Jade Mountain's Next Generation

Chapter 17 - I Can't Live Like This

"Darkshine?" I did a figure eight in the air and then landed in front of my mother. I flung my wings around her. She hugged me back. I felt scales brush my side. "Light." Glory breathed. I was released, and I turned to see my father. I wrapped my wings around him next. "Darkshine, we heard about... Jade Mountain. And we're happy that you're safe."

"You're next." I blurted, without thinking. "The ice is coming here to kill you and mother." He stiffened. "Nothing will hurt you, or your sister, or Glory," My father growled.

"Deathbringer." My mother said softly. "You'll just get hurt trying to stop the ice. From what Light tells me, it's already killed Rosebud. Do you remember Rosebud?" Deathbringer went pale. "Carnation and Grace's daughter."

I went rigid. "Who's daughter? Why do you know them? I don't know them."

My parents sighed in unison. "Grace was Glory's sister or cousin or something—"

"My third-cousin." She said. "If you and Light and your sibling in her egg died, Grace was next in line for the throne, seeing as Jambu didn't have any dragonets." I nodded slowly, although I was unsure why that was important. "So Rosebud was in line for the throne. If anything happened to you, she'd be the next queen."

I nodded again. "Also," Deathbringer put in. "Carnation and Rosebud were the last dragons with SilkWing blood."

"SilkWing?" Indigo asked, joining us. "The last?"

"SilkWings are a lost tribe. They could shoot silk from their wrists, and were wonderful climbers." The queen explained.

"But I swear I've heard that before..." Indigo said thoughtfully.

The tips of my mother's wings went slightly nervous green. "Well, I have to make an announcement." She said, turning around to silence the RainWings gathered in front of us. "Hey." A quiet voice said behind me. I turned to see a NightWing and Light standing behind me. The NightWing had teardrop scales next to his eyes, so when I got a message from an unfamiliar male voice in my head, I listened to it. I'll help you.

"This is Stormchaser." Light explained. "He wants to help us stop the ice." I stared at him. His handsome eyes stared into my eyes. His dark purple and blue scales shone in the bright sunlight.

"All right. He can help." I said. "Good!" Said Indigo. "What's good?" Asked a voice beside me. "Sahara!" I smiled. And then a scream echoed from the crowd, and dragons everywhere started taking to the sky. I heard high-pitched cries of "Help!" and "My talons have ice on them!"

Stormchaser turned to me. His face was a mask of horror. "The ice, Darkshine." "Call me Shine," I told him as I turned around to see the ice. "Oh my moons," Indigo whispered. "Holy crap," Sahara said.

I saw what everyone was worried about. For every five NightWings into the air, one NightWing didn't get up fast enough. A couple hybrid RainWings were getting covered in ice and frozen as well. I saw ice creeping towards us. "It's after all of us," I whispered. "Yeah," Indigo replied. Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw my father writhing on the ground, trying to escape the magic. I let out a sob and forced myself into the air after Stormchaser and Light. Sahara passed me, and Indigo's wingtips brushed my tail. I saw my mother, holding an egg in her talons with tears spilling out of her eyes, and my wings went limp. My eyes were blurry with tears. I shut them as I plummeted, and thought, I'm going to die, and then Light will be like Rose. All alone. Dead.