Wings of Fire: Missed | The Turning Tides #1

Chapter 9

It was dawn when Gelid arrived at the safety of the rainforest palace and courtyard. The flight took longer than expected because her wing cramped up and the small cluster of dragons had to wait in the pitch-black forest for her to recover. Needless to say, she always hated being the slow one but they got there in the end.

Gelid told Pale about everything that happened. About Lava and his acquaintance with the Talons of Power. Then the nightwing attack on her and then waking up in Swan's hut where he helped her. She didn't say anything about Swan's wounds though, that was something he'd tell when he wanted to. Also, Lava was still out there, in the nightwing village or on the run.

The rainwing escorts broke off as soon as they arrived. Gelid guessed they went to sleep in their hammocks. Herself didn't feel like sleeping. She felt as if she accidentally fell asleep while flying until landing at the pavilion. Pale looked the same way.

"I'll go alert the guards of that mudwing," Pale said to her. "Maybe he hasn't gone far."

Gelid nodded. "Thank you, Pale."

Lava deserved it after what he did. She doubted Lava would've even left the rainforest so he'd be easy to find. If he placed enough trust in those nightwings to kill her then he would've had nothing to worry about and no talons pointed at him. But he didn't take Swan into account. Swan was the only reason she was still alive.

The pavilion was in the shape of a semicircle and overlooked the courtyard, opposite to the sleeping rooms for important guests. She spotted the room Queen Blizzard used before but the drapes were open and the room was empty. She wondered where Queen Blizzard would be up at this hour.

Pale called out to a guard closest to the centre of the platform overlooking the courtyard. With dawn breaking, she guessed the nightwings would be cycled out with rainwing guards.

Gelid had to be thankful for Pale. He cared a lot for his fellow icewings and other dragons. His personality was very unusual for an icewing that lived in the palace and she even admitted to herself that she overlooked him at first, not considering that he was one of the highest ranking icewings in the kingdom. He definitely didn't show off like the others. Like Gelid did.

Perhaps that was why Queen Blizzard trusted him so much, because Pale cared.

"You shouldn't be here," that was Mist's distinguishable voice nearby. Gelid almost missed the yelling of the icewing princess. Almost.

Mist's scornful tone wasn't directed at Gelid for once, but at someone else. Maybe Mist knew where Queen Blizzard was. Mist spoke again, notifying Gelid that the princess was below on the platform, under the one she was on. Gelid ducked over the edge, carefully descending down in case her wing cramped again. Just as Gelid suspected, Mist was there.

Two sandwings were bickering with Mist. To her surprise, it was Amber and Torrid but what were they doing in the rainforest?

"I don't care why you're here. You shouldn't be here and that's final," Mist said at the sandwings. Her eyes locked onto Gelid between the two dragons. She swore she saw Mist smile for a second. Or perhaps an opportunity to get out of the conversation she was currently in. "Well, well, well. I take that your adventure was incredibly rewarding," Mist said to her.

Amber and Torrid both twisted to look, meeting Gelid with surprise.

"Oh look! It's the Extinguisher!" Amber said with an arching smile.

"I have a name," Gelid said.

"Oh I know, I know. Extinguisher isn't a name thought, it's a title. Not very many earn that title, you know. I think it's very fitting for you."