Timeline: a Wings of Fire fanfiction (COMPLETED)

36.

Darkstalker

I thought the Rain Kingdom was bad.

Ha. The Mud Kingdom is worse. So. Much. Worse.

Even the flight here was dismal. Shadowhunter kept trying to squirm out of her sling, scratching and biting and twisting and clawing and nearly crashing Clearsight into a tree--even though she barely has the stamina to fly ten feet, let alone a three-day flight through what just had to be fog and pouring rain.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting the Mud Palace to be like. It's honestly kind of a terrible name, and a small part of me couldn't help but expect a mildly special mud shack or something. I mean, the MudWings don't exactly have the best reputation in the NightWing tribe for a reason.

But it's actually pretty awesome. Made of brick, just like your average castle, with some pretty beautiful paintings—some of them larger than I am—hung on the walls. Mostly I'm just grateful to get out of the mud, and away from Shadowhunter's growing obsession with throwing it at other dragons. (Specifically, Queen Vigilance.)

"King Salamander." Queen Vigilance doesn't bow, even though it's customary for a visiting tribe.

I expect some kind of visible sign of displeasure from King Salamander, but he doesn't look like he even notices. "Um. Yes. Your Majesty. Thank you so much for coming."

Clearsight exchanges an anxious glance at me. I can practically feel the stress radiating off her. I guess being a seer would probably make this even worse.

A tired-looking servant (or, I assume she's a servant anyway) whispers something in King Salamander's ear, her brows worried. He nods, just finally starting to remember.

"We are so honoured to have you in our kingdom," He reiterates. "While you're here, we promise to do everything we can to make it feel like home."

Queen Vigilance's face is made of stone.

***

"I hate feeling like this," Clearsight whispers. "Like..."

"A bargaining chip," I finish. "Yeah. I know. Me too."

Shadowhunter burbles, flapping her wings excitedly. I can tell she wants to play from the excited shockwaves of energy radiating off her mind, but I'm so tired I can barely move.

The sweeping curtains rustle in the late-night breeze. I can't sleep.

"We may as well explore this place," she sighs. "Since neither of us is going to sleep anyway. Come on, let's see if we can find somewhere to grab some coffee. You know, I've always wanted to visit the Mud Kingdom."

***

"The library here is amazing," Clearsight says, barely containing a grin.

"Really? Even compared to the one at the Night Palace?" I raise one eyebrow at her, sipping my coffee. It's so foggy you can't see that stars out the windows, and for some reason that unsettles me.

"Yeah. See? Look, read this one. We need to find out more about the king anyway." Clearsight rolls her eyes. "I didn't have any time to do research into what his potential weaknesses and strengths as an ally might be anyway. I mean, I know what his futures are like, but that's not really the same thing. Speaking of which, what kind of reading did you get on his mind?"

Shadowhunter nibbles at my tail. "Da-da?"

I sigh, brushing her off. "I'm sorry sweetie, we can't go flying right now. Mommy and Daddy have work we need to do."