Queen Comet's eyes went into slits and she hissed, "Now where did you hear about that particular law?"

Sunset shifted a bit. "I read about it." 

Queen Comet snorted. "I bet you did. With claws that burn right through paper when you touch it. Someone's been telling you things too big for little dragon ears." 

Sunset spoke too quickly. "No! Nobody-!"

Queen Comet snatched Hawk up in her talons and shot into the sky. 

Sunset yelled. "Stop! It's not his fault!" She leaped into the air and beat her wings, chasing them.

The Queen raised higher and higher above the arena. 

Hawk writhed in her claws, his tail hanging heavily below him. 

Comet had nearly reached the height of the wire net when suddenly she opened her talons and dropped the old dragon.

Hawk plummeted like stone. Hawk's wings were slow to extend, and when they did he lurched horribly, dragged down by the useless weight of his tail. 

Sunset darted at him, talons outstretched, but he twisted away from her and she stopped, helpless.

Hawk flapped his wings in one last burst of energy, but he couldn't right himself. He hit the sand at an awkward angle. Soon every dragon in the arena heard the ripping and snapping of bones breaking and wings tearing as he tumbled.

Battlebringer's ears flattened.

Foeseer lowered her ears. 

Stargazer was shaking from her podium, talons over her face. 

Iceberg just felt sick.

Queen Comet fluttered delicately back on to her balcony perch. "I hope this had been a lesson to any other dragons who were thinking of teaching my champion bad habits." She said, glaring around the arena. 

Queen Comet continued. "Now. I won't argue with the champion's shield. The champion has asked to stand for the prisoner. I will choose her opponent, and they will battle at the end of the games tomorrow. If she wins, Ash goes free. If not, well, I'll have a dead champion, but at least we'll get to execute Ash right afterward. All in all, a wonderful bloody day for me to look forward to."

"All right," Sunset said, staring down at Hawk's last dying spasms. "Tommorow, then." She reached for Hawk's talons and stopped, her claws hovering over his, agonizingly close but not touching. 

"Of course we'll have to lock Ash back up." Queen Comet said. "We wouldn't want her to try escaping again. You understand."

"Fine," Sunset said as she turned and looked at Ash.

Iceberg hissed.

The right dragon on the balcony soon dismissed the crowd, and dragons began to pour out of the arena.

Soon, Sunset flew into the sky, passing Iceberg. Flames were flickering in her wings as she took flight towards the SkyWing castle.

Iceberg got up, expecting to talk to her but watched as she left, disappointed. The stars started rising in the midnight sky and sparkled.

Iceberg began to scratch the loose wire on the other wires, her ears pinning back at the high pitched noise it made. She did it again, trying to find a rhythm. Iceberg tried again, making a somewhat musical note.

Suddenly, a male SandWing on one of the podiums started singing. "When the war has gone too far, the Dragonets will come..." 

Iceberg was surprised, but kept going, not wanting to sing because she thought she was pitchy. 

A female MudWing joined in. "When all there is found is blood and tears, the Dragonets will come."

Foeseer looked surprised when an IceWing started singing. "Find the egg of Night and Ice" 

"Oh no..." Iceberg muttered when she saw Battlebringer. Iceberg continued. 

Battlebringer sang loudly in his awful singing voice. "Wings Of Night shall be there for you"

"And in the deep forest of sight, wings of rain will come to you" Iceberg sang. She didn't really remember the prophecy but she knew it was close to that.

"For Wings Of Ice, search through the storm, for an egg the color of snow" Battlebringer sang, glancing at Iceberg. 

Foeseer sang in as well. "And hidden by their home, the NightWing egg awaits unseen"

It seemed as if all the prisoners were singing the song. "Of three tribes, sea, sand and rain. Two shall fail and one shall win. If they bow to the fate of the world, they will have the power of wings of fire-!"

A blast of fire shot through the arena doors below and Queen Comet stormed on to the sand. "Stop that infernal noise right now!" She roared. 

The singing broke off at once.

Iceberg tucked the wire under her wing again, her eyes glittering in slight fury. Did the Queen really have to be like that? 

Stsrgazer yelped, ducking again, talons over her head.

"You," Queen Comet growled, pointed at Foeseer. "And you." She pointed at Stargazer. "And, well, probably not you, but get down here anyways." She snarled at Iceberg. Queen Comet then pointed at the red NightWing. "And him too!" She said, pointing at Battlebringer. 

SkyWing soldiers spilled out of the tunnel and soared up to the four dragonets.

"Ooo, are we going on a world tour?!" Battlebringer exclaimed.

Soldiers flew over to Iceberg's podium. Iceberg hissed and whipped her tail into one of them, the spikes heading towards their heads. 

"Here, stop it or we'll drop you." One of them snarled. 

"But she's a wing of-!" The other one started. 

"Shhhh," said the first. "You heard the queen. We don't call them that." 

Iceberg snarled, but didn't attack, not wanting to be dropped, remembering Hawk's death with a shudder.

SkyWing soldiers had grabbed Battlebringer, Foeseer, Stargazer, and Iceberg into the same tunnel that Queen Comet came from.