Wings of Fire: A Dangerous Scroll

Chapter 2

Moonrise awoke to a spray of cold water on her scales. She jumped up, shivering, and then remembered that she and Crescent were camping out on a low cliff above a thin river, churning and twisting loudly underneath them. The water had come from a wave crashing on the coal-gray rocks where Moonrise had slept. While Crescent was still sleeping comfortably in a small dip in the grassy terrain, Moonrise had slept on this pile of rocks near the edge of the cliff so she wouldn't cause a forest fire, using the scroll as a pillow.

She was careful not to wake Crescent as she made her way toward the edge of the cliff to observe the surrounding territory. Tall spires stretched up from what looked like miles away; they shined the color of brilliant ivory in the morning sun. Jewels, gold, and other treasures were embedded in the massive towers. Moonrise had read that the SkyWings valued treasure more than any other tribe. Was this the Sky Palace? Her eyes had always been sharper than the average NightWing, but even she didn't see these towers last night. She inched closer, as close as she could without falling off the cliff. Dragon statues seemed to guard a giant arch that overlooked a pathway about a mile away. The statues had sapphires for eyes and crystal for horns and talons, making them look almost like icicles. They had huge wings, huger than any other dragon she had ever seen. SkyWings! I read a scroll once that they have larger wings than other tribes. This must be it! The Sky Palace is right there! She glided to the grassy hollow to wake Crescent immediately, making sure that neither her talons nor tail brushed the ground to avoid burning it.

"Crescent! The Sky Palace is right there! Look at it! Look!" Moonrise yelled loudly at Crescent, trying to wake her up as fast as she could. "See the dragon statues with sapphire eyes? There's two, and the Sky Palace is behind them! C'mon! Let's go!"

Crescent flopped over on her side, glaring at Moonrise groggily. "Do we have to go right now? I'm tired..."

"Please, Crescent? Please!" She poked the grumpy dragon in the snout with the scroll. "I really want to see what the SkyWings' kingdom looks like!"

"Augh, fine." Crescent heaved her body up, yawning. "Let's get it over with so I can go back to sleep."

"Yes!" Moonrise shook her wings and immediately set off toward the palace.

"Wait! We can't even--have--breakfast--?" Crescent said sadly.

Moonrise glared at her in a joking way. "Stop complaining or I'll thump you."

Crescent sighed and ascended toward Moonrise, her scales glittering in the morning sun. She shook her tail and gave Moonrise a look that just screamed, "I'll race ya." And before she knew it, Crescent had started dashing toward the palace.

Two can play at that game, Crescent thought. She began to pick up speed, but before she could catch up to Crescent, she noticed a SkyWing guard holding up a spear approaching her.

And he didn't look happy.