Wings of Fire: A Dangerous Scroll

Chapter 5

Moonrise dragged her feet to her room in the Sky Palace. Finch had insisted that she and Crescent have only the best and most comfortable place to sleep after dinner. Crescent was already out like a light, but thoughts swirling through Moonrise's head kept her awake.

What was in that scroll? What's with Queen Finch's weird mood change? Why is she treating us like royals? Is everything OK between the SkyWings and the NightWings? 

It was too much to think about. She remembered what Crescent had told her to calm her anxieties time and time again: 'That's way too many questions to worry about all in one night. Why don't you solve them one by one?'

One by one, she thought. OK. I'll think about what's in that scroll first. Thousands of possibilities sprang up in her mind, but before she knew it, the serious thoughts melted into thoughts about the strawberries and steak she had eaten for dinner as she drifted to sleep.

"Wake up!" 

Moonrise woke with a start. Who was that, and what did they want? 

"The queen has requested an audience with you," said the voice, seeming to read her mind. She rose her head and saw a crimson SkyWing guard at the door.

"Oh- of course." She looked around, first at Crescent who was yawning and stretching and then out the window. What in the world...? The pale morning light had started to filter through the stained glass, but the moons and stars were still visible. What does she want this early?  

She got herself up, put on her best "I'm awake" face, and followed the guard along with Crescent to the throne room.

When they entered, Moonrise could see the sun beginning to rise behind the Queen. Had she been up all night? 

"Greetings," the queen said brightly, snapping the dragonet out of her thoughts. Moonrise heard a click behind her, but she ignored it.

"Hello," said Crescent. "What's the matter?" 

"Nothing at all! I summoned you two here for a very important reason. Did you like the dinner our chefs prepared for you? How about your sleeping quarters? Did they suit you well?"

Those are some strange questions, thought Moonrise. Whatever. "They were wonderful!" she replied happily. 

"I dreamed about that steak all night," added Crescent.

"Lovely. I'm so very glad to hear that! We needed to make you feel welcome and trust us, after all."

Crescent piped up. "Trust you? Why do we need to trust you? Are you hiding something?" She got into a battle stance.

"Oh, we weren't hiding anything, per se... I requested all those nice things for you to butter you up, you know. I just wanted to see all the hope drain from your eyes once you realized that Queen Starwings sent you here to die."