Read Online The Brightest Night by Tui T. Sutherland - Free Book Online Page B

something. She radiated an intense energy; even Sunny caught herself wanting to follow her wherever she went next.
    The laughter dropped from Thorn’s eyes when she spotted the three NightWings. She curled her tail up threateningly before stalking around them and climbing onto the dais. Sunny was glad not to be the one under that glare.
    “NightWings,” Thorn said darkly. “Well, well, well. We haven’t had any of you visit our fine city in about seven years.”
    “Why would we?” Fierceteeth challenged. “We’re only here now because we want to make a deal with Burn.”
    “We need someone to take her a message,” Strongwings added.
    Thorn leaned forward. “That’s irrelevant to me. Where is Morrowseer?”
    All three NightWings looked startled.
    “You know Morrowseer?” Preyhunter stammered.
    “Unfortunately,” Thorn growled. “Tell me where he is, and I’ll seriously consider not killing you.”
    Preyhunter flared his wings and several Outclaws took a menacing step toward him. “You can’t kill us!” he protested. “We’re NightWings!”
    “I assure you NightWings die just as easily as any other dragon,” Thorn said. “Would you like a demonstration?”
    “No, no, no,” Strongwings said hurriedly. “We’ll tell you what we know.”
    “In exchange for a messenger to Burn,” Fierceteeth interjected.
    “In exchange for your lives,” Thorn countered calmly. “I’m not sending any of my Outclaws into that deathpit. Most of them are here expressly because they’re trying to avoid her.”
    “But —” Fierceteeth started.
    “Morrowseer’s dead,” Preyhunter blurted out. “He died just a few days ago.”
    There was a terrible silence. One of the dragons who’d come in last took a step toward Thorn, reaching out tentatively, her expression a surprising mix of horror and sympathy.
    Thorn’s face contorted into a fury like nothing Sunny had ever seen before. With a cry of rage, she leaped off the dais, seized Preyhunter by the throat, and flung him to the ground, where she pinned him with her claws and swung her tail over his heart.
    Fierceteeth and Strongwings didn’t have time to react before Outclaws were there, holding them back. It wasn’t necessary, though; Sunny could see that they were too terrified to do anything to help Preyhunter.
    “Ssssay that again,” Thorn hissed in Preyhunter’s face.
    “H-he’s dead!” Preyhunter stammered. “Isn’t that good news? It sounded like you hated him — aren’t you glad he’s dead?”
    “He can’t be dead,” Thorn said. “Tell me the truth, you lying bag of bones. Tell me how to get to your secret home and where Morrowseer is and what he did to —” She cut herself off abruptly.
    “I can’t tell you any of that,” Preyhunter whined. “We’re not allowed to! But I promise you Morrowseer is dead — really, really, really dead.”
    “No!” Thorn shouted. A burst of flame shot out of her mouth, scorching a spot beside Preyhunter’s neck. He screamed with fear, and two Outclaws jumped forward to beat out the flames on the carpet before the fire reached the tent. At the same moment, Preyhunter convulsed and lashed out, slicing at Thorn’s underbelly with his sharp talons.
    “Moons-blasted crocodile spawn!” Six-Claws roared, knocking dragons aside as he leaped at Preyhunter. Another SandWing, a male dragonet around Sunny’s age, also darted forward from the other side.
    But they weren’t fast enough.
    Thorn’s tail stabbed down into the NightWing’s heart, and with a shriek of pain, Preyhunter collapsed underneath her, dead.

Sunny stared at the NightWing’s body, his wings lying crookedly on either side of him, his snout contorted into a final twist of despair.
    He was a bad dragon, she told herself. The world is better off this way. My friends are safer now that he’s dead.
    But he had a horrible life, the other half of her argued. Maybe he could have changed. Maybe there was a better dragon inside him somewhere,