“What?” Thorn said. Her wings went very still. “What do you mean, stuffed?”
“It’s sort of a hobby for Burn,” Smolder said with an embarrassed expression. “If she finds a dragon she wants for her collection, she’ll usually kill him and stuff him herself…. I know, it sounds pretty horrible.”
“It is horrible,” Sunny told him bluntly. “It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard, ever.”
“Where?” Thorn said to Smolder in a cold voice. “Show me this murdered NightWing. Right now.”
As Smolder led them through the labyrinth of the palace again, Sunny noticed that Peril kept her wings pressed as close to her body as she could. Afraid of setting something on fire, she guessed, feeling sorry for the SkyWing.
“Mother,” she whispered, “why do we care about this NightWing?”
“Hopefully we don’t,” her mother answered cryptically.
They crossed the sandpit to the tower. The six SandWing guards jumped aside with a relieved expression when they saw Smolder.
Sunny heard Peril take a deep breath. Time for her to face Scarlet, she realized. And us, too, since we’ll have to get past her to see the NightWing.
They could hear Scarlet roaring as soon as they opened the door. “Who’s down there? Smolder, I hear your stupid keys clanking. If you —” She cut off abruptly and Sunny looked up. She could see yellow eyes glinting through the smoke as Scarlet peered down at them.
The silence that followed as they wound their way up the ramp was more unsettling than the shouting. What was Scarlet thinking? What would she do when they reached her?
The former queen of the SkyWings sat with her tail curled around her talons, glaring fiercely at them. Smolder stopped in front of her, but she ignored him, fixing her malevolent gaze on Peril instead.
“What are you doing?” she growled.
“Rescuing you,” Peril muttered, staying behind Sunny.
“This is an odd way to go about it.” Scarlet swept her tail in an arc, knocking glass shards over the edge to shatter on the floor far below. “Such an interesting group of friends you’ve brought with you.”
“Where is the NightWing?” Thorn demanded.
Smolder pointed wordlessly at the shadowy lumps behind Scarlet.
“Don’t go near her,” Sunny warned her mother as Thorn started forward. “She’s really dangerous.”
“That’s true,” Scarlet hissed.
Thorn paused, then faced the prisoner. “Show me the NightWing’s face.”
“Looking for someone?” Scarlet said, sounding amused. “Now why would I help you?”
“Because I’m telling you to,” Peril interjected abruptly. “Do it if you want me to get you out of here.”
Queen Scarlet rose up on her back legs, spreading her wings so she looked majestically powerful despite her disfigurement. “It sounds to me like you’ve forgotten who your queen is,” she snarled at Peril.
“It sounds to me like you’ve forgotten who has the scale-melting talons here,” Peril snapped back.
Scarlet hissed and more smoke poured from her snout to envelop her horns. “Don’t you threaten me. I don’t take orders from anyone.”
“Then you can rot here,” Peril said hotly, turning around so fast that Sunny had to jump out of the way of her tail.
She’d only taken three steps when Scarlet cried, “Wait! Wait.”
Peril stopped, breathing deeply, but didn’t turn around.
“The NightWing,” Thorn said with quiet authority, pointing.
Scarlet growled deep in her throat, then picked up something from behind her and threw it as hard as she could at Smolder.
He caught it and then tossed it to Thorn with a yelp.
It was the NightWing’s head.
Thorn looked down at the dragon head in her talons with an expression of pure horror, but it quickly melted into relief. She gently set the head down on the stone and stepped back.
“Is — is everything —?” Sunny asked.
“A stranger,” Thorn said. “Nothing to worry about.” She rubbed her forearms. “Let’s go back to the sunshine.”
“Peril,” Scarlet said, a low rumble in her throat. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back to let you out once Sunny is far away from here,” Peril said, looking over her shoulder at the imprisoned queen. “Don’t try to argue with me. I know what you want to do to her and I won’t let you.” She set off down the ramp as fast as she could, and Sunny followed, feeling grateful and anxious in equal parts.
“I know what you want, and it’s not going to work!” Scarlet shouted after her. “He’s never going to love you! You can keep trying to save his friends, but no one will ever love you except me! I’m the only one who accepts you the way you are! You’ll always be a monster to everyone else!”
Peril threw the door open, leaving scorch marks on the wood, and dashed out of the tower.