Conquest : A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

23. Treaties

'Watch out!'

Sandstorm ducked out of the speaker's way, but she wasn't quick enough. He skidded sideways but ended up tripping over her tail.

Sandstorm extricated herself quickly, internally debating on whether to follow Moon's advice on etiquette and offer to help him get up, or just follow her instinct, which was much more petty.

As it turned out, none of them, because the dragon got up himself.

Well, one point to him for standing on his own feet. Literally and metaphorically.

'Sorry,' Sandstorm apologised, as he dusted himself off. 'No problem,' he replied not sounding that ticked off for somebody who'd just collided with a stranger and dropped his stuff, 'just watch where you're going next time.'

He was clearly a soldier, which shouldn't come across as a surprise, since she was wandering around the army barracks, but he wasn't much older than her. Maybe ten or eleven.

'What are you doing here, anyway?' he asked grumpily, now bending to pick up the scrolls that he'd dropped. Sandstorm hurried to help him. 'I was bored,' she explained, 'and all of my friends are with their families.'

He looked closer at her. 'Oh, you're one of those dragonets who warned us about the Mutineers,' he realised, taking his documents from her, 'and you're also the daughter of Queen Thorn's chief adviser.'

She nodded in agreement. 'I'm Sandstorm,' she said, by way of introduction. 'Dijon,' he replied, setting off at a considerably more safer pace than the crashing-into-unsuspecting-passerby gallop which had caused their current situation.

'Where are you going in such a hurry, anyway?' asked Sandstorm, curious. She was bored, and this seemed much more interesting than sneaking around the backs of temporary, rather shoddy-made living quarters.

'The queen is having a meeting,' Dijon explained, walking so fast Sandstorm could barely keep up, 'and she needs some important documents. I was sent to get them.'

He gestured to the pile of scrolls he was carrying.

'Ohhh,' said Sandstorm, nodding. 'Do you have any idea what they're about?' she asked after a while, tilting her head at him.

He shrugged nonchalantly. 'I'm only a soldier,' he said, 'why would I know?' His tone wasn't bitter, though, like Sandstorm had expected it to be - it had a hint of self-deprecating teasing in it that turned the sentence into a harmless, humorous thing to say.

'I do want to know, though,' he admitted, partly to himself, 'but I'm not allowed. Maybe you are, because your father's in there?' he asked her, eyes lighting up.

She shook her head. 'I've come with him before, and I'm hardly ever invited to those meetings. I've asked, obviously, but they're only for adults. You can qualify as one, though,' she added.

'Little me? I'm only ten!' Dijon scoffed. 'You probably have to be really old to attend,' agreed Sandstorm, grinning. 'Practically ancient,' he added.

'Yes, I've heard they're all deaf as trees nowadays as well,' said a new voice, an amused male one. 'How absolutely shocking!'

Both of them whirled around in guilt and surprise.

A handsome male SandWing stepped out from a side corridor, his dark eyes sparkling. A curious face - a flat, pale, scale-less face with large blue eyes - was peering at them from behind his front leg - a scavenger.

That wasn't what caught Sandstorm's attention, though. Her eyes were drawn to the black diamond pattern running down his spine.

She blinked, and then twisted around, trying to catch a glimpse of her own back.