Conquest : A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

22. Armies

Definitely Viridian. 

Hastily swallowing some water - while slopping half of it down her front - Sandstorm called the others over and showed them the note. 

'How're we supposed to know where the main room is?' asked Falcon, finally awake.

Sandstorm shrugged, turning over the note in her talons. A messy sentence was scrawled in one corner, in a handwriting much different from Viridian's and clearly written in a hurry:

Follow the MudWing

Sandstorm raised an eyebrow. 'Here's our answer,' she replied, thrusting the paper at Ivory, who caught it neatly. The dragonets slipped out of the room and shut the door quietly behind them.

Sandstorm walked along the long corridor, seeing no dragons anywhere. Once or twice they passed SeaWings, or SkyWings, and even a purple RainWing, but no brown scales anywhere.

They rounded a corner and nearly went smack into a dark brown MudWing. 'Watch where you're going!' he snapped, and set off at a quick pace. Exchanging glances, the dragonets followed.

The MudWing was hurrying down staircases and through passageways so fast they could barely keep up. He didn't once look back to check if they were following. Finally, he turned a corner and halted.

Panting, Sandstorm skidded to a stop behind him. He was standing in front of a pair of large oak doors. He turned around, narrowed his eyes at them, and pushed past them. Sandstorm could've sworn he muttered, 'Main hall' as he passed.

Carved into the doors was a symbol - a fancy A in the centre of two clasped talons. It was simple and detailed at the same time, the artist obviously giving much importance to every aspect of the design.

Etched around the talons were the words From every mountain to every sea, let there be peace and harmony. This was the symbol on the documents in the Summer Palace.

She remembered seeing the same symbol on each of the doors, even on the door of the room they'd been put in first. She wondered if it was their logo.

Swallowing nervously, Sandstorm pushed open the door. It swung open smoothly, without making a noise, and Sandstorm found herself in a huge room. The ceiling towered over her.

She looked around in wonder. 

It was furnished well, but without the expensive extravagance of the Summer Palace Visiting Level. In the centre of the room were several high-backed chairs, mimicking the arrangement of chairs at a long table without a table.

Viridian sat at the head of all the chairs, talking quietly to the dragons on her right and left - Lightning and a SandWing who Sandstorm didn't know. Other dragons, all of them SandWings, lounged on the chairs, looking bored.

There were four SandWings, including the one next to Viridian, and six dragons in total.

All of them looked up in excitement when the dragonets came in, glad for something to take their minds off whatever was happening. 

Sandstorm uncomfortably stood in the middle of the hall, with all those eyes on her, not sure what to do.

'Finally, you're here!' Viridian said, plastering a fake smile on her snout. What it just Sandstorm, or did she look disappointed - and a slight bit impressed? Maybe she never meant for them to reach the main hall in time. But why?

Lightning gave them a quick smile when no one was looking. 

Perhaps he had written the words on the back of the note. Again, why? The Allies made everything all the more confusing, instead of solving the current problems the dragonets were facing.

'Sit down!' said Viridian airily, waving a talon at the empty seats. 

Sandstorm perched on the very edge of hers, poised and tense, eyes scanning the SandWings. So did Falcon. But Ivory sat comfortably in her chair, not concerned in the least, smiling brightly.

The SandWing next to Viridian turned cold black eyes onto Sandstorm, and she gasped. 

Narrow dark eyes, dark golden scales, a pattern of black scales on his tail that curved like a serpent's - she was looking directly at the SandWing Mutineer leader.

Serpent.

She instantly pushed her chair back and away from him.