Wings of Fire: The Forgotten World

chapter 17

By CamsterDragon
Hemlock's POV

Wings beating furiously, Hemlock flew over the desert as fast as physically possible. The bright sun beat on to his fur which was already soaked with sweat. How can Sunwings survive out here? There was no breeze and no relief from the heat. Hemlock hadn't stopped once for fear of landing on the thorny objects below him, and it was slowly making him grow crazy. Twice he thought he saw water only to discover it was a mirage and more than once he thought he saw a group of Sunwings when they were simply more thorny bushes.

Looking behind him, Hemlock reminded himself once again that he was too deep in to turn back now. He couldn't even see the Cloud Mountains anymore and was steadily becoming more and more homesick.

The only thing that kept his tired wings beating as long as they did was the image of Pleiades, screaming as torture was inflicted on her, every time he closed his eyes. Even now, in the quiet heat of the desert, he could still hear the haunting echoes of his dream reminding him why he was here. If I die, at least no one can blame me. His eyes began to droop as the heat filled his muscles and brain. He probably should've waited until he was fully rested to fly across a desert, but back then, he had been too focused on saving Pleiades than worrying about his own well-being...

His eyes snapped open as he felt the ground beneath him. Looking down, he realized he had slowly dropped from the sky until he was brushing against the floor. Groaning, he pushed his wings harder, trying to lift himself back off the ground. But then, something slimy touched his skin. Craning his head back, Hemlock saw a huge snake wrapping itself around his leg. Crying out, he shook the animal from his body, feeling a sharp sting in his leg. Did he bite me? How do I stop the poison? Going back high into the air, he searched through his bag, trying to find something that could help. Finding a scarf, he tied it tightly around his leg so the poison wouldn't spread. Snakes can't kill dragons, right? He flew at a faster pace now, more determined than ever to reach the Sun Kingdom and get his leg treated.

Not long after, a shape appeared on the horizon. Dismissing it as another mirage, Hemlock ignored it and continued on. As it got larger and larger however, Hemlock realized it wasn't a mirage at all. Cursing his bad eyesight, Hemlock squinted at the object, trying to figure out what it was. Green. The color came to him instantly. His eyes opened in amazement as he flapped his wings harder. An oasis was coming into view, one of the biggest Hemlock had seen. It was sprinkled across the red sand, close enough together that it was a relief from the sameness of the desert before, but far enough apart that it still looked like a desert. A huge wall was built around the place, but Hemlock could just see over it. Hundreds of Sunwings walked around its leafy floor, going in and out of homes that seemed to spring out of nowhere. A huge, imposing palace towered over all the other buildings on top of a red, sandy hill, giving the other houses shade and a feeling of smallness.

In the center of the place, Hemlock could just make out a huge lake where young dragonets were frolicking in the water as their parents watched with amused expressions on their faces. Water! Hemlock could think of nothing else as he stared greedily at the round clear lake. His tongue brushed against the top of his dry mouth, longing to be refreshed by the cool liquid.

He landed at the city gates, looking like a beggar more than anything else with red sand stuck in his fur and streaked across his face.

"What's a Cloudwing doing all the way out here?" asked one of the Sunwing guards, smirking at Hemlock.

"I don't know. He must be lost," replied the other guard.

"Please. I just want water," begged Hemlock.

"And what are you gonna give us in return?" retorted the first guard.

Hemlock blinked in surprise. "I.. I don't have anything to give," he lied.

"Then we can't help you." The second guard sighed, rolling his eyes. "Get lost kid."

"Wait!" stuttered Hemlock. "Please, I'll do anything! I'll work it off however you choose; I just want food, water, and a place to stay for the night!"

"Increasing your demands, are you?" taunted the first guard, but the second guard now looked thoughtful.

"You got a lot of spirit kid," he said, eying Hemlock up. "Tell you what. I'll do you better than one day. You see, my mate needs help with her shop since she just hatched three new dragonets." He was clearly proud of that fact. "If you help her for a week, we'll let you stay, food and water included."

"Really?" Hemlock beamed.

"Really?" mimicked the first guard. "You'll let him in, just like that?"

"Yep, really," replied the second guard. "Besides, if he stays out here much longer, he'll die of heatstroke. Cloudwings aren't built for the heat."

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" exclaimed Hemlock. "I won't let you down!"

"You better not," grumbled the first guard and the second cuffed him on the head.

"Come now, Viper! He's our guest now!" He laughed and beckoned to Hemlock with his tail. Then, he started walking away calling out, "I'll be back in a minute Viper!"

Hemlock gulped, staring up at the imposing wall. Pleiades, here I come. Squaring his shoulders, Hemlock followed the Sunwing into the city.