The queen of the RainWings flared her wings one more time and the clearing finally fell silent.
“You know I don’t like giving speeches,” Glory said, “so I’ll just say this. We’re going to save our fellow RainWings, and we’re going to make this rainforest safe, and we’re going to do it like real RainWings. And by the three moons, try not to talk or sneeze or fall asleep in the tunnel on the way there, all right?”
She turned to the dragon standing next to her. It took Starflight a moment to recognize Glory’s brother Jambu; he wasn’t his usual vibrant raspberry color, but a rippling shadowy black that would blend in well with the tunnel walls. He was apparently one of the best shots with a blowgun, and he’d volunteered to be the first one through the hole. Starflight wasn’t sure if that was bravery or just not knowing what he was getting himself into, but right now it amounted to the same thing.
Jambu hopped up to the hole and slid in; Glory followed immediately behind him, and then Mangrove, Liana, Grandeur, and three other RainWings armed with blowguns.
According to the plan, Starflight and Fatespeaker were next, so that once the guards were knocked out, they could lead the RainWings to the prison caves and the fortress. He took a deep breath and looked back, hoping to catch Sunny’s eye.
She was watching him, her scales glowing in the fading sunlight.
I can do this.
Starflight clambered into the hole and almost immediately, Fatespeaker followed, nearly stepping on his tail. Neither of them said anything, but he felt a little safer knowing she was at his back.
It was stifling in the tunnel, and eerily quiet; the RainWings ahead of him were stealthier than he’d have expected. He wasn’t sure how far ahead they were, exactly; even with his excellent night vision, Starflight couldn’t make out the difference between shadows in here. The tunnel tilted down, and he crept along as fast as he dared, keeping his wings carefully folded to hide the silver scales.
Ahead of him, he heard a quiet zzt, and then another, and then seven more in rapid succession. Sleeping darts fired from blowguns, straight out of the shadows, hopefully knocking out all the guards by the hole before any of them noticed and sounded the alarm.
Next, Starflight heard a muffled thump as one RainWing after another jumped into the cave, and then he saw the flicker of firelight. A moment later, he climbed out of the tunnel and felt the warm rocks scraping below his scales.
Nine NightWing guards were lying around the cave, each looking as if he or she had just fallen asleep all of a sudden. Their chests rose and fell peacefully; their spears rested harmlessly on the ground nearby.
Glory turned to Mangrove and pointed at the spears. She made some kind of signal Starflight didn’t follow, but Mangrove apparently did. He started gathering all the weapons in the cave and passed them to the dragons still coming through the tunnel. They were handed back talon over talon until they were safely stashed in the rainforest, far away from NightWing claws.
The NightWings are still dangerous. We can’t take away their talons or teeth or fire. But one less weapon in a NightWing’s claws can’t hurt.
Jambu and Grandeur had already crept ahead; if he strained his ears, Starflight could hear the zzt zzt of the blowguns taking out the guards by the cave entrance.
How long was this going to work? How many NightWings could they send to sleep before somebody noticed? And once someone sounded the alarm, how soon before RainWings started dying?
“All clear.” Grandeur’s voice whispered along the tunnel like leaves rustling.
Glory’s scales had shifted to gray and red and black to match the cave. Starflight couldn’t see her, but he felt her wings lightly brush his. It was his turn to lead the way.
He glanced back at the hole that led to the rainforest. Tsunami and Clay and Sunny were supposed to stay out of sight during the first wave — if anyone spotted blue or brown or gold scales on this island, they’d know the tunnel had been breached and the NightWings would be on them all immediately. So they were to stay hidden until the stealth campaign turned into a real battle. On the one talon, Starflight was relieved that he didn’t have to worry about Sunny, but on the other, he’d feel a lot better if Clay and Tsunami were leading the charge instead of him.
But this is the smart way to do it — the only way to do it.
He padded down the tunnel with Fatespeaker beside him, stepping over the slumbering NightWing guards. He could hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the black sand below. Outside, the sky was even more gray and ominous than before, with grim lowering clouds that flickered with lightning, all lit by the red glow from the volcano.
After the bright warmth of the rainforest, the island air seemed even darker and smokier. As Starflight stepped out onto the cave ledge, he felt the ground tremble beneath his talons, then stop.
That’s unsettling, he thought.