The Sapphire of War

Chapter 3

"Can I ask you something?" Downpour said to Gale. Daybreak, Gale, and Downpour were standing in one of the castle's many courtyard- a small, secluded area surrounded by sea-green walls. "Why do you wear that bandage around your neck?"

Daybreak turned to look at Gale. She had never noticed it before -- Gale's scales were so pale they were almost white -- but there was indeed a bandage wrapped securely around her neck. 

"Oh, that," said Gale, gently touching the bandage. "It's just a battle injury. WoodWing claws are sharper than they say."

Daybreak shuddered. Downpour had lost his brother, Foliage had lost his entire village, and Gale had nearly lost her life. She wondered which would be worse: the DarkWings taking over Palem, or the war continuing indefinitely? Well, I'm not going to let either one happen.

"So, Downpour, you said you had a plan in mind?" said Gale. Daybreak was surprised by how serious and focused Gale was acting -- when they were guarding the edge of the kingdom, Gale had acted bright and cheerful. She wants to stop the war as badly as Downpour and I do, Daybreak realized.

Downpour cleared his throat. "There's this sapphire. Queen Monsoon wears it on her crown to keep it safe. I'm not sure how or why but it's been...enchanted to keep the war going."

Daybreak's jaw dropped. "What?"

"As long as that sapphire is intact, the war will never end," Downpour explained. 

Daybreak continued to stand and stare. The only way anything could be enchanted was through Glyrite -- but what RainbowWing would want to do something like that? Were the DarkWings aware of this? Was this part of their plan all along?

"Don't overthink it," said Downpour. "The point is, we need to get the sapphire off of the queen's crown and shatter it. I have a plan for that, too. Monsoon is looking for a new bodyguard. She's holding a tournament for anyone interested in the job -- whoever wins becomes her bodyguard, no questions asked. If one of us could win the competition, we'd be able to get close enough to Monsoon to snatch the sapphire off her crown."

"I think Droplet should participate," Gale suggested timidly. "Without her, none of this would be possible."

"I-I'm not sure," stammered Daybreak. "I mean, I'd love to, b-but I haven't had much battle experience..."

"Don't worry," said Downpour with a slight smile. "All you need is a little training."