A/N: Sorry for my unprompted break, lovely readers. I got caught up on private commissions and home decorating. Hopefully, I'll be back up to my usual update schedule soon!
With that being said, I do hope you enjoy the new chapter, and don't forget to review!
Chapter Eleven
Moon couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
And then, "...what?"
Winter released her, and it were as if he had been her last protection. For with his absence, the cold was allowed to sweep through Moon's body. Her wingtips trembled. Her breath shivered in her throat. So stiff was her stomach that she believed she was turning to stone from the inside out.
"How," said Winter again, "did you know about the explosion?"
They were all looking at her now. Qibli suspiciously, Kinkajou helplessly, Turtle frightened. Their thoughts churned through their minds, all focused on her, all pressing on her brain and her unable to push them into the raindrops. They were all waiting for an answer, but Moon found herself unable to say words, as if her vocal chords had been cut and her tongue removed. And the longer she remained silent, the greater her panic grew - she had to do something!
Come up with a lie, said Darkstalker. At least two of them want to believe any kind of excuse.
But no lie would come from her. "I… I don't…"
"You knew what was going to happen," said Qibli slowly. His eyes were narrowed, his face hard like he had practised for when dealing with outsiders. But his mind was crying out, like a dragonet not wanting to believe their imaginative world was make-believe. "You were scared - you knew that explosion was coming."
"There's only two plausible explanations," Winter said. "Either you orchestrated the explosion-"
Finally, Moon found her voice. "No! I swear, I didn't-!"
"Or you know who did and are implicit in the deed."
"Moony…" Kinkajou slowly came forward, her voice quiet, pleading. "You didn't really… did you?"
"No!" Moon protested. "I promise I have no idea who set that explosion. I was just trying to keep everyone safe."
"But how did you know?" Qibli demanded.
She knew what she needed to say, but all her fears and doubts seemed to physically manifest and wrap around her neck to strangle her. A soft gasp came from the back of the room. Everyone turned to Turtle, who had his eyes wide and pointed a claw at her. "You saw it… in the future, didn't you?"
They all turned back to Moon. Suspicion, outrage, anger; it pressed down on her soul with a literal weight. She shrank under their gazes, hunching into her own wings, and nodded.
Winter hissed and took a step back from her. "Impossible! The NightWings have no powers!"
"We only know that... because she said so," said Qibli quietly. And for the first time since she'd known him, the SandWing looked genuinely angry. "You told us the NightWings don't have any powers! What else have you lied about?!"
"It's not a lie!" Moon said. "None of the other NightWings have powers… just me…"
"What are the chances," Winter shook his head, "that the only NightWing-"
Kinkajou coughed. "Third."
"What are the chances that the third NightWing allowed into the rebellion," he conceded with a growl, "just so happens to also be the only one to possess powers?"
"It's true," she pleaded, and figured that the only way to spare herself their wrath was to completely explain the mechanics of it all. "The other NightWings don't have any powers because they haven't been able to hatch under moonlight. That's what grants us our powers. The volcano stopped that."
"When I was a prisoner on the island," Kinkajou said quietly, "all the NightWings did look off. Sickly and thin."
"And you were raised in the rainforest," said Turtle to Moon.
"If you've lied to us for this long, how do we know you're not lying now?" Asked Qibli. He glanced sideways at Turtle and his mind whispered, Maybe Turtle can enchant something to make her tell the truth…
"I am telling the truth!" Moon answered automatically.
"How're we supposed to know?" He didn't pick up on her answering his thoughts instead of his words. "You've had this secret power for so long, and you've done nothing with it? Don't you know how helpful seeing the future could've been for the war? And you refuse to help us?"
And finally, Moon lost her temper. "I have been helping! I've done everything I can. And when I finally had a vision that could help, I acted upon it! It's not as easy as closing my eyes and knowing exactly how things are going to turn out. All I see is random, vague, important moments in time. And sometimes even that's hard to interpret."
"But today…" she continued in a more subdued voice, "I saw a vision of the War Room exploding, of the Dragons of Destiny dying… of all of you dying… and I," the horror returned and bile stung the back of her throat. "I couldn't bare it. I had to do something."
Her friends all looked at each other, with various degrees of alarm. Kinkajou turned the palest shade of green Moon had ever seen. Even though they had all been there, had witnessed the danger for themselves, it was quite another matter to be told that their death had been foretold in the stars… And only by her intervention had they been spared.
"And while we're at it," she muttered, "there's something else you all should know."
Are you certain you want to do this? Asked Darkstalker gently.
I don't want to lie to them anymore, she replied. If they're going to hate me, then so be it. I have nothing left to lose.
"I can read minds."
The stunned silence was immediate and stifling. Winter was the first to react with a hiss and backing away from her as if she were contaminated with some poison. "That's impossible!" Please don't let it be true! Is it some kind of joke? Or Icicle trying to drive me away from-
"I promise that your sister hasn't put me up to this," she said.
Winter leapt away from her. "You really can read minds!"
"You've been inside our heads?" Turtle asked, horrified. "All this time?"
Despite how certain she'd felt of this decision a moment before, Moon now started to feel more wretched than ever. "Not on purpose. I tried to keep you out, to let you have your privacy. But it's like trying to tell your ears to stop listening - sound always comes through."
Sand and snakes! Qibli thought. How many bad things has she heard in my head? She probably thinks I'm the worst kind of dragon there is.
"No!" she exclaimed. "I've never found anything bad in there. You're one of the most considerate dragons I've ever met."
Qibli clutched his head, as if he might physically shield it. "Gah! Stop doing that!"
"How could you do this?" Winter demanded. "Lie to us for all this time?" I thought she was different. Father might be right about the other NightWings but I thought Moon was…
"I wanted to tell you." Her voice came out, thin as paper, as flimsy as her excuses. "But I was afraid that you'd hate me. That you'd tell the others to cast me out. I've never told anyone-"
"Well you could've told me!" Kinkajou leapt in front of Moon, her big eyes filled with hurt. "Aren't we supposed to be best-friends? You should totally tell your best friends if you're listening in on their thoughts."
"I know, I should have. But I didn't think-"
"This is why your father wants you so bad, isn't it?" asked Qibli. "Sunny said your dad thought of you as a weapon. It's because of your powers, isn't it."
Moon hunched further into her own wings. "Yes. But I don't want to help him win - to be responsible for this war."
The Jade Winglet all looked to one another. Moon didn't need to peer into their minds to see that they all held various levels of suspicion. Qibli kept looking from her to the door. Kinkajou looked like she wanted to cry. Turtle was thoughtful. And Winter appeared as if someone had completely shut down his emotions; eyes closed, shadows stretched across his face.
With a deep sigh, she stood to await judgement. "And now you all know. I… I understand if you're angry with me. Just please try to understand - I only did what I thought was right."
Qibli snorted. "Seems like everyone's got this big super special secret power. Kinkajou? You got anything to share? Winter? Any powers of melting things with your brooding stare?"
Turtle surprised Moon when he slowly made his way towards her. Gently, as if he feared some adverse reaction, he placed a talon on her shoulder. He smiled crookedly. "I get it. I'm not mad. And I won't tell the others. Some things are just… yours."
"Then the pair of you are fools."
Moon recoiled from the chilling hiss that spewed out from Winter. His mind was flooded with hurt, with outrage. There was this great, splitting wrench across his consciousness, and his entire mindscape tumbled inside out. It was shocking, to see how badly he reacted to this, to witness his entire view of the world turn on its head.
"Look at you!" he shouted. "Hiding who you really are, manipulating us into trusting you. And all the while, you've had abilities that could've helped us win this war. Good dragons have died in battles that didn't need to happen - because you two could've done something about it!"
Even Qibli shot up at that. "Hey! That's not fair!"
"I don't want to hurt anyone!" said Turtle at the same time.
"Winter," Moon tried to reach for him. "It's not what it looks like."
But he pulled himself away. "Oh really? And I'm supposed to take your word for that?" He came at her so fast, Moon couldn't get out of his way. Nose to nose, he came as close as physically possible without touching her. In a low and quiet voice, he growled: "I don't know who you are. But the NightWing I thought I could trust obviously never existed."
A hole grew beneath Moon's feet and seemed to pull out all her insides into its gaping void. Unbidden, a single tear slipped down her cheek. Faintly, she was aware of the music in Darkstalker's head, trying to soothe her, but she couldn't concentrate on it. Winter's rejection cut deeper than she would've thought. His deep blue eyes followed that tear as it fell. Abruptly, he pulled back, jaw set.
With a loud rattle of the spikes on his tail, Winter stormed out of the infirmary, nearly ripping the leaf curtain off the wall as he did so. They all watched him leave and stomp down the hall. Moon couldn't seem to comprehend what had happened. It was like a string that had nailed her down to earth had been cut, and she was floating helplessly into the thin air of the tallest skies.
I did try to warn you… said Darstalker.
Please don't, said Moon. Not now.
Mercifully, he didn't say anything else. Instead, continued the music that echoed through her mind. The infirmary was painfully silent, uncertain of what to do with the situation that had been left there. Moon didn't want to be there, knowing they would leave her now and never come back. So she concentrated on Darkstalker's music.
"Hey, guys?" came a loud voice that made them all startle. They turned towards the still closed leaf curtain. "Can someone let me in? Me and Clay have solved the mystery!"
It was Peril. The others looked to one another. How could they just pretend to be normal when nothing was as it had been this morning? With a shrug, Kinkajou went and pulled back the curtain as much as possible. Peril tucked her wings in as tightly as possible and carefully made her way inside. It was almost second nature for her eyes to worriedly roam the room for anything flammable, and then sit in such a way so as to take up as little space as possible. A rather admirable, if sad feat, seeing as she was perhaps one of the tallest dragons Moon had ever seen.
"Well," she was saying with a bashful shrug. "When I say 'solved the mystery' that might've been an exaggeration, but we definitely nearly did!"
"What're you going on about?" asked Qibli.
"We found out what caused the explosion!" Peril burst.
"Um, Peril?" Turtle coughed. "Maybe don't sound so excited by that."
"Why not?" she demanded. "I nearly managed to find out who the badguys are. Then I get to go burn their face off. That's totally something I should be excited about!"
"What happened then?" Kinkajou asked.
"It was seeds!"
They stared at her.
Moon frowned. "Seeds? Really?"
Peril nodded. "Yeah! But, not normal seeds, big spiky edgy seeds. They're from these cactus fruits that grow in the mountains. If you set them on fire, they explode into a hundred sharp pieces that stab everything around it. It's really grisly!" It was almost horrifying to listen to Peril talk about a murderous plant with such glee.
"Yikes!" Kinkajou squeaked. "Plants can't really be that horrible. Can they?"
"But where would someone get one of those… cactus things?" asked Turtle.
"There's probably some growing on Jade Mountain itself," said Qibli. "No one was in the War Room during the explosion, so whoever did this must've lit some kind of fuse in advance."
Peril snorted. "Clay said that. Makes it REALLY frustrating because that is the opposite of narrowing it down."
"Who would know about these things?" asked Moon. "The SkyWings?"
"Sure. Every SkyWing is taught about them - best way to avoid them. I especially know because I wasn't allowed anywhere near them when a shipment was being brought through the palace. Everyone got all jumpy - more than usual."
"Shipment?" Qibli echoed, wings quivering on the edge of that rush of epiphany. "If SkyWings avoid them why would there be shipments of them in the palace?"
Peril's features squished themselves, like she didn't know what reaction to give to that comment. Inside her head, the inferno burned a little hotter, making Moon wince. "Um, because it was a favourite tactic of Quee- I mean, Scarlet's. Throw in a bunch of bombs and let them leave your enemies writhing in agony - those that survive, that is."
"So it must be one of Scarlet's soldiers?" said Turtle.
"Or Scarlet herself!" exclaimed Kinkajou, her wings turning red. "Glory told me that she hates the Dragons of Destiny! For, like, no real reason!"
"Well, they did melt her face, lose her the throne, and disrupted her entire kingdom."
"Of course, yeah, that's obvious. But she tried to blow up my Queen and-"
"She couldn't have," interrupted Qibli in a tired voice.
"Trust me, Qibli," Kinkajou retorted. "All the things I've heard about this bit-"
"No, I mean she literally couldn't." he said. "Scarlet would never have been able to get to the War Room. She would need to be invited in. And only the Dragons of Destiny, Moon and I can do that."
Peril's bright blue eyes narrowed, the light from within them seeming to make them glow. "But, then that means…"
"She's working with someone," Turtle finished for her.
"Oh no," Moon gasped.
There was a pounding in her head as she remembered that eerie conversation, and her deliberations on it all day. She felt Darkstalker's consciousness touch hers, envelop her, attempting to take the pressurized feeling away. But she refused; she needed to understand this. The attempted murder had come, and Moon had completely missed it and yet somehow managed to save the intended victims.
The others were looking at her. Peril with confusion, the others with mounting suspicion. "Last night," she said, deciding not to mince her words. "I half-dreamed a conversation, I believe it was my telepathy trying to warn me. I heard someone plotting something - something terrible."
"Who was it?" Qibli demanded.
"I don't know! I've never heard their voices before. One was definitely in the Mountain, the other…"
Peril took a step towards Moon. "Well, what did they say?"
The NightWing struggled to remember the few lines she overheard. "Uh, they said: 'Do this for me, and I'll give you the one thing I know you want most. If not… I'll be sure to show you his corpse.'"
"Oh, that's definitely Scarlet." said Peril. "Her whole routine of offering you what you really want, only to threaten it in the same sentence. Also, can someone please explain to me why Moon says she has telepathy, because that's kind of freaking me out but I really don't want to go there if no one else spotted that!"
Kinkajou and Turtle looked at each other, helpless to know what to do. Qibli's golden eyes met Moon's. A single shaft of sunlight peaked in around one of the leaves covering the windows. It illuminated half of his face perfectly, making him appear like the warm, comforting Qibli she remembered. But the side that was cast in shadow was like a stranger to her.
He bent his head, and brushed aside everyone to make his way towards the door. "Why don't you explain things, Moon. I've enough problems now."
"Where're you going?" Turtle called after him.
"To find the traitor in our midst!"
Icicle's dreams were absent. She was stuck inside a dark abyss, with no light, and no means to get out. Floating - or was she drowning? - in a blank space void of gravity and air, she inhabited nothing. Mere existence was all she knew. Mostly, she preferred this. She'd been expecting nightmares.
Within inches of victory, it had been snatched away by pure chance - her prey distracted long enough that the trap had gone off without them. Their lives mattered little to her. Though this alliance hinged on their existence, it was obvious folly for Glacier to hinge her entire battle strategy on this rebellion. The IceWings had managed just fine before, they would do so again. And if it offered her the chance to get her brother back…
She squashed the emotion that grew inside her - weakness. And just in time. Scarlet materialised in the void next to her, looking immaculate, if a little aggravated.
"Is it done?" she demanded snappily.
"No. It was… an eventful day." The darkness around them quivered and threatened to constrict around Icicle. Her brother had almost been caught up in it. Winter was such an idiot - she'd thought she'd given him enough chores to keep him busy. But that commoner SandWing always followed him everywhere and just had to help him with his nauseating cross-tribe loyalty. They'd gotten to the War-Room. Winter had almost…
A loud part of her argued that if he'd died, then so be it. He had been the one to cause this mess that she was having to clean up. If he died whilst she corrected his mistakes, then that would be counted as little more than justifiable payment. Karma. Yet another part of Icicle wanted to tell Winter about this information.
No. That couldn't be allowed. He would just mess it up. His precious sensibilities would cloud his judgement. No, Icicle was in this alone, that much she knew for certain. All she needed was another chance.
Scarlet snarled. "I'm not a patient dragon. Your time is running out."
Icicle finally met her eyes. "You sound pretty menacing for a dragon who has to make other dragons do her killing for her."
"I'm warning you," the SkyWing hissed, and through the smoke that billowed out from her nostrils, Icicle saw a hint of burned flesh, a mangled cheek, exposed teeth and a rolling eye. "My offer will only be available for so long. You have until the first moon of spring. A new year demands new blood, as they say. Theirs, or your brother's."
Icicle was pretty sure no one had ever uttered that saying. And Scarlet's theatrics were getting on her nerves. "I'll do it. Don't worry, they'll be dead soon. They're sending more RainWings out - they'll be vulnerable." Icicle eyed the former queen hatefully. "But know this: if you touch him, I'll kill you too."
Scarlet merely grinned, like she relished the idea. "Good luck."
Morrowseer looked over all the pieces of parchment in his claws, eyes darting over every word, every number. His tail swept the sloth rug, enjoying the feel of the grey pelt against his scales. The candles were burning low - it was late. He bit his tongue to stifle a yawn.
Eventually, he dropped the parchments onto his desk. He eyed the skinny errand dragonet who was trying very hard not to fidget with his wings. "And this is all you have to report?"
"Yes, sir," he said hurriedly. "The bridge across the western gorge is complete."
Finally. The gorge was filled with gusting winds that could sweep even the strongest fliers easily downstream, battering them to death against the cliffs on the way. The bridge was sturdy enough to cling to when making one's way across. It would help them to unlock previously uncolonised western areas of the rainforest. "Very good. And how're the new eggs?"
"Secure in the vault, sir, tended day and night. The mothers take it in shifts to watch over them."
"And the hunting party?"
The errand boy grinned. "Successful as always."
"Shouldn't I be more involved in all these talks?" Morrowseer turned, having completely forgotten that Princess Greatness (or queen, technically) was sat in the corner of Morrowseer's hut. As soon as eyes were upon her, she wilted without the fortitude of her mother to keep her up. "Not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, Morrowseer, but… Mother always said a Queen should have a voice of her own…"
"And you will," he nodded. "Once you know what you're doing."
"But how can I learn that when you're-"
"If you wish it, I will, of course, relinquish the regency, Your Majesty." He bowed to her respectfully, even when his voice radiated how bored he was. "All you need do, is step up to every responsibility and they will be yours. Immediately. No help or input from me."
Greatness' eyes widened and she stared at the stack of papers on the desk. Her wings drooped and the fear in her was almost palpable. Morrowseer had to check himself before he shook his head. Whilst he found Greatness' fear of failure to be rather pathetic, he still knew better than to publicly dismiss her.
The princess relented. "Fine. But I do request that the eggs come out of the vault. It's too stuffy and… hot down there. They need fresh air."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," said Morrowseer automatically. He would, of course, not do so. But Greatness didn't need to know that yet. The princess stood and both Morrowseer and the errand dragonet bowed to her (one more deeply than the other) as she left.
"There is one last thing, sir." said the errand when the door to the hut finally closed. His tone was hushed, his eyes nervous, like he was an old biddie attempting to avoid a scandal. "The… prisoner is refusing to eat again."
Morrowseer stiffened. Something in his gut twisted uncomfortably. Duty warred with this now familiar dull ache. But as always, duty won. It took him a moment to formulate the right response. "Inform her that I'll only come to our monthly visits if she eats."
The errand looked a little put off, but still bowed and hurried out the door. Morrowseer waited five minutes after the dragonet had left before he moved. He sagged and sighed, rubbing his eyes. There was still much to do before he could afford the luxury of sleep and he would be up again at dawn. Too many things needed his attention. But even closing his eyes for a minute became an impossible task - his lids were so heavy, his vision unfocused. He needed fresh air.
Strutting out his door, he ignored the guards who snapped to attention outside. He'd punish them for slacking off later. Instead, he went to the well they'd dug just off from the central square of their village. Though he was hungry, food would only make him content and relaxed. Water would refresh him.
But what would he find to greet him - a SkyWing with a horror-show for a face already there. She attempted to drink - gathering water into her lower jaw and throwing her head back to let gravity aid her in swallowing it down. Even then, a fair amount dribbled out between her teeth and through the holes in her ruined cheek. She froze when she caught him watching. Her nostrils billowed a veil of smoke about her face to hide her shame.
"Well, Scarlet?" said Morrowseer, stalking towards her and the well. "You have been our guest for three days. I expected some results by now."
For every step he took towards her, she took one back, her eyes and teeth never leaving his direction. "There have been… complications."
"So I would assume," he snorted, reaching for the ladle to fish water from the well. "Complications do tend to happen. But a true leader disposes of such obstacles."
"And I have."
He paused, eyeing her. "You have?"
"Yes, NightWing," she puffed out her chest, smirking smugly. "The rebellion is shielded, somehow. I cannot learn their location exactly. However, I know when they're next sending out agents."
Well, that was something he could work with. "Then we shall apprehend them-"
"No." He almost growled at her interruption, but she had such a brazen, excited smile on her face that he decided to hear her out. "I already have a plan in motion. An informant of mine is going to find those agents and go with them. We'll get two scavengers with one stone. The location of the rebellion and how they're shielding it from us."
Morrowseer tried very hard not to smile.