Winter turned to Moon, agony written across his face. She knew what he was asking, even though his mind couldn’t put it into clear thoughts yet.

“It’s true,” Moon said, scanning Icicle’s thoughts. “At least, that’s what Scarlet has told her. Scarlet could be lying, but Icicle believes her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Winter said to his sister.

“Because you’re worthless,” she spat. “And I didn’t want to waste time arguing with your sensitive moral sensibilities.”

“She means she didn’t want to be talked out of it,” Moon said fiercely. “And she knew you would try, and you might even have succeeded, because you’re not worthless; you’re smart and brave and capable of caring about other dragons.”

“Is it really true, though?” he said, a question not quite for either Moon or Icicle. “Hailstorm isn’t dead?”

Icicle narrowed her eyes and flicked her tail, weighing the possibilities. “There’s still time,” she hissed at him. “We could still kill the dragonets and get him back.”

Winter hesitated, wavering. The memories of his brother were warm and tense, loving and terrible at the same time. He missed him desperately. And he needed to atone for the guilt of losing him in the first place.

But he shook his head. “Not with more killing. Not for Queen Scarlet. It won’t work.”

“Fine,” Icicle snarled. “I hope you choke on a walrus and die.”

She whirled and dove out the nearest window, tearing straight through the leaf pane and letting in a burst of too-bright sunlight.

“Icicle! Stop!” Winter yelled. He ran to the window and leaned out. “Come back! We can find him together!”

There was no response. In the fading echoes Moon could hear as Icicle flew away, she saw that the IceWing was planning to find Queen Scarlet and complete her mission somehow. The dragonets were far from safe.

Behind the desk, Qibli groaned, and Moon darted over to him as he sat up gingerly. His pale yellow scales were dented and bruised and his amber earring had been nearly torn out of his ear, making a small ragged tear where the hole had been.

Six-Claws said it was idiotic to get this, he thought, touching his earring with a wince. I can’t believe I let an IceWing knock me out. Thorn would be unimpressed. I should have started with a fireburst to her face, but I thought she was going to attack Moon and I just jumped in without thinking. Stupid, impulsive, everything Thorn says I need to learn to fix.

Moon reached toward him and then hesitated. “Can I —?” she asked.

He met her eyes and nodded. She took one of his warm talons in hers and gently felt his head. There was a sizable bump over one eye and a couple of claw marks slashed across his chest, but nothing as bad as she’d feared, considering Icicle’s formidable claws.

“That’s right,” Qibli said. He tried to stand up, flinched, and sat down again. “She’d better run. I was just resting for part two: the crushening! Where I do some — crushing — and it’s — very impressive — I think I’d better lie down.”

“Looks like you’ll live,” she said to him, relieved.

As will you, said Darkstalker, sounding pleased. At least for now. Tomorrow —

Let’s not think about tomorrow right this second, Moon suggested. And by the way … thank you.

*  *  *

Moon sat with Sunny as night fell, on the tallest peak of Jade Mountain, watching a storm approach. A wall of rain was visible to the south, sweeping slowly toward them; patches of blue sky still peeked through the building banks of dark gray clouds. The wind seemed to carry the faraway scent of dragon fire, ocean spray, and the rainforest. Moon wrapped her wings around herself, shivering as the breeze picked up and small raindrops began to fall.

Sunny had her tail tucked around her back talons and was pressing her front talons together. Her strange green-gray eyes were fixed on the line of desert they could still faintly see to the west.

“Poor Sora,” she said. “Queen Moorhen and Queen Ruby will be looking for her. Poor everybody, really, even Icicle. I mean, if Queen Scarlet had Clay — I don’t know what I’d do.”

“There’s one more thing I have to tell you,” Moon said.

I’m not sure this is wise, Darkstalker interjected.

I’m not going to hide anymore, she answered. Even if that means giving up a little safety. Or, all right, a lot of safety, you’ve made your point.

She took a deep breath. “I can read minds. And see the future.”

Oh dear, Sunny thought immediately, her face creasing with skepticism. Another Fatespeaker.

“It’s true,” Moon said. She explained about the full moons, and about how she’d hidden her powers from everyone, and about how she’d used them to overhear Icicle and Scarlet and foresee the fire.

When she finished, Sunny’s thoughts were a lot less skeptical. “That’s kind of a huge secret to have kept for so long,” she said, studying Moon’s eyes. “It must have been hard.”

Moon nodded.

There was a pause, and then Sunny said, “Can you tell what I’m thinking right now?”

“Sure.” Moon shook out her wings, tilting her head at Sunny. “You’re wondering how Tsunami will react to this — you don’t think she’ll believe me. And part of you is worrying about Starflight and hoping Fatespeaker will take care of him properly.” Sunny arched her brows, startled. “But mostly,” Moon hurried on, “you’re thinking about the school and wondering if it’s already failed. You’re thinking about giving up and sending everyone home, because it’s only the first week and all these terrible things have happened. You’re wondering if bringing peace to all the tribes is too hard, and if you’re not the right dragon for the job.”

“Wow,” Sunny said faintly.

“But you are,” Moon blurted. “You can’t give up. Of course it’s hard; the whole point is that you’re trying to fix something that’s nearly impossible to fix. But if no one ever even tries, then it will always be terrible. You and Clay and the others … dragons believe in you. You have to take that gift and do something with it, not run away from it.”

Hmmmm, Darkstalker said significantly.

I know, I hear myself, she said.

“Was that a prophecy?” Sunny said hopefully. “Did you see us changing the world? Like, five eggs to hatch on brightest night, five dragons born to teach history and art and get everyone to calm down and be nice to each other?”

Moon laughed. “When the school has lasted twenty years, the tribes will be at peace?” She shook her head. “No, it’s not a prophecy. It’s just faith.”

Sunny nodded. “I know all about that.” And if we make our own destiny, that’s what I want mine to be, she thought. “Let’s go back inside before those clouds really open up on us.” She reached out and touched Moon’s shoulder. “Thank you for telling me all that, Moon. I mean, about your powers and everything.”

They flew down to the Great Hall, where Moon found Kinkajou and Qibli waiting for her. Kinkajou ran over and threw her wings around Moon. Her frantic relieved thoughts seemed to bounce wildly along Moon’s scales. Alive! Friends! Heroes! Averting tragedy and saving the day!

“Qibli told me what happened,” she said. “I can’t believe I missed it all! I can’t believe I wasn’t there to protect you! You’re totally heroes, saving us all from bad guys! Although I’m kind of confused about who’s the bad guy and who I should be mad at, because SORA WHAT but also Icicle was totally scary but then SAVING HER BROTHER ACK so I get it but still, attacking my winglet! My best friend! Not OK!”

Best friend. After everything? “I thought you were mad at me,” Moon said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sunny slipping away with a wave.

“I was, but that was yesterday,” Kinkajou said. She released Moon and stepped back, gleaming gold and pink with blue all along her spine. “I mean, I realized it’s not that big a deal; I kind of say everything I’m thinking anyway, right?” She grinned. “Or if you hear something you shouldn’t, that’s kind of worse for you than for me, I figure. And I was thinking if you promise to tell me all your secrets from now on, then it won’t matter if you know all of mine. Right?”

Moon smiled back, but thought uncomfortably of Darkstalker.

Stop, stop, he said. I see all the bad decisions you’re about to make. Don’t do it, Moon.

“Where’s Turtle?” Moon asked, ignoring him.

“Here,” he said, stepping out of the shadows. She hadn’t noticed the quiet fuzz of his mind beyond the clamor of Kinkajou’s thoughts.

“Can I see your armband?” she asked.

Inside her head, Darkstalker sighed. I literally can’t see any future where I can talk you out of this.

Oh, good, Moon thought. Then take a break and don’t try.

Turtle slid the golden band down and over his talons and handed it to her. The silence instantly fell over everything and Moon shivered. It was such a lonely feeling. How did other dragons live like this all the time?

She studied the black rocks studded around the band. There were six of them, smaller than Onyx’s stone, but they were all the same scorched-looking black with flecks of silver and otherworldly metals.

“Where did these stones come from?” she asked Turtle.

“Oh, it’s kind of a cool story,” he said. “I was out swimming at night with a few of my brothers a while ago — it’s great, the sea at night with all the stars — and we were watching the comet that was so bright, remember? And then I saw something like a trail of fire fall from the sky into the ocean. No one else wanted to come search for it with me, so I figured I could keep what I found, which was this big chunk of black rock that had fallen all the way to the sea floor. It wasn’t hard to find, actually; it turned the water all around it a whole lot hotter. Anyway I took a few bits that had broken off and had them made into that armband.”

“Skyfire,” Moon said, passing it back to him. She had a brief, intensely curious impulse to give the armband to Qibli for a minute, so she could hear what Turtle was thinking and maybe find out his secret. But that was exactly the kind of thing she needed them to trust her not to do. “That’s what Onyx calls it. She has a piece of it, too.”

Qibli went still, looking at her. He was already figuring out what she was going to say.

She turned to include Kinkajou as well. “It turns out that skyfire can block mind reading. I discovered that today, while we were talking to Onyx. That’s why I can’t read her, or Turtle — if you’re wearing this rock, I can’t hear your thoughts at all.” She faced Turtle again. “I was hoping — if it’s all right with you, Turtle, I wondered if Kinkajou and Qibli and Winter could each have one of these rocks. You’re all my friends — my winglet — and I want you to have a way to keep your thoughts private.”

Kinkajou leaped up and hugged her again.

“Very cool,” Qibli said, giving her a smile.

“That explains a lot,” Turtle said. He started picking at the stones in the band. “Of course they can have them.”

“I’ll take Winter his and explain everything,” Moon said with a deep breath.

“Actually,” Qibli said, “I have bad news.”

Moon saw it in his mind; she couldn’t believe she hadn’t picked it out of the torrent of his thoughts before.

“Oh, no, really?” she said.

“What?” Kinkajou asked. “What? What? WHAT?”

“It’s Winter,” Qibli said. “I checked our cave for him an hour ago. He’s gone.”