Young Writers Society

Zoltar woke with a start as the thin fingers of an early dawn crept through the cell window, casting golden light over his obsidian black scales.

How long had he been asleep for? He remembered hearing the drilver dragons, but it all went blank after that. Maybe he'd simply blacked out. He hadn't had a good nights sleep in three days and it was starting to ware on him. He flicked his tail around to inspect his nights work. The metal around the tail was deformed and had bubbled where the fire had met the metal. The lock holding the two peices of metal around his tail was almost off and looked like a few more blasts of fire would finish the job.

Zoltar's heart raced with anticipation. They'd be able to get out tonight as soon as most of the palace went to sleep. They might even be able to steal the ice diamond. Zoltar had seen the gem inside the queen's throne room. He still hadn't told Felistia as he wasn't sure how she'd react. Before he'd be afraid that she'd warn the ice talons, but now that he'd learned of her history, he wasn't so sure she'd side with her kind.

"Felistia." Zoltar nudged the sleeping ice talon gently on the wing, "Please wake up."

Felistia inhaled sharply as her glittering eyes flickered open, "Yes?" She yawned sleepily, sitting up with her slender tail lying over her talons like a sleeping snake.

Felistia?" Zoltar probed cautiously, not wanting to upset her in any way, "I kind of have something to confess to you. I never told you why we were going into the ice talon kingdom," Zoltar chuckled nervously. "Well, funny thing is that I was kind of....going to steal the ice diamond. You're not mad...right?"

"Why would I be mad. On the contra, I'm actually quite the opposite." Felistia angrily bared her sparkling white teeth making Zoltar flinch involuntarily, "I. Hate. Shiler. So knowing that you're going to try to take something she holds dear, well it makes me feel wonderful. Why, I'll even help you steal it.

Zoltar breathed a deep sigh of relief. He'd been so sure that Felistia was going to be angry, so it was a great relief knowing that she was going to help him steal the ice diamond. He'd planned to do it in secret while Felistia was distracted, but when they'd been caught, he'd known that he'd have to tell her. He wouldn't have been able to sneak off by himself while escaping this place.

"That's great," Zoltar exclaimed happily as he whipped his tail around to show Felistia his handy work.

Felistia gasped and took his tail in her paws, "When did you do this?" Her voice carried a note of awe.

"Last night, while you were asleep. I spent the whole night trying to melt it. I think a few more blasts of fire should finish the job," Zoltar explained excitedly. It was great knowing that Felistia liked his work.

"So what's the plan?" Felistia asked inquisitively, pushing his tail away. When Zoltar didn't respond immediately, a hint of irritation crossed her face and she whined, "Don't tell me you got me all excited for nothing."

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Zoltar laughed and said, "Of cause I have a plan, but we have to wait until tonight."

"Oh. Great," Felistia smiled and edged closer to Zoltar, touching her wing to his, "So tell me this plan of yours."

"Well," Zoltar began, enjoying the brush of Felistia's silver scales against his wing, "When this casing is off, I will be able to melt out chains and the door locks. I'll knock out the guard behind the door and then we'll make our way to the throne room. There I'll steal the diamond. Then we must find our way out and make a break for the border," Zoltar explained enthusiastically, "I know it's a bit sketchy, but it's the best I have at the moment."

"That's good enough for me," Felistia twined her tail with his, her pearl white scales gleaming against his crystal black ones, "We can adapt it as we go. In the mean time you should get some rest," She curled up next to him and said, "I'll keep watch. You need a good sleep." She smiled as he lay down beside her and drift off to sleep.