𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄: Royal of destiny

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 29

(one of them you can choose.) 

❄️CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE ❄️
THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER

For the second time, this relatiiztion came to her. I'm home. 

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The cave was not very big, ending abruptly at a steep drop-off at the back. icemoon stared down into a pitch-black abyss. With no fire and no ability to see in the dark, no hyrbid would get very close to that. Even if her wings were free, she would get very close to that. Even if her wings were free, Icemoon wouldn't go near it.

It worried and confused her that the Nightwings hadn't recognized her as their princess. Well, Morrowseer hadn't exactly introduced her as the lost NightWing princess either but didn't they know that the lost princess was a hybrid? If so, why hadn't they let her be with her mother or father, whoever he was? Icemoon sighed and turned to Kinkajou talked, the hybrid's blue eyes studying the smaller and younger dragon. "That's how I visit the other prisoners," Kinkajou said. "All their caves, and the one I'm supposed to stay in, open out onto this."

Icemoon looked at the dragonet with new respect. Kinkajou's wings weren't bound, but they were tiny; most three-year-old dragons couldn't fly for long without needing a rest. She couldn't have known how long she'd have to fly when she first jumped into the darkness, looking for other prisoners. That was a special kind of brave. And crazy. Kinkajou tilted her head at Icemoon. I have no idea how I can read your scales."  she said. "Wow, you are different." She reached up and tugged on the ropes around Icemoon's wings. "But this is the same." She sighed."I can't get any of them off. I'm sorry. It's some super-impossible knot."

Icemoon held up her claws. Thick canvas-covered them and tied them together with another rope around each forearm. "Here, too," Kinkajou said, pointing to the knot. "See how tight that is?" Icemoon squinted at it. She didn't know much about knots. She nodded toKinkajou's talons, and the little dragonet shook her head. "They're not sharp enough to cut through the rope. I've tried." Kinkajou sliced one tiny claw across the rope, but it didn't even look frayed.

Icemoon lashed her tail, so her spikes rattled. 

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What did Deathbringer have to do with this plan? And why had he told them to stop? "Confused!" Kinkajou guessed, and it was pretty on the spot. But then, something flapped outside the cave entrance. Kinkajou turned toward the sound, then winced and closed her eyes.

Icemoon pushed past her and peered out. Three NightWings flew over the lava river and disappeared into another cave not far from Icemoon's. a few moments later, they reappeared, dragging a limp RainWing behind them. The RainWing's scales were a heavy gray, like rain clouds; it was a color of sadness Icemoon hadn't seen on any other RainWing. He was conscious but neither struggled nor helped the NightWings. He just hung between them like he'd given up completely. Icemoon thought of Jambu's vibrantly joyful scales and felt a stab of anger — at the NightWings, for ripping innocent dragons from their homes, and at the other RainWings, for letting this happen to their friends without even noticing or caring that they were gone.

The black dragons lifted the RainWing over the river and carried him up the slope of the mountain, letting his tail bump across the rocks. Icemoon watched until they all vanished into a fortress halfway up the hill. It looked like a messy pile of stones, so she hadn't realized it was a building before. "Poor Gibbon," Kinkajou said. "They take him all the time. I guess his venom is way more interesting than mine or something." Icemoon whirled to stare at her."Oh, yeah," Kinkajou said. "When they take you up there, try pretending your venom doesn't work right. That's all they want us to do —melt things. It's so weird! Like, can't they melt their things? So far, I've melted an orange and a pile of leaves. They told me to melt this metal claw thing, too, but of course, that's stupid; our venom doesn't work on non-living stuff. And then they had me spit some venom into a bowl, and who knows what they want with that. I don't get it."

They're studying the Rainwings, Icemoon realized. Or, at least, they're learning their venom.  

She turned and began pacing the length of the cave. Are they hoping to use it themselves? As a weapon? But the NightWings don't fight. They stay out of the war. So who do they need weapons for? Are they planning to join the battle soon? On whose side?

Blister's, of course, she thought immediately, smacking herself in the head with her spiky tail though careful of the deadly white bones. So that's why they wanted us to choose her for the prophecy. But why join the war now? And why torture RainWings for their venom when NightWings have the ever-so-special powers they never shut up about? 

"That must be what hard thinking looks like," Kinkajou said, hopping onto a boulder and watching Icemoon with great interest. "your head is all kinds of emotions now, scrunched up and all. Oh, I wish you could talk to me!" Me too, Icemoon thought.

"Maybe we could escape together, and then you could be my teacher," Kinkajou said. "I swear I'm not as awful as everyone says. But we'd have to get you across the lava, and then we'd have to find the tunnel back to the rainforest. Then we'd have to get past the guards there, and then we'd have to get all your bindings off, or maybe we'd have to do that first; actually, that would make more sense because then you could fly and fight and stuff, but I have no idea how to do any of that."

She stopped, her wings drooping, and suddenly looked very young. Icemoon had been wondering why Kinkajou didn't escape on her own. But if she didn't know where the tunnel was, and there were guards to fight along the way. . . it was a tall order for a little dragon, especially when failure would surely mean she'd end up bound and gagged like the other RainWings. "Maybe I could find something sharp enough to cut the ropes," Kinkajousaid, brightening again. "Like a sharp rock. Or — well, there's not much around here except rocks. Oh! Or I could check one of the disgusting dead things for sharp bones when our dinner comes. That would be pretty gross, though. Maybe you should do that."

Icemoon thumped her spiky tail on the ground to get Kinkajou's attention. She pointed to her mouth, then her stomach, then her mouth again, and tried to turn her scales the color of curiosity. "You're asking me a question!" Kinkajou said with great delight. "Wait, let me guess. You're . . . hungry?" Icemoon frowned and tapped the rope around her mouth, pointed to the cave opening, flapped her arms like wings, pointed to her stomach, and pointed to the string again. Kinkajou furrowed her brow. "Something about the NightWings and food — oh! Oh, I know! You want to know if they take off the metal band when they feed us. Am I right? Am I right?" She turned toward the cave entrance as Icemoon nodded. "I guess you're about to find out."

The little dragonet darted over the drop and vanished into one of the gaps in the far wall. Icemoon could see her eyes shining in the dark, still watching. Four NightWings ducked into the cave, one after the other, crowding the narrow space. Icemoon held her ground and glared at them. At least there was no sign of Morrowseer. She was safer as an ordinary dragonet prisoner than if they found out she was the dragonet messing up their prophecy — the one they'd already tried to kill more than once.

Though she was in the prophecy, she didn't want this to happen with all the Rainwings. If the volcano erupted, the night dragons had to go to the rainforest; if she had to lead them, she would do it there. 

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"Observe her scales. this isn't a Rainwing. this is a... a NightWing!" The NightWing gasped and stepped back as she saw the bright blue eyes of Icemoon, her neck spikes, and those down her back to the tip of her tail. Recognition and relation dawned on her face, and she flared her wings "you captured the princess?! free her at once!" the other Nightwings stared at each other confused but did as the female said and freed Icemoon of her bindings and her gag. But before the dragons could react, Icemoon flared her wings grabbed a spear and swung her spiked tail threateningly. "stay awsay," she growled, "that's an order" the Nightwings stayed away with their wings flared, and spears lowered. The female NightWing who had revealed Icemoon's identity had rushed off before the princess could do anything to her. 

"go away," Icemoon said lowly, and all the guards rushed away, leaving the hybrid princess alone. She took a deep breath and waited. For Kinkajou. she couldn't go without the little dragonet. 

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