Chapter Nine

Despite the warm sunshine, the morning air was frigid. The turn of spring was still three days away, ushering in the new year, and Moon's ninth hatchingday. Though such an event should have been cause for celebration by anyone else's standards, she couldn't seem to think much of it. Her mind was too filled with everything she had learned.

Which was why she had decided to break her usual routine and get up before noon to go with her friends down to the lake. Kinkajou lounged on the shore, soaking in as much sun as her small wings could catch. Qibli sat next to Moon and they chatted about Moon's next class of RainWings and what the more advanced students needed to learn before Qibli could send them off. He'd recently begun helping Sunny and Glory coordinate their infiltrators.

They all laughed as they watched Turtle swim about in the lake with all the speed and grace that he usually lacked when on land. Peril, having taken a break from patrolling, was sat on a rock, being very careful not to allow any stray scale to touch a single blade of grass. After much convincing, Peril had agreed to allow Turtle to feed her fish, as she had never tasted anything that wasn't burnt to a crisp. He threw the fishes he caught up to her, aiming for her open mouth. The first two attempts managed to miss her completely. The third hit her squarely in the face. The fourth finally hit its goal - only for Peril to instantly yell how disgusting it was. Anyone else might've been afraid of her outburst, but the Jade Winglet all knew this was just her way.

After a time, Qibli brought out his deck of playing cards for him, Moon and Kinkajou to play; though the RainWing never seemed to understand the rules properly. Turtle and Peril were too busy grousing good-naturedly at each other. In all, Moon would've said it was a perfect morning… if she could get a certain someone out of her head.

Moon, please, you cannot ignore me forever!

All through the night, Darkstalker had been switching between pleading or lecturing or grovelling to try and get her to forgive him. He'd even come into her dreams. Usually, she enjoyed it when he did this, as they would embark on many hilarious adventures together, to get away from the terrible visions that plagued her nightmares. One time, he'd even taken her to the moons in dreams, and it had been such a great memory… But now everything about their friendship had been called into question. No matter how Darkstalker tried to convince her otherwise, the seed of doubt was now planted.

She'd tried to ignore him, pretending he didn't exist. That got under his scales, but he wouldn't relent in trying to win her back. Eventually, it just got exhausting and that was why she thought to distract herself by being around her friends.

The SandWing's going to put down a three of talons, he reported in her head. And sure enough, Qibli put down the predicted card. You can win if you put down the Queen of tails.

Gritting her teeth, she put down the two of wings instead.

Darkstalker gave an aggravated tut, Now you're just being childish.

Because she had exhausted all other options, she tried to fit his commanding, rich baritone voice into a raindrop and smother it away in the storm. When the trick didn't work as seamlessly as she was accustomed too, she tried to shove and mold and squeeze his voice into the shape she wanted so it would go into the droplet. But it didn't seem to want to fit no matter what she did.

Oh, that trick won't work with me, my dear, Darkstalker said, amused. I'm not so easily submerged.

Then do me a favour and just pretend it worked! She snapped. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm still sour with you.

I said I was sorry-

Yes, I know. But that doesn't mean I can instantly move on. She shuffled her cards in her talons, trying to ignore the way her stomach sank. I need time to trust you again.

Then take time, by the Great Dragon, I have all the time in the world.

You don't have any choice. As you know, I'm the only one who can let you out. Maybe that snide remark had been a little on the nose, but she couldn't help it. Darkstalker was quiet for a few moments, and Moon felt a question floating to the surface. She didn't want to appear contradictory having just argued for him to shut up, but she needed to know. How does it work?

What?

Kinkajou was laying down her card, and when it proved to be an illegal move, Qibli patiently tried to explain and show her the right course of action. Glassreader's spell. I'm guessing he was born after you, and you're not a direct ancestor. So how does his spell affect you?

You've seen how magic works, Darkstalker said, trying (and failing) to hide his slight happiness to be given even this shaky bridge to prove he could win her back if he were honest. An animus need only say a few words and their wish is made real. But do not be fooled. Magic is a fickle thing, and when wording your spell, one must be specific in the command, or else the magic is likely to take a different interpretation than you meant and go awry.

How so?

Let's say, for example, I took a stick and said: I enchant this stick to make any dragon it touches appear, to all forms of observation, dead.

Moon was so startled by such an extreme example, she almost dropped all her cards. Why would you do something like that?

It's just an example! Maybe you're on the run, maybe the only way to get rid of your pursuers is to make them believe you're already dead. He explained hurriedly, likely to stop her imagining any dark implications in his words. Anyway, you have your stick, but there's a problem: the enchantment was to make you appear dead to all tests; so it would stop your heart, kill your brain, halt your breathing. How do you reverse the process? You're dead. This is why you have to be specific with magic, give it rules and conditions to follow. The correct enchantment would be: I enchant this stick to make any dragon it touches appear dead to anyone else for one hour, then return them to normal with no ill effects.

So you're saying that Glassreader wasn't specific enough? Moon frowned, putting down a random card for the game, not paying much attention.

That would be my guess, Darkstalker sighed. Whatever the wording in his spell was, it did not specify to only restrict the powers of his descendants. Instead, all animus dragons related to him are chained. As his uncle, that includes me. I cannot cast a single spell.

Unless I give you permission, she finished for him.

Moony's really quiet, came Kinkajou's voice.

The sudden intrusion and intensity of the thought made Moon jump, and this time she did drop her cards. She spun to her friend, bewildered and frightened all at once. "W-whaaaa?"

"I knew it!" Qibli said and pointed a talon in Kinkajou's face. "I knew you were cheating! Oh, you almost had me fooled. But I just knew you were looking at Moon's cards!"

Kinkajou turned an indignant shade of red with blotches of green, like a tomato about to ripen. "I did not!"

"Oh yes you were," he grinned. "You cheat just like my brother, Sirocco. Whenever my grandfather caught him, he'd have his tail pinched by scorpions to teach him to cheat better!"

The RainWing turned a pale yellow with disgust. "Ewww. SandWings don't actually do that, do they?"

"They do in my family." Qibli shrugged as if to deflect any pity.

Over the course of their friendship, Qibli had mentioned his family only a few times. Moon always sensed a buried feeling of dread whenever thoughts of them popped into his head. "Why would your grandfather do something like that?"

Despite the fact that she could read in his mind that he was uncomfortable with the line of conversation, Qibli was a flawless actor and laughed as if nothing were amiss. "My grandfather is one of the biggest crime lords in the Scorpion Den. You got anything illegal going on in the Kingdom of Sand, his talons are in on it. Smuggling, pit-fighting, racketeering, assassinations, you name it. Vulture's gang are ruthless and he expects only the best. My sister, Rattlesnake, learned how to throw a knife blindfolded because grandfather had his thugs try to beat her while she couldn't see. He was practically running the Scorpion Den, on nothing but fear, until Thorn and us Outclaws took it back."

"Bet he didn't like you fighting for the other side!" Kinkajou was almost bouncing on her front talons with the excitement of the story.

"Well, he couldn't have cared that much," Qibli said. "Thorn didn't like the way my mother treated me. So she had my mother sell me to her."

He tried to hide the way a storm of confusion and sadness welled up inside him at the memory. Moon saw in his head the tiny dragonet, bringing his mother coconuts, her favourite, all for just a small shred of affection. His only reward was to be beaten and nearly concussed for daring to show weakness.

Unable to stop herself, Moon's wing went around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

Qibli's head snapped up, his sharp, golden stare meeting hers. She means it, he thought, am I really that obvious or is she just good at reading me? Funny, the way she always just knows how I'm feeling…

Moon pulled back her wing and they slowly returned to their game. Uninterested, Moon lost the game on purpose. This feels wrong, deceiving them like this.

They wouldn't completely abandon you, Darkstalker said. They'd be drawn to your power. But it is safer if you hold on to this one advantage.

"Hey Winter!" they heard Turtle call. "You're rather late."

"Just don't," grumbled the IceWing as he passed behind Moon, the gentle cold aura of his scales passing over her back, to head to the lake.

Moon whirled, startled for the third time that morning. Winter's thoughts, usually so distinct and a confusing maze of mirrors reflecting his emotions… they were gone. She hadn't heard him coming, hadn't sensed him at all. Straining her power, she tried to focus on him, but all she could hear was that strange distant hum she usually got off Icicle. How was this possible?

"Hey, Moon," said Qibli, "you in for another game?"

"N-No…" she murmured, already rising to her feet to follow Winter. "You two play, I'll catch up."

She would feel bad about leaving them behind later, but her need to know was too great. As she left them, she heard Qibli's mind mumble despondent, Knew she liked him. Can't say I blame her though. I just wish… But then, his thoughts were drowned out by Kinkajou's: I knew it! I knew something was bothering her. Maybe I should've noticed sooner, but I'm still an amazing friend, right? Is she going to Winter to talk about it? Does she need his big, strong wings to protect her? Sooooooooo romantic!

Winter was sat on his haunches by the lake, the small waves lapping at his toes. He was bent over washing some kind of cuff, it glinted brightly when the water sparkled off it. Moon sat beside him, studying his face for any sign as to how he could be blocking her. It was disconcerting, to look at him and for the first time not have a clue as to what was going on inside his brain. It were as if he were sick.

Darkstalker? She asked. Can you read Winter at all? Am I just not powerful enough?

He was quiet for a moment, and then, No. Whilst it may be a relief to no longer hear the little idiot's thoughts, it is quite unusual how he suddenly became impenetrable to me as well.

She tried not to huff at his insistence to constantly insult Winter. I can't read Icicle either. Maybe they've both learned to shield themselves?

I don't think so. I've never seen mental shielding advanced enough to block even me, and who would have trained them?

Obviously, she wasn't very subtle in her observations, because Winter looked over at her a little confusedly. "Um, can I help you, Moon?"

"Sorry," she said quickly. Get it together! "Are you alright? You seem a little… off."

"Any more than usual?" Peril said from her boulder. "Come on, IceWing, I don't think any of us have seen you smile."

"What's there to smile about when you're around?" he shot back. Moon winced. Despite the fact that they all did think of each other as friends, Winter and Peril were the two who got along the least.

Before Peril could make another remark, Turtle popped out of the lake and threw a fish at her head. It smacked her in the eye, and she hissed. The SeaWing ducked down a little. "Oops, sorry. Thought you were ready for it." he then turned to Winter. "I didn't know you had treasure, Winter."

"It's not mine," he said. "It's Icicle's, she had it specially made. And I, taking Qibli's wonderful advice, brought her goat for breakfast this morning and got blood on it. Now I have to clean it."

Moon studied the cuff as Winter held it up to inspect it. It was a simple silver band inlaid with black gemstones. A shiver ran down Moon's spine as she stared into the stones. They seemed to suck up all the light around them and emit nothing back. She couldn't look away, her attention was being pulled inwards, into the stones.

"I've never seen stones like that before," Turtle said. "Is it obsidian?"

"No," said Winter. "Icicle says they're fragments from the comet-"

"You mean the one that came right before the NightWings attacked?!" Kinkajou yelped.

"Yes. Icicle calls it Skyfire."

"Can I see it?" Moon heard herself asking, as if from some place far away.

Winter turned to her and hesitated. Slowly, he reached out towards her. "Just be careful with it." And he passed it into her talons.

Moon froze in shock.

The world had gone silent. Not the world she could hear with her ears - that remained intact. It was her inside world. The constant seething, twittering background noise of all the minds around her had abruptly vanished. It were as if she was suddenly marooned on a deserted island, with no one around her but the tiny space that was her own body. Suddenly she was confronted with the presence of nothing but herself, her own thoughts.

Darkstalker? She called, staring down at the skyfire between her claws.

There was no answer. He was gone. Everyone was gone.

Moon's heart began to flutter in panic. It was like being back in the rainforest, no one around her to talk to, the complete isolation making her feel so enclosed and yet so lost. She looked into the faces of her friends, but they felt so far away from her, so alien and unknowable, they might as well have been stones carved into the shape of dragons.

Terrified, she thrust the cuff back into Winter's talons. Her handling wasn't as gentle as it could have been, for in the scuffle of trying not to drop it, Winter's talon accidentally knocked into the side of the gemstone. It fell out without a sound and plopped into the water, lost amidst the sea of pebbles beneath the waves.

"Hey, careful!" he said. He hadn't noticed the stone go missing.

Everyone's voices came rushing back into Moon's head. A year ago, hearing them so suddenly would've given her an instant headache. Now, she felt nothing but relief.

MOON! Darkstalker was yelling, his mental shield cracking slightly with his desperation to leak through the alarm and fear inside him. MOON!

I'm here, she said.

He took a shuddering breath, and his wall immediately repaired itself. Three moons, you scared me. You vanished so completely… I thought you were dead.

It's the skyfire, she said, still in shock. That's why I can't hear Icicle. Whoever holds it…

Do not tell anyone about this. You understand? He told her, voice intense and near strangled. A stone from the sky that can block a mind reader's powers? If other dragons find out, we'll be ruined. Everyone will get one, and then we'll be deaf, Moon, do you understand? If this gets out, it'll be like ripping our claws off. Promise me you won't tell anyone.

We wouldn't be deaf. We'd be no worse off than all the normal dragons out there.

Winter was talking, but she wasn't listening. Her eyes remained fixed on the spot where she had last seen the skyfire. She could still feel its snare upon her mind, the damp chill it brought along her scales. Something was burning in the back of her skull, like a vision that didn't seem to want to fully manifest itself. This was important, this skyfire, somehow. But Moon didn't know how, exactly, not yet.

But fine, she said, I promise.

What dingy, dank, unimpressive quarters.

The ramshackle wooden hut had obviously been constructed rather hastily; the boards nailed on unevenly and untidily. One couldn't even argue that practicality instead of style had been at the forefront of the builder's mind, for the leaf roof leaked and a draft swept in easily. Did dragonets build this?

It was just one more thing that Scarlet added to her list of 'reasons to violently dismember and murder all those who'd wronged her'. She was a Queen, by the sun! She should not have to stoop to laying in the mud-soaked floor of the rainforest in a shack barely held together by rope and nails! Palaces with tall spires, thrones shining with gold, halls of feasts, arenas baying for blood - that was where she belonged. For years, she'd fought to earn it and fought to keep it. It was hers by right, it was unfair for it all to be stripped away.

But she was going to get it back, oh that much she knew for certain. Even if she had to crawl out of this squalor, had to claw back up the mountains, had to kill every last SkyWing stood in her way… She would sit on the throne again. If everyone believed her to be bloodthirsty before, they had no idea of what was coming. Along with her scales, the venom had melted away the last of Scarlet's restraint. By the time she was finished, the mountains will run red and Ruby's head will be impaled on the tallest tower of the Mountain Palace for all eternity.

But to get to that point, she needed the help of her new allies. Whilst Scarlet detested the NightWing, Morrowseer, for previously ruining her fun (on her hatchingday no less!), he was correct. She needed support and allies to take back her throne. Blister would be the real problem, but that could be handled at a later date. For now, she needed to play nice. She needed to find out where the rebels were hiding.

Easy as scavenger pie, Scarlet thought as she unfurled her talons and grinned down at the shining star-shaped sapphire. The Dreamvisitor.

She'd found it inside Burn's Weirdling tower. Obviously the brutish SandWing had no idea what it was, otherwise she would've used it to her advantage long before now. Scarlet had held onto it initially because she wanted to spite her captor. But quite by accident, she'd discovered what it was and stolen it when she'd escaped the Stronghold. It was how she'd managed to stay one step ahead of all those hunting her, peering into their dreams to gleam information. When Deathbringer had finally caught her, she'd hidden it initially in her fist and feigned a leg injury. And when he'd gone to tie her snout shut, she'd hidden the enchanted gemstone under her tongue.

Now, Morrowseer believed she'd needed seclusion and maps in order to deduce possible sites the rebellion might've scurried away to. But she had a different plan in mind.

The only problem now, was who to haunt.

It might've been obvious to go straight for the dragons of destiny themselves, but Scarlet dismissed the idea. No matter how tempting it was, that was foolish. She'd dream-visited the treacherous RainWing once before, and she'd quickly discovered the truth. If the others were even half as observant, they'd catch on to her and the NightWings' plan. So it had to be someone else. But who? Scarlet had heard the names of other dragons who, rumour had it, had joined the rebellion, but Scarlet had never met them before. The rules of the Dreamvisitor, according to legend, were that you had to have physically seen the dragon you wanted to visit.

An idea sparked inside the SkyWing's brain. There was one she knew for certain. Scarlet had overheard Morrowseer's spies talking, that apparently Queen Glacier had sent delegates to the rebellion to talk about an alliance. Both were royal, but one of them Scarlet had met before: Princess Icicle. She'd been part of a team of IceWings sent to negotiate for the release of prisoners of war, one of which had been the princess' dear older brother, Hailstorm.

So not only did Scarlet have a victim in the right place and conveniently close to her targets, she also had leverage. This was perfect.

Settling down, Scarlet clutched the Dreamvisitor in her talons and thought of Princess Icicle. Of her pristine white scales, her hard dark eyes, of the impressive way she conducted herself in battle. As soon as she closed her eyes, Scarlet was transported into the dream.

Icicle stood on the edge of a great icy cliff, a tumultuous black sea churning far below. Her eyes were scanning for something between the waves, her teeth bared in frustration. Every now and then there was the flash of scales on the surf, or the whisper of a voice on the wind. Scarlet observed for a moment, wondering if the princess was in a lucid enough dream in order to understand what was happening.

She needn't have worried. The moment she shifted, Icicle spun, wings flared open and frostbreath in the back of her throat. "You!"

Though her brain knew logically that nothing could harm her in the dream, it was a little unsettling to have someone breathe deadly frostbreath straight for your face. Scarlet dug her claws into the snow and did her best not to move. The frost passed right through her.

Icicle hissed and prowled back and forth in agitation. "What is this?!"

"A dream," said Scarlet. She'd gone through this song and dance too many times, trying to convince dragons she was real and not a figment of their imagination.

Lucky for her, Icicle caught on quick. "Magic! I knew it! I knew you'd sent that burning monster to spy on us!"

Oooooh… So Scarlet's former champion and favourite toy was with the rebellion too? Pathetic, that she would cling to that MudWing so devotedly. But it was still a marvellous opportunity.

"I'm not here to talk about her, I'm here to talk business with you." said the former Queen.

"An IceWing does not negotiate with enemies of the Queen!"

"Not even to save your brother?"

Icicle stopped pacing. Behind her, the raging sea turned still as glass. "You… you lie! You killed Hailstorm!"

Scarlet clapped a talon to her chest. "Untrue, I never ordered his execution. Nor did I order he step foot in my arena. You think I would throw away a prisoner of such value? Tsk- tsk, princess, so narrow-minded."

"I don't believe you!" But the princess' eyes told a different story. "Glacier was willing to give you chests filled with diamonds as ransom! If you couldn't give him back then, why would you give him back now?!"

Scarlet smiled. "Because now… you're in a position to give me something I actually really want."

"The location of the rebellion. Don't act so surprised. It's common knowledge that you would want the Dragons of Destiny dead for what they did to you."

"Indeed," Scarlet said tightly. There was a shimmer by her right eye as the magic shifted the facade she wanted to convey. Icicle got to see her ruined face for just a split second, before she hid it away again. "Tell me where they're hiding."

The dream around them wobbled and grew hazy, like a mirage in the desert. Icicle's dream was fading as her thoughts became more focused. Scarlet waited eagerly… But after a moment, the dream became fixed again and they were back in the ice and snow. Now this was very unusual! Usually Scarlet got to see a glimpse of the world around the dreamer when she did this, but now she wasn't getting anything. Icicle opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Why can't I see it?" the SkyWing demanded. "Why can't you tell me?!"

"We're protected. It's…" and again, Icicle's words faded out as if the wind in this dream had snatched them away.

Was something - or someone - actively doing this? That would explain this oddity, but it was most frustrating. If she wanted to get her throne back, she had to deliver the rebels to Morrowseer. Perhaps there were other ways of getting that kind of information… Until then, who's to say that she couldn't also get her revenge in the meantime?

"Fine. Then you're going to do a little something for me."

Icicle snorted. "Do not think to order a Princess of the IceWings, former queen Scarlet."

"Don't get snarky with me, darling." Smoke billowed out of Scarlet's nostrils and curled around her horns. "If you want to see your brother alive again, you'll do exactly as I say."

"Why should I believe you have him? You are no longer the Queen of the SkyWings, you don't have the authority or the access to release him from the Mountain dungeons."

Scarlet threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing over the glacial cliffs around them. "Ha! And you think Ruby does? My mousy daughter is trying hard to simper up to you IceWings and your make-shift rebellion. If she had Prince Hailstorm, she would've given him back by now as a show of good faith."

Icicle's brows furrowed, her eyes darting as she took in this information. Of course it all added up, it was perfect logical sense. Scarlet slithered closer, opening her wings as if to pull the princess in closer, like dragonets sharing a secret. Icicle tried to duck aside, swiping her claws at the SkyWing, but of course the blow passed right through.

"I kept special prisoners where no one could ever find them," Scarlet informed her, circling around the princess. "Imagine it: you do one simple thing for me, and I tell you where you can find your brother. From what I remember, he was quite the hero amongst you IceWings, wasn't he? And you were so desperate when you came to those negotiations. You try to hide it, but it was almost too much. Quite the rousing speech, I was almost impressed. Imagine bringing him home, after all this time…"

Icicle didn't answer for a long moment. "And what is it I have to do?"

"Kill the Dragons of Destiny," Scarlet hissed gleefully. "The RainWing, specifically. Avenge me. Or at the least bring her to me. Whatever means you have at your disposal - use it. The rebellion in complete disarray will be proof enough."

"I see how you benefit from this plan," she said, "but I'm not hearing any guarantees for me. Killing is easy enough, but if I kill them, how do I know you'll tell me the truth? And what happens to him if they catch me?"

"They won't catch you. Just do it. Do this for me, and I'll give you the one thing I know you want most." Scarlet allowed the illusion around her to fall away, and let Icicle behold her rotten face. "If not… I'll be sure to show you his corpse."

Moon's eyes snapped open. What was that?

She sat up in bed, spinning to try and find the voices she'd heard in her dream. Her mind stretched out, but she couldn't hear them. Dawn was not far off, and no one around Moon remained awake. Caught in dreams herself, she must've missed most of the conversation, as her telepathy skills had only translated the last little bit of it into her slumber. She didn't recognise the two voices talking. How had they managed that? Were they other telepaths? Talking to each other as she talked to Darkstalker? But that was impossible, aside from Starflight and Fatespeaker, she was the only NightWing in the rebellion. And as far as she knew, she was the only one with powers.

Who were those voices? And what were they planning? Well, the answer to that last question was obvious.

Someone is planning a murder… But who? How? She reached out her mind and called, Darkstalker? Do you know what that was?

For a while he was quiet, and she thought he either hadn't heard her or was asleep.

I know some things… he said eventually, slowly. But everything I could tell you leads to futures that end badly, both for you and for me. For instance, I can see clearly that if I tell you right now who you just overheard, you will seek out that dragon, and you will end up dead. Which would be unfortunate, both because I quite like you, and because then I might have to wait another thousand years to be rescued.

Despite how frightening it was to imagine how close she was to death in a clear possible future, there was this sense of urgency in her bones. She could stop this terrible act, her powers might finally be good for something. But the thought of doing it alone was daunting. So you won't help me at all?

I didn't say that, he assured her. I'm just trying to find the correct path to ensure that you survive the days to come.