It took Starflight a moment to figure out that they were leaving the island. Back to the mainland? He leaped into the air, his heart jumping hopefully at the same time.
“Wait,” Squid called in a complaining whine, flapping after Morrowseer. “We haven’t even had breakfast. You’re not going to make me fly on an empty stomach, are you? Because I will die. I will literally die.”
“You won’t, actually, not for a while,” Starflight informed him. “Most dragons can naturally survive for up to a month without eating, if necessary, according to A Natural History of Unnatural Dragon Abilities.”
“Listen to the scrollworm,” Flame said nastily. “Isn’t he clever?”
“I will never never never go a whole month without eating,” Ochre said passionately.
“Is one of the ‘unnatural abilities’ being really annoying?” Viper asked. “Because there should be a whole chapter on you and Fatespeaker.”
“You don’t even know me,” Starflight pointed out. “I was just trying to help.”
“I thought it was interesting,” Fatespeaker said. “And probably useful, if the NightWings keep feeding us the horrible stuff they’ve been bringing so far.”
“Oh, I have a theory about that.” As they flew over the forest and out across the ocean, Starflight told her about how the NightWings hunted and his ideas about the bacteria in their mouths, and how he and Fatespeaker probably didn’t have it, since they’d grown up eating live or recently killed prey and hadn’t developed the bacteria like the NightWing dragonets on the island would have.
“Wow,” said Fatespeaker, looking genuinely fascinated.
“Is this the test?” Viper asked. “Listen to you for as long as we can without dying of boredom?”
“Nobody’s talking to you, Viper,” Fatespeaker said. “Go be grumpy at Squid and leave Starflight alone.”
Starflight glanced down at the waves rushing below him. The island was disappearing behind them, visible only as a red glow in the sky. Ahead of them was nothing but sea as far as the distant horizon. He had no idea how Morrowseer was navigating — there were no landmarks and the sky was still hidden behind the clouds.
I should pay attention so I can fly this way if I ever get a chance to escape.
Actually, what he should do was try to escape once they reached the mainland. Just fly away. Hide. Try to get back to the rainforest.
He could not in a million years imagine doing any of that by himself. Maybe with Tsunami and Clay and Glory and Sunny, but alone? It sounded much safer to stay with the NightWings and hope someone came to rescue him.
Rain began to fall. Or rather, they reached the edge of the storm, and Starflight realized that Morrowseer planned to fly right through it.
“My wings are getting wet,” Squid griped.
“Boohoo, you poor SeaWing,” Flame snapped.
Starflight wasn’t about to say anything aloud, but the rain made his wings heavier and it was much harder to fly. He didn’t have the strongest flying muscles anyway — being raised in a cave meant not much opportunity to practice.
He clenched his jaw and flew on. If this was the test, he refused to fail. He would fly until his wings gave out and he would not let anyone see how much it hurt.
Think of Sunny. Think about being the dragon you want her to think you are.
The sea kept getting closer, which he knew meant he was drooping. The rain pelted down harder and harder, battering his scales and making it almost impossible to see Ochre flying just ahead of him. Morrowseer was a dark blur in the clouds. Starflight hoped they didn’t lose him. He hoped Morrowseer wasn’t trying to lose them, because it wouldn’t be hard in this weather.
A bolt of lightning sizzled through the sky, followed instantly by the loudest thunderclap Starflight had ever heard. His whole body shook with the vibrations.
I hope we get there soon. I hope we get there soon.
He blinked away raindrops and realized with a sickening lurch that the sky ahead of him was empty.
Where are the other dragons?
For a horrible moment, he was completely lost.
Then Fatespeaker appeared at his side and nudged his wing. “Down there!” she shouted over the wind.
What looked like a small smudge on the ocean turned out to be a tiny, rocky island. Morrowseer and the others were perched there already. Starflight landed awkwardly next to Squid, who had his wings over his head and was muttering angrily.
“Halfway there!” Fatespeaker grinned at him.
Only halfway? Starflight’s resolution wavered, and he stared down at his claws. He was too exhausted even to ask all the questions brimming inside him. How had the NightWings found their island, if it was this far from the mainland? How often did they go to the mainland — and did they usually use the tunnel to the rainforest, or fly over the sea like this?
He guessed most of them would choose the tunnel if they could, rather than risk this exhausting flight.