Wings of Fire: The Forgotten World

chapter 23

By CamsterDragon
Hemlock's POV

Hemlock was surprised. Surprised and terrified. He wasn't sure what had caused the sudden shift in Velocity's mood or what had made her decide to help them when she could've easily traded them to the guards. But, Hemlock had seen an age-old fear in her eyes that made her wings droop and her face filled with longing and sorrow. It was still so different from the Viperwing she showed on the outside.

He was also surprised that the guards had noticed both that he was the prince and that the "escaped prisoner" was with him. He supposed saying his name out loud wasn't the best idea.

Part of the fear in him blamed Velocity for their mishap. If she hadn't told me to meet her, I wouldn't have been caught; if she wasn't so lively, I wouldn't have been caught; if I didn't take an instant liking to her, I wouldn't have been caught... He brushed that last thought away, dismissing it as the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

He was even more grateful than before that he had left some gold jewelry for the Sunwings since he likely wouldn't be returning to repay his services. Which was too bad; he liked the family a lot.

Following Velocity was far more painful than it had to be. Hemlock was stuck both trying to steer Pleiades in the right direction and trying to keep up with the already fast Viperwing. He did his best, but he couldn't help but wince at the long trail of dead things left behind them.

He was also aware of the constant footsteps behind them. Occasionally, they would duck behind a building and take another path to confuse the guards, but they still kept coming. It was hard enough that Hemlock was a white speck among dark sand and grass, but it would've been even harder if Sunwings could fly, so he was grateful for at least that one fact.

Velocity led them to a bush next to the wall. She seemed very excited about this bush, but Hemlock couldn't see why. And, frankly, he was getting nervous that she was leading them into a trap. He was only a little more reassured when she moved the bush aside to reveal a hole in the tall wall.

"You go first." He narrowed his eyes at Velocity.

"Sure!" She hopped right through and called out from the other side, "All clear!"

Hemlock turned to Pleiades. "I know you don't want to, but you're going ahead of me so you don't bump into me and so I can watch you and any guards behind us." Pleiades reluctantly nodded her head. Hemlock gave her a thorough run-through of where she was going as she stepped into the hole and slowly traveled through. After she was safely through, Hemlock pushed back the bush behind him, shivering as darkness engulfed him. Then, he creeped through the hole and out the other side, relieved when no unexpected surprises greeted him.

An uncomfortable pause followed their escape. "Now what?" Pleiades put a voice to the question they were all thinking.

"The Spiral Kingdom is close," Hemlock mentioned, picturing the map perfectly in his mind. "We could hide there until everything cools off. It's not like the dragons there would care."

Velocity shrugged. "I've got no better plan."

"Me neither," added Pleiades.

"To the Spiralwings it is!" exclaimed Velocity.

They set off into the desert, Velocity often leaping ahead and then running back to them again. By now, Hemlock remembered he had forgotten water. He still had some leftover food, but recalling his desperate dehydrated state, he knew more than ever before that one, especially Cloudwings, could not survive in a desert without a cool liquid to keep them going.

Already, he could feel sweat in his fur and running down the side of his face. His legs felt heavier with each step, and his eyes drifted closed against his will. Seeing the broken state of Pleiades beside him once again however, he pushed himself to continue on, through his worst nightmare and to the land beyond.

Because he was tired and had to guide Pleiades around the thorny brambles of doom, it took much longer for them to journey across the wide expanse of desert. It took so long, in fact, that the sun was beginning to already make its way back down the sky.

"Maybe." He yawned, trying to not trip on any rocks in the process. "Maybe we should take a quick break?"

"Come on." Velocity looked at him like he was crazy. She was clearly still full of energy. As he turned to glance at Pleiades, he noticed she also didn't seem very tired. "I'm sure we're almost there! Besides, if we stop now, the bandits could find us." Hemlock decided he didn't want to put the group in danger, so he shut his mouth from then on.

If he had been less tired, he would've noticed the faint smell of approaching Sunwings or the musty odor of their scales. As it was, he didn't detect them until they had formed a half-circle around them.

"Nauw, listen ere punks," said one. He was bigger than the others with darker poison spots and talons. They all blended almost perfectly with the sand, so it was no wonder they hadn't seen any of them approach. "You gives us your moneys, and we let you go."

Hemlock's fight or flight instincts kicked in, and he leaped off the floor. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his snake bite had not completely healed, and it caused his take off to act more like a barrelling into the lead Sunwing. The Sunwing was shocked, both literally and metaphorically, and fell to the ground unconscious. With no leader, the others fled in terror.

"Well, that was quick," muttered Velocity.

"Let's just keep going," murmured Hemlock. Zapping the leader had completely drained him.

They arrived at the Spiral kingdom just before nightfall. With extreme luck, they managed to find a spacious cave-like sand dune next to the rainforest, and they decided to crash there for the night. Hemlock was too tired to notice anything but the surprisingly comfortable sand beneath him. He only managed to see that Pleiades was safe in the cave before collapsing on the floor and falling asleep.