Prologue

20,000 years ago

Princess Sundancer had lost. It was as simple as that.

Her brother, Shadowwalker, loomed over her. His teeth gnashed as he lunged towards her, claws extended. His rippled tail lashed as he pounced. The impact rolled her ten feet across the practice arena, and he wriggled into Sundancer’s face. She giggled, batting his bird-beaked snout from her own. 

“You’ll never win!” she squealed, twisting away. Shaddowwalker pounced again, knocking her backward, and jammed his snout in her face. 

“Surrender! Yield! Kneel before me! I’m the great PRRRRRINCE SHAD–Uff!”

The “Uff” bit was because Sundancer had rolled out under him, and leaped on him, bowling him over. They wrestled briefly, but Shadowwalker ended up on top… again. 

Suddenly, the sound of the emergency meeting gong rolled across the arena. Sundancer shoved a sputtering Shadowwatcher off her back and sped toward the doorway. But yet again, Shadowwalker overtook her and dove into the meeting hall, sliding gracefully into the room, and out of Sundancer’s view. Sundancer, vaguely remembering her etiquette lessons, slowed and inspected her scales for any trace of sweat. Finding nothing but plenty of dust, and sand, she seized a cloth and did her best to clean her scales off, before calmly striding into the room.

The wyrms gathered around the table, tails coiled neatly beneath them. Sundancer couldn’t see their faces, but from their body language, she could tell they were furious about something. Sundancer’s mother stood at the head of the table, obviously not even trying to conceal her rage. “Mother, what is happening?” Sundancer asked. 

Queen Ketu’s tail lashed, knocking over a beautifully shaped urn filled with jewels. Rubies, sapphires, and emeralds scattered everywhere, skittering under the wyrm’s talons. Several small juveniles hurried in to scoop up the gems and return them to the (thankfully) unbroken urn. 

“This. This is what is happening,” spat Queen Ketu, and ripped a piece of parchment out of her satchel. Sundancer took it and read it as fast as possible. It was beautifully worded as if its prettiness might distract her from its ugly demands.

Dearest Queen Ketu;

I am pleased to announce that the distinguished race of wizards shall travel to your kingdom within a fortnight. We shall be installing four new ports, three trading pasts, and one new settlement to help the peace treaty founded by my Great- Great- Great- Great  Grandfather. I, the venerable High Mage Rahu, also cordially request the presence of exactly seven large carriages at my designated meeting place, each pulled by one wyrm or two juveniles. I require the interior of these carriages to seventy-two degrees precisely, and for your finest chefs to construct a meal fit for the High Mage myself, and my accompaniments. I, as well as twenty other wizards, will require quarters. Also, the bedding shall be stuffed with top-quality pegasus down alone. Please transport to each wizard’s chambers one Staff-Polishing kit, four sets of wizard’s robes, and four pairs of silk pajamas, patterned only with stars (no moons).

Graciously yours;

Lord of Wizards, Glory of Magic, Most Esteemed High Mage Rahu

Sundancer hadn’t been this angry since Shadowwalker pushed her into a canal when she was wearing almost all her best jewels. His ‘Most Esteemed-ness’ or whatever had demanded that fourteen juveniles be subjected to this stupidity. Pulling a carriage like a horse? These wizards were slimy, no-good, bratty, selfish, greedy, careless–

“I quite agree, my dear, but do keep all these foul thoughts in your head until after the meeting.” Queen Ketu said, sounding wickedly gleeful. Sundancer winced. She hadn’t known she was saying all those nasty things. Shadowwalker chortled.

“Mother, you can’t just…” Sundancer hissed, trying to ignore Shadowwalker laughing in the background. “Are you going to let them walk all over us like that?”

She drew herself up and put on her most pompous voice. “My dear ‘Queen Slave’, why don’t you get me a cup of tea? And blow on it for me too, won’t you, dearie? And make sure the cup’s patterned with moons, see? I hate him already! Ugh!” 

Sundancer threw up her talons irritatedly. “Yes, yes,” Queen Ketu said, sounding happier than ever. “I will not be accommodating his needs until he learns true respect for the true species of dragons.” She enunciated true respect so hard it was almost indecipherable.

“Oh. Good.” Sundancer said.

She might have said more… but Shadowwalker beat her to it. “Moth-er! If we say no, won’t they attack us?” 

Ketu laughed. “Shadowwalker, they cannot attack us over a set of pajamas. Even if they did, the wizard race might be wiped out. Any magic has almost no effect on a dragon.”

Sundancer gleefully stuck her forked tongue out over her shoulder at Shadowwalker. He looked irritated.

“But they could recruit the giants! Or- or use their magic in other ways! Or just kill us with swords!” He slammed his talons down. “We need to eliminate them.”

Queen Ketu shook her head. “Someday you will learn, my son. Someday you will see.” 

Sundancer glanced at Shadowwalker. Somehow, she had a creeping suspicion that he never, ever would.

And she was right. 

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As midnight came two weeks later, Shadowwalker was ready. He and a group of his most trusted advisers, all EclipseWing, were prepared for a sabotage mission. Shadowwalker and his team quickly glided to a stop on a small ridge in the rocks. Silently Shadowwalker padded down to the road, activating his unique ‘blur’ ability that made him unrecognizable and hacked precisely through the ropes that bound the carriages to the clifftop. Quickly he carried each carriage down to the ground and had his team move boulders around them to make it look like it was all the EarthWing’s fault.

Then he turned, for he had one more mission to complete.

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 All the while, Shadowwalker’s best friend and his wife were bulleting back to the castle, going straight to Queen Ketu’s chamber.  Without the prince knowing, Ketu had stationed her two most trusted servants to watch over her war-crazed son. Khoeli and his wife Esmeray had become more of her children than anything. But nobody could have been ready for the information that shivered out of Khoeli‘s beaked snout.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, my queen, but-” he gasped out, but loud sobs interrupted him. Esmeray, who was already crying hysterically, apparently couldn’t take the pressure anymore and broke into helpless sobs. A few seconds later a bleary-eyed Sundancer strolled into the room. “What’s going on?” she asked with a colossal yawn. Finally noticing Esmeray, who was her oldest and best friend, Sundancer bounded across the room and gently calmed her down. “Now, if I may ask, what are you doing barging into my chambers in the middle of the night?” snipped Queen Ketu. “Also, for Sundancer can we please get some light in here?”

After all the candles were lit, Esmeray started explaining. “We think Shadowwalker is planning to start a war with the Wizards. He has just sabotaged the carriages that the mages were flying to the castle and k-killed...” she concluded with a shudder, and turned away.

Queen Ketu just nodded grimly. “I’m guessing this was at the base of the mountain?” she asked quietly. Khoeli nodded.

“As the EarthWings can move the earth, and they are my home tribe, the Mages would automatically assume this was Mount Naga’s doing. Angered by the loss of their leader, the wizards would attack us. I thought something like this would happen, but I wish he hadn’t done something of this magnitude. I’m guessing that Shadowwalker would have an army ready to wipe out the wizarding race.” Ketu murmured with a grimace.

“Assemble the guards, and ring the alarm bell. I just hope that we’re not too late.”