Chapter 24

The Secret Library

The ocean breeze was salty. The tide thrashed at the beach, as if waiting for unsuspecting dragons to arrive, and be taken by the water. Waves rose and fell off in the distance, creating a rather threatening atmosphere. The day was warm with the sun beating down on the sand, the forest air from behind stolen.

Moonwatcher stood on the edge of the beach, gazing out at the ocean. She was right outside of the Sky Kingdom. The tide crawled up the sand to tickle her talons, but she was hesitant about taking flight.

The secret library, she told herself. Just a little flight out to the ocean, hidden from view, but close enough to reach.

Moon held on to the memory of when Qibli mentioned the place days ago, hoping against hope it was out there. She stared at her claws, reminding herself why she was here. Her last chance, the only way to stop all of this, and save everyone.

She gazed at her reflection in the water, saying, "You're not going to have visions, you're not going to get help. You're on your own, but you can do this, just like you did many times before."

Moon watched the waves rise, as if awaiting her. She took a deep breath, and took flight.

The air never felt so pure against her scales, as if her wings were embracing the sky. The sun was smiling down at her, pushing her against the wind, encouraging her to fly faster. The waves guided her, the dolphins cheered her on, but after a long while, nothing came into view.

Now the sun was against her, beating on her scales. Her head hung low, her wings aching, so much so that she was sure they would fall off. Lack of sleep had caught up to her, threatening to drop her out of the air. Hours must have gone by, and still nothing lay before her. Moon growled in frustration, clenching her fists instead of screaming. A few wing flaps later, and the water grew calm.

Moon continued flying, however she grew anxious. The waves were behind her, and just like a river, the ocean was tranquil. No breeze, no sound, as if the world had come to a complete stop. A few minutes went by with inactivity, then her heart skipped a beat, gasping at the sight before her.

There, sitting on a small island standing tall and in all its glory, the secret library was a triangular shaped wooden structure. It was dark brown, with red bricks helping it stand, and large, unclean windows at the top. Upon further inspection, Moon noticed how run down it appeared to be, with large cracks starting from the bottom, and rising to the tip. Some glass was shattered, and the only thing keeping it standing were wooden beams placed around the building. The island it stood on was small enough for the structure to appear to be growing from the ocean.

Moon smiled like she never had before, giggling to herself.

A sudden splash made her stop, and spin around to find a disturbance in the water. She could see circles spreading towards her, then disappearing. Another splash, this time near the library, but again she missed it. On the third splash however, Moon did see something. She got a glimpse, a split second of it, but she could tell it was a tentacle slapping the water, then diving below.

Moon hovered in place, examining her surroundings, but she couldn't see anything. Her heart was racing now, a chill running down her back, her spines standing on end.

Before she could see it coming, a booming roar filled the air. Moon turned around and screamed. She was given only a second to react, and thankfully she escaped the jaws of a massive, towering serpent. It was blue with a triangular shaped face, with piercing teeth that protruded from its mouth.

Moon got at a distance to catch her breath and examine the creature - she could compare its size to that of Darkstalker.

Another loud splash from behind almost tore Moon out of the sky, as she breathed fire at a bulky, muscular tentacle. She flew higher to get away from the giant squid lifting itself out of the water, swinging its arms in the air. It was red with dark black eyes, its roar gurgled by the water.

Moon tried to fly to the library, but another serpent blocked her path, this one sharing features of a dragon, with tiny arms, light brown scales, and blue spines. Together, the sea monsters surrounded the NightWing, preparing to strike.

When Moon took in a breath to fight back, a loud snap pierced her ears. The serpents backed away, turning their gaze to the library. Far below, Moon could see a dragon swinging a long whip above his head, roaring and screaming as loud as he could. He lashed the whip, forcing the sea monsters to slither away.

"Come on, quick," shouted the dragon.

Moon was not hesitant to get moving, diving past the serpents and having a rough landing. The dragon motioned for her to get inside as he scourged, the monsters snarling before sinking. He slammed the door, and took a moment to gather himself.

Moon let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you so-"

The dragon pinned her against the wall. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "How did you find this place?"

"Please let me go," Moon sputtered. "I'm not looking for trouble."

"Then what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for help. Please, this is the only place I know of that can save everyone."

The dragon paused, looking her up and down. He was elderly, and appeared to be a hybrid of a SkyWing, and SeaWing.

He scoffed. "'Save' everyone? What is this, the three thousands? I thought future visions died out years ago."

"Died out? What are you talking about? Look, it doesn't matter. I need your help."

"The only help you'll get from me is protecting you from those monsters. Why are you really here?" He backed away, waiting for an answer.

Moon took a deep breath, gathered herself together, and said, "I am here because I need to know about the eighth tribe."

The hybrid stared at her, contemplating. "My name is Nasir. Follow me."

Moon was led up a long spiraling flight of stairs, and at the top she gasped at the biggest library she ever laid eyes on. There were shelves that reached to the overhead glass, and none were bare. Large and small, these books were covered in dust, yellowed, and decaying. The room was stiff, the air was musty, and stepping on the wooden floor made dust fly.

Moon must have sneezed twenty times before asking, "How long have you been living here?"

"All my life," replied Nasir. "My great grandfather built this place. He was a scholar, and wanted to challenge the mind of the NightWings. It never worked out, and he was exiled to this place. His son took over when he died, and now the mantle has been passed down to me."

"Does it ever get lonely here?"

"You said you wanted to learn about another tribe? The lost continent, I presume?"

"Actually, I've read about another tribe that existed years ago," Moon replied. "On Pyrrhia, but it died out."

"Extinct, you mean," Nasir corrected. "I think I know what you mean."

Nasir took flight, scanning the top shelves, darting from one row to the other. It didn't take him long to remove a large, green book coated in dust. He brushed the grime off, causing a fog to assault him, then swoop down.

"Here," he said, attempting not to sneeze.

Moon examined the book, titled, A Complete History of the HarroWings. She opened it, and heard pages tear. For a moment, she thought the book would crumble to pieces from being untouched by age. The pages themselves seemed to be as old as time.

"Cruelest tribe to ever plague the continent?" Moon asked.

"Be thankful that barbarity doesn't exist today," Nasir said.

"What does that mean?"

"The aftermath of the Scorching changed dragon society forever. For a while, scavengers didn't mind dragons. That is until one named Cottonmouth stole a dragon egg, and brought it out to sea."

"Then out of their anger, the dragons attacked?"

"Well, stealing a dragon's egg was one thing. But to threaten their tribe, that was when the Underworld broke through."

"A world engulfed by fire," Moon said.

"I see you know your history," Nasir said. "But if you think the IceWings and SandWings were the most dangerous tribes, nothing could compare to the wrath of the HarroWings. They were hatched to fight, trained to hunt, and like a gorilla, their strength was unmatched between every breed. They were much more secretive than the RainWings themselves, so much so that a dragon from the tribe could be spotted only once a year."

Moon turned the page, and there was a drawing of a HarroWing. Their claws were long and sharp as daggers; their tail was a scourge; their wings were larger than a SkyWing; their talons were snake fangs; their horns were thunderbolts, and their eyes were demonic.

"They were the biggest dragons to ever exist," Nasir said. "However, their size wasn't the most intimidating thing about them. It was the way they fought; nothing could touch them, nothing could escape them. Much like a hawk, if you're seen, you're already dead. They were malicious as black mambas, menacing as a moose, and relentless as grizzly bears. They loved to win, and the other tribes knew it. Picking a fight with them would be walking up to Fate himself. That is until the most ignorant scavenger to walk the landscapes knocked on that door, and killed the world in the blink of an eye."

"Was it Cottonmouth?" Moon asked.

Nasir looked as if he was about to break down in laughter. "For the HarroWings, an egg is the least of their worries. Two HarroWings on a beautiful evening were having the time of their lives, soaring across the sky and landing to gaze out at the mountains - as was told by my father. All of a sudden, out of complete and utter cowardice, a scavenger was struck with fear. Without permission, he loaded a giant crossbow, and fired a stake that pierced one of the HarroWing's heart. Her mate was devastated, and was not hesitant to attack."

Moon turned the page, and her eyes went wide at what was displayed. Thousands, if not millions of dragons from every tribe scoured the sky, unleashing hellfire across Pyrrhia. They were all led by the HarroWing, his mouth hanging wide open, breathing blood red fire on hundreds of scavengers.

"Disgusting," Moon said.

"You haven't seen the worst of it," Nasir said.

The next page presented the HarroWings' kingdom, and Moon could have sworn her soul had abandoned her being. There were dragons impaled by spears rising from the ground; some were being flayed by soldiers; some were on the ground, their faces trapped in an everlasting wail, strapped to a table as their organs were removed; skeletons lay before blood stained walls, with dragon scales entirely removed from the body, and nailed to the walls.

"The Kingdom of Hades," Nasir said. "HarroWings have never been so active in the daylight, and one dirty look from neighboring tribes would put them in jeopardy. They had a strict rule: Never look the king in the eyes unless given permission. He was above all, and an apex predator to any dragon breed."

"A king?" Moon asked.

"While all other tribes had queens, a king took the throne, leading with a bloody, iron claw."

"They never had a queen?"

"Well, at least until her successor's wife was murdered."

Moon contemplated. "That dragon on the other page, who lost his wife to a scavenger, he was their king?"

"His grief took over his body. He convinced the HarroWings, and other tribes to partake in his scorching."

Moon gulped, and thought she swallowed her heart. Flipping the page made her confused. "Wait, where is their kingdom?"

"Take a guess," Nasir said.

Moon examined the map of Pyrrhia, then came to a conclusion. "They were nocturnal, barely seen in the daylight."

Nasir gave a slow nod. "The mountains were considered the gates to the Underworld itself, hence the brutality they brought upon their enemies."

"Is this him and his wife here in the corner?"

"Yes."

"What was his name?"

Nasir was hesitant, fearful even. "Well," he said after a moment, "I guess in this age, it is appropriate to say his name. Only his army was allowed to speak the name, Kratos the Pitiless."

Upon hearing the name, Moon felt her body freeze, and let the book slip out of her claws.

Nasir dove forward, catching the text before it fell to pieces. "Be careful," he snarled. "Do you have any idea how fragile these things are?"

Moon stared at the image of the HarroWing, his wife smiling up at him with a trustworthy gaze. "I'm so sorry," she sputtered. "What was his wife's name?"

"Her name was Iro," Nasir replied, regaining his stance. "Miss, are you alright?"

Moon stared at him, clenching her fists, breathing heavily. "There are murders happening across Pyrrhia and Pantala, and Kratos is the one committing all of them. You have to believe me, that is the same dragon I saw around the continent. I saw him just yesterday, he's the one killing all these dragons."

Nasir stared at her for a long moment. He smiled. "What are you talking about?"

Moon was taken aback. "That dragon, the king of the HarroWings, he's out there committing these crimes. Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. Maybe he somehow used Animus Magic to make himself immortal?"

Nasir frowned, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I'm not sure how to answer that question, miss. That would be impossible, Kratos is dead."