Of all the things Smolder expected to be after the failed peace meeting, alive was not one of them.
Alive, with Flower, also wasn't one of them.
But alive, with Flower, and imprisoned in the weirdling tower alongside Queen Glacier? Not once in the moments after Blister's victory had he even considered finding himself in this situation.
The tower was dark, in all of its creepy, psychopathic glory. Burn's toys still cluttered the place, though Smolder doubted they would remain for long. If he knew his one surviving sister (and he would considering how long he'd avoided getting killed by her), she would destroy any traces of her former competitors for the Sandwing throne and erase them from history. It wouldn't do to have some upstart Sandwing attempt a revolt in Burn or Blaze's names now, would it?
He was lying despondently in the cage that had previously housed Scarlet until Sunny's friend Peril came and rescued the disfigured former queen. He swore he could still smell the reek of the Skywing's half-melted scales. Flower was in a smaller cage adjacent to his, looking worried with her scrunched up scavenger expression. Across the landing from them, Queen Glacier sat in her cage staring out onto the winding ramp leading to the landing, her snout wrapped tightly with several lengths of thick chains. She looked none too happy to be Blister's prisoner, and had shown as much when she'd severely scratched a couple of the guards that captured her before she could flee back to her kingdom. It had been three days since the peace meeting and Smolder could still see the dried blood encrusted on the tips of her spikes.
Which was something Smolder still didn't understand. Why wasn't he dead yet?
"Why do you think Blister spared us?" he asked Flower for the hundredth time.
The little scavenger looked over at him, cocking her head. "Hobble tibble," she said.
"Certainly she doesn't like me—we royal siblings have never been fond of each other. It would be much simpler for her to just kill me and eliminate the only other member of the Sandwing royal family. She wouldn't have to worry about anyone competing for her throne. Unless she has dragonets, which I don't see happening anytime soon." He shuddered. "I don't envy the poor, unhatched souls who must call Blister 'mother'."
"Frobble?"
"Does she take pity on me? Hmm. She's not as heartless as Burn, true, but that's not saying much. Perhaps she thinks she can use me somehow, though for what, I don't know. I can't lead armies or concoct schemes—at least, not very well. All I can do is take care of scavengers and avoid getting killed."
"Dibble tuddle foo."
"Why she kept you alive is what I want to know. I was certain after they plucked you from my back that it would be the last I'd see of you before you were dropped down some soldier's gullet. Instead she locked you up next to me. Does she think you're her pet, her grotesque plaything? Maybe Burn's had more of an influence on Blister than I thought."
"Piddle. Frobble piddle."
Smolder sighed. "Yes, you're right, no point in wasting words on it now." He gazed through the bars of his cage at Glacier, whose icy white scales glimmered even in the darkness. "What about her? My bet is on Blister ransoming her back to the Icewing royal family, probably for treasure or their allegiance. She probably wants payback for all the support Blaze pulled away from her during the war, not to mention keep the northern desert away from the Icewings."
Flower yawned, her little mouth closing with a high-pitched squeak.
"I know, I know, I'm rambling again. There's nothing else for me to do in this wonderful abode. Maybe Blister plans to torture me to death via boredom. If so, she's doing a fine job of it." Now Smolder yawned, his gaping maw dwarfing Flower's. He settled his head on his front claws, licking his snout with his forked tongue. His stomach growled audibly. He hoped the guards hadn't forgotten about their meal times again.
