The Dragonet Prophecy

Queen Scarlet asks Peril how she knows about this law. Peril lies, trying to shield Osprey from Queen Scarlet’s rising anger. Queen Scarlet knows the only way Peril could know is if Osprey told her, so she kills him. Deciding it will be “a wonderfully bloody day for me and Queen Burn to look forward to” (184), she also allows Peril to stand in for her mother.

As the day wears on, Clay worries about Burn’s visit. He believes he and the dragonets must escape before Burn arrives, and before she can take Sunny away with her. He laments being unable to come up with a plan on his own while he, Tsunami, and Starflight are on opposites sides of the arena from one another. Burn arrives as the sun sets. Shortly after landing, she visits the Sky prison and ominously flies over each of the three dragonets. She examines them wordlessly before flying back to the palace.

Clay hasn’t seen Peril all day and worries she might be mad at him. His worrisome thoughts and feelings lead him to fiddle with the thin wire that Peril burned through when she flew down to the arena to defend her mother. Since Horizon died in the arena, the other end of his wire isn’t attached to another dragon. Clay has a free leg that no one else has noticed. He attempts to use the loose wire to loosen some of the others tying him down, and he finds that rubbing two of the wires together creates a sound. Rubbing the two pieces of wire together, he plays a slow “mournful” version of the only song he knows: “Oh, the dragonets are coming [...] they’re coming to save the day [...] they’re coming to fight...for they know what’s right...” (190-191). To Clay’s surprise, other prisoners know the song and join in to sing. The singing begins softly and sporadically at first, but soon, the entire prison sings. The hope in the imprisoned dragon’s voices make Clay feel hopeful about his role in the prophecy for the first time.

Queen Scarlet and Burn break up the singing, and Queen Scarlet orders her guards to bring the dragonets to her. Clay realizes he might get caught with his leg free, so he tussles with the guards to keep them from noticing. Joining Tsunami and Starflight, Clay feels happy to be back with his friends despite the danger they face.

Queen Scarlet and the guards escort Clay and the others to Peril’s cave. Queen Scarlet orders Peril to leave and Burn casts and ominous look at the guards to dismiss them as well. Queen Scarlet and Burn discuss killing the dragonets. Burn wants Queen Scarlet to kill them immediately. Queen Scarlet wants to make a show of it. She argues that “no one will believe [it]” (196) if they kill the dragonets privately. She insists that they must die in the arena so that the public’s faith in the prophecy dies with them.

Burn finally agrees and Queen Scarlet promises a day full of entertainment in celebration of her hatching day. As they leave, Queen Scarlet puts down a line of black rocks in the doorway and lights them on fire. Alone, the dragonets help Clay clean up by dumping him in the pool just inside Peril’s chambers. As they talk about Kestrel’s trial, Peril appears through the flaming doorway and Clay invites her in. She was eavesdropping on their conversation and tells Clay she isn’t angry with him. She ignores what Tsunami and Starflight said about her character. As the dragonets ask Peril about Sunny and the arena, Starflight gets an idea.