Marvin didn't quite fall asleep, but I did have to carry him the rest of the flight back.
We landed right outside the entrance, the rest of my friends landing alongside me.
"How's Marvin?" Qibli asked immediately.
"He's out cold." Turtle noted.
"Ha! Cold! Icewing, you get it?" Qibli jumped around.
The SeaWing prince laughed for a moment. Kinkajou came running up with a flask.
"Here! I heard you can wake up scavengers if you pour water on their heads!"
"That might work." Qibli agreed, settling down a moment.
"Then do it." I simply said.
She walked over to him lying on the stone. He was asleep, but I could see he was breathing. His calm thoughts flashed almost imperceptibly quickly from panic, to alertness, to discomfort, to annoyance. He sat up, spluttering.
"Aww! Guys! I just got dried off!" He stood, trying to shake the water from his claws.
Qibli laughed. "I think he's awake now."
That scavenger. Is he okay? Why are they talking to him?
I shot up, looking to see Toad standing at the entrance, looking at us.
"Umm, guys? I think we should be getting to history." I looked back towards my friends.
Everyone quickly noticed the dragon looking at us. Toad realized as well, quickly slinking away.
"Come on Marvin, let's drop you by the cave," Qibli said.
"Okay. I think I have some things I should tell my squad as well." He mumbled.
Qibli carried him, and I followed behind. Toad caught me a little before we reached our cave.
"Is he going to be alright Moon?" He looked hurt. I know Scavengers are fragile, I didn't know this fragile.
"He's going to be okay," I said, trying to talk while not listening to his thoughts.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's great."
But a few more questions popped into his mind.
Why does he wear those furs? He doesn't act like any scavenger I've seen. He's different somehow. Howso?
Marvin was right, he was very curious.
"Umm, we should get going. I just need to get something from the cave, then we have history, right?"
"Oh, yes. I should get going."
"Bye."
"Bye!"
Toad took off down the corridor. He looked to be late doing something.
I finally turned the corner and entered into our cave, closing the door behind me. Marvin was in a blanket, talking to his men. They all seemed to be agitated.
"So we found you that info on the Invincible City Marvin. Turns out, it's a hell of a fortress." Travers sat on the crate.
"Thick walled, completely self-sufficient from what we can gather. One of the few places dragons have not been able to crack." McManus paced.
"Y-you told me that already. What's new?" Marvin tried drying himself with his blankets.
"Nothing really, the scrolls we found weren't exactly fond of any useful details. At least, none we could discern from the pictures." McManus answered.
"How about you Marvin? Your vision I mean? What was that about?" Travers hesitantly asked.
Marvin sighed, hanging his head. "A battle, some sort of battle. I only saw it after someone mentioned the Invincible City— Indestructible City. I think that's what triggered it. Something's going to happen there."
They were silent.
"What did you find out afterwards, in class? Not about the vision, I mean" Travers asked.
Marvin sighed again. "Some history lessons, show and tell for Moon." Then he perked up, pointing at Travers. "By the way, you can't go talking to dragons willy-nilly Travers. Either don't talk at all or remove your cross."
"Yes sir." Travers nodded.
"My observation Marvin, but you were wet and faint when they brought you in." McManus commented.
"Yeah, that was Kinkajou's fault." He looked over to the culprit.
The RainWing suddenly bolted up. "It wasn't all my fault!" Her gold and raspberry contrasted with several shades of green and specks of white.
"Are you kidding?" Travers looked at me sideways.
"Yup. Kinkajou took me for a swim." Marvin claimed.
"Yeah, I did do that." She hung her head.
"Ha!" McManis remarked.
"But it was all in good fun!" Kinkajou exclaimed.
"I nearly drowned in the frickin freezing water. At least warn me next time?" As if I would still let her.
I giggled. Marvin rolled his eyes.
"Otherwise, watch out for this SkyWing called Peraguine."
"Red orange? Grumpy. Thinks she knows it all?" Qibli asked.
Marvin pointed at him. "Yup. Watch out for her. She's liable to stir trouble around any of us."
Suddenly, me and Marvin noticed a mind coming up to us.
They live here. I haven't seen any of them anywhere else. They have to be in here. I want to know what they're hiding.
Marvin seemed to notice it too.
"Well Lieutenant," Travers began. "I must say, the hospitality here is absolutely-"
Not a moment later, the door swung open. Qibli whirled around, ready to face the threat with his venomous tail. Marvin drew his weapon. McManis grabbed his shotgun.
In the door, stood a stunned Toad.
"Are you kidding me?" He yelled before Qibli dragged him inside. I shut the door behind them.
"Scavengers can talk! I knew they were just hiding!" Toad announced!
"Shhhhh!" Qibli tried to hush him.
What should I do? We've been discovered by Toad. He has a loose mouth, he can't keep a secret. If we let him walk, everything will be discovered. Maybe for the better, at least for the Founders. What do we have to lose?
"Let him go." I managed to squeak out.
Qibli let him go. Travers and Marvin lowered their weapons, McManis followed them. Marvin walked up to the paralyzed Mudwing.
He's walking up to me. What should I do? He's not like any scavenger I've seen or read about. And they can talk! Is he coming to talk to me? What do I do?
"Nothing." Marvin barked out. "You will do nothing."
HE SPEAKS! Toad shouted in his mind with such volume that both of us flinched.
"Ow." Marvin rubbed his ears. "Don't yell indoors, please. We can hear you load and clear." That hurt a lot more than I thought it would. Marvin said surprisingly calmly.
"Wait! You can... what? I-I-I..."
"Toad, calm down." Kinkajou took the initiative.
She ended up being the closest dragon to try and catch the fainting Mudwing. Marvin dove for medical supplies, while I rushed over to support Kinkajou.
"I don't know what happened, he just fainted!" She held him up, frantically looking at us.
"You didn't do anything Travers?" McManis looked at the scrawny human.
"I didn't even think anything!" Travers threw his hands up.
Marvin came up with a small kit with a red symbol on it.
Smelling salts? No, they probably won't be strong enough for a dragon. We could try though.
"Whatever it is, we need to get him up." I stated.
"Wait!" Qibli shouted. "Why here? Why can't we move him to his cave? Toad might think it was a dream or something."
"That would work." Marvin pointed. Maybe. Hopefully, the reaction is delayed enough.
"How will we get him there?" Turtle asked.
Qibli turned. "I might have a way."
"Hey, Peril!"
This was absolutely the WORST idea Qibli could have.
Peril groaned. "What do you want Qibli?"
"Hi, yes, can you um..." He sidestepped around her.
"Cause trouble so you can make a break for it?"
"Yyyess?" He bowed his head to her.
She jumped right up from her stone bed.
"Of course! Anything for my winglet!" And Turtle.
"Perfect." Qibli perked up. "Do you think you can keep them away from the Gold winglet caverns?"
"Sure." She started. "But... what is this all about?" She drifted a glare towards me.
"Well, we-"
"We have to get Toad back to his room without being seen. That's all."
I nodded along with Qibli.
She eyed at us suspiciously, then shrugged her wings."Alright. For you guys I guess."
We stayed well clear of her as she marched out the door.
"That could've gone badly." He said quietly to me.
"She already knows about Marvin. Not about Travers though." I said back.
"The less who know, the better. Let's go."
I already heard the panic expressions coming from the underground lake. Dragons streamed past us, trying to get to where the commotion was. Me and Qibli carefully stood to watch.
"Okay! Go now!"
Turtle carried the young Mudwing. Toad was just small enough that he could carry him without a problem. Marvin dashed behind Turtle, McManis followed behind him. He had his shotgun, but Marvin thought it wouldn't even scratch a dragon.
We tore down the empty corridor. Turtle tried the door, but it was locked.
"Locked?" Marvin asked.
Turtle nodded slowly.
"Qibli, can you-"
"Of course. Because I'm the Outclaw and we're all criminals."
We all just stared at him.
"I could probably pick it." Marvin chimed in.
"I can shoot the lock." Said McManis.
"Alright, fine." Qibli walked up, sliding his claws in. A faint click and the door swung open. "There. I don't want to hear a word about this." He stepped back.
"Let's go. I don't think Peril can keep them any longer without hurting someone." Marvin motioned Turtle in.
Turtle ran in and deposited Toad on his bed. Marvin came running up with his little bag, digging out a small tube. He snapped it in half, waving it near his snout.
Wait, he has no nose holes-nostrils. Where's his nostrils!
"They're on the top of his snout!" I shouted to him.
Marvin nodded, he climbed up onto the dragon. He waved the object over the top of his snout. A piercing scent wafted through the room, causing me to make a face.
"Mmmph." Toad stirred.
Turtle managed to run out and hide behind the door. Marvin tried to follow suit, but he wasn't fast enough.
I saw a flash of pink and gold, suddenly morphed into nothingness. Qibli pulled me away, holding a claw over my snout. I heard something hit the ground, I could hear Qibli's thoughts for the first time in forever.
Don't move. Don't breathe. Don't make a sound. Is Marvin okay? Kinkajou has him, they're camouflaged. But the smell. Can Toad sniff him out? Oh no! My Skyfire! Moon can hear me. But I'm fine with that right now. Is Kinkajou safe? Is Marvin safe?
I couldn't hear what Marvin was thinking over Qibli. Suddenly, Marvin materialized behind us. He looked at everyone, a talon up to his mouth. He put two claws together and motioned towards our cave. I knew what he meant.
I met Qibli's eyes, motioning with my head and eyes. He let me go. We all quietly made our way back. Qibli disappeared for a second to tell Peril, but he met us back in the cave.
"Whooooo!" McManis exclaimed.
"How did it go?" Travers asked quickly. Then stumbling back as Kinkajou appeared in front of him.
"We're all alive, he's none the wiser," Marvin said with a sense of accomplishment.
I closed my eyes, finding Toad amongst the chaos still in the nearby underground lake. He was confused, thinking he just had a dream. But he was more concerned about why he was there in his cave, and who knocked him out?
That was close. That could've ended badly. But with Moon, I never had a doubt. That was brave and clever of Kinkajou to hide Marvin like that. Wish I had camouflage scales like that.
"Uh... Qibli?"
He looked at me, confused.
What is it? Moon's concerned. Concerned about me. Did I miss something? No. My plan went perfectly, no one saw. Not even Toad.
"It's not that." I began, pointing to his broken card holder.
"Wha-" My Skyfire! I lost it in front of Toad's cave.
"Qibli."
He looked directly at me. "I know. You can hear my thoughts again."
I hung my head, the all too familiar warmth of embarrassment filling my body.
"I think I might have a solution." Marvin pointed. "McManis, do you still have a spare Skyfire?"
He shook his head. "No Lieutenant. I left them all at camp."
"Ahhh, damn." Marvin cursed.
"But-" McManis started.
What are they saying? I wish I knew. Qibli kept thinking.
"But what McManis?" Marvin stood up from his seat.
The worn human was thinking something over. I saw his face almost imperceptibly light up when he finally settled.
"Lieutenant... I've been pondering this over since we regrouped at the river, and you told us about these stones."
"Spit it out already McManis! You've been talking to me about it all since yesterday!" Travers suddenly exclaimed.
McManis fell silent.
Travers groaned. "He's been considering giving up his Skyfire."
"What?" Marvin said, stunned.
"You can understand what I'm thinking. It'll help make quicker strategic decisions. Silent communication." McManus reasoned
"But... don't you want to keep your thoughts? Your secrets?"
He took a moment to craft his response. "Marvin. If it's one thing I learned, it's that you can't keep secrets from Uncle Sam. If he wants something, he's gonna get it one way or another. And you're as close to him as anyone I've ever seen."
I felt a tinge of something well up in Marvin. Was it pride? Embarrassment? Whatever it was, McManis took out the dark rock from a pouch. He felt it around with his claws.
"I trust you, Marvin. I trust you to not get us all killed. You've proven yourself. You've proven yourself to me... at least."
He slowly walked up to Qibli. He offered the Skyfire to Qibli.
Qibli took a step back. Should I take it? What would Moon think? Would she be okay with it?
"Go ahead. Take it." I said softly to him.
"Okay." He said softly. It's what she wants.
Not a few moments later, his warm, quick, but organized mind disappeared from me again, leaving an emptiness within me.
A new voice appeared. I understood what he was thinking, probably from Marvin. He was obviously comparing everything to past experiences. He was certain about his own abilities and was not afraid to stand. But he didn't want to lead, he wanted to advise. He wanted to help Marvin, as much as he could. He cared for Travers. He even considered us as members of his squad. He didn't take nonsense and said things clearly and bluntly, but he cared about us. He cared about all of us. I saw Marvin smile, walking up to him.
"Welcome back McManis."
He pulled him into a hug, patting him twice.
I looked over at Qibli. He still looked at the small Skyfire in his claw.
"You don't have to beat yourself up about it. It's your choice." I nudged him with my wings.
"I know. It's just..."
Suddenly, a stinging migraine nearly brought me to my knees. It did to Marvin.
The vision formed in front of me.
It was a cave, a large cave. But the ground was close. The cave wasn't larger, I was smaller. I saw small arms and claws, like I was looking through a human's eyes. But I still recognized we were still in Jade Mountain.
She pulled out a small object. Black, baggy. She set it on a shelf. The pain made me lose track of everything. She had made some sort of device, admiring her handiwork. I saw stacks upon stacks of the round prickly dragonflame cactus.
It was a trap!
The vision faded away.
"Marvin!" I looked over to him.
"Moon!" Marvin met my frightened stare.
Qibli caught me, he was holding me up. "Are you okay? A vision?"
"Y-yes. Marvin had one too." I looked over to him.
"What did you see Marvin?" Travers asked him as McManis let him down slowly.
"Argh." He held his head. "A cave. A gammon grenade on a rube goldberg delay device, and a whole bunch of round... plants?"
"Dragonflame cactus." I corrected.
"Dragonflame who now?" Travers asked.
"You saw dragonflame?" Turtle jumped up, deeply concerned. The entire winglet was disturbed.
"Someone please tell me what that is?" Marvin demanded.
Qibli stepped up.
"It's a special type of cactus that only grows in the mountains, usually around SkyWing territory. When a dragon breaths fire on it, it explodes and sends spiny little seedpods everywhere."
"Like a grenade."
"Exactly like a grenade Travers." Marvin rubbed his head. "Okay. With that much explosives, it's liable to take the whole mountain down. As for the cave," Marvin looked towards me. "I don't know this place at all. Did you get a good look at it Moon?"
I shook my head. "I couldn't see anything. It was all... weird."
"Weird? As in how weird?" Kinkajou asked.
"It was like... I saw from a human's perspective."
I heard a soft snap. Marvin jumped in.
"Okay, so it's a human, we know that. He knows how to use a gammon, or has contact with someone who does. And he wants to blow up Jade Mountain. Anyone we know meet all three criteria?"
McManis's voice rang out clear.
"Goldman."
Marvin snapped his claws.
"Right. So what can we do to prevent him?"
Suddenly, the room went silent.
"What can we do? He's an animus?" McManus stated.
"Damn, yeah, you're right." Marvin growled.
"He could materialize right here right now for goodness sakes!" Travers exclaimed.
"No, Goldman's smart." Marvin got up to pace. "If he was going to pull this off, it would be in a secluded area, hidden from sight, but vital enough or close enough to a vital spot to be effective. If I had a map, I could probably point out possible targets."
I looked to Qibli, he had a fiendish smile on.
"We'll get you that map. Come on Moon."
He bounded out the door. I followed closely behind. Marvin continued planning.
"So, what we'll do to encounter him is-"
I followed Qibli down the corridors to the library.
I heard Starflight before we even turned in. He was busy sorting stuff. Humming to himself as he worked. His mind was very busy, but he never had any negative thoughts. As the librarian and a former dragonet of destiny, he probably didn't have time for any.
We rounded the corner and entered the library.
Oh. That sounds like Qibli, and Moon. "Hey Qibli, Moon." He said with a smile.
"Hey, Starflight." Qibli began. "Do you think we can borrow a map of Jade Mountain?"
Starflight's mind immediately turned to question.
"What for? You guys already know the campus inside and out."
"It's for a friend." I blurted out. I didn't want Qibli to lie for me.
Starflight nodded, then ducked behind his desk. He felt around for a scroll, then pulled it out, handing it to us. Qibli stamped it out.
"This friend doesn't happen to be that scavenger Marvin, does it?"
A hot flash erupted through me.
Should I lie? Should I lie to Starflight? He'd probably know if I lied. But if I tell the truth, that might lead to more questions. Maybe he'd send Sunny or Tsunami to check on us. What should I do?
"Uh, no. Moon was helping out Toad. He's still working his way around campus." Qibli quickly said.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I don't think that's the truth. But I trust that Qibli and Moon won't release another ancient danger upon us again.
"Thanks, Starflight," I sighed. I promise, I won't.
We walked quickly back to our cave. We knocked.
Turtle and Kinkajou greeted us.
"Hey Moon, you're back!" Kinkajou jumped up and down.
"We weren't gone that long were we?" Qibli joked.
"It felt like a long time. Especially with these three talking up a storm. Three moons." Turtle commented.
"Hey!" Travers shouted.
"That's alright Turtle. Why don't I just leave it to Qibli to predict where Goldman would be." Marvin teased.
"I actually probably could." Qibli said.
I only giggled.
He placed the scroll in front of all of us. It was more of a sketch than a real map, but it would have to do. I listened as Marvin's mind worked away.
Cafeteria would be a good place to hit. Plenty of dragons, lots of attention. But there is no good place to set up. Not without being seen. The cave was small, let's start there. Lounges? They'd probably block in the mountain, maybe trap and cause a few casualties. Laying in the dorms would have limited effect, and they'd be at risk of discovery with that much ordinance. Wait!
He pointed to the middle of the school. Where the miscellaneous rooms were.
"There. That's where I would hit to cause the most amount of damage." Middle of the school, maximum panic. Plus, it's midway under the mountain, possibly caving in the neighboring underground lake. Plus, whatever flammable stuff may be stored there would cook off as well. A perfect place to bomb.
I shivered. Marvin was as dangerous as Goldman, but at least he wanted to genuinely help. But the things he thought.
"We know where he's going to hit, we don't know when. Unless you can tell that through your visions, Marvin." Qibli smiled.
"No. I can't tell." Marvin shook his head. "But they're usually no more than ten minutes before."
"That doesn't leave a lot of time to plan out what to do." I added.
Suddenly, a string of ideas started coming through.
Fire watch, we can stand guard. That would be suspicious as hell though. Maybe it's worth the risk. Alert everyone? No one would believe us. It's too close, too little time for an evac. Maybe we could somehow render the entire room inert? Maybe Travers could fill it with fire foam with his magic hands. We wouldn't know exactly which room. Get the wrong one, probably cause more trouble, get us investigated. Marvin won't risk exposing Travers.
"You're right, I won't."
McManis did a double take.
WHA- HOW? Oh, right. "You heard that didn't you." McManus recovered.
"Loud and clear," Marvin grumbled, rubbing his ears. His yell startled me as well.
"Sorry, Lieutenant. But there's only three options I see. None of them are easy." McManus shrugged.
Nothing's ever easy McManis. Marvin grumbled.
"Is there any way else we can gather information?" Travers asked.
"Actually, maybe." Qibli turned to me. "The Obsidian Mirror."
He moved over behind me and dug through his box of things. Pulling out the flat piece of dark rock.
"An obsidian mirror? How does that even work?" Travers commented.
"It's animus touched," Turtle corrected.
"Oh."
"What does it do?" Marvin asked.
"It allows a person to spy on another person's conversations. I thought maybe we could use it to listen in on what Goldman is saying."
Marvin thought for a moment, then nodded.
That may work. He'll be having a briefing at this time. We need to move quickly to get as much information as possible. "That's a good idea. Do it."
Qibli nodded, he drew the mirror up close to his mouth.
"Goldman." He whispered.
Tongues of smoke formed on the top of it. Voices came through, clear as a daytime sky.
"We know he's here, somewhere in the mountains. Japanese activity suggests a large dragon stronghold here. We know Marvin's allegiance with them, he's likely to be where they are."
Damn, that's Goldman. I knew that scouting party got something through. Maybe I should've stopped to kill all of them. No witnesses, everyone would be safe. This wouldn't even happen.
His mind was going in a self-degrading circle, taking me with it.
Stop. I can't do that. Just listen.
Okay. Sorry.
"I'm all likelihood, it's that Jade Mountain place they visited."
"Damn it!" the thud of wood being struck. "The only soldiers we had even remotely near Jade Mountain are under the control of Marvin."
"It would be suicide to storm that place with that many dragons. Not unless we scout out the place first... or stage a diversion."
A strange feeling hung in the air. Something cold surged across our link. I shivered.
"I may have an idea."
"What would that be Sergeant?"
"That's Command Sergeant Major to you Sergent!"
His sudden anger and rage in his voice made me flinch. I drew my tail in around my talons, hunching my shoulders. Marvin noticed me.
We don't have to keep listening to this.
No. I swiftly said. Collecting myself. This is important.
A sigh was heard. "How much explosives do we have?" Goldman asked
"Plenty to level that Mountain."
"How many gammon grenades?"
Kish hesitated for a second.
"Six... or eight. Some are missing Sergent Major."
"COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR KISH! Get it right or I'll execute you myself!"
"My apologies... sir."
Another sigh. "How's in the way of explosives? Comp B?"
"Not nearly enough to make anything happen. Most of it is waterlogged in th-"
"In the crash. That's the one phrase I've heard half a million times."
He went silent for a while. One of the tendrils of smoke paced around a square of smoke. Suddenly, he stopped.
"Didn't one of those peasants talk about an exploding cactus?"
"Yes sir. Dragonflame I believe they called it. Explodes on contact with fire, sends out shrapnel like our own pineapple grenades."
The shadow turned, extending a tendril of smoke towards the second figure. "Get me as many as you can, and a map of that damn academy. I think I figured out what I'm going to do."
One figure separated itself, disappearing from view. The other seemed to lean over and join the table. A faint mumbling could be heard.
"Why do you have to do this to me, Marvin?"
Qibli had enough, blasting the figure away with a burst of flame.
"We caught him. He's going to bomb Jade Academy. We know where, and we know he's preparing." Marvin laid it out.
"What can we do?" Kinkajou asked with concern.
"What can we do? Tell the founders this. They'd evacuate the school, but Goldman might catch on." Qibli deduced.
"True. If they're all outside, he may just open fire with his machine gun instead." Marvin continued.
"We can't just do nothing," Travers said.
"We won't. Just give me time to think." Marvin asked. Argh. Why Goldman? Why? The only options put us all in danger. I'd probably need to get Winter, he'd probably be able to just spray down the Dragonflame.
Suddenly, Travers got up, panic on his face.
"Marvin! He's here already."
Marvin just looked at him with a distant stare, then he snapped back to reality. His mind finally comprehending what just happened.
"Travers, what did you do?"
He rushed over to him, yanking open his claw. There was a small round object Marvin identified as a compass. He grabbed it, turning it around. I saw the red arrow turn against him.
That's not north.
Marvin pulled out his own compass. The arrow was pointing in a different direction. He held it up to him.
"What enchantment did you put on this?" Marvin shouted at Travers.
"Nothing big! I just... enchanted it to show where Goldman would be at all times. The needle made a big shift. He's here!"
Marvin motioned his finger at him. "I'll reprimand you later. We need to stop Goldman. Now!"
Following Travers' compass, we raced down the corridors. One of the small store rooms was open.
"There!"
I slammed into the door, forcing it open.
There was everything. What I saw in my vision. The room stacked high with Dragonflame cactus, and a makeshift device on a small shelf to my right. Marvin ran over and inspected it.
"Damn. The gammon is armed. DON'T TOUCH IT. It'll explode with even the smallest touch."
I shivered. A mind spun away.
This is pretty smart of Goldman. Using a water drip timing device. Once the second can gets heavy enough, it unlatches and lets the gammon fall into the cactus. Boom!
"Not right now McManis. I need you guys to get as much of this Dragonflame as far away as possible. Evacuate the surrounding area, this gammon is packed to the brim." Lethal radius of 20 feet. Probably take out this wall. Hope it's not supporting much. Likely cave in the entire room. We need to move fast, these drip triggers don't need much time to trigger.
I shook my head, following Qibli. Grabbing a basket, I stuffed as many of the spiny cactus into it. Passing it to Qibli, who disappeared in a flurry.
"Moon! Go and warn everyone! We got this."
Marvin and his team were filling baskets, as were Turtle and Kinkajou.
"Moon. Go." Marvin said, his voice startlingly calm. It felt like the entire world was weighing on me, making it hard to breathe.
Go. Save them. Save them!
I took off down the hall. Shouting as loud as I could.
"Everyone get out! You need to get out, right now!"
Sleepy dragons poked their heads around the corners of their caves. Dragons milling in the corridors looked at me like I was a certain RainWing.
"You guys need to leave!"
A vision slammed into me.
The explosion.
Was it the History Cave? No. This was this one. We didn't get everything out in time, people didn't listen. Marvin and his team couldn't get out in time.
Marvin dead.
Qibli, dead.
All of them, dead.
I gasped. Dragons now surrounded me. Their minds whirling, they were confused as to why this Nightwing was screaming like a banshee.
What's her problem?
I just want to get some sleep before class.
She's shaken. Something's wrong.
Why is Moon here?
Sunny appeared in the crowd. She pushed her way to me.
"Moon? Are you okay?" Something's wrong. This is how she acted when... when the history cave blew up.
"And the store caves might as well Sunny. We have to get everyone out!"
The vision came again. But all the students were safe. The explosion caught my friends instead.
In an instant, they were extinguished.
Marvin was dead.
Kinkajou was dead.
Qibli was dead.
Turtle was dead.
The students were safe.
Sunny caught me. She was concerned, and she knew I was a prophet. She turned to the students.
"You heard her. Everyone evacuate!"
Dragons surged forward. Waves of dragons and their chaotic minds made everything ache. I felt like everywhere I was slammed into a wall. Sunny's calm voice made it through the storm.
"Where are your friends?" She asked.
I pointed weakly down the hall.
"Come on."
She got up under my wing, walking me down.
The dragons parted to make way for us. Her warm scales helped to quell that sickening feeling growing in my stomach. I led her back to the storeroom.
The humans formed a chain, passing the comparatively big cactus balls out of the room into baskets. Sunny let me go, rushing in. Marvin stopped her.
"Sunny. See if you can get the other founders. We need as much help as we can get."
She nodded, rushing off.
"Moon! Help Qibli take these baskets!"
While he said that, Qibli appeared with an empty basket. He threw it down, grabbing a full one, then dashed off. I grabbed a full one, racing after him. Dogging panicking dragonets and their equally chaotic thoughts. He slid into the underground lake, flinging the group inside.
"They can't explode if they're underwater!" He took my basket and flung the contents in as well. "Keep going."
I followed him back. In the halls, there were fewer and fewer dragons.
The vision came again while I was running.
The students were safe.
My friends were safe, but Marvin and his squad were dead.
I shook it away, keeping myself from hitting the walls.
"Last few!"
"I got these!" Qibli grabbed two baskets, racing back with an awkward step. The founders also grabbed baskets and followed Qibli.
"What can we do about this gammon Marvin?" McManus asked.
This is really dangerous. "I could try patching the hole, that would pause the timer. Give me tape."
"No!" I blurted out.
Starflight, Kinkajou, and Marvin looked at me.
"We're running out of time Moon! I need to stop this!" He started again.
"You can't!" I started to run towards him.
I heard a click.
I saw the black bomb fall.
A scream.
I grabbed Marvin, covering him with my wings.
Suddenly, the room filled with fire. I closed my eyes, curling myself up. I was blown out the door. I couldn't hear anything but a high-pitched ringing noise, but the cries of anguish I heard clearly through my mind.
I felt something dragging me back. I felt dragons surrounding me. I opened my eyes, and the world was blurry. I couldn't tell if it was Sunny or Qibli. Suddenly, a mind broke through.
Moon. I know you can hear me. I'm here, I'm with you. You're hurt, Clay's tending to you now. Everyone's safe. Marvin's okay.
Marvin interrupted over Qibli.
Thank you, Moon. I'm staying by you. Thank you. I am such a daring idiot. Stay alive Moon, please. Stay awake, stay alive.
It hurt too much to try and speak. I could only blink, and try to smile.
Good. Good. Save your strength.
Marvin was crying now. Qibli was looking me over.
We're getting you to the healing cave. Hold on.
I was picked up, sending ripples of stinging pain all over. I was carried down for a bit, then I was set down on a bed of soft leaves.
Clay's going to put you under with a tranquilizer dart Moon. You'll be fine.
I've been through this Moon. You'll live. Trust me. I'll stay by you until you get better. Trust that.
I know. Tell Qibli-
But the world faded away. Everything faded into darkness. I found myself unconscious.