"Stop making her mad." Glow heard Tsunami hiss in front of her.

       "Me?" Clay said. The poor MudWing sounded genuinely confused. "What did I do?"

       "Well, you're a handsome idiot." She replied affectionately. "And I'll tell you later." Clay shouldered his way past Tsunami to follow behind Peril and Glow decided to move towards Tsunami.

       "Is he usually this oblivious?" Glow asked.

       Tsunami rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

       "I'm certain that I do. Rather similarly I might add." Glow heard Evenstar behind her. Glow turned around to glare at the small dark green-black NightWing and saw Corona throwing him the same look. Kite's little cheerful snicker made Glow's mood lighter and she pressed forward. Once we leave this place, Kite won't ever have to worry about his awful mother ever again. She then thought about Peril.

       She wondered about other dragonets with less-than-ideal situations in their home lives. When they weren't being sent off to war and getting killed, how many dragonets were in situations like Kite and Peril? What about orphaned dragonets like Corona and her friends, and Evenstar? She looked back at her group. Everyone was finally together again, and they would be leaving soon. Well, everyone except one. Glow promised that they'd go back for Frigga and save her. Maybe even Snowstorm, although they can't guarantee that they can successfully save her. It will be a miracle if we can save her, but she seems to have already resigned to her fate. Glow sighed. At least she got to see her little sister one last time.

       Her thoughts were interrupted by Kite's cheerful sweet voice. "So, I've never met the three of you. I met Peril, but you guys are new!" Kite piped. "Who are you?" He asked, interested.

       Tsunami looked back at him and smiled. "I'm Tsunami, the big and strong one." She bragged. Starflight rolled his eyes at her while Clay looked back as if he were offended.

       "Hey! I'm big and strong, too!" He whined jokingly.

       Tsunami scoffed. "Yeah, but you're a big, soft, mushy dork, too. But we love you anyways." She answered affectionately. Clay smiled at her and continued following Peril. "Anyways, that's Clay. Like I said, he's big and strong, but too much of a softie to hurt anybody. Big heart and big stomach." She said with a laugh. Glow caught the eye-roll from Clay up ahead. Tsunami then pointed to Starflight. "And that's Starflight. Probably the smartest dragon in all of Pyrrhia and always has his nose in a scroll." Starflight shrunk back as if he wasn't used to getting praise. "He's a little bit of a nervous wreck, but great to talk to if you're willing to sit through his lectures."

       Starflight tilted his ears towards her, his expression looked genuinely hurt. "Hey! I'm not that boring, am I?" He asked, concerned.

       Tsunami laughed. "I mean, yeah. But we still love you, Starflight." She gently hit him with her tail and a big toothy grin. Starflight laughed nervously and kept walking.

       Kite smiled. "Awesome! I'm Kite. I'm Evenstar's best friend." He said wrapping his yellow-orange wing around Evenstar. Kite's eyes were wide, and Evenstar looked relieved to see his best friend back to his normal self. "Wow! So you're really the dragonets of destiny?" He asked, enthused. Tsunami nodded. "Wait, then where are the other two? There are supposed to be five of you, aren't there? I know you're going to save 'Sunny' tomorrow, but what about the other one?"

       "We're working on that, Kite. Peril knows where Glory is, but we don't. We're going to get her tomorrow, too." Glow told him. Glow was impressed that Kite hadn't let it slip that Glow was their lost SkyWing. Although, Kite has been pretty good with secrets his whole life. Glow thought about the reason why and then winced at the thought. He probably had to keep a lot of things secret between him and his father from Cinnabar.

       They reached the central hall of balconies. The tunnel quickly turned left and began to rise upwards. Peril signaled for them to be quiet as they began to sneak upwards towards the sound of rowdy dragons.

       Clay was placing his talons carefully on the stone gold-laced floor. "Hey." Glow heard Peril whisper to Clay. "Once you're free...what are you going to do?"

       "We'll go find our parents." Clay whispered back. "I've never been to the MudWing kingdom. I can't wait."

       "Really?" Peril said. "You'll go straight there?"

       "Yep." Clay said.

       "What about Glow and her friends?" She asked.

       Glow shook her head. "As much as I'd love to join them, I don't think it'd be safe for us to stick around. We'd rather just head to Whitecap's forge in the Bay of a Thousand Scales, where we'll be safe for the time being." Glow explained. Corona looked down forlorn and nodded in agreement with Evenstar and Kite. Glow thought of Whitecap and remembered what she had to tell him. She wasn't sure whether the hope that Glass is possibly still alive would make him feel better or worse about it. Well, either way he has to know. He can't just go on without knowing where Glass might be.

       "So, it'll just be the five of you then?" Peril asked.

       "Absolutely. As soon as poss –" Tsunami trod on his tail harshly. Clay yelped and made a face at Tsunami. He turned back around and saw that Peril had hurried ahead already.

       Glow shouldered Tsunami harshly. "Can you please stop acting like everything he's going to say will trigger Peril? She's not a trigger-happy psycho." Glow jeered.

       Tsunami scoffed. "Well, the last thing we want is for Peril to be angry with us. And besides, Clay's going to say something wrong to make her mad because he's not exactly the most perceptive dragon."

       Glow was confused. "I thought you trusted him." She said skeptically.

       Tsunami shook her head. "I do. It's not that I don't trust him – I just don't trust her." She answered.

       Glow bowed her head in defeat. "Fair enough, I guess, but I still don't think you should act like everything he says will rub her the wrong way. She's not as crazy and unstable as you think."

       Tsunami turned her determined green eyes forward. "I just want us to get out of here alive, that's all." Glow was reminded of a certain rust-coloured dragon rotting away in a prison cell not too far from where they were. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, does it.

       Glow then thought about Peril's behavior towards Clay earlier. "Although, I will admit that Peril's is acting...odd right now. But when she wasn't exactly exposed to healthy relationships her whole life and she gets a crush on someone, someone like her would get jealous easily." She agreed.

       Glow continued following Peril down the tunnel. She assumed they had climbed about two or three levels after circling around balconies and arriving in an open doorway as tall and wide as five dragons. They hid around the corner and peeked around for anything of concern.

       It led to the dining hall that Glow saw earlier. She got a better look at it and saw the details of the place much better. It looked like a semicircle plateau between the cliffs, crowded with SkyWings and SandWings. It was lit by what Glow realized weren't torches, but what looked like floating globes full of fire. She wondered how that was even possible, considering an object like that couldn't be made naturally or by the process of glassblowing. A possibility was emerging in her head. I wonder if this tribe has animuses. The SeaWings do, and the IceWings did once. I think I even remember the SandWings did too, a couple thousand years ago from the scrolls I read. Jerboa, was his name? Maybe even the SkyWings did – and still do. She then remembered what happens to dragonets born with too much fire and realized that if Scarlet isn't using Peril for more than entertainment, then the same procedure must be done with animuses as well. Dangerous differences don't seem to be tolerated in this kingdom, are they.

       "Fascinating, isn't it?" She heard Evenstar echo her thoughts. She nearly jumped out of her scales in alarm.

       She was clutching her chest tightly panting heavily. "Evenstar, don't scare me like that. You nearly gave a heart attack." She warned.

       Evenstar nodded. "I wonder about those orbs, too." He said.

       Glow eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know I was wondering about them?" She asked skeptically.

       Evenstar shrugged. "Who wouldn't wonder about them? They definitely don't occur naturally, or could be made by typical dragon talons." He answered.

       Glow relaxed. I guess any dragon would wonder about that. It is kind of obviously weird. She observed more of the room and saw that while the SkyWings were dressed fancy, the SandWings looked rather peasant-like in comparison. They looked kind of awkward – it was clear that this wasn't their environment of choice.

       There were so many statues of Queen Scarlet in so many regal positions that it made Glow want to vomit. Some were marble, others were black rock with rubies for eyes, but most of them were in gold. There was food piled almost all the way to the ceiling on the table, and prey running amok through the dragons' talons. There was a rock barrier along where the cliffs would drop, keeping the prey from escaping.

       A SkyWing had smashed a mountain goat and ate it in one gulp while she continued her conversation with the SandWing next to her. Glow realized that she was incredibly hungry and missed her favourite food. Our spare food is probably in my bag in our room. We'll have to grab that before we leave. Hopefully while everyone's distracted by the festivities tomorrow.

       Glow eyed Queen Scarlet lying on a tall golden throne, looking down on the other dragons. Another throne was set up for Burn, although her large size was enough to compensate. However, in Glow's opinion, the throne didn't really suit the black-eyed monster. It brought her great amusement when she saw that the SandWing was shifting uncomfortably in her guest throne. It was therapeutically cathartic.

       Starflight grabbed Clay's shoulder and pointed. Glow followed his gesture towards the golden birdcage Sunny was in. Her heart started beating rapidly at the sight of the small, beautiful, golden dragonet. She could see it properly now, and saw that it had changed positions from the last she saw it. It was now hanging over the centre of the hall. It was held there by a wire much like the wires used to keep the prisoners on their spires. Sometimes a dragon would fly up and observe, but then they'd fly back down to the party.

       Sunny was crouching in the cage with her wings draped over her head. She was glimmering in the firelight as if she were simply another piece of Scarlet's treasure.

       Glow felt her talons tremble with anger at the thought of Sunny simply being treated as an object. "Stop!" She heard Tsunami whisper. It took a second for her realize that she wasn't talking to her. "I know. I want to go get her, too." Tsunami said to Clay, who looked like he was going to dart forward.

       "But if we do it right now, it's suicide." Starflight agreed.

       Glow nodded. "They're right Clay. I don't like leaving her either, but we need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible." She explained, taking Corona's words to heart. Think with both your head and your gut. They're both important.

       Starflight nodded. "Better to let them think we'd leave without her. If they know we care about her, they'll use it against us." Although his words were calm, his lashing tail betrayed his calm intelligent demeanor.

       "But she's all alone." Clay whispered desperately. He stretched himself out farther. Glow realized that he must be looking for Glory. Glow's eyes scanned the whole area, and she couldn't find even a glimpse of the marble tree, or the RainWing draped over it. Scarlet must be hiding her from Burn. Glow silently thanked the three moons for keeping that giant sand brute away from Glory.

       "You guys cross first." Peril said, drawing Glow's attention towards the other end of the opening. "Crouch low and run, and hopefully they won't spot us." Glow sent Evenstar and Kite running across first, and then Corona. Tsunami darted across next, then Starflight, and then Clay. Glow crossed last, making sure she would be able to hold anyone that tried to stop them off. They all huddled around the corner they are now in, waiting silently for Peril.

       Peril caught up a few moments later. "Sorry. I had to wait for the queen to look away." Peril dipped her head and smiled to Glow, although it looked rather strained – as if she was forcing it. There was something agonizing and painful about it and it unnerved Glow to an unsettling degree.

       From this point, the tunnel branched into several directions. Peril took one leading down under the cliff where the dining hall was, and they followed closely. The further along the tunnel they went, the wider apart the torches were placed. Therefore, the tunnel grew darker and darker. Glow could hear roaring up ahead and figured that the waterfall was nearby.

       They came out on a narrow ledge halfway up a tall, craggy cliff. The glimmering moons allowed them to see straight down to the winding river below. Glow thought that if not for the situation they were in, this would be a beautiful scene to share with a certain golden dragonet. The waterfall roared ahead of them, and Glow could swear she could hear the ringing in her left ear coming back, and the spray was cold on their faces. Glow, however, found it refreshing and she was reminded of the nights she'd spend curled up against Frigga's side. It was nostalgic and calming, and she appreciated it.

       Starflight pressed himself back against the cliff. "Are you sure you don't want to unbind our wings now?" He said, closing his eyes firmly.

       "You'll be fine. It's easy to climb down from here. I've done it when my wings are tired. See? The cave's right down there." Peril explained.

       Glow saw the gap in the cliff below, like the wall was impaled by a giant claw. She wasn't sure it would be safe enough for the others to climb down. "Peril, are you sure? What if they fall? If they fall, then no one can save them and they'll most likely die." She asked concerned.

       Kite and Evenstar raised their heads. "Our wings are unbound, but we can't carry any of you. Maybe Corona, but the rest of you? It's too much." Evenstar explained and Kite nodded.

       Peril let out an exasperated groan. "You'll be fine. But if it'll make you feel better, Kite and Evenstar can help them down by guiding them." She answered annoyed. Glow looked at her and Peril's expression was that of someone who realized she hurt someone's feelings. "Just trust me, okay?" She said.

       Glow shook off the feeling of suspicion and nodded. "Okay. I do trust you. " She said, tilting her head so Peril could see her right ear.

       "I see some claw holds." Clay said. "And we can rest on that boulder halfway –" He stopped. Glow was waiting for him to finish his sentence when she finally heard why. Above the furious roaring of the waterfall, she could swear she was hearing...wingbeats? Someone was coming, and they would not be able to get out of this if they don't leave now.

       Clay spun around to Peril. "Hide!" He said, frantically pushing Peril towards the tunnel. "If they find you helping us, the queens will kill you, champion or not."

       Glow was panicking internally, but realized that Clay wasn't screaming or writhing in agony. Everyone was standing around looking at him shocked and agape. Peril was standing in the mouth of the tunnel staring at him.

       "How did you do that?" Peril whispered disbelievingly.

       "Do –" Clay started. Glow saw his talons were glowing red, instead of smoldering black and falling apart. His talons then returned to the state they were before.

       "Stop gawping. Everybody run!" Tsunami said, shoving him at the tunnel. Kite was looking back panicked and Evenstar was shielding him.

       "I don't think so." said Queen Scarlet's chilling voice. Corona's tail was unsheathed and ready to attack. Scarlet was descending from the cliff, her bejeweled wings spread open wide.

       Glow signaled to the others to hurry into the cave. "Get in. I'll keep her occupied!" She ordered. She reared up, spreading her wings as much as the bands on them could allow and puffed out her chest. She let out a low audible snarl, a warning to any SkyWing thinking of bringing harm to her friends.

       The queen simply laughed. "Sorry, little SkyWing, but you won't get the chance this time. It was only funny the first time." She cooed maliciously. She whipped her tail and suddenly Glow was wrapped in tightly binding chains along with Corona. "You really don't know when enough is enough, do you?" Scarlet mocked.

       Corona snarled at her. "Don't think you'll get away with this! You can't keep us here forever!" She roared.

       The SkyWing queen simply brushed her off. "Eh, you'll be dead tomorrow anyways. So it won't be forever, don't you worry your little head."

       Corona tried to whip around at the SkyWing holding her poison barb tail down, but the chained restrained her movement. Glow could see out of her peripheral vision that Kite and Evenstar were hiding closely by Clay and Tsunami, and suddenly she felt her gut lurch with horror at the fate that awaited Kite.

       "Rather cruel of you to rip this poor little SkyWing away from his own mother, don't you think?" The queen sneered.

       Glow breathed out a bolt of flame at the queen, but it didn't reach very far. "Do you have any idea was Cinnabar will do to him? He won't stand a chance!" Glow roared.

       Scarlet yawned and waved her talons at her. "Enough. I'm getting bored with you." She turned her evil yellow eyes towards Peril, who looked like she'd shrunk at least three sizes. "Thank you, Peril. You may be excused." She said cruelly.

       It took a moment for Glow to register what Scarlet had said. Thank you for what? Peril's eerie blue eyes were filled with shame and agony as she fled up the tunnel. No. Suddenly Glow understood. It can't be...She wouldn't have – would she? Glow didn't know what to feel. She trusted Peril, she was her friend, and she betrayed her. But it couldn't have been her own choice; nothing in her life had ever been her choice from the moment Scarlet took her in.

       Scarlet smiled at the dragonets as the other SkyWing soldiers began flooding down from the sky. "Going somewhere?" She mocked.

       Glow tried to struggle, but it was useless. She hung limply as Kite was being pulled away kicking and screaming. He cried for his friends, he cried not to be returned to his cruel abusive mother as he was unwillingly taken away. Evenstar looked agonized as he watched his best friend ripped away from him, and hung his head low as the guards were carrying him away with the other dragonets.

       As Glow was being pushed along with the others, the feeling of guilt was weighing her wings down. The feeling of helplessness clutched at her and shriveled her up inside. She blamed herself for not being able to save them, even though deep down she knew that there was nothing she could realistically have done. One fact was clear in her muddled head – Peril, her friend, had betrayed them. After everything she had done for her, after risking her life to stand up for her, Peril betrayed her.

       When they reached Peril's room again, Scarlet was obviously not pleased to find her wall in the same place it was before and sighed with disapproval. Glow eyed the blood on the other side – her blood – another result of her own reckless decisions.

       "So, you've figured out what MudWings hatched from blood-red eggs can do." Glow looked back at the queen in confusion. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

       Glow was just as confused as Clay looked, but she was too ashamed of her own uselessness to question it. Tsunami, Starflight, and Evenstar looked grim – like they all knew something the other three didn't. The guards used long shovels to move the rocks apart again

       Glow eyed Vermilion, and felt even worse. He looked uncomfortable with his own mother imprisoning three of his friends, understandably so. "Find the ten most sober guards. Post them out here. These dragonets are done ruining my party." Scarlet instructed him. Glow was surprised that Evenstar was being pushed in along with them, but didn't question it in fear of the cruel queen changing her mind. She glared at them as her guards placed the rocks back into place. "It's really very selfish of you!" She snapped. "My hatching day only comes once a year. I've been planning this for months. So stop being awful, or I will take Burn's advice and kill you right now." Glow returned her heinous glare. Don't pretend to be virtuous, pathetic weasel.

       Once the queen and her guards were out of the room, Tsunami pulled the five of them towards the window, where the whistling of the wind could hide their conversation.

       "I don't remember anything about that in the scrolls." Tsunami whispered to Starflight.

       "There was one reference to a legend from before the Scorching. But I didn't think it meant anything. The guardians never said there was anything special about a red egg. I don't even think they're all that rare." Starflight whispered back.

       Evenstar cocked his head at his fellow NightWing. "Really? I found at least three other references in my scrolls." Starflight looked wounded. Evenstar sighed and draped a wing over his back. "You really must update your library, it's becoming rather unreliable." He suggested sympathetically.

       "What are we talking about?" Clay asked.

       Glow scratched her head. "Yeah, and what scrolls, Evenstar? I'd like to have known about those." She accused.

       Evenstar shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be interested, so I read them with Kite." He answered.

       "We're talking about you, you big lummox." Tsunami said, poking him with one talon. "And your no-good evil girlfriend." Glow felt uncomfortable with Tsunami labeling her that.

       "I – who?" Clay said.

       "Peril. The one who betrayed us to Queen Scarlet instead of helping us escape." Starflight explained.

       Clay looked like he didn't believe it. "You think she did that?" He said. "Why would she do that?"

       "Because she wants to keep you here, obviously." Tsunami growled. "This is what happens when you're too nice to psychotic killer dragons."

       Glow had enough. "Tsunami, stop! She's not a psychotic killer dragon, she's just a dragon that was raised by the worst mother in the history of mothers!" She snapped.

       Tsunami rolled her green eyes indignantly. "Then why hasn't she treated you the same way she treats Clay?" She asked.

       Glow thought about that. It was a reasonable question that Glow was pondering for a while. Why is it different? In fact, I've spent more time with her than Clay has. Why isn't she being possessive of me like she is with Clay? "Maybe it's because she knows I only like girl dragons?" Glow pried.

       "Maybe." Evenstar said, a puzzled look etched on his angled rectangular snout. Tsunami and Starflight looked skeptical and shook their heads. Clay just looked confused as to what was going on.

       Glow then realized something. From the beginning, Peril treated her and Clay differently. Peril always treated Glow like a friend from the moment they met. She was comfortable and confident talking to her. But she's nervous around Clay. She can barely contain herself around him. She finally found the answer she was looking for.

       "It's because she has a crush on him." Glow said.

       "She's right."Corona finally spoke up. "She found someone she really likes, more than just a friend, and she's clinging onto him for dear life. Crushes are already ridiculously uncontrollable as is." She explained. I know how THAT feels. Glow thought, thinking of golden scales capturing the sun's warm glow. "Imagine what that kind of feeling does to a dragon growing up without any friends. Or really anyone that actually cared about her. So she's trying to do anything she can to keep him around. It's not her fault, and if we don't support her and help her, she'll be far worse in the future."

       Tsunami and Glow turned their heads toward her. "You sound like you've dealt with this kind of thing before." Tsunami remarked.

       Corona grimaced. "I don't want to talk about it right now." She said firmly. "Maybe some other day, when I get to know you all better, but not right now. " She turned her head away in silence.

       Glow turned back to Tsunami. "And besides, do you really think she would have been given a choice? Scarlet probably caught her and manipulated her again – like it always happens. Remember, Scarlet never gave Peril a choice her whole life." Glow continued.

       "I'm still confused." Clay said. "How do red eggs come into it?"

       "Don't you remember the prophecy?" Starflight asked. Clay visibly winced. Glow could tell that that was the main thing drilled into their heads from birth. "'For wings of earth, search through the mud for an egg the colour of dragon blood.'" Starflight quoted. He looked expectantly at Clay, who still looked bewildered.

       "What, me?" He said.

       "Tell us about the legend." Tsunami said to Starflight impatiently.

       "It was something about how MudWings hatched from dragon-blood eggs can walk through fire." He said.

       "Oh, that's all?" Tsunami said, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "Well, that doesn't sound at all useful. Certainly not worth mentioning."

       "Hey, if I had my scrolls with me, I'd have all the information we could possibly want." Starflight explained.

       "I'm not so certain about that. Considering the only source you had for that is a legend from thousands of years ago, I'd say that you wouldn't necessarily have all the information you could want." Evenstar pointed out.

       "Wait, that can't be right. Kestrel burned me plenty of times in combat training." Clay said.

       "But you have no scars. She tried to set you on fire way more than the rest of us, and you always healed in, like, a day." Tsunami said.

       "It still hurt, though." Clay retorted.

       "The mud." Starflight jumped in. "Dragons draw strength from their natural habitats. SeaWings are most powerful in the ocean. I bet you had to encounter mud before your full immunity from fire could develop." He paused, his expression turned hopeful. "Maybe my powers will be activated by moonlight or something."

       "If that's true, the Talons of Peace were especially stupid to keep you underground." Tsunami said.

       Glow looked towards Evenstar. He simply stood by and listened, his calm and reflective expression not once faltering. "We've been on those columns at night for the last couple of days. Do you feel any different?" Clay asked.

       Starflight looked out the window wistfully at the stars. "No." He admitted after a moment. "But maybe I just don't know what it's supposed to feel like." He looked over at Evenstar sitting quietly. "Do you have any powers, Evenstar?" He asked.

       The small NightWing yawned and rubbed his soft pink eyes. "I'm afraid I don't. My apologies, Starflight." He answered. Starflight sighed and sat down.

       They all sat quietly for a moment.

       "Do you really think Peril betrayed us?" Clay asked.

       "She definitely did. She doesn't want to lose you." Tsunami answered.

       "Oh. That's so sad. I guess she doesn't have any other friends, except for Glow." Glow smiled, but her heart felt heavy as well.

       "Clay!" Tsunami said, exasperated. "Don't feel sorry for her. She just betrayed us. And by the way, she clearly likes you as more than a friend."

       Clay blinked in surprise and Glow couldn't believe his obliviousness. "Unbelievable." Glow said simply. "You still don't get it, do you? Even when we're outright saying it." She asked. Clay shook his head in confusion and Glow sighed. "Don't tell Peril I told you this, but I can confirm that what Tsunami said is true. Peril has a crush on you, as in she has romantic attractions to you." Glow thought for a moment. "That's what we were talking about. Your platonic feelings towards someone are different than romantic feelings. Romantic feelings do all kinds of crazy things with your head." Glow elaborated.

       Corona snickered. "As I have seen for myself in you, camel-brain." She joked.

       Glow avoided her gaze, her face growing warm. "Shut up, goat-face." She huffed affectionately.

       Tsunami nudged Clay's wing. "Hey, I get it. You're lovable or whatever. But you can't forgive her for this. She'll only more possessive if she thinks she can get away with it."

       "You should stay away from her." Starflight said, shaking his head. "She can't be trusted."

       Glow interjected. "Well, yeah. You do need to keep your distance from her for now–for both of your sakes. You need to be clear to her that what she did was not okay, and that there will be consequences for it. Even though she might have a logical reason why she did it, she still needs to know that it still wasn't right for her to do it and that she can't get away with it." She suggested.

       Tsunami looked at her strangely. "I'm surprised to hear you say that, Glow. Considering how especially nice you've been to her."

       Glow felt offended. "Yeah, I'm her friend, and that also means holding her accountable for the bad things she does."

       "I guess she's not going to rescue Sunny, either." Clay said sadly. Glow's heart felt heavy at the thought of Sunny being trapped in that cage until Burn takes her away and turns her into taxidermy.

       "No. We'll have to do that ourselves. And we'll need to rescue Glory and Frigga, too." Tsunami said.

       Glow had a double take. "Wait, you're still planning to help us?" She asked in shock. "Won't that get in your way? You already have little time as is."

       "Hey. You're our friends now, too. We'll help you." Tsunami responded.

       Glow shrugged and looked off to the side, not knowing how to feel. "Well, thanks." She said awkwardly.

       They sat there in determined silence. Starflight was the one to break the silence. "Tomorrow." He said. They all looked at the guards standing at the doorway. Even if Clay moved the rocks, they wouldn't be able to get past all those guards. They had no hope of leaving for the rest of the night.

       "We'll figure something out." Tsunami said.

       "I hope so. We can't let Kite be taken by Cinnabar. He won't survive." Glow said sadly.

       Corona padded up to her and cupped her cheek with her claw. "Hey, we'll figure out a way to get him back." She said. Glow looked into her friend's deep black eyes. "I promise. And you know that I don't like making promises unless I know I can keep them." She added.

       Clay flopped down and the other two flopped on top of him into a pile of dragonets. Glow thought they looked extremely comfortable like that. Glow beckoned Corona and Evenstar over so she could do the same. Evenstar curled up in Glow's arms wrapped in her wings while Corona sat on Glow's other side with her black-and-white flame-patterned wing draped over them.

       Tsunami looked over at them in confusion. "Um, you can join us if you want." She said.

       Glow looked over at her in surprise. "Really?" She asked.

       Clay shrugged with the big cobalt dragon on top of him. "Yeah, of course. You're our friends too, after all." He assured.

       Corona walked over to them and Glow and Evenstar followed. Glow curled around Clay and Tsunami on the left and Evenstar made himself comfortable under her wing. Corona stopped at Starflight, his dark green eyes were pleading. "Um, can you sleep near me?" He asked nervously.

       Corona looked less than surprised. "You miss Sunny, don't you?" She guessed. Starflight nodded defeated. Corona made herself comfortable next to him and shuffled a bit. "I get it, I really do. I might not be like her at all, but I'd be happy make you feel better." Corona agreed.

       Starflight laughed nervously. "Thanks, Corona." He said.

       "No problem." Corona responded.

       Glow was comfortable. She felt safe with these dragonets, and she felt like they really were her friends. While she still worried about the others, she felt content. "So, tell us about yourselves." She heard Tsunami say.

       Glow pricked her ears. "Pardon?" She said.

       Tsunami shrugged. "Yeah, how did you come to know Peril? How did you live until you got here? What exactly do you guys do? You know, that stuff." She asked.

       Glow shrugged. "Well, all I've really known is life with Frigga and the White Capes. We're crafters and merchants, and we go around Pyrrhia and make and sell things to random dragons. Frigga's our IceWing master, and she's the founder and leader of the White Capes." She began. "As for how I met Peril, I found her sneaking around one night, and she took me to a tavern that night. I got to know her before I found out she was the arena champion, and we hung out. We became really close friends in a really short time." Glow paused. "I got to see what she would've been like if she wasn't raised by Scarlet and she was allowed to be free. She's lonely, bubbly, and awkward. She just needs Scarlet out of her life for good." She finished.

       Tsunami nodded. "What about you, Corona? You don't really talk about yourself." She moved on.

       Corona shrugged. "Not much to know about me, really. My parents left my egg to hatch in the Scorpion Den and I was a thief there along with a couple other dragonets. They were my only friends back then." She paused. Glow was listening intently. "Glow, Willow, and Frigga found me captured by the Outclaws and getting ready for execution and they saved me. Frigga offered me a chance to do something better with my life, and I took it. And now I'm here." Glow smiled at her, appreciating the integrity of her best friend. "The rest, I don't exactly feel comfortable sharing right now." She finished.

       Tsunami moved on to the last one. "And you, Evenstar? What about you?"

       He popped his head out of Glow's wing and looked at Tsunami. "Well, Frigga found a NightWing close to death, one night, by the Mud Kingdom." He began. "She told Frigga to take care of the egg before she died. That was my mother." Glow tucked him closer to her. "So, Frigga and the others raised me. And now, I'm here with them on this harrowing adventure." He finished.

       The group began yawning and realized they were growing tired. "It's getting late." Tsunami said. "We'll need our rest if we don't want to die in the arena tomorrow."

       The others nodded in agreement and settled in. Everyone said their goodnights and shuffled into comfortable positions. Despite what had happened today, Glow found it easy to fall asleep and drifted off almost instantly.