The Fallen Prince (Dark Seas Series)

by Riokodragon

As Orca, Crown Princess of the SeaWings, attempts to hide her powers, her family works to uncover her secrets. In the aftermath, one of her remaining brothers sets out into Pyrrhia to stop animus magic for good, joining a thief with Queen Glacier on her scales, a captive-hatched MudWing, and an enchanted stone gryphon. Fic series containing Dark Seas, Stone Cold, and Rising Flames.

143. RF: Part 2: Chapters 27 to 33

Chapter 27

Inferno awoke to a blast of cold wind, roaring in her ears as the sight of a grey sky greeted her eyes. Was she flying? The SkyWing looked down, wondering where the ground was, then down, and down, and down.

A horrible clenching feeling rose up through her belly as realized where she was, a place her mother had only told her about. Far beneath her, her gaze landed on Queen Scarlet's sandy arena, empty except for a glittering metal statue. She felt dizzy for a moment, almost stumbling off the thin platform of stone, before something caught ahold of her legs. A warm ring of stone circled around each of the SkyWing's legs and her tail like shackles, fused to the spire beneath her. Another similar ring enclosed her entire body, keeping her wings from extending, while a final ring was wrapped around her snout, visible from the bottom corner of her eyes.

As her attention was drawn to her paws, she suddenly winced, gritting her teeth as a sharp pain appeared through each of them where they'd been spiked. She looked down at one of her paws to see cracked scales and a large circular scar on it.

"They won't get infected. I healed them as much as I could without being able to touch you."

Inferno turned her head around as well as she could in her restraints to see Aurora, flying in place a few tail-lengths away from the spire. The SkyWing tried to say something, before remembering the stone ring around her mouth, her words only coming out as loud grunts.

Aurora frowned. Who was it trying to speak to her? Inferno, or Ash? She slowly raised her claws, a large spike of stone extending from one of them. Inferno grimaced as the spike reached her head, prodding the muzzle. Immediately, the stone ring dissipated into water, fizzling away as it splashed Inferno's snout.

"Speak," Aurora ordered, still holding her spike out, prodding Inferno with it.

"What are you going to do with me?" Inferno whimpered, looking down at the arena again. "You're not going to make me fight there, are you? I won't do it."

"That's up to Queen Scarlet now, not me," Aurora stated coldly.

Inferno shook her head. "No, please," she gulped. "Don't leave me in Queen Scarlet's claws." Was she really at the mercy of Queen Scarlet, to be put in her arena, after hating Peril for what she did there for so long?

"I won't let Queen Scarlet kill you—" Aurora replied.

"Oh," Inferno said. Did that mean Aurora was going to protect her? "Thank you."

"—because if you die, the spirit inside you could get free," the hybrid continued. "However, whatever else Queen Scarlet does is irrelevant."

"Ash," Inferno frowned. "His name is Ash."

"Yes, I know who he is," Aurora said blankly, as if it was obvious. "Hence why I'm not letting Queen Scarlet kill you."

"How do you know about Ash?" Inferno asked. "It's not like you could have ever met him." She paused for a moment, as a tense feeling gripped her neck, her jaw and vocal chords starting to move on their own. Not now! she thought intensely, trying to get the message to Ash. I'm trying to talk to her!

The grip didn't subside, and Inferno's wings and shoulders tensed up, her head whipping to the side. "H-he wants to talk to you," Inferno sputtered out, barely able to get the words out as Ash took control of her head and neck.

Aurora narrowed her gaze, bringing the spike on her claws up against Inferno's snout, accidentally poking it as Inferno's head thrashed back and forth. A small trickle of blood ran down Inferno's chin as she stared into Aurora.

"I don't know what Calamity said about me," Inferno spoke, the tone in her voice suddenly grim and calm as Ash spoke through her, "but I'm not—"

Ash was cut off as Aurora poked the spike against Inferno's head, a new ring of stone quickly growing around her snout. It tightened, forcing Inferno's jaws closed.

"You're not part of the plan," Aurora growled, speaking directly to Ash as she brought the spike back. "I don't know how or why you're here, but I won't let you get in our way."

Inferno tried to say something as Aurora turned, the SkyWing's voice muffled. Without another word, Aurora glided back towards the palace. The hybrid frowned. She was already having enough difficulties working with Queen Scarlet. What did it mean, Ash being here? Did Calamity know, and just not tell her because he wasn't important? Or was something wrong?

Aurora looked down at her paw as the spike on her claw crumbled into dust. She opened it, taking a moment to stare at the glittering dark-purple stone within, flecks of melted silver on its surface. Inferno's Darkstone. Aurora's own Darkstone swung back and forth on her neck from the wind. She thought that she remembered Calamity saying something about the second one ending up with him, but instead, it was here, and now Aurora had both. Should she fuse them both together? Or destroy Inferno's? Or try and get it to the Crystal Caverns? Or her memory wrong? Why hadn't Calamity told her what to do?

Aurora reached the outside of Queen Scarlet's throne-room, phasing through the walls, barely slowing down. Two SkyWings standing in front of the throne let out shrill screams as Aurora came gliding at them, while Queen Scarlet herself let out a yelp as she jumped, almost falling from the top of her throne. Ignoring them, Aurora landed, chainlinks clinking as she landed on the gold-embedded floor.

"Your majesty, I've returned," Aurora bluntly said, remorselessly interrupting whatever conversation the two SkyWings had been having with their queen.

Queen Scarlet put her claws over her chest, catching her breath after being spooked. She took a deep breath, before glaring down at Aurora. "I thought I told you not to do that."

"I succeeded on the mission you gave me," Aurora said, ignoring the reprimand as the two SkyWings backed away. A familiar metal box rested on the throne, within Scarlet's reach. So she had decided to keep the Eye of Amethyst by her side. "The fireborn Inferno is currently imprisoned above the arena. She should be secure as long as you don't let any stonemasons near her."

"Ah, so I heard," Queen Scarlet replied, turning her head so that Aurora could only see its unscarred left side.

"Then you consider my loyalty re-proven?" Aurora asked. "I'm reinstated as your advisor?"

Queen Scarlet frowned, pausing for a moment as she considered this. Aurora front lip moved back, baring her fangs just a tad, glowstripes lighting up. Calamity had told her to be Queen Scarlet's advisor, but hadn't told her exactly how to do it. If force was required, so be it. Queen Scarlet wouldn't want the left side of her face as scarred as her right.

"Fine," Queen Scarlet finally answered, unaware of the hidden threat behind Aurora's query. "You're my advisor again."

"Then I'd advise you neither to free or kill Inferno," Aurora quickly said. "That includes freeing her temporarily in order to fight in the arena. Don't let any dragon lay a claw on her. I'm worried something terrible will happen if you do. Leave her care to me. Give me time to investigate."

Queen Scarlet was silent for a moment, tapping her claws on the stone clouds of her throne. "Alright," she agreed.

Aurora blinked. Had Queen Scarlet actually taken her advice, without any pushback or groaning? That was a first.

"Fireborns are dangerous," Queen Scarlet grumbled, as if explaining herself. "Awfully fickle. And have an irritating habit of thinking for themselves when you don't want them to. Not like you; you're rude and rebellious, but at least you're clear about what you want."

Aurora stared. What was that supposed to mean? She didn't think for herself? A few weeks earlier, she would have just ignored the insult, but something in it seemed to jab at her now. She'd been relying on Calamity's orders, and had thought they'd been clear, but with Ash, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. What would lead to the correct outcome?

The sparkle of Inferno's Darkstone caught Aurora's eyes again. She was supposed to give the Darkstone to Queen Scarlet, but which one? She'd thought that Calamity had meant her own, but now she didn't know. The two were the same, weren't they? No matter which one she gave up, she'd have one, and Queen Scarlet would have one. Was she supposed to have one? Was this the right time to give it up? Would she need to use animus magic again, in the future? Would she be able to use animus magic even without the Darkstone, now that she'd worn it for so long? How could she make a decision without the advice of a dragon who already knew what the future held?

"Well?" Queen Scarlet grumbled, seeing Aurora freeze up. "Is that it? No more advice for me?"

"No, something else," Aurora replied, heart racing as she extended her front paw out, the hemispherical scar on her neck burning. Maybe Queen Scarlet was right. She had to think for herself. "I have a gift for you."

Queen Scarlet peered down from her throne as Aurora opened her talons, presenting the Darkstone to her. She bent her head to Aurora's claws, giving it a sniff before plucking it from Aurora's paw with two of her talons.

"I haven't seen a gem like this before," Scarlet said as she lifted it up to her left eye, curiously rolling it back and forth as she stared into it, a speck of light glinting from its center. "What is it? Is it animus-touched?"

"It's better than that," Aurora said. Had this been the right choice? "Queen Glacier spent a lifetime making it, before it was stolen from her."

"Queen Glacier," Scarlet mused with a smile, amused at the prospect of having something stolen from one of her ex-rivals. She tilted her head down to Aurora, staring at her neck. "It matches the one on your necklace. Hmm, I'm not sure. I think the color goes better with blue and silver than gold and scarlet."

Aurora opened her mouth, about to remark that Queen Scarlet was in fact orange, and not scarlet, but thought better of it. "It's not animus-touched," she said instead, "but it gives its wearer the power of animus magic."

Queen Scarlet's eyes opened wide, grinning covetously as she brought the Darkstone close to her. The SkyWing guards who'd overheard the conversation stared at Aurora, terror in their gaze as their queen let out a cackle, clutching her talons tight.

Aurora stayed silent. What would Queen Scarlet do with animus magic? From what she knew of the SkyWing queen, terrible things. Had this been the right choice? Aurora shut her eyes. Calamity knew the future, and this is what he'd told her to do. Whatever Queen Scarlet did, it had to be better than the alternative. Aurora didn't even know if Queen Scarlet would have a chance to use animus magic. Had Calamity wanted Aurora to heal Scarlet, or just let the SkyWing queen succumb to the Darkstone's poison and die? There didn't seem like much point in giving Scarlet a Darkstone if it was just to kill her, Aurora could have done that far more easily. Yet, wouldn't Calamity have told her if he wanted her to heal Scarlet? She gritted her teeth. Yet another choice she had to make.

"Will it only give me animus powers, or will it affect my egg too?" Queen Scarlet suddenly asked.

"Egg?" Aurora asked, confused. She hadn't heard anything about an egg.

"Yes, egg," Queen Scarlet sighed. "What did you think I meant? I learned I was with egg while you were gone. I need a new heir after the disaster that was Tourmaline, so we had a small arena spectacular to celebrate, with a fun new obstacle, thanks to you."

Aurora grimaced, mildly disgusted. Something seemed wrong about giving animus magic to a queen who thought murder was a celebration, but she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

"A shame you had to miss it," Scarlet tsked. "It took almost a dozen SkyWings to bring General Cyclone down. Ex-General now, I suppose."

Aurora froze up, clenching her talons. Queen Scarlet had Cyclone killed?

"You look less happy than I expected," Scarlet taunted, looking down at Aurora with a bored expression. "She's the one who framed you in the first place. Are you annoyed you couldn't see her die yourself?"

Aurora took a deep breath. Queen Scarlet was right. Cyclone hadn't been anything close to a friend. She'd been nice to Aurora, but that was only to betray her and serve her own ends. Aurora hadn't meant for her to die, but Cyclone had known the risks of what she'd done. Regardless, her death was immaterial. It wasn't part of the plan.

"I don't care," Aurora grumbled. She turned away from Scarlet, walking towards the back wall of the throne room, ready to leave. She'd said and done all she'd needed to, for now.

"What, you're not going to at least congratulate me on my egg?" Queen Scarlet growled. "It's traditional for my subjects to do that, you know."

Aurora's tail twitched with her talons. She wasn't Queen Scarlet's subject, and she didn't see why Queen Scarlet having another dragonet was something to congratulate her on. Still, she'd had enough conflict with the SkyWing queen for today.

"Fine," Aurora muttered reluctantly, glaring at the queen's good eye. "I'm quite glad that you managed to get with egg. That must have been quite the feat."

Queen Scarlet frowned, not quite sure if that was a compliment or an insult. "I'm considering naming her something like Amethyst. After the Eye of Amethyst. It feels appropriate, doesn't it? A good-sounding name, too."

"Is it because she won't be purple?" Aurora asked.

Scarlet gave Aurora a strange look as the hybrid turned back, walking through the throne-room walls without another word. She had far more important things on her mind than Queen Scarlet's dragonet. Right now, she needed to figure out what to do about Ash. What would Calamity have told me? she wondered as she spread her wings.

Chapter 28

"You did what?"

"It was just a simple exchange of information," Tiger replied, rolling her eyes at Skytaker. "She asked me some stuff about NightWing powers and animuses, and in return, I learned about most of her plan."

"So now she knows about the only dragons on Pyrrhia who could potentially stop her," Skytaker muttered. "And what do we get in return?"

"A lot!" Tiger exclaimed. Ermine peered over the bed, curious to hear what Tiger was going to say. "First off, I know how she did what she did to Antigonia. She used an animus artifact called the Wishstone, that lets her do anything."

"Animus magic that lets you do anything?" Ermine whispered, eyes wide open. "You can do that? I wonder why we never got any IceWing Gifts like that."

"Probably because whoever made it would've lost their entire soul," Skytaker remarked. "They'd have been like, ten times worse than Albatross, Darkstalker, and Fen combined. A thousand times worse. And if that artifact got into the wrong dragon's talons, say, a RainWing with a penchant for authoritarianism . . ."

"She doesn't have it anymore," Tiger continued. "Trustbreaker stole it. The Antigonian version of the dragon called Duskwind we saw her kill. But now I'm sure that's why she's going to Pyrrhia. She thinks the Wishstone is there, and she wants to get it back."

"That explains the troop positions," Skytaker reasoned out. "She's not aiming for a conquest of Pyrrhia. She thinks the Wishstone and Trustbreaker are somewhere in the Sky Kingdom, so she's focusing there."

Tiger nodded. "She doesn't need to wage a war against the entire continent to take it over, all she has to do is find the Wishstone. Which means all we have to do is stop her is finding it first."

Skytaker snorted, shaking their head. "Which is why you shouldn't have traded information with her. Even if you're right, and she wasn't lying about this whole thing, the only reason you would've said this is because she doesn't think we're a threat."

"Maybe, but we can be a threat. We're in a better position than we were before," Tiger replied.

Ermine clutched his claws against the wooden end of the bed, talons screeching as they raked across the wood. "Not if we can't escape this palace," he sighed. "And now the Empress knows about our animuses."

"Only the ones I knew about," Tiger replied. The black stripes on her scales started to shift to the same orange as the rest of her scales. Why didn't Ermine and Skytaker understand how important getting this information was? "Anyways, I don't think what I told her was very useful. All I said really was that the NightWings have powers and that there are a couple animuses at Jade Mountain. She mentioned finding another one, so I think she has some way to look for them anyways. Besides, now we know that she's worried about animus magic on Pyrrhia."

"Still useless unless we can get back to Pyrrhia and warn someone in time," Skytaker grumbled. "How long until she leaves?"

Tiger winced. "Er, around now. She's likely gone already. I don't think we're going to make it to Pyrrhia before she does."

"Hooray," Skytaker sarcastically muttered. "Now our one way of getting back to Pyrrhia is gone."

Ermine thought for a moment, tapping a talon against the wood. "Hey, if she's gone, does that mean that we can escape?"

"She's bound to still have guards keeping us from leaving the palace," Tiger replied. "And she said that Glory is going to keep watch over the three of us."

"Keeping watch," Skytaker repeated. The hybrid's eyes suddenly lit up, and they raised their head, earring jingling. "Hey, if Liliana's in Pyrrhia, that means she can't stop us from using the Obscura, right? She'll know we're using it, but it's not like she'll come all the way back here just to scold us."

"Unless she put some horrible spell on it to keep us from using it," Ermine whimpered. "And we'll be cursed if we try."

Tiger shook her head. "She's not an animus. I think she just has a bunch of enchantments on herself and animus-touched objects like the Obscura. And she can't change any of that unless she gets the Wishstone."

Ermine shrugged his wings, still skeptical. "Alright, but I call not being the one to test it out."

Tiger walked over to the door, and placed her talons around the handle. It easily opened, and she breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't been locked in here.

"Then the throne room it is," Skytaker commented.

Something about the palace seemed quieter than normal as the three travelled up to the throne room, but Skytaker couldn't put their talon quite on what it was. Was it that the Empress had left, along with her army. Or was the palace itself waiting in anticipation for something?

The three dragonets came up the carpet to the throne room, Tiger spreading her wings out as she felt sunlight hit her scales through the warmth of the palace. She hadn't used the Obscura, but she'd come up here on a few days when the Empress hadn't been around, just to enjoy the sunlight and plants while she basked. She scanned over the throne room, her eyes landing on the Obscura. The huge image of a muzzled black dragon stretched across the orb's surface, slowly moving. Tiger froze up as she saw the grey scales of a RainWing next to it, her paw pressed up against it.

"Someone's there," Tiger hissed, backing up towards the stairs. The odd-scale color made it difficult to figure out who it was, but she was quick to recognize Glory's shape. She pushed Skytaker back, accidentally causing them to bump Ermine. Ermine let out a yelp as he tripped over the stair, sliding down a few.

Glory suddenly turned her head, backing off from the Obscura as color rose back up through her scales. She frowned as she saw the three dragonets, trying to back away. "Oh. It's you. The Empress put me in charge of Antigonia while she was gone. Also, to keep an eye on three of you."

"Yeah, that's why we're here, to help you keep an eye on us easier," Skytaker quickly said.

Glory snorted. "Fine. I'm not one for dragonet-sitting anyways."

Tiger looked back up at the Obscura again, the image having gone blank. She'd only seen him for a moment, but she knew the dragon on the image well. "You remember Deathbringer? He was your mate."

"He still is my mate," Glory replied, giving Tiger a strange look. "If you're trying to do what you did to Mangrove on me, don't bother. The Empress has already told me about my past."

Tiger walked up to the Obscura, Skytaker and Ermine following behind her. Glory knew about her life before the Empress, but still chose to work with her? That had to be wrong.

"If you try and escape again, I won't treat you as kindly as Liliana did," Glory warned, turning back to the Obscura. "You'll end up in the dungeons."

Glory stiffened up as she touched the glass orb, the color draining out from her scales. A distorted Deathbringer appeared back on the screen.

"Can you take his muzzle off?" a voice asked. The image shifted, as a few more dragons came back into view, revealing the speaking dragon. A young adult with dusty scales and tattoos of animal heads on her neck, and a three silver moons hanging from one of her ears. "I want to ask him questions."

"Sure," another dragon said, a handsome black dragon with a line of long black spines running down between his horns. He glared at Deathbringer. "Don't try anything funny."

"Are you worried about him?" Ermine suddenly asked, the image going blurry, sounds becoming muted.

Glory turned to the young IceWing, a hint of green appearing her grey scales. "No," she lied, her scales betraying her feelings. "He's gotten out of trickier situations before."

"Who were those dragons?" Skytaker asked, squinting as they stared at the Obscura, trying to make them out. "The brown one was a hybrid, right? The other one too, maybe."

Glory sighed, pockets of orange appearing across her grey back. "I don't know the brown one. The black one is an annoying pest, the leader of the so-called rebellion. Now shush."

She turned back to the Obscura, trying to concentrate. The greens and oranges on her scales disappeared, and the image became clear again.

"I'm not going to answer your questions," Deathbringer growled, his voice reverberating throughout the entire greenhouse. "Nothing you can do will make me talk."

Suddenly, claws flashed across the orb, Tiger jumping back at the surprise. The black dragon's paw slammed across Deathbringer's snout, causing him to let out a yelp. When he lifted his head back up, blood dripped from three gashes across his face.

Glory's talons clenched up, her body turning as red as Deathbringer's blood. She backed away from the Obscura, seething as the image disappeared. The dragonets took a step away from her as she glared, sharp fangs bared.

"I've see enough," Glory hissed. "I don't know why the Empress hasn't gotten rid of the rebels already."

"You know, if you're in charge of Antigonia while the Empress is gone, couldn't you just do it yourself?" Skytaker slyly suggested.

Tiger and Ermine exchanged a glance. What was Skytaker trying to get out of this? Even if Glory was gone, it's not like they could get back to Pyrrhia.

Glory paused for a moment, thinking. "That's a surprisingly good idea," she acknowledged. "We have some reserve troops here. I'll get them rallied."

Skytaker smirked as Glory started to walk back towards the stairwell. "Good luck!" they called out.

"Thank you!" Glory replied sarcastically. "Even if I know that you're just trying to get me out of the palace so you can escape, I appreciate the sentiment. There will still be guards here, and even if you did leave, I'd just find you again, so it's pointless."

"Don't worry, I know!" Skytaker called back as Glory walked down the stairs. As soon as she was gone, they turned back towards the Obscura. "Tiger, can you look at Deathbringer again? I want to see that brown hybrid again."

"Maybe there are just more hybrids on Antigonia," Tiger suggested. "It would make sense, since there aren't any separate kingdoms if everyone is under the Empress's rule."

Skytaker shook their head. "No. Not that, her earring. I wanted to make sure I saw it right."

"If you say so," Tiger sighed. She took a deep breath as she pressed her claws up against the Obscura, thinking of Deathbringer. Almost immediately, she froze up, orange and black scales changing to grey as Deathbringer once again appeared on the orb.

"There, see!" Skytaker said, pointing at the hybrid. "Look at her earring. Three moons!"

"What is it?" Ermine asked, confused for a second. "Oh," he replied, as he realized it. "Yeah. Three moons."

"Antigonia has four moons," Skytaker pointed out. "So why would a dragon have an earring with only three on it?"

"One fell off?" Ermine suggested.

"Or, they're from Pyrrhia," Skytaker said, huffing. "They must have gotten to Antigonia somehow, just like us. What if they know a way back?"

Ermine's eyes opened wide. "Wait, what happens when Glory finds them?"

"She'll bring them back here," Tiger replied.

"I know," Skytaker smirked. "Genius, right? I think we might have found our way out."

"I'm not going to let the Empress hurt Pyrrhia," another voice from the Obscura said. Skytaker and Ermine looked up as Tiger shifted the focus, and another dragon came into view. A large dragon with dark-blue scales stepped up next to the sandy-brown hybrid, with straight horns and webbing on her paws. Tiger let out a small gasp.

"Another hybrid?" Ermine asked.

"A NightWing-SeaWing," Skytaker remarked. "There can't be that many of those in Pyrrhia."

"There was that one who visited with Polar," Ermine replied.

"Hey, Tiger, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Skytaker questioned. "Did Toxin mention her?"

Tiger nodded as the image on the Obscura faded. "Ink's sister."

Skytaker grinned smugly, raising their crimson head. "I promised I'd get us out of here, right?" they said. "Well, now our greatest hope is coming right to us."

Chapter 29

Familiar hills spread out beneath Deathbringer and Jambu as they flew north, into the cold wastelands on the Ice Kingdom/Sand Kingdom border. Deathbringer hadn't come here often. Other than a few old IceWing monuments and mines, there was little in this area unless he wanted to go north, into the Ice Kingdom itself. And with the Great Ice Cliff in the way, there was no point in doing that unless he wanted a ice spear through his neck.

A cold wind bristled against Deathbringer's scales, the NightWing shivering. The talks with General Six-Claws had gone well, and he understood the urgency. They'd hopefully have help from him getting back through the tunnel. Even Queen Blackice wouldn't want to start a war with Queen Sunny's army, would she?

"Hey, look," Jambu called out, pointing a talon down.

Deathbringer followed the RainWing's gaze to a small platform at the base of a small cliff. "What is it?"

"Don't you remember?" Jambu asked. "That's where we stayed the night when we went to the Ice Kingdom. Me, Glory, and the rest of the Dragonets. You didn't sleep there. But you came and attacked Princess Blaze."

Deathbringer looked behind him as the two flew past the empty landmark. From the different perspective, he could see that Jambu was right. Which meant that they were on the right track. The IceWing fortress ahead was where he'd first met Glory, three years ago. Which meant that whoever was trying to contact them was probably there.

"She's really gone," Jambu spoke solemnly, his words disappearing into the wind. "I keep expecting her to come back from just having been playing a really long hide-and-seek. But she's not coming back, is she?"

"She isn't," Deathbringer replied. He opened his mouth to say something again, but quickly closed it. What else was there to say?

"Things haven't been so good without her," Jambu sighed.

"Yeah," Deathbringer spoke. She hadn't just been his mate. She'd been the core of their team. Even in her absence from Jade Mountain, the Dragonets of Destiny had relied on her as much as Deathbringer and Jambu had. Queen Blackice probably didn't know it, but killing Glory was probably the best tactical move she could've made. Without her, they were broken.

Eventually, the two came up on the fortress, sitting amidst the ice like a huge stone turtle, its shell impenetrable. No smoke rose up from its chimneys. Was it empty? As Deathbringer and Jambu circled around it, Deathbringer suddenly spotted movement along the snowbanks built up on its outside.

"Quick, get down!" he hissed at Jambu. "IceWings!"

Jambu's scales shifted to the grey of the sky as he followed Deathbringer down to the surface, landing behind a tuft of snow. Deathbringer held his breath for a few moments, claws on his weapons pouch, shivering as cold snow crept between his talons.

Jambu's snout, now as white as the snow around around him, peered around the corner of the snowpile. "I don't think they saw us," he whispered. "They're just standing there. They're guarding the door."

Deathbringer winced. He hadn't seen any dragons other than those two. Were their potential allies wanting them to meet inside the fortress? He hadn't seen anyone outside it. "We should try what we did in the rainforest again," Deathbringer suggested, opening up his weapons pouch to grab a dart-gun. "Distract them and sneak in while they're not looking."

Deathbringer paused for a moment. "Jambu?" he asked, unsure why the RainWing hadn't responded. He glanced over towards the prince, no longer able to see him. Camouflaged? "You're still there, right?"

No reply. Deathbringer grimaced as he peered around the corner, seeing a white Jambu walking out towards the front of the fortress, disguised as an IceWing. This wasn't good.

"Hello, fellow IceWings!" Jambu shouted out as he walked up to the two guards, a bit too cheerfully. The huge stone fortress loomed over him, dwarving the pale-white RainWing as he stepped in front of the doors. The IceWing guards narrowed their gaze, crossing their spears over the entrance. "How are you doing today?"

The two IceWings looked at each other, unsure who this strange IceWing was, and why he was here. "Did Queen Blackice send you here?" one asked.

Jambu thought for a moment, Deathbringer tensing up, not knowing what Jambu would say. If he gave them away, this entire mission would be in jeopardy. Deathbringer raised his dart gun, ready to fire.

"Yeah, she did," Jambu lied. "Routine checkup. Need to make sure you have enough fish."

The guards fidgeted uncomfortably. Deathbringer winced. They weren't buying it.

"She's a really good queen, isn't she?" Jambu quickly remarked. "A great queen."

"Um, yes," one of the guards replied gruffly. "The best queen we've ever had."

The other guard let out a sigh. "I'll need your name," she said. "I'll get Hemlock to see you in."

"My name?" Jambu asked, thinking for a moment. "Oh. Yes. I'm Penguin."

"Penguin," the second guard said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Alright." She quickly opened the door, the end of her tail disappearing as she closed it.

The other guard immediately shuffled to take her place, his spear out as he blocked the door, staring uncomfortably down at Jambu. "So, er, Penguin," he said. "It's, um, really great that Blackice got us in another war, isn't it? I'd just been so bored since the War of SandWing Succession ended."

"Yeah, really great!" Jambu replied, gritting his teeth while trying to use his cheery voice. "I really just love how she killed Queen Glory, since she was the best si-RainWing queen ever. Not that I liked her. I'm evil, so of course I'm really happy about that."

The guard stared at Jambu for a moment. Deathbringer slapped his talons to his face. This really wasn't going well.

"Ah, yes," the guard agreed. "Yes. We're all evil and murderous here, right? Very much so."

The guard yelped and jumped to the side as the doors suddenly swung open behind him. The other guard stepped out of the fortress, followed by another dragon, a large IceWing with piercing eyes and four silver circles hanging down from her neck. She squinted as she stared down at Jambu, the RainWing shuffling back as she examined him.

"You can drop the act," she growled, glaring at the guards. "This is one of our guests."

"Oh, thank the Great Ice Dragon," the guard who'd remained outside said in relief. "I didn't think I could keep that up for much longer."

The IceWing with the Fourth Circle necklace took another step forward, and bowed her head to the snow. "You're free to show yourself, Prince Jambu. I'm Hemlock, warden of this fortress."

"Oh," Jambu said, slightly disappointed that his disguise had been seen through. "Um, thank you." Jambu shook his tail, and a familiar pink flooded his white scales, until he stuck out like a strawberry in a snowfield.

"I'm glad you were able to come on such short notice," Hemlock said, finally raising her head back up. "We weren't sure if our message reached you. The IceWings of this fortress are enemies of Queen Blackice, and we're looking for RainWing and NightWing help to take her down."

"But we were looking for your help," Jambu frowned. "I hope that's not a problem."

"I also hope it isn't," Hemlock nodded. "Are you the only one here? We were expecting more of your leadership."

"He's not the only one," Deathbringer said as he cautiously stepped out from behind the snow, dart gun in his paw. He glanced around the area. He hadn't spotted anyone but the three IceWings at the front so far, but he couldn't be sure. What if there were IceWings under the snow, waiting to capture them? "I'm with him too, though we didn't have time to invite Greatness or Grandeur."

"That's probably for the best," Hemlock replied, offering a quick bow to Deathbringer. "Bringing all your leaders here could've been a disaster if Blackice found out about this meeting."

Deathbringer clenched the dart gun in his claws, wary. They hadn't been attacked yet, but he still didn't trust that this wasn't one of Blackice's tricks.

"How did you realize I was a RainWing?" Jambu asked curiously. "I thought my IceWing disguise was pretty good."

Hemlock smiled. "I was here with Princess Blaze when you and Queen Glory visited us three years ago. I didn't know at the time, but word eventually got around." She raised up her Fourth Circle necklace, almost with pride. "This fortress has been commanded by me and my family for generations. Deathbringer, you're the assassin that wounded Princess Blaze here, weren't you?"

"I was," Deathbringer cautiously replied. "We made up, eventually."

Hemlock nodded. "I helped tend to her wounds. Not that it matters now. That's all in the past; Blaze, Glacier, and Glory are all dead. I'm personally more interested in the future. Please, come inside."

Jambu started to follow as Hemlock turned, before Deathbringer grabbed the edge of Jambu's wings, pulling him back. "And how do we know we can trust you?" Deathbringer asked. "If this is Blackice's trap, we'll all be killed the moment we step inside."

"You're careful, aren't you?" Hemlock asked, swishing her tail.

"Don't pretend you're surprised," Deathbringer retorted.

Hemlock nodded, peeking behind Jambu and Deathbringer. Once she was satisfied that they weren't being watched, she turned back to the door. "You can come on out now!" she called. "It's safe."

Deathbringer watched the doors curiously as Hemlock grinned back at them.

"Contrary to what Queen Blackice claimed," Hemlock stated, "there were survivors of the attack on the palace." She stepped aside and gestured her wing at the door, bowing again. "I present to you, Prince Hailstorm of the IceWings."

A tall IceWing stepped out through the doorways, turning his head away from the sun as it shone down into his eyes, like he hadn't seen it for a while. As he adjusted to it, he looked down towards Deathbringer and Jambu, bowing his head, his piercing blue eyes almost glowing in his skull. Unlike Hemlock, no silver circles hung from his barren neck.

"Wow," Jambu whispered, eyes wide as he stared up at the IceWing prince's silver scales, "he's so shiny. Can we keep him?"

"No," Deathbringer answered, returning a bow to Hailstorm in return. "Prince Hailstorm. I thought you were dead."

"Everyone keeps doing that," Hailstorm smiled, flicking his tail. "Please, come inside. Hemlock is on our side. We have much to discuss."

Deathbringer nodded, finally lowering his dart gun. That explained the royal seal. This couldn't be a trap. Prince Hailstorm had to hate Queen Blackice as much as he did — his family's death was on her claws.

Deathbringer walked in through the doors of the fortress, Jambu following. The IceWing guards shut the doors behind them as they stepped into the fortress. Without the fires heating it, it seemed just as cold as the outside. Deathbringer glanced around as they walked through dim corridors. While there had been SandWing tapestries during Princess Blaze's stay, they'd all been removed. Now, the decor was as cold and empty as the snow.

"He can keep me instead," Jambu suggested to Deathbringer. "I wouldn't mind."

Deathbringer ignored Jambu as the four stepped into a chamber off the side of the corridor, a small room equally as barren as the rest of the fortress, barring a small stone table in the center. Hemlock gestured her wing towards it, she and Hailstorm taking positions at one side. Deathbringer sat across from them, his haunches resting on the cold floor.

"I want to make my intentions clear," Deathbringer quickly opened. "In case you weren't aware, Queen Moorhen has ordered the NightWings and RainWings to leave the Mud Kingdom. We'll likely be travelling west, to Jade Mountain. With a group of our size, that means multiple days flying through neutral territory, and we'll inevitably be attacked by Blackice. I've been training dragons, but it's not enough. We came here because we were hoping you could provide military support."

"We aren't fully organized yet," Hemlock admitted, "but Queen Blackice's army lacks cohesion. There are plenty of soldiers and veterans from the previous war who are unhappy about their superiors being slaughtered, or being ordered into another war. Half of her troops are conscripted, and would turn on her in a moment if they were offered another option. Many still remember the Battle of Devil's Eye, and why Blackice was exiled in the first place. Some don't view her reign as legitimate. We've created a network that's managed to evade Blackice's eyes, with all her attention on the rainforest."

"So you can get me a real army?" Deathbringer asked.

"We can put together an army," Hemlock carefully replied. "But make no mistake, our forces are still weak compared to Blackice's. And I'm not willing to send out IceWings just to be slaughtered for another kingdom. I want a victory."

"You're just going to let the NightWings die?" Jambu said, shocked as reds and orange seeped into his pink scales.

Hemlock paused. "Even if I've forgiven the NightWings for what they did, and would be more than happy to work with them to bring down Blackice, many IceWings, including potential troops, still harbor resentment. They won't put their lives on the line for them."

"Are you sure?" Hailstorm asked, uncertain of Hemlock's claim. "Few commoners ever get to touch the Gifts other than the Great Ice Cliff. I think it's mostly the aristocrats who care about the old Darkstalker feud. The aristocrats hate Blackice the most, but—"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Hemlock calmly interrupted, glaring at Deathbringer. "You know what I mean. Rumors abound that the Night Kingdom prolonged the War of SandWing Succession to almost two decades. Many IceWings are willing to turn a blind eye to Blackice's atrocities because they blame the NightWings for the deaths of their friends and family members. Some even say that it was a NightWing assassin who convinced Blackice to turn against Blaze's SandWings at the Battle of Devil's Eye. And the NightWing who's the most culpable for the continuation of the war happens to be right here. Deathbringer, if more IceWings knew your history before becoming king, they'd want your head on a pike."

"Did you just bring us here to berate me?" Deathbringer growled. "Even if the NightWings interfered to make the war longer, the IceWings and Queen Glacier were the ones who actually chose to fight it. And over what? A few slivers of useless land? That's not my fault." He clenched his claws, defending himself even as Hemlock's words got to him. Yet, she was right, wasn't she?

"Please, stop fighting!" Jambu squealed. "I thought the past was behind us, right? We need to focus on saving the NightWings and RainWings and fighting Blackice, not on blaming each other."

"Prince Jambu is right," Hailstorm said. "We can decide who is to be blamed for what after Blackice is toppled. Until then, it's pointless."

"I'm right?" Jambu replied, surprised Hailstorm had agreed with him. His scales blushed reddish tones in embarrassment.

Hailstorm smiled and nodded. "I think you might be the wisest of us all. It's this sort of vengeful thinking that got us here in the first place." The prince raised his head as he turned to Hemlock and Deathbringer. "I plan to reveal that I'm alive and actively working against Blackice once we're ready to fight. I'm hoping that a royal family member leading the fight against my cousin will propel IceWings, commoners and aristocrats alike, into action. But Hemlock is right. We need an actual battle we can fight and win."

Deathbringer frowned, thinking. He understood Hailstorm and Hemlock's logic. They needed numbers, and more IceWings would fight if it was against Blackice rather than for the NightWings.

"I think I have a proposition that will satisfy all of us," Deathbringer finally said. "If there's a full-on battle, it has to be at Jade Mountain, where Greatness is. We have powerful assets there defending it — more NightWings who can fight, along with an animus and a fireborn.

"An animus?" Hemlock exclaimed, surprised.

"An animus won't be enough," Hailstorm pointed out. "Since Blackice took over the palace, she'll have plenty of animus-touched artifacts of her own. Not all the Gifts are as peaceful as the Moon Globes, I'm afraid. Queen Glacier used them sparingly, but we have a number which were made for combat."

"It's possible we can counteract them," Deathbringer replied. "Unless he's moved, there's a dragon with some sort of anti-animus artifact at Jade Mountain. Although he might be more trouble than he's worth."

"There's also the captured NightWing scientist that Blackice has been using to create weapons, like the vials she used to burn the rainforest with," Hemlock added.

"Alchemy," Deathbringer said with a smile. "We know. Thing is, the NightWing who taught Alchemy everything he knows just happens to be residing at Jade Mountain, and last I heard, he was looking for a chance to redeem himself in front of his dragonet."

"Mastermind?" Jambu frowned.

Deathbringer nodded. "So, how about it? If your IceWings can help safely get my dragons to Jade Mountain, we'll be able to fight Blackice there."

Hemlock smiled. "If we fight together and use all the resources at our disposal, we may be able to win. I think you've given us a bit of hope. I'm willing to put forward troops towards that. Hailstorm?"

"I'm in agreement," Hailstorm replied, a hint of hesitation in his words, "but I'm not sure we'll be able to get Blackice there, too. It's too obvious a trap. The Black Prince closest to her, Hoarfrost, was one of the our greatest generals before his exile, and is really the brains behind everything she's done. From the intel I've gathered, Blackice is rash and quick to act, while Hoarfrost manages to hold her back somewhat. He'll caution her not to attack, and if she does, he might be able to turn her defeat into a stalemate, or even a win." Hailstorm looked over towards Deathbringer. "We need him out of the way."

Deathbringer frowned, before suddenly realizing what Hailstorm was asking. He let out a chuckle. "Well, I'm a little out of practice, but back in my day, I was the best at getting dragons out of the way. Even if I generally tried to avoid outright killing during my missions, I think I'm willing to make an exception for Hoarfrost."

Hailstorm nodded. "I was hoping you would say that. I don't like assassination, but against Blackice, it seems . . ."

"Only fair," Jambu growled, the normally pink RainWing now tense, his scales a shade of red. "If you're assassinating him, I want to join."

Deathbringer looked over at the RainWing in surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You understand we're not going to be using sleeping darts, right? This is a mission to kill."

Jambu seemed to shiver at the word kill. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. "I know," he replied. "But if Hoarfrost is Blackice's brains, that means he's the one behind the plan to kill Glory and burn the rainforest, right? I'll let you do the killing, but I want to help however I can. "

Deathbringer tapped his talons, concerned. He didn't begrudge Jambu wanting to avenge his sister, but this could be dangerous. What if Jambu accidentally gave him away? What if Jambu got himself killed? Deathbringer didn't want to put him in danger

"I promise I won't be useless," Jambu said. "I can camouflage and tree glide and back you up with sleeping darts. That's something, right?"

"Yeah . . ." Deathbringer mused. He had been a lot of help getting through the tunnel. "Alright, sure. You can come with me."

"Yay!" Jambu shouted, like a dragonet getting permission from a parent. "You won't regret it! I'll sneak behind all of the IceWings and pew pew pew, they'll all fall before us!"

Hemlock gave the RainWing a strange look. "I'm glad you'll have help," she said to Deathbringer. "You might need it. Hoarfrost was last reported to be residing in the palace and taking care of Blackice's affairs there."

"Wasn't it destroyed?" Deathbringer asked.

Hemlock nodded. "It was, but it's grown back by now. One of the Gifts. Speaking of Gifts . . ." She reached into a small satchel at her side, and pulled out two bracelets, setting them down on the table. ". . . you'll need these if you want to go to the palace. They're enchanted to keep you warm while you're inside the Ice Kingdom, and will let you over the Great Ice Cliff. Ironically, they're called the Gift of Diplomacy."

Jambu reached out to grab one, dangling it between his talons before tossing it over one of his front legs. "Oh wow!" he exclaimed. "I feel all warm now!"

"Please keep them safe, and bring them back," Hemlock winced. "They're very old and important to my family — they've been used for thousands of years to let dragons into the Ice Kingdom, from Blaze to Foeslayer, and even further back. My mother would rise up from the grave just to kill me if one got lost."

"Thank you," Deathbringer replied, putting the bracelet on, surprised as he felt warmth spread through his body. Jambu was right, these things did work well. That was reassuring. If they didn't work, the two wouldn't make it past the Great Ice Cliff alive. "We'll make sure to keep them safe."

"I'll go along with you," Hailstorm added. "You'll need someone to guide you to the palace, and get you inside."

"Are you sure?" Hemlock asked, concerned. "We need you safe. We can't let Blackice discover you."

"I'll stay out of sight," Hailstorm assured her.

"I'm going to get a personal tour of the Ice Kingdom from a prince!" Jambu exclaimed.

Hailstorm cocked his head, unsure why Jambu was so eager. "Aren't you also a prince?"

"Ooh, that's right!" Jambu replied, as if he'd forgotten. He grinned at Hailstorm. "This is the most excited I've ever been for an assassination!"

Chapter 30

"He's the one who was after you, wasn't he?" Darkstalker asked, already knowing the answer to the question. "It looks like he was pretty out of it, and practically let himself get captured."

Midnight stepped forward, examining Deathbringer. The assassin's eyes followed her as she walked around him, before taking a step back. The first time they'd captured him, he'd been asleep. Now, he could talk, and finally explain why he'd attacked Midnight. Not that she really needed an explanation anymore.

"Oh no," Ecru suddenly exclaimed. "Look at his neck! He doesn't have a tattoo!"

Midnight looked, and winced. The tattoo they'd seen on the assassin was gone. "Wait, are you saying—"

"He might be Pyrrhia Deathbringer," Ecru suggested. "He must have come in after us."

Midnight shook her head. "No, that can't be it. We saw the portal close, right? And the only reason they managed to capture him was because of the sleeping dart." A horrible thought crept into Midnight's mind. What if the two Deathbringer's had switched places, and the Deathbringer that had been darted was actually the Pyrrhian one? And evil Deathbringer was still on Pyrrhia, with Firefly?

"Can you take his muzzle off?" Ecru asked Darkstalker. "I want to ask him questions."

"Sure," Darkstalker replied, grabbing ahold of the muzzle. He narrowed his eyes. "Don't try anything funny."

Darkstalker pulled off the muzzle, and Deathbringer let out a cough, smacking his gums together as he whetted them with his forked tongue. "Thanks for that," he said, stretching his jaws. "That was tiring."

Ecru walked up in front of Deathbringer. "Alright. If you're actually the Pyrrhian Deathbringer, then tell me, what did your dragonet say when she first met Midnight?"

Deathbringer blinked, and snorted. "What kind of question is that? How am I supposed to remember something that small?"

Ecru shook her head and sighed. "The real Deathbringer wouldn't have forgotten that."

Deathbringer bared his teeth, snarling. "You barely knew him."

Ecru grinned smugly. "See? Now I know for sure you're evil Deathbringer."

Deathbringer spat at Ecru's claws, glaring as he snorted contemptuously. A few of the other dragons started to gather around, watching the scene.

"You do realize I could have just told you that, right?" Darkstalker sighed. He picked the muzzle back up, ready to put it back on Deathbringer.

"And yet, you chose not to," Midnight pointed out. "Wait. I have some things to ask him." She squinted. Something seemed different about this Deathbringer. Less sad. "You seem angrier than the other Deathbringer," she pointed out.

Deathbringer raised his head, glaring at Midnight. "I'm not angrier," he scoffed. "Just more refined. I dropped the goofy, quippy assassin look years ago. Now I'm a hardened criminal, haunted by my horrible past and the terrible things I've done."

"Huh," Midnight replied, curious what made this one so different than the Pyrrhian one. "Was it because Glory died?"

Deathbringer jolted up, eyes wide, as if what Midnight said had struck a nerve. "Glory's dead?" he asked, shocked. "What happened? Are you serious?"

"Last I heard, she's still alive," Wren shouted up at the dragons. "As far as I'm aware, she's terrorizing Antigonia, as usual."

"Oh," Deathbringer said, relaxing. "I was worried for a second there."

So they're still together here, Midnight considered. Was it like that for a lot of dragons on Antigonia? Was there an Antigonian Midnight with Antigonian Ecru? Odd. "Who do you work for?" Midnight asked. "And why did you come to Pyrrhia to try and kill me. It was me you were after, right? Not Ecru?"

Deathbringer raised his head, and let out a chuckle, like he was in on a joke that Midnight didn't get. "I'm not going to answer your questions," he growled. "Nothing you can do will make me talk."

Darkstalker suddenly raised his paw, and whacked it across Deathbringer's snout. The NightWing let out a yelp as claws stuck him, tearing red gashes in his scales.

"You're going to tell us what you know," Darkstalker hissed. "Right now."

Deathbringer gritted his teeth, raising his head. Blood dripped down the side of his snout. He flicked his tongue, licking a few drops of it as it neared his mouth, then let out a laugh, his voice echoing through the cavern.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," Deathbringer spat. "I've experienced far worse than that. It's why I'm so hardened and stoic now."

The assassin let out another yelp as Darkstalker struck him again, tearing new gashes in his scales. The hybrid grabbed Deathbringer's chin, baring his fangs as he brought his eyes just inches away from Deathbringer. "I promise you," Darkstalker threatened, "you're getting treated like royalty compared to what I could do to you."

Midnight exchanged a worried glance with Ecru. This was the dragon who'd tried to kill them, but Midnight didn't like the idea of torturing him. Especially with how similar he looked to the other Deathbringer.

Darkstalker released Deathbringer's head, taking a step back. He grinned as he looked over at Midnight. "Wow, I've always wanted to interrogate someone like that. Anyways, I read his mind. He works for the Empress, and was ordered to hunt down animuses. You were just first on his list."

"That's not fair," Deathbringer grumbled. "Mind-reading is cheating."

"Yeah, well I don't play by the rules," Darkstalker remarked. He gave Midnight a worried expression. "Don't give him any sympathy. Even if he doesn't look like it, he's one of the Empress's most dangerous weapons. Capturing him is a huge gain."

Midnight nodded. Still, what was the point of Darkstalker attacking him if he could just read Deathbringer's mind. "Why is the Empress hunting animuses?" she asked Deathbringer.

Deathbringer tensed up as he saw Darkstalker raise his claws again. He let out a sigh. There wasn't much point in trying to hide things from a mind-reader. "She doesn't want interference in her plan."

"And what's her plan?" Midnight asked.

Deathbringer tilted his head back and forth, and shrugged his wings. "Dunno. She's looking for something and someone in Pyrrhia, her old mate, Trustbreaker. I don't have may details. I'm just an assassin. I was supposed to be priming Pyrrhia for her entrance by getting rid of the animuses, but you caused me a lot of trouble. Good going on that, by the way. I haven't botched an assassination this badly in years. Although if you think about it, I'm the one who caught me."

"Is the Empress planning to make Pyrrhia like Antigonia?" Midnight interrogated tersely.

Deathbringer smiled, flicking his tongue. "No," he chuckled. "She's going to make it better."

Midnight tensed up her claws as she stepped back. This was about more than just her. Her entire world was in danger.

"I'm not excited to see what the Empress's idea of better is," Darkstalker commented. "Seeing how she screwed this world up so badly already."

Midnight flicked her tail, sitting back on her haunches. "I'm not going to let the Empress hurt Pyrrhia."

Deathbringer let out another laugh. "What, you think you're going to stop her?" he smirked. "It's already too late. You saw the light, didn't you? By now, she's already there.

The cavern seemed to go silent for a moment. Ecru placed her wing over Midnight, pulling her close for comfort. Was that it? Was there even a Pyrrhia left for the two hybrids to return to?

"Shut up," Darkstalker growled, breaking the silence. The assassin let out another yelp as Darkstalker whacked him once more.

Midnight turned away, not wanting to watch anymore. "We're doomed," she whispered to Ecru, her wing still over Midnight as the two stepped away from Deathbringer, further into the busy cavern.

"We're not doomed," Ecru tried to reassure Midnight, even though her voice lacked confidence. "Deathbringer said the Empress is looking for something and someone, right? That means we have time to find our way back to Pyrrhia."

A SkyWing dragonet swooped down above Midnight, quickly followed by an IceWing. She turned her head as wind brushed against her, leaning into Ecru. The two walked across the bottom floor of the cavern until they reached the other side, laying down next to a cold wall of stone.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ecru asked, staring up into the great open cavern, a wooden walkway swinging a few dragon-heights above her head as a SeaWing walked across it.

"Huh?" Midnight replied. "What is?"

Ecru smiled, and stretched out a wing. "This place. A small pocket of peace and unity. See?" She pointed at one of the large ledges, where the SkyWing and IceWing had flown to. Two scavengers were trying to throw some sort of object back and forth, while the dragons tried to grab it mid-air. "They're playing together. All of them. I've never seen anything like that on Pyrrhia, even in Crosswinds."

"Are you trying to cheer me up by saying it wouldn't be so bad if the Empress took over Pyrrhia?" Midnight asked.

Ecru lightly whacked Midnight with her wing. "No, silly," she scolded. "I'm just saying that maybe there's hope for Pyrrhia. One day, we could have a place like this there."

Midnight grabbed Ecru's wing, playfully pulling her close. "That's what Sunny — Queen Sunny was trying to do, isn't it? With Jade Mountain and all. Except why do you think everyone's living in harmony here? It's because they're all scared of the Empress. If she was gone, do you really think they'd be like this? Or would it just go back to the murder-fest that Pyrrhia normally is."

"That's pessimistic," Ecru replied, pulling her wing from Midnight's grasp. "In that case, do you want to save Pyrrhia from the Empress? What's the point if our world, our species, is hopeless?"

"Now it really sounds like you're trying to dissuade me from going back," Midnight laughed. "I don't think it's hopeless. I know not all dragons are evil and violent. I can even list some, if you want. Sunny, Clay, Gazelle—"

"I'm offended you didn't put me first," Ecru teased.

Midnight shook her head. "Sorry. You're bad to the bone. But I do think there are good dragons. And there are enough it makes me wonder why Pyrrhia got so bad. Was it because no one listened to the voices of kindness and reason? Or was it before that? Maybe it's just the entire queen system. Dividing dragons up by the way they look, deciding that the ones in charge should be the physically strongest instead of the smartest or kindest . . . everyone says that we needed that to fight off the scavengers, and maybe we did."

"And it worked," Ecru pointed out. "We won. Dragons are really good at fighting, just like the system intended. So good at fighting, in fact, that we can't stop."

"So we have to take down the system," Midnight laughed. "Get rid of the queens. No more tribe-based territory lines. Kind of makes me wonder if Aloe was really right, trying to give independence to Crosswinds."

"Don't tell me you're an Aloe supporter now," Ecru snorted. "Over you own cousin? Your heart is as cold as stone."

"Yeah," Midnight smiled. "I'm worse than you. Not even sure if I should lift a talon, just to save my continent from total domination."

"As long as the Empress is in power, things will be the same," Ecru prodded. "Pyrrhia will be stuck, just like the way Antigonia is right now. Maybe there'll be small pockets like this, hiding from her eyes, but the world won't be able to change."

"Which means I should try and stop her," Midnight said. "I could use my magic back on Pyrrhia. And that's probably the only way."

Ecru's expression fell. "Yeah," she replied glumly. "This is a magic-using situation. I could feel it, back on Pyrrhia. When you enchanted something, you took one step away from me, and one step towards . . . something else."

"You meant that figuratively, right?" Midnight asked. Ecru stared up at her, her expression grim. Midnight felt a shiver run across her scales. "You can feel it."

"Yes," Ecru whispered. "It's big. Bigger than Pyrrhia. Like a huge cold shadow, everywhere I go. And whenever you step towards it, it moves towards you."

"What is it?" Midnight asked, heart racing. "What's moving?"

Ecru shook her head. "I don't know. But it's not here. I think this world is safe."

Is that why I feel so much better in Antigonia? Midnight wondered. "Safe? What do you mean s—"

"RAINWINGS!" a shrill voice yelled, piercing through the cavern. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

The cavern immediately burst into chaos, with scavengers and dragons of all colors and shapes running and flying around wildly. Midnight whipped her head around as a MudWing ran past her, almost whacking her with his wing. She looked around, not able to see anything in the commotion. "RainWings? Where?"

"Maybe they're invisible?" Ecru suggested. "C'mon, we should find Darkstalker."

Ecru ran into the crowd, Midnight struggling to keep up with her as her hide disappeared into the midst. "Wait!" Midnight called out, trying to follow, almost stepping on a fleeing scavenger. She weaved in and out, trying to figure out what was going on. Finally, she stood up on her hind-legs, perching a heads height above the crowd. Over towards the other side of the cavern, Darkstalker caught her eye.

Midnight got back on her front paws, and ran to the edge of the cave, pushing against dragons as she tried to get through. There wasn't any fighting, as far as she could tell.

Finally, Midnight reached Darkstalker, standing over a bruised and bloodied Deathbringer, muzzle still on him. She looked to the left and right, breathing a sigh of relief as Ecru burst out from the crowd.

"What's going on?" Midnight asked frantically, turning to Darkstalker, clutching his own head in pain. "Where are the RainWings?"

"Right here."

Midnight almost leaped into the air as emerald scales appeared behind Darkstalker, a frowning RainWing coming into view. Midnight took a step back, only to feel something sharp poke against her. She glanced over her wings to see a RainWing behind her, holding a spear up against her neck. More RainWings started to appear in a circle, shouting and clearing the fleeing dragons away, until only Deathbringer, Darkstalker, Midnight, and Ecru remained inside the circle's center.

"What's going on is that I've had enough of this stupid rebel play-pretend," Glory growled, glaring at Darkstalker.

"Stay back!" Darkstalker yelled, claws still on his head. He moved closer to Deathbringer, putting one of his hind-paws over his neck. "I'll kill him!"

If Glory was at all disturbed, she didn't show it, her scale-color unchanging. She lashed her tail, baring her fangs. "You're a mind-reader, aren't you? In that case, I think you understand well what I'll do to you and this entire 'rebellion' if you don't take your talons off him this instant."

Darkstalker stood still, claws tense as he read Glory's mind. After a long moment, he finally moved his claws away from Deathbringer, sighing. "I surrender."

"Good," Glory smirked. Not a single dragon budged as she walked over to Deathbringer, carefully removing his muzzle and his bindings.

Deathbringer smiled as he looked up at her. "I knew you were going to come for me."

"I couldn't let these savages hurt you any longer," Glory admitted, giving Deathbringer a peck on his bloody cheek. "Try not to get caught next time."

"I got darted by the other me," Deathbringer replied weakly. "Did you know he's just as hot?"

Glory snorted, crouching down to let Deathbringer climb on her back, lifting him up. The other dragons just stared, wondering what their fate would be.

"Really?" Glory asked Deathbringer. "He's hotter than you, and is a better assassin? What did you get?"

Deathbringer winced as he grabbed onto Glory. "You."

Glory smiled, before quickly hiding it in front of Darkstalker's gaze. "I'd been so worried about you," she said to her mate. "Being in that awful backwards Pyrrhia place for so long."

"I missed you too," Deathbringer replied, clutching onto her.

Glory grunted as she lifted Deathbringer up, then turned, glaring at Darkstalker, Midnight, and Ecru in turn. "You. Show me that earring."

One of the RainWings prodded Ecru with a spear, and she stepped forward, tilting her head for Glory to see.

"Both of the hybrids are from Pyrrhia," Deathbringer quietly said to Glory.

"Really?" Glory scoffed, giving Ecru's moon earring a tug, pulling her head down. She stared into Ecru's eyes, Ecru gritting her teeth as Glory pulled.

"Stop it," Midnight hissed. Glory let Ecru go, before turning to Midnight with a curious stare.

Glory shook her head, sighing. She raised her head. "Escort everyone here to the palace!" she barked out to the rest of the RainWings. "Place them in the dungeons. The Empress will decide what to do with them when she gets back."

"The dungeons?" Midnight asked worriedly, draping her wing around Ecru and pulling her back. At least the dungeons were better than being assassinated.

"Not you," Glory smirked. "You're much too important. I'll be taking care of the mind-reader and the two Pyrrhians personally."

Chapter 31

Inferno opened her eyes as she felt the repetitive blasts of wingbeats against her scales. The wind roared past the pillar of stone, and she stood up, the stone shackles uncomfortably pulling against her legs. A small stone spike touched her muzzle, and it dissolved.

"Drink," Aurora ordered. She carefully placed a bucket of water on the tiny platform, right in front of Inferno's head.

Inferno looked down to see crystal blue water in the bucket, her throat aching from the cold dryness of the wind. She dipped her head down eagerly, lapping up what she could get as the water boiled, bubbling before rising up from Inferno in a burst of steam. Just like that, the water was gone.

Aurora swooped down and grabbed the bucket, circling once around the spire before placing it back down, now filled again with water. Inferno drank more, as much as she could get before it boiled away, warm steam creating a wreath around her head.

"Thank you," Inferno said, trying to smile at her captor.

Aurora's cold expression remained unchanged, and she reached out an extended talon again, ready to re-muzzle Inferno.

"Wait!" Inferno hurriedly said, tilting her head away as much as possible. "Ash is staying silent for now. He says he won't talk, so you don't have to muzzle me again. He still wants to talk with you though, if you're willing to listen to him."

Aurora paused, considering this for a moment, before retracting the spear on her talon. There wasn't really any good reason to keep her from talking. It might be better if Aurora tried to interrogate her. Ash wouldn't let her say anything too critical, but she might be able to figure something out from what they refused to talk about.

"Do you know who Ash is?" Aurora asked. That was the first question. Calamity had said that none of Nightreader's five knew anything beyond what Fracture had told them, but Ash might have revealed something beyond that to Inferno.

Inferno frowned, confused. "Of course. He's my brother. We shared an egg, and I stole his fire, and he died. But his soul was able to somehow jump into my body because we were in the same egg, which is why he can speak to me."

Aurora snorted. So Inferno didn't know anything. "Ash," she growled, speaking directly to him, "is that what you've been telling her?"

Inferno relaxed as she let Ash take over her head and speak, almost used to the sensation now. Her mouth opened with out her input, vocal chords tightening.

"She filled in some of the details, but yes," Ash replied through Inferno. "It's true, in a manner of speaking."

Aurora flapped her wings slowly, keeping eye contact with Inferno. "Explain."

"She's a reincarnate of Magma, and thus Ignite," Ash said, "so in that sense, I am her brother. It's what makes her such a good receptacle. That, and her few memories when she was br—You've been lying to me?" Inferno shouted, suddenly taking back over her body. "For my entire life?"

How could he? Inferno wondered, feeling cold, at least on the inside. She whimpered. I should have known. Why had I trusted him? She sighed, knowing the answer. Because she'd thought he was his brother. "If you're not my brother, than who are you?"

Inferno tensed up as Ash spoke through her again. "Fireborns reincarnate. Your souls tend to linger around more than most dragons. As I said, I'm the brother of one of your previous reincarnations, Ignite. There's no reason for you to feel so betrayed, since it's still half-true."

How could I not feel betrayed? Inferno wondered.

"Half is a generous percentage," Aurora remarked, not reacting to Inferno's internal conflict. "Ash. Which iteration are you from? It's not this one, is it?"

Inferno's head shook. "No," her voice said. "I'm from the one Calamity told you about, most likely. As far as I know, that's the only one I survived hatching in. In the others, Ignite killed me in the egg. See? That parts mostly true also."

"I thought it might have been one before that," Aurora replied. "Calamity would've killed you in any ones after that, even if you had survived."

Ash let out a laugh through Inferno, as if that prospect was funny. "I'm glad I made that much of an impression on Cal. I thought he would have forgotten me by now."

"It wasn't long ago for him," Aurora replied. "Under thirty-thousand years."

"Thirty-thousand years?" Inferno said, speaking over Ash. "Calamity was that old?" How long ago was that? The Scorching was five-thousand years ago, and there weren't records of anything before that . . .

"Is, not was," Aurora corrected Inferno.

"Wait, didn't we kill him?" Inferno asked. She shivered as the image of the battle in the Crystal Caverns came to mind. Ink's horrible death, Crystal's front leg burning to the bone. But they'd won, hadn't they?

"You didn't," Aurora snorted. "You just trapped him. If you'd managed to kill him, every dragon on Pyrrhia would be aware by now, or more likely, dead. That's the way the enchantment works."

"I killed him once," Ash pointed out through Inferno. "It's why he's so angry at me."

Inferno shook her head, trying to get control of it back. "Does that mean that everything we did . . . was for nothing?"

"Yes," Aurora replied unflinchingly. "Doing nothing seems to be the purpose of everything Fracture's done. So you succeeded at that."

"So Polar and Ink died for nothing," Inferno whispered. "Toxin lost her wing—"

"Don't expect any sympathy from me," Aurora growled, interrupting Inferno. "You killed my mother. Ash. Why are you here? What happened to the iteration where you killed Calamity?"

Inferno sulked as she sunk back in her body, Ash taking over her head and neck again. "I decided to have a try at watching over my own iteration after killing him," he responded. "I figured out a way to use animus magic directly, at the cost of my body, but with the additional advantage of getting rid of animuses entirely." Inferno felt her wings shrug in their shackle around her waist. "But something went wrong, and things were cut short over there, and I had to escape over to your iteration. Sorry if I got in Calamity's way. How's that going, by the way? Thirty-thousand years and it's still here? Looks like the starvation thing isn't working out."

"And what do you plan to do in this iteration?" Aurora asked cautiously. "Do you plan to try and kill Calamity again?"

"Nothing of the sort," Ash replied. "I swear, I really don't have any plans."

Aurora raised an eye-ridge, skeptical. "Is that why you took the second Darkstone?"

"I'm really just trying to survive," Ash tsked. "Pyrrhia is a cruel world. I thought that Inferno being an animus would be helpful."

"I don't believe you," Aurora stated, unconvinced.

"Yeah!" Inferno suddenly exclaimed. "I don't believe you either, given that you lied to me my entire life about being my brother. Aurora is right not to trust you." Her head turned as Ash spoke. "It's still only a half-lie," he reminded her.

"I have half a mind to just keep you here forever," Aurora said to Ash. "Maybe move you into a more secure prison so that you can't mess things up."

"Wait, please don't!" Inferno's voice replied, Aurora unsure if it was Inferno or Ash speaking. "Maybe you can get Ash out of me?" She paused. "Wow. I'm hurt. I haven't been that bad to you. I think you'd miss my company if I left."

Aurora shook her head. This was getting confusing.

"I'd find other company, instead of a lying not-brother," Inferno retorted. She let out a sigh. "It's possible to get me out, but it would be difficult. And I don't think Aurora would be willing, would she? I'd be more dangerous outside of Inferno."

"Quiet," Aurora hissed, almost angry. A sharp spike shot from her talon, poking Inferno in the snout. Either Inferno or Ash tried to say something as the muzzle grew, locking their snout closed. They looked towards Aurora, letting out a muffled noise.

"I'm busy enough trying to complete my mission from Calamity," Aurora snarled, lowering her talon. "You've told me enough to let me know you're nothing but a nuisance and a distraction. I don't have time for you right now."

With that, Aurora turned, sailing down towards the SkyWing palace, leaving Inferno and Ash behind.

Chapter 32

Cold winds blew down from the Ice Kingdom, flickers of snow thrown into the moonlit air. The Great Ice Cliff stretched as far as Jambu could see to either side. Somewhere, it hit both sides of the sea. From a dragon's eye during flight, it wasn't so large, but Jambu could tell how tall it was just by how it dwarfed the few trees at its edge, many times their height.

"It's so big," Jambu stated in amazement. "We don't have anything this tall in the rainforest. Did someone make it?"

"It was enchanted," Hailstorm replied. It had been two years since he'd last gone over the Great Ice Cliff in this direction, and Winter had explained to him what it's purpose was. "Our Gift of Defense. If you fly over it and you're not an IceWing, it will shoot icicle spears at you. Don't worry, the bracelets you have on will protect you."

Deathbringer placed a paw around his bracelet, holding it a bit closer as they passed over the wall. He let out a sigh of relief as it didn't fling icicles at them.

"How do visitors from other tribes get in, then?" Jambu asked, confused. "Do you have a lot of these fancy warming bracelet thingies? That would be useful."

"They don't get in," Hailstorm remarked, shaking his head. "That's the point. It keeps us safe, and isolated from the other kingdoms."

"Oh," Jambu replied. He looked back down at the cliff, already disappearing behind them. "That's kind of sad."

"Why do you think that?" Hailstorm asked curiously.

"Well, the IceWings must get so lonely, not being able to bring dragons outside their kingdom to see it," Jambu answered. "Like, what if you have a RainWing friend, and he wants to visit?"

Hailstorm let out a sad chuckle. "We're not really supposed to have RainWing friends. I don't think Queen Glacier would've allowed it. IceWings don't like other dragons on our territory."

"Really?" Jambu questioned. "Aww. You should change that! Even if there have been a lot of challenges, the NightWings bring a lot to the rainforest. Like scrolls! I can't read, but the NightWings would sometimes read everyone stories during suntime."

"If I'd stayed on the NightWing island all my life, I never would've met Glory," Deathbringer commented. "Also, I probably would've gotten some horrible lung disease."

Hailstorm let out a long sigh, his silver scales glinting in the moonlight. "You don't need to convince me. I remember enough of my time as Pyrite to know that you're right. But a lot of IceWings don't think there's anything to be gained by letting non-IceWings into the Ice Kingdom. I disagree. I think the IceWings, maybe more than anyone, need to see other perspectives. I've seen for myself the harm caused by rigid class hierarchies, adhering too strictly to traditions, and a warped view of meritocracy based on obedience."

"Mhmm, meritocracy," Jambu said, nodding along even though he didn't know the word. "You're hot when you speak like that."

Hailstorm gave Jambu a confused look. "IceWings are cold, though."

"Sure," Jambu grinned. Deathbringer rolled his eyes.

Hailstorm tried to puzzle out what Jambu meant for a moment, before returning to what he was saying. "If we win, and Queen Blackice falls, that means that I'm going to be placed in charge of the Ice Kingdom, since there are no more female heirs. It will fall to me what changes to make, and how to make them."

"So you'll let other dragons in?" Jambu asked.

Hailstorm smiled. "Well, I'd like to. Although I think that might be a bit difficult, with the Great Ice Cliff and the freezing cold. It's not like we can just make more of these bracelets."

"Actually . . ." Deathbringer replied, recalling something Peril had mentioned about Turtle's enchantments. "I might have a way to do just that."

The three continued talking as they flew even further north. The few trees that they'd seen south of the cliff had disappeared, replaced with a vast land of inhospitable snow and ice. As dawn approached, a shimmer of light arose from the horizon with the sun. Like a prism, the morning's first light glinted and reflected through the crystalline palace, casting an array of colors and shapes all across the flat snow. Smaller houses of ice spiralled around the palace, the peak of it almost touching the sky. Jambu had to look away as a ray of reflected light hit his eyes.

"It looks a lot better than when I last saw it," Hailstorm commented. "Looks like the repair enchantment finished up. Follow me. We can't get too close, or we'll be seen."

Hailstorm lowered a wing and tilted to the right, dropping in altitude as he headed towards a set of mountains on one side of the palace. Deathbringer and Jambu followed, the NightWing's eyes cautiously staring at the magnificent palace. For a palace made for so many dragons, it was quiet. Not a single IceWing seemed to be walking in the city surrounded it.

In fact, the only dragons Deathbringer could see were the black heads of NightWings, posted on pikes around the front gate. His blood ran as cold as the ice. He couldn't recognize any of their faces from here, but he knew many of their names. Dragons who'd lived their own lives, who'd had their own friends and families just a few moon-cycles earlier, were now nothing more than ghoulish decorations.

Deathbringer's fangs clenched as the palace went out of sight, snowy peaks hiding it from his sight. Hailstorm landed on the shores of a small pond of ice at the bottom of a frozen waterfall, touching down in the snow. Deathbringer and Jambu landed beside him, the magical bracelets keeping their paws warm.

"This way," Hailstorm said as he stepped onto the frozen pond.

Deathbringer looked down at it cautiously, as he placed a paw on the ice. "Is this safe?" he asked. He didn't want it to crack, although with the bracelet warming him, freezing water might not be an issue.

"Definitely," Hailstorm replied. "It's frozen solid."

Deathbringer stepped onto it again with another paw, before his front legs spread apart as he slipped, and he fell forward.

"Ow," he said as his head hit the ice. He lifted his paw back up, and stepped again, digging his talons into the ice this time to keep himself from slipping. He'd need to be more careful.

"Wheeeeeee!" Jambu squealed as he flung himself across the slick surface at high speed, only stopped by running into a surprised Hailstorm, tumbling over the IceWing prince. Hailstorm let out a yelp of alarm as Jambu hit him, falling flat on the ice.

Jambu landed on top of Hailstorm, giving him a huge grin. Hailstorm kindly pushed him off, shaking his head to get back up. "I probably should've warned you, the ice is slippery if you don't have serrated claws."

"You're slippery," Jambu grinned as Hailstorm walked back to were he'd been before. At this point, Deathbringer had made it across the ice.

"Stand back," Hailstorm warned them. He opened up his jaws, and let out a blast of frostbreath beneath him. Suddenly, the ice melted away, revealing a dragon-size hole. Jambu took a step forward, and peered down. Not far below the surface, the hole turned, becoming a tunnel leading towards the palace.

"It's a secret tunnel, made when the palace was," Hailstorm explained. "Only the royal family can get into it, by using our frostbreath. It leads throughout the palace. It's how I managed to escape the palace after Blackice's forces attacked it. It should get you into and out of the palace without being noticed. Here, give me your bracelets."

Jambu took his bracelet off, letting out a sudden whimper as the cold finally reached to him. As fast as he could, Hailstorm set it down, and breathed a puff of frostbreath on the ice. He placed the bracelet back on Jambu, the RainWing letting out a sigh of relief at the warmth.

"This way, you'll be able to get in and out of the tunnels by yourself," Hailstorm explained. "Just tap it against the walls of ice, and they'll melt for you."

"Wait, why would we need these if you're coming with us?" Jambu asked as the IceWing prince did the same to Deathbringer's bracelet.

Hailstorm shook his head. "I'm not going with you. I'm not an assassin, and I don't have camouflage, so I'll be more easily spotted. A lot of IceWings would recognize me, and I don't know who I can trust anymore. I'll be waiting out here until you return."

"Oh," Jambu glumly replied as his wings turned bluer than the ice. "Okay."

"C'mon, Jambu," Deathbringer said as he turned around, climbing down into the tunnel. "Don't worry. We'll be in and out before you know it."

"Good luck," Hailstorm smiled as Jambu followed Deathbringer. As Jambu looked back, the icy cover of the tunnel started to grow over, and before he knew it, the two were shrouded in darkness.

Jambu let out a sigh and reached his hindpaws to the floor of the tunnel, digging his talons in. Even though it was ice, it was strangely not-slippery. Enchanted, too? The RainWing prince turned around, and fumbled out, grabbing onto Deathbringer's tail.

"This way," Deathbringer said, walking forward as his nightvision adjusted. He winced as Jambu gently grabbed onto the end of his tail with his mouth, using it to guide him in the dark as the two descended.

The descent itself wasn't very long, and Deathbringer guessed that they weren't far beneath the floor of snow surrounding the palace. From there on, the tunnel was flat Yet, it felt like it was an hour of walking in the dark before Deathbringer finally saw light, and Jambu dropped his tail. From there on, the tunnel rose up in a steep climb. After a few steps forward, Jambu suddenly froze.

"Get back!" Deathbringer hissed, pushing Jambu back down as he grabbed a chakram from his pouch and ducked down. The side of the tunnel had suddenly become transparent, and the tail of an IceWing appeared in front of him. He readied the weapon, heart racing as the IceWing turned.

Even though the IceWing seemed to look directly at Deathbringer, they didn't make a movement. Deathbringer frowned. Weren't they going to sound an alarm or attack? But without any indication whatsoever that they'd seen Deathbringer or Jambu, the IceWing stepped away.

Deathbringer cautiously peered his head up again to see another IceWing looked at where he was, not reacting at all to his presence. Slowly, he reached out, and touched the glassy walls of the tunnel, leading further up into the palace.

"I don't think they can see us," Deathbringer frowned. He tapped the walls, making sure not to touch his bracelet to them. Nothing happened. "The walls must be reflecting or opaque on the outside."

"So we can see them, but they can't see us?" Jambu asked, pushing Deathbringer up so he could see. "Cool!" He waved a paw at the two conversing IceWings, getting no reaction, then stuck out his tongue at them."

"Nice," Deathbringer grinned, sticking his tongue out himself. "Make sure not to touch the ice with it. C'mon, we should go. Maybe we'll be able to see Hoarfrost from the tunnel."

"What happens if I touch the ice with it?" Jambu asked, now curious as the two climbed up into the next floor of the palace. He frowned, moving his head closer right before Deathbringer whacked him in the snout with his tail.

"It'll stick," Deathbringer explained. "Maybe the bracelets will stop that, but maybe not, I don't want to have to deal with figuring out how to get your tongue off. I'd probably have to breath fire on it, and I doubt you want it crispy."

"Eek!" Jambu gulped. "Alright. No licks. Hey, would it stick if I licked an IceWing?"

Deathbringer rolled his eyes as the two stepped up onto the next floor, where on either side he saw two rooms with nothing but ice sculptures in them. The tunnel was probably hidden within the walls and floors of the palace. "I don't think Hailstorm would appreciate it if you licked him."

The two continued through the palace. In contrast to the usage that Deathbringer had heard about under Queen Glacier, now, it almost seemed empty. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. Queen Blackice had killed almost all the nobles who'd been living in the palace at the time, and in the weeks after had promoted her top supporters to take their places. She might have killed more IceWings than she'd NightWings with that. Who in their right minds would want to live here so soon after a massacre?

It didn't take long for Deathbringer to figure out the answer to that question. Through the walls of the tunnel, he laid eyes on a small group of IceWings, deep in an argument of some sort. At the center, a gaunt IceWing stood silent, crisp black painted on his spines like he'd just put it on. Deathbringer recognized him from the description. While the other IceWings yelled, he made no motion to speak, yet the conversation seemed to revolve around him. One of the original IceWings who'd been banished alongside Blackice, who'd fought alongside her during her encounter with Queen Battlewinner, and the dragon who'd helped Blackice plan Glory's murder. His talons clenched tight around his chakram. This would feel good.

"That's him," Jambu whispered, seeing Hoarfrost's expression. "That's Hoarfrost."

Deathbringer nodded. "He won't be for much longer," he growled. He started to bring his bracelet to the wall of the tunnel, before thinking better of it, and pulling it back. He winced. He'd almost made a fatal mistake in his rage. "We need to wait until his meeting is over. I don't think I can hit him from this distance with all the other dragons around. After that, we can get him."

Jambu nodded and the two patiently waited as they discussed, for what seemed like an hour. Deathbringer twiddled his claws, careful not to touch the bracelet to the ice, while Jambu played with Deathbringer's tail.

"Ughhh," Jambu finally groaned, his scales turning a red-orange. "I didn't realize assassinations would be so boring. What are they taking so long to discuss?"

"Probably their plans to kill us," Deathbringer replied. "Wait, look, they're moving!"

He pointed a talon as the group of IceWings started to shuffle. He held his breath, only to grit his fangs. The group was moving away from the tunnel.

"What should we do?" Jambu asked.

"Follow," Deathbringer muttered. They'd be out of the safety of the tunnel, but it was their only option. "Make yourself look like an IceWing again, and look busy. I'll sneak around. I'm good at that."

As soon as the IceWings went out of sight, Deathbringer placed his bracelet to the tunnel, and a hole instantly started to melt in it. He climbed out as Jambu's scales changed into a blue-white. Deathbringer quickly walked over to an archway, peering into the room the IceWings had left from to see their backs.

Suddenly, Hoarfrost stopped. Deathbringer's heart raced for a moment, and he pulled his head back, making himself thin as he flattened himself up against the wall. His breath became shallow and quiet as he stilled it.

Finally, he braved another peek. As the larger group of IceWings had walked off into a corridor, Hoarfrost was nowhere to be seen. He frowned before his eyes caught on a door, about at the point Hoarfrost had turned. He must have gone into another room.

Deathbringer quietly walked up to the door, steadying his claws as he opened it. The light from the hall outside seemed to vanish as he stepped into a dark corridor. Careful not to make a sound, he stepped forward, talons around his weapon. Where had Hoarfrost gone?

A few more tail-lengths, and the corridor turned. Deathbringer glanced around it to finally see his target. Hoarfrost was turned away from him, a short distance down the dark icey hallway. The IceWing was sitting back on his haunches, his neck angled so that Deathbringer could just barely see his arteries. This was his chance.

The assassin raised his paw, talons stilling, right before he flung the silver disk forward. It made no sound more than a whizz through the chilled air, only seconds before the sharp edge embedded into Hoarfrost's neck.

Suddenly, a crack echoed through the darkness. Where the chakram had hit, ice splintered, lines spreading out from it. Hoarfrost turned his head, his image scattered across shards of ice. A mirror.

"I've been expecting you for a while, Deathbringer," Hoarfrost said, his sound seeming to bounce and echo, hitting Deathbringer's ears from all directions. "Queen Blackice warned me that visitors could sneak in through the tunnels, so I kept an extra close eye on the entrance."

Deathbringer heard a door swing open, and the patter of claws walk through. It was a trap. Deathbringer snarled, and suddenly rushed forward, as Hoarfrost's image in the mirror disappeared. He looked to his right to see a hundred Hoarfrosts, all staring back at him. He whipped out another chakram and threw it at the closest one. Another mirror of ice cracked.

"I'm honestly surprised," Hoarfrost mused, the reflections all tilting their heads. "I figured Prince Hailstorm would come eventually, but I wasn't expecting you to get all the way up here. Nor to risk your own life. I suppose not even the NightWing assassins are exempt from the lack of discipline and forethought."

Deathbringer stepped into the room of mirrors, his own reflection joining Hoarfrost's. His talons shook as he grabbed another chakram, trying to pinpoint Hoarfrost as the real one. He clawed at another, his talons only scraping on ice.

"It was your mother who trained you, wasn't it?" Hoarfrost asked. "I met her once, many years ago. None of this would have happened without her pushing Queen Blackice over the edge, you know. A NightWing got her to finally get rid of the SandWings holding our army back. Isn't that funny? I think she'd be proud of what we did."

"Shut up," Deathbringer growled. "If you're trying to taunt me, it won't work." A group of IceWings appeared in the reflections, claws outstretched as they saw Deathbringer. One blasted frostbreath, only to hit one of Deathbringer's own reflections. The IceWings that had been talking with Hoarfrost. So this really had been a set-up. He hoped Hailstorm was alright.

"If I was trying to taunt you, I don't think Quickstrike would be the one who to do it," Hoarfrost answered. "It would be your mate, Queen Glory. Aren't you curious to know what happened? How Blackice lost a wing and a leg? I was there, when she died."

Deathbringer suddenly flung out another chakram, and a hundred Hoarfrost's jumped in surprise before it hit another ice mirror. So Hoarfrost didn't know which one of him was the real one, either. "You're too confident," he snorted. "You're taunting me, but all I have to do is fine you before they find me." His gaze fell on the group of IceWings again, starting to spread out. He frowned as he recognized a familiar face among them, with horns a bit too curved to be an IceWing. Had Jambu followed them in?

"I'm fine. I have a head-start. Now, your mate's death wasn't quite as exciting as Queen Blackice claims," Hoarfrost continued. "I shouldn't tell you, but a dead dragon can spill no secrets. There was no glorious battle. Queen Blackice didn't best Queen Glory in combat."

Deathbringer suddenly whipped around as he felt cold air near his tail. He pulled it in to see an IceWing slam into one of Deathbringer's reflections, before turning. Deathbringer twisted to the side as the IceWing leaped forward. This one was real. He stepped to the side, grabbing another chakram.

"She died frightened, chained to a cavern wall, trying to spit venom at Queen Blackice. Her own venom burned a hole in her throat. And Queen Blackice made the, dare I say, mistake of plunging her own wing and leg into lava instead of just letting the venom run its course. Ironic, isn't it? It was their own actions that got themselves hurt."

Deathbringer's paw clenched up as he threw the disk, flinging it into the side of the IceWing's neck. He winced as the IceWing turned with a roar and pounced. His aim had been just barely off, and he hadn't hit an artery. Serrated claws grabbed at his backside as he ducked under the IceWing's neck, grabbing onto her back. A hiss suddenly sounded, as a second IceWing prepared to shoot a blast of frostbreath. Deathbringer twisted his weight to the side, flipping the IceWing he was holding over, between him and the other one, who's frostbreath instantly paused so not to hurt his ally in it.

It was in vain, as Deathbringer slit her throat with another disk, before throwing the same one at the second attacker, this time his aim accurate. As soon as he got up, another IceWing crashed into him. As he struggled, Deathbringer's eyes met with the still-disguised Jambu's, his reflection staring at him in shock.

Jambu's talons shook as he saw the IceWing's fall, blood from their necks. Why did it have to be like this? Why did so many dragons have to die. As more IceWings attacked Deathbringer at once, the RainWing prince backed away behind a set of mirrors. What could he do? He didn't know how to fight. He couldn't help Deathbringer.

Jambu glanced to the side as he saw Hoarfrost move between the reflections. He squinted. Something seemed different about one of the images. It was like during hide-and-seek games in the rainforest, where you had to find an almost-invisible RainWing by figuring out the tree which looked just a little bit funny because of the hidden dragon wrapped around its truck. Except now, it was the opposite. There was only one real Hoarfrost, and the rest were images that looked just a little bit funny. As the one Hoarfrost that seemed odd stepped out of view, ducking behind a mirror, Jambu quietly followed.

A multitude of Hoarfrost reflections turned to look at Jambu reflections as he stepped around the corner. Jambu froze up as he stared back at the lithe IceWing. This one was less fuzzy than the others. It was the real one.

"You're not one of the IceWings I met with," Hoarfrost frowned. "You shouldn't be here. Who are you? A guard?"

Jambu's blood boiled as Hoarfrost spoke. He'd heard what the IceWing had said to Deathbringer. This dragon had helped kill Glory. He was responsible for her death. Without another thought, he bared his fangs, unable to hold back red seeping into his scales.

"I'm Penguin," Jambu hissed as he opened his mouth, and venom shot directly into Hoarfrost's eyes.

The cave seemed to go silent for a moment, before Hoarfrost let out a shrill scream. His claws went to his face, but only making things worse as the venom smeared on his scales. The Black Prince turned, trying to run, but slammed into his own reflection. The venom dug deeper, and the IceWings attacking Deathbringer went quiet as Hoarfrost's agonized cries filled the room.

Jambu tried to turn away, but was only met with one of Hoarfrost's reflections everywhere he looked. He closed his eyes, heart racing. He shouldn't have done that. He couldn't have done that.

"No," Jambu whispered. "You're not ever ever ever supposed to use venom on a dragon." That's what he'd been taught from the day he hatched. He opened his eyes as Hoarfrost fell to the ground, and felt a lump rise up in his throat.

Jambu felt queasy for a moment, right before throwing up his last meal on the ground, staggering back. Hoarfrost's screams stopped, his body lying motionless on the ground. Jambu had killed him.

"We need to get out of here!" Deathbringer yelled at him. The assassin stepped back, and let out a blast of fire. One of the IceWings squealed and backed away as it grazed him, and Deathbringer's flame hit the ice, causing it to fog up as reflections disappeared.

"Y-yeah," Jambu gulped. He turned as he saw an IceWing coming towards him, then vanished, his reflection disappearing. He snuck past the IceWing, back to where Deathbringer was still fending for himself. "T-this way," he called out, a disembodied voice leading Deathbringer towards the exit.

Deathbringer threw another chakram as a distraction before running after Jambu. The reflections started to vanish as the two ran down the dark corridor, IceWings scrambling after them. Jambu re-appeared as they exited the open door, his scales now a dark green.

Deathbringer shot back another blast of fire as they headed towards the palace wall they'd come from, Jambu whacking a front leg against it to reveal the tunnel. After he got inside, Deathbringer backed up, blasting fire again as the IceWings ran into the room. They ran towards the tunnel, but the wall started to close, filled in with ice.

Deathbringer stared for a moment as an IceWing banged on the tunnel wall, trying to break it open. Another one ran around to the other side, trying to figure out where the two had gotten to.

"I killed him," Jambu whispered, eyes wide open. "I-I shouldn't have . . . the venom . . . I killed . . ."

"C'mon, Jambu, we need to go," Deathbringer said hurriedly, pushing Jambu forward. "They'll be after us soon. We can debate the ethics of assassination later. We need to find out if Hailstorm is alright. We need him."

Jambu stayed silent and shocked as he walked forward, following Deathbringer's orders as he stepped down the tunnel. Hoarfrost had died, right in front of Jambu's eyes. He'd taken a dragon's life, just like that. He was a murderer. An assassin.

Jambu's scales slowly shifted colors as he fumbled his way back through the tunnel, even though he couldn't see them. Disgust turned to fear and guilt, before he settled on a quiet grey. Eventually, the two reached the end, and as Jambu bumped into a familiar IceWing they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Hailstorm!" Jambu said. "You're alive!"

"You too," Hailstorm smiled in the dark. "I was spotted, but escaped down here. I was worried something had happened to the two of you."

"Something did," Deathbringer responded. "Jambu managed to take Hoarfrost out, but he was waiting for us. We were also caught. How's the situation up there?"

"Not so good, especially if reinforcements are coming," Hailstorm admitted. "There were half a dozen dragons when I got down here, and I'm sure they're still up there, waiting for me. They can't get in here, unless Queen Blackice returns to the Ice Kingdom. But we can't get out."

Deathbringer frowned, thinking about the situation. "I think I might have something that can help us out, just for this purpose," he explained. "But we'll need to fly up as quickly as possible. We'll only have one chance at this."

Deathbringer fumbled through his pouch before finally finding what he wanted. A small canister, easily able to fit in his paws, with a woven rope attached to it. "Mastermind made me this years ago after getting the materials from a MudWing I convinced to defect. I think it still works. Hailstorm, when I tell you to, open up the tunnel above us. Then both of you close your eyes and hold your breath."

"Close our eyes?" Jambu asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Trust me, you'll want to," Deathbringer replied.

"Okay," Hailstorm said, getting in position right beneath the hole. "Tell me when."

Deathbringer took in a deep breath. "Now!" he said. Hailstorm shot a blast of frostbreath up, and light started to stream in as the ceiling disappeared. Deathbringer immediately let out a puff of flame, lighting the fuse, quickly diminishing.

As soon as Deathbringer saw the snout of an IceWing poke down into the hole, he threw the object up over the edge, shutting his eyes tight and taking in one last breath. A huge bang reverberated through the air, followed by a flash of light in front of Deathbringer's eyelids, smoke stinging them even closed. The IceWings above all started yelling, and he heard a few run crash into each other in their blindness from the smoke bomb. Hailstorm and Jambu climbed out, Deathbringer following them as they took off.

After a few wingbeats, Deathbringer opened his eyes, wiping them as he looked back. A huge cloud of grey smoke covered the lake below, the figures of IceWings running around. He turned forward with a grin, seeing a relieved Jambu and Hailstorm flying ahead of him.

"Well, can I declare that mission a success?" Deathbringer asked as the three turned south, heading away from the palace.

Hailstorm smiled and nodded. "I think so. I'm just relieved we got out alive. But I think that the hardest challenges are still ahead of us."

Deathbringer's grin faded. Prince Hailstorm was right. They may have taken out Queen Blackice's second-in-command, but she was still out there, her armies roaming large in the rainforest and around Jade Mountain. They still had a battle to fight. But now, they had a chance to win it.

Chapter 33

Midnight stared up at the Empress's palace. It seemed to reach up to the sky, the greenhouse at the top touching the clouds. The island surrounding the palace was probably the most beautiful landscape Midnight had ever seen, a paradise in the midst of Antigonia.

"Move along," Glory growled as she whacked Midnight with her tail, pushing her, Ecru, and Darkstalker towards the entrance. Two RainWings at the entrance backed up, bowing their heads as Glory approached the palace doors. "I want to tend to Deathbringer's wounds. You'll have plenty of time to stare at the palace. From the inside."

Midnight glanced back as she stepped in, clear sunlight replaced by an ambient glow that seemed to come from everywhere. Deathbringer was still on Glory's back, even though the NightWing seemed far more perky now. He gave her a grin. Midnight didn't say it, but she was pretty sure Deathbringer was able to walk, and was just having fun riding Glory around.

"You were a lot nicer in the stories I heard about you on Pyrrhia," Midnight said to Glory, annoyed.

"I'm also far more dead on Pyrrhia," Glory retorted as the three walked down one of the hallways, until they reached a golden circle in front of two doors. Glory stepped inside it, waiting.

"Oooh, sick burn," Deathbringer commented.

"Please shut up," Glory sighed. "I'm already starting to regret rescuing you."

The doors opened up, and the five stepped into the circular room. Glory walked to the center, and the doors shut closed again. Ecru gave out a squeal as the room lurched.

"It's magic," Glory explained, rolling her eyes. "It moves up and down to where I want it to go. Useful for our human visitors, since they can't fly. Right now, I'm putting you with the other Pyrrhian guests."

"There are others?" Ecru asked, surprised. "Have you been nabbing dragons from Pyrrhia, or something?"

"Only three," Glory replied. "And only by accident."

Midnight frowned. The moving room, the light without any light-source, it all had to have been done by magic. Maybe even the entire palace. It reminded her eerily of the tales she'd heard about the Summer Palace, and of course, it's creator . . .

She looked over towards Deathbringer. He was just resting on Glory's back, calm and oddly non-murderous.

"Okay," Midnight said to him, "I hate to remind you, but why aren't you trying to assassinate me right now? It would be pretty easy."

"My mission was to assassinate animuses. And as long as you're in Antigonia, you're not an animus." Deathbringer shrugged his wings. "Regardless, I think the Empress would prefer you alive and captured anyways. Don't take me for soft, but I try not to kill when I don't have to."

"Given the number of times you've almost killed me, I won't make that mistake," Midnight replied.

The room stopped, and the doors opened again. "Follow," Glory demanded, leading the three into another long hallway. She turned after finding the door she wanted, and knocked on it with her claws.

"You have guests!" Glory called out.

The door suddenly shot open, and Glory jumped, almost knocking Deathbringer off her back. In the doorway, a black dragonet looked up, with crimson streaks across their scales. Two more dragonets crowded behind them to see the visitors, an orange RainWing with black stripes, and a small pale IceWing.

"These are them?" Midnight asked Glory, concerned. "They're just dragonets."

Ermine suddenly ran past Glory and Deathbringer, wrapping his front legs around a surprised Ecru in a tight hug. "Another Pyrrhian dragon," he whispered, almost crying. "I never thought I'd see one again."

"They saw something they shouldn't have," Glory answered Midnight. "Namely, me."

Ecru gave Ermine a friendly pat on his head, unsure whether or not to push the clingy IceWing off.

"I'll leave you to it," Glory said as she turned around, slapping Darkstalker with her tail as she walked past him. "Enjoy your new home. You'll be here for a while."

As soon as Glory had gone back into the circular room, Tiger stepped forward. "I'm so glad you're finally here," she said, relieved. "I'm Tiger. The IceWing is Ermine, and the hybrid is Skytaker."

"We're students at Jade Mountain," Skytaker quickly added. "But we were captured by General Glory, and we've been held here for weeks. They're probably more worried about us than the Jade Winglet now. At least they usually come back."

"It's your fault we got captured," Ermine grumbled, finally letting Ecru go and backing away.

"Hey, you could have chosen not to stalk Tiger and I," Skytaker retorted. "You just wanted to tattle on us for going into the rainforest."

"I'm Ecru, and this is Midnight," Ecru quickly interrupted, trying to get a few words in between the bickering. "How did you know we were going to be here?"

"I used the Obscura," Tiger explained.

"Wait, hold on, the Obscura?" Darkstalker asked, stepping forward. He turned towards Ecru and Midnight. "That's the thing that the Empress uses to spy on everyone. I'm surprised you got a chance to use it. I've always wanted to try it out."

"Who are you?" Skytaker frowned. "You're not from Pyrrhia, are you?"

Darkstalker shook his head. "Nope. I think that Liliana wants to use me for my mind-reading powers, so I guess I ended up here. I'm Darkstalker."

Ermine let out a shrill scream, and leaped away, hiding behind Skytaker. "D-D-DARKSTALKER?"

Darkstalker glanced to Midnight. "Did I really do so many things on Pyrrhia to make me that hated?"

"Yes," Midnight answered. "Ermine, you don't need to worry. He's not as evil as his Pyrrhian version. He's not an animus here either, since animus magic doesn't work on Antigonia."

Tiger frowned, considering this for a second. "You're wrong," she stated, getting a confused look from Midnight. "The Empress said that too, but she also told me how she used an enchanted artifact to change Antigonia. It definitely still works here."

"Have you tried?" Darkstalker suggested to Midnight, suddenly curious.

"You're an animus?" Ermine asked, poking his head out from behind Skytaker.

Midnight tensed up, feeling everyone's eyes suddenly on her. She'd kept her powers a secret. No one except for Ecru, Gazelle, and Torrent had known about them before she left Crosswinds. And now, it seemed like every dragon she met found out.

She let out a sigh. "I'll try." She looked down at the rug, sporting an image of Empress Liliana. "I enchant that image to turn into . . . Queen Sunny."

Ecru winced, seeing Midnight try to use her magic, but nothing happened. The image didn't change, one bit.

Midnight shook her head. "Nope. No magic. I don't know why, but it feels like I've lost the connection to my powers." She turned towards Ecru, recalling what she'd mentioned back in the base. Whatever horrible thing she'd been drawing upon to use her magic, it wasn't here.

"The Great Ice Dragon really has abandoned this world," Ermine whispered, getting a strange stare from Ecru.

The group was silent for a moment. Midnight knew why. Her magic had been the biggest advantage she'd had, their greatest chance at stopping the Empress. At least until they got back to Pyrrhia, she'd have to survive without it.

"You really are Ink's sister," Tiger said quietly, looking up at the NightWing-SeaWing hybrid.

Midnight froze up. "What?" she asked, staring down at the RainWing. "How do you know that name?"

"He visited Jade Mountain not long ago," Skytaker explained, "he hung around our winglet."

Midnight shook her head in disbelief. "Are you sure you're from the same Pyrrhia as I am? Ink is dead."

Tiger fidgeted nervously. She looked towards Skytaker, silently asking them explain it.

Skytaker sighed, and took up the slack. "Er, yeah. He is now. Toxin told us that he sacrificed himself to save Pyrrhia, and his father had a funeral for him."

"A funeral," Midnight whispered, still not sure what they were saying. Finally, it clicked, and it made sense. "That's why Torrent came back to Crosswinds," she said to Ecru, distressed. "I'd thought Ink was dead, this whole time, but he wasn't, and now he is dead. I never even knew him."

"I'm so sorry," Ecru said, placing a wing over Midnight and pulling her close to comfort her.

Midnight lowered her head, and let out a sigh of despair. "No, don't be. I'll be fine. It's hard for me to grieve for someone I already thought was dead, even if he was my sib."

Ecru looked over at the saddened Midnight. Even if she wanted to hide it, she could still easily see Midnight's distress.

"Don't you have a half-sibling?" Tiger asked, not reading the room very well. Did Midnight not know about her too?

Midnight tensed up, baring her teeth. "I don't count Aurora as family," she growled. "I've got a far nicer cousin. How do you know so much about my family anyways?"

Tiger shifted her eyes away uncomfortably. "Aurora caused a big commotion when she attacked and killed a few RainWing guards. I'm involved in the whole thing because my friend Toxin was in some sort of prophecy with Ink."

"Your dad's also been brooding around Jade Mountain for a while," Skytaker added. "He's kinda a mood-killer."

"I'm just glad we're getting rescued," Ermine said as he finally gained the courage to walk out from behind Skytaker. He looked up at Ecru with hopeful eyes.

Ecru let out an uncomfortable laugh. "By the look of it, we might need rescuing ourselves."

"We're not going to have another chance to escape," Skytaker quickly pressed, raising their head high to try and meet eyes with the adult dragons. "The Empress is already in Pyrrhia, and we don't have long to stop her. But if she's gone, maybe we can get free."

"She's looking for something there called the Wishstone," Tiger added. "It's an enchanted artifact that can do anything. When she uses it, she'll completely destroy Pyrrhia, and make a new world from its ashes. You have to help us!"

"I know," Midnight sighed. "We understand the urgency. We know she's gone, and that we have to find the Wishstone first. But I'm not even sure how to get out of the palace."

Skytaker smirked, like they'd been expecting this. "I've got a plan," they explained. "The three of us got out of the palace before with cunning and talking, though it won't work again. But now we've got some more muscle. I think we can get out, this time, by fighting."