Chapter 5

I guess now things will start to get a little more exciting.

For a moment, the only thing Windracer could hear was the loud thump-thump of his hammering heartbeat. They were in the presence of the one dragon that wanted Auburn dead more than anything else.

"It's funny," Scarlet said as she slowly circled the group. "Me and my guards go out searching for a scavenger that stole some of my treasure, and instead I find the SkyWing that has so long evaded me."

Auburn raised her wings to shield the dragonets.

That didn't stop Scarlet from seeing them. "Now, why would a NightWing, a SeaWing, and a MudWing be hiding out in my mountains? Along with whatever sort of SandWing that is and those two color-changers? This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain prophecy, would it?"

"What is going on out there?" Dune grumbled, limping out of the nearby cave. He stopped short at the sight of the SkyWing queen. Windracer could see fear on the older dragon's face for the first time ever.

"Webs!" he yelled, and then the maimed SandWing hurtled himself toward the queen.

Then out of nowhere, a pair of SkyWing guards swooped down and pinned Dune into the dirt. More guards arrived, each trapping the tails and wings of Auburn and the dragonets with their talons.

"I was hoping you'd all see my fire signal," Scarlet said with a wicked croon that was going to haunt Windracer's nightmares for the rest of his life.

Webs came pounding out of the cave, only to be pinned to the wall by yet another SkyWing guard.

"These dragonets are sacred," Dune shouted as Queen Scarlet approached him. He could see Auburn shaking her head, but he ignored her. Morrowseer's prophecy may have been fake, but they needed to keep that a secret for the sake of all the dragons in Pyrrhia that believed it was real. "They're the dragonets of destiny! You can't have them!"

"But what if it's my destiny to play with them?" Scarlet said. "Oh, wait, that's right. I don't care about destiny. I don't care about prophecies or any of that NightWing silliness." She slashed at Dune's face, leaving claw marks. "Besides, they made me awfully mad and then ran away. That happens to me far too often, but you know what? I always find the ones who betray me in the end. Even if I have to wait six or seven years." The queen seized Dune's neck and lifted him up. "Right, Auburn?"

Windracer tried to throw the guard that had him pinned off of his wings. The SkyWing was relatively young, around a few months older than him, but he was still quite strong. He was able to keep Windracer pinned to the ground without any problem. The hybrid saw Kestrel slide out of the cave.

"Poor, poor Scarlet," she said bitingly. "Everyone betrays you." She eyed Auburn coldly.

Knowing her older sister would likely let the queen take her without a second thought, Auburn lifted her head as best she could with another SkyWing holding her down. "You have me, Scarlet. Take me and let the dragonets go, they have nothing to do with the SkyWings!"

"You will come with me," said Queen Scarlet. "Funny that you thought you had a choice about that. We've got a thrilling trial planned, followed by an even more thrilling execution."

Windracer couldn't help but shout in protest. "No!" He immediately regretted that as the SkyWing queen shifted her glare to him.

Scarlet let go of Dune, padded over to Windracer, and got a good look at him for the first time. "Tell me, Auburn," she said as she grabbed Windracer's head in her talons and forced him to look at her. "Why does this NightWing have some aspects that resemble our own?"

"Get your claws off of him, you monster!" Auburn shouted in reply.

Queen Scarlet turned her head to look at Auburn out of the corner of her eye. A wicked smile curled her face. "Such protective ferocity you display now would only apply to a mother," she said. The queen's eyes glimmered with realization. "You went and had an egg with a NightWing, didn't you?"

Auburn didn't reply.

Scarlet pulled on Windracer's head until Auburn could look him in the eyes. "This dragonet is your son, isn't he?"

"Yes," Auburn admitted. "He's my son. And I won't let you take him from me!"

Windracer once again tried to heave the young SkyWing off him, but the soldier was too strong. He barely glanced down at the hybrid's pathetic struggles.

"This might be turning out to be quite a family reunion," Scarlet said, letting go of Windracer's head as she spoke. She was mostly talking to herself, but it was loud enough for all the other dragons to hear. "Don't a couple of these soldiers look familiar to you, Kestrel?"

Windracer turned his head to look at Kestrel. The SkyWing's eyes were locked on the soldier who had him pinned. Her eyes were narrow, but Windracer could see a hint of recognition.

"Inferno?"

The young soldier looked confused. He turned to one of the other soldiers, the one that was restraining Auburn. "Dad, how does she know my name?"

"That's Kestrel, son," the older soldier replied. He locked eyes with Kestrel. "She's your mother."

Kestrel glared at the soldier. "Hello, Scorch."

Windracer's head started spinning. The SkyWing soldier restraining him was the son of Kestrel, who was the older sister of his mother, Auburn, which meant that Inferno was his cousin.

Wow.

Talk about a family drama.

"Take them all," Queen Scarlet announced. "Except this one, of course." She dashed over and grabbed Dune by the neck once again, shaking him lightly. "I mean, what use is a crippled dragon who can't fly? I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself already, SandWing. But I can take care of that for you."

"No!" Arid screamed.

Windracer would have jumped at her sudden shout, if he hadn't been restrained. With everything going on, he had completely forgotten that all of his friends were also there.

But the next sound he heard was even more startling.

With a chilling *crack* Queen Scarlet snapped Dune's neck. She let his lifeless body fall to the ground as the soldiers released him.

Windracer was too horrified to move. He could hear Arid roaring and screaming angrily at Scarlet.

Kestrel suddenly lunged at the SkyWing soldiers. She grabbed the one who was clutching Webs and ripped him free. "Tell the Talons," she snarled, shoving Webs toward the cave.

Before anyone could stop him, Webs pelted into the cave and dove into the river. He vanished below the surface and took off down the stream.

"Oh," Queen Scarlet said, trembling in mock fear. "The Talons of Peace. I hope they try storming my sky palace to save you. That would be thrilling fun. Especially the part where we slaughter them all."

The SkyWing soldiers brought chains forward and started wrapping each of the dragonets in heavy iron. Windracer realized that they must have brought them in case they found any sort of dragon Scarlet was interested in taking to her palace.

Arid being Arid, she tried to fight off the soldiers, snapping her jaws and swinging her tail. The SkyWings held her tail down so she couldn't sting or stab them.

Windracer tried to throw Inferno off of him for the third time that day. "Leave her alone!"

The last thing he remembered was something slamming into the back of his head before he passed out.

When Windracer came to, he found himself in a prison cell at the top of a towering spire of rock. A narrow stone platform gave him just enough room to walk in a circle and lie down. There were no walls. There was no roof. There was only open blue sky and the fierce wind whistling around his ears day and night.

With his SkyWing-inherited wings folded over and clamped in metal clips, falling meant death. Horrible, painful, bone-shattering death.

But then, he wasn't entirely sure if that would be worse than Queen Scarlet's plans for them. Whatever they were.

His rock-tower prison was one of about a hundred spires, spread out in a huge circle. Nearly every one had a dragon on top, and, like him, they each had thin metal clamps on the outer edge of their wings. He also noticed the thin wires that twisted around his neck and legs. The wires stretched out from him out to the necks and legs of other prisoners, who all had them as well. One went to his left, to one leg of a pale blue IceWing on the next column, who was asleep with her tail over her nose. One wire was attached to the dragon on his right, a fuming SandWing whose pacing made the wire shake. The last three wires snaked out across the circle. He couldn't tell where those wires went, they disappeared into a tangled web, connecting all the trapped dragons.

So even if Queen Scarlet's captives could escape, then all one hundred prisoners would be stuck with each other. They wouldn't get very far that way.

That didn't mean they couldn't have tried. Remembering that he could read minds, Windracer focused on the SandWing to see what he was thinking. One more fight, he heard. I just have to beat Scarlet's Champion, and I'm free to go. Then I'll come back for Storm, and we'll resume our search.

Search? What would a SandWing have to search for?

The SandWing turned his head toward Windracer. "What are you asking for?"

Windracer gulped. Had he said that out loud? "Sorry, it's just...I never really thought a SandWing would have to search for something. I promise, I'll stay out of your head from now on. But...what do you mean 'one more fight'?"

The SandWing gestured with his head to the area below them. Unwillingly, Windracer looked over the edge. In the center of the circle of rock spires was a bowl of rock, like an empty lake, with sand at the bottom and sheer walls. Above the walls were rows of benches, balconies, and caves for spectators to look down into the arena.

"Prisoners here fight for their freedom," the SandWing explained. "After a few or more victories, they do battle with the Queen's Champion. If they succeed, they go free. I've won four battles so far, and I know I'm next to battle the Champion."

"Who is the Champion?" Windracer asked. He knew if he was going to end up fighting in the arena, he needed to learn everything he could.

"His name is Inferno," the SandWing replied. "He works as a soldier, and has been trained in the most exclusive battle techniques. He's undefeated, and has barely gotten any scars."

Windracer's blood ran cold as an IceWing. His cousin was Scarlet's Champion. That meant he'd have to kill Inferno in order to earn his freedom, if he ever made it that far.

How could it get any worse?

Hoping to take his mind off of Inferno, Windracer asked the SandWing, "Who's Storm?"

The older dragon pointed to Windracer's left with his claw. The hybrid turned to look at the napping IceWing. "Him?"

"Actually," the SandWing said with a chuckle. "Storm is a female. We've known each other for quite a while now."

"What is it you're searching for?" Windracer asked.

The SandWing sat down on his platform. "Before you go asking so many questions, at least give me a chance to introduce myself. I don't usually go talking with prisoners, but I'll make an exception, since you're new here." He placed his talons on his chest. "My name is Ocotillo."

Ocotillo. That was the name Windracer saw in Dune's mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you know Dune?"

"Yes," Ocotillo answered immediately, his voice filled with desperation. "We fought in the war together, he was my friend. Where is he?"

Windracer shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but Dune is dead. Scarlet killed him."

Ocotillo's face fell. "I see," he muttered sadly. "I've been looking for Dune so he could tell me where he took our egg. Storm and I have been searching for so long..."

"Your egg?" Windracer repeated. He was beginning to realize what Ocotillo might have been referring to. "Dune did mention that he brought a SandWing egg to the caves under the mountain. It was supposed to be for the prophecy. You know, the one about the dragonets coming to end the war?"

"Yes, I know that prophecy," Ocotillo said. "But I never would have thought me and Storm's egg would be chosen for it. Then again, I trusted Dune to help us hide it in the desert, so of course he knew where to find it..."

Windracer looked from Ocotillo to the sleeping IceWing, and then back again. "You had an egg with an IceWing?"

Ocotillo looked guilty. "Yes, I did. Such an act is forbidden, even with the SandWings and IceWings being allies in the war, but I couldn't help but fall for Storm. She was quite the fighter, yet kind to those she saw as friends."

This was starting to sound familiar to Windracer.

"We had an egg," Ocotillo continued. "A beautiful egg, white as snow with hints of sandy yellow. Storm couldn't come to the desert during the day because of the heat, so I kept it with me when she left for the Kingdom of Ice. I wasn't sure whether to keep the egg hot or cold, so I buried it about halfway into the sand in my house, so I could check on it frequently. When I came back one night, the egg was gone. I went to find Dune, but he was gone, too. He was the only other dragon besides me and Storm who knew of the egg, so I knew that he was the one who took it."

Windracer had a really bad feeling about where this was going.

"Tell me, NightWing," Ocotillo said, his black eyes focusing intensely on Windracer. "Do you know where our dragonet is?"

The young hybrid hesitated. "My name is Windracer, and I'm not entirely a NightWing. My mother is a SkyWing..."

"I don't care," Ocotillo said, a little too harshly. "Where is our dragonet?!"

Windracer drew back in fear a little. Ocotillo sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, Storm and I have been searching for so long, and now I've finally gotten a clue to their location, I just can't..."

"There's a SandWing I grew up with under the mountain," Windracer interjected. "She has some pale blue color and spikes on her head and tail. Her name is Arid."

"Arid," Ocotillo repeated with a smile. "That's the name Storm and I picked for our dragonet. See, we both agreed that word could be used to describe an area that is either hot or cold, so we reasoned it would be a suitable name for both a SandWing and an IceWing. This dragon you speak of, it has to be our child, I just know it!"

Windracer had figured from how Arid looked different than a normal SandWing that she had to be a hybrid, but his conversation with Ocotillo made it all the more real. Windracer looked back at Storm, who was still asleep despite all the noise he and Ocotillo had been making. "IceWing," he muttered under his breath.

NightWings and IceWings were supposed to be sworn enemies.

Arid was an IceWing-SandWing hybrid.

And Windracer was in love with her.

The young hybrid held his head in despair.

"Why, of all things, did she have to be half IceWing?"

Didn't think one dragon could have so much conflict within themselves. I really hate doing this to Windracer, but it keeps things entertaining in some way, right? Anyway, leave a review if you wish.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout

P.S. The reason I'm not including Ocotillo and Storm on the list is because we've never actually seen Astrid's parents in the HtTYD movies or the TV and Netflix shows.