"Hey, wake up." Phantomtide heard Emerald say as he was stirred out of his dream. He blinked and looked at the prince.
"Morning. What's up?"
"Good and bad news. While you were sleeping, a lot happened. Tsunami discovered the real culprit, a Animus-enchanted statue of Orca, mother's first daughter. The egg hatched, Auklet, as I heard someone say. And...Blister managed to convince mother to imprison your friends, the dragonets."
"Oh, nice. I assume it's been destroyed? The statue - Wait, WHAT?!" He leapt to his feet. "Of all the things to happen...I swear, if someone doesn't slit Blister's throat for the war, I'm going to do it on my own accord. Do you know where they have been put?"
"Yes. The special prisons. I believe you have been there."
"Oh…" His mind went back, remembering the electric eels. "Great...can you bring me there?"
"Of course! I thought you'd never ask! And to be frank, I was planning to go there with or without you. It doesn't take a genius like your Nightwing friend to figure out Blister is manipulating mother."
"See, this is what I was afraid of." Phantomtide growls as he follows Emerald, the two heading to the special prison location.
Once they got there, they found Anemone standing in front of one of the cells, cascades pouring from the ceiling surrounding a small island with the dragonets. The younger princess saw them coming, waving them over with one wing.
"Phantom? And...you're the one from before…" Tsunami looked at them through the falling water.
"Emerald. Your and Anemone's brother." He introduced himself.
"Brother? I didn't know -"
"Yeah, hold on. I'll get you out first, then we'll talk more, Tsunami" Emerald moves over to the chain that hung along the wall, reaching to pull it.
"Hold on, Emerald." Anemone suddenly says. "Wait for a bit."
"What for?" He looks back at her, but didn't get a response.
Within a bit, they saw someone stumbling down the path towards them, prodded on by a floating spear.
"Ow!" a voice echoed through the cavern. "What is the meaning of - why am I - ow! What - ow! Stop! Ow! I will report you to the - OW!"
"Well, that's not Coral."
"And it's not Shark."
"Not Moray either." Anemone stood up as he approached. The spear prodded the dragon into place besides Anemone, on the edge of the moat.
"Whirlpool?" Tsunami said, thoroughly astonished. "Why would you want to kill me?"
"Rubbish?" The green dragon said with a haughty air. "I would never -" The spear poked him again, a little harder this time. "Ow. My goodness. Anemone, I had no idea you were capable of such powerful magic. I must be a brilliant teacher. Of course, I'd be more impressed if it weren't stabbing me - OW."
"I didn't think it would be you." Anemone said as she shifted on her talons uncomfortably.
"We should tell Queen Blister how accomplished you are. She'll be so terribly pleased."
"Don't you dare!" Tsunami snapped.
"Do you really think I'll find you threatening from in there?" He asked.
"If you do, I'll tell Mother you tried to kill me. How do you think she'll feel about that? Oh, and pay attention." Tsunami pointed to Phantomtide and Emeral, who were now standing besides Anemone. Whirlpool glanced to the younger princess, then saw the two, squirming a bit.
"What are you two doing here?"
"Oh, no, go on. Continue talking, why don't you?" Phantomtide glares at him. "Answer Tsunami's question."
He shrugged and reached up to play with the gold hoop earring in his ear. "If you insist. She may find it quite admirable, actually. After all, I was merely trying to ensure that Anemone dear would be queen."
"Me?" Anemone's wings fluttered open and closed. "You don't even like me that much. Why do anything for me?"
"Well, frankly, I don't want to marry her." Whirlpool points at Tsunami.
"Wow." Glory said cheerfully. "That was totally on my list of reasons why someone might want to kill you."
"Don't worry." Tsunami snarled. "I'd rather be torn apart by tiger sharks than ever marry you."
"But I do want to be king." Whirlpool states. "So I thought if I got rid of you, I'd improve my chances of marrying a more agreeable daughter."
"I don't ever want to marry you either!" Anemone cried.
"It's not really up to you." Whirlpool said, taking a step back up the path to the cave entrance. Almost immediately, Phantomtide moves to cut him off, which Whirlpool fails to notice. "Once I tell Queen Coral and Queen Blister about what you can do, they'll be so grateful, they'll let me have anything I want. But of course, then you'll be very busy using your powers to win the war. And you probably won't survive that. So I should really ask for Auklet instead."
"Wow, you could not make that sound more creepy, asking to marry a dragonet that hatched last night." Emerald growls softly. "And that's my sister you're talking about, so that makes it worse."
"You can't tell them!: Tsunami shouted, lunging towards the waterfall, only to be held back by Clay. Phantomtide and Emerald look at the water, as blue lightning crackles through the water. During that, Anemone seized the spear, spun it around, and smacked the side of it into Whirlpool's head. Before anyone could register what happened, his body slipped over the edge and into the moment. Anemone yelped with fear, dropped the weapon, and reached towards the water...but it was too late.
Emerald immediately pulled her back, as a blinding flash of blue sizzled up the cascading waterfall, looking away from the sight. Phantomtide chanced a glance into the moat, seeing the eels thrashing below, but he couldn't see Whirlpool.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's get you out of there." Emerald glares at the spot where Whirlpool disappeared, moving over to the chain and pulling it, stopping the waterfall. The dragonets look relieved, but also terrified as they glance into the moat, before jumping across onto the path.
Tsunami grabbed Anemone's shoulders and shook her until the pale little dragon looked up to meet her eyes.
"You have to get out of here." Tsunami said. "We're going to escape, and I don't want it to look like you were involved. Say you were hanging out with Emerald, and head back with him, as your alibi. All right? Are you both listening?"
"But look what I did." Anemone whispers, pointing to the pool, as Emerald came up by her side.
"You didn't mean to do that." Tsunami says. "Anemone, it was a accident - you didn't push him into the moat! And if it hadn't happened, think how many dragons you might have had to kill with your powers. Now you can tell Mother, with no trainer, your powers seem to be getting weaker. Mess up all the time. Make sure she thinks you're aren't ready and won't be for a long time."
"But on day -"
"One day, very soon, this war will be over. We're going to end it. Trust me." Tsunami squeezed Anemone's front talons in her own. "Not get out of here."
"Good luck." Anemone whispered.
"Good luck to you too." Tsunami wrapped her wings around her sister.
After that, Anemone and Emerald fled up the cave path, vanishing around the bend.
"Now, Phantomtide. Did you see Webs or Riptide anywhere around here?" Tsunami turns to the hybrid.
"Yes. Near the entrance." He leads them over to the location, before Tsunami halts the group, noticing three guards standing on the ledge outside of the prison. At the same time, Clay pointed out the island Webs and Riptide were on to her.
"There it is again," Sunny suddenly whispers. "Don't you all hear that?"
"Hear what?" Clay whispered back.
Phantomtide glanced around, perking his head up a bit to try to hear what she hears.
"I don't know...I keep hearing - I think I'm hearing wingbeats."
"There are Seawings flying all over the palace." Glory points out.
"I know. This is bigger, higher - I'm not sure."
"Don't worry so much. I'm sure you're imagining things."
Sunny stamped one of her feet and craned her neck towards the outside. "No, I'm definitely sure." She stated firmly. "I hear wingbeats above the canopy. Lots and lots of them."
"Sunny -" Tsunami started, before Clay's and Starflight's heads shot up.
"I think she's right." Clay says.
"I hear it too…" Phantomtide mutters. "And…"
"You don't think -" Tsunami inhales sharply.
"I smell fire, too." Starflight adds in as his tail lashes.
"Oh no…" Phantomtide curses under his breath.
Tsunami burst out of their hiding spot, running towards the guards. "Look out! Warn the palace!" She yelled to them. All three jump and two of them accidentally dropped their spears. "Move! Seawings! Mother! Look out! We're under attack!" She yells as she shoves them aside and stood on the ledge.
And then the first firebomb crashed through the canopy.