The magic worked. Arctic and Whiteout materialized exactly where Queen Diamond had marked on her map – the place where Foeslayer was being held captive.

Arctic looked around. He and Whiteout were in the middle of a vast frozen tundra. A wasteland of flat nothingness. Powdery snow blew in small swirling drifts. This wasn't the secret prison he'd been expecting. There was no sign of a dark dragon – or any dragon – anywhere.

"There must be a secret entrance," Arctic thought aloud.

Whiteout shook her head. She was trembling so much in the cold that it was almost hard to notice.

"Mother's not here," Whiteout said plainly.

"But the map said she'd be here," Arctic insisted.

"She lied to you, Father," Whiteout responded.

"But we had a deal," he said blankly. "Here, look with me for the secret entrance."

"She's not here, Father," Whiteout repeated. "This place has no memory of wingbeats."

Arctic rose into the air to search from above. Whiteout followed him, wanting to stay close and eager for the warmth of flying.

Everywhere Arctic looked, there was… nothing. Desolate, icy, blue-gray whiteness. There weren't even hills or mountains that might hide a secret cave to keep a dragon in. He couldn't feel any signs of magic. As the search wore on, he became increasingly frantic. And angry.

"We had a deal!" he shouted as he flew. "The maps I gave Mother were real! I put the whole NightWing tribe in danger for this! I USED MY MAGIC — FOR THIS! FOR NOTHING!" How dare his mother flippantly disregard his soul for her own purposes? Lead him to commit such a crime against his wife's tribe, the tribe that had concealed him safely for so many years? The tribe that had respected his right to NOT use his magic?

"Let's go back," Whiteout called.

"Go back?! There's nothing here!" Arctic shouted.

"Exactly," Whiteout shouted back. "Let's force her to tell us before the sand runs out!"

Arctic knew what she meant. The challenge for the throne would be happening within hours – or maybe less. How long had they been searching? If Diamond lost the challenge, the knowledge of Foeslayer's whereabouts would die with her. He landed, Whiteout beside him. Whiteout turned Arctic's armband to make them invisible again; Arctic was too enraged to think of it himself. Arctic touched his Arctic Pearl and transported them back to the palace – right into Queen Diamond's private quarters.

—-

Invisible, Arctic and Whiteout materialized at the foot of Queen Diamond's beautifully carved ice block bed. Queen Diamond herself stood only a foot away from them, so Whiteout let out a small, startled gasp. Queen Diamond didn't hear. The queen held the enormous, gaudy crown used for stately occasions and murmured. She was spattered in dried, red blood.

"Enchanting your crown, Mother?" Arctic barked, still invisible. "You, who constantly reminds me of rules?"

Queen Diamond spun around, but of course, she saw nothing.

"I trusted you!" Arctic shrieked.

"Arctic," Queen Diamond said, attempting to make her voice sweet. "My dear son. Where are you, my love? Show yourself."

Whiteout gripped Arctic more tightly to warn him to stay invisible.

"I risked my soul for you! I handed over a tribe for you! And you LIED to me! How could you, Mother?"

"Arctic," Diamond trilled slowly. "How did you get in here? You know you're not allowed."

"There you go talking about rules again while you're doing more magic!"

"Please, Arctic, you sound like an adolescent. You're a grown dragon. You know better."

"Where's Foeslayer?"

"Nevermind, you still sound like an adolescent. Grow up, son. Do you really believe I'd release my son's kidnapper?"

"WE HAD A DEAL!"

"Leave me. I have to prepare for the contest."

Arctic leapt forward. Still invisible, he caught Queen Diamond unawares. Although she was bigger than him, he knocked her over and pinned her to the ground. He grabbed her by the throat and started to shake her.

"Where. Is. My. Wife. You monster!"

"Father, no!" Whiteout shouted, horrified.

"Ah, my granddaughter," Diamond choked out. No longer holding onto Arctic, she had become visible.

"The blood is red," Whiteout observed aloud, desperately attempting to distract her father for even a moment. She did not want to witness a murder.

Arctic paused and looked down, maintaining his invisible grip. "Whose?" he spat. "Another NightWing prisoner?"

"Yes," Diamond replied, grinning madly. Arctic shook her again, hitting Diamond's head against the floor hard enough to leave a small splatter of blue blood.

"It would have been so easy for you, Arctic," Diamond's choked voice cracked like breaking ice.. "You just had to kill your dragonet. He is even more arrogant than you supposed, but he hasn't self-destructed. Quite the opposite, in fact. Tell me – will he have a queen? Will he have eggs? Give your animus powers to more NightWings? It cannot be, Arctic. Only our tribe knows how to use animus magic safely. We are the only tribe that can be trusted with it."

"Like I trusted you," Arctic retorted. "Look at you. You used your magic to trap Foeslayer and again right now to enchant your crown. That's two more times than you should have."

Diamond laughed, the same cold, creaky laugh as Arctic's.

"Do you really believe that I've only used my magic three times? My dear Arctic, when you were kidnapped – that would be enough to drive anyone mad. Why not use my magic as much as I wanted if I were already mad?"

Arctic didn't know what to say.

"So you didn't need Father to risk his soul with a Gift to the tribe," Whiteout breathed

"Nope," Queen Diamond laughed again. Whiteout straightened up. She appeared suddenly regal.

"Take me to my mother," she commanded.

Queen Diamond smiled slightly to herself, her eyes rolling slightly in her head.

"Very well, my dear," she replied. Surprised, Arctic carefully loosened his grip on Queen Diamond but did not fully release her. She slowly sat up and held out her front talons loosely, nonthreateningly. "Grab on." Whiteout cautiously held the queen's shoulder (not wanting to go too near the talons). The scene around all three of them swirled and blurred as if swept up in a blizzard. The next moment, they arrived in an icy cavern.

Whiteout heard a rushing river somewhere nearby. Her senses tingled. This place felt magical and evil; life and death battled together here, neither one able to win. She knew with certainty: Mother is here..