The Diamond Winglet: Frostbite's Power

Chapter 6

I stared up at the confused IceWing, shocked. "That's your name, isn't it?" I asked, and Crystal cocked her head. "Paradise..." She mumbled, and Chill's eyes widened like saucers.

"Get out, and stay out of this room until I call you." He ordered, and his eyes pierced me, Frost, and Icestorm to the bone. I could see in his eyes that he was pushed to his limit, so I backed off.

We all scrambled out, and the second the large doors to the throne room were closed, Frost let out the most angry and chilling scream. "What's going on here! This isn't fair!" Icestorm wailed, and Frost began gnawing at her tail in annoyance. "Stupid King Chill and his stupid mate. What's even up with that IceWing anyway? She sounds like one of those tribes mother told us about." she grumbled, and I nodded. "How fair is it that we have to get kicked out while-" I never finished my sentence.

A blast of energy blew the doors open, and I backed up, jaws open to scream. My father stood over Crystal, his claws holding a necklace made of diamonds, barely touching the horns on her head. His eyes were closed, and he was muttering something.

Finally, Chill shook his head, and then dropped the necklace over the IceWing, and Crystal lay there, now limp. I shut the door as quietly as possible, then proceeded to tell my siblings what I'd seen. They stared at me in horror, and I realized with equal terror that they were looking above me.

I whirled around to see the two IceWings standing there. Chill looked furious, and Crystal looked happy. "I'm terribly sorry for whatever just happened." Crystal trilled, and Chill gave me a look that told me to shut my snout or he'd do it for me.

I looked closely at Crystal once more, who was now nothing like an IceWing. Her already-few-in-number icicle-like horns had disappeared, leaving only the strange frills behind. There were no spikes on her tail, either. The only thing that was remotely IceWing about her now was her white-blue scales, and those eyes, which had gotten bluer. Trick of the light, maybe?

"Yes. I wish we could chat more, but it does appear that me and Crystal need to talk... alone for a while. Frostbite, go visit your mother. The rest of you..." He thought for a moment.

Then he grabbed two shards of ice from the floor and whispered over them. He then handed them to my siblings. "These will lead you to your rooms. Hurry. Frostbite, the infirmiry is over there. Try not to kill her." Chill said, laughing cruelly, and then he left for a room.

I snapped my jaws at him, then turned away. I started walking, then took a wrong turn. I wouldn't have put it past the living-iceberg to point me the wrong way.

An IceWing passed by that looked relatively friendly, so I reached out to touch him. He jumped back, yelping, then looked at me with a glare. "What did you to your scales? Are you an animus?" He asked, and I shook my head. "Animus... I hear that term a lot. I dunno what it means, though. I just have cold scales. Excuse me, but where is the infirmiry?" I asked, and the IceWing gave me a wide-eyed stare.

"Oh, you're the one who... oh. Just down the hall, third door on your left. Ward 3-D." He said. "Are you a doctor?" I asked, and the IceWing smiled slightly. Huh. Maybe everyone here wasn't as stuck up as they seemed. "Yes. Newly graduated. Hopefully the fever isn't too bad. IceWing fever can destroy a dragon from the inside, but she's strong. Hopefully she'll make it."

Well, if I wasn't worried before, I was now. I thanked the dragon quickly, then almost flew to the room my mother was in. Once I was admitted to see her, they opened the door, and I saw a frail, thin IceWing, that looked (besides scales and eye color) nothing like my mother.

When I did come to associate this miserable creature with my strong, beautiful, clever mother, I raced to her side, looking at her in dismay.

"Mother!" I said, and she looked over at me. "My little disaster." She said, laughing slightly, then wincing as though it hurt her. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? What's wrong?" I punched holes in her with questions, and then she unexpectedly let out a laugh.

"I'm fine, for now. Just sick. Only your father hurt me, and nothing is wrong, unless a few broken ribs is wrong." She said.

"Speaking of father, everyone calls him an animus. What's that?" I asked, and my mother shook her head. "In the morning. I'm too tired, Snowfall." She whispered, eyes glazed over. I waved my talons in front of her face, but she didn't respond in the slightest. "Who's Snowfall?" I asked, desperately trying to keep her awake. She didn't move.

I thought she was dead, until the doctors who heard my bloodcurdling screams assured me that she was simply unconcious. They led me to a room (carefully not touching my scales) Which was made of stone and surrounded with fire. "For safe purposes." They explained. Safety.

Yeah right.

Before I drifted off to sleep, I stared out of the window of my room, at the night sky above. I felt the presence of another dragon, which turned out to be Floe. She smiled at me sadly. "I forsee troubling times ahead. Don't let them change you." She said, and I shook my head.

"Never. Can you forsee whether my mom will make it?" I begged, and Floe raised an eyebrow.

She pressed her talons to her temples, closed her eyes, and after a few minutes, she mumbled, "There are a lot of futures where something bad happens, and she dies, and then there's Whiteout, who is in danger as well. It's the very same event, that takes them. I don't know much more than that. My prophecy power is a little limited when it comes to events very far in the future." She apologized, and put a wing around me.

"It happens tonight. In a few hours, I'm not sure. Be careful, great-times-a-thousand grand-nephew." She told me, and then curled up next to me. I let her, and eventually my eyes closed.

It really is amazing how after a long day, when you just want a restful sleep, how terrifying your nightmares will be.

It felt like my night-terrors had one specific mission tonight; scare me as much as possible, and i would say mission complete.

My mother turning to snowflakes in front of me, my father's decapitated head in my claws, me yelling victoriously over a battlefield of bloodied bodies, my friend Whiteout lying in the snow, Icestorm above her, grinning insanely. Frost being slaughtered by Crystal, who spat black liquid into her wounds, killing her instantly.

I felt blue and red blood running rivers underneath me, lapping at my scales. I felt like talons were clawing for me, but couldn't touch me. I heard screaming, but I couldn't help anyone, and the worst thing was the taste of ashes and death in the air.

'You have a dark future ahead of you, Frostbite. There is violence, and bloodlust inside you. A dark path with a dark soul. Don't be like your father. Stay as peaceful as the night sky tonight. Even in a war, you can win without killing.'

My eyes opened from the horrifying visions, just in time to hear the collective screams of several IceWings, and among them...

...my mother.