Wings of Fire: The Hidden Key

~Chapter One~

(One day after the prologue)

The moons shone down on a sleepless dragon, illuminating the tribrid's worried expression. Three-year-old Reed looked up at the pitch-black sky, anxiety making her heart race. Where is he?

She turned her head around to see Dewdrop sleeping peacefully in her nest, chest rising and falling with each breath. Their small ramshackle hut creaked in the cool nighttime wind, and she shivered in the cold breeze. The small island that they lived on was not far from the SeaWing Summer Palace, and living there was quite a challenge for all of them.

But her half-brother took care of them. He caught them food, bought supplies and medicine at Possibility, and served as a guard in the Kingdom of the Sea. He might have been younger than Dewdrop, but after Oak's death, their mother had been basically incapable of doing anything but sitting around and crying.

Reed's anxiety skyrocketed. He said he'd be back soon! But he's been gone for a day.... Kelp had left for the Summer Palace last night and promised he would return the next morning. But he had been missing the entire day, leaving Dewdrop and Reed to worry constantly about his safety. He never left them for more than a few hours at a time, and how were they supposed to survive without him? Reed didn't know how to fish, or how to do anything useful.

She dropped her head back into her moss, wide-awake, and not even close to sleeping. "Kelp... where are you?" she whispered, so soft that she could barely even hear herself. Finally, the crushing thoughts about where Kelp might be became too much to bear. She stood up and trudged over to their small pile of food, examining it.

If Kelp isn't going to be here, then maybe I could fish for us. But he only taught me a few things... 

 "Reed?" A voice murmured from behind her. Reed raced back over to her bed, watching mother nervously. Her bloodshot eyes were open, she was staring at her daughter with an anguished expression. "What are you doing awake?" She rasped.

 "Um... I was hungry?" Reed peeped, ducking her head sheepishly.

 Mother blinked at her a few times, and then let out a defeated sigh. She curled into a ball and went back to sleep, making Reed feel immensely guilty.

 I'm sorry, Mother... I didn't mean to make you sad. I just want to help... Great. Now she felt like swimming down to the bottom of the ocean and living there for the rest of her life. Grumbling to herself, she crept back over to the food pile and picked out the largest fish she could see.

She scarfed down the fish and stretched her legs with a groan. I-I need Kelp to sleep with me... Finally deciding that she needed to take a walk, Reed bunched her muscles and rose into the sky. Feeling the wind rush underneath her wings was the best feeling in the world, as flying was really the only thing she could do.

And plus, it was the only thing that really made her happy anymore, besides spending time with Kelp. But even those precious moments were getting shorter and shorter, and Kelp was getting a little more distant every time she saw him. Reed wasn't sure what was happening with him; but the only thing she could do was stay positive and hope for the best.

 She did a quick flip in the air, before diving down and skimming over the dark water. A bright blue fish darted out of the sea, and Reed lunged out and grabbed it. With a startle of excitement, she realized she had caught a fish! I did it!! Yes! I wish Kelp could see me now!

 She did another loop in the air, excitement momentarily blocking out her worry. But as she flew on into the night, the sense of panic returned as quickly as it had returned. He's never left us for this long before! Where could he be? Maybe there was an emergency in the Palace, and they needed him to guard something... there's probably nothing to worry about...! I hope... Please, please, please, be okay.

 Sighing heavily, she turned around to fly back to mother, in case she woke up and was wondering where she was. But as Reed flew closer to the sea, she noticed something that made her scales crawl. A bright red substance had dyed an area of the water, and there were a few bright teal scales floating next to it.

 Those scales were the exact same color as her brother's.

 Is that... blood? Reed squinted, but she couldn't make out what the crimson liquid was. Not knowing what to do, she hovered motionless in the air, with the exception of her wingbeats. She stared at the water as the red slowly faded away, leaving no trace of anything behind. Quick as lightning, Reed swooped down and grabbed one of the scales, hoping that it could tell her what had happened to Kelp.

She soared back towards their little island, clutching the scale to her chest like it was a piece of raw gold. To Reed, whose only source of comfort in her life was Kelp, it was just as valuable as any sort of treasure. She touched down on the soft sand, feeling a tiny bit of relief. Despite her love of flying, she still wasn't sure if she was even capable of staying in the air longer than ten minutes.

 "Reed...?!" She saw Mother shakily get to her feet, and stumble over to where she stood in the sand. "Where were you?"

 Holding in another sigh, Reed draped one of her wings around Mother to comfort her. "I promise I'm okay! I just went for a quick flight, to, uh, clear my mind-"

 "I've been so worried!" Her mother exclaimed, interrupting her. "With Kelp gone, I was beginning to think you'd run away!"

 "I-I'm sorry, Mother." Reed mumbled. "I didn't mean to worry you. But I found something that I want to show you..." She held out Kelp's scale, and gingerly pressed it into her mother's palm.

 She stared at the scale for almost a minute, before chuckling nervously. "What, you wanted to show m-me some random scale? I don't know why you're giving me this, Reed."

 "...What? It's Kelp's scale, Mother! I-I think he's in danger! I saw some red stuff in the water, and he's been missing for a day, and he NEVER leaves us for this long-"

 Her mother gave her a hard look. "Reed, stop. Kelp's fine. This isn't anything to worry about, it's just a scale. Go back to sleep and don't bother to do anything else, this means nothing." She turned around and laid back down, curling her wings around her tightly.

 Reed gritted her teeth, glaring at Mother's back, and yet tears still blurred her vision. Why don't you ever believe me? You used to love me, now you act like I'm a dandelion seed in the wind... I just want everything to be okay again... when Father was here.

 Frustrated, she flipped her tail in the sand, sending a spray of gritty pebbles flying into her eyes. Growling under her breath, Reed stomped back towards her nest, and sat down next to it. I'm NOT going back to sleep, no matter what Mother says. I don't want her to worry, but I need Kelp back! I promise I'll find you soon!

 With a surge of determination, Reed jumped to her feet and once again took off into the sky. She glided back towards the spot where she had found Kelp's scale, hoping to find some more clues. She scanned the dark ocean for any sign of something useful, hearing one of Kelp's daily lessons echo in her mind.

 "Remember, little diamond. There're secrets buried in everything around you, so always make sure to check twice. Look closely, and don't miss a single detail. Something hidden in plain sight could save your life one day."

 Reed suddenly felt a surge of pain hit her in the head. She whipped around, only to find her vison surrounded in complete darkness. Something wet and slimy was wrapped around her eyes, and she couldn't feel her wings anymore. Crying out with shock, she tried to fly away, but someone grabbed her by the arms and pinned her down to something. Reed slowly lost all control in her limbs, and succumbed to the inky darkness, her vision going completely black.

 And then there was nothing.