Published May 19, 2020
The only sound in the long hallways were the eerie clacking of their talons on the hard floors as Zoltar and Felistia were led into the depths of the palace. Thin rays of sunlight pierced through the ice ceiling overhead. Towering pillars etched with complex shard like patterns framed the walkways. Pale blue carvings of Ice Talons in regal possessions perched on top of the crystal pillars, their cold eyes seeming to follow Zoltar as he walked.
A group of five heavily armed Ice Talon soldiers strode round a corner, their silver armour clanging together in a metallic ring as they moved.
Zoltar watched nervously as they disappeared behind them. Hopelessness bared down on his heart as he realized just how hard it was going to be to escape.
He exhaled a shaking breath, shivering as he watched the misty vapour stream from his snout like smoke from a volcano. He was going to have to use every strategy he'd ever learned to get out of here alive.
What was he going to do for Felisita though? It was going to be hard to get Felistia out with her shimmering silver scales. He could blend into the night time shadows and move quietly past the guards. Felistia however would stand out like fire on a dark night.
It would just be easier to leave her behind, but Zoltar didn't think of that as an option. Felistia was one of his best friends and there was no way he'd leave her behind. He'd have to think of a way to get her out without being spotted.
He glanced over his shoulder at Felistia. She was shaking and her breathing was starting to sound more laboured, coming out in long rasping wheezes
The strong iron smell of blood from her wound wafted through the harsh winter air and Zoltar's worries deepened. Felistia was in urgent need of care. Her gash still hadn't clotted and he was afraid she was losing too much blood.
Zoltar looked at the guards, hoping that they might help, but his hopes were snuffed out instantly. From the hard scowls on the guards faces and the brisk way they were walking, the likelihood of them helping Felistia was about the same as them letting them go.
Felistia caught Zoltar's eyes with her own wild ones, the pupils shrunk down to cat like slits. "Zoltar." her eyes darted nervously towards the two guards padding in front of them. "We have to get out of here. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. If the Queen sees me again we'll be executed for sure."
"One more word out of you and I'll tighten those gags." Felistia’s guard snarled, tugging on the long chain attached to her muzzle.
Felistia hissed, but didn’t say another word as she and Zoltar were led off the main corridor and down a small tunnel. It angled down sharply and before long the tunnel floor turned from ice into stone as it reached the bedrock of the palace. All sunlight was lost and the only light given was from curious blue rocks embedded into the walls. They reminded Zoltar of the fire rocks back in his cave and for a moment he wished he could be back there now; safe and warm.
The sharp screech of an iron gate opening broke through his hopes and brought him back to reality as the guards stopped in front of a large cell.
The prison was bare apart from a few hoops buried in the stone floor. Claw marks covered the walls and in far corner Zoltar was sure he could see a claw hooked into the stone.
"Enjoy your stay," the guards cackled, as they pushed Felistia and Zoltar into the cell. They quickly chained them to the hoops in the floor and left the room, the door closing with a deafening shriek.
The dull click of a key turning in the door lock caused Zoltar’s blood to run cold. This was it. They were stuck here. In a few hours they’d probably be herded back up to the throne room to see the Queen. Things could only get worse from there.
He looked around the cell. It was small and consisted of bare rock floors too hard for his claws to penetrate. A single barred window was carved out of the rock wall to the far side of the cell. It was far too small for a dragon to fit through even if there hadn't been bars. There was no way out.
A small whimper from Felistia’s direction made him turn, “Are you okay?”
“They’ll take us before the Queen soon,” Felistia whispered, her breaths coming out short and fast. Her wings were shaking and her pupils were narrow as the edge of a blade, “I can’t believe this is happening.” She cupped a paw over her face.
Zoltar strained to reach her, but the chain he was on was too short. He didn’t know what to say. Clearly Felistia was panicking and needed reassuring, but how could he make her feel better when he felt the same way. It was all he could do to prevent himself from dry heaving.They were trapped in an Ice Talon Prison. He had only five and a half days left to get out of here, let alone still try to get the jewel.
And what was he going to say to the Queen when she asked him what he was doing here? She’d either see him as a thief or a spy. There was nothing else he could be. A Shadow Talon had no business being in the Ice Talon Kingdom. The lie was no better an option than the truth in this case. Either way he was guilt and would be punished accordingly by execution.
He'd heard terrible stories of dragons caught trespassing in the Ice Talon kingdom, being torn apart by the Queen's pack of Drilver Dragons.
A cold realization swept over him. What if that was how the guards had found them? Ice Talons were known to have tame Drilvers. They acted like scouts on the ground, using their keen sense of smell to find intruders. How had he not thought of this before? If he hadn’t been so weak and allowed his weariness to force Felistia to land, they wouldn’t have been ambushed by the Drilvers. Not only did he do that, but he called out to Felistia in the storm. He practically led the Ice Talons to them.
Now Felistia was in this with him. If he hadn’t insisted that she help him to the palace she wouldn’t be in this mess. This was all his fault.
Zoltar stared out the window, trying to calm his churning stomach. Maybe the Queen would lock him up for a few days before execution? Maybe he’d be able to think of a way out before then?
He’d better. If he didn’t, he’d die, Emerald would be alone on a continent she’d never been on and his tribe would left at the mercy of the Ghost Talons.
…
The ugly screech of the cell door opening jerked Zoltar from his thoughts a few hours later. Two Ice Talon guards strode into the room.
“The Queen will see you now,” the older of the two Ice Talons growled as he unlocked Zoltar’s chain from the hoop in the floor.
A younger Ice Talon tended to Felistia’s chains, his paws shaking slightly as he looped the chain over his shoulder. A long scar ripped across the left side of his face, barely missing his eye.
Zoltar’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest as he and Felistia were led out of the cell and back up the winding corridor. He couldn’t see Felistia, but sensed her fear as they emerged from the tunnel and into the light of the main passage way.
Before long they were standing in front of two large silver doors. The two guards posted outside the doors pushed them open to revealing a large room.
A massive Ice Talon sat majestically in a shimmering diamond throne, her deadly tail gently sweeping from side to side like a cat about to pounce. Her glittering yellow eyes narrowed as she watched Felistia and Zoltar being led into the room.
Zoltar sucked in a deep breath; the Ice Talon queen. A glittering silver crown perched on top of her jagged horns, but it was the look in her eyes that made his blood run cold, it was the evil look of a snake about to strike a mouse. They were in big trouble.
The two guards gingerly chained Zoltar and Felistia to metal hoops in the floor, keeping their heads bowed, their eyes never making contact with the Queen’s. Once finished they bowed low and backed out of the room, closing the doors behind them.
Zoltar swallowed hard as the guards left, leaving them alone with the Queen of the Ice Talons.
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140,089 Literary Works • 672,997 Reviews
Hello again,
The writing in this chapter is really descriptive and I enjoyed learning even more about the Ice Talon kingdom. Your adjectives and describing words add so much detail into the first paragraph and they continue throughout the chapter. Everything from the soldiers’ armor to the queen’s crown is able to be clearly visualized and imagined. The word choice painted all three scenes very well. Great work at keeping all of your descriptions and details consistent through the entire chapter.
I can tell Felistia is terrified about seeing the queen, and Zoltar’s anxiety can be felt through his thoughts in the prison cell. The kingdom sounds absolutely impenetrable and you really get a sense of the characters’ dilemma once chained inside the prison. The Ice Talon Queen is pretty serious about trespassers, and I think the fact that the Ice Talons have control over Drivlers makes them even more scary, so I really hope that Zoltar can find a way to escape with Felistia. I look forward to reading the more!
Great work at crafting this chapter!
~Spider~
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night
And I'm back for the final half of this.
First Impression: Looks like they are about to be in big trouble. And it seems Felistia and the queen are going to have a very fun interaction in the next chapter.
Lovely little establishing shot as always.
So he has been trained in escaping from being captured? He is soldier so I suppose that was necessary.
It is good to see that Zoltar thinks of her even though she said that she was going to be leaving him soon after dropping him off at his destination.
Good that you keep on emphasizing the wound without allowing the reader to forget it.
Okay considering that they were soon to be thrown into prison and possibly left alone this seems like an unnecessary risk on Felistia's part to talk while the guards are escorting them.
Looks like several dragons have been captured and executed in these parts.
Interesting so the claw left hooked in stone came from a dragon with stronger claws than Zoltar's. Subtle showing of how hopeless the situation is.
Well things certainly seem hopeless.
So they are species of lesser dragons or something? Ones that can be kept as pets.
Seems like he's blaming himself too much here. She did say that she herself was going to come there anyway.
Nice of him to think of Emerald but what about Shiraku?
Am I just seeing things or did I just spot the dragon who is going to help them escape?
Lovely little introduction to the Ice Talon queen. Gives a good sense of just how dangerous the situation they find themselves in is. Also shows what sort of ruler she is.
Overall: So we are going to meet the queen. I can see why Felisia would have wanted to replace her. The hopelessness of the situation is shown very well.
Okay I'm running off to meet the queen. As always take what you think is helpful and forget the rest.
Stay Safe
Harry
Thank you for another review. So happy with how you are reacting to my little clues.
I think most of your theories are correct. 
Your Welcome!!
Oooh!! Interesting!! Nice clues too. Plot twists are always so much better when there's a trail of clues that you can reflect on and do a facepalm.
I AM BACK SOONER THAN I THOUGHT.
I am inclined to disagree with the idea that Zoltar can sneak out better than Felistia, but I do that knowing you've most likely thought through this and I simply need a better explanation. XD But I've been picturing a VERY icy environment, and Zoltar has always been darker-colored in my mind, so I feel like he's going to stand out against the ice no matter what, like he'd never blend into the shadows well enough with all the ice. Felistia would either be better at it or equally bad at it, depending on how well her scales stand out against ice. It all certainly depends on the lighting, but I don't think they'd lack any lighting if they had guards keeping watch -- how would the guards watch without light, amirite? Otherwise, prisoners would be breakng out all the time!
ZOLTAR, I THINK YOU NEED TO TALK TO HER WHEN PLANNING. You don't want to leave her behind, but she's probably inclined to ditch you since she's warned several times that would happen ??
Awesome consistency with Felistia's wound. It's really bad, and it continues to be bad for her that it's going untreated and unrested. Kudos!!
LOL I pictured Zoltar giving the guards puppy-dog eyes and realizing his mistake. XD He's been doing that a lot in the last couple chapters too.
FELISTIA, IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SO SECRETIVE, ZOLTAR MIGHT HAVE HELPED Y'ALL BE MORE CAREFUL, GOODNESS--
Oh, I hadn't realized they weren't in a prison yet. And now they are. Hnnnnng I guess I will meet the queen later.
But then it doesn't make sense for Felistia to dare speak to Zoltar during their trip to the prison. Why didn't she just wait until they were alone in the prison cell? She didn't really say anything important.
I wonder why the Ice Talon is so... strictly ruled. What is the Queen's gain, and why are the citizens okay with how she runs things (or ARE they happy?). I wonder if there will be a revolution in this book -- OMG FELISTIA'S GONNA LEAD A REVOLUTION, ISN'T SHE?? It's Star Wars with dragons!!!!
Okay if Zoltar knew about the possibility of tame Drilvers, Felistia DEFINITELY knew... and that would certainly add another layer to Felistia's panic at the time. I like it.
It's adorable that Zoltar thought about Emerald here. Not even a mental wink over Shiraku, but leaving Emerald in an unknown land was as bad as his tribe overrun by Ghost Talons. (Honestly, I don't think he should be so worried about Emerald since I thought he left her behind in a good enough land to live in?) Actually, this adding to a lot of anxieties Zoltar's been having, so I'm wondering... is he actually developing general anxiety? Is this too much pressure for him alone?! (It probably is! CONFLICT!)
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY THE QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL I AM SO EXCITED AND I CANNOT WAIT TO READ MORE OMGOMG!!
Thank you so much for another review. I'll post the chapter with the queen very soon. I think you're going to like that chapter.
I might need to tone down on Zoltar's worry. I think I over do it a bit. I want him to come across as caring. He is starting to have overall anxiety. Shame, it's a lot of pressure on him.
Yeah! It's really hard to balance it out properly per character, but I do think Zoltar is tougher than how he's depicted here. That isn't too say he won't ever breakdown or he doesn't ever worry, but I do think he's a bit more dutiful and, therefore, more focused than typical worries.
I'm so excited to meet the queeeeen!!!
Hi felistia:)
Im @potter4life and im here for a review!
I just wanted to point out some things that may help you along the way!
So the plot line was good but just remember to watch out for the grammer because i spotted some errors while reading.
But the overall story was good.You could try and not just tell people what the characters were going to do but try and use show not tell because it will encourage descriptive writing!
Thats all i have to say:)
keep up the good work!Bye!!!!!