Wings of Fire - Eclipse Burning (1)

Chapter 9

Queen Scarlet shot through Starflight's mind as he leaped over the desk. She's come for us. 

"Find somewhere to hide," he cried to the small group of dragonets. He stumbled forward, talons outstretched. "Don't let her see you." Which way to the Great Hall? he thought frantically. I have to get there I have to protect them. 

No way I'm waiting here and hiding while dragons could be in danger. Eclipse thought. 

"Who?" Kinkajou yelped. "Who are we hiding from?" 

Sora curled into a ball on the reeds, trembling. Horrible images were lurching up from the mud puddle in her brain: dragons on fire, dragons screaming, spears bristling, a little brown dragon bleeding from her neck as she plummeted to the ground. 

Eclipse crumbled forward, clutching her head. The images weren't just coming from Sora; all over the school, dragonets who'd been in the war were hearing the alarm and having awful flashbacks. She could barely think straight through all the violence banging inside her head.

Raindrops, Eclipse thought frantically. Think of raindrops.  

That won't work here, Darkstalker said. Everyone is too panicked. Find the calmest voice and anchor yourself. Focus on it. It'll help if it's someone who knows what's going on. 

How am I supposed to find someone who knows what's going on when I can't hardly think at all? Eclipse shouted. 

Eclipse heard rushed talons scraping against the rocky ground and forced her eyes to open. Starflight was hurrying away to the Great Hall, his wings brushing the rock walls on either side, his talons reaching forward anxiously.  

Eclipse pushed herself up and quickly darted after him, a palm still clutching her head. Behind her she could hear Moon start after her. 

"Aren't we hiding?" Kinkajou asked. 

Eclipse couldn't focus on what Moon answered with as she followed Starflight and guided him from time to time out of the tunnel and into the Great Hall. 

Moon and Kinkajou burst into the hall only a few moments after her and Starflight. 

A SkyWing stood in the center of the cave, staring wildly around her with eerie blue eyes. Smoke rose from her shimmering metallic-orange scales. 

Most students had fled, but Winter and Icicle stood in one of the tunnel entrances, glaring at the SkyWing. Carnelian was there too, watching curiously. Two other dragons had apparently fainted before they could run away, a SeaWing and a SandWing Eclipse didn't know. 

Whoever this SkyWing was; it wasn't Scarlet. 

"It's not Scarlet," Eclipse said to Starflight. She had regained some composer and could stand on her own now, without clutching her head. Although there was still a painful spasm pounding in her head. 

Eclipse stepped forward, lowering her head threateningly towards the SkyWing. Whoever this dragon was, everyone was fearful of her. And she looked dangerous. 

"It's not?" she heard Starflight say behind her. 

The SkyWing turned her head and met Eclipse's eyes, the eerie blue sending shivers down her spine. The SkyWing bristled and hissed at her. 

"Peril!" Clay shouted as he hurried into the cave, moving fast despite his limp. "You came!" 

Eclipse backed off, still shivering with adrenaline and ready to fight whoever this smoking dragon was. 

Oh, great, Tsunami thought, coming in right behind him. 

Peril instinctively shrunk away from Clay, but the wall of flames in her mind cooled for a brief moment as she looked at him. Eclipse caught a stab of fierce, desperate love and guilt, and then the fire swallowed everything coherent again.