Isabel slowly sank between a pair of rocks, obscured by the isabella vines that she was named after. Her scales scraped uncomfortably against the cold stone, but she ignored that and focused on her best friend, Misty. She couldn't stop blaming herself for letting Misty get so deep into this war, and she knew it made no sense, since she wasn't responsible for Misty's rebellious personality, but she felt responsible nonetheless. After all, it was her fault Misty had a reason to hate her parents in the first place.
A few months ago, when Misty was little more than a wyrmling, Inferno and Hurricane had stomped into the camp holding a dryad, snarling and kicking her as they walked. The dryad had looked defeated, a dejected look on her face as they mercilessly kicked the leaves off her legs and feet. She was a dull greenish-gray color, a sharp contrast to the bright green and yellow colors of typical dryads. Isabel had instantly decided that she was going to help the forest creature escape this miserable prison.
Isabel hurriedly returned to her den, a simple cave underneath a massive boulder, to retrieve her worn-out lockpick and rope. After grabbing her things and throwing them into a small pouch, she flew straight towards the black market, a look of determination etched onto her face.
After a few minutes, she had arrived at the market, diving into a thick bush to avoid being spotted by Addison's spies. They hadn't found her so far, and there was no way they would find her now. She easily slipped into Addison's tent, her long claws clicking against the stones on the floor. After she was sure no one was watching her, she fished through her bag, pulling out her lockpick and beginning to work on the steel padlock.
"Don't worry, dryad. I'm gonna get you out of here." Isabel muttered in Draconic, aware that the dryad's piercing gaze was centered on her. The lock clicked open, and Isabel swung open the door. They dryad gave her a grateful look, handed her a small amulet, and whispered something in Elvish. Isabel nodded quickly, slipped the small necklace into her pouch, and flew out of the tent. The dryad seemed to recognize the urgency of the situation and followed her out of the tent with equal haste. Together, they darted into the forest, glancing behind them to be sure that they weren't followed. The dryad disappeared as soon as they reached the forest, but Isabel stopped at the edge, seeing a commotion near the prison under Addison's tent.
"How could you do this? You know we needed that dryad, and you let it go anyways! How could you be so careless, Misty?" Inferno was screaming at a small dragon whose scales were a strange purple color, unlike any dragon Isabel had ever seen. She knew the wyrmling had to be evil, as she had learned from birth that metallic dragons were good and chromatic dragons were evil, but something about this chromatic wyrmling seemed... different. She didn't seem to take joy out of the suffering of the prisoners, as most of Addison's spies did.
"Misty? You did do this, right? You're the one who let the dryad out?" Inferno paused, a puzzled expression as his face, as if something about the dryad's escape seemed unfamiliar to him. But for reasons that Isabel had no understanding of, the young dragon stood up taller and looked Inferno in the eyes, speaking confidently.
"Yes. Me free dryad. It not deserve be here with you." Misty blinked at Inferno, not flinching as he snarled in a dragonlike tone.
"You foolish child! Have I not raised you to obey orders, like a young dragon is supposed to? Well, this has gone too far. That dryad was a very important prisoner, and you just set us back a few months with your idiotic mistake." Inferno roared in fury, red scales popping up all over his body as flames engulfed the wyrmling in front of him. Isabel could faintly hear a pained yelp, and as the flames cleared, she saw Misty, curled up in a ball, burn marks all over her legs and wings. Isabel's twinge of satisfaction at delaying Addison's evil plans was all but buried by her shock at the cruelty of the older dragon.
"That'll teach you not to interfere with your parents' work, Misty. If you try anything like this again, I'll make sure to hold the flames for longer. You don't want that, do you?" Inferno, now a fearsome red dragon, was snarling at the shivering purple dragon, and Misty whimpered softly.
"Leave her alone, Inferno! How could such a young dragon have picked a complicated lock like that? It clearly wasn't her! Now get away from my sister!" A young red dragon, about Isabel's age, flung his wing in front of Misty, glaring hatefully at Inferno.
"You should address me as Father, Jax. And you have no business interfering with your sister's affairs. She committed a crime, now these are the consequences. Now get away!" Inferno grabbed Jax's leg by the teeth and flung him away, turning back to stare at Misty.
"Your brother can't protect you from your rightful consequence, little girl." Inferno snapped at Misty's talons, and she recoiled, shaking uncontrollably.
Isabel was breathing heavily, turning away from the horrific scene she had just witnessed. She felt a worm of guilt in her heart, knowing for a fact that she had caused that small purple dragon to be burned like that. Ignoring every instinct that told her to run away, she grabbed a sharp rock that was sitting next to her and forcefully hurled it at Inferno. As she had hoped, the red dragon swiveled his head to look at the forest, and started charging in Isabel's direction. Seeing the massive angry dragon towering over her, her instincts took over and she dove into her den, sighing in relief as Inferno kept running deeper into the forest.
That is what Isabel felt like she was doing now, hiding in a cave while Misty got hurt. But this time, she would not just stand by and watch her best friend from the shadows. This time, she would protect her best and only friend.
She came out of the cave, brushing a flower off her back as she looked up at the sun. It had been 30 minutes since she had started hiding in the cave, and that was 30 minutes too many. She looked around, not seeing Misty anywhere, and walked up to the group's leader, Maya. Maya seemed to recognize her as she came closer, and they both sat down at the table.
"You're Isabel, right? Misty told us about you a few minutes ago. She said it might be a little while before we saw you appear, though. According to her, you're very good at hiding." As Maya said this, Isabel felt a tiny stab of pain in her heart. Even her own best friend thought she was too cowardly to approach humans.
"I don't want to talk about you, though. I- I think Misty has been taken by Addison's spies. No one has seen her for the past ten minutes, and we have search parties out looking for her as we speak. Can you go with me to look for her ourselves? It's not that I don't trust the new recruits, it's the fact that we know this forest better than they do. So, what do you say?" Maya extended her hand to Isabel, and Isabel took it, scales pressing against human skin.
But as she and Maya quietly slipped deeper into the forest, Isabel knew for a fact that once again, Misty had gotten hurt, and it was her fault.
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"Jamie? Where we going? Why in rush?" Misty blinked curiously at Jamie as he carried her through the forest, running at top speed through the bushes. They could see the market just a short distance away, and Misty leapt out of Jamie's arms, crossing her arms petulantly.
"I not keep going until you tell what going on! I ask again, where we going?" Misty huffed defiantly, exhaling a wisp of smoke. Jamie sighed, sitting next to the tiny dragon, and began thinking of a story to tell the young dragon.
"You know those new people that Maya recruited to help us fight Addison? Well, one of them is a spy, hired by Addison to infiltrate our ranks and turn us against each other." Misty looked confused at this statement, and Jamie amended, "He's here to spy on us for Addison." Misty nodded, understanding, and looked at Jamie with trust in her dark blue eyes.
"So what we need to do? How I help protect group?" Misty scooted closer to Jamie, eyes wide with curiosity. Jamie sighed in relief, certain that Misty knew nothing of his real plans.
"Well, we need to get that backstabber away from the group before he does some very bad things." Jamie said in a friendly tone, but all of a sudden, Misty started glaring hatefully at him.
"Not talk to me like I baby. I smart enough to understand what we doing. I help you only if you treat me like you treat any of human friends. Understand?" Misty crossed her arms, and Jamie nodded respectfully at the tiny purple dragon. She was clearly smart enough to understand things, and Jamie knew that he wouldn't have her trust for very long if he kept treating her like a tiny wyrmling.
"Sorry, Misty. I just keep forgetting that a dragon wyrmling is much smarter than a human child. Humans are really dumb, you know, and I keep expecting you to be as helpless as a human baby. But you're not, are you? You're much smarter than you want people to know, and I really want to trust you. So, let's see if you can complete a little mission for me. If you're really as clever as you want me to think, can you bring that betrayer here for me? Then together, we can send him back to Addison's disgusting camp, where he belongs. Can I trust you, Misty?" Jamie looked at Misty with a trusting face, and she nodded eagerly, joyful to be treated like a grown-up at last. She flapped unsteadily through the forest, towards the group's clearing, and Jamie sat down with a sigh of relief.
"Remember, the target's name is Ash Breeze! Remember that, Misty!" Jamie shouted after the young dragon, hoping that she was still within earshot.
Misty would likely never find out that he was working with Addison, if he played his cards right. She was desperate for validation and trust, and he could easily give her those things, slowly turning her against the group until eventually, after a while, she would easily attack any member of the group in a heartbeat. He would train her to be his little pet, his monster that would blindly do his bidding, and he would become the most powerful being in the multiverse. With Misty, he could do anything he wanted.
Meanwhile, Misty was flying through the dense woods, envisioning how happy the group would be when she revealed the traitor in their midst. She could almost see their delighted faces, their warm smiles, even the trusting glances that she so desperately wanted. She wasn't stupid, she could tell that the group was scared, not trusting, of her. They were scared because she had killed Inferno, and probably also just because she was a dragon, but she was determined to get them to trust her, not just fear her. They would probably be a lot more scared if they knew how much she had enjoyed breathing that deadly frost flame at Inferno, how much pleasure the sound of his dying screams had brought to her. Isabel had told her that she was supposed to feel guilty, but all she felt was indifferent. Inferno deserved what he got, and so did everyone else in that market. She was just the bringer of justice, it wasn't her job to simper and cry over rightful consequences. Hmm. She liked the sound of that.
"Bringer of Justice." She said it aloud in Draconic, then again in Common, trying the feel of the human words on her dragon tongue. She saw the table up ahead and dove into the bushes, looking for Ash Breeze. After surveying the busy clearing, she saw Ash Breeze sitting at the table with Erin and Moon Flower, probably talking about strategy or something important, based on their serious expressions. She recognized them from brief mentions, people talking about them before she and Jamie had left the clearing. Uh oh. Ash Breeze was probably tricking them right now, convincing them to switch to Addison's side. She needed to act fast.
Misty grabbed a giant dead branch from the forest floor, and broke it in half with a dramatic cracking sound. Moon Flower and Ash Breeze turned around simultaneously, glancing in Misty's direction with matching startled expressions. Ash Breeze immediately stopped talking and crept slowly towards the forest.
"I'll just be a second, you guys. I want to investigate whatever made that sound. I'll be back in a few minutes." As Ash Breeze came within earshot, Misty climbed up into a tree and waited for Erin and Ash Breeze to turn around. As soon as Ash Breeze had gone deep enough into the forest, Misty pounced. She grabbed Ash Breeze, pumping her tiny wings to stay in the air while carrying the much heavier human. Ash Breeze gave Misty a startled glance, but didn't react immediately, needing a few seconds to process what was happening.
"Misty? What's going on? Where are we going?" Ash Breeze's conversational tone betrayed a hint of fear, but Misty powered forward, not wasting the breath to respond. After just a few minutes of relentless flying, Misty dropped Ash Breeze on the floor in front of Jamie, smiling proudly.
"I bring betrayer, Jamie! I do good?" Misty looked Jamie in the eyes, familiar desperation in her eyes. She wanted that validation so badly, that sign that she had done the right thing. She had been expecting that validation after she killed Inferno, but all she got were terrified faces. Now that no one had gotten hurt, would everyone finally appreciate what she was doing?
"You did so good, Misty. Now we can find out what their plans are! Can you do one last thing to help, since you've done so good so far? Can you stay with Ash Breeze while I report back to Maya for further instructions?" Jamie smiled trustingly at Misty, and the young dragon's massive grin seemed to radiate warm flames and positive emotions.
"Of course, Jamie! I try talk to him too, see what I find out!" Misty exclaimed, pressing one claw threateningly against Ash Breeze's arm. Her attempt at an intimidating face was somewhat undermined by what remained of her goofy grin, and Ash Breeze visibly suppressed a chuckle.
"I trust you, Misty! See you in a few minutes!" Jamie called as he dashed through the forest, leaving Misty and Ash Breeze together near the market.
"Tell one thing, Ash Breeze. Why you work against Maya? She much nicer than Addison." Misty crossed her tiny dragon arms, a very mixed face drawn on her purple scales.
"Now, why would I work against Maya? She's a perfectly nice person, and we both hate Addison. Whose side are you on, lil' dragon?" Ash Breeze's heavy Underdark accent didn't mask his obvious confusion, and Misty sat down, emotions flickering across her face at lightning speed.
"I- I with Maya! I against Addison! Jamie tell me you betray Maya, you work for Addison? That wrong? But Jamie- oh..." Misty sat down, a look of realization on her face. Ash Breeze stared sympathetically at her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Jamie work with Addison, doesn't he? He lie to me. No one lie to me!" Misty screamed, the semblance of a terrifying dragon roar in the echoes of her voice. Ash Breeze visibly recoiled, but he didn't back away, instead just holding Misty's talons in his hands.
"I think, young dragon, we may both have been tricked."
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Isabel flew through the dense forest, Maya on her back and a dagger in her left talon. She couldn't stop thinking about how she had failed Misty, how she swore a vow to protect her and she had failed. Misty must think she was such a failure, and Isabel wouldn't blame her for thinking that. She was a failure, in every way possible. She had failed to protect Misty all those years ago, the day she had released the dryad, and she was failing to protect her now.
"Are you okay, Isabel? You've been awfully quiet for the past few minutes." Maya whispered softly, and Isabel turned to look at her. Maya stared right into her orange eyes, saying nothing, and turned away after a few seconds.
"I'm quiet because there's nothing to say. You would benefit from a lesson about that, human." Isabel narrowed her eyes, and Maya sighed, a dejected look on her face. Maybe she would apologize later, but for now, all Isabel cared about was finding Misty, whether she needed a human's help or not.
"Jamie! Jamie! What are you doing in the forest? Are you looking for Misty, too?" Maya called out, startling a massive flock of birds in the overhead trees. Jamie, who had clearly been hiding, walked out of the bushes and tilted his head innocently.
"Of course! I came out here as soon as I noticed she was missing." Isabel's nostrils flared, and she was shocked at how easily Maya fell for Jamie's lie. She shoved Maya off her back, ignoring her startled gasp, and dragged Jamie into a nearby cave. Being much bigger and stronger than Misty, she accomplished this easily, and Jamie's glare was barely visible in the dim light of the cave.
"Where is Misty? I know you have her, you rotten sack of..." Isabel's growl faded into muttered Draconic curses, her furious face illuminated by the glowing crystals that littered the cave. Jamie merely smirked, crossing his arms as he sat down on the cold stone floor.
"I know something you don't want others to know, and you know something that I don't want others to know. I was there that day, at Addison's camp, when you freed the dryad and blamed it on Misty." Isabel gritted her teeth, barely resisting the urge to use her acid breath on this pathetic human. If she did that, she may never find out where he left Misty.
"I did not blame anything on Misty! Now, if you want to live, tell me where she is. Now." Isabel hissed and spat a few drops of acid on a nearby branch, enjoying the sizzling sound as the driftwood melted into a pile of greenish goop.
"I have a better idea. How about you go back to your little clearing and I'll bring Misty there myself, or you kill me and never find her again. Now, since I don't particularly want that, I'm only giving you one option. See you at the clearing." Jamie's eyes darted around the cave one last time, and he dashed out of the cave, swerving to avoid Isabel as she attempted to stab him with her dagger.
Isabel cursed quietly in Draconic as Maya walked into the cave. She had to come up with an excuse to go back to the clearing, and fast.
"Maya, if Misty was taken, she would immediately try to return to the clearing. The best and safest thing to do would be to return to the table and help the new recruits get settled in. We do need to get started on some sort of defensive wall around the clearing, anyways, so let's actually get something done instead of running around the forest." Isabel's throat hurt just saying those words, but Maya seemed to accept this, and they flew back to the clearing in complete silence.
As soon as they arrived at the clearing, Maya called over a few of the recruits and began discussing plans for a wall. Isabel helped a recruit named Moon Flower carry some fallen trees, since she seemed to be the only one without a partner to help her. She commented that her friend, Ash Breeze, had mysteriously disappeared a few minutes ago, but Isabel wasn't listening. All she could think about was Misty, and where she could possibly be.
As if on cue, Misty burst out of the forest with Ash Breeze on her back, carrying Jamie roughly in her talons. She flung him to the ground dramatically, and Ash Breeze leapt nimbly into the gathering crowd, locking eyes with Moon Flower for a brief second. Misty tilted her head up and breathed a massive plume of frostfire into the air, and the entire clearing fell silent.
"Me discover how Addison know so much about us! Jamie working for her!"
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Misty was flying at top speed, Ash Breeze crouched between her wings as she dove through the trees and vines. Her head was spinning, her mind filled with rage and desire for revenge. Within barely a minute, she saw Jamie, creeping purposefully through the undergrowth. Misty abruptly halted in midair, and Ash Breeze grunted as he was almost flung off Misty's back. She paid this no mind, however, and lunged straight at Jamie.
"Betrayer! Liar, backstabber, traitor! You working with Addison! Deserve death!" Misty growled wildly and began to exhale a massive cloud of frostfire at Jamie. She stood over him as he screamed, holding up her claws, ready to tear the life out of him, when something stopped her.
Isabel definitely wouldn't want her killing Jamie. She would go on and on about how killing is wrong and her soul was too precious to waste. Thinking of Isabel calmed her down, just the slightest fraction, and Misty lowered her claws to the ground.
"You not deserve freedom of death. You come with us, to clearing. Maya decide what to do with you." Misty scowled at Jamie, who was whimpering pitifully, and scooped him up in her talons.
They flew silently through the forest, no one saying a word. Ash Breeze's eyes were glowing with pride, and he hummed softly to himself as they flew, too quiet for Misty to hear but still audible through the sounds of the forest. As soon as they saw the clearing, Misty breathed a cloud of frostfire into the air to gather everyone's attention. She dropped Jamie on the ground, and triumphantly declaimed, "Me discover how Addison know so much about us! Jamie working for her!"
Isabel immediately flung her wings around the smaller purple dragon, barely holding back tears. Jamie painstakingly stood up, and looked Isabel right in the eyes.
"Isabel! I will have my last victory! Misty, the day that Inferno burned you for freeing the dryad, I know you didn't actually do that. Your brother, Jax, knew that you didn't actually do that. But you should know who actually did. It was none other than your friend, Isabel. It's her fault that you were tortured like that." Jamie cackled gleefully at Isabel, his face a mess of crazed emotions and wounds. Misty, however, just shrugged nonchalantly.
"You really dumb, Jamie. You think I not know this? Pfft. You revenge terrible. At least find information that I not already know, if you want such dramatic reveal." Misty narrowed her eyes at Jamie, a scowl on her face as his manic grin slowly faded to a confused frown.
"You- you knew?" Isabel hesitantly looked into Misty's soft eyes, a tormented expression on her metallic scales. Quietly, Maya called Moon Flower and Ash Breeze over to find a cave to bring Jamie, and they silently carried him away as everyone else stared at the two dragons.
"Obvious. Of course I knew. You think me not notice you hiding in bushes? I not mad at you, Isabel. That actually why I went into forest next day, to look for copper dragon who freed dryad. You my best friend, Isabel. Actually, only friend." Misty hugged Isabel tightly, a single tear sliding down her purple scales and landing in the dirt beneath their talons.
Abruptly, a suspicious rustling sound came from the forest, and both dragons turned to look into the bushes. A moment later, a massive red dragon, almost as big as Inferno, emerged from the bushes, spreading his wings dramatically as he looked down upon the startled group of assorted creatures. Misty was the first one to speak, looking up at the looming figure with hope in her shining eyes.
"Jax? That you? Everyone, is my brother, Jax! You here to help us?" Misty's voice betrayed a hint of excitement, and Jax picked her up in his giant wings, spinning her in a circle once before setting her down. He cleared his throat, then spoke in a courageous tone, his rough dragon voice easily settling into the Common words.
"That's right, I'm here to help. With all of us working together, we have a decent chance against Addison. Start getting ready, humans and dragons. The war is about to begin."
[ 4215 words ]
ive got a big plot twist coming up if i ever get off my butt and finish chapter 9
if you vote and comment "chug" then ill chug a bottle of mustard