#1 WoF collection

TrailBlazing- 4

"What am I going do?" Blaze asked herself miserably, blinking back her tears. I've made Thorn so angry she's never going to take me in again. I hate how messed up everything's become!

Why did Mother have to die? It was only after her death that everything began to go wrong. First her sisters became so horrible to her. Burn had chased her and Blister out of the palace that they'd shared as a home. Then the war had broken out and she had to flee to the Ice Kingdom and nearly froze to death. Then Blister had tried to kill her when they finally met after so many years! And now this!

"What can I do?" Blaze moaned. "The whole world hates me!"

She wished she was like Blister. Blister always had a plan. She'd know what to do. Or Burn. Burn was always so strong; nothing could ever get Burn down. What would they do?

'Swallow your pride and go back to Thorn,' Blister's voice said in her mind. 'She's the only one who took you under her wing in the first place.'

"Wait, what are you doing inside my head?" Blaze asked the voice of Blister.

'Does it matter?' Blister's voice asked sharply. 'You wanted my help so here I am. Go back to Thorn and apologise. She's the only chance you've got at becoming Queen one day.'

It sounded exactly like Blister to use others just because she needed them. But Blaze wasn't Blister. Blaze decided she would go back and apologise but not for the same reasons Blister would've done it but because Thorn had been genuinely kind to her and she'd had no right to have called her "some random SandWing". Thorn was a much better Queen than she'd ever be.

Hopefully, if Thorn was still the kindly dragon she remembered, she'd take Blaze in again.

'You're a useless dragon and a horrid excuse for an heir,' a harsh voice growled in Blaze's mind. It was Burn's voice. 'Are you really going to let that stand?'

Blaze didn't like to acknowledge it but it was true.

'Then prove her wrong!' Burn's voice shouted. Blaze wanted to cover her ears but it was all inside her head. 'Show her you'll take her lessons seriously from now on and that you're making an effort to change!'

It was definitely Burn. If someone insulted Burn, she'd have never let it rest until she'd proven the dragon wrong. What were her sisters doing inside her head?

'And the first thing you can do is to track down the dragon who robbed you,' Blister said. 'Show Thorn you can take care of yourself.'

'And tear the thief apart while you're at it,' Burn's voice added with undeniable glee.

That wasn't right, when did her sisters ever agree with one another? But they were right, she was going to find the dragon who robbed her. And she was going to make him pay.

'And look, there he is!' Blister piped up. Sure enough, when Blaze looked up, she saw the very same dragon taking refuge in the alley and admiring his prize in his claws.

'Get him!' Burn bellowed.

Blaze needed no further encouragement. With a yell, she lunged at the thief.

Startled, he saw her and he bolted. But Blaze wasn't about to let him escape this time. She sprinted after him into the streets. She bumped into a couple of SandWings but unlike last time, she didn't even wait to hear whatever they had to say.

The thief stopped briefly and toppled a couple of crates that had been propped up precariously against a wall. Angry curses and shouts followed him as he took off again.

Blaze tried to vault over one of the crates but missed her footing and tumbled forwards. Miraculously, she was able to right herself before she hit the floor and she continued the chase. But she was panting. She couldn't keep this up forever.

Her heart soared when she saw the thief run into a dead end.

"I've got you now," she muttered between breaths.

The thief knew he was cornered but that wasn't about to stop him from trying to escape. Instead, he turned to face Blaze, wings spread intimidatingly, and charged. Blaze panicked and dove out of the way. Then the thief leapt into the air and over Blaze.

Quickly, she took to the air and flew off in pursuit. Now that she'd got a better look at him, she realised he was rather small-a dragonet perhaps?

He turned sharply in mid-air and flew off into the desert. Blaze struggled to make the turn. The thief looked back and realised she wasn't going to give up easily. Then, he made a dive straight for the sands below.

He's going to kill himself, Blaze thought.

His impact kicked up the largest dust cloud she'd ever seen. But when it cleared, he was nowhere in sight. Blaze landed. She contemplated whether to start digging. It would absolutely ruin her claws but it was also the only way she'd get her stuff back. Sighing, she stabbed at the sand and began shovelling.

I wish you guys weren't just voices in my head, Blaze thought to the mind-voices she'd heard earlier. That way you guys could help out.

'But where's the fun in that?' the Blister-voice asked. 'This way, things get done and we don't even have to lift a talon.'

'Come on little sister,' the Burn voice ordered. 'Put your back into it. You need the workout!'

"What are you guys anyway?" Blaze asked. "You didn't exist until a few moments ago."

'We're the ghosts of your sisters, Blaze, and we're here to haunt you!' the Blister-voice said eerily.

'Or we could just be figments of your imagination conjured because of your dehydration.' Burn added grimly.

Blaze ignored the last comment and kept digging. She couldn't find a body anywhere! He couldn't have got away, could he? She kept at it for what felt like hours. Suddenly, she saw something out of her peripheral vision.

There he was, lying flat on the sand! How had she not seen the body earlier? Tired but triumphant, she staggered over to it.

'Wait, Blaze,' Burn started to say. 'It's a...'

Blaze reached the body only to find it had disappeared. Had it ever been there in the first place?

Blaze, overwhelmed by despair and exhaustion, collapsed in the sand. Darkness enveloped her vision and her thoughts faded into peaceful oblivion.

'...mirage,' Burn finished. And soon even her voice faded too.