Wings of Fire: The Forgotten Legend

Chapter 9

The morning was bright, but of course, all the Nightwings were all asleep in the Night Kingdom. Those who had returned from the trip were exhausted.
The silent night was interrupted by the sound of two Nightwings moving as quietly as they could. One was tall and black, while the other was almost dragonet size and grey.
"Shh! Come on, come on! Quietly now...no, don't poke him! They'll all wake up!" The tall one said to the other.
They came to the vast hall doors, which were conveniently opened slightly, just enough for the two to squeeze through. Looking around, making sure no one was awake, they went under one of the tables, where there was a hidden trapdoor. Opening it and closing it behind them, they descended a spiraling staircase of black stone, into the deep earth. It ended at a circular room of average size. It consisted of nothing but six torches and a column. But this one had a large purple sphere right in the middle.
"You are late." A Nightwing came out of a corner, with a snarling expression, making the smaller one jump.
The taller one responded. "Sorry. There was a little detour in which they ran into. They came back later than expected." The one who was already there, the oldest one, turned to the purple sphere.
"What did you want us here for, Dis?" The sphere suddenly lit up, and a voice issued from it. "I want you to keep an eye for a certain...prince. He is the slight problem in our plans and might interfere. But in the case, he finds out anything, bind him and bring him to me. I have plans for him. Now go!"
The light then faded. "You heard him. GET MOVING!" The oldest one said, and the other two quickly ran up the stairwell. "If they fail, they know what happens."

Oh, finally! Relaxation and rest! His wings were killing him but thank the moons he didn't have to do anything today. Shadowhawk got out of bed and walked over to his sister's room. Of course, she's still sleeping! A distant noise rung throughout the hall outside, like the shutting of doors. No one is supposed to be up, right? He ran to the doors and flung them wide open but found no trace of any dragon. That was a little weird. Suspicious, he went back into his room and fell asleep.

The feast later was set up beautifully. There were all kinds of food, including fish (which apparently was edible when smoked), pig (a Nightwing favorite), and sheep, a tradition. At the head of the very, very, very long table was Queen Oblate laughing and talking with the other highly ranked officials, like everyone else in the room. Shadowhawk looked at the assortment and couldn't resist. While he was eating, he felt a pair of eyes looking at him. He ignored it and went back to eating, but quickly looked behind him, and found Foeslayer staring at him with a cheeky smile.
"You look incredibly ridiculous when you eat, especially when eating that pig. As they say, you are what you eat." He finished chewing and coughed. "Please, don't make me laugh. And, I am just a little hungry, since I just traveled more than you ever had." He gave a little smirk, and they both laughed. Then Foeslayer's eyes turned serious.
"Hey, can I ask you a question privately?"
"Sure." He replied. They walked outside to one of the many balconies of the palace, where the moon cast its illuminating glow on the dark land.

"So, what is it?" he asked. Foeslayer shifted uneasily. "Well, you are one of the only dragons I trust..."
"I am gathering that this is personal and that this has something to do with Arctic?" She turned red. "Yes...but how can this work? How could I love an Icewing, of all tribes? What am I going to do?" She dropped to the floor and started crying. Shadowhawk stood there with pity but didn't really know what to say.
"Hey, calm down! Look at me!" he demanded. She looked up at him slowly with a tearful face.
"It's all right. There are some who mingle in with other tribes, so you aren't going to be the first one. There's nothing wrong with it."
He slowly wrapped his wing around her. She stopped crying and snuggled up against him.
"Thank you." Shadowhawk smiled with those faint words. "Now I'm wondering, why didn't you fall for me in the first place?" She slapped him. "Now I really hate you."
Shadowhawk looked inside for a moment and caught a glimpse of a swift, fleeting shadow. "We were not alone." He got up and raced indoors and gave chase. He turned a corner, but ran into the misfortune of the feast, and saw no sign of the sign of the spy.
Foeslayer came panting next to Shadowhawk. "What was that about?"
"Someone was watching on us." His face was grave, and she gave a worried look. "Oh, no. This is..."
"Don't say it. That dragon I am sure is spying on me, not you. I know I am the target."
"How?" she asked. But Shadowhawk walked away from a stunned Foeslayer. It is becoming too dangerous for everyone else. I must go to the future.

This is the conclusion of the prologue (of the prologue). I also got the 12th book. The ending always kills me, especially this one. Enjoy!
Based on the books Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland