Wing of Fire - The Iceborn (Fanfiction)

Chapter 28

It was an agonizingly slow trek across the ice. Although Blizzard couldn't feel the winds that bombarded her companions, it showed on the ice. The winds were so strong that they were ridding the ice of any bumps, spikes, or any imperfections. Even Blizzard's serrated claws couldn't find anything to grab onto, resulting in Blizzard slipping more than she was used to.

Even the Grand Headmaster looked to be struggling. Their steps were slow, as they made sure their talon was firmly planted into the ice. The hooked claws on the end of the gauntlets were dug halfway into the ice with each step.

Blizzard couldn't stand seeing her companions in this state. She had the right mind to go on ahead to King's Peak to see what she could do. But then again, she didn't want to leave her friends alone.

As if answering her inner dilemma, something in the distance emerged from the fog. It had felt like an entire day of walking, and Blizzard was glad to see something other than ice, fog, and struggling dragons. It was hard to tell what the object was, as it had no real shape to it. It looked like a giant ice sculpture of spikes, looking to be over ten dragons tall, that were facing away from the winds. It was shaped strangely, like an outward explosion of spikes that were frozen in time. Within the ice were strange golden and copper sparkles.

The Grand Headmaster noticed the sculpture and seemed to sigh deeply, a plume of white breath seeping out of their mask.

"Almost!" the Grand Headmaster roared. "We're almost in the clear!"

After more painstaking steps, the group finally passed the sculpture. When they did, the cloak on the Grand Headmaster stopped flapping. The dragons stumbled forward, looking dazed and exhausted.

"We camp here," the Grand Headmaster stated, a pant in their voice. "Once we regain out strength, it's a beeline towards the mountain,"

The Grand Headmaster were met with no protests. Only the panting of three exhausted dragons. Blizzard saw them struggling to even lift their makeshift sleeping beds out of their bags, and raced forward to help them. She unraveled the mats and laid them out on the other side of the sculpture, out of the winds and in the strange still air. She received a chorus of soft and beat thank yous. Blizzard shook her wings out and watched as everyone fell into their sleeping mats, their shaking legs unable to hold them up for any longer. They didn't even bother to remove their armor, which probably felt like lead weights on every scale.

But to Blizzard's curiosity, the Grand Headmaster, made their bed right next to the sculpture. They stared up at the copper and gold sparkles, their mask swaying from side to side to show their own tiredness.

"Does this thing have some significance?" Blizzard asked, sure that the Grand Headmaster wouldn't answer her again. But this time, to the IceWing's astonishment, the Grand Headmaster nodded before laying their head down to sleep as well.

Blizzard was left to stare at the glittering ice spikes, wondering what worth they would have to someone as mysterious and as powerful as the Grand Headmaster.

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Blizzard had taken her own bed as the large, draping cloak that was hanging around the Grand Headmaster's tail. She woke up to see the Grand Headmaster awake, their head up and tilted towards the other stirring dragons.

Supercell was the first to wake, her white eyes blinking open before she rolled and stretched. She had visible bruising around her talons, as did the rest of the party that wasn't invisible or cloaked. She rubbed her talons together mournfully before standing up and shaky legs.