Wings Of Fire; The Fate Begins: The Dragonet Prophecy

Chapter 6: The Plan Begins

"They can't," Sunny said. "They wouldn't."

"They definitely would," Tsunami and Aria said. "They'll do anything if they think it's right for the prophecy." The dragonets looked at Glory, whose scales had turned pale green. Her usual aloof expression was gone. She paced around Tsunami's and Aria's rock columns, lashing her tail.

"But we won't let them," Clay blurted. He was still panting and dripping icy water on the stone floor. "Right, Tsunami and Aria? We'll stop them."

"You don't have to get involved," Glory said. "This is my problem, not yours."

"How will you stop her?" Tsunami and Aria asked Clay, ignoring Glory. "Even all of you together are no match for Kestrel, especially with Dune helping her. And We can't do anything." They bared their teeth and snapped at their chains, pulling the the one around their necks dangerously tight.

"So we escape," Clay said. "Just like you two, Glaze, Starflight, Bubble, Ember, and Caribbean wanted. We get two out of there and we escape, tonight. Right now."

"Escape?" Sunny squeaked.

"Seriously," Glory said. Apple-red stripes flickered across like lightning. "You don't have to do anything. I'm the one who doesn't fit in. I'll—I'll fight her or—or I'll figure something out..."

"Of course we had to do something," Clay said fiercely.

"If escape were that easy, then we'd have done it already," Brightglide pointed out. He stepped around Glory, stood up on his back legs, and tapped on the boulder that blocked the entrance. "This is the only way out. And they have it rigged on a mechanism that only the big dragons can move."

"They do?" Clay asked.

Brightglide nodded. "You know how Dune never leaves, because he can't fly? He has a stone that fits in this slot." He tapped a grooved niche in the stone wall. "He turns it in here to unlock something so that they can roll the boulder from inside the cave. But when Kestrel or Webs or Hvitur or Ebony or Robin or Seal come from outside, there must be a secret lever or switch that they use to open it from outside."

"Oh," Clay said. Clay felt like an idiot for trying so hard to roll the big rock all these years. He'd never even noticed that Dune unlocked something before moving the boulder. He'd never thought twice about the oddly shaped stone that was always around the sand dragon's neck.

"So can we steal Dune's rock?" Sunny suggested.

"Terrible idea," Glory said immediately.

"They'd catch us for sure," Brightglide said to Sunny, more kindly. "Especially tonight, when they're already on high alert because of Duefulsage."

"But it was a good try," Caribbean said to Sunny, more kindly.

"Well, then what about the sky—" Sunny asked.

"Is there anyway to move the rock without the rock?" Tsunami and Aria interrupted her.

Brightglide shook his head. "Only from the outside. It's impossible from in here. Believe me. I thought about it."

"Maybe the sky—" Sunny said.

"Couldn't we use our grass breaths to pry the rock loose so we can move it," Bubble and Ember asked.

Brightglide shook his head. "That wouldn't work either."

"Maybe the sky—" Sunny asked.

"Can we use our ice and purple fire breaths together to loosen the rock so we can move it?" Starflight and Glaze asked.

Brightglide shook his head. "That wouldn't work either."

"Maybe the sky—" Sunny said.

"Couldn't I make a wave to loosen the rock to escape?" Caribbean asked.