Chapter Seven
Moon was awoken rather rudely to the sound of screaming. She'd barely opened her eyes when her mind was swarmed by a thousand voices shouting on top of her. On instinct, she crawled up to her feet. Her talons felt along the wall to guide her past the blinding pain. Someone had raised the alarm, and panic had sparked throughout almost everyone. Flashes of previous battles, imaginings of the doom about to swallow them up. Moon could hardly think straight through all the violence reeling around in her head.
Raindrops, she tried to think.
That wont work here, Darkstalker said, there without her needing to call. Everyone is too panicked. Find the calmest voice and anchor yourself. Focus on it. It'll help if it's someone who knows what's going on.
She almost didn't want to, diving into that great cacophony seemed like the worst idea. But, she obeyed. She searched through the frantic minds trying to stampede over hers. At length, she found someone - Tsunami. The SeaWing wasn't happy, but at least her thoughts were steady. Moon latched onto those thoughts, pulled herself in close, and let all the other noise wash over away.
Now able to see clearly, Moon made her way down through the mountain to see what on earth could cause such a fuss. Had the barrier fallen? That wasn't possible - it could only come down if Stonemover removed it and he needed her permission before he could cast such a spell.
Moon came to the entrance cavern, a massive space, able to fit three dozen dragons wingtip to wingtip. Many halls linked back up to this one, and the largest cave mouth into the mountain was directly here. A gathering had formed, most RainWings fleeing at the behest of other dragons. The Dragons of Destiny were here, with various different expressions on their faces. Starflight (and Fatespeaker) were bewildered, Glory and Tsunami unhappy, Sunny unsure, and Clay with a big goofy grin.
A SkyWing stood beside him on the threshold into the mountain. Around 9 years old, she dwarfed everyone around her. MudWings might have the advantage over other tribes in terms of weight, but SkyWings had the advantage of both height and wingspan. This SkyWing seemed to look bigger than any Moon had seen before, even when she obviously tried her hardest to keep her bright, gold-veined wings tucked in close. Her eyes were a bright flame blue, and it seemed like steam was constantly pouring out of her wings and talons. Like she was several degrees hotter than anything around her.
When Moon tried to peer into her mind, she was met with a wall of flames that felt like they burned her out. Hastily deciding not to go there, Moon tried to garner who this person was from the minds of everyone else. The words: Peril, Scarlet's weapon, dangerous, repeated over and over.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Once again Moon was taken aback. She hadn't heard Icicle's thoughts coming, so she was taken by surprise the same as everyone else when the IceWing appeared in a tunnel entrance across from her. Behind her stood Winter, but neither had noticed Moon; they only had eyes for the SkyWing. Their spiked tails rattled angrily, and looked to be one word away from attacking.
"What is that thing doing here?" Icicle threw accusatory glares at the dragons assembled. "Do you just invite anyone willy-nilly into this base? Do you not know who she is?!"
"Yes, Icicle," Sunny retorted. "We know. We invited her here."
"You can't!" Winter exclaimed, his mind a maze of mirrors of self loathing and anxiety. "This cannot be allowed."
The SkyWing became very still, and the flames burned a little hotter inside her mind. "I was invited by Clay. Not you. You're not the boss of me."
"What is your problem with Peril?" asked Glory.
"She is a murderer. Scarlet's monster," Icicle said. "She's responsible for the death of maybe hundreds of dragons - including several IceWings."
Winter ducked his head, and Moon couldn't help herself from zeroing in on his thoughts. Memories were replaying in his head, of another IceWing, slightly older, always happy and smiling and filled with love. A brother? Moon watched as the brother was surrounded by SkyWings and taken away, with Winter helpless to do anything but flee. His brother was taken as Scarlet's prisoner, and whilst Winter deep-down didn't hold Peril responsible, she reminded him of the arena and what was supposedly done to Scarlet's prisoners. There was something else, just on the edge of Winter's thoughts. But then, as if he could sense her gaze, his eyes flicked up and met hers.
Moon quickly diverted her attention away.
Tsunami, the thoughts that had anchored Moon to begin with, still wasn't pleased. She was suspicious and protective, angry and uncertain. She looked at Peril and didn't think 'friend' instantly like Clay did. Instead, she was more inclined to agree with Icicle. She already betrayed us once. Who's to say she won't again? Am I supposed to believe she loves Clay that much?
"Hey," Clay interjected, thick brows furrowed at the two IceWings. "Peril only did those things because her queen told her to - isn't that what any of the rest of you would do?"
Icicle snorted. "Queen Glacier would never ask her subjects to perform such barbaric blood sport for her amusement."
"Well, Peril didn't have a Glacier. She got a Scarlet. But what's important now is that she's here, and she's going to help us." Clay looked up at Peril, and she looked back at him. And through the inferno of flames in her mind, Moon caught a brief flash of intense emotion from Peril. It wasn't thoughts, for as soon as the emotions came through, the flames returned to their former ferocity and swallowed Peril's mind away. But in that brief moment, Moon had caught an intense feeling of longing, of want, of love.
Icicle growled. "When the Queen hears of this…"
"Look at it this way, Princess Icicle," Starflight managed to force out from behind his trembling nerves. "If Peril's on our side, she's not fighting against us. Isn't that not a good thing?"
Such little faith that they could only see the value in her by making her not their enemy. Peril's wings dropped and she looked as if she wanted to run to the farthest corner of the earth. Clay brushed his tail against hers. A sizzle sounded when their scales touched.
She has firescales, Darkstalker explained. One half of twins: she was born with too much fire, the other without.
You've seen this before? She asked.
Not personally. They're very rare, most don't survive. SkyWings have a rather cold attitude towards anything that isn't considered the norm. He hummed in thought. There was a time when they used to believe firescales were a gift - blessed by the Sun. Said to bring about great change. You can of course imagine that a ruling queen wouldn't like the idea of some random dragonet coming in and shaking things up. That's probably why they changed all the rules to accommodate "hatchling-killing".
Do you think that's what Peril is here to do? Moon wondered, studying the copper SkyWing intently. Is she here to bring good change or bad change?
I'm not sure. Would be a lot easier to discern that if I could see past that forest fire inside her skull.
"Like it or not," Tsunami said loud enough to get Moon's attention. "Peril's one of us now. So let's just do our jobs and try not to step on each other's tails… in her case, quite literally."
Turtle plodded back up the tunnel, stuffing the two halves of his special bowl into the pouch around his neck. It clanked faintly against the few other possessions he had inside. The only things he'd brought with him when he'd fled the Kingdom of the Sea. The SeaWing prince did his best not to think about that. Everything had been happening so fast. First he'd found a long-lost sister, it almost felt like he was making up for the guilt he bore over the egg he'd failed to save so long ago. But then, Tsunami had upended his entire life, and he'd had to leave with her when he thought he would soon be discovered.
But now, he was out far from the ocean, far from any dragon that knew him, far from anyone who might discover his secret. It was easy not to think about it too hard out here, especially now he had the pinecone that made him uninteresting to notice.
He knew he didn't want to be completely invisible. Being one out of thirty two brothers, he'd grown up in a crowd. Isolationism would drive him insane, he knew. So it was just a little thing that kept him from being too interesting, but not wholly unnoticeable. And despite it, Turtle had even managed to make new friends. Kinkajou had just returned from a scouting mission, and she'd rounded up all the others in order to try and regale them with her tales.
"GAH!"
Turtle heard the shout and felt the rising heat in front of him just as he looked up to see a bright orange and gold chest about to slam into him. He and the SkyWing both backpedaled quickly, she with an expression of horror. Turtle had a feeling he just missed a terrible fate quite by accident.
The SkyWing made certain to put a safe distance between them, and then schooled her features into an impressive scowl. "By the sun, what do you think you're doing?! You don't just skulk about in tunnels - that's just asking to have your tail scorched off!"
"Whoa, sorry." Turtle said automatically, ducking back.
He might've just carried on his way, back to his normal, unnoticed life with his safe (if odd) group of friends. But then his brain snagged on the steam rising from her scales, the fierce weird blue of her eyes. A memory surfaced. Of staff in the Deep Palace whispering about the goings on in the war. Of course, Turtle always felt most guilty whenever talk was brought up about his father, taken prisoner by the SkyWings just before Anemone hatched. Sometimes the rumours contained hope of the recent negotiations. Other times there were fears he would be put in Queen Scarlet's 'Arena of Death'. A central figure was always the star of those horror stories, and whilst Turtle could now see that some features had been exaggerated, the SkyWing with firescales was unmistakable.
"You're Peril, aren't you?" he asked. "Queen Scarlet's…"
"Yes," she hissed. "I'm Queen Scarlet's notorious death monster."
"Ah, okay…" It was clear that she didn't want to talk, in fact that scowl had only deepened in her brows. Turtle thought the safest option was to just turn around and go back the way he'd come. "I'll just go, then."
"Who are you?" She asked abruptly. Turtle paused, unsure what to say. "I'm not being creepy! I'm not, like, putting you on a murder list or anything. I don't have a murder list, I mean. Wait, no - to be clear, I have no kind of murder list at all. Definitely out of the murdering business, me. Maybe I should stop saying the word murder."
Turtle tried to smile. Her rambling would be funny if it weren't so terrifying. "That would be great, if you wouldn't mind."
"I just did what I was told," she said hastily. Was that misery, tiredness, in her eyes? "I was doing what my queen told me to do. Isn't that what everyone does? I can't help what I'm like - and what she made me do. Can I?"
"I guess." That actually made a lot more sense than he liked. This SkyWing, who was probably the most dangerous thing in all Pyrrhia, looked sad and lonely stood by herself in the empty stone passage, tucking in her wings and trying to justify her own existence. Turtle felt his heart be moved. But was it safe to befriend what everyone else would call a monster? He decided to take that chance. "Turtle."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Moose."
He tried really hard to contain his sniggers. "I mean, my name is Turtle."
"Oh!" Her eyes widened. "Right. Hello. Thank you for not screaming or fainting or throwing a crocodile at me."
"I thought about it," he said. "I mean, not the crocodile. Definitely not in the reptile throwing business, me." Instead of laughing with him, her brows furrowed low again and Turtle felt what little ease he'd gained be dashed. "Ha-ha? Friendly joke? Are those allowed?"
"Why aren't you scared of me?"
"I am," he said. "I just… I guess I'm more scared of the bad guys wanting to kill me out there, than the one who is trying not to kill me in here. And besides, every dragon's got their issues."
He knew that more than anyone.
"Hey," he caught her eyes and gave a small smile. "You want to come meet my friends?"
Peril followed the pudgy SeaWing through the tunnels, trying to be careful not to accidentally step on his tail. But it was rather aggravatingly difficult, seeing as this chubby dragon didn't seem to want to move very quickly, even when walking. But there was a tightness in her chest, a weighty feeling like she really shouldn't burn him, even if it was just to prompt him to move faster from under her talons.
He was nice to her. He hadn't run, not even when he knew who she was. And Turtle didn't look like the kind of dragon with two faces, one he showed when talking to her, and one for her back. A part of her wanted to trust him. Even if another part was yelling she should go find Clay, Clay was safe, Clay was wholesome feelings that made her feel happy and good. Turtle wasn't a threat to her physically, but it was amazing how vulnerable she felt on the inside.
He led her to a cave ledge on the side of the mountain, big enough for a group of dragons. And there was a group already here. A NightWing, a RainWing, a SandWing, and a… oh no.
"What is she doing here?!" jumped up the IceWing prince from yesterday.
"What're you doing here?" Peril demanded at the same time.
Everyone looked to Turtle, who shrunk into himself. "I… um, invited her? Because that seemed like the good thing to do?"
"Well good for you, Turtle!" pronounced a loud, high voice as the RainWing with too many colours sprang over to him. "Look at you, acting all brave and making friends with the new monsters in the mountain!"
"And you are?" the words came out rather rudely than Peril had intended, but was it any wonder when the little dragon made stupid comments like 'new monster'?
If she were offended by Peril's tone, the RainWing didn't show it. "Oh, I'm Kinkajou - I'm, like, Queen Glory's best friend. Hasn't she mentioned me? And these are my bestest friends! This is -"
"Don't-!" the IceWing tried, but was ignored.
"Moon, Winter, Qibli and you already met Turtle." she beamed. "Dragons call us the Jade Winglet. Well, I've never heard someone actually say it, but wouldn't it be totally awesome if they did? We get our own secret friendship-group codename!"
Winter snorted. "This is not a 'friendship-group'."
"Riiiiight." Smirked the SandWing - Qibli. "So you hang out with us nearly every day because you like to be miserable, is that it?"
"Being around you certainly solidifies my life long belief in IceWing superiority. I might've forgotten about it otherwise."
Qibli looked shocked. "Did I just hallucinate or did my Clawmate make a joke?!"
"We aren't Clawmates."
Kinkajou shook her head. "No, you clearly hallucinated. Otherwise Winter would've made a joke that was actually funny."
All of them laughed. Peril didn't. She watched this group of friends be easy around each other. Even the prickly IceWing let his guard down when he thought no one was looking. They brushed wings and touched tails in silent forms of communication - a language that Peril would never understand. She felt like an intruder, someone come to look but could never be part of it.
And she didn't want to stick around until they noticed that too. "I… I think I'll just leave."
"Hey, Peril!" Turtle almost reached out to stop her. She had to flinch away from him, glaring at his stupid, forgetful face. "You don't have to go."
"I appreciate the pity." She really didn't, even if it was better than outright hate. "But you don't want me here, I can tell. So it's no good pretending."
"And why wouldn't we want you here?" asked Qibli.
Peril stared at him. Turtle had said on the way up here that Qibli was quite clever. Apparently not. "Errr, because I'm the big new monster? Like your loud-mouth token RainWing just said?"
"Hey!" Kinkajou stomped her foot. "I'm not a token!"
Qibli shrugged. "Well, I'd think you'd fit right in."
"Really?" said someone at the same time as someone else said, "How do you figure that?"
"It's true, you were the weapon Scarlet used to entertain herself and terrify others. But you didn't really like it."
Peril lashed her tail, now he was being purposefully aggravating. "Don't pretend like you know me-"
"If you really liked that lifestyle, you wouldn't have given it up for the first boy who smiled at you." Qibli smiled but there was something serious in his eyes, and Peril felt like he was ripping off her scales to see the bare flesh underneath. "Nah. You constantly watch others, and as soon as the room goes sour, you bolt. You used to do anything to get Scarlet's favour. Having fire-scales means you don't have a lot of dragons wanting to be friends."
"Doesn't take a genius to work that out." she growled.
"Scarlet was the only one who showed you any kind of love, right? Twisted and fake, to be sure; and you knew - that's why you left with Clay."
"How did you just know all that?" Moon asked in awe.
Qibli lifted his head higher, his smile turning to a full grin. "Observation. You can tell a lot about a dragon just by noticing what they're doing."
Winter cleared his throat loudly. "How does any of that make her like the rest of us?"
"Haven't you noticed that everybody here has some kind of family issues?" Qibli said. "You've got family who think you're a disappointment, no matter how hard you try or how good you do by them."
The IceWing opened his mouth to argue, but then thought about the words and shut it again. His wings drooped to the floor. Cautiously, Moon reached out to brush one with her own. Winter looked at her sharply, his eyes wide.
"Turtle's one out of… I don't know how many," Qibli went on. "He's been ignored all his life, to the point where his own mother doesn't bat an eye to him just disappearing for over a year. My family are a bunch of crime bosses who've always wanted me dead. And Moon has a father who's trying to rip apart the world and kill all her friends."
"What about me?" asked Kinkajou.
Turtle scratched at his neck awkwardly. "Do RainWings even have families?"
"No. We raise our eggs communally. I have no idea who my parents are. Isn't it great?"
"So Peril has adopted-mom issues," finished Qibli. "What can I say? I think she fits right in. Welcome to the Jade Winglet!"
5014 AS, One Year Later…
The passage of time is the one constant thing anyone can be certain of. The Rebellion steadily cemented itself in the minds of all the dragons of Pyrrhia, whether that be as the shadowy organisation no one knew about, or the beacon of hope that everyone wanted to see in action. Over the course of that year, the Rebellion and its allies fought in several small skirmishes against either Blister's army or the NightWings. It was never anything that could really be called a battle. Thorn and her Outclaws were also a great help in hounding Blister's forces, disrupting the work of her soldiers or smuggling out persons of interest before Blister could get her talons on them.
Moon was torn on how to feel for the length of that year. On the one talon, her mother was out there, likely a prisoner, and her father and tribe were hunting her. It felt like a betrayal of the gravity of the situation to enjoy herself in any capacity. And yYet on the other talon, she couldn't remember a time where she felt so hopeful. Her control was developing nicely, with Darkstalker's help, and the confidence he had given her allowed her to have friendships. The Jade Winglet had become her new family.
Yet in the dark of being so close to them, was the burden of knowing she was in their minds and they had no idea. More than once she contemplated telling them of her powers. But each time it seemed like the wrong moment, or Darkstalker would warn her against it. Eventually it just felt too late to come out with it organically.
But she decided to put those thoughts aside. Spring was just around the corner; Moon's hatchingday, the first night of spring, was the turning point into the new year. Only a few more days of winter left, only a few more days of this year left. With their duties taking them far and wide as dictated by the Dragons of Destiny and their strategies, the Jade Winglet chose to spend those moments they could together. Tonight, they were gathered on their ledge, a fire in the middle, as they all told stories. Turtle had come up with the idea, after Moon had given him enough subtle hints. He'd once fancied himself an author, and from what she gleamed in his brain, he was quite good. So he should share his stories with their friends.
Of course they all had to share stories then. The firelight provided atmosphere as well as warmth. Qibli told a musical comedy that had them all laughing until Moon felt tears in her eyes. Kinkajou told an over-dramatic retelling of her and Glory's daring escape from the volcanic NightWing island, completely with rainbows and armies being felled by the two of them alone. Peril didn't really know any stories, so opted out. Moon had nothing to offer, but reading them 'Prince of the Sun'.
As midnight soon approached, with the moons shining behind him and the firelight turning his pristine white and blue scales amber, Winter stood to tell his story. Whether it was because his mind had eased with the food and wine they'd all brought, or that she was getting good at reading his face, but Moon had the impression that Winter liked their attention. The faint smile in the corner of his mouth and the ever-so-slight excitement in his eyes made him look years younger.
Be prepared for utter drivel, said Darkstalker. Probably about how great IceWings are, as if he doesn't go on about that enough.
Even if you saw that in a possible future, Moon replied, he deserves the chance to tell his story.
Last chance to get out while you can, he grumbled. He'd been doing that alot lately, warning her off Winter's presence, and she couldn't understand why.
"I did want to tell a story of great IceWing heroes," said Winter. "But Turtle jogged my memory with his tales of magical wish-granting fish. So I will instead settle for educating you."
"Oh good," said Peril. "I was wondering when we'd be told the IceWings are always so much better than us."
Winter ignored her. "You all know about animus dragons, how some tribes have them, and some don't, and that animus magic is dangerous. But it was the IceWings who were the first to figure out that too much use can damage the dragon's soul. We perfected the use of animus power. We were very careful with our animus dragons. We bred them into the royal line, watched each potential animus from hatching, and trained them carefully so they would understand their limits. Each IceWing animus spent years planning his or her one great enchantment. They could use their power just once, to create something that would benefit the whole tribe."
Moon and Qibli exchanged a glance across the fire. It sounded not too dissimilar to the NightWing contingency, making their animus dragons bound to the permission of their keepers.
"But our last animus," said Winter, "was Prince Arctic. He was only days away from his gifting ceremony… when the NightWings kidnapped him."
A hush fell over the group.
And then, Darkstalker's voice came in Moon's head, urgent and commanding, Moon, I think it best if you go inside now.
What? She frowned, confused. Why?
Please, do as I say. This is a pack of lies you don't need to hear.
The slight edge of panic in his voice made Moon's heart beat faster, a sense of dread gather in her stomach. She stayed exactly where she was.
Moon!
She ignored him as Winter continued. "It began with the thrice-cursed NightWing known as Foeslayer. She approached the IceWings under the guise of peace, to offer us an alliance against the SkyWings, and instead she abducted our prince."
"What for?" Qibli grinned mischievously. "You know, all the IceWing princes I've met have been kind of grouchy. Why would someone want one around enough to steal him?"
"Because," growled Winter, "Prince Arctic was our last animus. IceWing's haven't had any in centuries… And do you know why? Because the NightWings stole that power from us."
Peril scoffed. "That's crazy, you can't steal a power like that."
"You can if it's genetic. The NightWings never had an animus dragon until they took Prince Arctic. Now they have them, and we don't."
Moon! Darkstalker was shouting in her mind in a tone of voice she had never before heard, something between anger and desperation. Don't listen to any more of this! I swear, I will explain everything, but what you're hearing now is all lies. There was no theft, no -
You know about all this. Moon was trying her best to keep an outward appearance of calm, though she didn't think she was very successful from the way Qibli was making sideways looks at her. Why is it so important that I don't hear this?!
Darkstalker began to talk, loudly and quickly. Mostly just any form of noise that would split Moon's concentration, drown out what her actual ears were telling her. Gritting her teeth, she talked to try and ground herself in the present. "Wait, what are you saying, Winter? That Foeslayer… and Prince Arctic… they had eggs together? A NightWing and an IceWing?"
Winter stared into the fire grimly. "Arctic would never have agreed to it - would never have betrayed the royal family that way - unless Foeslayer threatened him with something terrible. But whatever she did, it worked. Arctic fathered Darkstalker, the first NightWing animus."
Moon felt as if the ground had just evaporated underneath her. Darkstalker was suddenly silent. "D-Darkstalker?" she forced the word out. "How do you know about him?
"Everyone knows about him."
"I don't," said Qibli.
Winter rolled his eyes. "Anyone who's anyone,"
"Ah, I see. You mean IceWings."
"And NightWings," said Moon. She was the only NightWing in the rebellion who had been around the rest of the tribe, no one could call her out for the lie. "I heard tales about him when I was small, but nothing substantial. What did he do?"
Moon, I can explain -
I'll deal with you later! Her mind was spinning. She thought she would vomit. A place inside her she'd thought to be a safe haven, a place where her first true friend resided, was crumbling. It felt like someone had cut her open and all her blood was pouring out, leaving her cold and empty.
Winter's eyes were hard and dark. "He was an abomination," he spat. "The IceWings went to war against the NightWings to try and free Arctic from his imprisonment. Darkstalker fought us, killed us, used his magic until blood rained from the sky."
"Why didn't the NightWings let him go?" asked Kinkajou. "I mean, they had their animus, so why keep Arctic? Why didn't they let him go back to the IceWings and have more eggs there?"
"Because Darkstalker killed him. His own son murdered him to make sure the IceWings never got their stolen power back."
He deserved it! He would've killed us all, I had to protect my tribe.
"Of course," said Winter, "so much magic drove the Darkstalker mad, as we always knew it would. He turned on his own tribe. Attempted to take the throne, rule the world. They say an animus SeaWing, Prince Fathom, was the one who bested the Darkstalker and banished him forever, to the abyss where, even now, he waits for the time to strike. And everything has been ruined ever since."
There was a heavy silence, which Qibli broke by loudly puffing out air. "Well, that explains it. I was wondering why everything was so very ruined all the time. Thank goodness there's one ancient dead dragon we can blame for it."
The others laughed to rid themselves of their nerves. Moon couldn't breathe.
"Would you all please excuse me?" she said quietly, standing. "I think I need to go to bed now."
She whirled and ran back into the passages before any of them could see the first tear fall.