Treacherous Skies

Chapter Five

Hunter curled up in the cell at the bottom of the hall. He was underground, and the cell was too small for him to have been able to spread his wings, but still the guards had left the clamps on his wings. He saw the other SkyWings flying back and forth across the hall, and wanted nothing more than to be flying up into the sky, Fire by his side as they escaped the Sky Palace.

He buried his snout under his talons. It was his fault this had happened. If he hadn't flown so far south, if he hadn't accepted Cerise's 'offer,' if he hadn't been so trusting, Then Fire wouldn't be flying off to the desert, being forced to kill.

He gnawed at the wires around him, knowing they wouldn't break and wishing they would. As he ground his back teeth on the metal, he felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up and growled as Queen Cerise landed lightly on the bars above him.

"I'm sorry to treat you like this," she said insincerely.

"No you're not," Hunter snarled. "If you were sorry you'd let me and Fire go. Now get out of here before I rip your wings off."

It would have been an empty threat even if he hadn't been locked in a cell. He doubted he'd be strong enough to pull of the queen's wings, even if for some reason she wasn't fighting him while he was at it.

"I truly am sorry, Hunter. You shouldn't have to be treated like this. You brought us the greatest gift the SkyWing tribe has had in years. If your sister had just agreed to fight for us in the first place, I wouldn't have been forced to do this."

"If you think you can get me to blame her for this..." Hunter warned.

"The thing is, Hunter," Cerise continued as if he hadn't said anything. "being queen sometimes doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Sometimes you're forced to do things you don't want to for the good of your subjects. Or to prove your strength to the other tribes that would try to harm you otherwise."

"Have you ever spoken a word that wasn't a lie?"

"Oh, yes. The SandWings really did attack us at the delta, and your sister really is our best hope for defeating them."

Hunter snorted.

"And though I do not want to force her to fight, Fire is really no good for anything else. It's the only thing she can do. Her scales stop her from being able to do anything else for her tribe, but they make her the strongest fighter on Pyrrhia."

Hunter lunged at her, snapping at her talons. Cerise pulled away, circling above him as he hissed in fury.

"When this is over, you will both thank me," she called. "Your lives were nothing before. Now you have a purpose."

She fluttered away as Hunter roared after her, wishing he could blast her with a jet of flames.

Fire flew behind Crimson, the queen's brother. Her head was bowed, and she was trying desperately to think of a way out of their situation, but came up with nothing. As long as the queen had Hunter, they were both imprisoned.

She looked up and saw a glittering band of water on the horizon.

Oh, no, she thought. Surely they couldn't be there already?

Her question was answered as Crimson turned to face her, hovering in the air.

"Up there is the delta," he said simply. "The SandWings live in the houses on its banks. All you have to do is to get them out of their little huts and into the air. Get rid of most of them, and we will come in and do the rest. But don't stop fighting until we get there. If I see you do anything other than fight..."

"Stop," Fire said in despair. "I know what you'll say."

"Then go," Crimson ordered.

Fire nodded miserably, flying towards the water. As she neared the village, three pale yellow dragons soared up from the river to meet her.

Turn around, just turn around, she begged silently, but it was no use. The largest dragon stopped to hover before her.

"Did Queen Cerise send you?" he asked.

Flame started to respond, then stopped.

They'll kill Hunter, she thought.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then lashed out with her talons. Three smoking lines appeared on the SandWing's snout, and he screamed in pain. He fell back, staring at her in shock. The other two SandWings lunged at her, one swung his tail barb at her face. Fire ducked, and his tail burst into flames. He yelped and dove towards the sand below. The other SandWing closed his talons around her wing, pinning it closed even as his scales began to burn. The two dragons fell towards the sand below, the SandWing holding on to Fire's wing even as his face contorted with pain.

Fire shook him off, catching herself barely above the sand. The SandWing wasn't as lucky; he crumpled on the sand and didn't move again.

A wing of dragons lifted off from the village, and tears began to fall from Fire's eyes. She would either have to kill them all, or she and Hunter would die.