something inside him might snap at any moment. But there was no reason to have kept Sunny and Glory and Starflight and Tsunami in the dark all these years.
Tsunami thumped down beside him and nodded at a mossy pile of boulders up ahead.
“Let’s check there first.” They squished and splashed down the stream.
Clay spotted something in the mud in front of them. He flared his wings up to stop Tsunami from going any farther.
“Look!” he said. “Dragon tracks!”
Fresh dragon prints were stamped into the riverbank, with the deep line of a tail dragged between them. They disappeared suddenly as if the dragon had lifted off into the sky.
Clay gingerly fit one of his own feet into a print. It was dwarfed by the size of the other dragon’s talons.
“If it came from our cave,” Tsunami said, “and I’m sure it did — then it must be Kestrel.”
“How do you know?” Clay asked.
Tsunami put her own foot down next to one of the prints. “No webs between the claws,” she said, “so it’s not a SeaWing. They’re too recent to be Morrowseer’s from yesterday. And you can see all four feet here, so it’s not Dune.”
“Oh,” Clay said, feeling foolish. “Of course.”
“There are prints leaving, but not coming back,” Tsunami said, her voice rising with excitement. “Maybe she went out looking for us this morning. If she’s still away, this is our best chance to get the others out.” She started running down the riverbank, following the line of prints to where it began. “Come on, Clay, hurry!”
Clay raced after her. The tracks led right to the tumble of boulders. When they climbed up onto the large rocks, they could see down into a dark tunnel in the side of the ravine. It was almost entirely hidden from view unless you looked from the right angle.
“This is it,” Tsunami whispered.
“Why didn’t she hide her tracks better?” Clay worried. “What if it’s a trap?”
“It’s not,” Tsunami said confidently. “Kestrel doesn’t know we’re coming back for the others. She doesn’t think like that. If she were one of us, she’d escape and leave everyone else behind without a second thought.”
That sounded true to Clay. Kestrel never believed that dragons could keep their word or care about other dragons.
“She was in a hurry to find us, that’s all,” Tsunami pointed out. Clay glanced up at the sky anxiously. If Kestrel hadn’t bothered to be cautious, she must be really angry with them.
Tsunami lowered herself into the tunnel, and Clay slid down beside her. He was warm enough now to make fire, so he breathed a small burst of flame to give them a glimpse of the tunnel ahead. They edged forward as Tsunami’s scales began to glow.
The tunnel took a sharp right, then a left, then went down at a steep angle for a few steps. But soon it straightened out, took them around another corner, and ended — at an enormous gray boulder.
Clay’s heart thumped hard in his chest. They’d really found it.
He was looking at his prison from the outside.
Tsunami reared up on her back legs and began running her talons along the walls. “Look for something that’ll move the boulder,” she said.
Clay breathed another burst of fire at the wall on his side. It looked like ordinary flat stone with a few fissures running from the ceiling to the floor. He scraped his claws through the cracks. Nothing happened except his claws tingled painfully.
He tried sniffing around the boulder, then shoved it, but it wouldn’t move any more than it had on the other side.
“I hope Starflight’s right,” he said, pushing away the sinking feeling in his stomach. “I hope we really can open it from this side.”
“We can,” Tsunami said fiercely. “It’ll be a lever or something . . .” She backed away a few steps, peering up at the top of the boulder.
“Or magic,” Clay said. “What if it’s a magic word? Or some kind of talisman we don’t have?”
Tsunami stared at the boulder for a
Tsunami thumped down beside him and nodded at a mossy pile of boulders up ahead.
“Let’s check there first.” They squished and splashed down the stream.
Clay spotted something in the mud in front of them. He flared his wings up to stop Tsunami from going any farther.
“Look!” he said. “Dragon tracks!”
Fresh dragon prints were stamped into the riverbank, with the deep line of a tail dragged between them. They disappeared suddenly as if the dragon had lifted off into the sky.
Clay gingerly fit one of his own feet into a print. It was dwarfed by the size of the other dragon’s talons.
“If it came from our cave,” Tsunami said, “and I’m sure it did — then it must be Kestrel.”
“How do you know?” Clay asked.
Tsunami put her own foot down next to one of the prints. “No webs between the claws,” she said, “so it’s not a SeaWing. They’re too recent to be Morrowseer’s from yesterday. And you can see all four feet here, so it’s not Dune.”
“Oh,” Clay said, feeling foolish. “Of course.”
“There are prints leaving, but not coming back,” Tsunami said, her voice rising with excitement. “Maybe she went out looking for us this morning. If she’s still away, this is our best chance to get the others out.” She started running down the riverbank, following the line of prints to where it began. “Come on, Clay, hurry!”
Clay raced after her. The tracks led right to the tumble of boulders. When they climbed up onto the large rocks, they could see down into a dark tunnel in the side of the ravine. It was almost entirely hidden from view unless you looked from the right angle.
“This is it,” Tsunami whispered.
“Why didn’t she hide her tracks better?” Clay worried. “What if it’s a trap?”
“It’s not,” Tsunami said confidently. “Kestrel doesn’t know we’re coming back for the others. She doesn’t think like that. If she were one of us, she’d escape and leave everyone else behind without a second thought.”
That sounded true to Clay. Kestrel never believed that dragons could keep their word or care about other dragons.
“She was in a hurry to find us, that’s all,” Tsunami pointed out. Clay glanced up at the sky anxiously. If Kestrel hadn’t bothered to be cautious, she must be really angry with them.
Tsunami lowered herself into the tunnel, and Clay slid down beside her. He was warm enough now to make fire, so he breathed a small burst of flame to give them a glimpse of the tunnel ahead. They edged forward as Tsunami’s scales began to glow.
The tunnel took a sharp right, then a left, then went down at a steep angle for a few steps. But soon it straightened out, took them around another corner, and ended — at an enormous gray boulder.
Clay’s heart thumped hard in his chest. They’d really found it.
He was looking at his prison from the outside.
Tsunami reared up on her back legs and began running her talons along the walls. “Look for something that’ll move the boulder,” she said.
Clay breathed another burst of fire at the wall on his side. It looked like ordinary flat stone with a few fissures running from the ceiling to the floor. He scraped his claws through the cracks. Nothing happened except his claws tingled painfully.
He tried sniffing around the boulder, then shoved it, but it wouldn’t move any more than it had on the other side.
“I hope Starflight’s right,” he said, pushing away the sinking feeling in his stomach. “I hope we really can open it from this side.”
“We can,” Tsunami said fiercely. “It’ll be a lever or something . . .” She backed away a few steps, peering up at the top of the boulder.
“Or magic,” Clay said. “What if it’s a magic word? Or some kind of talisman we don’t have?”
Tsunami stared at the boulder for a
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