The Neck of Pyrrhia had long belonged to the SandWings, gained in one of the innumerable wars against the Ice Kingdom centuries ago, even though it was almost uninhabitable to any SandWing. The land was cold and brittle, and little grew in it, whether in the flatlands of the east, or the forested hills in the west. It snowed often, though the amount seen in the northerly parts of the Ice Kingdom was rarely seen. There were a few SandWing outposts in the area, but few SandWings could stand the cold. It reminded Torrent somewhat of the northerly Sky Kingdom. Even though it was at a much lower altitude, the temperatures were similar. He recalled the winter spent there. If it weren't for the company of Crystal, Griffin, Schist, and Kite, it would have been almost unbearable. Yet their company had made it feel almost warm.
Nightreader recalled some of the more contemporary history of the Neck as the three flew over it, paying little heed to her surroundings due to the slim chance of a SandWing or IceWing seeing them from the sparse tundra. Though it belonged to the Sand Kingdom, IceWing mining had encroached on the northern border of the Neck in the years before the war. Tensions had escalated, and for a time war seemed almost inevitable, but Queen Oasis' death had changed that. As soon as Blister allied with the SeaWings and MudWings, Queen Glacier sent out a diplomat to Princess Blaze, offering her army and allyship in exchange for the Neck. Given how useless the terrain was, Blaze easily accepted, and the mining operations intensified within days, an IceWing named Boreal in control of the operation, using force to remove the SandWings inhabiting the land.
Though it was in a peace at the moment, parts of the Neck had been the site of major battles between Burn and Blaze's forces, the most infamous being the Battle of Devil's Eye, when Princess Blackice ordered all SandWing forces killed indiscriminately, friend and foe alike, then murdered Blaze's General Vicuña with her own poison. While Nightreader was too young to have been involved herself, Morrowseer considered it one of the greatest successes of Quickstrike and the NightWings in the war, removing one of Blaze's greatest assets. Nightreader felt it was shameful, just pointless death. Yet, Morrowseer, and many of the other NightWings, were willing to do anything it took as long as it meant escaping that horrid island. Nightreader didn't blame them. Even if some privately disagreed with his methods, all NightWings understood Morrowseer's motives well.
Nightreader turned her head to the side, wind pushing against her scales. Clarity was flying stiffly behind her, completely silent. Nightreader missed a beat of her wings intentionally, and allowed herself to fall backwards towards the IceWing. Clarity looked away, pretending that she hadn't noticed Nightreader.
"So, you're part of the Talons of Peace?" Nightreader opened, trying to be friendly.
"I help run it with three other dragons," Clarity muttered, not particularly in a mood for conversing.
An quick silence ensued between them, as Clarity didn't leave open any room for Nightreader to respond. Nightreader thought for a moment. "Are you accepting recruits right now?" she asked. She wasn't quite sure that she wanted to join the group, but it might be good to have the opportunity in the future.
"We're always accepting recruits," Clarity snapped back, "but not you."
Nightreader gave Clarity a glare, baring her teeth slightly. "I thought the Talons of Peace were accepting of all dragons," she hissed.
Clarity turned to her in confusion, then felt a sudden twinge of shame. "Three moons," she muttered, embarrassed, "that's not what I meant." Nightreader continued frowning, looking for further explanation.
"The Night Kingdom is already working with us," Clarity sighed, "but you mentioned you abandoned your queen. It would make things tricky if the Night Kingdom found out that we accepted a NightWing they're not on good terms with and didn't tell them. It could pose troubles for our alliance."
Nightreader understood that. Morrowseer wouldn't be happy with the Talons if he found out they were hiding her. "What about Trustbreaker?" she asked.
Clarity tensed up. "Who told you about Trustbreaker?" she demanded worriedly.
"Griffin did," Nightreader sighed. "You mentioned him a few times too. He's a NightWing, isn't he?"
Clarity squirmed uncomfortably. "Trustbreaker is different," she answered cautiously. "He's been with us since the beginning, and he's never been a part of the Night Kingdom. Morrowseer wouldn't be interested in him."
Nightreader doubted that. If anything, that would make Morrowseer even more interested. "We keep very close track of NightWing eggs," she pressed, "and as far as I know, none have been stolen or gone missing. I haven't heard of any deserters either." That wasn't exactly true—there was a NightWing who had escaped to what was now Possibility before Nightreader was born for a few months, but he'd been eventually captured with the help of the Obsidian Mirror and sent back to the Night Kingdom for punishment. "Nor do I know of any NightWings named Trustbreaker. Who is he?"
"None of your business," Clarity growled. "If you ever meet him, you can ask him yourself."
Nightreader twitched her tail, but sensed that she wouldn't get anything more out of Clarity. She'd just have to meet with this Trustbreaker herself one day, whoever he was.
The three continued their flight for a few more days, each of the three moons getting brighter each night. It wasn't long before they'd all be full, shining over Pyrrhia for the brightest night in a hundred years. On the final night, as the three full moons started to rise over Pyrrhia in all their glory, illuminating the ground almost as much as the sun would, Nightreader, Clarity, and Torrent arrived at their destination, deep within the hills of the Neck of Pyrrhia.
The sky was calm during their approach, as if the weather had stalled just for them. Clarity led the group, bringing the three down into a wide crevasse within the hills. Flakes of snow gently fell around them, resting on Nightreader's scales before quickly melting.
As the three touched down within the soft snow, leaving deep clawprints within it, Torrent touched his claws to the dagger at his side, wrapping his webbing around it. Nightreader saw his muscles tense up. She looked around. They were the only dragons in sight. "What's wrong?" she asked, unsure what the threat is.
"Everything," Torrent grumbled, "this whole place feels wrong, like you ate rotten tuna, or someone stuck sand between all your scales. Can you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The buzzing." Torrent growled and bared his sharp, shark-like teeth. "It's like there's a bunch of voices talking around me, but so quiet I can't make any of them out. It's irritating." As if to demonstrate this, Torrent swatted at his ear with a claw, bringing the blade of his dagger dangerously close to it. "I hate it."
Nightreader squinted her eyes closed, trying to listen. Nothing. Maybe SeaWings heard different ranges of sounds? They did live underwater after all. She shrugged her wings.
"Follow!" Clarity yelled backwards. "I want to reach Fracture before the night is over!"
Nightreader looked upwards, into the sky. Even with the light dusting of snowflakes, it was mostly clear. The three full moons lit up the white field of ice and snow within the crevasse. She trudged forward as Clarity walked further along the crevasse, attempting to keep up with the IceWing, who had no difficulty walking through the snow. Moving her claws out just to plunge them back into the snow seemed to only make the NightWing colder.
Torrent followed along with them, his webbed talons keeping him above the top of the snow's surface. After what felt like an hour of walking, the three finally saw something ahead of them, illuminated by the moons' vivid light. A tall rectangular building stuck out of the snow, its sides covered in ice, and two great doors in front. Between the building and the dragons, seven huge pillars stood in a semi-circle around the doors, a figure of a dragon resting on each of them. Torrent put a talon to the amethyst on his dagger. Warm. "It's enchanted," he growled, moving past Nightreader and Clarity to get closer to the structure.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the snow, as if arriving from nowhere. An IceWing stepped out from the interior of the semi-circle of pillars out towards Torrent, causing the SeaWing the stop in his tracks. The intense moonlight caused a light green glow to almost radiate from the IceWing's scales, and a leather eyepatch was wrapped over his left eye. He smiled warmly. "I would stay away from that," he suggested to Torrent. "It's quite old, and it may collapse if you get too near. The few enchantments on it are the only things causing it to stay up."
Torrent poked his head over the IceWing's neck, towards the building. Intricate designs were carved on the two doors, beneath the layer of ice. "What is it?" he asked demandingly.
The IceWing in front of Torrent smiled, carefully positioning himself between Torrent and the building. "It's the mausoleum of the second IceWing queen, Queen Frost. It's where she's buried. Quite a beautiful piece of history; it would be a shame if it was hurt somehow."
"I'm not planning to hurt it," Torrent frowned, even though that was what he had just been planning to do. "The doors are fused shut."
"That's because they're not meant to be opened," the IceWing explained. "I doubt the honorable Queen Frost wanted anyone to disturb her remains."
Torrent turned to the IceWing, looking at him in his eye. The IceWing sounded like he knew more than he was letting on. Torrent held his gaze steady. The buzzing noise was still there, and the SeaWing slapped a claw up to his ear.
"I take it you're Torrent?" the IceWing asked. "I'm Fracture, and I've heard quite a lot about you."
Torrent took a step back, embarrassed that he'd been so rude to the dragon he'd come to ask for help.
"Fracture!" Clarity called out, walking towards her mate across the snow, Nightreader trudging behind her. "Stop scaring him!" she scolded.
"I'm not scared," Torrent growled. Still, he wasn't even quite certain of that. This place was freaky. It sent jitters down his scales, and he could sense something was off here, more than just the animus magic. Was Fracture an animus himself? It would explain him having powers, whatever those were, and he appeared to know more about this place than he had let on. His white scales were slightly green-tinted, maybe that had something to do with the green diamonds? Doubtful, green tints were uncommon in IceWings, but by no means were they rare.
Fracture spread his wings out as Clarity leapt towards him across the snow, bringing her into an embrace. She dragged the dull edge of a sharp claw along the back of Fracture's neck, brushing aside his spines.
"It's been a while," Fracture sighed, folding the spikes on the end of his tail in between her own.
Clarity nodded. "I've been busy," she apologized. "But I made it here for tonight, at least." She rested her horns on his, then glanced upwards to the light-filled sky. "The first brightest night in a century. I'm fortunate to have been alive for it."
"More fortunate than you can imagine," Fracture grinned, invoking a lighthearted snort of scorn from Clarity. "It's as beautiful as always."
Nightreader let out a short cough, sending out a puff of grey smoke with it, drawing the two IceWings' attention.
Clarity gave her a glare, irritated to have her reunion with her mate interrupted so soon, but knowing that they had business they needed to attend to, she drew back from Fracture's embrace. "We have guests," she explained, "we can catch up later."
Fracture nodded, and turned to the two dragons who had come to see him, a light dusting of snow settling on their scales. Torrent shook his body, causing it to come off in a flurry.
"I'm Nightreader," Nightreader introduced herself. "You're the leader of the Talons of Peace?"
Fracture tossed his wings back and forth in a shrug, dragging them through the snow. "I brought all five of us together after the war started. The other four, including Clarity, run most of the day-to-day operations. I'm just a glorified messenger."
Clarity smiled. "It's three of us now, remember? Nautilus died."
Fracture thought for a moment, as if a bit unsure of this, then nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, you're right, he did."
"He's being humble," Clarity continued. "He does a lot more than just messenger work. He formulated many of the our plans, and the whole Dragonet of Destiny thing was his idea."
Fracture shook his head. "No, that was Nautilus after he died."
After he died? Nightreader wondered in confusion. Can Fracture talk to ghosts or something like that? She was skeptical. Most NightWings underwent training so they could make themselves seem like they had powers such as mind-reading and prophecy. It seemed likely that this 'Fracture' was doing something similar. "Torrent told me you were a seer or something," Nightreader explained. "We came here because my brother and Torrent's friend Griffin went missing, and Torrent thinks you can find them." She let across a slight tone of cynicism in her voice, doubtful that Fracture could actually do this.
Fracture frowned, and thought for a moment. As a snowflake fell on the tip of his snout, his eye lit up in a flash of realization. "Stonemover and Griffin are on a lava-covered island northeast of Pyrrhia."
"Lava-covered island?" Nightreader stammered. "You mean they're in the Night Kingdom?" She tensed up, and winced. She shouldn't have said that, not in front of two IceWings. Nightreader thought for a moment. She hadn't mentioned Stonemover's name, had she? And it sounded like Fracture knew of the Night Kingdom already. Maybe Fracture actually had some sort of supernatural abilities. Or, this 'Trustbreaker' had just given away NightWing secrets to him.
"The Night Kingdom?" Torrent asked with a frown. "You mean it's a volcanic island?" Nightreader resisted baring her teeth. A SeaWing knowing about the Night Kingdom could be even worse than an IceWing, considering how easy it would be for them to stage an attack. Still, Nightreader thought Torrent seemed unlikely to fly across the world to his mother just to tell her that.
"Yes," Nightreader admitted. "We live on a practically barren island. I told you how horrible it was, didn't I? That's why."
Fracture shook his head, invoking a frown from Nightreader. "No, they're on a different island," he explained. "Part of the same chain, and not too far from the Night Kingdom, at least relatively, but this one is a lot smaller. At least from what I've heard. I've never been there myself."
Heard from who? Nightreader was about to ask, but Torrent spoke first.
"I had been told there weren't any islands outside of Pyrrhia," he commented. "That's why SeaWings tend to stay in the Bay."
Fracture smiled. "There's much you've been told that's wrong," he answered, invoking an eye-roll from Clarity.
"He means that there's much more beyond Pyrrhia than what you're taught," Clarity explained. "There's plenty of island chains to the north."
"The Lost Continent too?" Torrent asked, recalling the numerous conflicting legends.
Clarity nodded. "It's real. Pretty far west."
"Don't go there," Fracture quickly warned. "It's full of lies and plants."
Nightreader tapped a claw in the snow for a moment. "They're right," she explained hesitantly. If these IceWings already knew about the NightWing island and places beyond it, it wasn't like it would hurt to be open, at least with Torrent. "I remember reading a transcript of a scroll diary in the Night Kingdom's libraries about how the NightWings traveled across the northern sea after the Darkstalker rose to power, in order to escape him and find a new home. Most of them were too small, cold, barren, or had something else wrong with them. Eventually, they found the island they were on now, and decided to settle there." She remembered how she'd read the description of the NightWing island as a dragonet. It had been described as a paradise, with rainforests filled with clean water and bounties of food. The description of it in the scroll to the stark reality of how it was two thousand years later had given her dreams and nightmares for months.
Torrent nodded slowly. "Where is the island they're on? The northern sea is big." In truth, Torrent didn't know how large it was.
"No clue," Fracture answered. "As I said, I've never been there."
Torrent groaned. "So we have no way to find it?"
Nightreader looked down uncomfortably at the snow. "I think I know how we can find it," she muttered unhappily. "I mentioned earlier that our queen had a way to spy on us. The Obsidian Mirror. I know how to use it. If I could get to it, I might be able to find Stonemover and Griffin with it. And if that fails, the scroll I mentioned had relatively detailed information about how far and in which direction the NightWings flew in their search for a new home. I remember having to skim over it all when I was a dragonet."
Torrent flicked his tongue out, a little worried. "You'd have to go back to the Night Kingdom," he warned. "You deserted your queen. You could be imprisoned for it. Or worse."
"I know," Nightreader seethed. The last thing she'd wanted to do was return to the volcanic island, and now she had to go back, right after she'd escaped. "But anything for my brother. If someone asks why I was delayed, I can make something up. Maybe I'll say you attacked Stonemover and I, and we had some trouble getting rid of you." It wasn't too far from the truth, but she might be able to create a better story. If Morrowseer, Princess Greatness, or Queen Battlewinner found out what had really happened, there was a good chance of 'or worse' happening, and she wouldn't be much help to Stonemover if she was drowned in lava.
Torrent nodded, thinking. At least now, they had a plan. They knew where Stonemover and Griffin were, sort of, and if Fracture was right, they weren't dead. That was a relief. Hopefully, he'd be reunited with Griffin before too long. "Thank you for everything," he said to Fracture and Clarity, bowing his head.
Nightreader gave them a nod, but still had a frown on her snout. "How did you know Stonemover was my brother?" she asked Fracture. She still wasn't quite convinced that Fracture was telling the entire truth here, or if he actually had powers like Torrent and Griffin had claimed.
The light-green IceWing paused for a moment, then looked straight towards Nightreader, making direct contact into her eyes with his own. "I can see what might have been," he explained quietly, "and occasionally, what may yet be."
"What does that mean?" Nightreader growled. "Are you saying you have prophecy powers?" Real ones? It seemed unlikely, but the IceWings had numerous enchanted artifacts lying around from before the time of the Darkstalker. What if Fracture had found one of those, and was using that? She looked him up and down. The only material item Fracture had on him was his eyepatch. Maybe that was it.
Fracture shrugged his wings from side to side, then stretched them outwards, extending one around Clarity. She reached her claws towards her mate. "The moons are almost at their zenith," Fracture pointed out. He pointed a claw upwards, towards the three bright moons, causing the ice to glow white. They huddled close to each other, and it seemed they would almost meet when they reached the top of the sky. "I can't see the future myself, but if you want a prophecy, I have one to give you."
Fracture spread his wings wide, and wrapping his spiny tail around Clarity for balance, he lifted up his two forepaws, turning his head to the sky, the light of the moons scattering across his scales. After a few moments, he looked back towards Torrent and Nightreader, and moved a claw to his eyepatch, lifting it up to reveal a plain white orb beneath it, in contrast to the black bead of his other eye, in which the scaly lid around it he quickly closed. The light of the three moons reflected within his white eye, and Fracture opened his jaws, speaking in an emotionless tone as if he was reading directly from a scroll:
"When the stones of old awaken, the fires of death must burn.
When the lives of many have been taken, the ground of Pyrrhia will be turned.
From the deepest black, to the eternal flames.
Join the tablet forgotten, and the fumes untamed.
With the frozen claws, let darkness be tamed.
And an ancient evil, shall death be thy name.
The land that is all but lost, will be the refuge of the dark.
Across the bridge of light and frost, must the waters of life be sparked.
When darkness lights the frozen earth, and lost souls wander the forsaken land.
Three will come to devour the sun, and the queens will make their final stand.
A deadly message will be told, forgotten from the days of old.
Chilled to death with freezing cold, and they will be crowned with the cursed gold.
The night will last a thousand years, 'till the rays of light can glow once more.
Unless the chosens can unite the tribes, to lead them in a peaceful war."
The four dragons stood silent for a moment, as Fracture remained completely motionless. Snow continued to fall lightly, and the light of the moons reflected bright from the white ground, causing Torrent to squint. The three moons reached further towards their zenith, climbing higher in the sky.
Clarity stopped the silence, reaching a talon towards the top of Fracture's snout, and folding the leather eyepatch down over the white, pupil-less orb in his eye-socket. He shuddered for a moment, then lowered to a resting position, placing his two forepaws in the snow below.
Nightreader frowned, her talons curling in the cold snow. 'Lives of many taken?' 'Devouring the sun?' 'A thousand years of night?' That sounded like a bad thing, though not so believable. "Is it fake, like the Dragonet Prophecy?" she asked.
Fracture smiled, although Nightreader could tell that there was exhaustion within his scales. He shook his head. "It's quite real, but the future is malleable. What occurs and what doesn't depends on our actions."
"You said you couldn't see the future," Nightreader snorted. "In that case, how did you see a prophecy? IceWings can't do that."
Fracture nodded. "You're right, I can't. Someone gave it to me."
"Who?" Nightreader asked. If it was a NightWing, such as this Trustbreaker she'd heard about, she would know that it's fake. NightWings had been faking prophecies for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Fracture grinned, almost like he found the situation hilarious. "You did."
Nightreader bared her teeth. "What?" she snorted. She'd never made up a prophecy before. "You're mistaken, it's Morrowseer who does that."
Fracture shook his head back and forth, snow falling from his horns. "Try to remember," he spoke, almost pleadingly. He looked into her with his beady black eye.
Nightreader stood stiff for a moment. Remember what? For a second, she thought she heard something, like a dragon in the distance whispering something to her. She listened closely, as if expecting to hear something more, but the moment was gone. She shook her head, a thin dusting of snow rolling from her neck. "This is silly," she hissed at Fracture. "You know as well as I do that NightWing powers are fake."
"Yet your brother can make tunnels that moves dragons thousands of miles in a moment," Fracture retorted. "Is it so inconceivable that his sister could have told the future?"
Nightreader stared at him, unsure what Fracture was trying to get at.
Clarity let out a bellowing laugh, then turned to Fracture. "Don't bother, darling," she snorted. "You're just confusing her more."
Nightreader bared her teeth at her, frustrated. Her brother was in mortal danger, and these IceWings were telling her prophecies that they claimed she'd made up? She glanced up. The moons were almost at the top of the sky. Nightreader sighed. "Thank you for the help," she grumbled bitterly. Powers or not, maybe Fracture was telling the truth, and Stonemover was where the IceWing had said he was. It was their only lead.
Fracture nodded. "I don't think we'll see each other again," he said to Nightreader, "but only time will tell. May the moons grant you luck on your search for your brother." He turned his gaze to Torrent. "And I hope you find Griffin. He's a great friend, you know. You'll find a SandWing animus named Erosion on the island."
"Erosion?" Torrent asked. Where had he heard that name before? He couldn't put a claw on it.
Nightreader looked to Torrent. "The flight to the Night Kingdom is long, and we'll want to head back east to Possibility first," she explained. She turned back to Clarity. "Do you plan to come back with us?" she asked.
Clarity shook her head. "It's the Brightest Night. I plan to celebrate it with Fracture, then we head north to the Ice Kingdom. The Talons are in good claws with Avalanche and Trustbreaker, and we have plenty of time before we're really needed again." She turned towards Fracture. "Seven years, right?" she asked.
Fracture swished his tail across the bright snow, the spikes on the end of it leaving behind a trail. "It's usually closer to six," he commented, "and we still need to find a second SeaWing, since Squid isn't here. Although a RainWing would do quite well instead. Maybe an IceWing, this time? That would be fun. But it's not urgent." He enclosed his wing around Clarity tighter, while she wrapped her tail over his.
Nightreader nodded. She was somewhat relieved Clarity wasn't returning with them, though she wouldn't have said it to her snout. "C'mon," she said, turning towards Torrent. "Let's go. We have more flying ahead of us."
Torrent sighed. His wings were already sore. SeaWings were supposed to swim long distances, not fly. But if they were going over the northern ocean, maybe he'd have a good chance to swim there. He and Nightreader walked across the snow, away from the embracing IceWings in front of the ancient mausoleum.
As they continued across the crevasse, looking for a place to take off, Nightreader turned towards Torrent. "Is his eyepatch enchanted?" she asked.
Torrent shook his head. "No," he answered quietly. "No animus magic about him. Let's get out of here. I hate this place."
Nightreader nodded, and the two spread their wings, wind rolling piles of snow over as they lifted from the ground. Torrent looked towards the stars, only a few barely visible in the bright sky. The three moons had finally reached their zenith, overlapping each other at the very top of the sky, though not covering one another. Moonlight spread over Nightreader's wings, dots of white and silver speckling them. Torrent breathed slowly, looking up towards the moons again. Somewhere, wherever he was, Griffin would be viewing the same sky, the first Brightest Night in a hundred years.