Read Online The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland - Free Book Online
Authors: Tui T. Sutherland
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had.
“Do you know where the river goes?” he asked.
“No — I mean, I’ve seen the gap in the wall, but it’s even smaller than the one to the guardians’ cave,” she said. “I’ve never been through in case I couldn’t get back. But the river has to go somewhere.”
“Can we get out that way?” he asked.
“Not all of us,” she said. “Only me.”
“And me,” he said.
She shook her head. “Clay, you can’t. We have no idea what’s on the other side. You can only hold your breath for an hour — you could get trapped with no air and drown. And you can’t see in the dark like me. You’d be swimming blind into who knows what. It has to be a SeaWing who goes. It has to be me.”
“And even if you did get out,” Starflight said, “how would you find us again? How would you get back to this cave from the outside?”
“The sky hole,” Clay said, pouncing on an idea of his own at last. “You guys start a fire in the study room, and I’ll follow the smoke back to you. Then I’ll know the entrance is nearby, and once I find it, I can let you all out.”
Glory’s eyes glinted. “I can think of a few scrolls I’d like to burn.”
Clay grinned at the shocked expression on Starflight’s face. “Yeah, me too,” he said. “Throw The Sluglike Qualities of MudWings on there and think of me.”
“Stop joking about this,” Tsunami cried. “Clay, you can’t go, and that’s final. You’ll almost certainly die.”
“But Glory will die if I don’t,” he said. “Right? There’s no other way.”
Tsunami growled and thrashed her whole body, straining against the chains. The heavy links pressed into the scales of her neck, and she stopped with a cough.
“Wait, you won’t be able to see the smoke until daylight,” Sunny said worriedly. “Won’t Kestrel come for Glory before then?”
Clay’s hopes dropped like a boulder in his stomach. He hadn’t thought of that. He might not make it back in time — it might all be for nothing.
Then Glory smiled, and her scales shifted into a warm, rosy pink. “I know what to do,” she said. “Starflight’s method.”
“Act like a lump and hope no one notices you?” Tsunami said sarcastically.
“Hey!” Starflight protested.
“Exactly,” Glory said. She crouched down to the floor. Slowly, as if the stone were eating her alive, grays and browns and blacks crept over her scales. All her beautiful colors faded away. The shadows and crags behind her appeared perfectly reproduced, as if the dragonets were seeing right through her.
She closed her eyes and vanished.
“Wow,” Sunny said faintly. “I mean, I knew you could, but … I’d never . . .”
“The guardians don’t know I can do this.” They all jumped as Glory’s voice came from the top of a stalagmite. “I guess it’s a good thing we never studied RainWings after all. I’ll find a corner and hide. You don’t even have to risk the river, Clay. I could just stay like this.”
“For how long?” Starflight said. “Until you starve or one of them catches you accidentally?”
“Tsunami was right earlier,” Clay said. “We do need to get out of here, as soon as we can.”
Sunny gave Tsunami an unhappy look. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” she asked, but no one answered her.
“All right,” said Glory with a sigh. Her green eyes appeared again, halfway across the cave. She was looking straight at Clay. “Do what you want, as long as you’re not doing it only for me. I’ll stay out of the way until Clay comes back to get us.”
Clay felt like the rosy pink color was rising up through his scales now. Glory trusted him. She believed he could do this.
He could save her. He could save all of them.
He just had to survive the river first.
“I hate this,” Tsunami called softly. “I hate this a lot.” She beat her wings against the chains that trapped her.
“I don’t love it either,” said Glory’s voice.
“Shhhh,” Starflight scolded from the riverbank.
“Do you know where the river goes?” he asked.
“No — I mean, I’ve seen the gap in the wall, but it’s even smaller than the one to the guardians’ cave,” she said. “I’ve never been through in case I couldn’t get back. But the river has to go somewhere.”
“Can we get out that way?” he asked.
“Not all of us,” she said. “Only me.”
“And me,” he said.
She shook her head. “Clay, you can’t. We have no idea what’s on the other side. You can only hold your breath for an hour — you could get trapped with no air and drown. And you can’t see in the dark like me. You’d be swimming blind into who knows what. It has to be a SeaWing who goes. It has to be me.”
“And even if you did get out,” Starflight said, “how would you find us again? How would you get back to this cave from the outside?”
“The sky hole,” Clay said, pouncing on an idea of his own at last. “You guys start a fire in the study room, and I’ll follow the smoke back to you. Then I’ll know the entrance is nearby, and once I find it, I can let you all out.”
Glory’s eyes glinted. “I can think of a few scrolls I’d like to burn.”
Clay grinned at the shocked expression on Starflight’s face. “Yeah, me too,” he said. “Throw The Sluglike Qualities of MudWings on there and think of me.”
“Stop joking about this,” Tsunami cried. “Clay, you can’t go, and that’s final. You’ll almost certainly die.”
“But Glory will die if I don’t,” he said. “Right? There’s no other way.”
Tsunami growled and thrashed her whole body, straining against the chains. The heavy links pressed into the scales of her neck, and she stopped with a cough.
“Wait, you won’t be able to see the smoke until daylight,” Sunny said worriedly. “Won’t Kestrel come for Glory before then?”
Clay’s hopes dropped like a boulder in his stomach. He hadn’t thought of that. He might not make it back in time — it might all be for nothing.
Then Glory smiled, and her scales shifted into a warm, rosy pink. “I know what to do,” she said. “Starflight’s method.”
“Act like a lump and hope no one notices you?” Tsunami said sarcastically.
“Hey!” Starflight protested.
“Exactly,” Glory said. She crouched down to the floor. Slowly, as if the stone were eating her alive, grays and browns and blacks crept over her scales. All her beautiful colors faded away. The shadows and crags behind her appeared perfectly reproduced, as if the dragonets were seeing right through her.
She closed her eyes and vanished.
“Wow,” Sunny said faintly. “I mean, I knew you could, but … I’d never . . .”
“The guardians don’t know I can do this.” They all jumped as Glory’s voice came from the top of a stalagmite. “I guess it’s a good thing we never studied RainWings after all. I’ll find a corner and hide. You don’t even have to risk the river, Clay. I could just stay like this.”
“For how long?” Starflight said. “Until you starve or one of them catches you accidentally?”
“Tsunami was right earlier,” Clay said. “We do need to get out of here, as soon as we can.”
Sunny gave Tsunami an unhappy look. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” she asked, but no one answered her.
“All right,” said Glory with a sigh. Her green eyes appeared again, halfway across the cave. She was looking straight at Clay. “Do what you want, as long as you’re not doing it only for me. I’ll stay out of the way until Clay comes back to get us.”
Clay felt like the rosy pink color was rising up through his scales now. Glory trusted him. She believed he could do this.
He could save her. He could save all of them.
He just had to survive the river first.
“I hate this,” Tsunami called softly. “I hate this a lot.” She beat her wings against the chains that trapped her.
“I don’t love it either,” said Glory’s voice.
“Shhhh,” Starflight scolded from the riverbank.
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