Crimson peeked at Tsunami from behind a boulder as she conferred with a large MudWing and the small, odd-looking SandWing that Crimson knew to be Sunny. Eavesdropping had always been a useful skill in the Talons of Peace, one that Crimson had quickly mastered. What Crimson was looking for was an explanation of the rock message in the prey center. She knew that there was some kind of warning about Blister rising, but she didn't even get to see it before Tsunami had closed the area off.
"Maybe it was just meant to scare us. After all, Blister died more than a year ago." suggested Sunny.
"But who would do that? Nobody was here except for the students and us." pondered the large MudWing.
"I don't think it was meant to scare us. If someone wanted to scare us, they would write 'Your deaths will come soon' instead of 'Hail the true queen'." Tsunami growled. Crimson gaped. Hail the true queen? Is "Blister" trying to recruit an army?
"No! No! I won't! I won't do it! You can't make me! No…please. Why do you need to- no! I thought- I used to think you were my friend! No! NO! STOP IT! GET OUT! GET OU-…right. Get the scroll. Get the scroll."
Crimson and the gathered dragons whipped around as a voice rang out into the cave, starting at a scream, then suddenly dropping to an emotionless whisper.
"Three moons, it's happening again! Don't worry, Moon! I'm coming!" cried Sunny, running into an adjoining cavern. Tsunami and the MudWing followed. As soon as they were out of sight, Crimson creeped out from behind the boulder. She jumped back as a patch of shadow rippled and Forseer crawled out.
"Um…I…wow. Um…do you know what's wrong with Moonwatcher? It seems like she's talking to someone. I think they want her to get some scroll…maybe the enchanted one Tsunami was talking about." Crimson stuttered awkwardly.
"She probably just went crazy." Forseer snorted coolly.
"I think I'm going to go check, just in case." Crimson said, walking into the cavern Sunny had disappeared into. Forseer snorted again but followed.
Inside the cavern were several beds, with a few of them occupied by injured dragons. A small RainWing wrapped a bandage around a cut on her tail in one corner, while a worried-looking NightWing with silver teardrop scales by her eyes clutched her head in her talons in another. Sturdy-looking metal wires kept her pinned to a large rock topped with a bundle of leaves.
"That's Moonwatcher! Stop thinking!" Forseer whispered frantically. Crimson concentrated on the walls around her, but all they reminded her of was the arena and blood and fire and death. Stop it! This is only a wall.
"What is it?"
Crimson turned to see Sunny behind her.
"Um…we just heard Moonwatcher yelling and went to see what was wrong." Crimson murmured. Sunny sighed, her eyes darting around nervously.
"Well, something must've happened when the scroll blew away, because she's been like this ever since. Tsunami thinks it would be good to move her back to the rainforest, but whenever we touch Moon or anything she's touching…well, it feels like burning up from the inside." Sunny explained, shuddering at the thought.
"No! I'm not going to do it! I'm never going to do it! NEVER! Can't you see I'm doing you a favor? If you ever got out, nobody would accept you! NOBODY! Nobody wants you alive! NOBODY WANTS YOU ALI- sorry for the outburst there." Moonwatcher's voice again went from a scream to a normal volume. Her head turned to Crimson. Crimson desperately tried to concentrate on the walls. Moon giggled, but something felt wrong and unnatural about the giggle.
"Don't worry about that. I'm all better, see? Now, could you please unlock these wires, Sunny? My wings are getting really cramped." requested Moonwatcher. Sunny frowned dubiously.
"No. I won't. Because YOU AREN'T MOON!" yelped Sunny. Moonwatcher gave her a cold, cold glare that burned with hate. Out of the corner of her eye, Crimson saw Forseer shake her head. So this wasn't Moonwatcher. But then, what was it?
"Of course I'm Moon! Who else would I be? I'm very offended that you even thought I wasn't myself." "Moonwatcher" snapped.
"W-why are you doing this? I thought…I used to think…" Sunny trailed off.
"Sunny, what do you know about what happened to Moonwatcher?" asked Crimson suspiciously.
"Nothing!" Sunny protested. Crimson and Forseer both glared at her. Sunny shook her head frantically.
"Snakes and centipedes, I'm Moonwatcher! Would you please stop ignoring me and- GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Moonwatcher roared.
"Oh, Moon. What happened?" asked Sunny, concern in her eyes.
"I-I…he…he filled my head with thoughts, so many…so many that I had no room for my own thoughts. I was just a vessel, and his thoughts took over my brain." Moonwatcher whispered weakly.
"I think Moon needs to be alone." Sunny murmured. Crimson reluctantly exited the cavern and trudged back to her sleeping cave, Forseer right behind her.
"Sunny definitely knows something we don't. She probably knows who 'he' is." Forseer growled.
"That burning feeling Sunny described…maybe Moonwatcher was enchanted! Maybe that's what the scroll could do! And maybe it could move stones too! Think about it. How could a dragon move all those stones in the prey center without anyone noticing? And maybe it could bring dragons back from the dead! Maybe that's how Blister came back!" exclaimed Crimson. Forseer shook her head.
"No animus can enchant anything to bring dragons back from the dead. But maybe you're right about the other things. And maybe the scroll can also make someone into Blister." Forseer concluded. Crimson narrowed her eyes. Is it just me, or is she making these conclusions a little too fast?
"Who could've found that scroll? It hasn't been that long since it blew away, so someone around here probably grabbed it." Crimson muttered. Her eyes widened as she reached a conclusion.
Someone at the Jade Mountain Academy was doing this. And that someone might be right in front of me. Forseer looked and sounded suspicious. Her dark green eyes were a little too cold. And she had motive, too. Blister had been an ally of the NightWings before Glory took over. Perhaps Forseer wanted to rekindle that alliance and overthrow Glory.
No matter what, Forseer could not be trusted.
