Finally Greatness straightened up and fixed the cavern full of dragons with a black-eyed glare.
“Queen Battlewinner has made her decision,” she said. “We cannot delay any longer.” She looked around as if daring anyone to argue back, but no one did. “We must go through under cover of darkness, kill all the RainWings, and take the rainforest as planned.”
Not a sound disturbed the terrifying stillness of the cavern. The NightWings were frozen, listening.
Greatness took a deep breath.
“Tonight at midnight … we attack.”
Starflight raced through the empty halls. All the NightWings in the fortress seemed to be clustered around the council chamber, trying to hear what was going on. Once he’d fought his way out through the crowd, the passages were clear all the way back to the dormitory.
I can warn them. For once I can really help — I just have to get through to my friends.
Fatespeaker was still asleep, her wings tented over her, her side rising and falling with deep breaths. No one else was in the dormitory; Starflight had seen most of the NightWing dragonets in the crowd outside the council chamber.
He bolted over to his bed and reached into the hole where he’d hidden the dreamvisitor.
Even in the middle of the day, someone will be asleep. Maybe Kinkajou again. Another RainWing, if I have to. Maybe Glory will be having her sun time. I can get a message through to someone. I have to, or they’ll all be killed tonight.
His claws closed on empty space.
Starflight’s chest constricted, and he crouched, scrabbling through all the holes around his bed. He flung the blanket aside and searched from one end of the hollow to the other. He checked the beds on either side, his heart pounding faster and faster.
But there was no doubt.
The dreamvisitor was gone.
“No,” he whispered, scratching at the hiding spot again. How could it be gone? Someone must have seen him — someone had lifted the blanket last night and realized what he had in his talons. Someone had watched from the shadows and taken it while he was away.
But who? Could it be Morrowseer? Surely the large dragon would have punished Starflight severely if he’d caught him with the dreamvisitor … but maybe the punishment just hadn’t landed yet.
More important, what do I do now?
“Starflight?” He whirled around and realized that Fatespeaker was awake, and right behind him, watching with a confused expression. She hopped up on the nearest bed and peered into his face. “Why are you flapping around like a scavenger with its head bitten off?”
“I lost something,” Starflight said. “I mean, I left it right here, but it’s gone, and I really, really need it. Did you see anyone over here today?”
She shook her head. “Why, what is it?”
“It’s —” He hesitated. How much should he tell her? She seemed like the only dragon he could trust on this whole island, and he needed help. But would she be willing to betray her tribe?
“Do you want to help the RainWings?” he asked.
“The sad dragons,” she said, blinking. “Of course I do.”
“Not just the prisoners here,” he said. “The whole tribe is in danger. The NightWings are planning to invade the rainforest through that tunnel I told you about. They’re going to kill all the RainWings — and they’re doing it tonight.”
Fatespeaker’s eyes widened. “Why?” she cried.
“To steal the territory for their own,” he said. “That’s the thing, Fatespeaker. If you help me help the RainWings, it means stopping the NightWing plan. It means leaving our own tribe stuck on this island. It’s hard — I can see how miserable they are here. But I can’t let them do this to the RainWings.”
“Me neither,” Fatespeaker said firmly. “Tell me what I can do.”
“Well,” Starflight said, “I have no idea.”
She smacked him with one of her wings. “You can’t get me all riled up and tell me there’s no plan! We’re going to warn the RainWings, right?”
He turned back to his bed. “That’s what I was trying to do, but the dreamvisitor is missing, and —” He turned back around and found her halfway to the door. “Wait. Fatespeaker!” He leaped after her, caught her tail, and dragged her back toward him. “Where are you going?”
She looked at him as if he were crazy. “To warn the RainWings. Like we just decided.”
“You mean — go to the rainforest?” he said. His heart was hammering and his legs felt as though they could barely hold him up, but something in his head was also shouting YES YES THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO! GO DO IT!
He started pacing. “We can’t fly there — it’ll take too long. We have to go through the tunnel, but that’s impossible. There will be a million dragons guarding it. I’m not Clay or Tsunami; I can’t even fight one dragonet, let alone a whole squadron of full-grown NightWings.”