What Lurks In The Shadows (WoF)

🟢Chapter 3 - Auklet 🟢

But mooom... Auklet flashed, paddling after her mother. Please let me go to Jade Mountain!

No. I'm not letting three of my dragonets go to that wretched school. Queen Coral hissed. Not now, not ever. I wish I never let Anemone go.

Auklet sniffed. But- she tried to protest but Coral's tail smacked across her chest. Not hard, but enough to knock Auklet off her feet a bit. She went reeling backwards in the water.

No buts. Coral said, swimming through the halls again. We need to get to a council meeting.

Auklet rolled her eyes and swam on, trailing past her mother's tail and paddling beside Queen Coral.

Her harness jerked as Coral stopped, and Auklet fell back. Coral readjusted the harness and walked through a pair of big doors.

Auklet hid behind Coral's tail as multiple pairs of SeaWing eyes turned to look at her. She could see Snail, Moray, Pearl and Pike, who had recently become a general and a part of the royal council. Her sister, Anemone, wasn't there like normal.

Pearl nodded politely at the queen as Coral took her place, Auklet squished beside her. Coral's flashing scales dragged into gibberish as Auklet lost interest.

Pike, I want some guards at the entrance of the Deep Palace. I saw some sharks swimming around, and I want everyone safe. Queen Coral flashed.

Yes, your majesty. Pike nodded, flicking his tail back and forth.

Thank you. Coral blinked at the general. Pearl, any new things in the family? What happened yesterday at the Talons of Power ceremony?

Nothing. No new animus SeaWings, Queen Coral. It's true, animus magic is gone. Pearl reported. But maybe we should think of who to send to Jade Mountain.

Coral's wings flared gently, stirring the water beside Auklet. Why, me and Auklet were just talking about that. She will not be attending. Send the commoner's dragonets.

Auklet's own wings flared in outrage. Please! Let me go! I'm old enough! And if I need to, I know the way home!

Princess Auklet- Snail flashed. Queen Coral knows best.

Wait, Snail. Coral instructed. Perhaps...I wasn't thinking. Send some of the commoners and Auklet. But remember, if you want to come home, come home.

Auklet nodded joyfully, her tail swishing back and forth and her green eyes shining. Thank you mother! Thank you!

🟢🟢🟢

The SeaWing dragonet beat her wings as fast as she could. Anemone was at her side, since she insisted on taking Auklet to the school herself.

"Let's go, let's go!" Auklet squealed. Jade Mountain looked so far away, it would take ages to get there!

She looked around her, scales of all different shades surrounded her. Auklet saw dragons with leaf-shaped wings, ones with buzzing wings like bees and ones with graceful wings like butterflies.

"Those are..." Anemone pondered quietly for a minute. "LeafWings, SilkWings and HiveWings. The ones from Pantala."

Auklet gasped. She'd never seen Pantalan dragons before, but Tsunami had told her about her journey there!

The two landed on a cliff near Jade Mountain, gazing at the looming academy.

"Ready for school?" Anemone asked, fluttering her wings, as Auklet peered at Jade Mountain, and the figures flying around it.

Auklet pondered an answer. "Of course. Born ready."