It was dawn when Gelid arrived at the safety of the rainforest palace and courtyard. The flight took longer than expected because her wing cramped up and the small cluster of dragons had to wait in the pitch-black forest for her to recover. Needless to say, she always hated being the slow one but they got there in the end.

Gelid told Pale about everything that happened. About Lava and his acquaintance with the Talons of Power. Then the nightwing attack on her and then waking up in Swan's hut where he helped her. She didn't say anything about Swan's wounds though, that was something he'd tell when he wanted to. Also, Lava was still out there, in the nightwing village or on the run.

The rainwing escorts broke off as soon as they arrived. Gelid guessed they went to sleep in their hammocks. Herself didn't feel like sleeping. She felt as if she accidentally fell asleep while flying until landing at the pavilion. Pale looked the same way.

"I'll go alert the guards of that mudwing," Pale said to her. "Maybe he hasn't gone far."

Gelid nodded. "Thank you, Pale."

Lava deserved it after what he did. She doubted Lava would've even left the rainforest so he'd be easy to find. If he placed enough trust in those nightwings to kill her then he would've had nothing to worry about and no talons pointed at him. But he didn't take Swan into account. Swan was the only reason she was still alive.

The pavilion was in the shape of a semicircle and overlooked the courtyard, opposite to the sleeping rooms for important guests. She spotted the room Queen Blizzard used before but the drapes were open and the room was empty. She wondered where Queen Blizzard would be up at this hour.

Pale called out to a guard closest to the centre of the platform overlooking the courtyard. With dawn breaking, she guessed the nightwings would be cycled out with rainwing guards.

Gelid had to be thankful for Pale. He cared a lot for his fellow icewings and other dragons. His personality was very unusual for an icewing that lived in the palace and she even admitted to herself that she overlooked him at first, not considering that he was one of the highest ranking icewings in the kingdom. He definitely didn't show off like the others. Like Gelid did.

Perhaps that was why Queen Blizzard trusted him so much, because Pale cared.

"You shouldn't be here," that was Mist's distinguishable voice nearby. Gelid almost missed the yelling of the icewing princess. Almost.

Mist's scornful tone wasn't directed at Gelid for once, but at someone else. Maybe Mist knew where Queen Blizzard was. Mist spoke again, notifying Gelid that the princess was below on the platform, under the one she was on. Gelid ducked over the edge, carefully descending down in case her wing cramped again. Just as Gelid suspected, Mist was there.

Two sandwings were bickering with Mist. To her surprise, it was Amber and Torrid but what were they doing in the rainforest?

"I don't care why you're here. You shouldn't be here and that's final," Mist said at the sandwings. Her eyes locked onto Gelid between the two dragons. She swore she saw Mist smile for a second. Or perhaps an opportunity to get out of the conversation she was currently in. "Well, well, well. I take that your adventure was incredibly rewarding," Mist said to her.

Amber and Torrid both twisted to look, meeting Gelid with surprise.

"Oh look! It's the Extinguisher!" Amber said with an arching smile.

"I have a name," Gelid said.

"Oh I know, I know. Extinguisher isn't a name thought, it's a title. Not very many earn that title, you know. I think it's very fitting for you."

Gelid couldn't tell if Amber was joking. Her smile didn't crack at all.

"Can I have that title too?" Torrid asked Amber in a casual tone.

"You're not the one with the fire-extinguishing powers like this dragon here," Amber said, flicking her tail at Gelid.

"ENOUGH!" Mist interjected, raising her chin at the squabbling dragons. "Go back home! Both of you!"

"But Miiiiissssst," Amber whined loudly. "It's boooorrrriiiiinnnng."

Mist exhaled sharply, lowering her head and shaking.

"Yeah," Torrid agreed. "I mean, staying in Thorn's Stronghold is cool and all but it's really boring."

"I don't care," Mist said.

Amber didn't listen. "Hyena is all like 'sit here, eat that, drink that water, go chase scorpions and fling them at each other'," she said, flicking her wrist. There were a few small bumps on her palm.

"That wasn't fun," Torrid said, staring at Amber's palm, as if reminiscing memories.

"Exactly my point!" Amber said. "Then I heard you were in the rainforest and I was like 'hey Torrid. Our favourite princess is in the rainforest. Let's go visit her!' And Torrid was like 'Yeah OK' And here we are!"

Mist sighed loudly in frustration, enough to wake the entire rainforest up.

"You should see Hyena. Not that I really want to," Amber added. "He is acting full-on commandary around Thorn. Sometimes I think he's trying to win her over, like his words are so militarialistic and hypnotic or something."

"Isn't Thorn already married?" Torrid asked her.

"Yeah but for now," Amber nudged Torrid gently with a wink and then laughed. Torrid shrugged. "Now I'm totally convinced."

Speaking of queens. "Where's Queen Blizzard?" Gelid asked Mist.

"She's gone already," Mist answered, looking relieved some other dragon spoke.

"What?"

"Uh oh," Amber said.

"Without me?" Gelid asked. Mist shrugged, not giving a flying talon. "How am I supposed to protect her if she keeps flying off without me!" That only made Gelid think she definitely wasn't suitable for the job. Now she was starting to think of it as a chore rather than an honour. Protecting and being around Queen Blizzard constantly sounded like the dream for many dragonets, and it was her dream, for a while though. Until now.

Amber leaned towards Torrid. "Sounds like someone is going to get fired," she sang in Torrid's ear.

Mist rolled her eyes. "There's been a commotion back at the ice kingdom. Apparently, the prisons were broken into - or out of, depending on who you hear first," she said to Gelid.

Breaking out of the prison? How would that even be possible? The dungeons were built underground and the only way in was past two thick walls of ice and a batch of guards. All this just made Gelid think of flying back to Swan to avoid all the drama. Least it was comfortable being around Swan and being surrounded by his wings too.

"Anyway, someone sent the message to Blizzard about it and that's why she's gone. I was told to stay here to wait for you and Pale, and not to entertain two certain sandwings," Mist said coldly at Amber and Torrid.

"I didn't know you could do as you're told," Gelid said, matching her cold tone.

Mist snorted, blowing a shot of cold air from her nose. "I don't, not often but at least I stick to it when I choose to. And besides, my aunt is the queen so I can't ignore everything she says, as much as I wish I could. I am a princess."

That was the first acceptance of Mist's responsibilities that Gelid heard. Perhaps there was a snow-padded dragon under all those scales after all.

"There's got to be something we can do around here. Hmm," Amber quickly considered. "Well your queen isn't here so let's go hunting! That ought to be fun!"

"Afraid not, my aunt needs me and these two to retrieve the sandwing and icewing students from Jade Academy."

The two sandwings started muttering to each other.

"From the academy? Why?" Gelid asked.

"Talons of Power, increased threat levels, danger on dragonets, chance that they might be separated from their families if something bad happens...something like that," Mist said.

"But Jade Mountain is the safest place on the continent to be right now. The Dragons of Destiny are there."

"That's what I said but apparently I was out-voted. If I was queen then I'd-" she immediately realised what she said with wide eyes and stopped speaking. Maybe Mist did ultimately want some part of the throne. "So we made a deal with Queen Thorn. Get the sandwing students, deliver them to the Stronghold and we get an extra battalion of guards and their insurance to help us in case...in case something bad goes."

"Bad? Like what?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Mist said haughtily. "How should I know? I can't predict the future."

Where were the nightwing seers? She hoped they'd receive some clear visions soon to help and also clarify Sunseer's prophecy. Gelid still didn't like it, not like she could ever think of a dragon who might. If something was going to happen in the future then knowing some details would help.

"Can we come too?" Amber asked Mist and Gelid. Torrid nodded with the question eagerly.

"Absolutely not. You're going home," Mist said.

"Plleeeeeeeaaaasssseee." Amber leaned forward and tipped her head with an innocent smile. Great moons, she sounded exactly like a dragonet despite looking like an adult. No wonder Mist got annoyed by them, Gelid would've too.

"You're going to the Stronghold anyway and we'll stop bothering you for a week after if you let us come," Torrid promised, sweetening the deal.

Mist grumbled. "Fine."

"YAY!" Amber exploded with happiness and clapped her wings against Torrid's, then shaking his shoulders in excitement. "I've always wanted to go."

Torrid pushed Amber away and then shook his wings, resettling himself. "Me too."

"This is going to be so exciting! I've never been to Jade Mountain before. To the Academy! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Amber spread her wings, ready to fly.

"Just a moment. We're waiting for one other dragon," Mist said.

Pale found them shortly after and the group prompted to leave the rainforest. Mist commanded the pair of sandwings to be silent but as soon the group left the safety of the trees, Amber started to flaunt with excitement all over again.

"I know I keep saying it BUT THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Amber shouted. She sped ahead and then somersaulted in the air. "WOOHOO!" She flew into a wind drift that rebounded around a pair of thin mountain peaks and she spiralled up until her voice caught itself in the wind.

"Oh, good moons," Mist embittered, sighing afterwards. She flew aside, leading the quiet group around the peak rather than straight on like Amber did.

Torrid didn't follow Amber but kept himself stable flying between Mist and Gelid. Amber was so much different than Torrid - personality and scale wise.

"So, you two aren't brother and sister?" Gelid asked Torrid.

"No, at least, I don't think so. I mean, if I were to call her anything then I'd call her sister but...not by blood," Torrid said.

"That explains the scales," Pale said from above.

"Did you need him to tell you that to figure it out?" Mist asked him.

"Only to clarify," Pale retorted.

Mist snorted.

"If you're not related then how'd you find each other?" Gelid asked.

Torrid tipped his head towards the sky in deep thought. "I can't remember, not exactly, but it was some time after the Great River War. Um, I think we were both wondering around in the desert when we kind of...met up. We helped each other. I was a little scrawny so I ended up being chased by an ostrich. Amber chased it away," Torrid smiled. "I found an oasis and we stayed by there for a while. That's where Hyena found us and basically adopted us."

"That's sad," Gelid said. Pale swiped his wing across her back. Whoops, too blunt.

"It was," Torrid said. "But I'm happy anyway."

"Do you ever wonder what happened to your parents?" She asked further.

Torrid stared at her, as if she just swatted his tail and made him spin. "I don't - I mean I don't really think about it. I'm here, I'm alive and I have some dragons caring about me, you know? I don't need to know - I don't have to know. It's not important where I came from, just where I am now."

That was surprising more casual then Gelid anticipated. How could he not be content with not knowing where he came from? Then Gelid thought of her own parents, and now wished she didn't know them either. Maybe Torrid had a good way of thinking. He was happy were his was. He wasn't an icewing with an impressive rank or having a huge impact on the world - just his own world.

"But I am really excited to go to the academy," Torrid said with an unchanging face. "I've always wanted to go when I was a dragonet. I mean - it's fine not going there when I was younger but the opportunity would've been nice."

"I've been there," Gelid said.

"You've been WHERE?" Amber suddenly manifested above them and then dove past Pale. Gelid twisted out of the way of the sandwing bombardment. "Sorry," She said, flying beside Gelid and Torrid.

"I went to the academy," Gelid clarified.

"When? How long? Was it awesome there? I bet it was awesome there," Amber said, then looking at Torrid.

"When I was three," Gelid begun to say.

"Now isn't that adorable," Mist said callously.

"Shhh," Amber hushed. "I want to hear this."

"I had some fun but I didn't stay long. I think about six months," Gelid said.

"SIX MONTHS!" Amber huffed a breath of air like someone just smacked her in the face. "I would've stayed FOREVER! Jade Mountain Academy is the best place in the world."

"I just had more important things to do."

"MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO? What could POSSIBLY be more important than being educated by the Dragons of Destiny and be surrounded by other awesome dragons just as eager to learn."

Gelid shrugged, unsure of how to explain icewing rankings.

"Alright shush, we're almost there," Mist said.

In front of them in the high horizon were the giant fangs of Jade Mountain against a darker grey sky. They flew for the entire day and Gelid didn't notice. There was a plateau leading into the Academy by a large cavity. On the plateau was a large brown shape watching them. Clay

"Did you see that?" asked Torrid.

"I see A MUDWING! That means CLAY," Amber squealed.

"Not him," he said. Gelid saw that Torrid pointed in a direction towards the coast.

"See what?" Gelid asked him.

Torrid observed the horizon to their far side, deducing something. "Hmm, nothing."

The group arrived at the plateau with Clay greeting them.

"Who's hungry?' Clay asked them.

"ME!" Amber replied.

"We're just here to collect the sandwing and icewing students," Mist said.

"Just a little longer, please?" Torrid asked Mist.

Mist rolled her eyes and then grumbled. "Less than an hour."

"Come on, Torrid! Let's go! I want to see EVERYTHING!" Amber rushed into the Academy.

Torrid followed and then stopped next to Clay. "We promise not to break anything," he said to the big mudwing, then ducking in and tailing Amber. Then they were gone.

Well that didn't take long, Gelid thought. "Don't worry about them," She said to Clay.

"They're just a pair of dragonets. They'll fit right in," Mist affixed.

"Oh, of course," Clay smiled with hint of confusion, looking into the academy.

"Shall I go and alert Queen Thorn of the arrival soon?" Pale asked. He was behind the group and so silent before that Gelid forgot about him. She really had to pay more attention.

Mist regarded him. "That's a good idea. You may go."

Pale chuckled and then threw himself off the edge, flying up and towards the desert stronghold.

Mist started to walk into the academy, and Gelid followed with Clay behind her.

"Most of the students are asleep," Clay said, his voice echoing. "We had a big day today. I can go wake them up. They're all doing a study on animus magic, so we have Anemone here. Anemone said she'll do a spell for them if they stayed up all night last night. So that's why they're all asleep."

"Interesting," Gelid said. She wished she did something like that when she was here all those years ago.

There was a blue and gold dragon at the end of the tunnel, though the dragon looked more orange at first because of the fiery torches that lit the tunnel from above. The blue dragon disappeared into another cave.

Mist walked into another tunnel before the end where the blue dragon was so Gelid couldn't see who it was. Holes carved on the side provided some light into the tunnel, dissolving the orange glow from the fire. Gelid was about to follow into the tunnel as well when Starflight came from the cave where the blue dragon went into.

"Clay?" Starflight asked.

"It's me, Starflight," Clay said.

"Have you seen Sunny? I can't find her," Starflight said. "She has some reports that I need to sort."

"Um, I haven't seen her. Have you tried looking in her office?"

"I've looked everywhere! The office, the pool, the peak..." he listed.

"She'll be around somewhere. Keep looking," Clay said calmly.

Starflight exhaled heavily and then turned around and walked from where he came.

Clay looked at Gelid and then Mist, who was also paused in the tunnel. "Um, student sleeping caves on the next right," he directed.

The next cave was a short distance away but then Mist flinched at a blue dragon that suddenly came out. Tsunami.

"Watch where you're going!" Tsunami said. A smaller rainwing sidled past Tsunami into the wider tunnel and then stared at Mist.

"Watch where you're going," Mist responded boldly.

The two princesses stared at each other until Tsunami eased into the tunnel and allowed Mist to pass. Gelid followed in after Mist. There were eight more entrances from the tunnel and a large hollowed out cave directly at the end of the tunnel. That wasn't there when Gelid attended the Academy.

"Starflight is looking for Sunny. Have you seen her?" Clay asked Tsunami.

"No I haven't seen her. I've been too busy making sure these - uh, fantastic students get to sleep," Tsunami answered, then looking down at the green and blue rainwing that stared out the window. "She's probably just...taking a flight before all the rain sets in..."

The rainwing squeaked, looking at Clay and Tsunami that didn't notice him. He then looked out the window again. "Um, excuse me, Headmis - Headmistress," he said, entranced by the view.

"Yes, yes, what is it now?" Tsunami asked.

"There are - are scary seawings outside. They have spears," said the rainwing, slowly turning green. Fear.

"What?" Tsunami looked at Clay, who immediately thought of something. Tsunami squeezed past Clay, while Clay gathered the terrified green rainwing into the tunnel leading into the sleeping caves.

"What's going on?" Gelid asked Clay as he walked past her.

"I'm not sure," Clay answered, going into the sleeping cave furthest to the end. Well that was useful.

"Did he say seawings? Outside?" Mist asked, looking at Gelid.

"I think so," Gelid said.

"Well then don't just stand there like an octopus. Let's go figure it out!"

Gelid turned into the tunnel with the windows and raced down, hearing Mist's steps behind her. A pale blue and pink seawing stared out the cavity and into the plateau where Tsunami shouted into the distant valleys.

"Tamarin! Stay inside!" yelled the blue and pink seawing. At the end of the tunnel, the blue rainwing head popped out momentarily and then back in. This pale blue and pink dragon was Anemone, Gelid was sure.

"Outside! Quickly now!" Mist ordered, darting past Gelid, into the tunnel and encroached the plateau. Anemone followed and then Gelid.

"I AM THE SEAWING PRINCESS, TSUNAMI! I ORDER ALL OF YOU TO DISPERSE!" Tsunami yelled, stretching her neck up.

Now Gelid saw them. Against the now cloudy sky were blue and green seawings hovering in a circle high around the mountain. Lightning struck somewhere near the rainforest, illuminating the sky and delivering a vicious rumble through the mountains.

"I count more than fifty seawings," Mist said.

What were fifty seawings doing out of the ocean around Jade Mountain? At the Academy of all places?

"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME! ALL OF YOU! GET YOUR TAILS OUT OF HERE!" Tsunami yelled again, but the seawings didn't move. "I AM THE PRINCESS, YOU GULPER-HEADS!"

A green seawing that looked much like Tsunami approached the plateau with an angry look on her face. "Orders of the queen override all others."

It was Queen Auklet.

"Auklet!" Anemone said, as the seawing queen landed gracefully. Two light blue seawings followed Queen Auklet down and hovered beside the edge with sharp spears in their talons.

"That's Queen Auklet to you," Queen Auklet said. "Dear sisters," Emeralds glittered between the scales down her neck and some embedded around her eyes.

"What are you doing here, Auklet?" Tsunami demanded.

"Oh, I thought I'd stop by and visit, check how my older sisters are doing, kidnap a golden sandwing, take all the dragonets with an army of soldiers with me. You know, the usual kind of thing," Queen Auklet said.

"WHAT!" Tsunami boomed. "What did you do with Sunny? Where is she!"

"Safe, safe. Completely safe."

"Give us back, Sunny, THIS INSTANT!"

"Back off, Auklet. This is supposed to be a safe place for dragons," Anemone said, taking a step forward.

"Oh, my dear animus sister," Queen Auklet said, making an innocent face at Anemone. "How's that rainwing of yours? Tamarin, right? Still keeping what's left of your soul safe?"

"At least I have a soul," Anemone countered.

"Oh, ow." Queen Auklet put a talon to her heart, looking hurt, then tilted the side of her snout towards them. "What did I just hear? Did you just threaten me? Did you just threaten your queen?"

"We're older than you, Auklet," Tsunami said.

"My, my, my. My older sisters, bullying poor old me, the youngest. However would I have known you could do such a thing."

"I saved your life, Auklet! Now do me a favour. Take your soldiers away, leave the students in peace and Jade Mountain. We don't need strife," Tsunami said.

"I don't owe you anything, my older sister, who saved the world," Queen Auklet said.

"Last chance, Auklet. Leave or I will make you leave," Anemone provoked. Would she use her animus magic for this? Would she risk her soul to keep Jade Mountain safe? Gelid wasn't sure is she would.

"I'm absolutely terrified, dear Anemone. My sister, an animus. We should all be afraid of you...or should we? Would you risk your soul for me?"

"To the depths, I would. Last warning."

"Lalalalala la lalala," Queen Auklet sang without a tail of care.

"That's it! Enchant Auklet to feel guilt and make her and her army leave the mountains. Make them go back home to the kingdom of the sea," Anemone stated clearly.

Queen Auklet paused, her mouth open from her singing but without any words, and she stared at Tsunami and Anemone. She then started stepping back with a bolt of fear.

"Oh no! Tsunami! Anemone! I'm - I'm doing something horrible. I need - I need to go!" Queen Auklet said with a ripple of fear. Her guards didn't move. Not even their faces changed at all. Wouldn't they be surprised that Anemone used her magic on their queen?

"You need to go home," Anemone said.

"That - that's right! I've made a horrible mistake!" Queen Auklet looked to the sky, towards the army of seawings around the mountain. "SEAWINGS!" She yelled out to them.

"Take them away," Tsunami said.

Queen Auklet expression of deep fear then disappeared to a look of disappointment, as if some dragon asked what her name was. "Hold your positions."

"What? No!" Anemone roared. "You're supposed to take them home!"

"Do you feel worthless, dear sister? Your magic doesn't work on me. None of it does," Queen Auklet said in spite, she stepped forward, spreading her wings and making herself seem bigger, even though she was smaller than her sisters. "How does it feel to not have power?" She asked Anemone snout-to-snout.

How was that possible? No dragon could be immune to animus magic, not unless...unless there is another animus out there in the world, Gelid thought. Mist's father might be out there somewhere.

"How - how are you - that's not possible."

"Anything's possible, you should know that. You know what is definitely possible? Born feeling weak," Queen Auklet prompted. "Oh here's your biggest sister. She saved the world with her friends! The mighty Tsunami! The legendary Warrior of the Dragons of Destiny," She said to Tsunami. "Then here's your other older sister. An animus! The greatest power in Pyrrhia! Oh no one will ever be able to mess with her.

"Then there's the youngest, the one that needed saving, the one that wasn't destined to be anything other than another seawing princess. The one who became queen of the seawings."

"And that's not good enough for you?" Tsunami asked with a piercing glare.

Queen Auklet stood her ground. "NO! Not when either of her sisters can take it off her without lifting a talon! Except for you, Tsunami, you'd need to lift two talons, maximum." She said to Tsunami.

"Take. Them. Away," Tsunami huffed, leaning over Auklet.

"Oh, I'm very, very afraid," Queen Auklet said insincerely.

"You should be!" Anemone said. "I could - I...I challenge you for the throne of the seawings!"

Tsunami gasped, as did Mist. Gelid had to admit that she saw that coming.

Queen Auklet laughed, and soon, all the seawings in the sky were laughing along with her.

"Oh - oh that's funny," Queen Auklet said, rubbing her eye. "Challenge refused. I can do that."

"Coward!" Anemone shouted.

Queen Auklet suddenly looked serious. "What? Challenge you? No dragon in their right mind would challenge an animus."

"I can follow rules."

"Oh I'm very sure you can."

"Go eat a tail!" Mist roared, pushing past Gelid. "Leave the mountain alone! Or so help me-"

"The missing icewing princess," Queen Auklet interjected, looking at Mist. "Gone for four years until you mysteriously show up at the celebrations after it was attacked. You saved your aunt, the current queen of the icewings from the Talons of Power. Very noble...Or did you?"

Queen Auklet stared down, lifting a talon and checking her claws. "You just happen to show up at the right time... How heroic. But I'm wrong aren't I? It was you who attacked the celebrations, wasn't it?"

Mist glared at Queen Auklet but didn't defend herself. She breathed heavily.

"Oh, but that's none of my business," The seawing queen added. "I could be dead wrong, except that I know that the Talons of Power didn't carry out the attack."

"Go eat a pufferfish, Auklet," Tsunami gawked.

Queen Auklet ignored the remark. "And how do I know that? Well, one could say I'm in the Talons of Power. One could also add that I'm the one in charge."

"WHAT!?" The princesses roared.

"Well now that you all know... ATTACK!" Queen Auklet stood up and flared her wings. The seawings started to dive down. "SUBDUE THE ADULT DRAGONS! MAKE SURE NONE OF THEM GET AWAY! CAPTURE THE DRAGONETS!"

"No!" Gelid darted past Mist and tackled Queen Auklet, falling over the edge. She didn't mean to do that. All she needed to do was to destabilise Queen Auklet and stop the attack on the mountain.

Queen Auklet rolled off her, flapping her wings until she stopped falling. Gelid spread her wings, hoping she could catch the wind at the right angle to fly up. She did.

"Stupid icewing!" Queen Auklet roared. The green seawing watched Gelid carefully as she circled around. "Stop this right now and I promise you a quick death."

She looked back at the cave. The princesses hadn't retreated back inside but forming a blockade against the seawing soldiers, slashing at them as a warning until they got too close. She had to help them.

"I'm not the one dying tonight," Gelid said.

"Fine. GET HER!" The seawing queen pointed.

A deep blue seawing dove flew towards her with a spear.

Gelid breathed in deeply, and then exhaled with her mouth open as much as she could, feeling ice crystals shoot from her throat, hitting her teeth. The blue seawing screamed as her body froze and she dropped from the sky.

Queen Auklet roared in frustration.

There were too many seawings at the entrance of the cave and Gelid quickly saw as Anemone fell back inside, leaving Mist and Tsunami to deal with seawings. Probably to get Clay, Gelid thought.

Gelid dove at the entrance, breathing in again and holding her breath. She opened her mouth but then a dragon smacked into her side and her ribs felt broken all over again. She hit the mountain rock face, above the entrance to the cave.

The seawing that hit her then grabbed her neck, pulled her from the rock face and threw her to the ground. There was a loud thud and throbbing pain erupted from her skull. Everything...nothing felt right. Someone shouted her name but she wasn't sure who. She wasn't moving, she couldn't. Everything was spinning out of place and she wanted to puke.

"Gelid! Get up!"

I'm trying...I swear. "I'm trying...I'm trrrrryyyyyiinng..." she managed to say in a slur.

"Wait! Leave the two icewings. He has a different idea!" That was Queen Auklet's voice.

Gelid attempted to hoist herself up but everything hurt. Everything. her eyes hurt the most but searing pain came from the top of her head.

"Enchant the wearer of this bracelet to follow my every command." said a new voice.

Someone yanked her front talon and Gelid fell forward again. Something slithered down her leg, something smooth, like jewellery.

"Stand up," commanded a voice.

Gelid didn't know who that was but she had to. She had to do everything he said.

Gelid stood up, ignoring every sting and flash of pain.

"Stand there. Don't say anything. Don't move." commanded the same voice.

"Father?" Was that Mist's voice?