“I have some ideas for defense,” Starflight started.
“I hope one of those ideas is ‘attack them first,’” Glory said. “Because that’s my plan.” She glanced out the window at the position of the sun in the sky. “I can get my army ready to fly in an hour. Sure. Organizing RainWings, no problem. It’s only roughly as hard as getting a hundred butterflies to fly in a straight line.”
“Starflight?”
A glimmer of gold scales flashed in the corner of his eye, and Starflight felt his whole body fill with light as he turned around and came face-to-face with Sunny.
Sunny spread her warm golden wings and Starflight fitted his own wings around hers for a hug. It always felt like exactly where he should be, even if just for a moment.
“I’m so glad you’re all right!” she said, stepping back and examining him for injuries. “I was checking on Webs and then this SkyWing came in, of all things, and I was showing the healers how to get the cactus milk into his wound when someone said two NightWings brought him in and I knew it must be you. You know, I wanted to go through and find you, but Glory said no.” She wrinkled her snout at the new queen.
“Glory was right. It’s too dangerous there,” Starflight said.
“Oh, please. Where have we been lately that isn’t dangerous?” Sunny said. “All the more reason we should go rescue you. Although I wasn’t really worried, because of course you had to be fine so we could fulfill the prophecy, right? And look, you rescued yourself, which is so impressive.”
Starflight guessed that the grin on his own face was probably a little goofy, but he couldn’t seem to squelch it.
“And you are?” Fatespeaker interjected, clearing her throat and sidling so close to Starflight that she bumped one of his wings.
“I’m Sunny,” said the little SandWing. She tilted her head at Fatespeaker. “Wow, your silver scales are so cool. That one looks like a bracelet — like you were born with your own treasure.”
Fatespeaker’s wings relaxed a little. She held out her talons to peer at the anklet of star-bright scales. “I never thought of it like that. I was about to say your scales are a great color. All the SandWings I’ve met were sort of pale and dusty-looking.”
“I know, I’m weird,” Sunny said agreeably. “You’re the alternate NightWing, right? Glory said Starflight had lots of nice things to say about you.” Fatespeaker gave Starflight a delighted look that made him unaccountably nervous. “What was it like growing up in the Talons of Peace camp?”
“So bizarre,” Fatespeaker said, folding her wings and leaning toward Sunny. “We were always moving so no one could find us. And everyone talked about peace, but it seemed like all we were doing was avoiding soldiers and waiting for the prophecy to come true.”
“But it must have been amazing to live with so many dragons from different tribes,” Sunny said, her eyes shining. “You’d get to see what really makes them different, and the ways they’re all the same, too.”
“I was thinking about that!” Fatespeaker said. “I was the only NightWing, so I was always trying to figure out which other tribe I was most like. But —”
“— you could find something in common with all of them,” Sunny guessed.
“Exactly!”
“All right,” Glory interrupted. “As strangely adorable as you two are, I need you to either go away and discover your twin souls somewhere else, or focus on battle planning with me.”
“Battle planning,” Fatespeaker and Sunny said simultaneously.
Glory gave Starflight an odd, somewhat amused look, and he shifted uncomfortably, although he wasn’t sure why. He liked that Fatespeaker and Sunny liked each other, but it also made him weirdly uneasy.
Luckily, at that moment, Mangrove arrived with the elegant older dragon Starflight had seen in Kinkajou’s dream.
“Let’s take this meeting to the tunnel,” Glory said. “I need Tsunami’s and Clay’s input, too.” She gathered her wings and soared off the balcony into the trees.
Fatespeaker and Sunny went next, talking to each other as they flew. Starflight followed, trying to keep his mind on the impending attack. Only a few minutes of sunshine and fresh air, and he was already finding it hard to believe what he’d gone through on the NightWing island — or that an army of angry dragons was preparing to destroy all of this before the next sunrise.
Once they were all gathered, within sight of the tunnel but out of hearing distance to be safe, Glory had Starflight explain everything he’d heard in the council chamber.
“So at least some of them are afraid of us,” she said when he’d finished.
“I’d say most of them,” Starflight said. “I mean, I think that’s the whole reason they’ve been kidnapping RainWings and studying them, and why they haven’t attacked before. They’re terrified of your venom.”
Glory showed her teeth and hissed. “They should be.”
“Yours, maybe,” Tsunami said. “But the rest of these dragons — I really can’t guarantee that any of them will use it on another dragon, even in a life-or-death situation. They’ve been told their whole lives to never, ever use it as a weapon. I’ve done my best, but you try changing an entire tribal philosophy of life in three days.”
“I know,” Glory said, starting to pace.
“Which I’m not even sure we should,” Sunny interjected. “I like their philosophy.”
“I could do it,” Grandeur said. “Attack another dragon with my venom, I mean, for the sake of my tribe. But I agree that the others would have trouble.” She glanced at Mangrove.
“I’d try,” he said. “For Orchid. She’s really still alive?” he asked Starflight.
“And waiting for you,” Fatespeaker said. “Starflight told her you were looking for her, and she said she’d survive until you came.”
A faint wave of pink rippled across Mangrove’s scales.
“I’m worried about attacking first,” Clay said. “We’d have to come out the other end one at a time. If they’re smart, they’ll be waiting, and then they can pick us off one by one. But if we wait here and let them attack, we could do that to them instead — we’d be in the stronger position.”
“I don’t want them in my rainforest,” Glory snapped. “If they think they’re losing, they’ll set the whole place on fire just to be horrible. Besides, we have to go there to rescue the RainWings. Even if we drive back their attack, we’d still have to go through at some point, and we’ll have wasted resources on our defense. No, we go to them first. We just have to find a way to get everyone past the guards at the entrance.”
“I have an idea,” Sunny said.
“Changing your scales will help,” Tsunami said at the same time. “They won’t see the RainWings coming along the tunnel if you’re all camouflaged. Then maybe we burst out and start attacking and hope we’ve surprised them.”
“Doubtful,” Starflight said. “Once Morrowseer figures out I went through, they’ll be on high alert at the tunnel opening.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Sunny. “The one I have, I mean.”
“We need to choose the bravest RainWings for the first wave,” Glory said. “Tsunami, I want you to make a list for me, based on what you’ve noticed during training.”
Tsunami snorted. “A ‘brave’ list might be asking a lot. You can have a ‘less sleepy than the others’ list.”
“One does not speak to a queen that way of her citizens,” Glory said with mock haughtiness, then lapsed back into her regular voice. “Anyway, I think the RainWings will surprise you. I’ve been meeting them all, one by one, as fast as I can, and they’re a lot more complicated than they seem.”
“Doesn’t anyone want to hear my idea?” Sunny asked.
“I do,” said Starflight, but Glory was already speaking to Mangrove.
“We have to make sure that we pair up related RainWings in each squadron, so there’s always someone to counteract the venom if there’s an accident. I know Sunny’s been taking notes on that, s
o make sure we use her chart when we form the squadrons.”
With a stab of jealousy, Starflight saw Sunny lean toward Clay and whisper in his ear. Sometimes it seemed to him as though Sunny and Clay were always together, like the MudWing was the one she could trust more than any other dragon. He wished he could be that for her instead. But he wasn’t anything like Clay, and the truth was, if he had to choose someone to trust with his life, he’d pick Clay over himself as well.
“I don’t know how to prepare them to fight NightWing fire,” Tsunami said, a little hopelessly. “Most of these dragons have never even seen fire. They’ll probably think it’s shiny and pretty and try to touch it.”
Glory coiled her tail and stared at the sky through the trees. Starflight guessed from her expression that she was thinking about how RainWings were going to die — there was no way to avoid it. Becoming queen of an entire tribe all of a sudden was hard enough. But leading dragons into battle, especially woefully underprepared dragons, was something none of the dragonets knew anything about or ever wanted to do.
We wanted to stop the war — not start a whole new one.
Do the RainWings have any chance against the armor-clad, fiercely desperate, violently unhappy NightWings? Are we all going to die today?
We’re only dragonets. We shouldn’t be leading anyone to their deaths.
But this is happening no matter what we do. We have no choice now.
“I tried to draw a map of what I could remember of the island,” Glory said to Starflight. “I want you to fill in as many details as you can. I guess we should have several dragons go straight to the prison caves and try to free the trapped RainWings.”
“Queen Splendor is inside the fortress,” Starflight said. “In the same dungeon as Deathbringer.”
“Oh,” Glory said, and several colors shifted across her scales at once. “So another wing should go in there — maybe Tsunami can lead that group —”
“SLEEPING DARTS!” Clay suddenly yelled, making everyone jump.
Glory stared at him. “What?”
“Those sleeping darts the RainWings used to knock us out, when we first got to the rainforest,” Clay said. He nudged Sunny forward. “Sunny says the healers have hundreds of them. The RainWings use them all the time — they play this game where they try to sneak up on each other before getting shot.”
“That’s true!” Mangrove said, lashing his tail. “And we take turns patrolling so we can shoot strange dragons who come into the forest, like you five, which is even more fun.”
“Every RainWing already has a blowgun,” Sunny said. “Arm them all with as many sleeping darts as they can carry, and use those instead of fighting.”
“That’s it!” Glory flared her wings, turning dark purple with lightning bolts of excited gold all along her scales. “That’s exactly how RainWings should fight!”
“It was Sunny’s idea,” Clay said, nodding down at the SandWing.
“Maybe we can do this without casualties,” Glory said animatedly. “Clay and Sunny, you’re in charge of arming all the RainWings. Get all the sleeping darts you can find. Mangrove, Grandeur, it’s time to tell the village. Everyone who’s willing to fight, meet by the stream here in one hour. We’re doing this before nightfall.” She turned to Starflight as the others flew off. “Let’s review the map. Tell me everything you know.”
Tsunami unrolled a giant leaf with a sketchy map of the NightWing island marked out on it in some kind of dark fruit ink.
War is coming. There’s no time to be scared, Starflight told himself as he leaned over the map. You can’t be the most cowardly dragon on Pyrrhia right now. Remember, you’ve read all the history scrolls you could find about famous battles. Now use that knowledge.
It’s time to prove that you really do belong in this prophecy.
Two hours later, Queen Glory’s army was on the move.
The sun was just starting to sink below the trees. It wasn’t dark here yet, but it would be soon.
Starflight dug his claws into the mud by the stream, trying to beat down his terror. The clearing bustled with activity, but it was unsettling activity, because most of the gathered dragons were essentially invisible, carefully camouflaged against the background. Starflight kept being bumped and jostled by what appeared to be empty air.
Tsunami was trying to make all the RainWings face her and shut up so she could give them a rousing battle speech. The fact that this was proving difficult did not bode well for the overall attack, Starflight thought anxiously.
“Starflight,” Glory said, materializing beside him. Her scales shimmered from dark green to a sort of worried-looking pale blue and back. “Are you all right?”
“I guess,” Starflight said. He shifted from one foot to another. “You know. Nervous.”
“Do you want to stay here?” she asked him quietly. “I’d understand if you do.”
“No!” Starflight said. “I mean, I shouldn’t. I can’t.” He glanced at Sunny, who was sorting piles of sleeping darts into little bags that could go over the RainWings’ necks. She had none of the weapons other dragons had — no venom, no camouflage, no fireproof scales like Clay, not even the poisonous tail barb a SandWing should have. He’d never let her go off to a battle without him. Stay behind while his friends threw themselves into danger? How could she ever love him if he made that choice? “I promise I won’t be scared.”
“It’s normal to be scared,” Glory said. “I’m scared. You’d have to be crazy not to be — well, crazy or Tsunami, which is basically the same thing. You just have to push that aside and do what you have to anyway. But I meant, do you want to stay here because we’re going to fight your tribe? If it’s too much to ask, I understand if you want to sit this one out.”
“They’re not my tribe,” Starflight said. “You are. You and Sunny and Tsunami and Clay.”
“Aw, you big sap,” she said, but her wingtips went all rose-colored, and he knew Glory felt the same way even if she’d never say it out loud. “All right,” she said, punching his shoulder, a rare gesture of physical affection from her. “Let’s go change the world.”
She bounded to the tunnel opening and summoned the first wave of RainWings with a flick of her tail. They huddled, listening to her orders.
Starflight looked around at Sunny again.
I might die today.
What if she never knows?
What if I die without ever telling her how I feel?
He lifted his face toward the setting sun. He’d bluffed the NightWing guards. He’d escaped from the NightWing island. Surely he could say three words to one dragon.
When he looked down again, Sunny was right in front of him. His heart seized as though someone had wrapped fierce talons around it.
“We’re going to be all right,” she told him, shaking out her wings. “Just think of the prophecy. We have to be alive to stop the war, right? So we can’t die today. Isn’t that comforting?”
“I wish I had your optimism,” he said.
“It’s not optimism,” she objected. “It’s faith. There’s a reason we’re here. What we do today is part of it, but there’s more, too, and we have to survive to make it all happen.” Her smile made him feel as if lightning were crackling under his scales.
“Sunny,” he said hesitantly. “There’s something — I mean … something I’ve wanted to tell you. For a long time.”
“I’m listening,” she said, tilting her head.
Across the clearing, Glory was flaring her wings and waiting for silence. It was now or possibly never, depending on what happened today.
“I love you,” he blurted.
Sunny blinked, and then blinked a few more times. “I … I love you, too, Starflight.”
“No,” he said. “I mean — I mean you’re all I think about, and I want to be near you and it hurts when I’m not, and everything I do, I think, what would Sunny want me to do? And I think you’re the only dragon who sees me the whole way I am and likes me anyway.…” He t
hought, uncomfortably, of Fatespeaker and spotted her at the same time, across the clearing near Glory, watching the RainWing queen with her eyes wide and her head upturned. But his feelings for her and his feelings for Sunny … well, they couldn’t be the same.
“And I had to tell you,” he hurried on, “in case something happens to either one of us today, although if anything happens to you I don’t know how I’d be able to breathe or think or do anything ever again.”
“Oh my gosh, Starflight, stop,” Sunny said in a rush. “This — right now — how can I say anything, let alone the right thing, when we’re — when everything —?” She spread her wings helplessly, indicating the mob of RainWings around them.
“It’s all right,” Starflight said, and realized that he meant it. “Don’t say anything. You don’t have to. I just wanted you to know, just in case.”
She wrinkled her forehead, as if that didn’t seem right to her, but he twined his tail around hers and looked down at their talons sinking into the riverbank.
“Just promise me you’ll be safe,” he said.
“I hardly get to do anything in this battle,” she said fiercely. “You promise me you’ll be safe.”
He opened and closed his mouth, wishing he could promise that and mean it.
“Exactly,” she said. “So stop talking like a scroll and just tell me you’ll see me soon, OK?”
“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and for a moment her certainty made him believe it, too.
“Good luck. Kick a NightWing for me,” she said as Starflight stepped away, and then she pulled him back for a quick hug, and a moment later he found himself walking over to Glory, his mind a daze.
I did it. I told her. And the world didn’t collapse.
The queen of the RainWings flared her wings one more time and the clearing finally fell silent.
“You know I don’t like giving speeches,” Glory said, “so I’ll just say this. We’re going to save our fellow RainWings, and we’re going to make this rainforest safe, and we’re going to do it like real RainWings. And by the three moons, try not to talk or sneeze or fall asleep in the tunnel on the way there, all right?”