Magic, Visions, Betrayal

Chapter Two

There was a sudden rustling like wings were flying in again.

"Your Majesty!" Spitfire yelled, "I've just got heard from our Treasury! Half of our treasure is gone! Vanished into thin air, all of a sudden!"

Cerise crumpled from the throne and threw her wings over her, crouching and closing her eyes, pressing her talons to her ears. She didn't want to know what was going on. The sinking, horrifying feeling on her was too intense. Having that false hope press against her at first, and then she lost it. It was terrible, having to think of it. She blinked again, into the darkness, trying not to cry.

Roars and snarls are being heard around her in the meantime.

"THEY TRICKED US!"

"THEY WILL PAY!"

"THESE SEA SLUG SCAMMERS!"

"WE'LL GET THEM!"

Things that Cerise did not want to hear.

She felt larger, warm wings around her, and scarred talons felt her snout gently. She remembered Inferno, injured in an accident with Phoenix, his talons only being the injured ones that were affected by her firescales when they were younger, in the same hatching.

"Let's get you to your room," Inferno said gently.

"What was happening there?" Cerise whispered after she and her siblings rested in her room for a bit.

"Marine disappeared, right after I called her out," Phoenix said. Cerise could feel her sister's wings drooping as the heat lowered. "She might have disappeared with her magic."

"You shouldn't feel bad," Whirlwind spoke up, "She's an animus. She would've disappeared sooner or later anyway."

"I kind of suspect that she used her magic to steal our treasure as well," Spitfire growled. Phoenix hissed softly.

Cerise laid down, ducking her head. She folded her wings and touched her blindfold that Spitfire had helped put back on her earlier. She desperately wished she wasn't blind anymore. Whirlwind winced and she felt him shuffle closer to her.

"I'm scared," Whirlwind said softly, "Mother might start war against the Seawings now."

"That wouldn't be a smart move," Inferno interjected, "They have an animus, and they like to mess around. Now we have Cerise as someone they would mess around with."

"You know how Mother isn't as bright as we needed," Phoenix said sternly, "By far, the choices she had made had affected us negatively, especially Cerise." They all hissed, apparently remembering Queen Ibis's choice at not banning the other tribes from the wingery out before.

Cerise covered her snout in her talons.

"What do we do then?" Spitfire asked, "Do we confront Mother with our own ideas?"

"We have to find a way to," Phoenix said, "If Mother makes the move to start war against the Seawings, she'd put our tribe at risk."

"If it's that obvious, she wouldn't do it, right?" Inferno said.

"She would, judging by her actions lately," Whirlwind said grimly, "We have to tell her." There was a pause, as if he was looking at Cerise, because he then said, "Cerise needs some rest, right C? We can discuss all of this later, or in private. You've been through a lot already, sis."

What if Mother already made the foolish move, and I need to 'rest'? Cerise thought ruefully. But then yes, tiredness was wearing in on her.

"Just for a bit," Cerise whispered. She found her way to her bed and collapsed on it, closing her eyes.

Cerise woke up to a clatter outside of her door, but she didn't lift her head up because an instinct prevented her to. She kept her eyes closed, folding in her wings, and curled in more, and then she heard her mother's attempt-at-soft voice outside of her room.

"We're putting in way more advanced guard for the moment. War or not, the Seawings won't leave us alone now."

The talonsteps stopped, as if they had stopped walking, right at her room.

"Your Majesty," said a dragon with a low growl behind his throat, "You are wise and bright with ideas, we know," Cerise had to hide her snort between her talons, "But..is this a good idea? They have an animus, you know? We're no match against them."

"Do not doubt me, Commander Wildfire," Queen Ibis's voice vibrated a little as she said fiercely, "I'm trying to do what I think is best for all of us. Now go gather up your guards and do what I say."

There was silence, a hesitation.

"Yes, my queen," Wildfire said, and then there was more shuffling; talonsteps, a swish of wings being heard, fading down the halls.

And then a moment later, Cerise could hear someone take a step through her door and stop. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, pretending she was asleep, until what seemed like her mother disappeared out of the room and down the halls. Cerise made sure her mother was gone, before she sat up and reached for her blindfold, putting it on and finding her way to the library, where her siblings was.

"Are you really sure?!" Phoenix cried, wringing her scorching talons frantically, "That's she's making that choice to do so?" Small smoking wisps were coming out of her wings and scales as she hovered in the air, the sun rays hitting against her fire-orange scales.

"It seems like it," Cerise admitted, "She only requested our commander to fill in more guard posts against the Seawings. She never mentioned anything about a war-"

"-so then we would have to watch out," Inferno finished.

They were gathered in a tower, at the balcony, watching the sunset, and discussing there. Phoenix had ordered the guards to avoid that area while they were there.

"That means we have to tell her," Whirlwind interjected fiercely, "We cannot let her start a war against the Seawings. We've got no magic against them. We're powerless."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Phoenix yelled, swerving in the air to land at the balcony, and Cerise flinched at the heat, "Let's go tell mother, quickly!"

Cerise heard the swooshes of wings and lifted into the air cautiously. She felt slightly larger wings, Spitfire's probably, brush her's. His wings were kept to her's as they dived into the palace cautiously, until Cerise felt the stone floor beneath her talons again. Knowing the palace by heart, it was easy for her to follow her siblings, even with their talonsteps and wings that were making noises as they dashed down the halls.

And then Cerise stopped abruptly, tracing a claw at the writings by the doorframe. They were at mother's throne room. Phoenix let out a sudden roar that seemed like fury and despair and Cerise didn't feel her heat anymore as her sister ran. Whirlwind let out a small cry and buried his snout into Cerise's shoulder, and Cerise felt Spitfire leave her side. Inferno took her talons into his own scarred ones, squeezing them gently.

"What's going on?.." Cerise whispered to her brother.

There was a moment of hesitation from Inferno, and then Whirlwind let out another choked sob and gulped, and Cerise could feel his tears splattering on her shoulders. And then she figured out something, an idea..but she dreaded it. Phoenix continued to let out roar

"It's mother..." Inferno finally made it out, "I'm sorry Cerise, but..she's gone."