A/N: Sorry (again) about the wait. I've been busy with school and stuff, but now that some of the most stressful events of the year are out of the way, I'm hoping to be able to write more consistently. Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, read, and supported this story since the last time I updated. Special thanks to everyone who answered the poll question on my profile; if you haven't done that yet and you'd still like to, it'll be up for a while yet.

Sorry about my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.

Chapter Eleven

The two SkyWings traveled in silence for a while. Carnelian wanted to say something, but irritation radiated from Kestrel in such strong waves that she felt it better to keep her mouth shut. When the lake started to disappear into the distance, Carnelian began to breathe fire onto the ground, burning a trail behind them. When her lungs ran out of oxygen, Kestrel resumed the trail without a word. The dragonet waited until she had taken a few deep breaths before she took over again.

They continued this pattern for a long time. Whoever wasn't scorching the path into the colorless ground glanced around for any signs of movement. Carnelian's eyes began to hurt if she kept looking in one direction for too long, so she did her best to keep them moving. It all began to seem pointless after a while, however, as no other dragons appeared.

"I know you chose to come with me because you wanted something," Kestrel said at last. "I'm warning you now that I'm not in the mood for any jokes."

Carnelian still found it strange that this was what she'd become known for, when she'd rarely even cracked a smile during her life. "I wasn't planning to make any," she said, pausing her fire-breathing for a moment.

Kestrel snorted out a cloud of smoke. "Good."

Silence descended over them once more. Carnelian resumed the trail, figuring she should wait for Kestrel to make the first move. She didn't want to push the older SkyWing into a conversation if she didn't want to talk.

After a few more minutes of traveling, Kestrel sighed, sounding wearier than Carnelian would have expected her to. The younger dragon glanced at her companion out of the corner of her eye, surprised to see an expression of deep regret on her face. She glanced away as quickly as she could; she knew Kestrel would never allow herself to show such emotion if she knew anyone was watching. Feelings like that were private.

Carnelian stopped to take a breath, but instead of taking over, Kestrel stopped walking and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as though praying for patience. "I can tell you want to say something," she said through clenched teeth. "Spit it out."

Carnelian swallowed awkwardly. "Look," she said quietly, hoping she sounded sincere. "I… I'm sorry for what I said before I left. It was careless and inconsiderate."

Kestrel opened one eye and glared at Carnelian. "I'm not some soft, sensitive RainWing. I can handle a jibe or two, even ones that weren't intentional. You're always telling Asha that being a soldier made you tough. Don't you think it did the same for me?"

Carnelian opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd thought that apologizing would make Kestrel feel better, but now she was starting to reconsider. The older SkyWing sounded almost insulted by her concern.

I used to be that way, too, Carnelian suddenly realized. When did that change?

She paused, completely befuddled. She couldn't pinpoint any specific moment when she'd stopped putting her pride before everything else. All she knew was that she'd once expected herself to be perfect, unbreakable, but somewhere between the moment she had died and now, she'd stopped feeling that way. She'd accepted some of her shortcomings. She'd stopped hating others for noticing her weaknesses. How long have I been here, a week? she wondered incredulously. How does that undo years of training and careful self-discipline?

Those dragons at Jade Mountain changed faster, she reminded herself. They all became best buddies in the first three days. At least my old ways lasted longer than that.

Then she registered her own words and frowned. At least? Just moments ago, when she'd first noticed them, she'd thought her changes were for the better, but apparently some part of her deep inside still resisted this new way of thinking. The same part that still wanted to spurn all the other dragons' attempts at friendship. The same part that hated herself for needing others. But was that still who she was? Carnelian shook her head, deeply confused. One thing that hasn't changed… my inability to understand complicated things. Argh. Why does my brain have to be so limited?

When her thoughts finally cleared enough for her to return her attention to her surroundings, Carnelian realized that thick mist had rolled in around her. Kestrel was little more than a silhouette in the gloom. The older dragon was looking around in confusion.

"Carnelian?" she asked, sounding uncertain. "Where are you?"

"Here," she answered, reaching out toward Kestrel. But her talons closed on empty air. Apparently the other SkyWing was farther away than she seemed.

"What?" Kestrel asked, tilting her head to one side. "I can't hear what you're saying." She turned and took a few steps in the opposite direction. "Where did you go?"

"I didn't go anywhere!" Carnelian said, starting to panic. "You're going the wrong way! Come back!" She tried to run after Kestrel, but instead of getting closer to her companion, she seemed to be getting farther away. Before long, the rust-red figure had disappeared completely.

Calm down, she told herself, taking a deep breath, but it did little to slow her racing heart. All you have to do is follow the scorch marks back to camp. But in her effort to catch up with Kestrel, she'd left the scorch marks behind, and even when she turned and went back the way she'd come, she couldn't find them.

I guess this is what Asha was talking about the day we met her. The world changes around you. Marking a trail links bits and pieces of it together, forcing it to stay the same, but when you don't leave anything behind, you give it freedom to change and mess with your head.

Carnelian was now starting to fear that she'd never see the others again. We shouldn't have split up. I should have stayed at the lake. At the very least, I should have been paying enough attention that I would have noticed the thicker mist settling around us and grabbed Kestrel before it divided us. But it's no use looking for someone to blame, she reminded herself. What's done is done. Now you just have to deal with the present.

From her experience with the darkness, Carnelian knew that this afterworld delighted in uncertainty and anguish. So if she wanted to win, she couldn't let herself feel either. That's the right way, she told herself, picking a random direction. I'll find something else to work with if I go that way. She set off in that direction, firmly pushing the nagging voice that told her this was stupid out of her mind. I will find something, she told herself, willing herself to believe it.

To distract herself enough that the realist part of her (which was most of her) couldn't talk her into doubting herself, she began to speculate about what she might find. It could be one of our old trails. Or it could be Kestrel, and we could figure out what to do together. Or it could be some secret place that can help me solve all the puzzles of this world.

After a few minutes of fruitless wandering, doubt started to prick at the edges of her mind. I have no doubt, Carnelian told herself as firmly as she could. I have faith. She wasn't sure those words had ever entered her thoughts before, but they had now and they would stay there. I believe I will find something. I believe it. I believe it.

She continued this chant as long as possible, drowning out her own skeptical thoughts. She forced herself to keep her head held high, striding briskly as though she were sure of herself. Acting positive made it easier to feel positive. Frowning or dragging her feet would only let the darkness in.

Finally, just as she was starting to think she had completely lost her marbles, the mist parted and something that wasn't gray caught her eye. It was a green dragon, a SeaWing. At first Carnelian thought the stranger was injured; she was lying on the ground with her head down and her eyes closed. But as the SkyWing drew closer, she noticed two things that made her stop short.

The first was that the SeaWing was a dragonet. She couldn't have been much older than Carnelian, since they were about the same size. She was more thickly built, but if Carnelian had to guess, she'd say the other dragon was a bit shorter than her.

The second was that this stranger wasn't lying on the ground in a disheveled heap. On the contrary, she seemed to be reclining, as though she didn't have a care in the world. She was held above the ground by a small ledge, colorless moss peeking out beneath the edges of her talons and wings, looking more comfortable and at ease than Carnelian had ever seen any dragon, much less one in the afterworld.

Carnelian approached carefully, not sure what to expect. This dragon defied all logic. She was dead, but she didn't seem the least bit upset about it. She was surrounded by gloom, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. She was all alone, but she didn't look lost.

As Carnelian came to a stop beside the resting dragon, the SeaWing looked up. Her eyes were sapphire blue, beautiful and strangely mesmerizing. Before Carnelian could work out how to begin a conversation, the other dragon yawned, stretched, and smiled.

"Hello," she said casually, as though they weren't complete strangers to each other.

"Hello," Carnelian replied a bit uncertainly.

"You seem nervous," said the SeaWing. "There's no need to be."

If anyone else had said that, it would have seemed rude, but from this dragon it sounded reassuring. Carnelian blinked and allowed herself to relax a little. I shouldn't let myself get so riled up. Especially since I don't know enough about this dragon to predict how she'll react. She does seem pretty easygoing, though. Maybe I can avoid a conflict. She wasn't entirely sure how to do that, but trying to have a civil conversation seemed like the best place to start.

"Oh," she said. "Sorry." Was that the right thing to say? she wondered. Normally she didn't worry about offending other dragons, so she never bothered spending much time improving her social skills. Don't talk back to your general was pretty much the only rule she needed to follow.

The SeaWing shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Your stressing out doesn't bother me. You should try to calm down for your own sake, not mine."

Is she being passive aggressive? Carnelian wondered. She searched the SeaWing's face for any signs of ill will, but she seemed to genuinely mean what she was saying. Stop over thinking things, Carnelian, the SkyWing told herself. She's going to say something and you're going to miss it because you're too focused on pointless worries.

"So," the SeaWing said, examining her claws idly. "What brings you here?"

Carnelian wasn't sure whether she could trust a stranger with any information about her companions, so she decided to keep it vague. "I'm looking for someone."

"Someone as in a specific dragon, or just company?" the SeaWing asked.

Carnelian shrugged.

"Well, if you have a moment to spare, I wouldn't mind having someone to talk to," the green dragon said. "It gets boring here after a while."

"How long have you been here?" Carnelian asked, genuinely curious. Is there a chance that I'll ever learn to be at ease here? Or will I always be looking over my shoulder and getting creeped out by Hvitur's constant reminders that this place is dangerous?

"A long time," the SeaWing said. "The specifics don't matter." She flashed a smile. "It's not like there's any point in keeping track. What goes on here isn't affected by time."

"Where I came from, everything darkened and lightened like night and day," Carnelian said.

"Time passes here," the other dragon agreed. "It just doesn't change anything."

"New dragons come here as time goes on," Carnelian pointed out. "So it does, in a way."

The SeaWing tilted her head to one side. "You're sharp," she remarked, seeming impressed. "Maybe you could answer some questions I have."

Sharp? Me? Carnelian would have voiced her incredulity, but she had to admit to herself that she liked the idea of seeming smart. She didn't want to ruin it. "All right," she agreed. "I'll give it a try." Hopefully it'll be something I can answer.

"Okay," the SeaWing said, smiling. She tapped her front claws together. "Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?"

Carnelian was taken aback. So it's going to be those kinds of questions. Riddles. Argh, I hate riddles. They made her brains feel all scrambled, and even worse, they made her feel even more stupid than regular questions did. I have to try, at least, she reminded herself.

She spent a few moments mulling over the question, then frowned. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "You're trying to trick me! A pound is a pound. They weigh the same amount."

The SeaWing laughed. "Very good," she said, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "But that was the easiest one. Here's another: feed me and I live, but give me a drink and I die. What am I?"

What? What dies when you give it water? Everything needs water to live. Carnelian racked her brains. Think. This one's probably a trick, too. She's still smiling in that secretive, tricky way. Maybe it's not something that's really alive.

Still, she couldn't think of anything. Water gives life, not takes it away. Maybe she's looking for something that just doesn't like water. But what? A cat? A SandWing? This question was starting to frustrate her, but she wasn't going to allow herself to quit. I'll look like an idiot. I already took long enough to answer the first one. Against her will, smoke began to fill her nostrils. She tried to push it down. Stop it, she ordered the flame inside her. Stop burning so much. But words didn't put out fire.

Water does.

The answer came to her like a lightning strike. "It's fire!" she exclaimed. She knew she was getting far too emotionally invested in this, but for once in her life (or death) her mind was working the way it was supposed to. It was hard not to feel giddy.

"Right again," the SeaWing said with a laugh. "You're a good answerer, too. Really into this. I haven't been so amused in ages. One more, and then you can have the title of riddle champion."

Carnelian flexed her claws. "Bring it on."

"I can be warm," the green dragon said. "I can be stolen. I can be sick. I can be broken. What am I?"

Carnelian thought for a few moments. She had a feeling she knew what the answer was, but it was awfully sappy. "A heart?" she guessed, trying not to sound the least bit grossed out.

"That was quick," the SeaWing said. "And I thought that was the hardest one. Not many dragons talk about their feelings. Oh well." She shrugged, then offered Carnelian a brilliant smile. "Congratulations! You're the riddle champion now."

"I've never been a riddle champion before," Carnelian said. "Or a champion of anything, really." She wasn't sure why she was sharing this information with a stranger, but there was something about the SeaWing that invited trust. "So, thanks."

"Thank you for answering my riddles," the SeaWing said. "You have no idea how bored I've been. It's terribly dull sitting here with no one to talk to."

"You can come with me, if you want," Carnelian offered. The words felt strange in her mouth. Normally it was Kestrel or Asha who decided to invite other dragons into their group, but since neither of them was here, it was up to her. "I'm part of a group. A really… interesting group. Speaking of which, I really do need to get back to them. Do you know if there's any way to navigate this place?"

The SeaWing tipped her head to one side, considering the offer. "Yes, I do want to, and yes, there is," she finally said. "At least, if you're looking for a specific dragon." She drummed her claws thoughtfully on the rock beneath her. "Not sure if it works for everyone, though."

"What do you mean?" Carnelian asked.

"I mean that this world has to be willing to cooperate with you," said the green dragon.

Carnelian snorted. "Great."

The SeaWing gave her an amused look. "I take it you've had bad experiences with it?"

The SkyWing thought of the terrible darkness trying to swallow her and the wicked delight in its voice as it tormented her. "That's a bit of an understatement," she said.

"No worries," the other dragon said. "I can help you. This world will listen to me."

Why does it like her when it hates everyone else? Carnelian wondered. True, she seems pretty inoffensive, but then again, so does Naiad, and it sent the darkness after her. There must be something special about this dragon. The question is, what?

"Hello?" the SeaWing said. She waved one wing in front of Carnelian's face. "Earth to…" She paused, rubbing her head with one webbed claw. "Sorry, I've just realized I don't know your name. I never introduced myself, either. How rude of me."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Carnelian said. "I'm not exactly known for my manners, so I'm in no position to judge you. My name's Carnelian."

"Carnelian," the SeaWing repeated. "That's a pretty name. Mine's Orca." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

A/N: I can't remember exactly which website I got the riddles from, but the point is I didn't make them up. All credit goes where it is due. Thanks for reading!