The Dragon's Seer (Wings of Fire fan fic)

Part 12 - Breakdown

Thank you guys so much for more than 1k views, that's actually crazy, this is a little late I guess (1.4k views now), but thanks anyway. I never expected this book to get more than 25 views, but things happen :) -B

//James POV//

I've never had to deal with death.

My family is alive. My friends are alive. I'm alive. Nobody close to me has ever, ever died.

But now Reef is dead.

I feel so useless. My eyes sting with bitter tears. I'm just a human, a lowly scavenger. I don't belong here. I belong on Earth. Why am I crying? Why am I feeling this? He's not real... he was never truly alive...

I'll tell your brothers, I had said. But how? I was never going to escape, not when I'm breaking down. And there's something wrong with me, too. Somehow, when I was transported here, I can tell prophecies. My guess is that it's a one time thing. The universe somehow updating what's gonna happen now that I'm here...

So many thoughts are racing through my head, but I can't process them, because my head hurts and my heart seems to be burning a hole in my chest. I pound my fist against the floor, because I'm angry, angry at Queen Scarlet and angry at Snowdrift, and angry at myself.

My brain connects the dots like lightning.

Reef didn't want to kill, but he would've. He could've won easily, at that first moment when he flipped Snowdrift over. But he didn't. Why? Because of what I said. I didn't want him to kill.

And Snowdrift was able to kill him with a last, desperate stroke. Now I'm alone. The dragonets aren't here, and Reef no longer is.

However much they yearn to escape, destiny is forever shaped.

Is that me? Will I be stuck here? What about my brother Squeak? He's only six years old. His seventh birthday is in a few months.

And I would miss it, unless I went home.

There was nothing else I could go back to, of course. My parents aren't dead, but they gave me up to this foster center. They claimed I was too much work.

And then another family also gave up their kid- a little boy named Squine. It's a strange name, of course, but I call him Squeak.

I'd do anything to get back to him. But what about this world? I can save people. I can make it up to Reef...

No, I can't. How do you fix death?

//Peril POV//

There's something wrong with the scavenger. Reef- the dead dragon- he talked to him a lot, and now he's dead, so that probably has something to do with it.

He's like curled up into a tiny ball, shaking. He doesn't even notice the SkyWing guards picking him up and carrying the corpse away. I shake out my talons. Ew. I don't like leaving corpses to rot.

I hesitate, but land next to him.

"Scavenger," I say rather hostile-ly, raising my head haughtily. I'm proud of my act. Maybe I Iook like Queen Scarlet! That'd be great.

"Hey, Peril," mumbles the scavenger.

"Spewing prophecies again?" I say awkwardly, dropping my hostile act. I kinda feel bad for him. He looks so, so sad. "Most people here will hate you for that. Prophecies are awful. Queen Scarlet does not like them."

"Well," he mutters, "prophecies suck, you're right. But Queen Scarlet is wrong."

"Why would Queen Scarlet be wrong?" I ask, dumbfounded. "She's the queen for a reason." This is treason- why would anybody say that about the queen?

He looks up at me, his eyes streaked with tears. "She's wrong a lot, you know." I shake my head, but he continues. "Osprey. She hates him, right? But you're friends."

"How do you know that..." I have to admit, though, that's true. Killing is fine, no bother. But Osprey is my friend, and the queen hates him.

"Just think about it," the scavenger says finally. "She's not always... right."

My patience ends, and smoke curls through my talons. "Don't say that about Her Majesty!" I growl, turning away from him. "I told her about your little... prophecy book. So she'll be coming soon." I hesitate. I should fly away. Right now. Instead, I whisper, "sorry about your prince friend."

He says something back, his voice a sad whisper. "He was my friend. Imagine losing Osprey. That's how I feel." He pauses. "He was my Osprey."

My eyes widen in understanding, like suddenly the world swivels into focus. But I fly away.

I was lying to him. I was in shock after listening to the prophecy, I didn't tell the queen.

I have to fix this. I turn around and dive into the Queen's throne room.

"Your Majesty," I pant. "The scavenger. He tells a prophecy of the dragonets." I pause dramatically. "He knows the future."

Short chapter, but I feel like it should end here. See you next time! -B