HOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

All right, Saguaro, SandWing guard with a scar over your heart. This is basic logic, so it shouldn’t strain your brain too much to follow along.

Imagine for a moment that my plan had succeeded.

Imagine that I had talked my companions into going to the stronghold instead of stopping for help in the Scorpion Den. (Their idea, and a terrible one, as I should have guessed it would be.)

Imagine that I had ended up in Burn’s throne room instead of in prison.

Now picture me giving her on a silver platter exactly what she wanted: the location of the prophecy dragonets.

Can you see it in your mind? The army of SandWings en route to the rainforest? With me and Burn flying in the lead, like the avenging wings of night and day swooping down to set history right?

Who could have stopped us? The RainWings are no warriors; they would have rolled over and begged for mercy the moment they saw a SandWing’s claws. The other NightWings would have joined me in a heartbeat.

And then they would have helped Burn in return … so what would the world look like now, if my plan had worked?

Queen Burn of the SandWings.

Queen Fierceteeth of the NightWings.

The prophecy: fulfilled the right way. The dragonets: all dead — such a sad story, but sacrifice is what happens to heroes, right?

(Well … maybe not all dead. I’d show mercy to my little brother, even though he betrayed us. No need to waste a NightWing. I’m sure he could be rehabilitated eventually.)

And I really would have saved my tribe — me, the dragonet with no destiny. I’d be the hero, after all that.

But the dream’s not dead, my friend. We can still make this happen, even if it’s with a slightly different cast of characters.

Listen, you’re clearly a smart dragon … well, let’s say smartish. I bet you supported Queen Burn. And I also bet you have someone else in mind for the throne now. From the way you’ve been skulking around, taking notes and studying everything, I bet you’re quite the useful inside dragon for somebody.

So be even more useful. Give yourself and your secret plan some allies that can really help you.

It’s very simple. We don’t like our queen. You don’t like your queen. Together we eliminate them, and then our tribes can go back to ignoring each other forever.

But first you have to get us out of here.

As soon as possible, please. I’m getting sick of smelling SandWings and eating dried camel every day.

— Fierceteeth