Chapter 17

While Flint was walking out of the cavern and figuring out what she would do next, Queen Obsidian had stopped her to give her something else.

"Take this key," she said. "It will help you rescue your parents."

"Oh wow… thanks," Flint said.

Flint now was sneaking her way back to the cells to rescue her parents when she bumped into something that was in the shadows. Flint felt around and felt the sharp spikes that definitely came from a Spikewing she knew.

"Vala!" Flint said.

Vala woke up and was surprised to see Flint behind her.

"Flint?" Vala asked. "What are you doing here, how did you get out?"

"Long story but I need to go and rescue my parents right now."

"Ok, let's go," Vala said and both of them went down the tunnels to the cell where Flint's parents were being held. When they got to the cell and Flint looked inside, her scales lit up in happiness to see that her parents were still alive.

"Mom, dad!" Flint whispered while Vala used the key to unlock the cell and then the chains around her parents.

"Huh, Flint?" Marble said.

"You escaped?" Diamond asked followed by a scream when they both saw Vala in front of them.

"Shh, calm down," Flint said. "This is my friend Vala, the Spikewing I told you about."

"Oh, right," Diamond said. "Hello Vala, thanks for looking out for our daughter."

"You're welcome," Vala said. "Now everyone lets go! We won't be safe until we get out of the Cavewing territory."

"But where are we supposed to go?" Marble asked. "Me and my wife have only ever lived in the Cavewing territory. We don't know how to survive anywhere else."

Dang it, Flint thought. I didn't think about where my parents would go after I saved them. They can't stay here because they would be captured and killed again but they also don't know how to survive out in the caves by themselves. It was a struggle for me at first and would be an even more difficult challenge for them.

"I have an idea of where they would go," Vala said.

Flint turned to look at Vala.

"Really, where?" Flint asked.

"They could both join the Tuff Resistance. This way they will be taught how to survive out in the caves and also will have a place of refuge for themselves."

"Those are very good points," Flint said. "What do you think of it?"

Diamond and Marble whispered amongst themselves for a bit before answering. Finally Diamond turned to Flint and Vala and said, "Sure, bring us there."

Flint and Vala then started to go out of the Cavewing territory, the way they came in. They both were watching out for any Cavewings to make sure they wouldn't bump into any unexpectedly.

"You know Flint," Vala said. "We're going to have to tell them about the Webwings in the group."

"Yeah I know," Flint said. "Let's just focus on getting out of here first and then we will figure out how to break it to them."

Flint and Vala continued down the tunnels and Flint saw the side entrance that they entered initially come into view. But also what came into view was ten Cavewings guards with Granite standing in front of them.

"Great," Flint said and brought everyone behind a boulder so that they can look out on the situation.

"What do we do now?" Marble asked.

"Could your Spikewing friend take them all out for us?" Diamond asked.

Vala turned around and gave Flint's parents a baffled look.

"Do you think I can take eleven dragons by myself?"

"Well from what I heard from your tribe your spikes can kill dragons in an instant."

"Wait, can they do that?" Flint asked Vala.

"Well, they are very deadly," Vala said. "They can poison dragons and kill them if they don't get the antidote in time."

"What's the antidote?" Marble asked.

"Well our spikes can do a variety of things," Vala said. "One of those being the antidote for the poison in case we were to accidentally poison something we didn't want to."

"Ok, so can you use your poison on the dragons in front of us?" Diamond asked.

"Well… I guess… I could," Vala said. "If… you need… me to… do it." Flint saw Vala shrinking away with the pressure from the question.

"Are you okay Vala?" Flint asked.

"I just don't want to be thought of as a dragon who does killing for other dragons."

Flint comforted Vala with her wings. "Don't worry, you don't have to do any killing if you don't want to."

"Then how are we to get past all of them?" Diamond asked.

"Hmmm," Flint thought. How are we going to get past all of them? Our only main weapon we have is Vala's spikes but she doesn't want to kill them. But, Wait! Maybe she doesn't have to.

"Ok, everyone gather around I have an idea that might be just crazy enough to work." Everyone gathered around Flint as she explained her plan on how to get past the guards.

"That's crazy," Marble said. "Are you sure that's going to work?"

"Let's hope," Flint said. "Vala, it's time for some hide and seek."

Vala disappeared into the shadows and Flint walked out from behind the boulder and in front of the Cavewing guards and Granite.

"Ah, Granite, nice seeing you here. How have you been?"

"Get her," Granite said and five Cavewing guards started chasing after Flint. Flint took off down the tunnel behind her with them hot on her tail.

Ok, now time to thin out the numbers.

Flint took multiple fast sharp turns and lost a couple of them but still had two on her. She continued to run down the tunnels and heard screams and thumps as the dragon's bodies hit the floor.

Let's hope she can be quick with it, Flint thought as her tunnel ended and a wall appeared in front of her. She turned around and faced her attackers, ready to take them on at the same time when, right on time, Vala appeared from the shadows and stabbed one of them in the neck, knocking them unconscious with her spikes. The other Cavewing guard got stunned seeing Vala next to him and Flint took the opportunity to barrel him right into the wall and knock him out.

"Good job," Flint said.

"You too," Vala said. "Now come on, more than five chased you down and I was able to knock them out as well. There are only three guards and Granite at the exit now."

"Ok, that should be an even fight now," Flint said and she and Vala ran back to where her parents were. When they got there, Flint saw Diamond and Marble already fighting the three guards and Granite.

"Great, I told them to stay put and wait!" Flint said.

"There your parents," Vala said. "They would do anything to protect you." And then under her breath Flint thought she heard Vala say "Lucky."

"Let's go help them!" Flint said, ignoring what she thought she heard Vala say for right now, she would talk to her later about it. Flint rushed into the fray, slicing at one Cavewing and smacking another into the wall. Flint turned around and dodged out of the way of a third Cavewing's attack and landed in front of Granite.

"Hello Granite, long time no see," Flint taunted.

"I will kill you if it is the last thing I do!" Granite yelled and lunged at Flint. Flint rolled out of the way and nicked Granite's wings with her claws.

"Oh, you're going to regret that!" Granite said and smacked Flint with her tail, sending her into a boulder and cracking it into two.

OWWWW that really hurt. Flint started to get up and saw Granite charging at her. She tried to get out of the way but didn't fast enough as Granite sliced her belly. Flint screamed in pain as Granite picked her up and threw her across the room.

"I… don't remember you… as a fighter," Flint choked out, her belly badly bleeding.

"I wasn't at first but over the years I have trained in the Cavewing army and have risen to the top of its ranks for dragonets," Granite said. "You have had no training because of your cowardly retreat when you left years ago. A true Cavewing would have fought to the death and you aren't one of them." Granite then sliced Flint's neck, making it bleed and started choking her out.

I… can't… breathe. She desperately tried kicking Granite off of her but she was so strong and Flint's wounds were making it painful to move her body. Flint looked around and saw that Diamond and Marble both were being backed into a corner, with visible wounds on them and Flint also saw Vala get thrown into a wall and her attacker holding her down.

COME ON FLINT! GET… UP!

Flint looked around for something and then looked above Granite and saw sunlight peeking through the ceiling at a stalactite formation that looked loose. An idea then popped into Flint's head as she remembered what Prancer had said about what happened with a construction group of Webwings when he was little.

Well here goes nothing, Flint thought and shinned her scales as bright as she could and it made the whole entire cave get engulfed in light for a second, blinding everyone there. Flint took the moment of confusion to kick Granite off of her and smack the side of the wall with her tail, sending vibrations up to the stalactite. At the same time Granite got up and looked Flint right in the eyes.

"Just give up, you will never beat me," Granite said.

"Maybe, but these sure will," Flint said and gave the wall one more smack, sending the stalactites crashing to the ground and pinning Granite in place. Flint saw Granite try to get out but one stabbed her right through the tail and the rest buried her. Flint looked around and saw that her parents and Vala were able to get rid of the Cavewings attacking them and Vala went and knocked them unconscious with her spikes. Vala then ran up to Flint.

"Flint, are you okay?" Vala asked with concern in her voice. Flint then realized Vala was talking about Flint's cuts around her body.

"I'll… be fine," Flint said and walked up to Granite whose body was trapped under the stalactites that broke from the ceiling, leaving a hole in it to the surface.

"So Granite, did this go as you planned?" Flint asked.

"I'll… kill… you!" Granite choked out. "Just… you… wait!"

"Listen, I don't want to take the position of being queen," Flint said. "I am not going to be a threat to her at all, just leave me and my friends alone and we will leave you alone."

"Ne…NEVER!" Granite said.

"Well I tried," Flint said and smacked Granite unconscious with her tail. Flint started walking away but saw something hanging around Granite's neck. She looked closer and saw that it was a necklace with a skyfire rock attached to it.

Where did she get one of these? I thought Obsidian said there were only two that she found, maybe Granite found one herself. But does she know what they do or just has it on for decoration? Either way, there is no way I am allowing her to have to.

Flint grabbed the necklace and gently pulled it off of Granite's neck. She looked down at the necklace in her claws and at the necklace she was wearing right now.

I know what I am going to do with this, she thought and put it in the pouch that Queen Obsidian gave to her. She tied it to her ankle and started walking back to Vala and her parents. She was almost to them when she felt her legs give out and she fell to the ground.

"Flint!" Vala screamed. "Are you okay?"

Flint tried to open her mouth or move her body but she couldn't.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Diamond said. "We have to get her some medical treatment now."

"But where are we going to go?" Marble asked. "We have no medical area that we can go to safely."

"I may have an idea, listen up," Vala said.

Flint was trying to listen but she felt her eyes start to close and the world around her was going dark.

"You hear us Flint? Hang in there! Flint, hang in there!"

And that was the last thing Flint heard before her eyes closed and the whole world around her went dark.