Blaze

Blaze wasn't sure what to think when the royal party arrived with Burn. Should she be happy? Angry? Sad? Blaze felt like she had gone to all the work of chasing Burn halfway across the continent, and Burn had eluded them completely. She still remembered the ache of her muscles. The dull drum of pain. She shuddered.

She was in the entrance hall, hiding. She had been examining the flora when she found a mini cave behind some leafy vines. The cave would be big enough for her, Cactus Blossom, Blister and Crypt to fit in comfortably, but no more. There were little niches, formed naturally, and she had gawked at those. They were perfect for putting things in, like food or scrolls. Blaze decided that the cave would be a good hiding spot for her and Cactus if they ever wanted to spy on the entrance hall. Or hide from Burn.

Burn was unconscious, passed out on a piece of canvas three servants had been carrying. In the party, Blaze saw her mother and father, two royal advisers, her aunt, and a few nobles. They pranced through the hall towards the offices. The offices were where the teachers lived, as well as, well, had offices.

Blaze waited until they passed into the other tunnel to creep out of the small cave, through the vines, and all the way into her dorm. She found Cactus sleeping, so she shook her gently.

"Cactus! Burn is here! And I found a cave where we can spy on the entrance hall." Blaze told her friend. Cactus Blossom blinked groggily.

"What? Oh…" Cactus said. Blaze pulled her up. Cactus Blossom complied, although rather sleepily, to follow Blaze to the currently empty entrance hall.

"Fly as quietly as you can! Don't let them hear you!" Blaze whispered. She opened her wings, waiting for Cactus to follow. Cactus Blossom peered out into the darkened desert through the entranceway. The night had fallen.

As they prepared to take off, Blister and Crypt flew into the hall. Blister spotted them instantly, and flew over.

"What are you doing? Burn is here! We saw her!" Blister asked. Blaze lifted her talon to her mouth.

"Shhh. We're spying. We want to find out what's happening. Follow me." Blaze flapped her wings and took off. Blister and Crypt glanced at each over in confusion.

"Just follow her." Blister said, shrugging. They all flew after Blaze. Blaze hovered outside the vines, waiting for the others. When they reached her, she pointed through the vines.

Blister raised an eye.

"What?" Blister questioned. Just then, Heatwave walked out of the offices. He was looking behind him and gesturing as if for someone to follow him. The royal party!

Blister

Blister wasn't sure why her sister wanted to spy on Burn, but she was sure that if they were caught trying to hide her mother would be furious. So she swiftly dove into a mess of flowering vines, exactly where Blaze had pointed. Instead of hitting a stone wall, she tumbled into a small cave. Crypt, Cactus Blossom, and Blaze followed a moment later, frantically launching themselves through the vines. They sat, gasping silently, as voices rose from below.

"What do you mean, you need more guards?! I already sent four regiments!" yelled a voice that Blister thought belonged to her mother's best general.

"Well… you see… We don't want to risk the princess leaving again…" said a voice that sounded like Heatwave. Something else was said, but Blister didn't hear. She inched forwards, barely moving, towards the cave's opening. The candle-induced, green filtered light fell on her face, making her look sick. Blaze was perched on the edge near her, and Cactus and Crypt were in the back of the cave.

"But-" said Heatwave.

"NO BUTS! THIS WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! You won't be getting any guards. And if she leaves again, you'll all be executed!" Queen Oasis said. The eavesdropping dragonets heard a noise like someone wheeling around sharply on their talons. "Come along now, we're leaving. Good evening, principal." And wing beats were heard as the royal party launched into the sky. Blaze looked at her.

"That was fast. We missed most of it. They likely talked in the office." Blister whispered, trying not to glare at Blaze. Blaze looked downcast. Crypt tapped her tail.

"Blister, let's go." Crypt whispered. Blister slid out of the cave, talons gripping the rock. She climbed down the wall, just inside the wall of plants, careful to keep a good grip. When she reached the bottom edge of the plant wall, she peered out carefully. The hall was still empty. Blister dropped onto the floor stealthily, using her wings. Crypt followed, glancing around nervously.

"Blaze is crazy. If we had stayed down, we would have gotten to talk to mother and find out more about Burn!" Blister growled. Her keen ears picked up the movement of her sister and Cactus climbing down after them. "Let's go." Blister walked off quickly, angrily shaking her head. Crypt stepped after her, a slightly concerned expression on her face.

"Blister, I can tell something's wrong. What is it?" Crypt asked. Blister slowed her pace, falling back beside Crypt.

"Well… I guess it's just… Mother didn't even try to talk to us. It's always been like that, but I guess after meeting you, I'm used to people caring about me at least a little, and I sort of half-hoped mother would care too. But she didn't." Blister sighed. Crypt brushed her wing against Blister's.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she cares about you, even if she doesn't show it." Crypt reassured. They walked back to their dorm.

"The stars this evening were spectacular, don't you think? I never thought the sky was so pretty." Blister said. Crypt opened her mouth to reply but yawned instead.

"I should hit the sack. I'm exhausted." Crypt said. So as the moon rose in the sky, the two friends drifted off to sleep.

Burn

Burn woke up a full day before the doctor had anticipated. In fact, the doctor had just left when she woke up on a cold stone ledge. She groggily rubbed her eyes.

"The nerve of some dragons! Just because they're high-ranked doesn't mean they're more important than the rest of us! I don't know why I agreed to be principal of this miserable school. The IceWings have more sense than us, seeing as they were actually hesitant to try this idea. If the queen isn't careful…" the voice, which Burn recognized as Heatwave's.

"Be careful! There are ears everywhere. No one has privacy! And about IceWings, careful what you say. There's a rumour going 'round that the IceWing teachers here are the troublesome ones, those dragons that get in arguments." The voice was new, Burn didn't recognize it, but it was edged with bitterness.

"WHAT?! SERIOUSLY!?" cried a heavily accented voice. Burn instantly assumed it was an IceWing.

The gravity of the situation finally hit Burn. These dragons… they were talking treason.

Hi! Winter Kitty here! New chapter, yay! I put all the story together, and there's a grand total of 25 pages! Yay! Check out the SandIce Academy forum if you like this story. Thanks,

Winter Kitty