Author's Note: I am so so so so sorry this chapter has taken so long, guys! Recently, I'm back in the USA and honestly, I've been taking some time to live my best life. It's been so great, and I have so many creative juices for little projects. But it was great to get back to this, slowly but surely. I do hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the art I intend to be posting on my Deviantart Page.

Please let me know what you think - all comments are welcome!

Chapter Thirty Eight

"Watch me!" Anemone squealed excitedly. "I can do it!"

The shrill noise of the Princess' voice grated in Darkstalker's ears. It had been like this all night, so far. She was obsessed with his attention, for which he could clearly understand why. It shouted at him from her thoughts constantly, that she saw him as the only one who understood her power. Eager to impress, to prove to him that she was worthy of his tutelage was what drove her to constantly seek his validation. Yes, Darkstalker understood her reasons and pitied her for them. But that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't also aggravating. Darkstalker watch this, Darkstalker I can do that, see me do this, over and over was exhausting on his patience.

They sat in the gardens, Anemone using her magic to make a hedge grow precisely into a shape. Darkstalker watched, but his mind was elsewhere. Memories called to him of what this garden used to look like. Night flowers - blossoms that bloomed under moonlight instead of sunlight - were some of the rarest plants in all of Pyrrhia. The tribe had spent decades cultivating samples to grow in this garden. His claws carefully reached for a vine of an old rosebush, tenderly rolling the delicate stem between the pads of fingers. The most extraordinary blue roses used to grow here - they practically shone under the moons. But the bush was now old and long dead. It crumbled into dust at his slightest touch. Much of the garden was now overgrown with weeds and nettles. All the hard work of his forefathers now destroyed. And there was Princess Anemeone, her phosphorescent scales alight in pattern to indicate happiness as she grew a plain shrub.

"Very good, young princess," he finally praised with a small smile. Then realising she hadn't said a word, asked: "Did you think that spell?"

"Yes!" she beamed proudly. "I find it to be much faster to cast a spell this way."

As did he. Two thousand years ago, a lot of his spells had been cast within the safety of his own mind so that no one could see his spells coming. "I thought so… I don't mean to sound too negative, but it kind of showed. The magic seemed a little… torn? As if your thoughts were pulling it in several directions. Why not whisper the spell as you think it in order to better practice focusing your thoughts. That'll force your mind to only think of the spell. We wouldn't want your magic to go awry because you lost concentration."

"Oh… I suppose not." She seemed a little downcast at the correction, but faked a bright grin of enthusiasm. It astounded Darkstalker to realise Anemone very often forgot he could read her mind. "I am sure I will master it quickly! I was able to have complete control of martial weapons with my magic in no time at all. Mother always liked to show that off to Queen Blister."

He held back a groan. It was getting very tedious to hear yet more stories of Anemone's glories and successes. She never stopped. "Did your mother often do that? Parade you in front of Blister like a performing monkey?"

His words struck her, taking the wind from beneath her wings and making her expression fall. "I… I mean, that is… I was to be their secret weapon. They took an avid interest in my prowess."

"Forgive me, Princess," and he meant it. As much as she irritated him, Darkstalker knew he needed to try to be patient with her. He needed her to trust him. "I meant no disrespect. I am sure your mother only had the best of intentions."

"I would hardly call it that." Her mind was filled with memories of a mother smothering her with attention, always so stifling, always so cautious; inducing feelings of claustrophobia and frustration. "When I wasn't flaunting my magic for her guests she had me harnessed to her side! What good intentions justify that?"

"Yes, I've seen these memories in your thoughts often. Your mother was very protective of you."

"I was her only heir. She was terrified I would somehow be assassinated like the rest of her daughters."

"Indeed… Your elder sister, Orca… now that is proof of how an animus can go bad. I must admit I admire her ability to keep her animus powers to herself for so many years, but it is clear she was unstable. To kill eggs in such a manner… that is a dreadful thing."

A flash of sorrow in her heart. Anemone could remember her mother's horror and how she mourned, how she would quietly weep in the night. "Mother was always beside herself when she found them dead. She would grieve for weeks."

"But what a relief it must be, to know that your sister, Tsunami, stopped this monstrosity. And now your mother has three daughters."

This time, Anemone tried to hide her thoughts, but he saw right through her evasion. She was unsure of how to feel. On the one talon she was overjoyed to have sisters. But a small part of her recognised that each of them were threats. Competition for the throne. And for her mother's affection. "Yes. It is such a relief."

The hum of distant thoughts alerted Darkstalker. He craned his long neck to look over the garden wall. Down in the diamond quarter far below the castle, he spotted Moon. His heart did a little flip, a smile instantly springing across his face. He'd last seen her at breakfast, but Anemone had rushed him out to start their lessons early before she would get too tired. Even from so far away, his mind connected with hers instantly like they were magnets. Being inside her mind was as familiar as his own. He could sense her emotions: she was happy, something was amusing her. On the other side of the Quarter were Anemone's SeaWing guards, inspecting an old statue. Were they doing something comical? Their thoughts were pretty mundane.

If he squinted hard enough, even with his IceWing inherited far-sight, he could just about make out Moon's mouth moving as if she were talking to someone. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pick it up in her thoughts. It was actually incredibly strange. Each of her emotions he could read perfectly. But the conversation she seemed to be having was not in her thoughts at all, like a blackboard wiped clean. What was going on? Was he too far away to pick up her thoughts? "Anemone? The guards you brought with you… I haven't had the chance to speak with them. Are they particularly friendly?"

"How would I know?" He heard her say. Her little footsteps came closer. A flap of her wings and she was scrabbling to look over the wall with him. There was an instant shift of mood in her mind once she noticed who exactly he was looking at. "Oh. Moon's been consorting with them for the past two nights. They probably have a lot in common; being non-magical and all."

He was moving before he realised, slithering up over the wall and launching himself into the air. Behind him came an indignant squeal, but he ignored it. He glided down, allowing the air to gather beneath his wings and cradle his body, letting him down gently and smoothly to the Diamond Quarter. When he was within earshot, he eagerly called out, "Moon!"

She startled slightly. But when she turned to see him her smile was as bright as a thrice moon night. "Oh, Darkstalker. How're the lessons going?"

"Fine, fine," he dismissed. He landed beside her, brushing her tail with his. "Are you well? We parted ways so quickly after breakfast-"

"That's because we had things to do!" said Anemone, annoyingly loud. She landed just behind him, but quickly jumped up to stand by his side. She practically threw her arms around his foreleg. It was very weird. "Darkstalker has been teaching me how to focus my mind when casting magic."

Moon's thoughts did not hold one ounce of Darkstalker's annoyance at the Princess' antics. As always, she fascinated him with her endless kindness, her determination to see the good in everyone. "Well, if he is a professor of any subject, then ways to apply the mind would be it. He helped me in that field quite well."

"High praise indeed…" he grinned. "What's it going to cost me?"

At the wiggle of his brows, Moon couldn't stop herself from laughing. Darkstalker chuckled too. Their easy banter made everything else in the world seem less… pressing. And then he felt Anemone's mind burning with a sour, throbbing heat like an angry wound. When she spoke, her voice was sweet but strained. "Shouldn't we be getting back to our lesson, Darkstalker? Time is always ticking."

Trying to smother her giggles, Moon gave Darkstalker a knowing look. "We know that truth better than most."

"Why don't you come with us, Moon?" He asked immediately.

She shook her head. "No, that's alright. Sunfish and Eel here already have reservations with me this evening." Her thoughts gently touched his, as she thought to him: And Anemone is getting impatient.

At that moment he didn't care what Anemone wanted. She was always getting her way. Why should he exclude his best friend for her comforts? And why should Moon be happy to be left behind? Surely she couldn't be content to stay with these boring, uninteresting SeaWing guards! Darkstalker had seen inside their minds and knew that they were probably some of the dullest dragons he'd ever met. Moon had tried to explain it to him, and he could feel it inside her now; that she liked their simplicity, their normality. It reminded her of her friends, of…

And that was when the answer came to him. You had another dream?

She was talking to Anemone, asking her questions and letting the princess prattle on so it wouldn't seem as if they were standing in complete silence. Darkstalker saw the fidget in her wings, and flashes of her nightmare came to her mind. Of her mother calling to her, waiting for her. The guilt and anguish was slowly eating Moon up.

I am sorry I have not been as attentive to you recently, Moon. I have neglected you and for that I am -

Don't apologise, Her eyes met his and he felt her mind wrap around him like a comforting embrace. You have a new pupil who needs your guidance as much as I once did.

But I still feel bad for leaving you on your own.

But you're never more than a thought away. We're never truly alone.

Moon said her goodbyes to Anemone, and the princess was more than happy to excuse them both. Darkstalker translated all the warmth in his chest so that Moon could feel it in her mind. He let her feel how proud he was of her, mixed his affection with the melody that was always present in his consciousness, and gave it to her. How blind I must be, to have only just noticed how wise you have become. As he said his goodbyes, he bent his head low to bump his nose against hers. She pressed their foreheads together and they lingered. He sighed. We will free your mother, Moon. I see it clearly in many possible futures. And when we do, you will finally be free of these nightmares.

Then I look forward to that future.

He pulled back, and Moon gave them a little wave as he followed Anemone back into the air. Warm summer winds were eager to collect him up and push his wings to send him soaring into the starry sky. Regret pulled on his gut, and it made him frustrated but unable to say why or how to stop it. He reached eagerly for magic, the instinct to call on that part of him that could make everything better. But as always, there was that wall that separated him from it, the chain that held back the deepest part of him.

"...so then I was thinking," came Anemone's voice, buzzing like a wasp in his ear. "With a little help from you of course - that I could cast a spell that might-"

"Indeed," he said quickly. He turned in the air to head east, towards the forest. "Now, if you will excuse me, Princess, I think I am quite famished. Our lessons are often so invigorating they have left me with quite the appetite."

"Oh! I'll come with you. I can magic us up some-"

"Not everything needs to be done with magic." He snapped. Anemone stopped short, her eyes wide. Forcing himself to breathe deeply, Darkstalker regretted the outburst and pushed his temper down. "I enjoy the hunt, is what I mean to say. Perhaps we can continue this tomorrow night? I think I will be gone awhile and by the time I return, you will likely be in bed. Goodnight, Princess."

The cold and dark of the tunnel raked its claws down Blister's hide, worming into her innards to whisper to her deepest instincts. The wrongness of this perversion of space and time was like a toxin that told her to flee this unnaturalness of this place. But she refused to submit, turning this anxiety into fury, her tail itching to stab into something, to make the threat die a thousand deaths. Each step convinced her this path was true, that she was justified, that she would have her answers. She would have satisfaction.

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, and she burst through to the other side and found herself in the midst of the NightWing village. The guards on the tunnel exit leapt into action immediately, brandishing their spears at her throat. But the two soldiers Blister had brought with her anticipated their strikes and blocked them with their Khopeshes. They hissed and beared their fangs and tails. Several civilians startled at the intrusion, shouts echoing out into the humid, dark rainforest. More NightWing soldiers seemed to appear out of the darkness, bringing their weapons to bear. Blister roared and spread her wings. She refused to accept this blatant disrespect. Apparently, one of the commanders finally recognised her, and called for his soldiers to halt.

"You!" Blister snapped at a young drake, her rage barely restrained. She wanted to kill one of them, make an example of those who would dare defy her. "Bring me your master! I demand to see Morrowseer!"

"I am here." Came his voice. The crowd parted with a soft frightened gasp, as the large male NightWing walked amongst them. A writhing, slithering sour feeling of jealousy wormed through Blister's innards. How could this male somehow command instant respect from his subjects, could have them cower into obedience from his mere presence whilst she had to fight and struggle for every peasant's bow. Morrowseer's yellow eyes were steady on hers. "What is the meaning of this, Blister?"

"I've waited long enough for your ridiculous plans," Blister growled, squaring her shoulders and commanding her posture, bringing herself to her full height - which was still a foot smaller than that of the NightWing. "I want the rebellion destroyed! A group of them - that insufferable winglet associated with your daughter - they attacked my fortress! They could have made an attempt on my life if they'd had the stomachs to try."

Morrowseer's brow twitched. There was some satisfaction to be had from making him have at least that small of a reaction. "The Jade Winglet was within your fortress and you let them escape?"

Her claws dug into the damp earth. That was the same tone her stupid mother had used whenever she would compare her three daughters. Burn had always been the favourite, and Blase had always had it easy. Blister knew Morrowseer and Oasis had had some history but she'd never thought he'd mirror her this way. How dare he chastise her as if she were an underperforming Dragonet? "Need I remind you that without me, you have no army."

"We have the NightWing army."

"Ha!" she spat. "This ragtag group? Barely recovered from starvation? I could send a single SandWing platoon through this village and destroy you all."

To demonstrate her point, one of her soldiers managed to pull his khopesh out of the stalemate with the NightWing's spear. With a wing he smacked the weapon from the black dragon's talons and seized him by the throat, where his plate-armour didn't protect him. The NightWing was slammed to the ground and the Khopesh easily sliced off the ear sticking out of the helmet. The NightWing roared and thrashed, but the bigger SandWing held him still. Other soldiers, outraged at this clear show of superiority, charged. But they halted, frozen, when the SandWing pressed the tip of his tail between the NightWing's shoulder blades. The NightWing stilled, aware that any move he made would result in paralysis and death should the barbed tail penetrate his spine. So he clutched at his bleeding ear, a noise between a whimper and a growl reverberating in his throat.

Blister smirked, pleased. "It would be child's play."

A glint like cold steel came over Morrowseer's eyes. Slowly he stalked closer to her, his voice dropping so deep it was rather felt than heard. "Blister, you forget yourself."

"No. I have remembered my worth," she hissed. "I am the Queen here, it is I who lead. Not my soldiers, not my advisors. This tribe seems to have forgotten that fact. How quickly they cast aside their own Queen, their own traditions, to settle for your crumbs. If all of them are nothing but fools, following after a pretender, then that is their doom to fall for." She could see the crowd murmuring, some offended, others looking to Morrowseer and resenting. And he could sense it too, though he didn't look at the crowd; Blister could see that glint in his eyes getting colder, harder. "You grab at power beyond your means, Morrowseer. It is time to remember what you are. A servant and nothing more."

When she was done, she waited for the snap, for his temper to finally be unleashed. Give her something to fight! Give her something to prove! But there was nothing but silence and an unblinking stare. Blister's grin faded slowly with each second that went unanswered, that cathartic feeling faded and her anger began to rebuild. Why wasn't he doing anything?! Did he take her for a fool?!

Slowly, he leaned in, until their noses were mere inches apart and she could see every fleck of yellow and amber in his golden eyes - with a tiny speck of green at the centre. "Are you finished?" His voice was low and quiet, yet there was an unsettling violence in those three short words. "For the sake of this alliance I am willing to overlook this disrespect. I am willing to overlook this childish tantrum because you brought me valuable information. You want the rebellion dead? I believe I know the means to make that happen. But what I will not allow is this crass behaviour on my territory."

Quick as a snake, his talon lashed out and grabbed hold of the SandWing soldier's tail barb. He wrenched his powerful forearm and there was a loud snap of cartilage and bone. The SandWing screamed and bucked away, but Morrowseer held firm on his tail. Three NightWings descended on the soldier from all angles, clutching at him and holding him down, though they caused no immediate harm. His comrade tried to disengage with his own opponent to help, but a dart abruptly appear in his neck, and he fell to the ground, limp and unconscious. All the while, Morrowseer did not look away from Blister.

He took a step closer to her, and Blister couldn't seem to stop herself from taking a half step back. Immediately she regretted it, for that steely look in Morrowseer's eyes disappeared, and was replaced with that look of boredom she so despised. "So for the sake of this mutual interest," he said, "you will shut your mouth and fall in line. We are on the verge of greatness. Do not allow your ego to ruin it."

He did not wait for a response. With a swoosh of black wings, he spun and left her standing there. The soldiers also disengaged from hers, leaving her with one unconscious and one maimed. Blister's claws were shaking, her pulse pounding in her ears. A dozen different emotions raged inside her. She wanted to roar, to kill, to flee, to just sit and let the rest of the world pass by. All she could focus on was her breath. Breath in and out. In and out. She could respect Morrowseer's game, she realised. But the hate was something that would not be denied. She hated him. And with that hate, came a vow; that yes, she would play as he liked. Yes, she would do what was required, and she would help him to achieve their mutual goal. But once that was done, once she knew where the final curtain would fall, she vowed to strike where it would hurt the most…

Morning on the western coast was a paradox. The constant breeze that came in from the west across the ocean felt crisp and cool, the waves calm and beckoning. The distant watery horizon blended with the faint hint of the night, creating this captivating pocket of dark colours. Yet to the east came the heat of the desert with the rising sun, a wall that tried to stifle and push upon all the world. Turtle knew which direction they needed to go in, but couldn't stop himself from looking longingly into the ocean. He imagined what lay beyond the farthest western horizon. Did the ocean carry on forever? Was there other life out there? Was there a place where all this world-ending war and magic was nothing more than a fractured piece of light on the waves?

But then Kinkajou brushed past him, her scales a dazzling rainbow that never failed to fascinate him as he tried to catch every colour she portrayed on her flesh. Her mere presence pulled him out of his musings, anchoring him back to the present, focusing him on what needed to be done. He might be able to live in the boundless depths of the western ocean, where no one could expect anything from him and there was no anxiety, no pressure, no crushing guilt to try and be helpful in some way and feeling terrible when he fell short. But Kinkajou couldn't live in that world. And a world without Kinkajou wasn't worth living in at all. So he smiled for her, and walked back towards the others. They'd decided to leave. Winter and Qibli had told Turtle and Kinkajou what Jerboa had confessed last night. So they had all decided that they needed to head south, to the Rainforest, to find Fathom's Sanctuary.

Turtle paused briefly as the weight of this realisation hit him. They were about to head across the war-torn countryside of Pyrrhia, and dive head-first into the lion's den. Kinkajou was confident she could get them past the NightWings, but it still felt like a huge undertaking. Yet more than that, his mind couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of finding Fathom's Sanctuary… He was going to find the last home of his ancient ancestor, one of the greatest SeaWing Animus dragons… It was surreal, to think he was so close to finding the truth, after so many months speculating and wondering. But before they could go, Kinkajou had made the point that they needed to check in with Peril. It had been some time since they'd last spoken with her, and should anything go wrong, she needed to know where they were headed.

All four of them sat on the beach, huddled around Turtle as he held his SeaShell. "Hey, Peril?"

"Whoa!" came her voice, startled and breathing heavily, like they'd just startled her from sleep. "What the-! But… Oh, hang on, is that you guys? Gosh, this is so weird to talk to the air."

"It's us, Peril," giggled Kinkajou. "Don't worry, you're not going any more crazy!"

"We've finally gotten a lead on how to find the Lost City," said Winter. "There's a cove on the rainforest's southern coast."

Turtle nodded, and then remembered Peril could only hear them, not see them. "It was the last place anyone ever saw Fathom. We're hoping he left clues there."

"Well…" she didn't sound nearly as impressed as Turtle might've thought she'd be. "That is something."

Qibli frowned. "How're you doing, Peril? Are the negotiations almost done?"

"No," That one word was said in probably the most miserable tone. "And thanks to me, everything seems to be ruined forever!"

The Jade Winglet all looked at one another, their expression a spectrum of confused and worried. Turtle adjusted his hold on the shell, careful of his claws. "Wait a minute, Peril. What happened? What's wrong?"

"It's Chameleon, or Soar, or whatever his stupid name is! He's here. He tried to talk to me, told me things about Ruby. She's just the worst! She doesn't want to trust me and now she's kicked me out. Clay's probably going to hate me forever, and it's all my fault!"

"Hey-hey-hey," said Qibli quickly, his dark eyes creased with concern. "Peril, calm down, it's okay. Clay could never hate you. I promise you, everything's going to be alright."

"How?"

"This was a setup," said Winter. "If Chameleon's there, telling you things, then Scarlet is there too. She told him to approach you, to isolate you. You can still come back from this, Peril. On your own, you could find Scarlet and bring her before Ruby. Without anyone spying on you, you could find out what she's really after."

"You're the mighty SkyWing champion, Peril!" cheered Kinkajou. "You can do this."

"Can't I just meet up with you?" asked Peril in a small voice. "I'm sure I'd be more help to you there."

Turtle winced. "Um, I don't think that'd be such a good idea."

"Yeah," the RainWing said. "No offence, Peril, but you shouldn't go anywhere near the rainforest. I want a home to go back to."

"Oh. Right."

Winter leaned forward and placed one talon under Turtle's, speaking directly into the shell. "You can do this, Peril. We believe in you. And once you bring Scarlet to justice, go to Jade Mountain, and we'll call for you when we can."

"We'll talk to you soon, Peril. Stay safe," said Turtle as he cut the connection and replaced the magical shell back into his satchel.

Qibli gave a mischievous smirk, and bumped his hip on Winter's. "Look at you, giving such good pep-talks. You big old softie."

If it had been any other dragon, Turtle would've sworn he saw Winter's cheeks blush blue. "Idon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout!"

The IceWing got up quickly and shook sand off his wings into Qibli's face, much to the SandWing's amusement. Kinkajou jumped up too and went with him to help pack. They'd all agreed they wanted speed and efficiency on their side, so they were taking as much provisions as they could. Stopping to rest was the only luxury they were affording themselves. Morrowseer's and Blister's spies could be anywhere, and the only way to try and avoid them was to move quickly. Food wasn't an obstacle, as they only needed to carry a single provision each, and each time they wanted to eat, Turtle only had to multiple the food with his Duplicating Bowl, and they could eat the older food whilst storing the new. Turtle still marvelled at how Qibli could come up with all these different and smart ways to use his magic. He thought them out so much clearer than Turtle ever could.

"Hey, Jerboa!" Kinkajou abruptly called out, drawing Turtle's focus as she bounded past him. Jerboa was indeed coming towards them from the direction of her hut. Her face was a little apprehensive. Kinkajou landed right in front of her talons, wings outstretched and smile wide. "Thank you for letting us stay and turning out not to be an evil animus dragon like your mother. You've been a great help!"

Jerboa blinked slowly as her mind tried to catch up with the smaller dragon's accelerated speech. "Sometimes I can't tell if she's a rainbow or a whirlwind."

"I'm a rainwind!" she cheered, and then froze, eyes wide. "Wait! That sounds like RainWing! I get it now!"

Winter groaned and gently nudged a now ecstatic Kinkajou aside. He held out a talon to Jerboa. "Despite everything… Thank you, Jerboa. We couldn't have done this without you."

"You know, when you warm up a little, IceWing, you're a halfway decent dragon." said Jerboa and she took his wrist in turn and they shook like old warriors.

Turtle noticed that Qibli hadn't stepped up to Jerboa yet. He watched her from afar, a frighteningly cold look in his eye - one that Turtle had never seen before. It perplexed the young SeaWing that Qibli seemed to have some aversion to the older Animus. Was it a SandWing thing? Had Jerboa done something to offend Qibli that Turtle was not aware of? It concerned him.

"Safe travels, Qibli," Jerboa called to him.

He paused in packing, barely turning his head towards her. "Goodluck in… wherever it is you end up."

The tension was making everyone uncomfortable. Turtle cleared his throat loudly and gingerly stepped up to Jerboa. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did yesterday."

She cocked her head. "But I didn't teach you anything."

"Maybe not literally. But you've been honest, and that counts for something. I… I wanted to give you a gift, if you'll let me?" He'd been thinking about this all night. Jerboa just seemed so lonely, and after what Winter had told him about last night, his heart ached with compassion. He knew what it was like to live isolated by a secret. Despite his reservations when it came to being in the spotlight, he knew no one deserved to live truly alone in the shadows. Retrieving the magical seashell from his bag, he put it into the Duplicating Bowl and made a second one. Jerboa flinched back at the magic and she watched him warily, her eyes wide. Turtle tried for a smile, but his nerves got the better of him. "I don't know about you, but I'd get kind of lonely all by myself. Speak anyone's name into this shell, and you'll be able to contact them. Wherever you go, if you want to talk at all or if you need us, just call out to us."

"I… I don't…" Jerboa gaped like a deer looking up at descending talons. Gently, Turtle reached out and gave her the shell. The dragoness stared at the shell, running her claws gently over the shiny surface. She looked back at Turtle, and something in her eyes seemed to break. "Maybe… there's something else you should know."

"What is it?"

"I don't know why and I don't know what it means," She avoided eye contact and her tail flickered with anxiety. "Perhaps I should've said something sooner. But… Turtle, you look so much like Fathom. When I found you, I thought you were him; another immortal, like Darkstalker and I."

There was a ringing in Turtle's ears. The sun was shining in his eyes and he couldn't focus on anything. Was his breathing really loud? It felt like the air was too thick. He heard someone else ask: "Are you sure?"

"Even after all these years, I would never forget his face. Not ever."

Turtle looked like Fathom? How was that even possible, what did that even mean? Almost as if in answer, his mind jumped to that day when Darkstalker burst from beneath Agate Mountain. His eyes had swept across all those assembled below him. When he'd spotted Winter, his silver-blue eyes had turned sharp and deadly like hanging icicles. Such undeniable hate radiated through them. And then, when those eyes had been turned on him, Turtle had felt the exact same thing. Though they had never met, Turtle knew with absolute certainty that Darkstalker hated him. It had frightened him enough to enchant the stick that made him invisible to all of Darkstalker's senses. And in the months since, he'd sometimes wondered why - why would Darkstalker hate him so absolutely and so quickly? Well, now he had his answer. It was because Turtle looked like Fathom, Darkstalker's once-friend-turned-enemy. The one whose spells had imprisoned Darkstalker the first time. And Turtle was now actively seeking to undermine him again.

Suddenly the introverted SeaWing felt as if all the stars and Moons had their eyes on him, and he wasn't sure exactly how to feel.

When the conversation in her ear ceased, Peril suddenly felt more lonely than she had beforehand. The voices of her friends only served as a reminder for her current isolation. She huddled further into her wings and repressed a shiver. She'd spent the night on the mountainside, only half sheltered by a fallen tree. Without her firescales, for the first time in her life, Peril felt cold. The morning dew clung to her scales, even if the summer sun would be quick to dry it off. The wind whipped against her back, and seemed to find every crack and crevice to get to her more vulnerable parts. Her toes hurt from being so cold. She would have lit a fire to warm herself, but didn't want the smoke to give her away for fear that Ruby's soldiers might be looking for her. How could other dragons stand this? All this chill did was make her more miserable.

Once again, she looked down at her wrist and tried to move it. Her flesh complained - all this struggle with the bracelet for days had rubbed her raw and bleeding. The wounds had scabbed over during the night, but Peril whimpered at the discomfort any little movement caused her. But what worried her more, was that the metal of the bracelet was looking worse for wear now. A good hit or two, and the metal might surely break apart. A tiny voice in her brain (that sounded a little too much like Turtle) argued that maybe that should be a good thing. After all, the bracelet was currently broken and she'd been stressing over turning her scales on for days. But a tight ball of fear in her gut screamed NO! If she broke the bracelet, then she'd never be able to be normal again. Turtle was so reluctant to make her this one in the first place, she had to treat this one as the only one she would ever have. She didn't want it gone - she wanted it fixed, because it fixed her!

For a moment, she turned her eyes towards the west. Where were her friends right now? She knew they were making their way south towards the rainforest - towards danger. What if she left to join them? Yes, they told her not to, because the stupid rainforest had too many trees. But it wasn't like she was of any good in the Sky Kingdom right now. No one wanted her here. Why was she even on this mission? Why had Clay thought she could make a difference here? Everything she tried just sowed further division, pushed the politics round in circles. They weren't getting anywhere and it was all because of her. At least with her friends she knew she was wanted, and maybe they could help her with the bracelet.

What do you want? Came Clay's voice inside her head. The immediate answer was Clay. She wanted to be loved by him, she wanted to be somewhere safe with him. She wanted to be able to spread her wings and fly wherever she pleased and not be hated by everyone and everything. They didn't have to love her or even like her, even if they just shrugged their shoulders and ignored her would be wonderful! She wanted to be no-one.

… And yet she remembered the roar of the arena. The baying of crowds who loved to watch her fight. That one moment where she could forget she was a monster and could believe that she was admired by the crowds. She was someone they wanted, someone they could look to and know that she could do something for them no one else could.

Those secret desires scared her. Was Scarlet right… was she a monster?

A slight scent tickled her nose, so faint as to almost be missed. But when all else Peril could smell was damp wood and dew-covered leaves, this smell was very distinct even when only a whisp. She squinted westward, trying to follow with her eyes where her nose pointed. There, just barely visible at the very furthest edge of the forest, was smoke lazily dissipating into the sky. As far as Peril could remember, that direction led to a rocky gorge at the western border of the Sky Kingdom, and there were no SkyWing patrols or barracks out there. So who would light a fire? A niggling voice at the back of her brain refused to let her turn away from such a mystery. Something didn't feel right. Rising and shaking her limbs to get her blood flow circulating, she took off and soared as quietly as possible westwards.

After careful consideration, Peril decided to fly as low as the treeline would allow. Enemies might spot her coming if she was too high up. The only problem was the sound of her wingbeats. Trying to gather as much speed as she could three quarters of the way there, she did her best to glide the rest of the way. Even then, something told her to be cautious. She ended up landing about a mile from her destination and walking the rest of the way. All the while she kept her eyes, ears and nose open for any sign of other dragons. When she came upon the gorge, she made her way down a steep but hidden path built into the rock face. It offered a little cover, and she hugged her body low to the ground to try and avoid detection. The hard surface of the gorge was bouncing voices to her from further in, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. When she was half way down, she found several large boulders to hide behind. The voices were getting clearer now, and she could smell the remains of what had been cooked on the fire that had drawn her here. Carefully she peeked around her boulder to peer below.

An entire encampment of SandWings was nestled at the bottom of the gorge. There were perhaps two dozen soldiers here, some sat around the remains of last night's camp fire, others sleeping in rows by the wall. There were a couple sat on high rocks around the gorge, acting as sentries. So Peril knew her instincts had been right. They were all burly and covered in scars. Their weapons lay close at hand, ready to grab at a moment's notice. Three of them had pieces of armour, marking them as higher ranking. It was obvious they belonged to Blister's army. They were too organised to be deserters and too well armed to be gang members or bandits. But what were they doing here? If Peril concentrated hard enough, she could just about make out what the loudest voices were saying.

"Give us a little bit of bear!" said one soldier.

"Get your own!" growled another. There were snarls and murmurs travelled amongst the company, itching to watch a fight.

"That's enough." called out a serious male voice. All other noise ceased. It was one of the SandWing's in armour - Peril guessed he was the Lieutenant. "Everybody eat their fill,"

"I'll drink to that!" someone cheered merily and others repeated.

The captain allowed the small laughter and then waved for them to be quiet. "And rest up. We move out as soon as we get the signal."

"Why don't we just go in now, Lieutenant?" asked another soldier, fanning his wings as if they were cramping.

"No. Our orders are to wait until our enemies are divided. Scarlet's pitting the monster-champion and Ruby against each other. Once they're distracted fighting amongst themselves, Scarlet'll send someone to fetch us."

"And that's when our fun begins," someone said darkly and laughed.

Peril ducked back behind her boulder quickly as she tried to piece everything together. So this was Scarlet's whole plan… All this time she'd been putting out feelers amongst Ruby's court, whispering of rebellion, getting Ruby's hackles up. Scarlet knew Ruby would dislike Peril coming to help, so worked her claws in further to tearing them apart. And whilst Ruby and Peril were too busy focusing on each other, Scarlet would move in with reinforcements from the SandWings, her supports in the palace letting her in by the front door. It was almost rudimentary in its scope, yet they'd all still fallen for it. And none more so than Peril herself, she realised with a sinking heart. This must mean that her father had played her, when he'd found her in the mountains, Scarlet had probably been spying on her and sent him to turn her against Ruby. Did that mean that everything he'd said was a lie? Peril shouldn't have been surprised, yet somehow that sting in her heart pricked tears in her eyes.

Anger coursed through her veins and she had to grind her teeth to stop herself from snarling out loud. Scarlet had tried to pull on her strings like a puppet. Her father had lied to her again, and Peril's own insecurities had almost been the key to her own downfall. How stupid could she have been?!

But wait… that little voice was back. Peril had discovered Scarlet's scheme before it could hatch. If she stopped this company of soldiers, Scarlet would have no backup to help her in her coup. But how could she deal with two dozen SandWing soldiers? Could she return to the palace? No. Likely, Ruby would have her arrested on sight and not believe a word she said. If she had her firescales, maybe she could cremate a soldier or two to scare the others. But, again, no. Clay wouldn't like that.

And then she spotted something sticking out between two rocks across from her. It was a small dragonflame cactus. Not big enough for a great explosion like the one back in Jade Mountain… but still plenty big enough to pack a punch. And the Turtle voice in her head reminded her just how scary she could be sometimes. Peril grinned. Scary indeed!

Daringly, she eyed the boulder nest to her, giving it a cautious shove. It was a little loose. With the right amount of force, she reckoned she could free it and send it tumbling down. She eyed the campsite. They were still all sat finishing their breakfast rations, not too alert yet. There wasn't much time. Reaching over with her tail, Peril swiped at the cactus stalk to loosen the dangerous seedpod. One of the prickles stung her and she bit her tongue to stop any noise escaping her. Carefully, she plucked up the fallen cactus between two claws.

"Three Moons, save me," Peril whispered, and then leaned around the boulder and threw the cactus down into the camp and watched it fall perfectly into the fire pit.

"What was-?"

The explosion was loud and filled the entire gorge with black smoke. Screamed erupted all across the camp. Peril immediately rammed her shoulder into the boulder and pushed with all her might! She dug her claws and wings into the ground and strained for all she was worth. Yells of distress and confusion came up from the camp, there was little time left! Rocking back and forth, Peril could feel the boulder start to shift loose with the momentum. Finally, with one great shove, she pushed the boulder from its home and sent it tumbling over the edge!

Someone shouted an alarm. There was a crash as the boulder hit something. Peril flew over the edge and into the gorge, roaring and spouting fire, making as much noise as she could. A soldier, hearing Peril's rukus and thinking there was more than one SkyWing, shouted in panic to retreat, his commanders trying in vain to get him back. Her wings battered aside the black smoke, revealing her handiwork. The camp was demolished and in complete disarray. Her boulder had split in two, and one half of it had pinned down the lieutenant of this platoon, having landed on the corner or one wing and the end of his venomous tail. He was struggling to free himself, but his pain was great. Peril tried to swallow back her guilt.

Someone spotted her and shouted - "It's the arena champion!"

One of the commanders saw her headed for his trapped superior and tried to get ahead of her. "Lieutenant!"

Peril landed on the boulder, jolting it enough that it exacerbated the lieutenant's injuries further without freeing him. She threw out her hand, holding it just above the lieutenant's shoulder. The soldier, and a few others around her, stopped where they stood. There was fear in their wide eyes. Peril knew that look, it was a look she herself felt whenever Clay was put in danger. These soldiers liked their commander, and they didn't want any harm to come to him. Good.

She turned her head to eye the lieutenant. "I hear you lot are not where you're supposed to be."

"How did the monster know where we are?!" someone hissed.

"Did Scarlet set us up?" asked another.

"Scarlet is done for. You are all going to listen to me."

"There's more of us," growled a female commander, "we can take her!"

Peril felt her heart skip with fear. They were right. In her state, with no firescales, these soldiers could easily rip her to shreds. So she just had to keep up the act convincingly enough. She snapped her teeth and flared her wings wide. "You can try! Many dragons have tried to kill me. Arrows burn up before they pierce my scales. Swords melt at my touch. Your tail barbs would burn to ash before the venom could get me. So…uh," she hopped off the boulder and stepped around the lieutenant, holding her talon out closer towards his face. He cringed away from her as far as he could. Peril met the eyes of the dragoness she presumed was the second-in-command. "So can you kill me before I turn your lieutenant to dust?"

For a moment, Peril contemplated how, in a previous life, she would've killed everyone here without questioning it. It was what her queen would've wanted. It was the easiest option. And she realised that she didn't want things to be easier. Moon would say that each of these dragons had families and dreams and wishes. Winter would say they were only following orders. Turtle would show her how frightened they were. She didn't want to kill them, didn't want anyone else to look at her in the way that these soldiers looked at her now. As if she were a monster that couldn't be reasoned with. In this life she had now, she could imagine herself in their talons, watching as someone threatened Clay, or her friends. She didn't want to hurt these dragons, and prayed that this would all end smoothly.

The second in command looked to her lieutenant, and then to her other soldiers. They all seemed to share this one look, and then, slowly, they all laid down their weapons upon the ground.

Peril tried to not show her sigh of relief. "Right. Now all of you disband and go back to the desert. I don't want to see your faces in my Kingdom ever again."

"You're kingdom?" the dragoness snorted.

"I'm a SkyWing, aren't I?" Peril shot back. ANd she meant it. No matter what Ruby thought of her, no matter how much she was hated, this was still her ancestral home. And she wouldn't allow it to be handed over to anyone else.

"If we go, what'll you do with our lieutenant? Burn him alive?!" demanded another soldier.

"No. If you leave now, I will wait half an hour to be sure you've gone far enough and then I'll let him go. And don't even think about returning - that explosion will summon every SkyWing soldier within thirty miles."

The second in command narrowed her eyes. "How do we know you'll hold up your end of the bargain?"

"I'm not Scarlet's creature anymore."

From where he lay, panting and in pain on the ground, the lieutenant was watching Peril with his cold black eyes. There was something contemplative about his look, but before Peril could decipher it he twisted his head to meet the eye of his soldiers. "Go. Head back to the Oasis Camp. I'll join you soon."

"But lieutenant-!"

"That's an order."

There was a pause, the second in command's expression pained. There was some silent exchange between the two. And then, the second sighed and hung her head. She nodded to the others and they all swiftly gathered their weapons and took to the air. The last to leave was the second, who offered one last backward glance before she flew after her soldiers.

Peril waited several minutes, until she could no longer hear any of their wingbeats. It took everything within her not to collapse with relief. She was so glad they'd listened. No one had needed to die - including her! She had been right about the noise of the explosion drawing in SkyWing soldiers. So now it was a race against time. Peril could only hope she could fulfil her promise before they showed up and claimed her prisoner for their own.

The silence was awkward, with the lieutenant just staring at her and trying his best to cover his whimpers of pain. Peril cleared her throat. "So… I'm guessing you don't get out of the desert much?"

"No." was his grating reply.

Peril waited for him to say something else, but when it was clear all he wanted to do was glower like an angry badger, she gave up. "Good chat."

She waited for a several more minutes. Something glimmered out of the corner of her eye. She bent to pick it up. It was a piece of the lieutenant's breastplate, bearing the crest of Blister's forces - a Dragonbite viper, in commemoration of how Blister had dealt with her elder sister. It was as good of evidence as anything else she would find. Holding it in her fist, she came back to the boulder. Half an hour had gone by, more or less, right? No need to keep this poor fellow in pain. Squaring her shoulders, she mustered her strength and pushed the boulder until it rolled away. The lieutenant roared with pain, and Peril cringed. The very corner of his wing and the barb of his tail was crushed. He would have difficulty flying. She tried to assuage her guilt with the fact that he was alive, and would still be able to live out a healthy life if he got himself some healing as soon as he reached his Oasis Camp.

It took the lieutenant a few minutes to get control over his pain, and slowly stand on shaking legs. He eyed Peril warily, as if he didn't know what to make of her. "You upheld your end of the bargain…"

Peril frowned, unsure what to make of that. "Would you rather I didn't?"

He didn't answer, just eyed her peculiarly. His eyes caught her bracelet, and then the piece of armour she held in her hand. Something of understanding passed in his gaze, and Peril was frightened for a moment that he'd discovered her secret. But then, unexpectedly, he nodded to her respectfully. Peril blinked, surprised. She bowed her head back. And then the lieutenant limped away and jumped into the air. He struggled, his agony obvious. But then he seemed to gather control of the air currents and push himself upwards and onwards and flew out of sight.