Toli’s thoughts spun as she stared at her mentor’s face. In the heat and dim light, her burns almost seemed to glitter. “What are you doing here?”
Her focus broadened as she took in the dragons that stood leering down at them. She scuttled backward, dragging Wix and Petal with her. The other dragons pressed close, and Toli counted six of them as Cata moved to join them.
A black dragon shifted her weight to push forward, and Toli recognized Krala. The dragon’s eyes widened, but the shock of seeing them alive passed quickly. She sneered. “The pass did not kill you. Well, I think you will find no better end here. You see that Spar is with us now. She has had her calling.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Toli’s eyes slid back to her mentor “Spar! Where’s my mother?”
Spar gave a small sigh. “Still no patience.”
“What? I don’t—”
“Traitor,” Wix spit out.
Petal cried out as Spar lurched forward and grasped Toli’s forearms, yanking her close. Though the grip made her cringe, Toli lifted her face, meeting her mentor’s eyes with a defiant glare. “What does she mean, you’ve had your calling?”
“It’s not what you think. Listen to me. I can’t escape it now,” the hunt master hissed, tapping her forehead. “Their Dragon-Mother is always … whispering.” She leaned closer. “Ever since I was burned, there has been a … connection.” She tapped her temple. “I hear her voice. Telling lies.”
Toli’s stomach flipped. Was Spar here because the Dragon-Mother wanted her here? “What do you mean, a connection? Between you and the Dragon-Mother?”
“Yes,” Spar snarled, spittle flying. “A bond.”
“I don’t understand,” Petal said.
“You cannot understand our justice,” said a large blue dragon, her scales sparking like light on water. “This Mother’s time is over. No more soft talk of friendship with your kind. We are dragons. We will take what we like, from you—or from the South. And I, Ata Sky, will—”
Krala let out a roar that shook the chamber, forcing Toli to cover her ears. “I will lead them, Ata Sky. I will lead the seethes. I—and no other.”
Ata Sky blew steam. “You do not lead yet.”
But she scuttled back nonetheless as Krala leaned forward into Toli’s face. “Give me the youngling.”
Spar shoved Toli back, out of Krala’s reach. Toli stumbled toward Petal, and her sister caught hold of her.
Ruby lay pressed against her back, unmoving. Toli prayed the folds of her cape would hide the dragon’s lithe form, and that Bola Stone was right about Ruby’s sickness covering her scent. “She … she died!”
“Lies. Why would Bola Stone bring you into the Mountain if you do not have the youngling?”
Petal shrugged, but Toli could see the tension in her shoulders.
“Ask her yourselves,” Wix snarled. “Ruby died before we came up the Mountain.”
“It was the pass,” Petal added with a sidelong look at Krala. “We came through the pass and—and were attacked by bear-cats. They … your youngling was killed.”
“Fooliiiish girl,” Krala hissed. “We will find her body and owe you nothing. You three,” she added to the dragons standing behind her, “go find the youngling’s bones, and bring them here. Now the Mother will have to give me audience—she will have to gather all the brethren to hear my words. We will prove the treachery of the bone bags to all at once! All will see the truth of my position. Then I will issue my challenge.”
Toli was surprised to see sorrow in the dragons’ faces as they slipped past to look for Ruby’s body. Only Krala’s eyes held a gleam of triumph. Spar lifted her gaze to meet Toli’s.
“Where’s the queen of Gall?” Toli asked. “Where’s my mother—your queen?”
Spar frowned. “I’ll do what I can for her. For all of you. But you must understand, there can be no more avoiding the truth. The dragons must be destroyed.”
Wix scratched his head. “You … you realize you’re with the dragons.”
Ata Sky chuckled. “It is a temporary alliance. A common goal.” The dragons shifted, a red one bumping a smaller turquoise dragon, who reacted by blowing fire at the chamber wall, lighting up the small space like a sun. It grew harder to breathe in the stifling heat.
Toli glared at Spar. “You said they couldn’t be trusted.”
“They can’t be trusted. But they want what I want: to get rid of the Dragon-Mother. I’m already lost,” Spar pleaded, holding up her hands. “I was lost the day that dragon burned me. But if I’m going to die, at least I can take her with me. Don’t you see? Everything will be different … better, when their Queen is gone.” She was leaning forward as if she were telling Toli a secret. “Without her, they’ll be at one another’s throats. They’ll fall apart.”
Toli shook her head. Behind Spar, Krala heard every word. Her eyes gleamed, as though she found some kind of sick humor in the hunt master’s whispers.
Spar’s dark eyes softened. “Help me, Anatolia. With you and your sister at my side, we can convince your mother too. When their Queen is dead, my burns will heal. They’ve told me so. Then we can go home again and prepare for war while they fight among themselves—while they destroy one another.”
Petal had crept to Toli’s side, listening. “And what about Ire? Without the dragons, the world will freeze for good. Even Nya won’t be able to save us.”
Spar narrowed her eyes at Petal. “You always were a gullible child. That is only a story—no doubt started by the dragons themselves to get our food.”
“The tithe is our way of thanking them for the heat,” Petal whispered before her expression hardened. “It doesn’t matter. You’re insane if you think they’ll let you leave the Mountain alive.”
Krala hissed. “Do not listen to the fears of children, my sister. You are one of us now. We are united in our purpose.”
Spar smiled, cringing, the skin around her eyes shiny and tight. “Your concern is touching, Petal. I will take each challenge as it arrives, as I always have. I assure you that they hate their Dragon-Mother too,” Spar explained. “It seems she has more than her fair share of enemies.”
But she also has her fair share of allies. Toli thought of Bola Stone and all the other dragons she had seen on the Mountain.
Ata Sky began to laugh, and Krala lashed out with her tail, slapping her back toward the fissure. “She denies us all our true power! As if I am not frostborn! The South should be ours—it should belong to Frost, and Stone, and Sky—as should this frozen land. We should not have to share it with your kind.”
“She has slighted us all,” said the small yellow dragon.
Krala snarled. “I am a Frost. You are not as insulted as I.”
“Take care you do not insult us, Krala,” a dark-blue dragon called from the back, long spines raised along her back. “I am Turu, fourthborn. I have turned my ear to you, but though I have no second name—no rank among the brethren—I swear that if you lead us astray, I will gnaw away your heart. Then you will not misunderstand our intent.” The room filled with hisses and snarls.
“See,” said Spar, her eyes black in the dim light. “They will destroy one another.” A shiver passed over her and she clutched her own head. “Shhh—she’ll hear. She’ll hear.”
Krala snapped her jaws disdainfully. “She will not. She hears nothing that happens in the obsidian chambers.”
“She wants me at her side,” Spar whimpered, falling to one knee.
Dismay rolled over Toli like fire. To see her mentor brought so low. If she were well, Spar would choose death before she would kneel to dragons. Toli wanted to reach out and lift Spar up again, to help her remember herself—anything that would restore her, whole and unbroken. But Spar had betrayed her. She had betrayed all of them, so instead of helping her mentor, Toli bit her lip and squeezed her hands tightly behind her.
Krala Frost loomed over Spar, her eyes glittering. “Take this one out. The Mother does not like being unable to reach her.” She leaned down, her voice a thin shadow of a whisper. “Do not fret, little sister. Soon your pain will end and you will grow into your inheritance.”
“I am not your sister,” Spar hissed back. “I am your ally. Your ally for now—just until the life leaves her eyes.”
The huge blue dragon, Ata Sky, laughed, like a rumbling of stones. “We shall see, little cousin.”
Spar rose and allowed herself to be led out by one of the dragons, turning back a moment before she would disappear into the dark. Toli stared at Spar’s fever-bright eyes.
Petal crossed her arms. “You’ve betrayed us all—the entire Queendom, Spar.”
“No,” Spar hissed. “No, I did that a long time ago. Now I’m saving us.”
Krala moved toward them, her scales silent on the glassy floor. “Spar’s time has come. She understands that there is only one way to break the bond of burning.”
“I must kill the Mother with my own hands.” Spar smiled as the darkness swallowed her.
For a long pause the chamber was silent. Ata Sky stared out the door to where Spar had disappeared and huffed smoke from her nose. “She will fail and die, of course. But she will provide a good distraction.”
Krala leaned down to narrow her eyes at Toli and Petal. “And then we will put these bone bags to good use at last, along with all the others of their kind.”
“What does that mean?” Wix asked.
“We can eat them now,” the dark blue dragon simpered, shifting closer to the front of the cavern. Toli took a step back, tightening her grip on her bow.
Ata laughed, and even Krala looked impressed. “Your appetite knows no bounds, Alto Sky, but I think they may yet be useful alive. Ata—contain these bites.”
“Do not order me, Frostborn! Your plans for our rise have been tenuous at best. You will have my loyalty when you have secured your place as our Mother. That time has not yet arrived.”
A drip of liquid fire fell from Ata’s mouth to the floor of the cavern. “You told us the Mother would easily believe our brethren stole the chrysalis, and that she would leave the heart of the Mountain to hunt for it. That did not come to pass. Then you told us she would end this repulsive exchange with their queen—that when she heard their firstborn had poisoned her child—”
“Quiet, thirdborn! You are a Sky like the Mother—unworthy of my explanations.”
Ata snarled. “The Mother would have been easier to kill, but she remains. She has not even granted you an audience. Now the youngling is lost to us, too. You said the chrysalis would be returned, but you let these bone bags gets the better of you.”
Hope lanced through Toli and she fought the urge to look at Wix and Petal to see if they had heard it too. Krala had not been granted an audience yet. And, Toli thought, if she had understood Ata, it was Krala alone who wanted Ruby dead. For the rest of them, stealing the chrysalis was just a means to an end, a chance to get rid of the Dragon-Mother.
Krala snarled and drew herself up. “It would have worked if the human queen hadn’t calmed her.”
“You should have killed these bites at the first chance.” Ata’s slit pupils dilated as she fixed her gaze on Petal. “We could kill them now.”
Toli’s hand tightened on her bow. From the corner of her eye she saw Petal move her hand toward the handle of Wix’s knife where it still hung at her waist.
“I thought that once,” Krala sneered. “But now I see the truth. It is better if the Mother declares the human queen an enemy and strikes the first blow. These bites are braver than I expected. We can use them. The more enemies the Mother and her loyal brethren have, the better.”
“No! Now!” Ata threw herself at Krala with a hiss, but Krala knocked the blue dragon away, dropping low. Wix scuttled backward, pulling Petal and Toli with him as Ata Sky closed in on them.
“You are a fool, Ata.” Krala unfolded one wing and knocked Wix and Petal to the ground, sweeping them up into one taloned hand, and Toli into the other. “I will do it myself.”
Toli’s arms were pinned tightly to her sides. Wix and Petal also struggled in Krala’s grip as she pushed through the wall of dragons the back of the small cavern. A massive geode, its inside covered in pointed indigo crystals, stuck out from the back wall as if it floated in a sea of black. She dropped them into it, chuckling as Toli tripped over the crystals and toppled to her knees. Wix and Petal fell on her in a pile.
“When we come back,” Krala hissed. “The battle will be won.” She lowered her head to peer at them. “Perhaps I will eat Spar and let the three of you live.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “It would please me to be served by royalty.”
The dragons filed out behind her.
Toli struggled to her feet and peered over the edge of the geode, Petal right behind her.
Wix blew out his cheeks. “Now what?”
“We’ve got to get to the Dragon-Mother before Krala does.”
“How?”
Petal peered at the ground. They were at least fifty feet up. “Too far to jump,” she said.
“Children,” came a rattle from the shadows of the cavern.
Toli and Wix lifted their bows.
Dral shifted out of the darkness, his ruff of green feathers shifting as he stalked forward.
Petal fumbled for her knife.
“Don’t take another step,” Toli shouted.
Dral paused, his eyes widening. “I have no interest in puny bites,” he began. “I simply did not wish to be seen by my sister and her followers. Now that they are gone, I thought I … might be of some assistance.”
Wix lowered his bow. “Why would you help us? What about Krala?”
“I do not approve of our Mother. She has made mistakes—important ones. But sacrificing any youngling, much less a firstborn, is a line I will not cross. It brings me shame that Krala wished the chrysalis to be truly lost to us.”
Dral brought his head up, peering into the geode. “Is the youngling really dead?”
Toli thought about lying again, but they were running out of time. Ruby was running out of time. She shook her head. “No. She’s here, with me. But I … I don’t think she’s doing very well.”
“We must get her to the Mother.”
Toli turned and looked out across the obsidian cavern. “Can you get us down?”
“Not all.” He cocked his head at them. “Two must stay—in case my brethren return. They may not notice one is missing. They will notice three.”
Toli studied the glint of crystal at her feet.
“Which one?” Dral whispered, suddenly so close that Toli stumbled backward into Petal.
She glanced at Wix. His eyes were fierce as he gave her a nod.
Petal’s hand clasped her shoulders. “You go, Toli. We’ll be okay.”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m so sorry, Petal—about father and about dragging both of you into this.”
“The way I remember it,” Wix said, “we dragged ourselves into it.”
Toli laughed despite the sudden tightness in her chest. “And I’m sorry for not telling you. I should have trusted you.”
Petal took her hand. “Did you mean what you said?”
Toli shook her head. “When? What did I say?”
“Before Bola found us—in the wood, you said that if we make it out of this alive, you will show me how to use a knife properly … and a bow too. Did you mean that?”
Toli considered Petal. Her sister was strong—willful, independent, and brave. Did she really believe Petal couldn’t learn to defend herself? She lifted her chin. “Of course I meant it. I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”
Petal’s chin quivered. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out to take Toli’s other hand. “It’s not your fault, you know.”
Toli blinked. “What?”
A small, sad smile settled on her sister’s face. “I’ve been thinking about it, and what happened to Father was not your fault. You made a mistake. And—you told us in your own time. I … I wish you had told me—us—sooner, but … I understand.”
“But if I had just listened, he wouldn’t have turned his back on the dragons. He wouldn’t…”
Petal sniffed, and letting go of Toli’s hands, she shook her head.
“You’re wrong,” Wix said, picking his way across the crystals to stand next to them. “Listen. You haven’t thought this through. What do you think would have happened if you’d listened to your father?”
“I think he’d still be alive, that’s what I think.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, Toli.”
Toli opened and closed her mouth as if she’d forgotten how to form words. “Well. We’ll never know.”
“Wix is right. You couldn’t have saved him,” Petal insisted. “Even if you hadn’t been there, Toli. Even if you’d listened to him and stayed in the Hall, you still couldn’t have changed what happened.”
Despite the darkness under the Mountain, and the hollow feeling in her chest, Toli felt a weight lift. She let her eyes drift shut. “I’m sorry,” she said again. Petal didn’t say anything, but after a long moment, she wrapped her arms around Toli with a sigh.
Toli met Wix’s eyes as she held Petal close. “Thank you for coming with me. Both of you.”
Dral cleared his throat. Toli was surprised to see the dragon had stepped back, giving them a moment to say goodbye. “We must hurry,” he growled.
“There’s no one I’d rather have a death-defying journey with, Princess,” Wix squeezed her tightly enough to make her back crack. “I’ll give you some advice for free, though,” he added, tipping his chin at her bow. “If you decide to shoot something … don’t miss.”
Petal rolled her eyes. “Just find Mother, and stay safe.”
“What about you?”
“What about me? We’re the princesses of Ire, and we’re in this together. I’ll trust you to stop this. And you—you have to trust Wix and me to take care of ourselves in the meantime. Okay?”
Toli pulled Ruby into her arms, cradling her close. The dragon was gray. Only the scales around her mouth and at the crest of her head still held their fire. Goose bumps ran down her back. What if she didn’t make it?
Her sister wasn’t a child anymore. She could take care of herself. “At least take my cloak.” She slipped it off, the soft fur caressing her hand as she gave it to her sister. “It may come in handy and … be careful! You too,” she snapped at Wix, forcing a laugh. “Stay alive, or I may kill you myself.”
He gave her a mock salute. They watched, holding tightly to the crystals along the edge of the open geode, as Dral plucked Toli up and set her down on the cavern floor.
“Find your queen. When you do, you will find mine. They will be down—near the heart of the Mountain. Return the youngling and warn her,” he said. “Tell her that Dral has given this gift freely.”
Toli nodded and ran from the chamber. She couldn’t help but wonder if Dral’s words would help her earn the Mother’s trust—or if they would only make things worse.