Chapter 18

Nightshade

Nightshade followed the strange dragons to a clearing. He had a wing around Asha as they walked. Her wings and talons trembled slightly.

"Who are you?" he finally asked the strange dragons.

"I'm Moon." The black dragon said. "This is Kinkajou, Winter, Qibli, Turtle, Clay, Sunny, Starflight, Tsunami, Glory, Deathbringer, Sundew, Cricket, Blue, Luna, Peril, Sky and Wren."

Nightshade looked at the group. "Nightshade." He nodded his head to Ghost and Mystery. "This is Ghost and Mystery."

"Calypso, why have you hidden here?" Asha asked the Shimmerwing princess.

"This is the only island the Shimmerwings no longer visit. Ever since the strange occurrences." Calypso looked over the trees.

"We came here because of how well hidden everything is." Nightshade nodded.

"If you're a princess," a golden dragon said to Asha. "You're related to King Alistar."

"I am." Asha nodded. "He is my uncle. My mother was the Queen." Asha's eyes grew sad. "Before he killed her and took the throne."

"I'm so sorry." The golden dragon said. If Nightshade had to guess this one was Sunny. At least that was the only name that fit in his head.

"Where can we rest?" Nightshade turned to Calypso.

"Well this is the only real cover around here. During the storm we all hid around here." Calypso gestured to the trees around the clearing.

"We can make that work." Asha said.

Nightshade walked over to a small area where he and the others could sit and rest. There were a couple large trees, letting minimal light through. A few bushes obscured the ground where they would lay.

Asha was behind him, a tired look in her eyes. "You three rest. I'll take watch." He said to them as they passed him.

He climbed the closest tree and sat on top of a large branch, overlooking Asha and the others while also being able to watch the Shimmerwings and their strange friends. The sky had filled with light clouds dotted all over the blue sky.

Nightshade wrapped his tail around the branch to steady himself more. A bird above him watched him with a careful eye, making sure he didn't come any closer to its nest.

As he was sitting he could see several of the other dragons staring at him. The only time he had ever gotten these same stairs was when he was a young dragonet.

Why must they stair? He grumbled to himself. Something snapped a branch behind him. He swerved his head around, almost knocking into a dragon. The dragon flared its wings and turned an emerald green color. He looked at it, releasing it was one of the strange dragons.

He dug his claws into the branch. "What do you want?"

The dragon sat a few lengths away from him on a different branch. "What is your problem?"

Nightshade snorted. "My problem is dragons not minding their own business."

"You attacked us, making you our problem. We should know who you are and what you intend to do." the green dragon sat taller.

"Well then maybe you should have left us alone." he growled. "You should have let us go before you started this mess."

"This mess started with you." She thrashed her tail.

"No." Nightshade looked at her with defiant eyes. "This started the moment you attacked the future Queen of the Silverwings. You are our descendants. We are your ancestors. We have been alive for far longer than your tribes."

"You know nothing of my tribe." she growled, her scales shifting to a red.

"I can guess." he didn't back down. "Your Queen is a soft thing with worrying respect for her tribe. She never wants anything to happen to her palace and all she wants is treasure."

"Far from it," She flashed her wings and took a step closer. "My queen came with us, fighting to save every tribe. Oh and she isn't as soft as you'd think. I rule over my tribe with strength and restraint."

"You? Queen?" He gave her a skeptical look. "You're maybe a year or two older than a dragonet."

"And she's a great Queen!" a voice popped out of thin air.

The supposed queen turned towards the voice. "Kinkajou, I told you not to follow me."

"I had to." a smaller version of the Queen appeared. Her scales were a sickening yellow and bright pink. "To make sure he wouldn't harm you."

"I can take care of myself. Besides, he wouldn't try anything." she nudged the smaller dragon.

"Hmf." Nightshade snorted. The wind blew away from him carrying sound from afar. One caught his attention. A single snap of leaves and a slithering through the foliage. He shot up so fast the others jumped up. He walked to the end of his wide branch and listened.

"What are you-," he shushed her.

"Glory, what is he-," he shushed again.

They both froze as he stood still, listening to the backdrop. It was quiet. Too quiet. No birds chirping in the trees, no bugs whistling in the grass. Nothing.

"Someone's here." he whipped around to them. "Tell the others."

"How do you know?" Glory asked.

"Silverwings have impeccable hearing. Now go. Warn them." he jumped down the tree.

"Ghost. Mystery." he said loudly. "Asha." he nudged her.

"What's going on?" Ghost asked sleepily.

"Someone's coming." he answered.

"What?" Asha's head shot up.

"Come on. We have to go." he helped her up.

"Are you sure someone's here?" Calypso walked over to him.

"Yes. I heard them. Also, don't you wonder why we don't hear any bird song?" He walked out into the clearing. "Whoever they are, they aren't that far away."

"Where do we go?" Calypso asked him.

"We can't go to your palace." he thought out loud. "We may have to fight."