceshard frowned but didn't respond, continuing his desperate attack as she gained the lead in the fight, landing more and more hits. Each time she pinned him, it was harder for him to escape her clutches, and eventually, he couldn't. He was wedged between her claws, and his eyes widened.

"That... Impossible. I'm one of the most talented for my age, and you're younger than me," he said breathlessly. Then he regained composure and was about to speak with his perfectly calm voice when she slapped him across the face.

"Enough of that! Just let me see who you really are. What you're really feeling," Eclipse snapped. Three moons, his tranquility was irritating!

"I... I am Iceshard. Son of Stalagmite and Sylvia," he stuttered.

"You're Stalactite's son?" Eclipse asked, disgusted.

"No. Stalagmite's. Stalactites and stalagmites are different things, Aurora."