Chapter 3

Island Palace

Sandstar was excited about being able to accompany her mother on one of the many trips to the Kingdom of the Sea. It was only a short visit and they were not even going to the Summer Palace but still, it was something. Sandstar rarely left Blister's Hideout and rarely saw Seawings even though they lived in the Bay of a Thousand Scales. She had always been sheltered by both her mother and father. This was partly due to her being a hybrid and weird-looking at that, although Sandstar did not mind much. She did not mind being stared at or having people commenting on her odd color, although Sandstar would have preferred to go unnoticed. However, there were some Sandwings in the Hideout who openly sneered at her even though once her mother caught them, Sandstorm never saw or heard of them again. Almost none of the Sandwings in the Hideout knew that she had a Nightwing father, the only ones who knew were Blister's most trusted advisers. The other Sandwings never asked, most thought that her father had died in the war or something and most accounted for her oddness by thinking that Blister must have suffered some injury while she was with egg and it had been damaged. They thought that her egg was added. Sandstar always knew what other dragons thought of her. It was Sandstar's gift or curse, she had not decided which yet, Sandstar could read dragon's minds. Her mother despite being cunning, sly, and arguably a murder, Blister also loved her daughter dearly and would not stand for her being insulted. Although neither Blister nor Sandstar's father, Morrowseer, knew that Sandstar could read minds. Sandstar loved her parents dearly but was not blind to their faults and failings. She knew about the Talons of Peace working for her mother. She knew about the volcano island and the Nightwings dying, but she also knew about Rainwings being tortured. As well as her parent's plan to kill the Rainwings. Sandstar knew in her heart that she would have to stop them. But now she was just enjoying a rare trip with her mother.

When Sandstar heard the Seawing Queen, Coral, question, if she was even a Sandwing or just some pet, Sandstar, thought that her mother was going to kill Queen Coral on the spot. However, Blister merely called Sandstar forward.

Sandstar came forward as requested brushing past the other Sandwings, she received a sympathetic look from Lizard and an ugly sneer from his brother Snake. Lizard and Snake were two of Blister's advisers, Lizard was the head healer and Snake was the Captain of Blister's personal guard. Lizard was also one of Sandstar's few friends, she like Lizard and his mind, Lizard like healing people and was very smart. On the other hand, Snake hated Sandstar, because she was, in his opinion weird and unworthy to be called a Sandwing and should not be connected to such a brilliant Queen as Blister.

Sandstar sat down next to her mother and curled her tail around her talons. Sandstar did not have a tail barb-like other Sandwings, but she did have a convicting fake tail barb made by a friend of Lizard, it looked real enough on close inspection. Although the end of her tail was encased in a leather binding to hold the fake barb on, which looked a bit weird.

"This," said Blister with venom in her voice, "is my daughter, Sandstar."

"Pleasure to meet you, Queen Coral," said Sandstar with a polite bow of the head

"Blister has a daughter," whispered the dragonet next to Queen Coral, Slipstream, his mind told Sandstar.

"Queen Blister," corrected Queen Coral

"Sorry, Your Majesty," said Slipstream with a bow,

"But she is not queen yet, and it is her fault this stupid war and that my father is died. Well, it is not all her fault, only one-third her fault but still."

Sandstar looked around to wonder who was having the confused thoughts

"Also, since when has, Blister had a daughter? Who is the father? Why have I never heard of her before? I have read about all three of the Sandwing sisters, none of them had dragonets."

Sandstar finally found the confused dragon, Slipstream. His thoughts were fast and incredibly sad. He mostly thought about his father, King Gill. Sandstar could not take the sadness and anger for long before she shut the thoughts out by putting on her bracelet with the black rock called Skyfire. Sandstar had found the rock on the beach one day while taking a walk and discovered that it blocks mind-reading, she had set in a bracelet and carried it in a bag around her neck ever since.

The meeting was rather boring and, Sandstar discreetly left soon after it started to explore the Island. There was a ruined palace on it, which Sandstar found fascinating and spooky.

"You know there was a massacre here," said a voice behind Sandstar

Sandstar whipped around and raised her fake tail barb above her head but lowered when she saw that it was only the unhappy and unfairly handsome Seawing dragonet, Slipstream.

"This is the place of the Royal Seawing Massacre?" asked Sandstar curiously

"Yes," replied Slipstream, "I can show you where it started if you like?"

"Sure," said Sandstar and followed Slipstream deeper into the Island.

"You were right, you know," said Sandstar after an uncomfortable silence, "my mother is not queen, yet."

"Do you think she will be queen soon?" asked Slipstream as they came out into a clearing in the trees, "do you think the war will be over soon?"

"If my mother has her way, yes," replied Sandstar as she followed Slipstream through the ruined ballroom, "can I ask you something?"

"Um, I guess," said Slipstream hesitantly

"Who do you think the best queen would be for the Sandwings," asked Sandstar before hastily adding, "please don't say my mother just she is my mother and your ally, and I promise none of this is will be heard outside this glade, I just want to hear the opinion of someone who isn't a subject of my mother."

Slipstream looked at Sandstar thoughtfully, and said,

"I honestly don't know who would be best, Blaze is too silly, Burn is too cruel, and your mother is um…"

"Too cunning? Too cruel? Would probably murder all the other tribes for siding against her?" asked Sandstar curiously

"Um, no, I mean…" stumbled Slipstream

"Well, she is," said Sandstar truthfully, looking at the talons, "I love my mother but is I am too blind to her faults."

"You know that you just said treason, right," said Slipstream cocking his head to the side in puzzlement, this pretty dragon was strange.

"It is the truth," said Sandstar confused

"Um," said Slipstream hoping that he would not offend the lovely little sandwing, who could very possibly be a good friend in the future, "Sandstar if you don't mind me saying, um, you are a bit naïve, sorry."

Sandstar looked back at her and tilted her head in confusion, it was a bit cute.

"Why would I be offended by the truth?" asked Sandstar puzzled

"I don't know," said Slipstream thoughtfully

"Your new friend was right about one thing, Weirdling," hissed a voice from behind them, "what you said was treason against the Queen."

With a hiss, Snake and a group of five of his Sandwing crones, who Sandstar noticed had not come with her and her mother.

"What do you what, Snake," asked Sandstar her tail raised above her head

"The Queen sent me to find you, and bring you home," said Snake with a malevolent smile, "It would be a pity if I had to return home alone, after finding you killed by Burns soldier just before I got here,"

"It would be a pity," said Slipstream sarcastically, while eying the soldiers.

"Oh, and the Seawing Queen would lose another family member to this war, such a tragedy," said Snake his tongue flicking in and out of his mouth.

"What do you want?" hissed Slipstream, backing up against Sandstar, while lashing his tail and baring his teeth at the Sandwings who circling them.

"I want that little freak dead," said Snake "she is a disgrace to our great Queen."

With that Snake pounced at Sandstar with his tail raised, Sandstar swiftly sidestepped the attack and swung her tail barb at Snake's neck cutting it deeply.

Snake roared in pain and charged at Sandstar and two of these other crones followed him. The other three raced at Slipstream, who took out the first two with a blow of his heavy tail. The third jumped on him trying to stab him with his tail.

Sandstar breathed a ball of fire at the three other dragons. Snake and one of the other dragons jumped out of the way, howling with pain as the fire burned them the third took to the air and dropping down on Sandstar from above.

Her assailant raised his tail over his head and was about to deal a killing blow when another dragon bolted out of the trees and knocked him off Sandstar.

Sandstar took advantage of the brief rest bit to dart over to Slipstream and slash his assailants' neck with her tail barb. For a brief moment, she wished it were poison, like other Sandwings, but she quickly discarded that thought after remembering how horrible that death was.

"Thanks," gasped Slipstream getting to his talons.

"Your welcome," said Sandstar as she turning to see her rescuer.

"Lizard," she cried never happier to see anyone in her life.

"Fly," cried Lizard ducking a blow from Snake's tail, "get out of here."

"But…"

"No, buts," cried Lizard clawing at any other attacker, "go, get as far away from here as possible."

"I go to the Hideout and get help," said Sandstar ducking a tail and swing with her own

"No," said Lizard breathing fire in one of the dragon's faces, "Snake's dragons have been spreading hatred ad lies about you through all the others in the Hideout. You will be killed before you reach your mom. Besides, you do not belong there, Sandstar. You are not made for War. From what I have seen neither of you two is. You are were made to help end it. Fly as far away from this place as you can."

"But…" said Sandstar ducking the tail of one of her assailants.

"Find the Dragonets of Destiny, end this War!" Lizard cried.

"But the Prophecy is…" said Sandstar.

"Fly while you can, Star," Lizard called jumping on Snake

"Lizard, I…" tried Sandstar

"Come on," called Slipstream grabbing Sandstar's wing and trying to pull her into the air, "he is giving us a chance to live, let us take it and LIVE."

With that, both dragonets took to the air and flew as fast as they could toward the shore and the cover of the trees.

Once the dragonets had traveled as far as they could before stopping to rest. They settled on stopping by the Diamond Spray River to drink and rest.

"What do we do now?" asked Slipstream after he finished drinking.

"We?" asked Sandstar, "you are coming with me?"

"Yes, of course," said Slipstream in a matter-of-fact voice.

"But you could go home, tell the Queen what happened, get Snake arrested," replied Sandstar.

"From what I have seen of Snake, he would weave some lie about me being a spy of Burn. Which could, unfortunately, be back up by the fact I spend long periods of time away from the palace. Also, if we are going to find the Dragonets of Destiny, then we would be going to help bring an end to War. That would save so many lives," stated Slipstream matter-of-factly

"Like your father, Gill," asked Sandstar

"What do you know about Gill?" asked Slipstream suspiciously

"You think about him all the time, and you miss him very much," said Sandstar in a distracted tone of voice, her mind elsewhere.

"How do you know what I think about?" asked Slipstream suspiciously

"Um, if we are going on this, um, quest, together you should know some things," said Sandstar sitting down wearily, "you were wonderful about who my father was on the beach."

"What does that have to do with anything," asked Slipstream backing away from Sandstar.

"Everything," said Sandstar, "he is a Nightwing."

"Like Morrowseer?" asked Slipstream

"My father is Morrowseer," said Sandstar quietly

"What!" exclaimed Slipstream, leaping to his feet, "your father is the great prophet the one who gave the Dragonet Prophecy."

"That is another thing," said Sandstar looking down and rubbing the back of her neck, "if my father's mind is to be trusted there has not been a Nightwing with powers for two thousand at least."

"But," said Slipstream looking lost, "what about the Prophecy? The end of the war? All of those people who are waiting to be saved?"

"It is all a lie," groaned Sandstar closing her eyes and looking miserable

"That is what you were trying to tell, Lizard wasn't it?" asked Slipstream understanding dawning on his face.

"Yes," said Sandstar sadly, "and I doubt I will ever be able to tell him now."

"But this still does not understand how you know what I was thinking on the….Wait you can read minds?!" exclaimed Slipstream leaping to her claws, "but you said…"

"I know," groaned Sandstar, "and I cannot explain it."

"What am I thinking right now?" asked Slipstream eagerly

"I don't know," said Sandstar looking down at one of her bracelets, as a princess she had several, "the stone in this bracelet blocks mind-reading powers."

"How do I know you are telling the truth?" asked Slipstream, "read my mind and tell me something only I would know."

Sandstar took off her bracelet and put it in the small bag around her and then closed her's eyes for a moment before snapping them open and crying shock,

"You are an Animus!"

"So, you might be able to read minds," said Slipstream, "can I give you one more test?"

"If you want to," said Sandstar puzzled

Slipstream walked over to the river and fished around in it for a while until he fished out a smooth white stone and returned to Sandstar.

"I enchant this stone to make whosoever touches it, to tell the whole and full truth," said Slipstream

"Amazing," said Sandstar before e adding in a concerned voice, "what about your soul?"

"It is protected by the enchanted neckband around my neck by the suggestion of my fathers, it protects me from all ill effects of animus magic," said Slipstream gently touching the band around his neck and then gave the stone to Sandstar.

"Are you really a mind reader?" asked Slipstream

"Yes, I believe that I am, although I have considered being mad before, but if it was madness then why does it stop when I touch the rock?" said Sandstar a confused look on her kind face.

"I think that is enough," said Slipstream, "can you pull the stone in your bag?"

"Sure," said Sandstar anxiously, "will it make me tell the whole truth constantly? That might get a bit annoying."

"It shouldn't," said Slipstream, "I enchanted it so that it will make whoever touches it and since it is in a bag it won't be touching you per se. But once you put it in the bag try lying."

Sandstar put the white stone in her bag and placed her bracelet back on her wrist, and then said,

"Snake is my favorite dragon ever."

"Well," said Slipstream smiling, "that answer that question."

"What do we do now?" asked Sandstar after they had rested for a while and had some small talk about their families and few friends.

"We need to stay out the way of Snake and his friends," said Slipstream, "and you need to stay out of the reaches of Burn, Blaze, and their allies, so that nears our options down. Can you take us to the Nightwings and your father?"

"No," said Sandwing, "I don't know where the Nightwing Island is, all I know is that it is on a volcano and horrible."

"Oh," said Slipstream making a note in his mind to try and remember all of Pyrrhia's volcanos later, "I guess that leaves the Rain Forest."

"The Rain Forest?" asked Sandstar curiously

"Yes," said Slipstream leaping up, " it is neutral ground in the war, and no one would think to look for to 'royals' with the lazy Rainwings, would them?"

"You have a point," said Sandstar getting to her talons also, "let us wait till nightfall and then go visit the Rainwings.