The next few hours felt grueling, being kept within the boarded up throne room. It was giving her a sense of deja vu, reminding her of the night she and Sapphire were nearly assassinated, her sister's death. Instead, it was emptier this time, with only the SandWing royal family.

Cactus paced nervously back and forth, Vulture sitting nearby. Jackal, Dusk, and Quicksand sat at the base of the stairs leading up to their parents' thrones, Quicksand's scavengers locked away safely in a small golden carrier cage covered in a silky veil. Scorpion could vaguely make out the shapes of the three scavengers inside, keeping unusually quiet. Fennec and Sandstorm sat nearby, the smaller of the two princesses practically trying to hide underneath her sister's wing with each muffled order than would echo throughout the halls, creating a buzz of white noise in the chamber. Sandstorm would sneer, pulling her wing back.

"Do you think we'll be sent down into the treasury?" Ray asked, mirroring Cactus as the prince paced back and forth tightly.

"I don't know," Thorn admitted, sitting stiffly by Scorpion's side, "it was a body they found, right?"

Scorpion nodded, "an IceWing's body, just past the dunes."

"I've heard that a new recruit was knocked out below a watchtower," Ray huffed, "maybe they got into the scuffle, and before he could warn any dragon, BAM! Knocked out."

"They would've killed him if that were true," she pointed out, "there were two who attacked me and Sapphire."

"This is all just confusing," Thorn groaned, gripping the side of his head with one talon, "and no ones telling us anything!"

Scorpion frowned, looking away. Guilt washing over her the longer they sat locked away within the throne room. Torches hung along the towering walls of carved pillars and archways, depicting stories like tapestries, only wrapped along spiraling walls that reached high above their heads. Cauldrons made of gold, flattened into a shallow bowl filled with coals and brittle strands of tumbleweed and dried herbs wedged between the smokey rocks, stood on either end of the pair of thrones. Held up by thin, finding ribbon-like legs of copper and gold. Large plumes of fire crackled hungirly, steadily growing in their nests of coal and dried strings of twigs. They helped to illuminate the large room in a warm, orange glow, chasing away the night chill and steadily warming the sandstone beneath her talons.

Scorpion stared, watching the large flames as they bloomed, hungrily licking the air from beside her parents' thrones. The minutes passed slowly, the stronghold going silent, the guards glued to the walls, watching them vigilantly.

"It's been quite too long," Cactus fretted, his pacing picking up with an agitated lash of his tail, "maybe things are alright now."

"Cactus," Vulture hummed, watching him pace back and forth, "stop for a moment."

"No," he shook his head, "no, no, no, no. It's been too long, they should've come to get us by now-"

"Cactus-"

"-at least Camel and Ringtail-"

"Cactus-"

"-I could be out there helping with the search with my wing mates-!"

"CACTUS!" Vulture's voice shot through the room like a clap of thunder, Cactus stopping dead in his tracks, "enough!"

Vulture sighed, "you're stressing everyone out more by pacing."

"Sorry, sorry," Cactus sighed, sucking in a deep breath, letting it back out, his wings loosening from his sides. He did it again, his pacing starting to slow to a steady walk rather than a tight trot.

"It's just...," he frowned, sighing.

Ray, Thorn, and Scorpion shared a look, their ears pinning back, the rest of their sisters doing the same.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The thunderous click of the throne room doors had every dragon jump to their talons, sitting upright and staring at the large wooden doors as they were pushed open by a pair of guards from outside. On the other side were more soldiers, escorting King Ringtail as he walked into the room. The tired, stressed look seemed to wash away at the sight of his dragonets all safe under the watch of royal guards in the room.

"Thank the sun you're all alright," the king sighed with relief, opening his arms as Fennec rushed forwards, two two sharing a tight embrace.

"How does everything look out there?" Cactus asked, rushing forwards with Vulture and Sandstorm following closely behind, "any news?"

"Are things safe again?" Dusk pipped up, one of his talons interwoven with Quicksand's.

"Are we able to come out now?" Ray asked.

Ringtail seemed to wilt, sighing, "things still aren't looking good," the king shook his head.

Thorn blinked, standing up with Scorpion in suit, "what do you mean?" The prince asked.

"Your mother's had every soldier scour the streets, she's just sent out more winglets now to search the surrounding dunes, but there's been no sign of any more IceWings."

"That's because Camel's caught them all already!" Jackal exclaimed, "how is there supposed to be more? They're all up in their tundra up north!"

"Not to mention how little they were welcome in the first place," Sandstorm remarked with a sneer.

"Girls!" Ringtail scolded, attempting to sound stern, but it washed away all too quickly as the SandWing sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."

Scorpion shot her sisters a glare from behind, Thorn giving her a sharp nudge, supporting a light scowl. They were always like this: insensitive. Sure, they all were probably thinking that, but none of the siblings would say it out loud, at least not here. It was always left unsaid. Besides the few who can't keep it to themselves.

Ringtail continued, his wing resting over Fennec's shoulder, "Camel is still searching, but for now she's allowed you all to go back to your duties, but!" he held up a talon, stopping any of them from speaking, "we want you all to stay in the upper layers of the palace and away from the outer wings. Your mother won't be back until later, so all outside activities are canceled for today, including outside visits."

"Does that mean I should head home, your majesty?" Dusk asked.

The king shook his head, "no, I'd prefer if you'd stay here, just until tonight. You'll be escorted back home once the queen returns. You're just as much of a target as my own dragonets."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Just have to stay in the inner palace until everything calms down.

Scorpion paced the halls at a swift trot, her tail coiled stiffly behind her and her wings tucked in tight. Her body ached, still high-strung, and her tense trotting probably wasn't the best thing to do right now, but it was all she really could do. The SandWing couldn't go down into the medical wing of the palace, where the assassin and Rattlesnake were with Imbali and Tamba, there were guards posted at every entrance and stairwell, and it didn't seem like any of this was going to be lifted anytime soon.

Camel hasn't even come back to the palace yet, Scorpion turned down a corridor.

Scorpion didn't know how long everything would be locked down, and deep down it felt like it was her fault. She wasn't the one who'd thrown the knife that killed that IceWing- Blur, and she had to leave his body, she couldn't get anything out of it, even if she wanted to. It was out of her control, and she hated it. If Blur hadn't been killed, then he'd be trapped along with the other assassin in the healer's wing, trapped in the body of a SandWing, and interrogated, before being handed over to her parents once she got answers out of the two of them.

If only things could've been that simple, and it all was because of a single knife. But it wasn't Rattlesnake's fault, she had ice crawling up her shoulder, and the assassin was coming at me, Scorpion could've held her own against the two IceWings, she'd done it before-!

Her stomach gave a pinch under the bandages, as if reminding her why she would've needed the help. She let out a strained huff, slowing her pacing, calming herself down.

Rattlesnake must've had good reason, and I was still injured from the first attack, it felt like a kick in the gut to admit it, even internally.

As Scorpion wandered, passing wings of patrolling guards who dipped their heads as they passed, she found herself heading into the southern wing of the palace, the windows facing out into the heart of the city, the market swarming with soldiers using it as a base of communication. There were more dragons in the streets then there had been for the last several days, most of which coated in light layers of armor, armed with spears and hidden daggers. There were dozens of SandWings who weren't in the army, aiding the search. She put her talons on the windows ledge, trying to see if she could spot her mothers familiar, peachy coloured scales. But there was nothing, just yellows, browns, tans, and dragons coated in silver and leather.

The sun was creeping up beyond the horizon towards the east, rising behind the dunes. Normally, she'd be up there, watching the sunrise from the top of the stronghold, but now she was stuck within the palace, the crisp of night still clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the sands, the sun unable to reach her, unable to warm her scales. All she felt was the cold nip of the last trailing breezes being chased away by the sun.

She frowned, eyes darting away from the window, her tail giving a twitch as she turned, letting go of the ledge, and continued down the hall that sloped under her talons at a steady decline. The ruby pendant laced around her neck in a thick golden chain thumped comfortingly against her chest, like a second heartbeat, providing a sense of comfort in the gloom that hung over her like a cloud.

Where would everyone be? She found herself wondering, thinking back to the looks of unease and uncertainty of her brothers and sisters when Rintail told them they couldn't leave the palace and had to stick to the upper layers, to avoid the bottom floor and any outdoor areas. She had no clue what Vulture and Cactus would be doing, the eldest prince would be out there aiding the search if he wasn't palace bound, along with Vulture. Quicksand would probably be back in her room with Dusk and her scavengers, using them to distract Dusk and herself.

Maybe Sandstorm and Jackal were bored, wandering the palace like she was and gossiping like they had been for the last few years, following Sundance around as she and Tarantula would loudly daydream, Fennec trailing behind them. Ray would be with Thorn, and Thorn would probably be in the library to read something to him and Ray outloud to distract themselves to what was going on around them.

With a sigh, Scorpion began to make her way to the library. It could help her pass the time, allow her to be there with her brothers while they waited this out. I should've stayed with them from the start, Scorpion thought guiltily, imagining her brothers trying to distract themselves alone with only each other for comfort.

As she made her way through the twisting and sharp, boxy halls that soared above her head with large windows to her left, she made her way deeper into the palace. The windows replaced by torches as she went deeper, the corridors narrowing until she came to a large set of carved doors depicting SandWings moving around towering shelves. At the top of each door were mirrored carvings of a SandWing holding a scroll, a crown carved over their head with the words 'ROYAL LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES' scrawled across the wood in bold, sharp letters larger than her talons.

With a shove from her shoulder, the doors opened with a deep, echoing CLICK, the large doors groaning with a rumble of protest. Inside were towering spires, scrolls nestled into carved holes and crannies in the pillars lining either side of the room, tables with plush cushions scattered the floor. The walls were almost entirely covered in shelves, save for a few spaces around the large arches that let coloured light filter through carefully cut and molded glass portraits. Each archway held a different piece of intricate and detailed stained glass work, every piece held together in thin strips of gold that shimmered in the light.

"Ray?" She called, stepping around one of the first shelves, the doors shutting behind her with an echoing CLACK with a muffled slam as the large doors clicked shut, "Thorn?"

Some papers rustled, scrolls being shifted. "Scorpion?"

She blinked, following the voice until she rounded a shelf, spotting Ringtail carrying a stack of unsorted scrolls in his arms and wings, the king gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Dad?"

"Hey little stinger," he tried to wave, a few scrolls tumbling from their places in the unsteady pile, his talons shooting out to catch them.

Scorpion rushed forwards, catching a few on her own. "What are you doing here?" She asked, standing back up with the four scrolls cradled in her arm.

"I should be asking you that."

"I was looking for Thorn and Ray," she shrugged, stepping back as he tried reaching for the scrolled tucked against her chest.

He snorted, "you are just like your mother."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Got me there," her father chuckled lightly, before letting out a tired sigh, "just came here for a distraction, something to do, you know?"

"You're just like Thorn."

"He gets it all from me, his looks too. He looks just like me when I was his age, working away in here-" He motioned around them with a sweep of his tail- "before I started helping your mother."

"You used to work here?"

He nodded, "it was a long time ago, before any of you had hatched. Three moons, before I even met Camel!" He used his wings to move the scrolls in his talons, freeing one to reach up, and slip a scroll back into place on a small stack inside the self in front of them, "I couldn't have been older than your age when I became the librarian's assistant here in the palace. I had no clue what I wanted to do with life, so I was just trying to find work of some kind, anything really. Something to keep my talons busy. Being a librarian's assistant seemed like a good fit, I was the only one who didn't talk his ear off."

"You weren't the only one who worked here?"

"I was just the only one who got to stick around long enough to meet the royal family. He fired the rest."

"Oh," Scorpion watched him put another two scrolls away, "you weren't chittery like a sparrow?"

"Far from it," he laughed, walking to the end of the shelf with Scorpion following behind him, "I was quiet, kept to myself. Liked to hum though, I just made sure not to do it while Thrasher was around."

"Was Thrasher the old librarian?"

"He was," Ringtail nodded, "a stoic, older SandWing, maybe in his forties, no dragonets, kept to himself, and liked the pace and quiet of the royal library. He said it was a lot quieter than his previous one."

"Where is he now?" She asked. Scorpion didn't think there was another librarian or scroll keeper in the palace aside from Echis, but she hardly worked now with Quicksand taking on some duties within the archives with the help of Thorn, who was taking on more responsibility while Quicksand was turning more of her attention towards her scavengers and her consort.

Ringtail frowned, "he's been dead for a few years now, little stinger," but gave her a soft smile, "he was the librarian and scroll keeper for Lioness, before Beetle took over. He took none of your grandmother's nonsense and spoke back a lot. She eventually had enough and got rid of him. I don't know how it happened, he just...didn't show up again."

Scorpion frowned as he continued, putting away another talonfull of scrolls.

"I took on his work without question, well...no, I tried asking about it, but any guards nearby told me to keep my snout shut or else I'd end up like him. They were snappy about it, but...I could tell they were scared. So, I kept quiet, worked like nothing had happened. I met Camel before he disappeared though, I remember she came in for a scroll about things that had happened with her mothers sisters, the family she never got to meet. We talked for a bit before Thrasher came and found us. He sent Camel on her way before scolding me."

"Why did he scold you?"

"Well," Ringtail walked around to the next shelf, Scorpion following slowly behind, "Beetle had those scrolls restricted at the time, so I wasn't supposed to give it to her. She wanted to have them burned but never got around to it. I didn't think there was any harm in giving it to her at the time, but Thrasher sure did even if he threw a fuss about it."

Scorpion scowled, mimicking Ringtail as she put one of the four scrolls tucked under her arm in their rightful place, "Beetle tried restricting scrolls about her family?"

"After she got rid of them, there wasn't to be any mention of them. It was almost like they never existed."

Scorpion thought back to the memorial hall, how each known member of the royal family had a place in the winding corridor. A face to be remembered. "Did she try getting rid of their paintings too?"

"They were hidden from her. One of the painters hid them away in her abode, though there were a few that couldn't be saved."

Scorpion blinked, looking at her father, urging him to continue with a nod of her head, the pair slipping out from the two shelves and making their way to a set of short stairs leading to another level.

"They were older paintings. Beetle wanted to get rid of the memorial hall in its entirety. She started with the oldest ones, wanting to save her mother and sisters for last. She melted their plaques, and had the gold made into her crown. She must've burned nearly a dozen before she lost interest and wanted to go right for her sisters, but things happened within the mud kingdom that drew her interest."

"Who....who did she get rid of?"

"I don't remember their names, but they were past queens who lived thousands of years ago, their paintings were so old, it was hard to tell what colour the paint was meant to be. There was a king in there too, along with two princes and three princesses. I remember one of the princess' couldn't have been more than four, having died of illness."

They continued on, putting scrolls away. Eventually, Scorpion's last three were gone and Ringtail's pile had become small enough for him to tuck under his wing, taking them out one at a time and walking to the rightful place to put them away. Soon, Ringtail only had a talonfull left, Scorpion trailing him around as he mapped his way back and forth across the large room.

"You know, this reminds me a lot of when Vulture and Cactus were little," he said suddenly, slipping a scroll in a carved nook in the lower part of one of the spirals holding the dome ceiling in place, "they used to follow me around in here when they learned to walk. Vulture a little shadow, and Cactus a little menace who just wanted to play and had to catch up to his sister as she followed me around."

The king smiled sadly, his striped tail swishing closer to himself, "I never really got the chance to do that with you and your brothers."

"Well, you were always helping mom," she tried to reassure, standing by her fathers side, "you nearly took on half of her duties."

"I know, and I still have a third of her overall chores."

"Chores," she snorted, rolling her eyes, "you and mom still call them that?"

"Have since she was a princess, and I-" he put his last scroll away- "a librarian's assistant."

"I haven't heard you call them that since I was little."

"When you got your first princess chore!" He smiled, "it still feels like it was yesterday."

"Okay-" She laughed, looking away as Ringtail wrapped his wing around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"How about you help me put the rest of the unsorted scrolls away?"

"Those weren't all of them?"

"Oh moons no," his wing folded back, leading the way to the long, horse-shoe shaped table of polished, light wood. Echis would have normally been behind the counter, with her stuff in a scroll, her glasses pushed up her bridge of her snout, nestled overtop of the strip of frill connecting to her nose horn. But today the library was empty, Ringtail and Scorpion being the only ones in there, not even a guard to keep watch over them as they roamed around. "There's still a whole trolley full."

"It shouldn't take too long to do," Ringtail picked up the first few, reading the small print along the edge of the paper, close to the delicate knot of thing string that held it together, "and it'll help keep our minds off things," he reassured, becoming her over, "it'll be soothing."

Ringtail had been right, it was soothing to just...put stuff away. It was calming, the piece and quiet surprisingly wasn't loud, nor was it quiet enough for her thoughts to run rampant. But after a while once they'd gotten through the majority of the last few scrolls left to be put away, Scorpion started to think about Rattlesnake and the assassin again. There still wasn't any word of the lockdown over the stronghold being lifted yet, even now with morning in full effect. There was still a chill in the air, but it was quickly being chased away by the morning light as the sun continued to climb its way up higher in the sky.

Scorpion pushed herself up with a flap of her wings, shooting up into the air up along one of the pillars in the library, scroll in talon as she searched for its spot in the carved spiral that when empty, looked like a sliced termites nest with each hole being a tunnel that led deeper into their own palace of dirt and sand. Lifting her arm, she slipped the rolled up paper into its rightful place, until she felt it bump against the wall of the small tunnel, leaving a small section hanging out, just enough to grab and pull it out again.

Some of these scrolls are still being written, she peered into some of the empty slots, reading the engravings that sloped under her talontips like braille. The ones up here were about actions taken by the queens. This is an interesting spot for these to be, she mused, eyes looking the pillar up and down as she flew around it before coming back to her original spot by the open spaces. The ones that were missing were from this year: 4999 AS. An advisor or scribe probably has them, maybe writing how Camel's called a lockdown of the palace and is searching the kingdom.

She frowned, lowering herself back to the ground at the base of the towering pillar of dark wood. It was almost a seamless spiral speckled in off-white from scrolls slipping into the slots, but under each ring of scrolls was a space for dates to be engraved. Looking away, she scanned the shelves to her right, by the small staircase that led up to the higher levels towards the back of the room. She couldn't see Ringtail, but she could hear him humming quietly somewhere in the large, airy library lit up with streaks of coloured sunlight.

It wouldn't hurt to go out and check to see if they're still searching, Scorpion looked towards the large double doors a few wing lengths to her left. Soldiers should've come to tell them the lockdown was over, three moons- even Camel! Yet, there had been nothing.

I'll just go check the windows, she made her way towards the doors, if they're still searching then...., she paused, thinking, her talon holding over the hooped knockers, then maybe I could try sneaking down to the medical wing. I just have to avoid any guards. It sounded easy enough, with how many times she snuck out of the palace to watch the sunrise, or even that night in search of the two assassins with Rattlesnake.

Grabbing the hoop, she pulled the doors open just enough for her to pass through, slowly cloning it behind her, using her palms to muffle it closing. The sealing click was much softer than when she first entered the library, and after sitting there for a moment, she left out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, before making her way down the hall, retracting her earlier steps.

Mapping her way throughout the palace, she peeked out of the first window she came across overlooking the heart of the town outside of the palace and surrounding the walled off market. There were still soldiers swarming the streets, dozens flying around in the air. The market was bustling with soldiers too, and the more Scorpion focused, the more she thought she could see her mother in the center barking out orders.

That has to be Camel, she pushed away from the window, picking up her pace to a swift trot, following the windows, and it doesn't look like she's calling off the search anytime soon.

Scorpion kept going, passing by small wings of patrolling guards before she started to make her way to the closest spiral stairway that should take her right down to the outside of the medical wing. She slowed when she started to reach the end of the hall, looking around the corner.

There!

A smaller doorway that leads into one of the spires along the edge of the palace that's only purpose was to be a spiraling stairwell. Sitting outside the closed door was a guard, spear held tightly in talon, their back straight, looking down the other end of the hall. The SandWing frowned, following the guards gaze. A pair of patrolling soldiers looked to be squabbling quietly as they paced towards the end of the corridor.

I'm not going to be able to just slip past them, her frown turned into a scowl, scrambling to think of something, but how?

This was the closest stairwell to the medical wing where Rattlesnake and the assassin would be, any of the other stairells would just increase her risk of getting caught in the lower levels. The faster she got behind the closed door to Tamba and Imabli's space, the better.

Scorpion looked back towards the pair of guards up ahead, their muffled squabbling was inaudible, even with her ears pricked. Her eyes darted back to the lone guard who had now looked away from the pair with a yawn. Bored, she hummed, what if I gave them something to do? Sucking in a breath, Scorpion leaned off of the wall, drawing the guard attention as she made her way over.

"Your highness," they dipped their head, blinking in surprise when she stopped in front of them.

"I have a job for you."

"A job?" They raised a brow, straightening their posture.

She nodded, "King Ringtail is in the library wanting an update on the search. I was on my way back to my room when he asked me to send someone to check."

"Um," their eyes flickered between her and the pair slipping around the corner, their tails whisking out of sight as they continued their route, "I'm sorry, your highness, but I'm afraid I can't leave my post," they shook their head, "maybe you could send Harper and Gambel? That's just a suggestion though, your highness."

"I can have one of them take your post, you just seem to be the fastest flier, you're leaner than those too, so you should be able to reach the market or the Queen faster than they could."

They paused for a moment, nodding.

"Alright," they stood, "I'll go gather an update and report back to the King."

"He'll be in the library once you're finished, be quick."

With a final salute and a bow, the guard raced off the way Scorpion originally came from, leaving the doorway. Shooting a glance down the hall to make sure the patrolling pair were out of sight, she slipped through the door and made her way down the spiraling staircase. The last time she'd been down one of these was the inner staircase, where Thorn, Ray, and herself raced to the top for their hatching day celebration. Her mind thought back to Sundance and Tarantula, their bodies in the street flashing through her mind.

She shook her head with a scowl, stop thinking about it.

Her heart hammered within her chest as she made her way down, quickly racing through the stairwell before slowing as she got closer to the bottom. Ears pricked, she listened for any noise at the next door came into her sights, a perfect mirror of the one she came through. COming to a stop at the base of the stairwell, she stopped, listening.

Nothing.

Scowl deepening in concentration, she stepped closer towards the door, pressing her ear against the dry, dark wood, and listened again. Still nothing. There wasn't a tiny shuffle of a guard readjusting a strap on their armour, or shifting around at their post. Pressing her palm against the door, Scorpion pushed it just enough for her to peek out, her eye scanning the room. The lower floor looked empty, not a single guard in sight, and none blocking the door. Pushing it open the rest of the way, Scorpion stepped out of the stairwell, letting the door shut behind her, clicking with a whoosh as it sucked air in to seal itself as it shut.

It was quiet in the corridor, not a single sound echoing in the gritty sandy coloured halls. Are they not guarding the lower level? She wondered, beginning her trek to the medical wing, keeping her steps light, trying to pick up her talons in a way that didn't make an audible tapping against the polished floor. Maybe Camel thought there should only be guards in the upper levels to personally watch over her dragonets, while the rest were called in to aid the search?

But why would Camel leave the lower levels unprotected? Scorpion picked up her pace, turning down the familiar corridor, it just doesn't seem like her. Maybe she didn't think this through before rushing out to search. Guilt squirmed in her gut at the thought, but she kicked it down as she advanced upon the door, the smell of dried herbs starting to wisp through the air the closer she got.

As Scorpion was reaching for the knocker to open the door, she paused. What if Tamba and Imabli were there? Scorpion pulled her talons back- would they send her back up? She shook her head, steeling herself as she reached for the handle, pushing the dry wooden door open. Her snout was assaulted by the familiar scent of dried herbs and pulps, the smell wafting through the air with a sharp but also faint tang. Scorpion made a face, her snout scrunching with a shake of her head.

Just as bad as I remember, Scorpion chuffed, trying to clear the smell from her nose with another shake of her head.

"You look like you're about to sneeze," a familiar voice teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Scorpion frowned, shooting a glare at the amused animus who sat over the cot to her right by one of the few windows that let in a welcoming breeze of fresh air.

Standing not even a wing length away from Rattlesnake was the assassin, awake, staring at her in startled astonishment, his large emerald green eyes blinking in surprise. Bandages were wrapped around his head, held in place by his horns. His frill was messily moved out of the way. Pointed ears pricked up as he stared, the shimmering- silver speckled in white- earring hanging from his left ear.

"I see someone's awake," she remarked.

"We were seeing if he could walk in a straight line," Rattlesnake shrugged, "see if there was any lasting damage to being knocked out."

As Scorpion stared back at the yellow SandWing, she realized something, something in his eyes: there wasn't any animosity, just awe and surprise. The complete opposite of the snarling, hissing face of the IceWing who she'd knocked out that night just hours earlier.

"U-um," the SandWing stuttered, flustered, "yes, like Rattlesnake said!" He smiled sheepishly, "as sharp as a talon! Ready to get back to work as soon as the healers allow me!"

Scorpion shot Rattlesnake a look. Does he not remember? He's acting nothing like last night.

"I was helping my Meerkat remember everything, still a new recruit, your highness," the grey SandWing explained vaguely, "since Tamba and Imabli won't be back for a while."

"What does he remember?"

"Himself? Nothing, just what I told him."

Meerkat watched the two, gaze flickering back and forth.

"Where are his things?" Scorpion asked, thinking of the dagger that had been strapped to the IceWing's hip during the attack.

Rattlesnake nodded to one of the tables across the room, pressed against the wall, wedged between a pair of tall shelves lined in bottles and empty wooden bowls, "I moved them over there once Tamba and Imabli were done working on him."

She nodded, he doesn't have any of his weapons on him then. Scorpion's scales itched, her mind racing.

"And how long will Tamba and Imbali be gone?"

"A few hours, surely. Camel called for them to be on standby at the market in case there were, quote, 'anymore attacked soldiers' that could be found."

So they won't be back for a while, she hummed, "then let's get this finished before they get back."

"Finish what?" Meerkat pipped up, looking between the two, "if you don't mind me asking, that is, your highness!"

"Asking you some questions," she reassured, looking back to Rattlesnake, "does he need to take the earring off or..." Can he even take it off? Scorpion wondered, it used to be one of his own scales!

Rattlesnake nodded, sitting up and hobbling over to Meerkat, "he only needs to remove it, but he can't unless asked. After that, he should be back to...'normal'."

The animus reached out, "Meerkat, your earring please."

He blinked at her, confused, "um, o-okay?" Hesitantly, the enchanted SandWing reached up to his ear, unclasping his speckled earring before dropping it into Rattlesnake's palm.

As soon as the cold metal touched her skin, he started to change. Meerkat let out a strangled gasp, staggering back, his talons and wings shaking. His sail started to split, scales sharpening like smooth spearheads, his barbed disappearing and turning into a whip-like spiked tail that lashed against the floor with a SCCCCRRRRRAPE!

Horns thinned out- stretching back, ears pointing, cheekbone horns smoothing into his scales that turned from a pale gold to a shimmering blue hidden under an opal's white. Meerkat no longer stood before her, instead, it was the assassin who tried to murder her. The last part of him to change as his serrated talons gripped his head, teeth bared in a pained snarl, were his eyes. The panicked emerald green swirling into a solid, icy blue.

There he is, she sneered.

The IceWing was painting, hissing through his clenched teeth as Rattlesnake advanced towards him, reaching out and hooking a new earring in the place of his old one.

Scorpion blinked, "what's that?"

"One to help with the interrogation," Rattlesnake stepped back, wing to wing with Scorpion, "it'll make him tell the truth, and nothing but the truth."

"You made another enchantment?" Scorpion frowned, "doesn't that eat away at your soul?"

Rattlesnake blinked, giving her a puzzled look.

"Animus magic doesn't eat away a dragon's soul," she shook her head, "it's the dragon themselves that go mad with power if they use it too much and let it get to their head. Plus, it takes a long time for that to happen."

"How?"

"It's like a muscle," she explained, "one doesn't just suddenly wake up once they turn three or four with unlimited magic at their disposal. They have to grow it, working it out, before they can do anything more than a simple levitation."

Scorpion hummed, that...that makes it sound a lot less dangerous, but that also begs the question, how long has Rattlesnake been using her magic? How long has she known she's an Animus? The animus' answer only brought more questions. More questions that could be asked another time.

"Back to the main focus, we can talk about this all later."

Turning back to the IceWing before her, she scowled, eyes narrowing. He sat there, his eyes screwed shut as he focused on breathing, just like her when she'd wake up from her night terrors with splitting headaches. It only made her frown further, don't compare yourself to him.

"Let's see if your earring works."

His eyes opened, solid blue darting to meet her eye in shock before pinching in a snarl. Before he could get a word out, Scorpion asked her first question, making sure the enchantment worked.

"What was the name of the other IceWing you worked with?"

"What did you do to me?!" He roared, rearing back, "what did you do?!"

Scorpion snarled, repeating herself. "What was the name of the other IceWing?"

He stiffened, his snout snapping shut with a sharp inhale. He tried to speak, but couldn't. Scorpion looked at Rattlesnake, the animus frowning, ears pinning back. "He's trying to say something other than what you asked," she paused, "I think."

He's trying to lie, and he can't. So he can talk back just fine, but can't say anything when he's trying to lie, she mused.

"Have you done a spell like this before?"

Just like when she turned him into Meerkat, Rattlesnake shook her head. "I haven't done a spell like this."

But what kind of spells have you done? She wondered, pulling herself back to the main focus.

"Tell me," she snarled, standing up, looming over him as he coiled back with a muffled snarl, "tell me the name of the IceWing who worked with you, the one who's dead."

"Blur," he gritted out, "his name was Blur."

"Good, now yours."

The IceWing snorted, a cold puff of air blowing against her chin.

"Yours," she growled.

He spat, "Shudder."

"Seems to be working," Rattlesnake sat up, "I'll go keep watch in the hall, make sure nobody walks in to find an IceWing in the palace that's not in the dungeon."

"Good idea,"she said, taking a breath to calm her hammering heart."

Rattlesnake made her way towards the door before slipping outside, leaving Shudder and Scorpion to their own devices with a soft click.

"Now then, I want you to start talking, or I'll be handing you over to Camel sooner than you'd like."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Shudder hissed, "I could fly out of here right now, I doubt you'd even be able to slip out of any of these windows to chase after me."

"Do you wanna take the risk?" She challenged, ear flicking towards the windows, the shadows of flying soldiers and the queens guard dancing through the sunbeams that stretched across the floor and up along the walls. "Do you want them to take you in?"

He faltered, ears pinning back with a lash of his tail.

"You're taking me in already."

"They'll tear you apart first," the SandWing countered, "then take you in where Camel will finish you off."

Shudder went quiet, glaring.

"Now I want you to tell me who else you and Blur were hired to kill that night."

Silence.

Scorpion glared, staring down the bridge of her snout at the IceWing, her tail coiled behind her. She didn't have to cool to sit down and question him, instead her body itched to pace, but she kept her talons still, standing her ground as watched his spines raise in agitation, holding her gaze in defyance.

"And if I don't?"

"Then it'll just be quicker that I hand you over to my parents, and they won't be as patient as I am trying to be."

"This isn't exactly patient."

"I said trying, doesn't mean I am."

He scowled.

She scowled back.

I can be patient, she breathed in, holding his stare, I can be patient. He's just testing me. He knows he can't leave this room without being attacked by either a patrolling guard, Rattlesnake, or myself. Soldiers trained to swarm their enemies, an Animus, and a princess strong enough to take him out herself. He didn't know about her stomach still healing from the first attack, and he wouldn't know, she'd take him out before he could do anything. All she needed to do was charge him, slam him to the floor, or into a wall. Knock him out again and hand him over to her parents-

But I want to be the one to get it out of him, her talons twitched, I want to be the one to find out who wanted me dead, who got Sundance and Tarantula killed-

"We weren't just hired to kill that night."

She blinked, staring at him.

Shudder stared back before continuing.

"We were hired to get it done as soon as possible, your hatching day was just the deadline for you and your brothers."

"My brothers?" She ground out, advancing, standing over him, anger bubbling inside her chest. "My brothers?"

Why would someone want them dead? I can see a princess and her consort, sure, but princes?

"Who else?" She demanded, "who else!?"

"Everyone,"

Scorpion's blood went cold.

"We were hired to go after everyone. We were offered three percent of the SandWing royal treasury if we did. We tried taking out time, but we were getting rushed for you and your brothers."

She just stared at him as he continued.

"We got Sundance and Tarantula the night before, hoping that if we couldn't get any of you on time, they'd at least accept that-" Ray, Thorn, and I were first, we were supposed to be killed first- "We were supposed to go up throughout the family tree. You and your brothers by your hatching day, Sundance a month later. The plan was to get one for you alone, and lure the other two out. When we saw you in the courtyard, we thought it would've been the easiest way to get rid of you before you became a problem later on."

Sundance died in my place.

"Blur just didn't expect you to hear him coming," Shudder huffed, "and we didn't expect the SeaWing either."

"Sapphire-" Scorpion hissed, grabbing the base of Shudder's collar, talons pressing on either side with one palm, "you didn't expect Sapphire."

The SandWing's tail lashed madly back and forth, barb scraping against the ground. Scorpion snarled, her breathing forced, growing heavy. It was like a knot slowly coiling inside of her chest, constricting around her ribs like a viper.

"Who hired you," she seethed, "who hired you and Blur to kill me and my brothers, to kill my family!"

Shudder leaned back, baring his teeth. "I only know one of their names, the other wasn't physically there when we were hired."

"So? Give me the one who was there!"

Shudder hesitated for a moment, before steeling himself.

"Jackal."

She felt her heart stop, body going cold.

"It was your older sister, Jackal."

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- MindlessTyper