Moon was awake when Turtle got back. She was sitting on the beach, staring out to sea, tracing shapes in the sand without looking at what her claws were doing. A thin thread of light on the horizon hinted at the sunrise about to come, but the cold air smelled like rain.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Turtle asked, landing beside her.

She gave him a rueful look. “I never sleep well at night. In the rainforest, I mostly slept during the day, and I haven’t quite adjusted to a normal dragon schedule.” She hesitated. “Although Darkstalker says I’m the one who’s normal, and it’s the other NightWings who need to fix themselves to match.” Her tail flicked sand across the patterns she’d drawn. “And I had a nightmare. The nightmare. The one I always have.”

“About Jade Mountain falling?”

Moon nodded. “Fire and death and screaming and death. It’s not awesome.”

“You can’t see anything about how to stop it?” Turtle asked. “Any clues?”

“Like something we might find in ‘the lost city of night’?” Moon suggested with a sigh. “Not so far. Where have you been?”

Turtle discovered that he didn’t want to tell her about what he’d seen — especially about Darkstalker’s crushing sadness. She already sympathized with him too much. She didn’t need more reasons to want to give Darkstalker a hug. She needed to see him as bad and dangerous so that she’d help Kinkajou when the time came for whatever heroics were necessary.

“Just scouting out the NightWings,” he said evasively. “Checking on Anemone.” This was partly true; as he flew over them, he had peered down at the NightWings, their black scales blanketing the dunes and the beach where they slept. He’d spotted Anemone down by the ocean, sleeping as close to the sound and scent of the waves as she could get.

“You’re a good brother,” Moon said.

“No, I’m not!” he protested, and she looked startled at his vehemence. “Don’t say that. I’m a terrible brother.”

“Great heavens, Turtle,” Moon said, blinking. “That’s not true at all. You’re following her to the ends of the continent, aren’t you? To make sure she’s all right?”

I’m following Darkstalker. I know Anemone’s not all right. And that’s my fault, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Trust me,” he said. “I’m the worst brother a dragon could possibly have.”

Moon studied him for a long moment with a faint frown on her face. “I had a vision about you once,” she said.

“About me?” Turtle snorted. “Was I hiding at the bottom of the ocean? Because that’s what I see in most of my possible futures.”

“No … I’m not sure whether to tell you about it,” she said. “It was a little scary.”

Turtle dug one of his talons into the beach and let the sand fill in over it until it disappeared. With Darkstalker around, probably everyone had a scary future ahead. “I think you should tell me,” he said.

“You were on a beach,” she said, her voice getting softer, nearly swallowed by the rush of the waves. “And you were attacking Anemone.”

Turtle stared at her. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “You had her pinned down. That’s all I saw.”

“Why are you just telling me now?” he asked.

One of the crescent moons was reflected in her eyes. “I didn’t want to scare you. I was worried it might happen because you use your magic too much and lose your soul.”

Turtle’s claws twitched as though they were reaching for someone’s throat. He tried to imagine them sinking into Anemone’s scales, drawing his sister’s blood. The screaming, battered NightWing flashed through his mind again, along with a whisper: You have violence in you.

But that was different. I would never hurt my own sister.

His claws curled inward as though they disagreed with him.

“It might not come true,” Moon said. “Darkstalker says our visions are only the most probable futures — but things can always go in a different direction.”

Turtle jumped to his feet, clenching and unclenching his talons. “I’m sure it won’t happen. I’m a bad brother, but not that terrible.” He didn’t want to think about this anymore. He didn’t need one more thing to worry about.

Movement on the horizon caught his attention and he looked up to see black wings ascending into the sky. “They’re moving. I’ll get Kinkajou.” Turtle ran up the beach and poked his nose into the cave, nudging Kinkajou in the side.

“Nnnnnnnnnnooooooooo,” Kinkajou mumbled from under her wings.

“Time to go, Kinkajou,” he said.

“Go awaaaaaaay, Bromeliad,” Kinkajou grumped in her sleep. “You smell like FISH and I don’t WANNA train today.”

Turtle felt a stab of affection for her — for this grouchy, sleepy side of her he hadn’t seen before. She was so real and so kind and so present. She was the opposite of a terrifying vision of his future. “It’s me, Turtle,” he said, brushing one of his wings over hers. “Come on, Kinkajou, wake up.”

“Turtle,” Kinkajou sighed dreamily, and clouds of light pink started drifting through her scales.

Turtle pulled his wing back, feeling sick. So Anemone’s spell really was working. He knew this wasn’t how Kinkajou actually felt about him. She’d be so furious and embarrassed when she found out it was all magic.

But I can’t tell her. What if it makes her so angry she takes off the skyfire? And then Darkstalker notices her and terrible things happen?

Is this why I attack Anemone on some future beach? Because I’m angry with her about the spell on Kinkajou?

“We have to go,” he said gruffly and whacked her with his tail.

“Who’s that?” she yelped, leaping to her feet and turning red with stripes of pale green. “You want my venom, I’ll show you ven — oh, hi, Turtle.” She shook herself from head to tail. “Whoa, that was a weird dream. My old teacher turned into the NightWing who used to study us.” She shook herself again, harder. “Two of my least favorite dragons. Yeesh, anyone would think I’m worried about something.”

“The NightWings are moving,” Turtle said. “We should get going, too.”

“Oh, sure.” Kinkajou rubbed her face and then stretched, shifting her scales through a dazzling cascade of colors, from purple to aquamarine to saffron, where they settled. “Turtle, you’re looking at me as though I’ve been stabbed by a stalactite but haven’t noticed yet.”

“Sorry,” he said, backing out of the cave quickly.

They watched the NightWings gather in the sky like storm clouds until the tribe finally wheeled away west, and then Turtle, Moon, and Kinkajou lifted off and followed them.

The landscape looked much the same in the light as it had the night before, and Turtle felt the same strange zap of energy as they flew over that spot in the hills.

“Did you —” he asked his friends, just as Kinkajou yelped, “OW! What was THAT?”

“I don’t know,” Moon said, glancing down. She fell silent, and Turtle wondered if she had seen the shapes of bones below them, too.

They waited until all the NightWings had vanished over the peaks before flying after them. But as they came up and over the last mountain, they found a dragon waiting for them in the sky.

Darkstalker.

“Moon!” he cried with genuine delight. “I thought my visions were messing with me, but you did come after all!” He did a joyful flip in the air, spreading his wings toward the city. “Isn’t this amazing? Look at our beautiful kingdom!”

“Oh wow,” Moon said faintly.

In the gray sunlight, Turtle could see that the city was even larger and more ornate than he’d realized the night before — but he could also see more clearly how broken it was, and how time had eaten away at it. The rest of the tribe had swooped down into the ruins, diving through the canyons, exploring their new home.

“That’s the Great Diamond down there,” Darkstalker said eagerly to Moon, pointing at the overgrown square. “On one side is the museum; over there is the school; and that building is the library. The library, Moon! I can’t wait to show it to you. It makes Starflight’s little cave at Jade Mountain look like a toad’s den. Although it’s not in the greatest shape now … but surely some of our scrolls must have survived.” He poked Moon with his tail, grinning. “I was hoping my visions were right and you’d come. This is great!”

“I’m not staying,” Moon said quickly. “I’m going back to Jade Mountain. I just … wanted to see it.”

“Me too!” Kinkajou volunteered, popping up behind Moon and waving at Darkstalker. “I’m here to see it, too! Moon’s best friend, remember?”

“Yes, right,” Darkstalker said dismissively. “Well, sure, Moon, if you want to go back to Jade Mountain, that’s fine, but you might find that our school is much better and more perfect for you. After all, it’s where I went to school! We had classes in all kinds of things they’ll never get to at Jade Mountain. I just have to rebuild it a little, clean it up … find some decent teachers.” He frowned down at the scattered NightWings below him. “I suppose I could enchant some of them into becoming good teachers,” he said thoughtfully.

“But … would your school be only for NightWings?” Moon asked. “Or would you invite students from other tribes, like Sunny did at Jade Mountain?”

“Sunny is very sweet,” Darkstalker said, “but you saw how that turned out. It doesn’t work to throw tribes together and just hope they’ll get along, because they won’t — they can’t. Dragons don’t work that way, no matter what tribe they’re from.”

“I get along with dragons from other tribes!” Kinkajou objected. “Moon is my best friend! Our winglet is awesome!”

“I kind of like meeting the other tribes,” Moon said to Darkstalker. “They’re not all like Icicle or Flame … or poor Sora.”

“Well,” Darkstalker said, flicking his tail, “maybe one day you can organize an exchange program. But for now we need to focus on educating our own dragonets. We have a tribe to rebuild! There’s so much they need to learn. Perhaps once we’ve solved all the problems within our tribe, we can start thinking about reaching out to … other tribes. Anyway, let me give you a tour of the palace!” He tugged on one of Moon’s wings and flashed away.

Moon gave Turtle and Kinkajou an apologetic look and went after him. They followed a few wingbeats behind.

“He pays no attention to me at all!” Kinkajou grumbled. “It’s like I’m not even there!”

“That’s good, Kinkajou,” Turtle reminded her. “You don’t want him to pay attention to you.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “But I don’t like feeling as though I’ve disappeared. Like I’m not important enough to even look at.”

“You’re very important,” Turtle said reassuringly. “You’re the hero of the story, remember? You have to fulfill Moon’s prophecy.”

“That’s right!” she said, brightening. “We’re here! In the lost city of night!” She glanced around as though she expected a parade of cheering dragons to pop out of the mountain. “We did it! So … did it work? Is the world saved?” She poked his shoulder experimentally. “Does the world feel saved to you?”

“Not even remotely,” Turtle admitted, watching Darkstalker and Moon land on one of the balconies of the palace.

“Thaaaat’s the right attitude,” Kinkajou said.

They swept down to land on the same balcony, carefully avoiding the parts of the balustrade that had caved in. Inside, Darkstalker was walking around what appeared to be a giant bedroom, eight times the size of any sleeping cave Turtle had ever been in.

“These were the queen’s rooms,” Darkstalker said to Moon. “They’re mine now, of course. It looks like she took most of her treasure with her when she left.” He blew some dust off an enormous mirror and frowned at it. “It all used to be so clean and … perfect. There were grand parties every other night! And things you would actually like, too, Moon — salons and scientific lectures and readings …” His voice trailed off as he wandered into one of the side rooms of the suite, where he started overturning empty chests and opening all the cabinets. Moon disappeared after him.

“Darkstalker!” Anemone appeared in the doorway to the hall, her talons covered in white stone dust. “I couldn’t find the rooms you were talking about. All the doors look the same!” She spotted Turtle and her mouth dropped open. “What are you doing here?” she hissed. “I thought you were going back to school. Stop following me!”

“He’s not following you,” Kinkajou said haughtily. “He’s with me.”

“Oh.” Anemone’s snout crinkled into a wickedly sly grin. “Aw, that’s wonderful. That’s so, so cute. You guys are so cute together.” She lowered her voice, although not far enough, and whispered to Turtle, “You’re welcome.”

Moon heard this as she came back into the room. She gave him and Anemone a surprised look. Turtle hoped the floor was about to collapse and take him with it.

“Wait, you’re here, too?” Anemone said to Moon, lashing her tail. “Do you just keep changing your mind about who you’re loyal to? He doesn’t need you, you know. He has me.”

“We’re not staying long,” Moon said uncomfortably.

“What is it, Anemone?” Darkstalker asked, slithering back into the main room. Turtle wondered if he was imagining the hint of weary impatience in Darkstalker’s voice.

“You said there was a perfect suite for me, remember?” Anemone said, in her wheedling-whining princess voice. “But I couldn’t figure out your directions and I can’t find it.”

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry for straining your tiny SeaWing brain,” he said. Anemone didn’t even look offended; the insult seemed to sail right past her. “Come on, I’ll just show you.” She jumped out of his way as he thumped past and Turtle noticed that the doors in this palace were so big, Darkstalker didn’t even have to duck as he went through.

They all trailed after Darkstalker through the long black marble halls of the palace, many of which opened onto courtyards or balconies or grand halls far below them. Turtle had always thought the Deep Palace of the SeaWings was the most luxurious, imposing castle in all of Pyrrhia, but he guessed that at least five of them would fit inside this place.

Anemone might have been thinking the same thing, because she said jealously, “You know, our palace has a lot more artwork. And treasure. Lots of jewels everywhere.”

Darkstalker paused and ran one claw through the dust on one of the walls. “There used to be artwork and treasure here, too,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m surprised the queen was able to take so much of it with her.” He paused. “Unless she didn’t.” His eyebrows drew down menacingly. “Unless another tribe came in here later and looted the palace.”

He whirled toward Moon. “Which tribe would you say is the wealthiest?”

“The wealthiest?” Moon said. “I don’t know — I mean, how would anyone know that?”

“Which tribe has the most treasure?” he asked edgily. “What would you guess? I don’t need exact numbers. In all those scrolls of yours, which queens buy the most extravagant things? Which castles are the most full of jewels?” He shot Anemone a suspicious look.

“Um … all of them, except the RainWings,” Moon said awkwardly, “but maybe the SkyWings have a lot, because of Scarlet — and the SandWing treasury was supposed to be one of the greatest in the world, before the war and the whole lie about the scavengers stealing all of it.”

“SandWings,” Darkstalker hissed. “They barely had any treasure in my time. It must have been them.” He rapped the wall with one claw and turned away again. “All right, Anemone, come along.”

“Princess Anemone,” she said, tossing her head.

Darkstalker sped up, whisked around a corner, and threw open a huge set of black doors.

“Here you go,” he said with a strange gleam in his eyes. “The perfect suite for you. Decorated with a SeaWing in mind, two thousand years ago. In fact, your own ancestor stayed in these very rooms.”

“Fathom?” Turtle blurted.

Anemone looked curiously from him to Darkstalker, expecting an answer. Kinkajou jumped in quickly. “Was that Fathom?” she asked.

“Yes,” Darkstalker said. He glanced at Moon and steeled his face, as though hiding his true feelings from her. He stepped through into the main bedroom, his black eyes studying every inch of the space. “This is where our queen put him when she brought him over from the Kingdom of the Sea. To ‘educate’ me about the perils of animus magic.”

“Oh.” Anemone stepped around him and sneezed. “Huh. This is it? It’s not what I pictured.” She peered into a dry, cracked pool in the floor. Her tail bumped one of the tattered, moth-eaten cushions, sending up a halo of dust, and she sneezed again.

“So use your magic to clean it up,” Darkstalker said impatiently. “Or better yet, learn how to use a mop and your own claws.”

“Where does Moon get to stay?” Anemone demanded.

“Wherever she likes,” Darkstalker answered. “If she decides to stay, that is.” He turned to Moon with a smile. “Let’s go see how the gardens have turned out!”

He bounded out the door again, but Moon lingered for a moment after he left. “I think the room’s really nice, Anemone,” she said. “It has a balcony and everything.”

“You would think it’s nice,” said Anemone. “You grew up in a gross muddy fern gully in a rainforest. I am a princess. I have always lived in a palace and I’ve never had to clean my own room! The idea!”

“I’ve never had to clean my room either!” Kinkajou volunteered. “I mean, I don’t have a room. But I have a hammock! Sometimes I shake it really hard to get all the leaves and bugs out. Does that count?”

“Moon!” Darkstalker called.

Anemone stamped her foot. “Why doesn’t he want to show me the gardens?” She scowled at Moon. “The minute you show up, suddenly you’re the only dragon he wants to talk to. I don’t see what’s so special about you.”

“Nothing at all,” Moon said. “I’m just the first dragon he met when he woke up. I’d better go.” She took a step backward.

“No!” Anemone barked. “If you’re so wonderful and amazing, why don’t you clean my room!” She grabbed a talonful of loose pebbles from the floor. “Turn into a bucket of water and a mop,” she ordered, and instantly a long mop and a pail of water appeared in her claws.

She held up the mop and pointed at Moon. “Now go hit that dragon really hard until she starts using you to clean this place — and don’t let her stop until I say it’s done.”