Wings of Fire: The Kingdom of the Sea | ✔️

~ The Kingdom of the Sea: Chapter 6 ~

"You've seemed off this whole flight," Kestrel said.

Hare looked at her, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said," Kestrel said. "Even a blind scavenger would be able to tell you're upset."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hare said, looking away. She didn't want to admit that Kestrel was right. Something was wrong, but how could she possibly tell Kestrel about the Place of Lost Souls or about Mystery and the Place of the Found? How could she possibly tell her about Mystery's warning?

"You can't lie to me," Kestrel said. "I raised you, Hare. Remember that."

Hare didn't have a chance to respond.

"Here comes our welcoming committee," Riptide called. Hare spotted a formation of green and blue dragons - fifteen or more - flying toward them, hissing and teeth bared.

"Stop and hover," Hare said quietly to Kestrel.

"That's the advance guard," Riptide explained. He swung in a slow circle around the group and stopped in front again, facing the incoming dragons. "They make sure no one even gets close to the Summer Palace."

The formation of guards soon surrounded them, hissing and beating their wings hard.

"Rririptide," growled the dragon in the lead. His scales were a green so dull it was almost gray, like stone where moss had been scraped away. He had tiny bone-pale eyes that never seemed to blink under a knobbly protruding forehead, and his horns twisted strangely toward each other. Hare noticed that, unlike Riptide, the new dragon had no battle scars. Which either meant he stayed away from the fighting - or he was a very skilled fighter.

"Spare me, Shark," Riptide said. "I've got something Queen Coral will want to see. I've found the missing princess."

Murmurs of shock ran through the SeaWings, but Shark didn't look impressed.

"Or so you say," he snarled. He flapped closer to Tsunami and circled her. "You, Riptide, of all dragons? And we're to just trust that this is the daughter my sister has been missing for the past six years?"

"Sister?" Hare said, swinging her head around to look at Tsunami. "Tsunami, this is your uncle!" Tsunami didn't say anything but she shot Hare an "Oh really?" look.

"Where's your evidence that you come from the royal hatchery?" Shark demanded, poking at Tsunami's side.

Tsunami nudged him away. "What, you expect a golden crown or a box of jewelry?" she snapped.

"You want evidence?" Riptide said, flying up between Shark and Tsunami. He nudged Tsunami lightly with his elbow. "Light up your wings."

Doing as she was told, Tsunami lit up her wings. Underneath them, the luminescent stripes formed spirals around the outer edges. starbursts shaped like webbed dragon footprints branched away from the lines in the middle. The other SeaWings lit up their wings. They had smaller starbursts and no spirals. Only Shark's patterns matched her own.

It must be a royal thing.

"See?" Riptide said. "I told you; she's the long lost daughter of Queen Coral."

Shark let out a long hissing breath. "Very well," he said. "Bring her and kill the others."

"No!" Hare yelled before any dragon could move. "Nobody lay a single claw on them!"

A SeaWing by her gasped in awe. "You, you're Burn's daughter!"

"Meaning," Riptide snapped, "that she's Blister's niece. I advise you do as she says."