Peace and its Shadow

Chapter 12: The Secret Assassin

Peacemaker and Mink were going to stay at the sanctuary for two more days before heading back to the academy. Although Mink kept a bit of a close eye on Peacemaker which was understandable, he still felt comfortable. There was no negative glance like back at the Rainforest. Winter was showing Peacemaker and Mink the different places in the sanctuary. There was a diner, a market for selling pretty much anything, gardens, and more. Peacemaker loved the diner there especially, since the dragons were very kind to talk to and they also had fruit pies which Winter offered. Peacemaker gladly took the offering.

"Have a vegan diet like the Rainwings?" Winter guessed. Peacemaker nodded,

"Of course, though my mother does want me to try eating meat. I often refuse."

Conversations continued at the diner as Winter explained what the early days of the academy were. He also talked about his friends.

"They're in their last year right?" Winter asked. Peacemaker and Mink nodded.

"Wow they're graduating, these would be the first graduates of the academy," Winter said. "What about the other graduating winglets?" Mink shrugged,

"Not sure, but it looks like most of them are around."

"We don't see them often because of how the system works now with the different years before graduation," Peacemaker added.

"They changed the system? How?" Winter inquired.

"Well first to fifth years all have to stay within the academy and it's mostly the ordinary classes," Peacemaker described while also noticing Winter smile awkwardly while looking to the side. "However, when you're at the sixth year, which they call the graduating year, you are a lot more open and can have Winglet trips and opportunities. They also are allowed to be free with where they go. Seriously some of the graduating-year dragons have their place nearby instead of any sleeping caves."

"But some of the other dragons are still probably a majority of troublemakers," Mink giggled. Peacemaker knew what she was thinking about. A few weeks earlier three dragons from the Gold Winglet were caught trying to steal an old gold ring from the third-year Quartz Winglet. The Quartz Winglet was going to use it for their history project but the dragons wanted to steal and sell it. Those idiots failed so badly that it even made Darkstalker laugh. Peacemaker also giggled when he commented,

"I can steal things better as a ghost with my eyes closed than these no-moons." Peacemaker learned that the term "no-moons" was an insult to Nightwings during his times. Since during those years, being a "no-moon" pretty much meant you were either pathetic or useless. Admittedly Peacemaker found that quite hilarious but he had forgotten he was the only one able to see or hear Darkstalker so other dragons looked at him quite weirdly as the hidden hybrid randomly started laughing. It felt nice not having to pretend he was an ordinary Nightwing since Winter already knew and Peacemaker had shown it to Mink.

"Well, at least things aren't going too bad if there are just some troublemakers," Winter sighed.

"I did hear from Moon that a few dragons had been expelled or left, but I think they're mostly fine. I'm pretty sure only two other murder attempts had occurred since the first year," Peacemaker added. Winter had a concerned look.

"Did anybody die?" Winter asked.

"The first one didn't cause no deaths while the second did, I'm pretty sure it was the Seawing, Snail, in the first-year Copper Winglet when you were there that had been stabbed to death I believe," Peacemaker replied. "The scary part is the secret assassin as other calls them had never been caught."

"How did you know that?" Mink asked worryingly.

"When Moon visited me, she often told stories from the academy. I believe that two years ago, she described an incident where Snail was found dead," Peacemaker described. "They had several stab wounds in the chest."