Timeline: a Wings of Fire fanfiction (COMPLETED)

32.

She went out of her way to correct me in class, pointing out even the slightest error, trying to make me the laughingstock of my students. If she had her way, I'm pretty sure she would have just trained the next generation of NightWing seers herself, at only three years old. (Now with her position teaching our dragonets, this is a task she has in fact, with little qualifications, taken on.)

Classmate Vision agrees: "I don't know, Clearsight always just seemed like she was on a completely different level than the rest of us--and to be honest, we were either laughing at her or terrified of her."

As she rose to power, I became more and more concerned for the welfare of our kingdom. Why should a dragon whose powers were so suspicious be given so much influence in the Night Palace? Why was our magnificent queen so easily fooled by this act? How did such a wise, opulent kingdom fall so easily in love with the young scam of a seer, not even pausing to think critically?

So if you know Clearsight--if you're friends with her, if you work with her, if you support her, I want you to ask yourself a question: What could she be hiding?

I think you'll be surprised.

"I'm gonna kill her," Darkstalker whispers. "I'm going to kill her! You're gonna have to deal with this at school--this is literally the worst day she could have published that stupid—"

"I know." I rub my eyes. "Beleive me, I know. If the queen gets her eyes on it, with the mood she's been in..."

"You're my wife," Darkstalker growls. "She has no right to talk about you this way!"

I sigh. "You know, you don't have to be so protective over me?"

He looks away. Pauses for a long time. And then, without any further explanation, he says, "Yeah, I do. You're family."

He gets out of bed and starts to put on jewelry.

***

We've been sitting in the claustrophobic stone council chamber for maybe ten minutes before Queen Vigilance storms in, clearly in a foul mood.

My heart is pounding, pounding, pounding in my chest. Lives are on the line today--and all of it depends on the whims of a single dragon.

"Your Majesty." I'm the first to stand up and bow. As though just remembering the procedure, the rest of the room echoes me just a moment after.

Barely acknowledging the show of respect, Queen Vigilance sits down at the head of the table. "I have made a decision. No one is permitted to speak until I have finished giving my order. Is this understood?"

The advisers nod, almost in perfect unison. Darkstalker and I exchange a glance right as the queen starts to talk.

"We will be launching a full inquiry into why these aggressive, repetitive attacks on our trade routes for animus goods have happened, and who is funding them. Regardless of the outcomes of these inquiries, we will be sending spies into the Ice, Sea, and Sky Kingdoms. These meetings will take place every two weeks from now on to discuss these findings. I will not be accepting criticisms or suggestions. This decision is final."

She isn't even looking at us. Just staring at the wall.

Darkstalker raises his talon. The queen nods to him, although she's clearly not happy about having to answer questions.