CHAPTER ONE
Everest's story begins outside of Queen Scarlet's palace. (Actually, it begins in the Icewing kingdom. But we are focusing on a different portion of Everest's story. One that is not her birth and growing up and clawing through the ranks of her kingdom, but one that affects more lives than just her own. Although her life plays a very large part of this.)
The sun glimmered through the clouds, pierced with orange, pink, and red expelling their previous nighttime black. The sky was lightening slowly, fading from gray to violet to orange as it met the sun. Soon the sun would be past the horizon and the clouds would be white and the sky would be blue and it would be another perfect day of death in the Skywing kingdom.
But now it was just a perfect sunrise. Perfect, except for the four Icewings slithering across the perfect rocky ground. Their scales glittered watery orange in the light of the rising sun and Everest hissed quietly.
"I had hoped we would be in and out before the sun came out."
"Well, you know what, we just have to work with it." Muttered another Icewing, this one stark white. Borealis.
"Shh. The next patrol's coming." The pale blue dragon who had spoken clung to the walls of the palace, as did the others, hoping that the blasted Skywing guards were as dumb as they looked.
"Permafrost?" Everest said, her way of asking if the coast was clear.
"Yup." Permafrost whispered.
"Step number two; get inside the Skywing palace without getting caught." A fourth dragon, paler than Permafrost but bluer than Borealis, said.
"Got it. Frostbite, would you do the honors?" Everest gestured to the nearest guard tower.
"Of course." The fourth dragon said, slinking towards the guard, claws bared. A few seconds later, he was dead.
Everest, Borealis, and Permafrost slipped silently to where Frostbite was standing, wiping the blood from her claws on the grass.
"Remember; stealth." Everest murmured as her talons reached to open the door into the Sky palace.
And they found about fifty Skywings waiting for them.