Flamesilk - A Wings of Fire fanfic

Prologue

"Petal, are you sure you're okay?" Adonis asked his sister, as they hurried to the Cocoon.

"Mmhmm," Petal said absently, leaning against Adonis' shoulder.  

Adonis decided she definitely didn't look okay, her eyes were distant and she looked very tired, and her wrist glands were glowing much brighter than Adonis thought was usual. Today was meant to be Petal's metamorphosis day, where she would spin her silvery silk cocoon and sleep inside for five days as she grew her wings and silk- spinning abilities. They weren't meant to have to go to the Cocoon until around midday, but Adonis had noticed how bright Petal's silk glands had become, and how loose her wingbuds were, and decided to take her to the Cocoon early.

 It wasn't a long walk and now the two of them had arrived at the Cocoon, the two level long oval structure covered in silk weavings. 

Outside, the usual two guards had been replaced with about five, which Adonis found odd. Why where there so many of them? Why was today any different? 

The guards glared at them as they walked inside. In the centre of the building, several other silvery cocoons already rested, but no other dragons had arrived yet. Petal stumbled the last few steps into the Cocoon and collapsed to the floor.

"Petal? Petal, what's wrong?" Adonis hurried to her side, nudging her snout with his.

"I'm okay," she said. "Just tired." 

Adonis frowned. Was this normal?

A HiveWing guard approached behind them, making Adonis jump. As he used a strange looking tool to remove Petal's wrist band, he spoke to Alder.

"She's Petal, isn't she?"

Adonis nodded. 

"Hmm. You, go up to the viewing platform." He said, gesturing to the balcony on the next level.

"Um, I think I might stay with my sister, I think she needs me. If that's okay," Adonis added hurriedly, not wanting to get kicked out for being rude.

The guard frowned and looked like he was about to say something, but Adonis was distracted by  Petal calling his name.

"Adonis, will you be here? When I wake up?"

"Of course!" Adonis said. "I'll be here waiting, with a brand new book and a big box of honeydrops."

That seemed to reassure Petal. She nodded and closed her eyes, her talons lifting ready to spin her silver cocoon.

But what came out of her wrists wasn't spiralling silver silk but fire, building up and winding around her to smother her in flames. 

"Petal!" Adonis called, running to her side. "What's happening?!" He reached out to her but instead he touched the burning golden silk and leapt away with a hiss. Petal didn't seem to hear him, she just continued to weave the silk into a cocoon around her, her muscles relaxing wherever the orange gold silk touched her.

"Petal!"Adonis tried to get through to her one more time, but then the HiveWing guard was upon him, pinning him to the ground and clamping his mouth shut. Adonis writhed under his captor, fighting to get to his sister. He watched in horror as a metal cage- cart was rolled into the room, waiting to put Petal's flaming cocoon inside. 

No!

With one last heave, Adonis escaped from the HiveWing and ran to Petal's almost completed cocoon. Ignoring the heat burning through his talons, Adonis tried to escape with the cocoon by dragging it out the door, but the cocoon was heavy and scalding hot, and soon Adonis was overpowered with HiveWings. He made one last attempt to escape, but the blunt end of a spear slammed into the base of his skull and Adonis collapsed to the ground as the world fell into darkness.