(3rd pov Clay)
"Disappointing," Queen Scarlet said to Burn, as the crowd of dragons erupted into cheers.
"Catastrophic," Burn growled. "Look, the idiots love her now."
Dragons were leaning over the top of the arena walls to throw small jewels at Tsunami. A couple of little emeralds bounced off her scales as she dropped Gill's head and stepped back from his limp body.
Tsunami gave the cheering dragons a disgusted look' but that didn't stop them.
"Don't worry. I have a plan," said Queen Scarlet. She rubbed her front talons together. "But now it's time for the NightWing! My hatching-day present to me!"
Starflight's terrified eyes locked with Clay's. All his know-it-all superiority vanished in a heartbeat.
"Wait!" Clay cried as the guards started to unchain Starflight. "Let me fight for him instead!"
"These dragonets," Scarlet said, waving a claw at Burn. "Constantly pushing and shoving to save each other. It's just the weirdest thing." She signaled to the guards with one talon, and they hauled Starflight off to the tunnel. Clay leaned his full weight against his chains but they held fast. The blood red SkyWing grabbed Clay's horns and pulled him back with a single talon.
"You're not spoiling this for me, MudWing." Scarlet said. "I've been dying to see the NightWing fight after the other one escaped. He's so very sparkly and good-looking. I think after he's dead I'll cut off his wings and hang them on my throne room walls. Wouldn't that be magnificent and thrilling? All those silver scales sparkling like diamonds against obsidian. I love it."
Burn growled low in her throat. "This is a frivolous palace," she muttered.
"Careful how you speak of your allies," Scarlet said. "Remember you need us."
Burn shifted her wings and kept her mouth shut.
No one had chained up Tsunami after her fight. She was still standing in the arena, her back turned to the SeaWing corpse, which was already beginning to smell of dead fish.
Then Starflight was shoved out of the tunnel, and Clay realized what Scarlet's plan was. Hope fluttered inside him. Tsunami would never kill Starflight. Not in a million years. Not even to stop one of his endless lectures about the science of fire-breathing.
"I'm sure you all heard about the NightWing prisoner who escaped last night?" Vermillion said from the safety of a ledge opposite to the queen's balcony. Multiple dragons yelled boo. "But that's okay, because we have another real live NightWing. Is he the dragonet of the prophecy? Let's see what happens when two of them have to fight each other. Tsunami of the SeaWings and Starflight of the NightWings! Claws up, teeth ready! Fight!
Tsunami and Starflight stood looking at each other. Tsunami's sides were heaving, and she was covered in Gill's blood. She looked a bit scarier than usual, and Starflight clawed the sand nervously, as if he wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't snap and kill him.
Slowly Tsunami walked over to Starflight. He opened his wings, and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"BOOO ... ooo?" called a solitary voice called from the crowd, dropping off as no one joined in.
"Awwwww," went a few dragons in the upper seats, far enough from the queen that they wouldn't be recognized.
"This is getting worse and worse," Burn hissed through gritted teeth.
"Aren't you going to fight?" Queen Scarlet called. Tsunami and Starflight didn't even look up. "That's very annoying," the queen added. "Go on, you've been stuck with each other for years. You must be ready to kill her, NightWing. Doesn't she drive you mad?"
Clay looked past the SkyWing guard and at Glory, wishing she'd smile at him. She'd joked often enough about ways to shut up both Tsunami and Starflight. But her eyes stayed closed.
"No?" Scarlet leaned forward. "Oh, fine, be the worst gladiators ever. Vermillion! Release the scavenger!"
Vermillion flapped his wings, and a huge cage came rolling out of the tunnel. The queen's son flew to the top of it and bit down to sever the cord that held the door. The door fell open, and four scavengers burst onto the sand, waving claws and squeaking ferociously.
"Scavengers? To kill the dragonets of the prophecy? Are you mad? Burn snarled.
"Well, it only too one to kill your mother," Scarlet observed. Burn's head whipped around, her venomous tail arching up toward the SkyWing queen.
"Oh, calm down." Scarlet said with a snort. "It'll be fun. I've got more things waiting in the wings to kill them if this doesn't work. After the last one escaped, this is the only NightWing I'll probably get in my arena, and I want to see him fight everything."
Clay leaned forward, worried. they'd never practiced fighting or hunting scavengers. Scavengers only attacked dragons with treasure, and the dragonets didn't have anything. He wondered if Starflight had read about their fighting techniques in any of his scrolls.
Then again, scavengers were still prey, only a little fiercer and pointier. The guardians would often release animals in the caves for the dragonets to chase, so they could learn hunting skills. Were scavenger really any different from lizards or goats or ostriches?
(Switching Pov to Stromcaller)
It was taking ever fiber of his being to stop him from blowing his cover. None of the guards had found him yet, surprisingly. But he was on the verge of rushing into the arena and incinerating those humans.
He knew he let some of them live, but it seems like they were starting to become a problem again. Humans were responsible for a good amount of the suffering in Stormcaller's life, and he was not a fan of the two legged, two armed, pelt wearing creatures.
The NightWing turned his attention back to the arena. Tsunami had pushed Starflight back against the wall and spread her wings in front of him, baring her teeth at the scavengers. Three of them ran right at her; the fourth took one look and bolted for the tunnel entrance.
Tsunami cuffed aside the first human with a swipe that sent it flying into the seats. All the closest dragons lunged for it, clawing and shouting and climbing over each other to catching it. the human landed, screaming, in one SkyWing's outstretched talons, and the dragon promptly ate him. Stormcaller almost chuckled.
The other two humans skidded to a stop and backpedaled out of tsunami's reach. She flicked her tongue at them.
Meanwhile, the human who had tried to run cam hurtling back out of the tunnel, herded by a trio of large SkyWing guards holding long spears. He pelted across the sand, letting out one long shriek of fear, until he crashed into the opposite wall and fell over. He didn't get up again. These human were an embarrassment compared to the one he had fought.
"This is going well," Burn muttered. "The NightWing isn't even doing anything."
"The other two scavengers are female," Scarlet pointed out. "They sometimes last a bit longer."
Stormcaller was able to hear the two queens from his hiding spot. Luckily, they didn't notice him.
One of the humans pointed, and they split up, circling Tsunami from different directions. They approached slowly, each holding out a silvery claw. Tsunami eyed them until she couldn't watch both at once. Then she turned and lunged at the one on her left.
That one darted under her talons and stabbed at her under belly. Tsunami yelped and reached to grab it, but it had already scurried away.
At the same time, the other scavenger shot behind Tsunami's back and threw herself at Starflight. The NightWing tried to bat her away like Tsunami had done, but she swerved around his claws. Suddenly she was climbing up his front leg and before he could shake her off, she scrabbled onto his back. If Starflight reacted quick enough he could squash the human with his talon or bite it.
Starflight chose the latter option ... but failed. Starflight tried to twist his head over his shoulder to bite at the human, but she moved fast, clinging to his scales like a Khezu going up a wall. He shook his head furiously and reached up to clay her off. She wriggled aside, and accidentally clawed his own neck. A thin trail of blood trickled from his scales.
"Not very impressive," Queen Scarlet sniffed. "I suppose they can't read scavenger minds. Not enough going on in there."
Scarlet was completely wrong. Humans were extremely smart, just as smart as dragons.
The human was getting close to Starflight's snout. Clay must have realized the danger his friend was in.
"Tsunami!" the MudWing yelled.
Tsunami was halfway across the arena, chasing the human who'd attacked her. Tsunami was faster, but the human kept changing directions and running underneath her. At Clay's call, Tsunami whipped around and saw Starflight's danger.
She raced toward him, but before she got there, Starflight suddenly gritted his teeth and slammed his head to the ground. The human was flung forward over his horns, landing hard and rolling into the wall. Almost instantly she was up and staggering away from his teeth, which snapped on empty air.
Starflight didn't chase her. He stood rubbing his head, watching the human stumble on the churned-up sand. When Tsunami started past him, he reached out and stopped her. Tsunami's own human ran by and helped Starflight's human lean against the wall. the two human glared at the stadium full of dragons. Loud angry squeaking noises came out of both of them.
What were they doing. Tsunami or Starflight should have killed them by now.
"You're right," Scarlet said with a sight to Burn. "This isn't nearly as thrilling as I thought it would be. Let's go straight to the IceWings!" she shouted across to Vermillion.
He signaled, and guards took off from all over the stadium. Stormcaller watched as they scattered to the IceWing prisoners. He counted at least eight IceWings up there.
IceWings didn't really like NightWings because of a war that happened a few thousand years ago.
"Finally a smart idea," Burn hissed
"Let me fight, too!" Clay pleaded. "Put me in there with them!"
'No you idiot,' Stormcaller thought. Three dragons fighting eight IceWings would have the same result as if two dragons fought eight IceWings. Utter failure.
Suddenly a cloud seemed to pass over the sun. The fluttering of wings made all the dragons look up as a wave of darkness flew overhead.
'NightWings,' Stormcaller thought.
One piece of the darkness separated from the rest and spiraled down into the arena, ducking under the web of wires.
As he descended onto the sand, wings outstretched was a large NightWing.
Stormcaller didn't know who this dragon was, but as he landed the large NightWing looked right at Stormcaller and stared him down.
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Onto the next chapter
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(3rd Pov Clay)
Morrowseer had arrived at last.
Clay was torn between relief and anger. What had taken the NightWing so long?
A hush fell over the arena. the SkyWing guards hovered up in the sky. Halfway through unchaining the IceWings. All the dragons stared at Morrowseer, whose vast black form seemed to fill the whole arena. His darkness sucked up all the light around him.
For a few seconds he stared down the blood red SkyWing guard that stood next to Clay. The old dragon only glared back. Neither of them said anything until Morrowseer turned to Queen Scarlet and pointed at Starflight. "This dragonet is ours," he addressed.
'Just him?' Clay thought. 'What about the rest of us?' He was afraid if he spoke up, the queen would kill him before Morrowseer had the chance to save them. But maybe he could get into Morrowseer's thought. . . .
"Ours who?" Queen Scarlet said. "We found him with some Talons of Peace revolutionaries. Are you telling me the NightWings have finally chosen a side?"
Burn chimed in with a snarl. "Are you allying yourselves with an underground peace movement instead of a real queen?"
Morrowseer glanced up at the sky, where a flight of black dragons was circling. "No," he said in his deep rumbling voice. "I come only to claim this dragonet as ours. We will take him and go."
"Oh, will you?" said Queen Scarlet. "On whose authority? Would your mysterious queen like to appear and discuss the matter with me?"
Morrowseer's eyes glinted dangerously. "Do not anger the NightWings, sky dragon. Give us our dragonet."
'And the rest of us!' Clay thought as loud as he could. 'Over here! Dragonets of destiny! Four more besides Starflight! All totally key to the prophecy!' Maybe Morrowseer had forgotten they were there. but he could read minds - couldn't he hear Clay shouting for help?
Queen Scarlet stamped her foot. "No! I want to see him fight IceWings! It's my hatching day!"
For a moment, as everybody paused, Clay was afraid that Morrowseer would give up and fly away. Then the black dragon's tail twitched, just the tiniest bit, and all at once several NightWings came plummeting out of the sky.
Clay watched in awe. 'He must have called them with his mind.'
Without a word or a visible signal, the NightWings fanned out across the circle of prisoners. The SkyWing guards dodged out of the way, looking terrified. Each pair of NightWings fell on an Icewing prisoner, talons slashing. Within moments, all the IceWings were dead. Their silvery corpses flopped across their cells. Bluish-red blood dripped slowly down the sides of the rock spires.
'That wasn't fair,' Clay thought. 'The Ice Wings were all chained up - they couldn't fight back. if the NightWings are so tough, why not free all the prisoners instead of killing more dragons?' He looked down at Morrowseer again and thought he saw the dragon's scornful gaze pass over him. 'Oops. I mean, thank you, NightWings! We're very glad you're here. ALL FIVE OF US!'
What Clay didn't see was Morrowseer's gaze stop on the blood red SkyWing that stood next to him. For a moment the colossal dragon stared into the eyes of the old SkyWing before returning his attention back to the fuming queen. There was a predatory gaze in the old red SkyWing's eyes that the NightWing didn't like very much.
So much smoke was pouring out of Scarlet's nostrils that it was hard to see her eyes. Beside her, Burn's tail was lashing. She looked ready to jump down and attack Morrowseer herself.
The large NightWing smiled coldly. "There," he said, "We've taken care of you ice Wing problem. Now we'll be going." He beat his once, lifting up into the air, then swooped down on Starflight.
"Wait!" Starflight cried as Morrowseer's talons closed around him. "What about my friends?"
'YES!' Clay screamed in his head. 'WHAT ABOUT US?'
Morrowseer didn't even look down at the dragonets. he soared off into the sky, carrying Starflight away with him. the rest of the NightWings circled once more than followed him south.
Clay felt like he'd been pummeled by a SeaWing tail. A rescuer had come down from the clouds ... and decided not to rescue them. he met tsunami's eyes. Hers were bitter and angry.
She was not the only one. "Guards!" Queen Scarlet roared. "I will have one thing go right today." she fumed. "Fetch my champion. And clean up that mess down there." She swept one wing toward the arena.
Burn looked to angry to speak. the queens watched in silence as SkyWings hurried onto the sand and started dragging off the bodies of Gill and the scavengers. the two scavengers still alive were shooed back into the cage and rolled away. Guards threw chain over Tsunami, who submitted without fighting for once, perhaps too shocked and angry to muster the energy.
Clay looked over and saw the blood red SkyWing reach into a bag that was hidden under his wing and pull out a fancy looking flask. "Only two more weeks," he whispered before opening the cap and taking a drink of whatever was inside. before putting the flask back in the bag. From the smell of it, Clay guessed it was some form of alcohol.
All around the stadium, a shocked stillness hung over the watching dragons. Clay guessed it had been a long time since they'd seen anyone win a showdown with their queen.
"As you all know," Scarlet said suddenly, her voice regal and commanding as if mystery dragons hadn't just swooped out of the sky to steal her toy, "yesterday my champion, Peril, offered to stand for the accused prisoner, Kestrel, in a Champion's Shield. She will now fight a dragon of my choosing, and if she wins, kestrel goes free. If she loses - then I suppose I'll have to get a new champion."
She paused, expecting a reaction from the crowd, but nothing happened. Queen Scarlet frowned. "Oh, right," she said. "You think Peril can't lose. Well, it so happens that we happen to have a special guest here today - a dragon whose scales are impervious to fire. Isn't that ... thrilling?"
Clay barely had time to register this before guards seized him. As he was being dragged into the tunnel, he caught a glimpse of Queen Scarlet's face and realized that knew exactly what she was doing.
She knew he and Peril were friends. Or had been, before betrayal anyway.
The queen was forcing Peril to choose between him and her mother. And now Clay had to choose between him and her mother. And now Clay had to choose between killing Peril ... and death.
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Onto the next chapter
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(3rd Pov Stormcaller)
While Morrowseer and the NightWings were here. Stormcaller felt something. It was the presence of a monster, a very angry monster. He couldn't pinpoint it's exact location, but it was somewhere in the arena near the two queens.
He could think about that later, right now he had to figure out how to get Clay and the rest of the dragonets out of the SkyKingdom.
(3rd Pov Clay)
Sand that was sticky with blood clumped between Clay's talons. The sun beat down, bright and hot in his eyes. he paced around the arena, thinking. Was there any way out of this? He paced around the arena, thinking. Was there anyway out of this?
He couldn't count on Peril sparing his life, that was for sure. She'd betrayed him once. Surely she would do it again, if it was to save her mother.
He heard he scales scraping along the tunnel and turned to face her as she entered the arena.
She stopped, and it was like every emotion in the world hit her face at the same time. "I should have guessed," she said, furious and low, so only Clay could hear. "The only dragon here who can touch me. no wonder she wanted me to stay away from you."
"I guess you should have," Clay said. Peril flinched.
"There you go, Peril," Queen Scarlet said. Behind herm Tsunami was dragged onto the balcony next to the Blood red SkyWing, wrapping in chains and glowing with anger.
"That's the dragon you have to kill before I set your mother free. have fun!"
Peril slid toward Clay, and he fled to the opposite wall. She hesitated, then put on a burst of speed and chased after him. He waited until she was a heartbeat away, then lunged forward and body-slammed her to the ground.
The crowd roared with surprise and delight.
She lay there gasping as he got up and ran to the other side of the arena again. 'She's not used to here opponents being able to hit back,' he thought. Fiery heat blazed where his shoulder had touched her, but it faded quickly.
he turned with his back to the wall and crouched, waiting for her to get up. Slowly she rolled to her feet and paced toward him. This time she stopped a short distance away.
"I'm sorry," she said plaintively. "I know you're mad. I made a mistake. I just - I thought you were trying to get away from me."
"Well, I am now," Clay said.
"I don't want to kill you," she said, clawing the sand in frustration,
"Buuuuut you have to," he finished for her.
"I had a whole plan," she said. "A plan where I saved you after Kestrel, and you liked me best of all."
"Peril, that's insane," he said. "I don't care if you save me. I want you to save my friends. That's what's important to me."
She snarled suddenly. "I'm your friend! You don't need them! She leaped at his head, and he shoved himself upward, throwing her over him and into the wall. He was across the arena again by the time she was able to crawl to her feet.
"I'll stick with the friends who aren't trying to kill me, thanks," he called.
"I'm not - well -"She stamped her talons again. "It's not fair! The other can have any dragon! I only want you!" Her wings snapped open and she leaped up, then dove at him with her claws outstretched.
Clay snatched a talonful of sand and threw in it her eyes. She shrieked and blundered sideways in the air. He leaped to grab her shoulders and flung her to the ground. He rolled her onto her back and sat on her, looking down into her face.
"I know I don't know much about anything," he said. "But I think it doesn't have to work like this."
"It does," Peril said, strugglingto push him off. Her talons shoved ineffectually at him. "Dragons kill each other all the time. In war, in here, anywhere, for no reason at all. That's how we are. Especially you and me. we're the same. We're dangerous."
"That's not how I am," Clay said. "No matter what happened when I hatched. I can't feel this killer inside me that's supposed to be there. maybe that's what the prophecy is about. maybe the dragonets are supposed to show everyone how to get along without a lot of killing."
He noticed that the closest dragons in the arena were leaning in, listening intently. he hadn't been speaking for the whole stadium to hear, but at least a few had.
Queen Scarlet wasn't among them. "Hurry up and do it, then," she called from her balcony. "You have her at your mercy. Kill her!"
Clay and Peril looked at each other for a moment.
"Does she want me to win?" Clay asked.
"I don't know," Peril said. "I gue-"
Clay whipped around to face the balcony. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt like he had to. Just then Glory suddenly reared up in a blaze of sunflower gold and cobalt blue. She snapped her thin chain like a reed and launched herself off the marble tree. Her mouth was wide open, hinged like a snake's. The blood red SkyWing threw his head back as his chest let off a soft red glow. Glory hissed, and a jet of black liquid shot out of her two longest fangs.
Burn shoved Queen Scarlet in front of her and shot into the sky. Glory's venom went under the old SkyWings head before hitting Scarlet on the side of her face.
The SkyWing queen began to scream.
The stadium erupted in pandemonium. All the dragons tried to take to the sky at one, crashing into one another and clawing viciously to get away from Glory and the screaming queen.
It was so sudden. The blood red SkyWing threw his head forward and unleashed a wave of flames that reached the fleeing dragons. Sending them in all directions, even more panicked than before.
"Wait!" Peril grabbed Clay as he jumped away from her. She reached up and touched the bindings on his wings. They broke apart instantly, and his wings stretched free for the first time in the Sky Kingdom.
"Thank you," he called, lifting off.
The guards on the balcony had all scattered after burn, so when Clay landed next to Glory, there was no one left but him and her and Tsunami and Scarlet and the old blood red SkyWing, who was taking a drink out of his flask. Queen Scarlet was beating her own head with her wings and staggering toward the edge.
"Glory!" Clay cried. "You're awake!"
"Of course I am!" she flared, tugging on Tsunami's chains. "You couldn't tell I was faking? I was waiting for the right moment to do something. Did you seriously think I was asleep this whole time?"
"Uh-" Clay said.
"You looked pretty asleep," Tsunami said.
"Well, that's great," Glory said. "For the first time in my life, I pretend to be as lazy as everyone think RainWings are, and you actually believe it. I'm glad my friends have so much faith in me."
The blood red SkyWing let out a loud laugh, a sound Clay thought he would ever hear the SkyWing make.
"Who are you?" Tsunami asked.
"Name's Zephyr," he said. "Last night while you were makin' problems for the queens. I snuck in to your friend's room here and helped her make a plan so you guys could escape." The SkyWing had an odd accent when he spoke.
Clay looked over at Glory who nodded. "At first I didn't trust him. But he was surprisingly convincing."
"Thank you for helping us," Clay said.
"No, I should be thankin' you," the old SkyWing said. "Instead of my retirement being in two weeks. It's gonna be today." He let out another laugh.
Clay looked back at Glory. "Hey, you never told us you could do that," Clay said, pointing to her venom-spitting teeth. beyond them, Queen Scarlet crashed into her throne and screamed even louder. Her gold chai mail was starting to melt into her scales.
"I never could before," Glory asked. "Are you going to help me with this?"
Clay and Zephyr grabbed the marble tree and tried to lever it under Tsunami's chains
"So how did you do that?" he asked.
"Oh," Glory said, "Well, there's a logical scientific explanation and seriously, right now you want to have this conversation?" Zephyr laughed again.
"You scared off Burn, but she won't be gone for long," Tsunami pointed out.
Clay gave the sky a worried look. "Peril!" he shouted. "Get over here!"
"No!" Tsunami said. "Not her! Keep her away from me!"
"We need her help," Clay insisted as Peril landed beside him, "their chains and bindings," he said to Peril. She hesitated. "Please," he added. "If we're really friends."
"All right," she said, glancing at Queen Scarlet. she touched the chains around Tsunami, and they broke apart, collapsing with great clanking sounds to the balcony floor. Clay held his friends' wing bindings away from their scales, and Peril burned right through them.
"Now we get Sunny," he said, leaping into the sky.
The air was full of beating wings, red and gold and desert pale, whacking into each other and knocking one another off course. peril shot ahead of him, clearing a path as dragons panicked out of her way. Clay saw her tail accidentally brush a SkyWing's leg. The other dragon howled, clutching the burn, and tumbled into the side of the mountain with smoke rising from his scales.
Tsunami, Glory, and Zephyr were close behind Clay as they soared up the feasting hall, over the cliffs. Wind billowed under him wings, and despite his fear of Burn, he felt that same fierce joy grip him at the freedom of flying. After days of being terrified he might fall, it was exhilarating to know that now he couldn't that he had the whole vast crystal-blue sky to move in.
Peril reached Sunny's cage first. Clay saw Sunny peering through the bars, trying to figure out what all the noise from the arena was about. Then her gray-green eyes landed on Clay, and her face lit up with joy.
"I knew you'd be alright!" she cried as the three dragonets each nosed each other through the bars. "I knew I shouldn't have worried. I just kept thinking about the prophecy and how we can't die because we have to stop the war."
Tsunami snorted. "Awww. Now ain't that cute." Zephyr said. Tsunami barked out a laugh. Peril hovered in front of the cage and sliced through the bars with her claws. the metal sizzled and steamed for a moment, the dropped to the ground below.
Sunny flung herself out the door into Clay's arms. She pelted him happily with her unbound wings.
"Wait," she said looking around. "Where's Starflight?" she glanced around one more time. "And where's Stormcaller, and who's that." She pointed at Zephyr.
"We lost him," Glory said.
"What?"
"Stop that," Tsunami said, hitting Glory with her tail. "Glory means Morrowseer came and took him away. He's fine. better than us, especially once the dragons stop panicking and start looking for us. Stormcaller left us here to save himself, and this is Zephyr. he's helping us get out of here. Let's head for the river." She banked around toward the cliff, scattering clumps of rusty blood-red sand from her wings.
"But - he just left?" Sunny asked. She caught one of Clay's talons and stopped him in midair. " Starflight left without us?"
"he didn't have a choice, Sunny," Clay said, clasping her claws in his.
"Clay, wait," Peril said. Her copper wings shivered, and she clenched her talons as if she were bout to split in two. "My mother. if Queen Scarlet isn't dead, the first thing she'll do is kill her."
"She's right," Clay said as Tsunami, Glory and Zephyr came winging back to see why they hadn't moved. "Tsunami we have to get Kestrel out."
"Why?" Tsunami challenged. "What do we care? Kestrel was awful to us."
"We care anyway," Sunny said softly. "We can't help it. Even you."
"I don't," Glory said. "She was going to kill me. Remember?"
Clay did remember. He remembered every cruel word, every vicious bite. but he also remembered Kestrel offering herself to Queen Scarlet in their place. And he remembered the scars on her palms, and the look on her face when she saw peril wasn't dead.
"She didn't raise us to care about her," Tsunami argued. "Kestrel was just keeping us alive, and if that's what she wants, the best thing we can do is run away right now."
Zephyr looked like he wanted to say something, but decided not to. He wasn't a part of their group so he didn't know what their life was like before this.
"I'd like to be something more than alive," Clay said fiercely. "I'd like to be the kind of dragon she doesn't think I am - the kind they write prophecies about. That dragon would rescue her no matter how awful she is."
Tsunami lashed her tail, nearly knocking Glory sideways. Even though she was covered in blood, her blue scales shone through in the sunlight like buried sapphires. She glared at peril for a long moment.
"Fine," she growled at last.
"Not me," Glory said. "Do what you like, but I'm not a big mushy ball of forgiveness like you are, Clay." She met his gaze calmly, but her scales were rolling red and black like embers inside thunderclouds.
"Then take Sunny, go to the cave at the bottom of the waterfall, and wait for us," Tsunami said.
"Can't I help?" Sunny asked. "I think I could-"
"Yes, by not getting yourself killed," Glory said. She tipped her wings at Sunny, and flashed away over the edge of the cliff. Sunny hesitated, then squeezed Clay's talons and followed her.
"I learned two things today," Zephyr said, walking up to Clay. "You have a way with words."
"And the other thing?" Clay asked.
Zephyr shivered. "Don't make your RainWing friend mad."
"This way's the fastest," Peril said. She beat her wings, soaring up the cliff that overlooked the feasting grounds. tsunami made a face at Clay and followed after her. Clay could still hear the shouts and roars coming from the arena. He couldn't tell if the queen. Dragons filled the air; none of them seemed to be searching for the dragonets yet, but he knew it wouldn't be long.
As they flew up, Clay passed a narrow shelf of rock with a scrubby bush clinging to it. To his surprise, a scavenger was hanging from the cliff face a few lengths above the shelf. It was one of the scavengers from the party; it had somehow managed to climb up this high without being spotted. Clay glanced up at the distance to the top of the cliff and realized how much farther it still had to go, especially for such a tiny creature.
He didn't know why he felt sorry for it. Scavengers were delicious nuisances, nothing more, according to everything he'd been taught. But he was going that way anyway ... and it had tried so hard. . .
Clay dropped back, scooped the scavenger up in his talons, and flapped after Peril and Tsunami again. the scavenger gave a yell and started shoving at Clay's claws, but it carried no weapons and, as far as Clay could tell, scavengers had no natural defenses of their own. This one was smaller than the others he'd seen, with a thatch of black fur on its head and smooth skin nearly as brown as Clay's scales.
It wriggled and beat at his talons frantically for the few moments it took to reach the top of the cliff. Up here the view was mountains in all directions. Clay didn't know what a scavenger's natural habitat was, but this was the best he could do. Peril, Tsunami and Zephyr were already vanishing into a large hole that was the open roof of the main palace hall. Clay set the scavenger down down gently behind a tall boulder.
"And stay away from dragons from now on," he said sternly, although he knew the scavenger couldn't understand him. The scavenger stared at him, its mouth gaping open and closing. 'Not even clever instincts,' Clay thought. Why wasn't it running away?
Not his problem anymore. He nudged it with his claw, turned, and dove into the roof hole. Down at the bottom of the hall, he could see Peril, Tsunami and Zephyr spiraling onto the gate over Kestrel's head.
From here he could also hear the clamor in the tunnels. Most of the SkyWings were outside, hiding in the sky around the mountain peaks. But the heavy thump of dragon feet and clattering of claws and teeth echoed through the hall.
Burn only had to collect her soldiers - a shield between her and Glory's venom - and then she'd come searching for the dragonets.
END OF CHAPTER
A/N
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