Chapter 21
It's been too long, hasn't it? But like I said before, this story isn't dead (and neither is Peril's brother!).
Panic.
Screaming.
For a palace surrounded by water, it was surprising how much caught on fire so quickly.
Large sections of the canopy collapsed, carrying flaming branches and leaves and debris down onto the Summer Palace. Windracer saw dragons spiraling toward the water, their wings alight with flames, shrieking with pain.
The firebombs were just logs set on fire, but they caused terrible damage as they crashed through the pavilion and knocked SeaWings out of the air. The cacti soon followed, exploding at even the slightest touch of fire and sending spiny seed pods everywhere.
"Someone's found us!" cried one of the guards, looking skyward in terror.
"But how?" asked a second guard.
Use your magic, Windracer thought to himself. Cast a spell to save these dragons. Do something!
He'd already failed to save a dragon once before, when he could have used his powers to heal their wounds. He couldn't let any more innocent dragons die all because he'd failed to act while he had the chance.
If he had acted, Princess Sleet would still be alive.
Frantic dragons shoved their way into the underwater exit tunnel, even though it wasn't anywhere near big enough for everyone to fit at once. There was only one other way out - flying out through the canopy, into the claws of the attackers.
"Those aren't SkyWings," said Queen Coral.
She was right. Instead of red and orange, the wing of dragons that was dropping bombs and breathing fire down on the canopy were as black as shadows.
"NightWings," Windracer realized. That's what Blister almost said!
Speaking of which, the SandWing princess flashed them a sadistic grin and hissed, "Looks like my backup has arrived. And not a moment too soon."
Queen Coral spread her wings and took off for the pavilion, the harness dragging Anemone and Auklet with her.
Lagoon lifted off the beach and darted after them, calling, "Mother!"
Windracer spread his wings to follow her, but Blister stepped in front of him.
"No one is going anywhere," she said, "Until you tell everyone you've chosen me as the next SandWing queen."
"Guess we're all living here from now on," Arid tried to joke.
It would have been funny if not for the firebombs that were raining down through the canopy and setting the pavilion ablaze.
Blister wasn't amused. "You watch that sassy little mouth of yours, half-breed!" She lashed out with her claws and tail, but the fleet-footed Arid sidestepped the attack.
A seething Storm stepped between the two dragons and snarled, "Not my daughter, you beast!" Then she lunged, pushing Blister onto her back and pinning her in the sand.
"Let's go!" Windracer shouted, spreading his wings.
The five dragonets, Auburn, and Ocotillo burst into the air. Below them, SeaWings were still trying to shove their way into the tunnel, and the churning mass of wings and scales around the exit didn't look any smaller than it had before.
"We can't go that way," Bog said.
"We'll have to go through the canopy," Arid said. They all looked up and saw three black dragons shoot by, breathing fire.
"I don't really love that plan either," Bog said in a smaller voice.
"I do!" shouted Marmoset.
"Best plan ever!" Mango agreed. The two siblings bumped their heads together and laughed joyfully.
Windracer spotted Lagoon at last. The SeaWing princess was standing at the entrance to the prison cave, with Riptide and a wounded Webs. The two younger SeaWings exchanged a look reminiscent of the ones Windracer shared with Arid.
Two clear futures lay before this princess they were happy to call their friend.
One was easier and less remarkable - a pleasant-enough life with someone who loved her more than she loved him, where Coral was reasonably unsatisfied all the time, but at least everything was somewhat normal.
The second was harder and darker, with buzzing wings and white-eyed wasp-dragons, but somewhere deep within the masses waited great love and a happy life.
Riptide was not that great love.
Lagoon was meant for someone else.
She, Riptide, and Webs soared up toward the tattered remains of the canopy to join her friends. Another flaming log came barreling down toward them, and Windracer yanked Auburn out of its path. It plummeted toward the lake, careening off the pavilion and setting another dragon on fire as it fell.
The pavilion was the nearest landing point. They could settle there for a bit while they thought out a proper plan to escape. Windracer led them down, dodging embers that blew in the wind.
No sooner had their talons touched the pavilion when Blister appeared hovering above them, holding Storm by the neck. The SandWing princess threw the IceWing onto the pavilion with one swift throw, with Ocotillo catching her just in the nick of time.
"I'm sorry," said Storm. "I wasn't trained in SandWing techniques."
A huge, dark shape they recognized as Morrowseer turned in midair and dove for them. Windracer flared out his wings in an attempt to make himself look bigger than he really was. Pretend you're Arid, he said to himself. Be confident. Speak with authority. Be fierce and tough and strong and smart.
Don't let them see how afraid you are.
The large NightWing landed on the pavilion with a thud and stood tall and imposing as he glared daggers at the dragonets.
"What are you doing here?" Windracer tried to sound demanding, but it came out as more of a squeak.
Instead of answering, Morrowseer turned to Blister and asked, "Where's the queen?"
"Below us," said Blister. "Throwing her silly romantic scrolls into the water." She flicked her tail towards Windracer. "Have you found his father?"
"We're still searching," Morrowseer replied. He finally shifted his gaze to Windracer. "Might as well deal with this filthy little half-breed now, while we can."
As if on cue, a dozen or so NightWings landed on the pavilion behind him. All were standing with the same imposition as Morrowseer, but there was something else Windracer noticed about them. They all looked painfully thin - he could see their ribs - and their eyes held hidden feelings of sadness and fear, a few even looked uncertain, or even reluctant.
"What did you do to them?" he asked without thinking.
"Nothing," growled Morrowseer. "There's nothing wrong with them."
"There is," Arid snapped. "Do you not see them? They're scared and vulnerable."
Morrowseer turned his head to the waters. "They should be."
"Not the SeaWings," said Windracer, chancing a step forward. "Your NightWings." He focused on the malnourished dragons, or rather, their minds.
Is that really him? Killer's son?
Why is he looking at me like that?
Is he really as dangerous as Morrowseer says?
Do we really have to kill him?
He doesn't look very dangerous.
I really don't want to kill him.
We mustn't disappoint Battlewinner.
"Who's Battlewinner?" Windracer asked, his voice much more demanding than before.
The NightWings behind Morrowseer all stiffened with fear. He really can read minds!
"That's none of your concern," snapped Morrowseer.
"I'd like to know," hissed Blister. "Whoever this Battlewinner is, they sound exactly like the kind of dragon I need to tip the odds in my favor."
The malicious NightWing stood seething for what seemed like forever before he finally grumbled, "Battlewinner is our queen."
And then a whole swarm of visions flooded Windracer's mind. An exploding mountain, dragons falling in lava, Morrowseer ripping another NightWing's throat open, Arid in a cavernous prison screaming furiously through the bars, Auburn wielding a long spear in the middle of a battle, dragon blood everywhere.
There was so much, so many paths ahead, and most of them tending toward terrible violence. These scared and vulnerable NightWings had almost no chance at a peaceful future. Lied, liar, murdered, murderer; death and fear surrounded them with their vast wings, no matter what they did.
Was that the price of their deception? Had they already lost too much of their innocence to be worth saving?
"You're all dying," Windracer said. "Killer told Auburn that the home of the NightWings had a lot of volcanic activity. No dragon could live in a place like that, not with all the lava and smoke and fire killing everything else in the ecosystem."
"That's right," Morrowseer growled. "Queen Battlewinner and I wrote the prophecy together after the last eruption destroyed part of the fortress. We knew we'd need a new home soon, and the prophecy was our plan to get it."
"How?" Windracer asked, running the prophecy through his mind. "What does the Dragonet Prophecy have to do with where the NightWings live?"
"The idea was that we would control the dragonets," Morrowseer said. "By including a NightWing, who, naturally, would be the leader of the group. Your meaningless existence was our first problem. Then we'd choose a SandWing queen, and eventually the NightWings would join the war, with our strength in numbers tipping the balance so our ally would be sure to win."
"And then your ally, whoever you picked, would help you seize power," Windracer puzzled out. "It's all about you, but not in a way that anyone would have noticed. Darkness will rise to bring the light - that's the NightWings."
"Exactly. The only really important part of the prophecy; we couldn't be too obvious about it," said Morrowseer. Behind him, the other NightWings shifted their talons with guilty looks on their faces. "The rest of it? Smoke and mirrors."
"But his isn't," said Auburn, pointing a talon at her son. "His is real. You know it, we know it, everyone on Pyrrhia knows it."
"No one will follow a half-breed," Morrowseer growled. "That tainted SkyWing blood makes him weak."
"Windracer is not weak!" argued Arid. "He's the strongest dragon we know! If anyone around here is weak and pitiful, it's you! You're a liar and a killer, and I'd rather pull all of my spikes out, one by one, than be a part of any prophecy of yours!"
The NightWings behind Morrowseer all looked at each other with intrigued expressions.
An enormous crash sounded below them as something smashed into the pavilion.
"We have to get out of here," said Windracer. For once, he didn't care that he'd said it aloud instead of in his thoughts.
"Um," Bog's voice said behind them. "Guys? Do we know this dragon?"
They all turned and saw a large MudWing looming on the other side of the pavilion. Her brown wings were creased with soot and a horrible scar pulled down one corner of her mouth into a strange grimace.
Webs flicked his tail in surprise. "I do," he said. "She's with the Talons of Peace. She saved my life. Crocodile! What are you doing here?"
The MudWing chuckled. "Poor Webs. So wrong in so many ways." She stepped toward the group and gave the dragonets an appraising look. "These are the brats the Talons are so obsessed with? Scrawny." She lashed her tail. "But the NightWings want you, anyway."
"You're not working with the NightWings!" Webs cried.
"Of course I am," Crocodile said. "Who knew infiltrating the Talons of Peace would be so useful? I never thought I'd get the chance to follow an idiot SeaWing back to the secret palace we've been searching for all this time. Or try to, anyway. Turns out, the new queen of the SkyWings has no interest in fighting the war, unlike Scarlet. You slipped away before I could figure out which way you'd flown over the ocean. But, lucky me, I found the NightWings, who were searching for some pathetic half-breed dragonet who thinks everyone on Pyrrhia will just put the war on hold and listen to his silly little fantasies about peace and sunshine and flowers and butterflies and blech! Shrimpy little idiot!"
Windracer ducked to hide behind his mother.
"The NightWings wanted him," Crocodile said. "And I wanted to find the Summer Palace. So, we made a deal of sorts. Doesn't mean I got any closer to finding this secret place. But, lucky me, again, I got a tip from someone right here in the palace that you were here, and how to get here. And here we are now. I am so getting a promotion."
"Who?" blurted Windracer. "Who told you how to get here?"
Lagoon spotted something dark green slinking away from behind the NightWings and cried, "Whirlpool!"
The oily SeaWing froze at the sound of his name.
"What is going on here?" a familiar voice demanded.
Everyone looked up to see Coral (and Anemone and Auklet) descending onto the pavilion from above. Whatever she'd been doing to help her subjects escape the burning palace safely, she seemed to be finished.
"Whirlpool tipped off our location to the NightWings!" Lagoon cried as he mother landed next to her.
"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Coral began.
"You're right," said Whirlpool. "There is." He stepped out into the open, keeping himself a good distance away from Morrowseer, Blister, and Crocodile. He might have helped them find the dragonets, but he trusted those three no farther than he could throw the palace they stood on. "I was merely trying to ensure that Anemone dear would be queen."
"But why?" asked Bog.
"Well, frankly, I really don't want to marry her," Whirlpool said, pointing at Lagoon.
"Likewise," she snapped.
Whirlpool then lifted his talons and made a big show of examining them. "But, you see, I do want to be king." He eyed his claws with contentment, clearly picturing them covered with dozens of bejeweled rings. "So I thought if I got rid of you, I'd improve my chances of marrying a more agreeable daughter." He then eyed the two smaller princesses.
Anemone held Auklet to her chest as she ducked to hide under Coral's wings.
Lagoon stood seething at the greedy SeaWing for a moment before shouting, "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life!"
"Doesn't matter," Whirlpool dismissed. "With you dragonets at the mercy of the NightWings, Queen Coral will let me have anything I want."
The SeaWing queen gawked at him, speechless for once. Windracer could see it in her eyes and mind, she'd never seen this side of Whirlpool before. All of those fantasies she had of him being a perfect king would always be just that, fantasies.
"You won't get away with this!" Riptide shouted.
"Don't you see?" said Whirlpool. An eel-like smile stretched across his snout, making him look even more twisted than he normally was. "I already have."
Finally, Coral gathered enough of herself to move. With an enraged shriek, she flung herself at the traitorous SeaWing, but he slipped through her claws and lifted off of the pavilion.
"It's funny," he said. "You seem to have a habit of always trusting the wrong dragons." He turned to fly out of the canopy, where Shark and several SeaWing guards were trying to ward off the attacking NightWings with narwhal spears.
"Stop him!" Windracer cried out, waving his talons to get the guards' attention. "Don't let Whirlpool escape!"
All of a sudden, faster than a dragon could blink, one of the guards' spears wrenched itself out of their talons and flew straight at the retreating SeaWing like a bolt of lightning. Whirlpool didn't have any time to react before the spear smashed into his side. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He plummeted down like a rock, splashed into the lake, and was seen no more.
Feeling sick, Windracer stumbled to the edge of the pavilion and looked down for any sign of the oily SeaWing. Behind him, everyone craned their necks to try and get a glimpse. The SeaWing guard looked at his empty talons in bewilderment, wondering what had happened to his spear. The rippling water where Whirlpool had vanished was turning a very alarming shade of red, and in the center of it all was a dark, unmoving shape.
Shocked, Windracer collapsed, wide-eyed at what had just occurred. In all of the commotion, he'd completely forgotten about his animus magic. But he didn't ask anyone to kill Whirlpool, so why had the spear done just that?
Because I wasn't specific enough, he realized. Every other spell he cast had been worded out carefully, to avoid as many consequences as possible. But he never made it clear how he wanted Whirlpool to be stopped.
He's dead because of me. I killed him.
Whirlpool definitely wasn't the nicest dragon, but the fact that he'd been killed by one of Windracer's spells made the hybrid rather nauseated. It didn't matter if it had been an accident - the SeaWing was dead, and Windracer had killed him.
The NightWings all stared at the young hybrid, appalled.
He just killed that SeaWing!
He has magic!
He reads minds!
He can see the future!
It can't be!
What will he do next?
What can we do?
It's another Darkstalker!
Windracer knew about Darkstalker. It was in the same scroll he read about Arctic and Foeslayer. Half NightWing and half IceWing, the son of an animus prince, hatched under the three full moons of a brightest night.
Mind-reading.
Precognition.
Animus magic.
The most powerful NightWing - no, the most powerful dragon Pyrrhia had ever seen.
And Windracer had all the same powers as him.
The SkyWings killed off all of their animi over two thousand years ago, he remembered. And just like that, his brain was off and running. Darkstalker never had any dragonets, but he had a sister - Whiteout. She must have had dragonets at some point, and then those dragons had dragonets of their own, and so on, until Killer and Auburn had me. That's where my magic comes from. I've been trying so hard to use my powers for all the right reasons, but how can I when all of these other dragons see me as a monster that has to be stopped? What if that's really what I am, and I don't know it?
What if every mind I read, every vision I see, every spell I cast only brings me a step closer...to becoming like Darkstalker?
He would have stayed in his thoughts forever if a set of talons hadn't pulled him back forcefully by the shoulders. The hybrid looked up at the dragon holding him and found it was a semi-brawny NightWing with a few missing teeth and a tail that was bent at the end, as if it had once been broken and then fixed incorrectly.
"Keep a hold on him, Preyhunter," commanded Morrowseer. Then, to the rest of the NightWings, he bellowed, "Grab them all!"
For a moment, none of the NightWings moved. Were they startled by the sudden yell, or unwilling to follow the command?
Either way, they did as they were told. One NightWing grabbed Arid by the shoulders while a second pinned down her tail - her most deadly weapon. Coral knocked one of the NightWings away with her tail, only for three more to swoop in from above and pin her to the platform. They were coming in from all directions, abandoning the fight and going for the dragonets, and the dragons attempting to guard them.
"These skimpy little salamanders think they're so tough," Crocodile chuckled. "That they actually stand a chance in this war. How could you have bested Scarlet when you can't even take on a NightWing?"
"Well, lucky you," smiled Arid, quoting the MudWing's earlier words. "You're about to find out." Her jaws snapped open, and a burst of frostbreath erupted from the back of her throat, straight into Crocodile's eyes.
The MudWing screamed in agony and fell back, clawing at her snout, but the ice was already spreading across her face. She lunged blindly, knocking the NightWings away and falling onto Arid's tail. Both spikes and stinger pierced into her chest, she twitched and then went still.
"Enough of this!" shouted Morrowseer. He grabbed Arid by the neck, claws digging into her scales. "You dragonets were only ever important because of us, and we can destroy you just as easily!"
Windracer still felt nauseous from what had happened to Whirlpool, but he had to save Arid. He strained against Preyhunter's hold, but the NightWing held fast.
The next thing anyone knew, the waters below and the skies above were suddenly swarming with dragons. Red and orange SkyWings, green and blue SeaWings, brown MudWings, pale yellow SandWings, and the snow-white scales of a small talonful of IceWings.
At the front of it all was a cobalt-blue dragon with a white underbelly and solid black eyes. The spikes around his neck marked him as an IceWing, but he also had stripes under his wings that glowed phosphorescently - like a SeaWing. In his left ear was a snail-shell earring.
The hybrid raised his talon to point at Morrowseer, commanding in a bold voice, "Everyone! Save those dragonets!"
After that, it was chaos.
There were too many dragons fighting for Windracer to keep track of who pinned who, but eventually the cobalt dragon found his way onto the pavilion, among a small talonful of SkyWings and SeaWings, and struck Morrowseer in the head with his powerful tail. The NightWing stumbled, his grip on Arid loosening just enough for her to wriggle free.
Windracer looked over his shoulder at Preyhunter, who was distracted by all the commotion but retained his strong hold on the hybrid. The next thing either of them knew, there was a SandWing standing over them. For a brief, terrifying second, Windracer thought it was Blister, because of the pattern of black diamonds running down their spine. Then he realized that it couldn't be her, this SandWing's scales were pale gold, not yellow like Blister's, and the crest and wing membranes were a dark gold, not yellow-brown like hers.
Preyhunter jumped back in fear, releasing his grip and stumbling away. "W-what are you doing?!"
"Saving a friend," the SandWing said, matter-of-factly, their voice undeniably male. He lunged forward like he was about to charge, and Preyhunter screamed with fear, lashing out and slicing the SandWing's underbelly with his sharp claws. The SandWing winced at the sudden pain, then his tail instinctively shot out and stabbed into the NightWing's heart. With a shriek of pain, Preyhunter collapsed, dead.
"Not my favorite part of the job," said the SandWing as he turned and looked at Windracer. "But in times like this, I'm afraid, it's either kill or be killed." His friendly smile faltered when the hybrid didn't answer.
"Oh, thanks," Windracer said. "Sorry, I...I thought you were Blister."
The SandWing laughed. "If I had a ruby for every time I heard that, I'd have only one, because, honestly, you're the first." He extended his talons. "I'm Diamondback, by the way. Pleased to meet you."
All Windracer said in return was a squeaky-sounding, "Hi." Then he peeked over the SandWing's shoulder and found Arid, who was being helped to her feet by the blue hybrid.
She smiled, "Good timing, uh..."
"Typhoon," said the hybrid. "Sorry it took us as long as it did. We've been following the trail of you dragonets for quite some time, and picking up several others along the way."
"How did you find us?" asked Windracer.
"My mother heard from the other SeaWings that you were here," said Typhoon. "It's fortunate we weren't too late. You've inspired a lot of dragons on Pyrrhia, Windracer. They're all here fighting for you."
A shadow fell over the group, and they looked up into the eyes of Blister. "You can't escape," she hissed.
Typhoon uttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Run," before tackling the SandWing princess. Then, to the other dragons, he shouted, "Get them out of here!"
Everyone took off into the sky, each with a pair of dragons flying beside them for protection.
Except for one.
Morrowseer rushed forward and managed to grab one of Arid's wings. The NightWing gave a mighty pull and flung her across the pavilion like a rag doll.
Windracer heard his girlfriend's cry of pain and turned back to help her. He was beaten by Ocotillo, who pounced onto Morrowseer's back and bit down on his neck as hard as he could. But the NightWing didn't so much as flinch. In the black-on-black scales, it was impossible to find a weak spot.
Arid leapt to her feet and slashed at Morrowseer's snout. The NightWing responded by grabbing Ocotillo and throwing him on top of her. Then he raised his head and opened his jaws, the glow of a fire burning in the back of his throat.
Windracer threw himself at the massive dragon, digging his claws into his neck and biting down hard on his ear. Morrowseer let out an enraged roar and reached up to pluck the hybrid dragonet off of himself. But Windracer wasn't going to give up that easily. He bit and scratched at every part of the NightWing that came at him, his eyes burning with fury and determination.
This is what I saw, back under the mountain, he realized. This fight.
He blasted a stream of fire at Morrowseer's neck, but the NightWing stood firm. It was easy to tell that he'd fought against dragons far bigger and stronger than Windracer was. The hybrid wasn't even leaving a scratch on him.
Windracer turned at the sound of talons landing on the pavilion behind him. He sighed internally when he realized it was Diamondback, who was standing over Ocotillo and Arid, his face etched with concern.
"Are you alright?" asked Diamondback, extending his talons so he could help them to their feet.
Ocotillo grasped the other SandWing's talons, allowing him to pull him up. "We're fine," he said, smiling. "Thank you, Diamondback."
Talons closed around Windracer's neck, and he choked out. Twisting around, he instinctively shot a blast of fire into Morrowseer's eyes. The NightWing's scales deflected most of the flames, but he recoiled at the heat and fanned at his eyes with his wings.
I can't win this fight, Windracer knew. Not without my magic. And after what just happened...
He slipped through Morrowseer's talons and headed for the open sky.
He barely got ten feet into the air when a horrible pain erupted in his left hind leg. Roaring in agony, he looked down and saw Morrowseer's teeth imbedded in his appendage. The hybrid flapped and flailed every which way to escape, but Morrowseer's jaws were too strong. He couldn't even loosen their grip.
The NightWing only let go when Typhoon came barreling in from out of nowhere and slammed into his side.
"Move it!" shouted the older hybrid.
Windracer didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain that was still throbbing in his leg, he shot into the air after Arid and Ocotillo, who were being escorted out by Diamondback. He found Auburn, Lagoon, Bog, Storm, Webs, Marmoset and Mango among the fleeing dragons, each with a dragon from Typhoon's alliance on either side, blasting at and pushing away any NightWing that flew into their path.
But other NightWings were behind them. Windracer twisted just in time to see Riptide charging at Blister with a spear. The SeaWing shouted over the commotion, "Keep going!" before ducking to avoid the SandWing's striking tail.
So they all kept flying south, toward the continent, too shaken to even spare a glance back at the Summer Palace.
But none were more shaken than Windracer.
He could fly all across the continent, and further, but he had no chance of escaping. Morrowseer and Blister wouldn't stop trying to find him. Even if every dragon in Pyrrhia stood in their way, they'd only cease when Windracer was dead. He was a threat to them, and so long as he had his powers, they'd claim he was a threat to everyone else as well.
Maybe he could slip through their talons once again, but there was one thing he could never escape from, no matter how far he flew.
He would always be in Darkstalker's shadow.
How many of you were expecting Windracer to be kin to Darkstalker? I'll admit that I wasn't, and I'm the one writing this story! Just try to imagine how Windracer feels right now...
Remember that the NightWings on the volcano have bacteria in their mouths that cause the bite wounds they inflict to become infected. And it's Windracer's back left leg that's hurt. I think you can see where this is going.
Be sure to remember Diamondback, too. He's...kind of important.
Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur