Wings of Fire as Humans: Jade Preparatory Academy

Chapter Forty-Eight: Kinkajou Paradise

Kinkajou sat in silence as her friends debated ideas. She knew they didn't want her input, and if they did, they wouldn't listen.

But she had a really, really good idea!

Like, an actual idea! And it was a good one - one her friends should listen to!

Kinkajou watched as Qibli and Winter - mainly Qibli - examined the room and debated the best way to escape.

"There are no weaknesses," Winter said.

"Yes, there are," Qibli corrected. "We just need to find them."

"Guys," Kinkajou said, but of course no one listened. Moons, was this how Sunny felt all the time? 

"How?" Winter asked loudly, echoed by everyone else in the room except Qibli and Kinkajou. 

"Guys!" Kinkajou said louder. 

Winter sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Kinkajou?"

Kinkajou scowled at him. "We don't need to find weaknesses in the cell," she said. "We need to find weaknesses in the guards." 

All her friends stared at her. Then Tsunami groaned. "That is such a Sunny idea."

"That's a good thing," Kinkajou insisted, offended for both herself and Sunny. "Sunny's plans work." 

"They do," Qibli agreed. He faced Kinkajou. "So, you're suggesting that we convince to guards to help us escape." 

"Yes." Kinkajou was surprised and relieved that her friends were listening to her. 

"That's going to be hard," Peril said. "The guards are Kypselis - they have no reason to help a bunch of lower-class prisoners." 

"They aren't Kypselis," Winter corrected. "They're Glacees and Noctus. Queen Wasp needs people she can trust - meaning higher-status people - but also people who won't object to doing such . . . low-ranking work. The people who arrested us were her personal attack force, so they're higher-ranking Kypselis."

"How do you know all this?" Tsunami asked. 

"I'm a Glacee. Some of my family has worked as a guard for Queen Wasp. It's what I'll probably do at some point. Or it's what I would have done, if I hadn't gotten arrested." Winter frowned slightly. 

"So it's good that you got arrested," Qibli pointed out. "Since now you don't have to work as a guard to Queen Wasp." 

Winter rolled his eyes. "I'd rather be a guard than be a prisoner." 

Qibli - wisely for once - didn't respond. Instead, he asked Kinkajou, "So you're saying we convince the guards to help us escape."

"Sort of," she replied. "I think we should ask the guards to help us contact your mom." 

Qibli cocked his head. "Yeah . . . I guess that could work. I'm sure my mom can figure out something. Though I do think it would be better for the guards to help us escape and then contact Mom. The guards wouldn't want to help us with anything that could leave evidence." 

"Okay . . ." Peril said. "So . . . what are you saying?"

"We can get the guards to help us escape, but then once we're out of the castle we'll need Mom's help," Qibli summed up. 

Kinkajou smiled, glad her friends were listening to her idea and building on it. "So, when the guards come to feed us, we talk to them," she explained. 

"We can't just ask them to help us escape," Qibli said. "We have to go slowly, and we have to offer them something, so they'll be inclined to help us." 

"There's always money," Winter said. 

"Mom as money," Qibli agreed. "We can offer them that. People will do drastic things for money, especially if they're poor."

"So it's settled, then," Peril started, then closed her mouth as footsteps sounded in the hallway. 

"We'll talk to them," Qibli whispered. "Manipulate them to help us. Starting when they come in, and going on until we convince them." 

Kinkajou met her friends' eyes, and a certain understanding passed between all of them. No one said a word until the door opened, and a guard entered. 

It was time to put their plan into action.