Master of None: A Wings of Fire fanfiction

43.

Content warning: Violence and gore

Clearsight

We've been flying for days.

The pace we've been keeping has been painfully slow. I have to stop to take breaks almost constantly, forever short on energy and breath.

We watch the trees go by beneath us, feel the air grow a little colder with every day of travel. We stare out at the deep blue waves and the furious white caps that beat against the shore. Our plan is to travel north, up the mostly unpopulated western coast of the Sky Kingdom, then cross the bay between the Sky Kingdom's northern tip and the Ice Kingdom. We want to avoid taking me into the subzero temperatures of the north as long as we possibly can.

The reality–we both know, though we haven't spoken about it–is that we can't be seen up here. SkyWings are notoriously hostile to outsiders; if they see us, we could be imprisoned just for being NightWings in their territory. So we might have to cross the water a lot sooner than intended.

I don't like it one bit. I've heard too many stories about dragons trying and failing to make it over this ocean: it's supposed to be one of the most treacherous seas there are in Pyrrhia. Dragons go missing trying to fly over it; never to be seen again. But what choice do we have? Getting to the Ice Kingdom is going to be dangerous any way we slice it.

Looking out at the water, I can't help remembering when I was young. I used to dream of one day crossing the ocean and finding the Lost Continent, using my powers to hop from island to island. It feels like a lifetime ago.

Darkstalker looks over at me. "How are you doing?" he asks.

After spending a month recovering in that cave, my strength isn't exactly what it used to be. I hate how focused I have to be on my own energy and pain levels now. That kind of mindfulness doesn't come naturally to me. Too often, I don't even notice I'm hurting until after the damage has been done; something my husband chides me for endlessly. We don't have the time to dawdle--but we also don't have the time for me to hurt myself again. 

"I... don't know. Tired? A little sore? These beaches look pretty abandoned; let's land there and find somewhere to rest. It's almost morning."

If I were just a bit stronger, we could be in the Ice Kingdom by now.

I can't get the thought out of my head. I'm starting to think I might die trying.

***

We sit on the beach, staring out at the surf. He used to take me flying in storms like these.

Now, they scare us both. We can't get hurt; there's no more time to lose.

"I'll look around," Darkstalker says, shaking the rain off his wings. "See if I can find some cave we can hide in. Unless you want to sleep out in the rain." He chuckles.

I nod, letting him march off across the rocky beach. It's good for him to have some goal to pursue.

I sit out on the beach, letting small, cool raindrops wash over my face. It's too dark to see the stars tonight.

These storms always make me think of Shadowhunter. I wonder if she's out in the rain too. If she's thinking of me, or her father, or the way things used to be.

Would it always have fractured and fallen apart? Or can I really just chalk it up to the war?

Looking back, our family feels like it was made from porcelain–always destined to break at some point or other. Or is that just hindsight?