Darkness Falls ~ Book 1 ~ A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter 10 ~ Plan

~~~Peregrine~~~

Peregrine smiled down at Depth, who cowered below her. It had taken Pantalus a while to fully flesh out her plan, but at last it was ready. 

"You are nothing but a snivelling shrimp," Peregrine hissed at the terrified SeaWing. "I mean, what use are you? Even your supposed 'friends' abandoned you without a second thought. I doubt they've even noticed you're missing."

"So w-what?" Depth stammered. "I-I don't-t need t-them."

Growling under her breath, Peregrine slashed her claws at him, forcing him to scramble back. "Or do you? After all, they escaped us, but we caught you."

Depth opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. Peregrine could see him turning the notion over in his mind. "See," she whispered menacingly, trying to channel Pantalus's natural frightening aura. "You're useless."

"Am not!" Depth yelped, although he didn't sound very sure. 

"That's where you're wrong," the SkyWing murmured, smiling coldly. "You are too."

Depth stumbled backwards, his eyes flicking back and forth, as if looking for an escape route. Peregrine's smile grew, knowing he'd find none. Deathfire, Shatter and Pantalus were guarding the only door, and the surrounding stone was too thick for even his powerful SeaWing tail to break through,

"W-what are y-you g-going to do with m-me?" he whimpered, crouching underneath Peregrine's looming shadow.

"We're going to use you, because unlike your idiot friends, we have come to the conclusion that you can be useful," she told him smugly, spreading her wings to make herself seem even more frightening.

"H-how?" Depth stuttered, his ears flat against his skull.

"You'll see," Peregirne replied, nodding at Pantalus, who stalked forwards, her tail poised like  a scorpion's.

"So you have no idea where your friends are?" the HiveWing hissed, circling him like a hungry shark. "Or are you lying?"

"I-I'm t-telling the t-truth," Depth mumbled, his eyes growing wide with fright once again.

"I can't hear you!" Pantalus exclaimed, stabbing her tail down next to his feet. "What did you say?"

"I'm telling the truth, I swear by the moons I am!" Depth yelped, scurrying backwards until he hit the wall.

"Are you sure he knows anything?" Peregrine called over to Pantalus, arching an eyeridge sceptically. "He seems quite terrified of you."

The HiveWing ignored her, making Peregrine feel irritated, but she couldn't do anything about it. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and continued to watch.

"It seems you really don't know," Pantalus growled. "Luckily, there are other uses for you." She swung her deadly tail around and held it underneath Depth's throat, causing him to freeze, his eyes wide. "Of course, for the trouble you've been, I'm just about tempted to rip you apart instead."

"I'll do anything you want!" he pleaded. "Just don't hurt me!"

"But how are we supposed to know that you won't betray us?" Pantalus mused aloud, grinning. Peregrine could tell she enjoyed seeing the SeaWing squirm, and frowned. "Well I know. I'll make sure you can't. In fact, I'll make sure you can't do anything on your own at all."

With a whipping sound, she jerked her tail around and stabbed it into Depth's side, smiling grimly as she pulled it out again, spraying bright blood everywhere. The SeaWing staggered, his mouth open in an O of surprise. 

The wound wasn't fatal, but that wasn't the important part. The important part was that when Pantalus had hit him, she'd also injected a small bit of her special venom, the kind that allowed her to control other dragons.

Peregrine watched in shock, and then glanced at Pantalus, who was staring at her. The SkyWing princess jumped in horror when she saw that the HiveWing's eyes were as blank as giant pearls, eyeing her with cold amusement. 

"Pantalus?" she whispered, not sure what she was seeing. Wasn't it only the victims of the venom that had white eyes? 

"Oh, I'm not Pantalus anymore," the creature hissed, smiling. "Although I will return her in time, I came to see how things are progressing. And I have one request. Make sure your friend here takes over the adopted daughter of Sundew. She is the one I want. Her, and the one of ice and rain, who goes by the name Frozenshadow."

"Who are you?" Peregrine stammered, backing away. "And why?"

"I have my reasons." the thing growled back. "Goodbye." With a sucking sound, the white leached away from Pantalus's eyes, leaving no trace of the supernatural colour behind. At the same time, Depth's eyes also flickered white, although this time it was obvious it was the HiveWing that was controlling him.

"What do you think?" Pantalus asked as she made the SeaWing ram his head into the wall with a dull thwack.

"I think that our plan will work well," Peregrine replied, shaking away her wariness after the strange event. She'd ask about it later, but not now. "Very well indeed."