Wings of Honor: Bad Moon Rising

Chapter 19: Scouting And Skyfire

DON'T.... MOVE. Marvin warned us. I held still, keeping my wing over Moon. I blinked quickly. It felt like I was kicked in the face by a horse, Marvin had the experience of that once. Moon wanted to bolt, right now, as fast as she could, as far away as possible. Everything in my body screamed. Only now did I barely make out Marvin, his pistol drawn, aiming at Flame. He was eyeing all the NightWings with particular suspicion. I unconsciously camouflaged us into the crowd.
How did he know? she cried frantically half to Darkstalker, half to me. I've never seen anyone do that. How could he notice that we were there?
I don't think he knew exactly what was happening, Darkstalker said. I don't want to risk probing deeper while he's on the defensive like that. But I suspect he just felt ... a presence, let's say. He can't be sure it was a mind reader. Especially if you stay calm.
Moon wasn't quite sure how to accomplish that; no one in this entire cave was calm. I responded by pulling her in closer, nearly a hug. Trying to take her fear. I shivered, all the badness I was just in. I felt Marvin rubbing me.
It'll be okay. You'll be okay.
I took a shaky breath. Thankfully, Sunny announced, "That's all we had to say. Please come see us if you feel like you want to leave, or if you have any questions. There are no classes today, but we're all here to take groups out hunting or swimming or flying, and the art and music caves are both open. We'll let you know what we decide about tomorrow."
She turned to Clay, and the students became a milling mob of whispers and flashing teeth and tails. We were able to slip away from Flame and find Qibli.
"Are you all right?" he asked Moon immediately, ducking his head to study her face. He steered me into a corner, carefully not touching me, and spread his wings to shield us from the other dragons. It didn't stop the stampede of worries, rumors, and complaints from trampling through our heads, though. Moon couldn't focus, couldn't block anything out; she was too shaken by Flame's attack. My own mind was foggy, scattered.
Qibli's own mind was already speeding forward. I wonder if reading minds is tiring. Is it an infinite resource, or is it a power that drains as she uses it? Or is it more like a muscle that gets stronger the more she exercises it? Sure wish I'd had a skill like that when I was living at home; could have dodged a few more attacks from Sirocco and Rattlesnake. Maybe could have figured out how to make Mum like me. Moon looks like she's been slammed into a mountain. "You look ... tired," he said diplomatically to me
"I just... had a weird experience in Flame's head," I spoke in a low voice, on behalf of Moon. "It's horrible... just horrible in there."
"So he did it?" Qibli asked. His tail flicked up into a stabbing position and his brain spun away. Did he bring the cactus from the Sky Kingdom or find it somewhere near Jade Mountain and how long has he been planning this and how did Scarlet choose him and —
"No, no, stop," Moon said. "I don't think it was him. I don't think it was any of them." I looked toward her.
"Pike, Icicle, Flame — they were all thinking about the fire like someone else did it." I said what she wanted to say, to stop her from giving herself away.
"Camel farts," Qibli cursed. "They all seemed like perfect suspects."
"Yes." "Yeah." Moon and I agreed.
"I don't know. They all may still do something terrible, just not this particular thing."
Qibli squinted at me. "Was that a prophecy? Did you have visions of them?"
I shook my head. "Just guessing."
Qibli swung his head around to watch Icicle march out of the hall with the other IceWings trailing behind her. "If you know that ..." he said thoughtfully. "If you had a list of the dragons with the darkest thoughts, you could keep track of them. You could check their minds every day and catch them if they're planning something. You'd know who to keep an eye on." Like Thorn's potential enemies list, but even more targeted, with more inside information. He mused.
"That, um," Moon started, then hesitated. She didn't want to argue with him, when he was starting to see her power in a positive light.
"But — That seems kind of wrong, doesn't it?" I admitted for her. "I mean, judging dragons by their dark thoughts, and using that to justify spying on them? Lots of people think dark things sometimes," like Marvin, "it doesn't mean they'll ever actually do them."
"Almost half the NightWings in the rainforest had an occasional fantasy about killing Glory and stealing the throne," Moon confirmed. "but most of the time they're just grateful to be alive and fed. I don't know."
"I guess I don't like to think of myself as sneaking around in dragons' heads. I can't help what I hear, but it doesn't seem fair to do it on purpose. I mean, unless we're catching a murderer, like right now."
"Hmmm," he mumbled, but before his thoughts could swoop off on that tangent, he shook his head and stepped back. "Let's go find Onyx. She seems like the best suspect we have left."
"But w- I Won't be able to hear her thoughts." I said. "How will we learn anything from her?"
Qibli grinned. "The old-fashioned way. With our eyes and ears."
That sounded alarming and inefficient to Moon, but we followed him warily to the cave opening, where most of the dragonets had gone. Everyone seemed to want to be out in the light. It felt sort of inappropriate how gorgeous and sunny it was outside, considering the situation. An early morning full of whistling birdsong and humming bumblebees among the purple mountain flowers. As if Nature didn't care what was happening in our lives. It was constant. Maybe for the better.
Me and Moom noticed that most of the dragonets were staying in clumps with others from their own tribes. Flame had snuck back into the mountain somewhere, but the other three SkyWings were already buddied up in the air, beating their huge wings and soaring as high as they could. I spotted Coconut and two subdued RainWings find a large swathe of sunlit grass to lie down on, spreading their wings, somehow relaxing. Umber and Marsh had gone to check on Sora, but the other two MudWings were tramping down the mountain together, looking for a cool, muddy spot, same as the Rainwings.
Moon wondered where all the NightWings had disappeared to so quickly. They wouldn't want her with them anyway — but did they have a secret place in the mountain where they all went together, somewhere she didn't know about?
That would be advantageous to know.
"So much for our winglets," Qibli said.
"It's only been a couple of days," Moon said. It was true — although she felt as though she'd been here for months, but really she'd stood right here with her mother barely four days ago.
"Maybe the winglets will stick together more once we all know each other better." I tried to be hopeful.
Suddenly, Anemone pushed past us, leading Turtle, Pike, and the other SeaWings. She cast an arch look around at the other dragonets.
I could find out who did it in two shakes of my tail, she thought indignantly. But Tsunami won't let me. Shouldn't use my powers! When it's something important like this? She shook out her wings and tossed her head. Maybe she'll change her mind by the time we get back.
Hey. What about my animus powe-
No. Too dangerous. Every spell you cast, you loose a small piece of yourself. Rather play safe than risk loosing you Grace. You're the light, don't forget that.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Pike asked Anemone. "Going to the lake? You could be attacked —"
"Not with all of you strapping dragons along to defend me," Anemone said, shooting him a smile. Ha, she thought to herself. I'm more dangerous than any of you, if I have to be. Her mind flashed to an image of her own claws holding a spear, then a dragon disappearing in a cloud of bubbles and slithering green shapes. I shuddered and cleared my thoughts. Moon turned her gaze back to the mountain skies. "Come on, let's go."
We watched them soar away. Moon wondered what Anemone was capable of. I knew exactly what, because she and I were the same.
Beside Moon, Qibli was thinking the same thing about Turtle. But instead, he turned toward the clump of SandWings who had found a stretch of flat gray boulders and were basking their scales in the sun. Sprawled comfortably in the middle of them was Onyx, whose black forked tongue kept flicking in and out, almost like there was tasting the air. Nothing I knew. Seeing her with all the others, it was clear how much older — and bigger — she was. She was no dragonet; Moon couldn't understand why she was here to begin with.
The smallest SandWing, Anemone's clawmate, saw Qibli, Moon, and I approaching and her whole face lit up. Moon realized she was the one Qibli had been talking to on the first day.
"Qibli!" she cried. "Are you going home? I might go home. Do you think Father or Thorn would be mad if I went home?"
"They'd be happy to see you, Ostrich." Qibli said with extra gentleness in his voice. "They want you to feel safe. But I promised to protect you, and I will, so remember you are safe here, too. It's up to you."
"I do feel better now that you're here," she said. He reached one of his wings around her, and she leaned into his shoulder. I smiled.
"Why've you got a NightWing and a Rainwing stuck to your tail?" one of the other SandWings asked. I didn't realize scales all over me started turning pink. I shook my head, and they dissolved back into black. The question itself didn't sound friendly, but his mind was more curious than hostile. Mostly probably to the "Rainwing" who, for some reason, wanted to look like a Nightwing all the time. The primary impression Moon got from all of them was that if Qibli decided to do something, it was probably a good idea, and all the rest would follow. A loyal rifle squad. They all had him closely linked to Queen Thorn in their minds, and even the two that hadn't been Outclaws before were deeply respectful of her and anyone associated with her.
"She's in my winglet. And the other, she's a friend. Qibli moned to both of us while he said, as if that made this normal. "Everyone, this is Moon and Grace."
They all nodded, even Onyx. I waved a little hello. Suddenly Ostritch said, "I like the silver scales by your eyes. They're not diamonds, are they? I wish I had some treasure, or scales that looked like treasure. They're pretty."
Moon managed a smile, wishing she could pull ferns over her head and hide from all their dark stares. I just smiled and hung my head.
"No. They're not. I wish they were though." I tried to be a little playful.
Marvin imediently turned to me to make sure I didn't accidentally cast a spell.
But after a moment, the SandWings mostly stopped thinking about us. Their thoughts were all about What's going to happen to me? and What's everyone else going to do? and If I leave, will the others think I'm a coward? If I stay, will they think I'm an idiot? Moon curled herself as small as she could on one of the boulders, feeling the heat from the SandWings' scales in addition to the sun.
"Will you go back to the stronghold, Qibli?" one of them asked, I didn't see which.
"No," he responded. "Thorn sent me here to learn, and I know she'd want me to stay."
Just a few words, his words, and instantly the others were all thinking, Yes, stay, I should stay, he's right, Thorn would want that. Moon wished she could have even a quarter of that effect on other dragons. Marvin thought of his men, they were kind of similar, but neither of us would even think about abusing it.
"What about you, Onyx?" Qibli asked her. "Where would you be going back to, if you left?"
She squinted her black eyes at him. That quiet, fuzzy, skyfire hum surrounded her, I imagine it would be like listening to fog, if you could. Moon folded her front talons together, unsettled.
What is going on in Onyx's head? How was she blocking me so completely?
And me. Darkstalker reminded us quietly.
"I didn't grow up in one of the big oases, if that's what you're asking," Onyx spat. "It was just me and my mother, roaming the desert, and she's dead now. Which is why I applied to come here — I have nowhere else to go. But it doesn't matter, because I'm staying."
Just her and her mother? Moon thought. Kind of like me. Except she had her mother all the time, not just in snatches here and there. She was never alone.
I'm so sorry Moon. I thought to her. She didn't know what to do with my pity.
"Did you fight in the war?" Qibli asked.
"Did you?" Onyx shot back.
"In a way," he said. "For Thorn and the Outclaws."
She flicked her tongue: out, in. Like a snake. "I chose not to choose a side. None of those dragons were fit to be queen."
Huh.
The two non-Outclaw dragons both had unhappy rippling reactions to that comment:
Blaze wasn't so bad and Perhaps not a good queen, but Burn would have been a strong queen. Then both of them thought, Thank the moons it's Thorn instead.
"Wow," Qibli said. "I'm amazed you were able to avoid Burn's soldiers for so long — what are you, twenty years old? And without hiding in the Scorpion Den either; at least, I don't remember you being there."
Even I acknowledged that feat.
"Nineteen," Onyx said. "And no, we stayed away from the Scorpion Den, too."
"Your mother wasn't a fan of other dragons?" Qibli joked lightly. He was trying to figure out whether to ask if they'd had help, perhaps from Queen Scarlet, but in a way that wouldn't make her even more suspicious. A pretty smart approach. But even I could tell that she was already displeased. Questions in general clearly weren't her favorite thing.
"That's right," Onyx said.
"Your diamonds are so cool," Ostrich said out of left field. "Did it hurt to get them set between your scales like that?"
Onyx blinked, and Moon saw that Ostrich was deliberately disarming her. The little SandWing was young, but smart, and although she wasn't sure what Qibli was fishing for, she instinctively knew how to help him get past this surly, older, dragon's defenses.
"Yes," Onyx said, stretching out one wing so the small black diamonds could catch the sun, shimmering and sparkling between her pale yellow scales. As yellow as the deserts she came from. "But that is half the point. If I could endure that much pain just for a little beauty, imagine how much I could handle in a battle, or for my own survival. I think the most beautiful things should also be frightening."
Marvin shivered. Until your head gets blown off.
Qibli shot Moon a look, but before he could say anything, Ostrich leaned forward and peered at Onyx's amulet.
"And what's that?" she asked, genuinely curious now. "Does it mean something?"
"Yes." Onyx wrapped her claws around the amulet, paused, and then flipped a latch that opened it up. Inside was a twisted, rough, hunk of black rock, bound to the amulet with copper wires. "This is a piece of the rock that killed my mother."
Then Marvin caught a glimpse with a gasp. That's Skyfire. That's-
Okay.
The other SandWings gasped at her last comment, but Onyx smirked at their expressions.
"Oh, I didn't do it." she said. None of the other dragons had had that thought, but now they all did.
So much for 'don't give them any ideas.' Marvin mumbled mentally.
"No," Onyx continued, "this rock just fell from the sky one night. It went straight through her head, leaving a burning hole behind, and over she went. That's when I thought, Well, time to join the world." She snapped the locket shut, making Ostrich jump. "Beautiful and frightening, don't you agree?"
"Can I see it?" Ostrich whispered.
Onyx turned the amulet between her claws for a moment, then lifted it off her neck. "Just for a moment," she said. "I think it came from the comet — you remember the one in the sky when the war ended? The false brightest night? It was up there when the rock fell. So I call it skyfire."
She dropped the amulet into Ostrich's talons.
And suddenly, out of the blue, there was a new voice in our heads.
That's right, admire me, fear me, wonder about me. You all have no idea who I am or what I'll be one day. One day soon. No more hiding, Mother. I make the decisions now.
At the same instant, Ostrich's thoughts vanished; the only thing Moon could hear from the little SandWing was that quiet, shimmering hum.
Moon stared at Onyx, then at the amulet, which lay open in Ostrich's talons. The black rock glittered at her like the dark heart of a faraway star.
That was it.
That was why I couldn't read Onyx. It was the skyfire.
I heard her gentle gasp.