Chapter 114: The Resistence
Kipling was awaken by a knock on his door. At first, the fae was disoriented by his dark surroundings. Was he still in the Tangled Wood? As he came to his senses, he remembered his return home and his heart sank. The fun was over, it was time to wise up.
The knock sounded again.
"Coming!" Kipling said, shaking his head to wake himself up and zipping to the door. Outside, Simon was standing.
I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Simon asked.
"No! No!" Kipling said. "I was awake, I was just distracted." He paused, fluttering up to sit on the imperial's antlers. Simon started walking down the tunnels, letting his lantern light their path. "What are you doing here?"
"The leader of the rebellion wants to see you." Simon said. "I volunteered to be your escort."
"I mean what are you doing down here, hiding out?" Kipling asked.
"Quartz and I have a difficult past." Simon admitted. "He wanted something my original clan had. When I tried to stand up to him, he imprisoned me and killed the rest of my clan. I managed to escape his bonds in the last battle, and he wasn't entirely pleased to see me again when he returned to Windkeep Tower. I wasn't about to just stand by and let him destroy another clan, so I've gone into hiding with the rest of the dragons who want to help but aren't exactly welcome or safe in Windkeep Tower."
"I'm sorry." Kipling said, growing solomn.
"It's okay kid, it's the way of the world sometimes. We can't stop bad things from happening, but that doesn't mean we have to accept them." Simon said. "We can't change the past, but we can fight for the future."
"How many dragons are living here underground?" Kipling asked.
"Not too many." Simon said. "Querida and I are here, as are Winterstone, Wayuin and their song, Xinskarr. Sacredscream has also retreated here. Basically, those of us who have a troubled history with Quartz or have the level of dedication to Fenn and Elric our new rulers would see as a threat. Nymph is also on our side, but she can't do too much without revealing her position, Quartz and Banella don't exactly trust her."
"Who is the leader of the rebellion?" Kipling asked as they turned into a larger chamber. The ceiling of the cave was high and the walls were carved and painted with intricate runes and images. Animal pelts lay on the ground, creating soft areas to rest. This must have been were Sullene lived, before she left.
"I am." A voice sounded, and out of a dark corner of the cave, Winterstone emerged.
"Welcome Kipling, I'm glad to see you are safe and sound. We hoped that you would one day return to help our cause." Winterstone grinned. Kipling grinned back, unsure of what to say. Winterstone had always been reclusive, so Kipling hadn't spent all that much time with her, and he couldn't help but feel awkward in her presence.
Winterstone seemed to be waiting for a response, so Kipling said a quiet "Thank you."
"Tell me about your travels! Where have you been?" Winterstone asked, her dark eyes gleaming with interest."
With that, Kipling spilled out the full story, explaining everything from Sullene's first appearances to traveling back in time to save Eclipse, and ending with his strange late return. All while he was explaining this, Winterstone didn't interrupt him once, just listened patiently to his story, nodding occasionally.
"You've been through quite the ordeal." Winterstone said once he had finished speaking. Kipling nodded, his throat too dry to say anything else. "I'm afraid it's far from over. Windkeep Tower is in need of great help." She sighed, handing Kipling a flask of water.
"What do you mean?" Kipling asked, after taking a big gulp of water. "Everyone loves my parents! Surely they outnumber Quartz and Banella!"
"If only that were true." Winterstone smiled sadly. "Fenn and Elric have a lot of support, for sure, but Windkeep Tower is not as unified as it once was. The disappearance of your parents has shaken everyone. Then, in swoop Quartz and Banella, claiming to be the saviors that will stabilize the clan once more. It started small at first, and then the army came. It appears they roped in Kaladin to raise an undead army. Now, anyone who wants to oppose them has to go through that terrifying army."
Kipling didn't know what to say, things were much worse than he thought.
"So, not only are the dragons of Windkeep Tower now held down with fear tactics, they now no longer know who to trust." Winterstone continued. "Many dragons have been turned over to their side, or appear to be in support. Rubywing and Rhowen have returned in support of Quartz, the circus dragons have turned or been manipulated into using their powers and abilities to support the army. Magiere has been placed in charge of the army, not that anyone really trusted her all that much before. Who knows how many more truly support them, it's not exactly a safe environment to say otherwise. And we obviously can't reveal ourselves for those who want to join the fight without alerting Quartz and Banella."
Kipling drooped. If everything was so big, what could one band of rebels do against them?
"But there is still hope." Winterstone added, seeing Kipling's loss of heart. "There is always hope, as long as there are dragons to fight for it. It's going to be a long hard battle, but if we can recruit others to our side, if we grow in ranks and abilities, if we find the weak points, if Fenn and Elric are not truly dead as everyone fears and they return, then we stand a chance."
It was a lot of ifs, but if there was even a glimmer of hope, Kipling was going to grab onto it. "I'll do everything I can to help." He vowed. "And so will my friends. Rori, Luster and Eclipse are on our side."
Winterstone smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I just have one question." Kipling said. "Why you? Why are you fighting so hard for this?"
"Because Quartz has taken everything from me already, and I'm not going to let him take anything more from me or anyone else." Winterstone said, eyes hardening.
"It was him who killed Xinskarr's siblings, wasn't it." Kipling asked quietly.
"Not directly, but yes, it was him who ordered it." Winterstone admitted, her gaze softening and growing sad. "I once worked as a spy and assassin, and he hired me to spy on a royal family and do away with their heir. To be fair, they were a corrupt nobility, and at the time, Quartz was trying to turn over a new leaf. Unfortunately, I fell for the very dragon I was supposed to kill. A classic blunder, one I thought I would be immune to. Well, Quartz found out, and he wasn't happy. On the night before we were to marry, he killed my fiance. That was the moment he turned. I think he was angry at all of his attempts to do good going south."
"I'm sorry." Kipling said.
"I got managed to get him back. I made a deal with Vaughan and got my Wayuin back. Of course, he came as a hatchling, without all his memories. Regaining them has been a process. But nonetheless, Quartz was furious to hear I had regained what he had taken from me, and he decided killing our children was ample punishment." Winterstone sighed. "Really, I have no one to blame but myself. I was selfish. And that's why I need to do this now. I need to right my wrongs, and make sure no one is hurt by them."
"Does Xinskarr know?" Kipling asked.
"Yes, and I'm worried for him." Winterstone sighed. "He wants nothing more than to gains revenge for his siblings deaths. It's consuming every facet of his being. I'm all for Quartz getting what he deserves, but too much anger and hate will only lead to destruction."
"Thank you for trusting me enough to share this." Kipling said, feeling honored at how much Winterstone was willing to share with him. "Now, what can I do?"
"Unfortunately, it's best if you stay out of sight and out of mind until we actually launch our attack, but if you can get in contact with your friends, it would be great to have some sources on the outside."
Kipling nodded. "I can do that."
"Thank you Kipling. Together, we can overthrow these tyrants and bring peace to the clan again."
This chapter ended up being more of an infodump, but I wanted to make sure you all had the information you needed and Kipling needed to be caught up to speed anyways.
