The Dragonet Prophecy (28 page)

“No thanks to you five,” Kestrel growled, lashing her tail. “You wanted so badly to be free. Now do you see why we had to protect you?” One of her wings snagged on a tree branch and she wrestled it loose, growling.

“You’re welcome,” Tsunami snapped back. “We could have left you in the Sky Kingdom. I would have.”

Clay couldn’t resist the mud squelching between his claws. He threw himself to the ground and rolled, letting the warmth coat his arena-dusty, aching scales.

“Good grief, Clay, yuck,” Glory said. She edged toward the lake and spread her wings to catch the sunlight.

“Careful.” Tsunami reached to pull her back. “If they’re looking for us, they’ll definitely spot a bright purple dragon from the air.”

Glory flared her ruff at Tsunami. “I am not
bright purple
. Queen Scarlet called this my violet mood, thank you very much.”

“Oh, sorry,” Tsunami said. “I meant to say they’ll definitely spot a
moody violet
dragon from the air.”

“You are the epitome of hilarious,” Glory said. “Anyway, I can take care of that.” Her wing scales shimmered as if they were drawing in the sunlight, and then the purple color started to break up like water being poured into paint. Soon she was the color of the muddy ground below her. “Happy?” she asked Tsunami.

“I want to know what my cool power is,” Tsunami muttered. “You’ve got camouflage scales and venom-spitting teeth. Clay is immune to fire. Starflight apparently has big dragons waiting in the sky to save him whenever things get scary. What do I get?”

“Clay is immune to fire?” Sunny asked. “What? And did you say venom-spitting teeth?”

“Yeah,” Clay answered. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be nicer to Glory from now on, Sunny.”

Sunny flapped her wings in outrage. “I’m always nice to — oh, you’re teasing me,” she said as he choked with laughter. She smushed a giant talonful of mud into his face. Clay ducked away and noticed Peril watching with drooped wings and a sad expression.

“See, we can take care of ourselves,” Tsunami said to Kestrel. “You didn’t even know what Clay and Glory could do. You didn’t think we were good for anything, but it was your own fault for keeping us underground and treating us like eggs.”

“Oh, we did everything wrong,” Kestrel said scathingly. “Go ahead and blame us, but we did as the Talons of Peace asked. You would probably all be dead if we hadn’t.”

Tsunami lifted her chin. “We’re not going back to the Talons of Peace,” she said.

“We’re not?” Sunny squeaked. Glory gave her a scornful look.

“Oh?” Kestrel said. She bent her head to avoid the branches and gave Tsunami a sharp orange glare. “What is your magnificent plan, if I may ask?”

“We’re going to find our homes,” Tsunami said. “And our parents. We’re going to see this war firsthand, instead of reading about it in scrolls. And then we’ll figure out for ourselves
if
we’re going to do anything about it.”

“But, Tsunami,” Sunny whispered, tugging on her wing. “The prophecy! We have to!”

“Shh,” Clay said. He drew her back, away from the wrathful look on Kestrel’s face, just in case there was any fire-breathing about to happen.

Privately, he agreed with Sunny. They couldn’t just ignore the prophecy. Something had to be done about the war, and everyone was waiting for the dragonets to do it. He kept thinking of the prisoners, singing the song of the dragonets as if it would save them.

But he also agreed with Tsunami — they couldn’t do anything until they were out in the real world, figuring out what
could
be done. On their own, without the Talons of Peace keeping them away from their families and everything that made stopping the war important.

There was a pause as Kestrel and Tsunami glared at each other. Smoke puffed from Kestrel’s nose, drifting away on the air. Clay glanced at Peril, but her eyes were fixed on her mother.

“Fine,” Kestrel snorted unexpectedly. “What do I care? I’m done with you. I’ve done everything that was asked of me, and all I have to show for it is a pack of ungrateful lizards. Go find your precious families. I don’t care what happens to you.”

“Oh, Kestrel,” Sunny said, climbing over and hugging Kestrel’s leg. “You don’t mean that. You know we appreciate everything you did for us.”

Clay caught Glory and Tsunami rolling their eyes at each other.

“You’re on your own now,” Kestrel said. She pried Sunny off and stepped back toward the lake. “And good riddance. Peril, are you coming?”

Peril hesitated.

“I thought you were coming with us,” Clay said. Peril’s eyes brightened.

“Over my charred, dead body,” Tsunami growled, whacking Clay with one of her wings.

“Why not?” Glory said, her eyes on a passing butterfly. “Maybe Peril’s the missing dragonet you all need for the prophecy … your ‘wings of sky.’ ”

Clay blinked at her. “Wow. Do you think so?”

Tiny scarlet flame shapes flickered around Glory’s ears, and she shrugged.

“Oh, could I be?” Peril breathed.

“No!” Kestrel spat.

“The largest egg in mountain high,”
Glory quoted. “If you hatched with a twin, your egg must have been huge.” Her eyes stayed on the butterfly instead of looking at the other dragonets.

“That’s true!” Peril said. “Maybe I’m part of your destiny!” She looked at Clay hopefully.

“Not a chance,” Kestrel said. “Peril and her brother hatched over a year before you misbegotten worms. The prophecy speaks of five dragonets hatching together on the brightest night. Face it, your SkyWing died in the egg. I saw the broken shell and the murdered dragon who carried her.”

Clay looked down at his muddy talons. Kestrel was right. He hadn’t remembered the exact words of the prophecy. There was no way Peril could be the fifth dragonet.

“Sorry,” he said to her. Her copper wings slumped. “You can come with us anyway,” he offered.

“I can’t,” she said. “I have to go back for the black rocks.”

“Tell me about these black rocks,” Kestrel ordered.

“You must know,” Peril said. “I need to eat them every day in order to live.”

Kestrel lashed her tail, uprooting one of the bushes without noticing. “More of Scarlet’s lies,” she spat. “You don’t need anything like that.”

“But — I stopped taking them and got sick,” Peril said.

“Poison in your food,” Kestrel said. “One of Scarlet’s favorite tricks.”

Peril looked up at the palace on the mountain. Smoke curled from her copper scales and her claws dug into the ground.

“Come with me,” Kestrel said roughly. “I’m not much, but I’m better than Scarlet.” She reached toward Peril and then saw the scorch marks on her own palms and pulled back. Peril ducked her head, huddling into her wings.

“Where are you going, Kestrel?” Sunny asked.

“None of your business,” Kestrel answered.

Sunny sat back, looking hurt. Kestrel took a step toward the lake and rubbed her talons against a rock to sharpen them. She glanced back at Sunny.

“But I suppose,” she said, “when you realize you need me, you can send me a message through the dragon of Jade Mountain. Not that I’ll come running, mind you. You deserve all the trouble that’s coming to you.”

“Before you go,” Tsunami said, “tell us what you know about our eggs and where they came from.”

Kestrel snorted. “Well, there’s no surprises with you. Webs stole your egg from the SeaWing queen’s own hatchery.”

“Tsunami!” Sunny gasped. “You’re royalty! Just like in the story!” Tsunami twitched her tail, looking surprised and thoughtful.

“Morrowseer brought us Starflight’s egg,” Kestrel said. “Dune found Sunny’s egg in the desert, hidden near the Scorpion Den. And our big, strong hero came from somewhere around the Diamond Spray Delta, near the sea, where the lowest-born MudWings crawl.”

Clay turned to look at the river that flowed from the lake. His heart started pounding with excitement. His home — his family — they were closer than he’d imagined.

“What about me?” Glory asked.

Kestrel shifted her wings in a shrug. “I have no idea. Webs scrounged you up somewhere after we lost the SkyWing egg. I never cared where, because I knew you weren’t important.”

“Oh, go away!” Tsunami burst out. “Everything you say is hurtful and mean.”

“Everything I say is true,” Kestrel said.

“I don’t think you’d be good for me,” Peril said, staring up at her. “I never imagined you like this.”

Kestrel hunched her shoulders. “I am the way life has made me. Take it or leave it.” She spread her wings. “Because I’m going now, and you can come with me or not.”

“Remember,” Clay said to Peril, “she tried to save you. She’s not the kindest dragon, it’s true, but look. She cared about you enough to do this.” He took one of Kestrel’s talons and opened it so Peril could see the scorch marks burned across her palms. Kestrel snapped her teeth at him and yanked her arm back.

Peril shook her head. “I’m not ready,” she said. “Maybe one day we’ll find each other again.”

Kestrel’s tail whipped back and forth, churning up the ground. “Well. Suit yourself.” Her orange eyes shifted balefully from one dragonet to the next and landed on Clay. “Listen, MudWing. For all your noble talk, you’re not going to be any use to the others if you can’t fight and kill to defend them. Just think about that.”

Her words stung, like they always did. His hopefulness wilted a little. Clay felt Sunny nudge him sympathetically.

Tsunami took a threatening step toward Kestrel, but before she could say anything, the large red dragon spread her wings and launched herself into the sky. She banked over the lake and flew off to the west without looking back.

Clay met Peril’s eyes. “Some reunion,” she said, glancing down at the blackened earth below her.

“You can still come with us,” he offered. “Even if you’re not in the prophecy.”

“No,” she said slowly. “I don’t think … I don’t think I deserve to.”

He tilted his head at her. “What does that mean?”

“It’s like you said,” she said. “You’re the kinds of dragonets they write prophecies about. You’re heroes and saviors and I’m — well, I’m the opposite of that. I’m the bad guy.”

“I’m not a hero,” Clay said. “You’re the one who got us out of the Sky Kingdom.”

“Only because of you.” She shook her head. “I thought I was born a killer, but it turns out I wasn’t. Queen Scarlet made me that way … or I let myself become that way. It’s like I chose it without knowing I chose it. But you
were
born that way.” Clay winced, and he felt the other dragonets staring at him. “You knew what you were like, and you chose to be something else. I guess I feel like I can’t be one of you unless I can do that, too.”

She blinked, her blue-fire eyes taking in each of his friends. “I’m going back to the Sky Kingdom. That’s where I belong, and I need to know if Queen Scarlet is dead.”

“Don’t you want to leave?” Clay asked. “Don’t you want to see the world outside the Sky Kingdom?”

Peril stirred the ash below her talons. “Not until I feel like the world can be safe from me,” she said.

“Can we speed up the touching good-bye?” Tsunami asked. “Because we’ve got company.” She nodded grimly at the top of the cliff.

Two flights of dragons were lifting off in graceful spiral formations. One group gleamed red and gold; the other shimmered with pale white heat. The unmistakable shape of Burn soared over them both. After a moment, they split apart, and dragons fanned out in every direction. Their wingbeats filled the sky. Their long necks whipped from side to side as they searched.

The hunt for the escaped dragonets had begun.

“What do we do?” Sunny asked in a hushed voice.

“We should get to the delta,” Tsunami said. “We can find Clay’s family there. Maybe they’ll help protect us.”

“And then we’ll be at the sea,” Sunny said, “so we can find yours, too. And maybe Starflight will find us there? Do you think he’s looking for us?”

“Doubtful,” said Glory. Sunny’s face fell. “He’s with his wonderful NightWings now. And I hate to point this out, but there are about two hundred dragons overhead who actually are looking for us. The minute we stroll out from these trees, they’ll be on us like fur on a squirrel.”

“Well, I have an idea,” Clay said hesitantly, “but you’re not all going to like it.”

“Oh, good,” Glory said. “My favorite kind of plan.” Clay tried to smile at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

What have I done now?
Clay pointed to the river. “We swim to the delta.”

Glory made a face. Her claws rippled from brown to pale blue and back again.

“I’m not a very good swimmer,” Sunny said anxiously. “But I guess I could try.”

“They’ll see us from the air,” Tsunami pointed out.

“Not Glory,” Clay said. “She can camouflage herself in the river. And if she rides on your back, she’ll hide you, too.”

Glory and Tsunami both looked less than thrilled at that suggestion.

“Then we roll Sunny in mud and put her on my back,” Clay went on. “I’ll stick to the shallows, and from the sky we should look like part of the riverbed.”

Peril jumped in. “I’ll wait till you’re gone and then fly off in a different direction. Maybe I can lead them away for a while. It’s not like they can touch me or do anything to me, once you’re safe.” She glanced at Clay and then away again.