Timeline: a Wings of Fire fanfiction (COMPLETED)

19.

Darkstalker

I don't sleep that night. I wish I could. But I don't. Out of choice.

I have things I need to do.

***

I probably spend even more time in my office than Clearsight does in hers. I mean, she wouldn't know that, of course. But whenever I can't sleep--which is a lot of the time--I go in here. Light a couple lanterns with quick bursts of fire, and sit down. Sometimes, I'll just play around with little ideas for spells. Sometimes I'll get to work on stuff Queen Vigilance has told me I have to do. And sometimes I can't do any of that. Sometimes, my head just fires around empty thoughts that only half make sense, for hours on end.

These days, I've just stopped trying to sleep altogether. I have a spell that helps with getting tired. It's easier, if I assume staying up all night is inevitable. Then the dark thoughts usually stay away.

Darkstalker... I think she's going to be an animus. Clearsight's voice echoes through my head.

But how can that be a bad thing? I mean, it's not a bad thing. I refuse to let that be a bad thing. She's my daughter. And I'll love her, no matter what. I'll protect her. I'll teach her how to use her power, and how to preserve her soul, and--

I close my eyes. Maybe I'm not Clearsight, but I am a seer, and a more powerful one than most dragons with this gift are.

I furrow my brow, trying to trace the paths as they unfold in my mind—three months, five months, six months. Seven months from now. Around the time our dragonet is likely to hatch, although it does vary a little.

She looks more like me than Clearsight, I think. Midnight black scales, just like mine, but she has Clearsight's jawline. A wolfish smile, and eyes that glitter whenever she gets excited. A temper, and an argumentative nature. Impulsive and adventurous. Going to fly in storms with me on rainy days. And the blue IceWing eyes, like little pieces of Arctic staring back at me. Straight through time.

No. It's just a stupid eye colour. It doesn't mean anything. It's fine.

She is definitely an animus, Clearsight was right. Sometimes, she finds out from yelling at an inanimate object to do her bidding as a small dragonet who doesn't know better. Sometimes we tell her. Sometimes, she asks if she has my power, and Clearsight has no choice but to tell her yes.

I try to push a little farther--more than a couple years ahead. I need more details than this.

But it's like ramming my head against a stone wall or something. I can see the edges of darkness, this thing Clearsight is talking about, maybe. But no matter how hard I try, I can't... quite...

I rub my temples, growling under my breath. There's probably a spell I could use to work this out, isn't there?

That won't be her. That won't happen. I'll make it stop, I will. I'm her father. Clearsight is her mother. We're the most powerful dragons in the world.

I try to shake the uneasy feeling in my gut.

We'll figure this out.

***

I don't know what gets into me, that night. But for the first time in a long time--in months--I cry. I mean, Clearsight cries all the time, but this is different.

Not sad. Not happy.

They're the kind of tears I don't even know how to describe.