Moon, Darkstalker shouted, perhaps more than once, dragging her back to herself. Moon, it’s not real, you’re all right.

She staggered up and caught herself against the rough stone side of the tunnel.

What do you mean it’s not real? she asked. Her heartbeat was too fast, squeezing her chest so she could hardly breathe.

I mean, it could have been, but it won’t be, he said. Whatever that was, it’s in the history cave. Stay away from there and —

The vision returned, fiercer and more agonizing than before.

Now Moon was outside the history cave, and fire was pouring out into the tunnel, along with the screaming, burning figures of her friends. Kinkajou stumbled to the ground in front of Moon, her wings turning crisp and black as flames ate them away. Carnelian’s voice howled in pain from inside. Tamarin and Umber lay half in, half out of the cave, gasping as dark smoke filled their lungs.

Moon! Moon! Darkstalker pulled her out again. Close your eyes. I can take your mind to a safe place where you won’t see any of this.

“No!” Moon shouted. “Don’t do that!” She pushed herself up and started running toward the history cave.

What are you doing? Darkstalker asked.

I have to stop it.

There isn’t time. Can’t you tell? The explosion is only a few minutes away.

Then I have to warn them. Someone might be in there already.

A half-second pause, then: Is that wise? Don’t you want to keep your power a secret?

“Not if it means my friends will all die!” Moon cried.

The vision slammed into her again, stamping her to the ground like a giant talon. More fire. Another burning dragon, maybe Pike or Bigtail. Umber lying in a charred heap on the ground, Sora sobbing beside him. Qibli with his wings in flames, screaming for help.

“What is wrong with you?” a cool, arrogant voice asked from above her. Is she all right? his brain worried, more sympathetically.

“Winter.” Moon shook her head, trying to clear it. The IceWing was really there, standing in front of her, really not on fire, not dead. His scales were smooth, pale blue, unburnt. His eyes were arctic pools.

“Some kind of NightWing seizure?” he asked, looking down his snout at her. His tail flicked and he took a step back, toward the history cave. She could see the archway only a few paces ahead of them, quiet and flame-free.

“You can’t go in there.” Moon lunged forward and grabbed his forearm in her talons.

We’re touching — she’s — I’m — her scales against mine — I can’t want this — his mind whirled.

“What are you doing?” he barked, but didn’t pull away.

“Please don’t go in there,” she managed. The vision was storming back. “Something terrible is going to —”

Qibli burning. Tamarin burning. Winter safe, Icicle safe, Kinkajou burning —

Winter was holding her up; she’d fallen against him and he was trying to lift her back upright, his wings supporting hers. “What something terrible?” he said, his voice rising. He shook her. “How do you know?”

“Hey, leave her alone,” Qibli’s voice interjected.

“Stop!” Moon cried, pulling away from Winter and throwing herself in front of Qibli and Turtle. “Don’t go in! No one can go in!”

“Whoa, calm down,” Turtle said gently. “You’re having some kind of panic attack.”

“No, please listen.” Moon couldn’t catch her breath, not with the visions coming faster and the intensity of the thoughts around her. Tamarin dead, Kinkajou sobbing, Carnelian burning. She’s losing her mind. “Please, please, don’t let anyone go in there.”

Deep breaths, Darkstalker said softly. You’ll be all right.

“I’m listening,” Qibli said, crouching to look into her eyes. “We’re here, don’t worry.” Must be something serious. Look at her eyes, she’s terrified. Did Winter do this to her? No, he doesn’t know what’s going on either. What can I do for her? Find the threat, neutralize it.

She grabbed Turtle’s talons and tried to wrap his muffled mind around hers. “Kinkajou. I have to stop Kinkajou.” The image of the RainWing burning kept coming back, over and over, like a knife plunging repeatedly into her heart.

“She’s right behind us,” Qibli said. He put one wing around her. “Moon, what is happening?”

“Yes,” Winter said. “What do you know?”

Moon could feel the footsteps of other dragons through the floor. Dragons were coming for class. How could she stop them? How could she stop all of them?

She let out a cry of pain and closed her eyes. Another vision, and this time Peril was there, engulfed in flames, clutching someone in her talons. Was she the cause of the fire? If Moon could stop Peril, could she save everyone?

She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus long enough to come up with a convincing lie or a plan or anything.

“Moon, it’s all right! Moon, breathe, here, lean on me.” Warm rainbow wings wrapped around her. “We have to take her to Clay and Sunny, they’ll know what to do.”

Good idea, Qibli thought. I should have thought of that.

“Kinkajou,” Moon sighed, leaning into her friend. The walls were fading in and out, the torchlight flaring and then disappearing and flickering back. She took a few stumbling steps as Kinkajou tried to guide her up the tunnel.

“I don’t know,” Winter was saying to someone. “She just collapsed.”

“Hey, Carnelian,” Qibli called. “Don’t go in there.”

“Why not?” the SkyWing’s voice demanded.

“Uh,” he said. “One of the torches got all smoky, the whole cave smells. Needs to air out.”

“Smells fine to me,” Carnelian growled.

“Come on, Moon,” Kinkajou said, tugging her along. “We’ll go find help.”

“But the cave —” Moon said. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Kinkajou’s worried thoughts were scattered all through hers, loud and sweet and muddling. Kinkajou wanted so badly to take Moon away from there that Moon couldn’t find her way back to what she needed to do. “I have to —”

“Don’t worry,” Kinkajou said. “We can miss class today. Tamarin will get us any notes we need.”

“Is she in there?” Moon froze. Qibli and Turtle were still beside her; Winter was a step away, watching her intently. “Did she go in the history cave?”

“Sure, but —”

“No, she can’t —” Moon turned, in time to see Carnelian at the cave entrance, tossing her head.

“You’re an idiot, SandWing,” Carnelian said. “It’s perfectly fine in there.” She stepped into the classroom.

“No!” Moon cried. Farther along the tunnel, Icicle was coming from the other direction. The IceWing stopped and arched her brows as Moon dove for the doorway where Carnelian had disappeared.

With a whoosh and a boom, the cave exploded in a huge fireball.