Unity

Prologue

Faithkeeper kept her eyes ahead, though she could feel her companions' concerned gazes burning her scales. She twitched her wings nervously.

What could be about to happen on the rock ledge that causes such painful headaches?

The rocky ledge flared in her mind again and she winced. Sunset and Emerald exchanged a glance behind her that went unnoticed. Faithkeeper let the visiom slip back into a raindrop and forced herself to fly faster, urgency pulsing through her.

"There!"

Dragonfruit suddenly broke the silence, pointing a claw at the rapidly approaching shape of a mountain. At the same moment, pain exploded in Faithkeeper's skull.

Dark blue scales, stained with blood.

Dark blue eyes looking into hers as a warm, round object is pushed into her talons.

Black eyes and caramel-brown scales, promising-

"NO!" Faithkeeper roared, fighting off Sunset and Dragonfruit- who had apparently caught her when she fainted- and propelling herself forward the mountain. She landed clumsily on a weathered ledge, rocks crumbling around her.

"Peregrine!" She roared, nearly whacking Emerald with her frantically flapping wings. "Peregrine, where are you? You're here, I know you are!"

Her calls echoed back to her, unanswered. She turned to her sister.

"Find her! Here!" She grabbed a pinecone and shoved it into Dragonfruit's talons. "Enchant it to find her!"

Her terror must have shown in her eyes, because Dragonfruit did not argue.

"Lead us to Princess Peregrine!"

The pinecone leapt into the air and zoomed off. Faithkeeper nearly outpaced it in her desperation.

It wasn't her! She's fine! It can't be true!

The pinecone veered sharply into the mountain face, causing Faithkeeper to nearly run into a tree. It landed at the ledge of a ledge, where years of erosion had worn a shallow overhang into the rock. Under it. . . Laid a dark blue dragon with rainbow speckles like stars scattered across her wings.

Faithkeeper thought she was going to be sick from dread and the headaches now crashing against her. She sank onto the ledge beside the pinecone, staring at the dragon. It was Peregrine. And something was very wrong.

Her friend's wings shuddered and convulsed, like she was trying to take flight but couldn't. Her breathing was ragged, at times stuttering to painful halts that made Faithkeeper's heart jump with fear. She appeared to be whispering to her talons, her voice hoarse.

"Don't worry, gemstone. Mommy has you. Daddy will be back soon, you'll see. I've seen him! They have to be visions. . . Have to be. . ."

A pebble shifted under Faithkeeper's talon and Peregrine leapt up faster than Faithkeeper thought her capable.

"Get back! Get away from us!" She hissed.

Faithkeeper folded her wings back and raised her talons submissively.

"Peregrine, it's okay. It's me, Faithkeeper."

"Lies!"

Peregrine spat, swaying dangerously. Now that Peregrine was facing her, Faithkeeper could see purple and red running from her scales.

"Faithkeeper. . . Is dead. And. . . You're a Nightwing. . . My friend. . . She. . ."

Peregrine slumped against a wall, blood bubbling at her lips. Faithkeeper hesitated, glancing behind her. Her sister and friends were hovering in the air, staring at Peregrine in horror.