The Winglets Quartet (The First Four Stories) (Wings of Fire) by Tui T. Sutherland

Author:Tui T. Sutherland [Sutherland, Tui T.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2020-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

The night Queen Oasis died, Six-Claws and Dune were off duty. That is, they were not scheduled for any soldiers’ duties, but they were on duty in a different way: watching over a weeping prince to make sure he didn’t do anything regrettable.

“She’s gone,” Smolder sobbed, plunking his head on his arms and flopping his wings over the table. Several glasses of cactus cider went crashing to the floor and shattered around their talons. “I’m never going to see her again.”

Smolder’s two brothers exchanged an exasperated glance over his head.

“That’s your own fault,” said Singe. He nudged a shard of glass away from his feet and beckoned for Dune to sweep it up. “If you hadn’t made it so serious, Mother wouldn’t have had to intervene.”

“You know how she feels about any of us getting married,” Scald agreed. “You’ve always known it.”

“Yeah, it’s a simple policy,” said Singe. “No marriage, no dragonets, no extra heirs causing problems. As long as we follow the queen’s rules, she leaves us alone.”

“Couldn’t you keep it casual like the rest of us?” Scald added. “I have three girlfriends right now and everyone’s perfectly happy and not serious. And safe.” He lifted his claws as Dune swept around them. Six-Claws slid another pitcher of cider onto the table.

“But Palm was different,” Smolder cried. “I loved her. We would have gone away forever and never come back! Mother didn’t ever have to see us again!” He lifted his head and turned teary, pleading eyes to Six-Claws. “Have you heard anything? Do you know where she is?”

“No,” Six-Claws admitted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.” He was glad he didn’t know. He felt very grateful that he hadn’t been one of the soldiers sent to deal with Smolder’s true love.

“Smolder, come on,” Singe said, sitting down beside him and putting one wing over his younger brother’s back. “You’re not an idiot. You know perfectly well she’s dead.”

“She isn’t,” Smolder yelled, flinging him off. “She can’t be! Mother is cruel but she wouldn’t do that.”

“Of course she would,” Scald said. “Do you really not remember our aunts? And how they vanished in this exact same way?”

Six-Claws retreated to the far wall, where he could stare out the window. He didn’t like to be reminded of the terrible things Queen Oasis had done to hang on to her throne — and whatever she’d done to Palm hit a little too close to home. He knew Palm. She’d worked in the kitchens with his father for a little while, back before both his father and Char had died from the weird sickness that swept the palace a few years ago.

Palm was a sweet, clever, nervous dragon who adored Smolder and was terrified of the queen. She would never have raised dragonets to challenge Oasis. He was sure she would have happily disappeared into the desert with Smolder and never bothered the queen again.

But they’d been caught while they were trying to elope, and now Palm had really disappeared, most likely never to bother anyone ever again.

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