Aten had always wondered what it was like inside the SandWing prison. Being a SandWing prince, he'd never expected to be trapped there. There was an unbearable pain in his head, and Aten slowly got up. It was a dark dungeon, only lit by the occasional torch. Creepy.

"You up yet?" Frostburn growled.

Aten gave her a goofy grin, but Frostburn said nothing. The floor was completely covered in sand, and the cell's walls were made of stone, except for the barred one where the guards could walk down the hall to stare at them. In the cell, Frostburn and Aten were alone.

"Do you know where they put Maelstrom, Dovekie and Dawn?"

Frostburn rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, I wonder. That's a real tough one!"

Aten blinked.

What did he do to make her mad?

"I just hope they're okay," he mumbled.

Frostburn actually gave Aten a pitying glance, before sitting down right next to him. She placed her talons on his for a short while, and bubbles of pure joy rose up in Aten's chest.

"I know we left so we wouldn't have to marry," he began, "But can we?"

Frostburn nearly laughed.

In Frostbite's palace, nobody would have proposed with the phrase "Can we?"

In fact, nobody would have proposed at all.

She'd known for a while that Aten liked her, and she liked him too. So what was stopping her?

Frostburn stood again, letting her talons sink into the sand. Aten looked up, smiling from just having poured his heart out. He was like a RainWing, letting his emotions splatter across his snout. If Frostburn did that. . . she didn't want to think about it. Frostbite, Snowfall's daughter, tried to fix what her mother had broken. But it was impossible without animus magic. Now, Frostburn knew the identity of an animus, they could fix everything.

But we're allies.

Frostburn didn't think that was true, not after what Foxfire had told her.

She was going to live in the palace, marry an IceWing. Not a stupid SeaWing or SandWing.

Dovekie was trapped.

In a cell.

With Qibli-spawn.

Dawn was prancing around, and rolling in the sand. Dovekie couldn't believe her. The entire chamber was tiny, and closing in on her, and Dawn didn't even care. Dovekie needed to escape, and on his own. Dovekie stormed off, and Dawn walked right by him.

He dug at the sand, hoping to reach the bottom and possibly dig a tunnel?

"Roar," Dawn squeaked in protest, "Groarf!"

"Quiet," Dovekie snapped back, "I'm escaping."

"ROARBLE roargrr argh roarf," Dawn replied, shaking her head.

Dovekie didn't say anything. His limbs were aching from the effort, but still, he persevered, not willing to let himself rest. The sand seemed to go forever, and he almost missed the guard that was walking past.

"What are you doing?" she barked.

Before Dovekie could reply, Dawn chirped, "Quiet, I'm escaping!"

"Excuse me?" the guard asked.

Her barbed tail unfurled slowly, and Dovekie flinched slightly. Dawn wasn't fazed at all, she simply stared blankly at the bars. Randomly, Dawn said, "She's so cu-"

"Shut up, Qibli!"

In my book, that's an insult.

The guard snarled menacingly, but didn't speak. She left, muttering, "I don't have time for this."

Dovekie looked to Dawn, who was playing in the sand again. The two silver scales by her eyes glistened as they caught the torchlight, and Dawn stopped when she noticed Dovekie looking. Her body was small enough to slip through the bars, yet she stayed.

Wait, silver scales? A mind reader, that's useful!

Dawn did nothing.

Dovekie got up and thought as loud as he could, Get out of the cell and give me the key.

Nothing.

In his mind, Dovekie imagined Dawn slipping through the bars, grabbing the key from an unsuspecting guard, and freeing Dovekie from the cell.

Dawn would help, but then Dovekie would be mad at her.

Right after.

Maelstrom was alone.

And she didn't mind it.

No infuriating Dovekie.

No lustful Aten.

No Frostburn. . .

Maelstrom looked to the bars, waiting for a guard to taunt. As if by command, a stern-looking guard walked to her cell. He was familiar, and Maelstrom immediately knew his name.

"You're Anubis, right?" she asked, "Head General?"

Anubis backed away a little, and said, "You know my name? Not even the Queen remembers me."

"Her son? Her head general?'

Anubis nodded solemnly, and Maelstrom knew her plan was working.

In a couple of seconds, he's gonna say, "I like you."

"I like you," Anubis added, "Wanna come work for me?"

"If I have to,"

Sure, maybe this plan would get her friends killed, but at least she would be free, and she didn't)t care about any of them.

Not one.