“When’s your mom gonna be back?” Dawn asked Kaely. Kaely’s mother, a woman who would live outdoors if she could, had taken Kaely and Kaely’s three best friends on this camping trip to celebrate the beginning of summer and the end of seventh grade. Krysta was new and they still didn’t know her quite as well, but they were all already close.

After pounding the last stake into the ground Dawn was fairly certain she was done putting up the tent, but it still didn’t look quite right…

“Soon, probably. She’s just getting firewood.”

“What’s wrong with your tent?” Krysta asked, glancing over at the sagging, unidentifiable structure Dawn had managed to put up.

“I don’t know. I need Diana’s help.” After hearing the words “Mrs. Richardson” one too many times, Kaely’s mom had gotten fed up and insisted that the girls call her Diana for the remainder of the trip.

“Let me try.” Kaely grabbed the instructions off the ground and started reading.
“You know Spanish?”

"No." Dawn grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the cooler and a bag of potato chips from the picnic table. “Turn it over.”

“Oh.” After a minute she said, “Come help me. I’ll tell you what to do.” She pointed. “Here, first of all take that stake out and pull that corner a little more to your left…”

Just then, heavy footsteps came pounding down the pathway leading from the parking lot. Everyone turned to look. Two people emerged from the trees: Diana and a forest ranger. Neither of them looked at all happy. "Sorry, girls," said Diana, "the camping trip's over."

"Aww."

"What?"

"Why?"

"What happened?"

"We're evacuating the park," said the ranger. "There has been a series of disappearances and two people have been found murdered. We'll notify everyone when we find some answers. All we ask is that everyone be gone in about two hours."

There was dead silence until the ranger waved and walked back down the path saying into his radio, "Sites one twenty six through one thirty have been notified and evacuated."

Everyone's face looked pale and stricken, even Diana's. Then all at once, everyone sprang into action. "I'll get the suitcases from the car," Diana said. Dawn and Kaely rushed to the tent to start taking it down. Dawn accidentally knocked over her Dr. Pepper and laughed a little too long, trying to let go of some of the stress. She held her soda can and chip bag out to Krysta, who was standing nearby and watching. “Could you hold this for a minute?”

Krysta, it seemed, was trying to get rid of her stress too. She nodded and said, grinning, “Hand it over, ya fatty.”

Kaely and Aubri turned sharply and stared. The four of them all said plenty of things to each other that would be insulting to anyone else, because they could. They were best friends, after all. But both Aubri and Kaely knew that there was one thing you never, ever said to Dawn: that she was fat. They had met each other in fourth grade when she had been skinny and athletic and could eat nothing but candy and stay that way. Now it was different. It wasn’t that she had a serious problem; it was just that she was self-conscious.

No one spoke for awhile. Even though they all knew how important it was to speed things up, no one wanted to finish what Krysta had just started. Finally Dawn broke the silence. “Um…I think I’m gonna go take a walk.” She got to her feet and started toward the woods.

“Dawn, you know I was kidding, right?”

"Come back! Don't be stupid."

"People are getting killed out there!"

She didn’t turn around.

Dawn felt her throat closing in. She hadn't forgotten about the murders, but at the moment she couldn't stay. It was as simple as that. How could she say that? She knows how it is…I don’t care if she was kidding…She kicked a rock by the trail as hard as she could. It hit a tree with a crack and a few of the tree’s residents took flight. She eats more than I do, but she never gains any weight.

As she walked on her anger began to leave her and she was alone with the peace of the forest. She sat down on a bench by the trail and watched the sun through the trees as it began to set, shimmering like a mirage. It was only then that she realized how long she’d been gone. She reached into her pocket for her phone to check the time and realized she had left it at the campsite.

The sun was setting faster now. She got up to leave, pulling her jacket tighter around her. The air was starting to chill.

As she walked along she came to a fork in the trail. Through her anger she’d forgotten to remember which path she had taken. With a deep breath she started down the left trail. Please let this be the right one. Then she came to another fork. And another one. And then she knew it was taking too long. Somewhere she had chosen the wrong path. She went back. On the way she passed a parking lot but no people, and there wasn’t a single campsite in sight. All she could see in any direction were evergreen trees, drinking in the last small bit of warmth the sun had to offer before nightfall descended.

Her throat tightened again, but she swallowed the fear away as best as she could and inhaled deeply. Now is not the time to cry. She tossed her short, dark hair out of her face, but the fierce wind sent it swirling right back. She wished it would stop blowing so hard, because for one thing it was making it seem much colder than it was, and for another the its whistling through branches and the whisper of leaves was making it hard to hear anything else.

By then only a sliver of the sun was visible and long shadows started to creep over the ground. Dawn had never been alone in the woods after dark before. Now that it was about to happen, she decided that it wasn’t exactly the ideal way for a thirteen year old girl to spend her summer vacation.

Somewhere an owl hooted. Dawn jumped, startled, and with another deep beath continued her seemingly pointless hike.

Through her fear she began to grow drowsy. The sky was a sheet of black paper. It was a cloudy night, and not even the moon was out.

A twig snapped behind her, jerking her awake. There they are! Dawn thought giddily. She spun around at lightning speed, expecting to see her friends. What she saw was not someone she recognized.

It was a monster.

* * *


Dawn wanted to scream. She needed to. But she was afraid to even breathe for fear that the shaggy creature would pounce. She stood there, frozen to the spot and shivering.

For a moment the two of them simply stood there, staring at each other. It was long enough for Dawn to conclude that it must be a wolf, or something similar. Its bright violet eyes were locked on her. Then the moment passed and the creature uttered a savage snarl, revealing a row of dazzlingly white teeth that sparkled in the moonlight. What really stood out were the two long, needle-sharp fangs where the creature’s canines should have been.

The wolfish beast lowered its head a few inches and leaped through the air, right toward Dawn. She let out a long gasp and sprinted away. She could hear the thing’s paws thudding heavily on the forest floor behind her, trampling everything in its path. Now it was so close she could feel its breath tickling her arm, strings of saliva dampening her skin.

Just when she thought all was lost, there was a loud thump coming from behind her and a sincere, almost pitiful whine rang out. She reeled around as the sound faded back into the quiet darkness. The wolf was gone. No, it was just farther away, off the trail a ways and lying on the ground, dead, or maybe unconscious. It was holdings its leg at an odd angle, and there were four long gashes in its side that streamed blood.

What just happened? Dawn stood there, frozen, as she stared at the mangled body, then snapped out of it and looked around. Something stronger; faster; more dangerous than the wolf was out here somewhere. She was about to turn and run when a dignified, queenly voice behind her said, “Confused?” She whipped around, sending her hair flying in the wind again. There, sitting in the clearing right next to the wall, was a huge creature. Maybe a lion?—No, lions were smaller, and didn’t have wings, Dawn realized when she saw the feathers at the animal’s sides. The creature was sitting with her tail curled around herself and her head dipped majestically.

“Wh-what are you?” she stammered, eyes wide.

The lion-eagle looked at her like she had just asked what color the sky was. “Of all the things to ask, child…why, I am female, of course.”

“No, I mean—”

But she seemed to understand. “I am a griffin, obviously.”

“And you can…t-talk?” She bit her tongue, trying to keep from stammering anymore. She felt the blood draining from her face as she watched the griffin wiping her claws of blood on some grass. Would the griffin would be any safer than the wolf? Sure, she had saved her, but why? And why was she even here? Griffins were fairytale creatures, weren’t they? Her knees felt weak. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real.

The griffin gave Dawn a questioning glance. “Yes.” She turned back to the lifeless wolf. “I’ve been looking for someone like you. We need to get back to Cobalt.”

“What? Who’s Cobalt? What do you mean, someone like me?”

She didn’t answer either question. “We should get out of here. I do not think I killed that thing, and when it wakes up I would rather not be here.”

As Dawn watched, she saw the wolf’s side rise and fall heavily.

The griffin spread out her eagle’s wings and let out an ear-piercing shriek, tilting her head back.

To Dawn’s surprise, the creature came charging right at her. She braced herself, closing her eyes and preparing to be trampled. She screamed as she felt herself being lifted into the air. She took a deep breath and opened one eye. Her breath caught in her throat. She was eight feet off of the ground, at least. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to realize why. She was on the griffin’s back—and the griffin was preparing for takeoff. “No!” Dawn cried. “Put me down!”

“What? Those wolves heal fast, and when it wakes up it will not just go home. I have to get you away.”

Now the wolf’s paws were twitching, and so was its snout. It was going to wake up. Dawn's eyes squeezed shut as she used every muscle in her body to cling to the huge creature’s back.

Now the griffin was spreading her wings to lift into the sky. Her feathers ruffled. The wings gave a powerful flap, and all at once, they had risen up into the air. Dawn shrieked and clung to the creature’s back even tighter than before as her stomach dropped, thinking of nothing but falling off. I’m going to throw up! She thought, gulping and shutting her eyes.

Without warning the griffin turned vertical and Dawn was looking straight up into the night sky. The clouds had cleared in some areas, revealing bright stars twinkled down at her and a full moon, but she barely noticed them. “What are you doing?” she screamed at the griffin. “I’m gonna fall!”

“Just hang on!” the griffin called back as they sped through the air. The force was so strong that Dawn thought for sure it was going to push her right off. She screamed again, but even she didn’t hear it. Her voice was lost on the wind that seemed to be made of bricks—a pile of bricks crashing right down on her. She used all of the strength in her arms, trying to ignore the way that her legs were dangling uselessly.

Most of the trees were only dots now, but Dawn thought she could see the wolf. It looked like it was conscious, but it wasn’t going to get her now.

Unless she fell. She stifled a gag as she imagined falling that distance. They must have risen a mile into the air by then.
The griffin tipped her body forward so that they were horizontal again. Dawn nearly collapsed with relief. She let herself relax. “Um…thanks for rescuing me,” she said. I think, she added silently.

“It was my duty. I am assigned to protect the human representative.”

Dawn pondered that for a moment. There were a few questions that statement demanded answers to, but the one she decided on was, “Protect me? Why?”

The creature didn’t reply for awhile. When she did speak again, it wasn’t to answer. “In your language my name is Amethyst. I am your guardian, and I’m taking you to the land I’m from. I am sorry about the werewolf.”

“What werewolf?” asked Dawn. A chill went down her spine.

“The one attacking you back there in the woods. Did you think it was just ordinary wolf?”

“Well…yeah, I guess.”

“You can tell it was not because the eyes were a weird color, and it had body shape of a human and no fur on its paws.”

“Oh,” said Dawn. Now that she thought about it, that had struck her as strange. “So, where is this…land you’re taking me to?” Her teeth chattered. Right then she just wanted to go home, or at least get some answers.
“It’s off the coast. You never seen it. Only the inhabitants have. If one of them doesn’t grant you that ability, it will just look like the rest of the ocean.” She dipped a little, and Dawn clenched her teeth and grabbed onto Amethyst’s neck. “Sorry. I forgot you’re a beginner. You actually did well for your first time.” A vibration went through her, almost like she was laughing. “But my feathers were wrapped around your feet, keeping you on my back the whole time. As long as I’m conscious, it’s pretty much impossible for you to fall off.”

You’re kidding me. A wave of anger rose through her. “You couldn’t have told me?”

A strange grunting sound erupted from Amethyst. She was laughing—at her. “I am sorry, but I did no think I had to. I suppose I should have thought to, since you are a human.”

“And?”

“Well, humans are…I say…not among the creatures we like being with. Our riders are always elves or dryads.” Amethyst threw her a fish-eyed glance. “Actually, none of us have ever even seen a human. All I got to find you was a vague description. I don’t think Cobalt has seen a human before, either. He said to bring back the first one I found.”

“So you people have never seen a human…but you hate us?”

“I did no say that.”

“You meant it.”

The two of them continued on in silence and it was then that Dawn looked down for the first time and saw that her feet were encased in two groups of long white feathers. She let go of the griffin’s neck and held out her arms to either side. She stayed perfectly upright without any struggle. Of course. Okay, if that griffin causes me anymore stress, I swear—
“I’m going to go fast here, if is okay. We are behind schedule.”
“Fine with me,” Dawn answered, clenching her jaw a little tighter and forcing herself not to look down. It was tempting, but she knew she would throw up.
Amethyst shot forward, lion’s tail streaming out behind her.
She started to wonder what her friends would do when she didn’t show up, thinking back to when this had been just a regular camping experience. That was all out the door now. Here she was riding a griffin--who didn’t speak English very well--after narrowly escaping being mauled by a werewolf. She wondered if this could possibly get any weirder, but didn’t think so. She sat back and strained to enjoy the ride. Before long she didn’t have to force herself. Listening to the wind whistle past her ears, she closed her eyes. It sounded to her like a song so peaceful, she leaned back and fell asleep.
She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but when she awoke it was to the screeching of an eagle. The grey light of the morning confused Dawn. Where am I? She flipped over on her side. Since when is my bed this comfortable? Oh right—I’m not in my bed. I’m camping. It wasn’t until she looked over the side of her “bed” and realized that she was thousands of feet above the ground that she remembered the happenings of the previous night.
Amethyst let out another ear-piercing shriek. “Get ready,” she said. “There is another griffin coming, vaolo tierda.” She seemed excited. She said something else that was inaudible.
Dawn didn’t know what “vaolo tierda” meant, but Amethyst was looking straight ahead, so she did too, and saw a small dot that was gradually growing bigger and bigger.
“I’m going to land. You want to hold on.” With that, she dove straight down to the ground. Dawn screamed long and loud and hung on for her life, forgetting about the feathers keeping her on the griffin’s back. She didn’t stop screaming until Amethyst’s claws touched the ground. When they did, she collapsed—almost fainted—and rolled to the ground.
“Ugh,” she grunted faintly.
Her eyes opened. As adrenaline pumped through her, she realized she was laughing—hard. So hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. “That was awesome!” she cried, sitting up.

Amethyst let out her grunt of a laugh. “We must do this again,” she chuckled.
Dawn grinned, then gasped as she realized that what had been a dot was now visibly a griffin even bigger than Amethyst. “Look!” She pointed upward.
“That’s Cobalt,” Amethyst said, without even having to look. She dipped her head. “He is our king.” There was a ray of sunlight streaming through the trees that made her fur shine and made it apparent that it had a purplish tint. Well, that’s weird, she thought. And ironic…She looked up, too. The other griffin was now circling above them. It made Dawn nervous—it reminded her of the way a vulture circled over a dead animal.
“Why doesn’t he dive straight down like you did? It’s faster,” Dawn said, trying to keep from cracking up again.

“I never saw no one else do that before.”

Cobalt was by now only about twenty feet above them. He almost seemed to float down, until his claws hit the ground with a solid thud. Dawn gazed up in awe at his size and obvious dignity. He must have been twice the size of Amethyst. His fur was a grayish blue, and he had a menacing air about him. “Um…hi,” she tried to say, but the words came out strangled and she couldn't bring herself to say it again.
Amethyst arched her neck and dipped her head in a respectful bow to her king.
For the first time, Dawn was able to get a grasp on her surroundings. They were in the center of a clearing that was in the very center of a forest thick with trees with yellow leaves. The ground was dappled with circles of sunlight that penetrated through the high, wide-spread canopy of leaves and vines. Other than that, it was dim and dark. The clearing glowed with a strange, soft green light, but it was hardly enough to see by. Piles of leaves and the occasional twig were scattered here and there.

Dawn turned her attention back to Cobalt. He was watching her, his bright yellow eyes squinted. He seemed to be somehow disappointed with her. She began to grow nervous. She didn’t like the way he was watching her. It looked like he’d like to sooner swallow her whole than let her onto his island.
“My name is Dawn,” she began carefully. “If you don’t mind…what do you want with me?” She realized that her question had come out much less respectfully than she had meant for it to.

Cobalt growled. “Do not speak to me in such a way. I will be the one asking the questions.”

But he had lost Dawn's attention. As soon as he had said “questions,” a figure had descended from his back. It was another person, a boy, not much taller than herself. He lifted his gaze and focused it on her, and she felt her heart sort of stop. His eyes were a shocking shade of green. Dawn looked down at the ground but found herself involuntarily glancing back. The wind had blown his hair off of his shoulders and revealed two thin, pointed ears. So he was an elf. What do you say to an elf? Dawn wondered. Hi, I like your ears? She turned her attention back to Cobalt, who was still staring indignantly at her. “I’m sorry, your majesty.” The words sounded strange and hollow to her own ears. She had never said that before. She did her best to bow in the way Amethyst did. Cobalt just stared at her like she was trying to make candy canes come out of her nose. He exchanged a glance with the elf boy. It clearly said, We’ll have to work on that. They both turned back to Dawn.

“We’ll take you to Mystia,” said the boy quietly, almost inaudibly. “You will meet the rest of the islanders.” He lowered his head. “My name is Ben." He wrinkled his nose when he said it. "Well, that’s my Amican name…Cobalt and I will be your escorts to our island.” He didn’t seem too excited about it, and Dawn was pretty sure he meant “American," and she guessed that Mystia was the name of the island that he was talking about. “Okay,” she said nervously.

Ben put one hand on Cobalt’s wing. Cobalt snaked his feathers over it and lifted it until it was level with his back, which Ben leapt bravely onto from yards away. Dawn hoped that she would be able to do that once she had gotten more practice. She decided it wouldn’t hurt to try it now, just to see if she could. She put one hand on Amethyst’s wing. Her heart began to beat faster as Amethyst’s strong feathers wrapped around her hand and ground dropped away from her. This is scary! I’m not doing it again. She realized that Amethyst’s wing was now next to her back. “Umm…” Dawn couldn’t bring herself to jump. What if she missed? The ground was pretty far below her.

Amethyst seemed to realize that and brought her wing over to her back until Dawn was practically sitting on it. “Thank you,” she breathed, sighing in relief and clutching the griffin’s neck firmly. I don’t care if I am stuck here. She sat up straighter. “I’m ready to go.”

Cobalt nodded and soared straight up into the air, Ben looking completely at ease. Dawn couldn’t help letting the words “show off” ring around in her mind just once…or twice.

Then Amethyst snorted and did the same thing. Although her teeth chattered in the frigid air and her heart just wouldn’t slow down, Dawn was able to at least hope she looked like she wasn’t having trouble.

Once Amethyst was at the same altitude as Cobalt, she evened out and Dawn was once more able to relax. She sat back with her hands behind her head. This is actually kind of cool, she thought. How many people get to meet an elf and two griffins? Oh—and a werewolf…but I don’t think they’d want to.

Amethyst sped up for a moment until she was neck-and-neck with Cobalt. They began to talk about their experiences from the time Amethyst had left the island to the time Cobalt had showed up, or at least that was what Dawn was pretty sure they were talking about from the bits and pieces they said in English. She put in the part about the werewolf. She noticed smugly that Ben looked impressed that she had outrun it—at least for a little while. That lasted until about five seconds later when he began talking about his tangle with an ogre.

Dawn didn’t brag anymore.

* * *

Dawn woke up, confused, to the shriek of a griffin. She had fallen asleep on Amethyst’s back, she realized. Her eyes were droopy and it took a little while for everything to come into focus. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around for the sun. It was directly above them. Her stomach growled.

“Dawn,” said Amethyst.

“What?” She was irritated at Amethyst for waking her up.

“We’re about to land. The four of us need to do something.”

“Okay,” Dawn answered, heart racing at the anticipation of another long free-fall.
She braced herself. “Let’s do that diving thing again!”

“What diving thing—again?” asked Cobalt. He looked over at Amethyst, clearly suspicious.

“Watch!” said Dawn.

Amethyst didn’t hesitate. With a single beat of her wings, she and Dawn were suddenly plummeting face-first. Dawn leaned forward with her hands out behind her and her hair streaming back. She screamed giddily. When Amethyst tipped back and her paws touched the ground, Dawn’s fingers and legs felt numb. She jumped down off of the griffin’s back, breathing hard. Amethyst happily rolled over on her back and then stood up quickly. “I hope Cobalt did no see that,” she said. “Is what dirty horses do.” She frowned. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done that dive, either.”

“Whatever he’s gonna do to us, it was worth it,” Dawn answered. She looked up at the sun, which was blinking as the tips of the evergreen trees swayed back and forth in front of it. They were in another forest clearing. She sat up and looked around. There was nothing but trees and dirt everywhere she looked except for the rare blade of grass and a clear, glittering pool that was about ten feet long and five wide. She crawled over and stared into its surface, entranced.

By then Cobalt had landed. “Where is Parie?” he demanded furiously.

“We should not have trusted him to do something as important as guard the water,” said Ben, his eyes narrowed into little slits. “He probably ran off the first chance he got.”

“By now he could be anywhere. Completely useless.”

“I’ll alert Khara when we get back. She will appoint a new guard.”

Cobalt turned his attention back to Dawn, who was completely confused by then. She had no idea who Parie was, or what would happen if he didn’t stay at his post. “I need to explain something to you,” said Cobalt, looking into the glistening pool. He was the first so far to not make a single mistake with his English. “The reason you can even see this water is because you’ve ridden Amethyst. You can only see it under two circumstances: if you have ridden on a dragon or a griffin, or if you are a griffin or dragon. There’s a story that goes with that—I won’t go into it now. As I was saying, if you drink from it and splash it in both of your eyes you will be able to see our island.”

“Okay,” said Dawn, already gathering some water in her cupped hands.

“Wait!” roared Cobalt, startling Dawn. The water splashed back into the pool.
“The griffin must pour it into your mouth with her paws.” He said, emphasizing the word. He nodded to Amethyst, who looked surprised.

“Me? I no know how.”

“I’ll take you through it.” He gave her a set of instructions, most of which were in what Dawn decided must be their native language. She was told to lie flat on her back as Amethyst let some of the water trickle into her mouth a little bit at a time, then put a few drops in each of her eyes. Then she lifted Dawn up onto her back. “She shouldn’t touch the ground for awhile,” Cobalt had said.

Dawn felt suddenly alive and refreshed, sort of like she had just been skydiving.
The griffins soared straight up into the sky while Cobalt said something vague about how he’d like to try to dive the way Amethyst had done. Dawn stifled a giggle. She glanced over at Ben, who was smiling. “On to Mystia!” the elf cried, raising his fists and standing up halfway on Cobalt’s back.

Cobalt and Amethyst picked up speed little by little until they were flying so fast that when Dawn looked down all she saw was a blur. In the distance she could barely make out the beginnings of a brown, sandy beach crowded with tourists. Dawn frowned.
“People will see you guys,” she said into Amethyst’s cat-like ear.

“We’re high enough that they probably think we’re birds,” she answered.

They reached the water in seconds. Now that they were this far, Dawn thought she could see a green wall in the distance. She squinted, but she still couldn’t see any detail. It was just blurry green.

Cobalt shouted, “Mystia visible—twelve o’ clock!”

Dawn’s teeth chattered with excitement.

It seemed like hours before they finally reached the island and began to descend. By then Dawn’s excitement had turned to stiff terror. They never told me why they’re making me come here, she realized, and her teeth started chattering all over again—and not from excitement. Just that I’m a representative. What does that even mean?
The griffins circled around in the air in preparation for the dive that Cobalt had given his permission to do. “Now!” shouted Amethyst, and they dipped downward and began falling. Dawn grinned and shut her eyes, which tears slid out of. Air whistled past her. She opened one eye. Everything she tried to look at was a blur. More tears rushed out and she closed it again.
Amethyst reached the ground much too quickly. Dawn jumped off without the aid of the griffin’s wing and looked over at Ben and Cobalt, blinking the stinging dryness out of her eyes. Ben was leaning up against Cobalt, breathing hard and laughing. Dawn thought she could see a smile on Cobalt’s face. Could griffins smile?
As the four of them looked around, Dawn realized for the first time that they were surrounded by people. She was able to recognize some elves, two small people that she was pretty sure were dwarves, centaurs, two unicorns—one a blackish color that looked blue in the sunlight and the other bay—a few griffins, and even a dragon, she thought—it was too far away for her to tell for sure. She didn’t recognize the rest.

It was like a convention for creatures that she didn’t know existed. She smiled at them until she realized that not one of them was smiling back.

“Make way!” shouted Cobalt. He sounded angry. “We need to get to the castle!”
It was eerily quiet as the creatures in the direction of the castle parted to make a sort of walkway for them to walk through. Cobalt led the way with Ben following close behind. Dawn climbed up Amethyst’s back and they all walked forward. For some reason, to Dawn it felt like a death march.

Dawn looked ahead and saw what must have been the castle. It was medieval-looking and made out of some kind of light golden rock. It towered above the rest of the island, glittering in the sun.

Once the four of them were past the congregation of creatures, Dawn looked around and saw that they were in a village. There were many small cottages scattered everywhere—maybe a hundred—that appeared to be made of wood and straw. The only creatures that were not in the group that had greeted them were smaller ones like squirrels and chipmunks. They were running around and gathering nuts off of the ground and from the oak trees, and they looked happy enough.

Aside from the inhabitants, the island seemed pretty cheerful for the most part. Rays of sunlight streamed down right to the ground in every direction and sparkled off of the huge waves coming in on the shore, but it wasn’t hot. The misty mountains in the distance were the only part of this place that looked dark and hazy.
They reached the castle within minutes. Cobalt reached out and banged on the door with one paw. It opened a crack and grey light streamed out, as did the sound of many voices all chattering at once.

In the doorway stood a female centaur. She had streaming black hair that came down to her waist in silky waves. The horse half of her was black and her nut-shaped eyes were dark brown, set deeply into a cream-colored face.

“This is Khara,” said Cobalt. “She is our best archer when it comes to battles, and she is one of my most loyal subjects.” The centaur woman nodded and bowed, although she looked like she didn’t know what they were saying.

“Whorshim, orae siera,” said Khara.

“She says ‘Welcome, young warrior,’” Ben translated. “She does not know your language fluently.” He said the words "your language" resentfully.

“Oh—tell her I said thank you,” said Dawn, puzzling over why she had just been called a “young warrior.”

“ Kvingwe,” said Ben, turning to Khara. “Ule oha kvingwe.” The centaur stepped aside and opened the door wider so that the griffins and their riders could get through. They stepped inside the castle.

Dawn looked around at the room. In one corner was a spiraling staircase big enough for ten people to climb side by side. The walls were built of gold marble; the floor was earthy but clean. There was no furniture or decoration except for a dining table with a few chairs around it in the next room.

The five of them were not the only ones in the room. There was also a mother and baby leopard (which was hopping around and batting at his mother’s flicking tail) and about twenty elves, among them a boy with dark, wide eyes and a powerful build despite his skinniness.

“Rylan!” Ben said, showing the first signs of enthusiasm since Dawn had met him. He rushed to him. The two of them each held out a fist, which they locked together. In turn they kissed their intertwined hands. “You are back!” He turned to Dawn and the griffins. “Rylan is my twin brother,” he explained. “He was one of people sending word about Athianase’s upcoming attack…and lived.”
There was a low chatter in the room as they all gave him their word of appreciation.

All except for Dawn, who had no idea who or what Athianase even was. The mother leopard saw the confused expression on her face and motioned for her to have a seat at the table. A fraction of the elves were also sitting, watching her with stern expressions. The ones sitting closest to her moved away just enough to be noticed.

Do I smell? Dawn wondered vaguely. She couldn’t remember if she’d used deodorant that morning, but she was pretty sure she did.

“Did no one tell you?” she asked. “Why you’re here?”

Dawn could only shake her head, smiling uncertainly.

“It is serious,” said the elderly elf sitting across from her. She had graying hair and dark, narrowed eyes. The smile slipped right off of Dawn’s face. “Chloe will tell you,” she said, waving her hand as if she herself couldn’t be bothered.

“Well,” said Chloe—the leopard—sitting down and looking up at Dawn, “It starts with that pool of water you drink from. You only see it if you touch a griffin or a dragon or you are one. Cobalt told you that, yes?” She looked over at Dawn, who nodded. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again. “He fought against us in battle. By coindence,” (Dawn guessed she meant coincidence) “after the war he landed in the clearing where the pool was. He drink the water and then fly to his own island—and directly over ours. He is now planning attack. We have to defeat him, and you are chosen to help us. Will you fight with us?”

“What? No! I don’t want to fight in a battle! Who said I would?”

“You misunderstand. You must only join a council of representatives, no fight, although you may be good fighter with training.”

“What good can I do in a council? I’m thirteen.”

“You were first person Amethyst saw. Is you destiny to be here. We need a human’s…” She looked at Cobalt. “What is the word?”

“Perspective,” Cobalt pronounced.

“We need human’s perspective. There is also a certain…Cobalt, what kind of spell?”

“Ancient,” said Cobalt with a smile.

“There is ancient spell that can be made if one of every kind of creature is present, one that will help us defeat Athianase.”

“But…why should I?” She knew how it sounded, but she was trying to enjoy her summer vacation, not help win a war. She didn't particularly like being this confused, either.

Cobalt’s eyes narrowed. “We thought you might say something like that. That is why we all agreed to give you one wish if you do.”

Dawn’s eyes widened. A wish? That’s something I could really use! She thought, eyes darting from one creature to another. “You can do that?” She'd heard some crazy things today, but that was just a little too out there.

“We’re not your normal mainlanders, Dawn,” said Amethyst.

That was for sure. They were all holding their breaths and waiting for her decision. The one exception was the baby leopard, who was still batting at his mother’s tail, which she was flicking around. “I’ve never fought before,” she admitted, “or been on a council. I don’t think I would be much help to you. I don’t think I could do it, even for a wish.”

“We will help,” said the unicorn, sounding as though his nerves were being severely tested. “We are not asking if you can. We are asking you if you will.”

“Can’t someone else help?” Dawn asked.

“It is your destiny,” said Cobalt, repeating Chloe’s words. “Not someone else. Besides, do you think we would go to all that trouble to bring you here from the mainland just so you could disappoint us?”

“Um…no,” Dawn said, looking down at her gold tennis shoes.

“Well?” Chloe’s eyes were round and sparkly. Even her son stopped playing long enough to give Dawn a wide-eyed look.

The word seemed to hang in the air.

Dawn took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. She let it out and looked Cobalt straight in the eye. “Yes. I will be on your council.”

Amethyst and Dawn stepped out of the castle into the blinding mid-afternoon light. “I’m glad you agreed,” Amethyst breathed in relief. “We have been so anxious about this, and now the attack is closer than ever.” She looked at Dawn out of the corner of her eye.

They were suddenly flocked by creatures shouting at them. Dawn looked around, confused. How had they all gotten there so fast?

Amethyst thumped the ground with her foot and their meaningless chatter ceased. The crowd parted so that a wide walkway was formed. The ground began to rumble. Dawn’s stomach buzzed. She gasped as she saw that a dragon was emerging from the crowd. She had only heard of dragons—she had never dreamed that they were real. The one she was looking at now was a muddy brown with green, cat-like eyes and smoke wafting out of its nostrils. The spikes on its back and neck jutted out like evil-looking cactus thorns. Its body reminded her of that of a horse, and its neck was long. The end of its tail was curved to a point. Dawn sure didn’t want to be hit with that.

“We have only one question for the human,” he grumbled in a voice that shook the little puddle of water near them, saying the word “human” as if he was referring to something disgusting. “Did you agree to fight in our battle?” His eyes narrowed to menacing little points.

The human has a name, and she’s not actually going to fight, she thought, but she wasn’t about to correct him. “Yes,” she answered timidly.

“Good choice. I would hate to see the consequences of rejection.” Dawn was a little confused by that last part, but the way the dragon flicked his tail toward her ever so subtly, she was pretty sure he meant that bad things would happen to her if she turned them down.

The dragon snorted out a large plume of smoke and walked away, the ground shaking in his wake. The other creatures followed him back to their village.

Amethyst and Dawn walked side by side until they reached the beach where the sand was slimy with water that had ebbed not too long ago. Dawn’s shoes started to sink. She took them off, along with her socks, and dug her toes in. After a moment’s silence Dawn asked what had been on her mind since she had been greeted not-so-warmly. “Why do they hate me?”

It was a minute before Amethyst answered, and at first Dawn thought she was going to push the question aside, as she had done many times already, or maybe deny the obvious. In the end she didn't. “Humans…well, I said before, they aren’t much liked.” She hadn’t said that before, exactly, but Dawn didn’t mention it.

“But why?”

“A few reasons. Humans have pros—pres—persecute—yes, I think that’s the one—us for many centuries. The dragons were the firsts. It was long ago the first human killed a dragon, and no one thought much of it. Then it became symbol of the honor to a human male, to kill dragon. Before long there were few left, and the poor things were forced to escape to here. They were the first in…inha…inhabitants.”

“But I’m guessing there were more.”

“Oh, yes. After them were the centaurs and us griffins. We were thought of as freaks, ‘weirdos’. They ran us out of their villages and attacked when saw us. They were scared.” She ruffled her feathers crossly. “We had find refuge on Mystia with dragons. The dragons welcomed us, unlike the humans.” She snorted, looking fierce. “Then the unicorns had to go, of course. Humans killed for the healing power of horns, which the idiots did no realize only worked when the unicorn is alive and control it.” Her English worsened as she became angrier. She paused for a second, regaining her composure, and then continued. “Elves were the next. They were great artists; musicians; writers—but humans did no understand them. They were before their time. Just look at poor Van Gogh, perhaps the most misunderstood of the all, driven crazy by the humans' ignorance, and now his works sell for millions. They could no make a living, the only thing humans accepted them for is their speed. If they no want to run for money they were forced to move here to start over. Over time everyone had to move. The werewolves were the only unfortunate to find Crahalla instead of Mystia.”

“What’s Crahalla?”

“Athianase’s island.”

Dawn let that sink in. She wondered how many elves humans had rejected without knowing it. “So they blame me for all of that?”

“You are one of them, are you not?”
* * *

Amethyst showed Dawn to the room she would be staying in with Khara leading the way. It involved stepping onto a wooden platform that lifted up to the second floor. Dawn watched as Khara pulled down on the rope that raised up the "elevator" as she did. Khara saluted Dawn and Amethyst as they stepped off. “This, we have prepared as well as we can to suit human,” Amethyst said, opening one of the doors in the hallway. It looked alright to Dawn. There was a comfortable-looking bed, a dresser with open drawers full of clothes, even a desk. There were colorful flowers painted on the walls.

“Thank you. I like it.”

“I am glad. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Dawn began to rifle through the drawers. They appeared to be stocked for both a boy and a girl, which made sense considering no one knew which one the first person Amethyst saw would be. She picked a soft nightgown—that was what she was pretty sure it was—put it on, and went to bed. It took awhile for her to drift off, as she had a lot to think about. There was still the gnawing fact that Diana, Krysta, Aubri, and Kaely had no idea where she was. They were still back there…possibly in the company of the werewolf.

The next morning Dawn awoke to Khara struggling to say “Good morning.”

She yawned. “G’morning,” she answered.

“We go,” Khara said, motioning for Dawn to go with her. Dawn got up and followed her to the makeshift elevator. Once again Khara pulled the rope up and they made their way shakily down. When they got to the bottom Cobalt, Amethyst, Ben, Rylan, Chloe, and Chloe’s cub were waiting. The two elves were the only ones using chairs, as the griffins were tall enough not to need them and the leopards were sitting on the ground in front of dishes set on stools next to the table. “Have a seat,” Cobalt said. Dawn took the seat between Rylan and Amethyst. Rylan moved away slightly; Dawn tried to ignore it but immediately wished she’d chosen to sit somewhere else.

“This is everyone for now,” said Cobalt. “Khara?”

She nodded, hurried away, and returned a minute later with two trays of steaming food. Two other centaurs followed behind her, one carrying large dishes, the other, glasses.

For a few seconds after the food was set in front of them no one moved. Dawn picked up her fork and prepared to dig into what appeared to be bread stuffed with leafy vegetables when she realized that maybe there was a reason no one else had taken a bite. She looked around the table. Everyone was watching Cobalt, who gracefully dipped his head into his bowl and lapped up a sip of his water. After that they all began to eat. Dawn wasn’t sure she very much liked the vegetable bread. It must be an acquired taste, she decided, and didn’t dismiss the dish entirely.

“Dawn,” said Amethyst, startling her, “have you decided whether or not you want to actually fit?”

“Whether I want to…what? I’m sorry.”

“Fit.”

“Fight,” Cobalt clarified.

“Oh.” Dawn hoped she wasn’t paling, but it felt like she was. “Um…” Hadn’t it been clear the day before that she only wanted to be on the council—at the very most? “I don’t…”

“Of course not,” Rylan cut in, throwing his napkin down on his plate.

Dawn looked over at him, puzzled. What’s wrong with him?

“I do not believe your name is Dawn,” Cobalt growled. Rylan shut up for the time being. “I would like to hear her answer, if you don’t mind.”

Now she was fairly certain she’d blanched. “I don’t…I don’t think I really…want to.” She didn’t dare look at Rylan, but she could still hear him.

“She is human, after all,” he said. “Why would she want to help us?”

“That is enough, Rylan,” Cobalt said, his words punctured by a small growl.

“Well, when the rest of us are out there standing up for ourselves, enjoy being back here all alone.” By his tone, it seemed Ben shared the views of his brother. Dawn waited for Cobalt to reprimand him. He didn’t.

“That is true.” Cobalt nodded. “You will be by yourself in staying behind.”

“She doesn’t care,” Rylan muttered. “She would like us to all disappear.”

And how would you know?

“She is weak, anyway. She does not look like she could even lift sword,” Ben added with a nasty smile.

“I would like for you both to leave. Now,” Cobalt commanded, his eyes narrowed down into points.

“I hope you have fun sitting in a boring council,” Rylan said over his shoulder as they exited the room. Cobalt growled loudly enough to send a shiver scuttling down Dawn’s back.

“If that is your final decision,” Cobalt said when the door swung shut again, “I respect it.”

But Dawn wasn’t so sure she did. She knew Ben and Rylan’s rude remarks weren’t the worst of what she would have to endure. The memory of the brown dragon was still fresh in her mind. When no one else spoke even though they were all finished eating—or drinking, in the griffin’s case—she opened her mouth. I’m gonna regret this so much. “Say I wanted to—to fight.” Everyone’s eyes (except the cub’s, because by then he was fast asleep against Chloe’s side) locked unwaveringly on her. “Do you really think I could?”

“Everyone can, Dawn,” said Chloe. Dawn was sure she was smiling. “You just need training. I think you could be good.”

“Oh, thanks.” Dawn stared down at her plate for awhile and then said, “Um…I think I could, you know, try.”

Amethyst brightened visibly. “Does that mean you changed your minds?”

I'm gonna regret this I'm gonna regret this I'm gonna regret this. Shup up, mouth. “Yeah. I think so.”

“That’s great, hon. I don’t think you’ll be sorry.” Chloe began to lick the top of her cub’s scruffy head.

“Why don’t you go get changed into day clothes,” said Amethyst, “and when you get back we discuss your training.”

Khara escorted her back to her bedroom. Dawn secretly wanted to try pulling the rope on the elevator but didn’t say anything. “I dress you,” the centaur said when they got there, going to the dresser and opening the drawers of clothes. For a moment Dawn thought Khara had flubbed her English and meant just pick out her outfit, but then realized she meant what she had said. She started to object but then realized that this was what they did here. What she really wanted to know was if wearing dresses like this one was what they did here. The dark brown one Khara had slipped over her head and was now tying in the back came down past her knees and felt like it was made of velvet, and a lot of it. Dawn felt ten pounds heavier, which wasn't a good feeling. Lastly she slid Dawn’s feet into a pair of ballet flats. “We go back now,” she said, and led the way back to the makeshift elevator.

“I think we should get you to the greatest warrior on the island—Shenovela,” Amethyst said when they returned. “She is one who trained me. If she and Athianase ever met in battle, the beast would meet his match. It is a pity that she has decided never to fight again, but I do not blame her.”

“But if she could beat him, then why won’t—”

“Shenovela lost her dearest friend in battle,” Amethyst answered briskly. “He was carried off and never seen again.”

“Oh.” Dawn felt a pang go through her. That must be horrible, she thought, saddened. If that happened to one of my friends, I don’t even know what I’d do. She had another thought. Is that what they thought happened to me? That worried her. There could be an entire search party out for her—and they wouldn’t find her. She swallowed hard and forced herself to concentrate.

“Come,” said Amethyst, “It is time we go.”
“Wait, right now? I’m supposed to train in a dress and flats?”
“Do not worry. Is not a problem—the elves and dryads do all the time. So if you are ready…” She lowered the wing closest to Dawn and lowered herself.

Dawn climbed onto her back. “Okay, I guess I’m ready,” she said. Khara opened the main doors for them and as soon as Amethyst’s paws touched the grass outside, she charged forward.

“We’re not allowed to fly over this island,” she said. “Cobalt says it gives our location away. We will have to run for awhile.” She grunted. “Athianase already knows where we are, so I don’t see the point,” she added to herself.

Dawn felt like she was on a galloping horse. She had been on one before, and she hadn’t enjoyed it. It had been her first ride. “Whoa!” she cried out instinctively. Amethyst didn’t answer, but Dawn thought she felt her back tense. “Sorry,” she said. “It just came out.”

“I forgive.”

Dawn sat back and lifted her arms from where they were holding Amethyst’s neck so tightly that her knuckles cramped. I hope Amethyst can hold me on her back when we’re on the ground, because I do not want to fall off at this speed, she thought. At the moment she couldn’t tell if Amethyst’s feathers were wrapped around her feet, and she wasn’t about to look down.

She thought back to her ride on the horse. Amethyst’s back was a more comfortable shape than a horse’s, and Dawn was glad for that. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the village was now far behind. They were now nearing a tall, craggy mountain range. She thought she saw a layer of snow at the top, but it was hard to tell for the mist. The light changed almost immediately in the shadow of the great mountains. Dawn wished she had thought to bring her jacket with her. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m going to fly here. The ground is full of snakes. I think I heard one,” said Amethyst, suddenly giving a powerful flap of her wings and rising into the air, paws pointed behind her. Dawn leaned forward and rested her head on the creature’s neck. It was easier to balance this way.

“Shenovela’s cave is in sight,” Amethyst pointed out, staring straight ahead. Dawn looked forward and saw a small, dark hole in the side of one of the mountains. At least, it looked small from where they were.
“What is Shenovela?” asked Dawn.
“You’ll see.” Amethyst gave an especially strong flap of her wings and zoomed forward so that Dawn’s hair whipped out behind her.
Amethyst flew through the maze of the mountaintops and trees, dodging side to side to avoid obstacles without any trouble. Dawn held on easily and before long held her arms out to each side, watching the ground as it zoomed by beneath her. Her heart raced at the thought of meeting another new creature. I think I’ve met enough of them, she thought.

By now Amethyst’s paws were less than twenty yards from the cave. She slowed down and rested on the ledge before it. “Shenovela!” she called into the cave. Her voice echoed on the smooth, rocky walls. “It’s me—Amethyst! A trainee is here!”

As she listened, she was able to hear a faint thump…thump…thump… Shenovela was coming closer.

The sound grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening. She stared into the cave, squinting against the darkness, and gasped.

What she saw was a dazzlingly white dragon whose scales shimmered in blinding shades of white, orange, and yellow in the mid-afternoon sun as she emerged from the gloom of the cave. She was much bigger than the brown dragon but held herself with more dignity; more grace. She bowed her head. “Worshim, orae siera,” said the dragon.

Dawn had to think hard to remember what that meant. Welcome, young warrior…welcome, young warrior, she said over and over again in her head. What was that word for “thank you?” she wondered, and then remembered.

“Kvingwe,” Dawn answered, bowing her own head. She cringed, hoping that was the right word and that she hadn’t just cursed, or worse. She looked over at Amethyst, who nodded in approval.

“So,” said the dragon in a low, ancient-sounding voice, “This human…you want me to train her?” Dawn was getting tired of hearing the word “human” said in a way you might expect to hear the word “cockroach.”

“Yes,” the griffin answered. “She needs it.” She turned to Dawn. “Shenovela has fought in countless battles and has been trained by some of the best warriors in generation. If anyone can teach you to fight, is her.” She turned back to the dragon. “Will you?”

“Is there no one else who can do it?”

“You are best. Everyone knows.”

After a moment of thought, Shenovela answered, “I will teach her what I know. Please, come in and out of the hot sun.”

As Dawn entered the cave she looked upward and realized that her two-story house might have been able to fit in here. It was too dark to see all the way up.

Shenovela puffed a flame out of her mouth, lighting a bit of charred rock on fire. “I’m sorry that there is no light,” she said as she walked around, lighting random pieces of rock on fire. “I was just about to go out for a hunt on the mainland. I’m running a bit short on food.”

“We will only be a few minutes. For now I just want to make plans. We can come back tonight if that would be more convenient for you.” Amethyst lay down on her stomach on the floor of the cave and tucked her tail around her front paws.

“It might be best for you to come at sunset,” said Shenovela. “So, I heard you had your run-in with Athianase. I was meaning to congratulate you on not losing your head for even a moment, even in all that confusion. It is a skill that not many learn.”

“Thank you.”

“When was that battle?” Shenovela offered the griffin a steaming-hot drink that she turned down.

“Not long ago. I don’t remember when exactly.”

The dragon nodded. “Now, about the business of the girl’s training. How long do we have until the attack?”

“Our spies say that Athianase is planning it for the next full moon, although is more likely to be the one after that. His army needs to recover and strengthen.”

“Ah, yes. His minions morph at the full moon, don't they? Dangerous creatures they are. I would not wish to meet one unprepared.”

Dawn began to grow uneasy. She realized that she hadn’t asked for any details when she had agreed to fight. She just frowned at Amethyst and Shenovela as they talked about them. She grew more and more confused. Obviously they weren’t human, and they probably weren’t dragons or griffins. Finally she couldn’t hold back any longer.

“What are his minions?” she asked. As she asked, she realized what the answer was. Still, it was a shock to hear it said aloud.

Shenovela barely glanced at her. “Werewolves.”

“Werewolves?” A cold shiver ran up and down her spine.
“Yes. Why do you think the one in the forest attacked you? It was trying to destroy all of the humans in the area before its army ever had to worry about them. Without you, we might not stand a chance.”

“Back to business,” said Shenovela, as if Dawn hadn’t just been scared half to death. “Our first training session will have to be tonight, and it will have to run late. Our next will be tomorrow afternoon. We will need to train this girl vigorously. It’s not like those spoiled mainlanders have ever fought for anything once in their life…much less the sake of their people.”

“Some of them have,” said Dawn, who did not like the way that this dragon was putting down “her people.” “In fact, a lot of them are right now.” She could feel her eyes narrowing.

“I’m talking about the majority of your people.”

“Oh.” Dawn had to admit, Shenovela was mostly right. Her friends and family definitely didn’t fight for much on a regular basis except for their stuff at school that sometimes got stolen from them.
“Back to business,” Shenovela said again. “Bottom line—you don’t fight in many wars. Correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, so like I said, come back tonight at sunset. I will prepare your first lesson.”

“Okay,” said Dawn.

“That sounds great,” said Amethyst. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

“You’re very welcome. It is exciting to be part of a prophecy.”

A few minutes later, Amethyst was flying back to the village with Dawn on her back. Dawn’s stomach growled, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything since the cookout she and her friends had had last night before trying to put up the tent. “I’m hungry,” she said weakly.

“So am I,” the griffin answered. “You can bet that there will be huge banquet ready for us when we return. Thank you for your patience, young one.”

“You’re welcome. What kind of food do you guys eat?”

“We eat anything we can grow on the island or steal or catch from the mainland, and sometimes fish. If we’re lucky, there might be a few big trout waiting for us.”

Dawn’s stomach growled in anticipation of the juicy, tangy meat of a fish. “That sounds good,” she said. “How far away are we?”

“Look down. You can see village from here.”

Dawn looked down at the ground. Her eyes scanned the island and rested in the middle of it, up ahead. She saw a large number of speckled black dots scattered around, and then a huge white dot perfectly in the center of them. She figured that it was Cobalt’s castle. “That’s not too far,” she said. Her stomach growled in reply. “I can wait.” She said it more to convince herself than anything.

Dawn looked down again. The dots didn’t look any closer. She sighed and reminded herself over and over again that she could wait.

Amethyst picked up more and more speed until Dawn could barely grasp the landscape as it zoomed by. She blinked hard and looked away. If she watched that for much longer it was going to give her a headache. She looked down at the ground once more. The dots appeared noticeably bigger. Her heart lifted a little.

Amethyst’s claws reached the ground minutes later and Dawn hopped off of her back, already running for the castle with the griffin following close behind.

Dawn soon reached the castle doors and rapped on it with the doorknocker. Khara opened it and stepped aside. “Worshim.”

“Kvingwe.” Dawn and Amethyst entered through the great stone doors and looked around. Sure enough, a huge table made of clear quartz was heavily laden with a delicious looking banquet. Dawn stood at the table, trying to decide what to try first. Finally she went for the beef stew in the center of the table.
Twenty minutes later she was finally full and sat back, watching the others closely. It was surprising to not see any humans anywhere. A lot of them had human features, but it was still strange.

Once Amethyst was finished with her raw meat she joined Dawn outside where she was looking around the village, seeing what all was there. She found her in front of Ryann the elf’s little brick house, talking to Ryann. As she watched, Ryann said something sternly and went into her house, slamming the door behind her. Dawn closed her eyes, turned, and walked away. Amethyst figured it wasn't a good time to approach her, so she turned and went back to the castle. We only have an hour left, she thought. Then she and Dawn would have to return to Shenovela.



Exactly one hour later Dawn came trudging through the castle’s doors and went to Amethyst. “Amethyst?” she said. The griffin turned her head to look at her. She had been talking to Cobalt. “It’s time,” said Dawn, nodding toward the door. Amethyst remembered the training session with a start.

“Sorry, we have to be going to Dawn’s first training session. She’s never fought in a war—ever.”

Cobalt chuckled softly. “Alright, then.”

Dawn mounted Amethyst’s back and they walked quickly out of the castle and ran to the liftoff path where Amethyst turned her head up and lifted straight up in the air. Dawn put her hands up and let the wind rush past her.

* * *

“How long have we been flying?” asked Dawn as her teeth chattered from the cold wind. She was looking forward to Shenovela’s warm, toasty cave.

“We’ve gone about halfway,” Amethyst answered.

Dawn stifled a groan. “I’m freezing,” she complained.

“I’m sorry—if I could share my fur I would.”

Oranges and pinks were beginning to drip into the clouds just as Amethyst arrived at the mountains. Dawn looked around and spotted Shenovela’s cave that still looked painfully far away.

“There it is,” said Amethyst. Dawn nodded. A cold shiver shot through her and she stuck her hands deeper into her jacket pockets.

The sun had almost completely disappeared by the time Amethyst’s paws touched the mouth of the cave. Dawn jumped off of the griffin’s back and looked around. This time Shenovela was better prepared. Tiny fires dotted the walls of the cave and Shenovela was patiently waiting for them.

“Hello,” said Amethyst. “We have come.”

She smiled. “I can see that. We must begin at once. Come in.” The dragon ushered them in and motioned to a table laden with steaming bowls. Their contents smelled like some sort of peppermint hot chocolate.

“Kvingwe,” said Dawn for the third time that day.

“I am glad to see that you already know a few words in our language. You will need to know more, however, if you are to fight in a battle with us. They will be shouting commands right and left, and you need to be able to understand them without an interpreter. I will only teach you the basics, since we soon need to get to the actual fighting.”

“That sounds good,” said Dawn, finishing off the hot chocolate. She wondered how Shenovela had gotten it, since it tasted like the powder stuff that just needed water they sold at grocery stores.

“Good. We will start with the most basic of all commands—‘now,’ which is ‘lawch.’ Try saying it.”

She did.

“Very good. Try to commit that to memory. Now we must get to fighting techniques,” said Shenovela solemnly. “I will teach you what I know. Come with me.” She stood up and walked out of the room. Dawn started to follow but held back for a second. Amethyst was about to take off for the village.

“Amethyst?” she said.

“Yes?” Amethyst answered.

“Could you come with us?”

“What—you don’t feel safe with her?” She said a word under her breath that had the same inflection as “Whatever.” She shook her head but came anyway.

They followed the white dragon out of the room and into a long hallway that stretched out for as far as Dawn could see. “Wow,” she kept saying to herself, looking around at the dusty stone floor and then the walls that seemed to leap up and down in time with the candle flames.

Shenovela disappeared suddenly. Dawn stopped in her tracks and looked around frantically. “Where’d she go?” she asked Amethyst, her heart beating fast.

“I am in here, human,” came the booming voice of the dragon. “You must learn to stay calm in situations.” Dawn followed the voice into a room full of weaponry and advanced training equipment.

“Sorry—I’m not good at that.”

“You must learn to be.”

“What do you have planned first?” asked Amethyst, getting straight to the point.

“First we have level one, for beginners that are mostly children.” She led them over to a long, thin plank of wood that looked less than three inches wide. There were many of what looked like arrowheads dangling from the roof, spinning at a terrifying speed about where someone’s feet would be. There were spiked clubs suspended from the ceiling that hung about three feet above the plank. They sliced through the air above in perfect circles. Then there were huge, heavy beams that lowered down to where they almost touched the plank and then rose again.

Dawn gaped at it, open-mouthed. “This is level one?” she cried out. “You have got to be kidding me. Are you insane?”

She whirled around, eyes wide with terror and heart beating wildly. It was then that she realized that both Amethyst and Shenovela were laughing at her. Anger rose in her chest.

“I’m sorry…I enjoy giving beginners a scare. Come with me and I’ll show you the real level one.”

Dawn’s fists went into balls and she spoke through clenched teeth. “Aren't you clever.”

Shenovela led Dawn to a life-size replica of a werewolf. “You need to learn to protect yourself from werewolves,” she said. “So this is where we’ll start. This is a very easy level. You’ll get the hang of it, and then we can move up to something harder.”

“Okay. So how does this thing work?”

Shenovela walked over to a wall where a large variety of metal rods were hanging, glistening in the candlelight. They were shaped like thin swords but didn’t look sharp. She took one and handed it to Dawn. “This will do nicely,” she said. Dawn took it and stared at it for a few seconds, watching the glow of the light on its surface.

“You will use this,” said Shenovela, “to defeat the werewolf. All you have to do it swipe off its head.” She flipped a switch on the wall beside her and the werewolf suddenly came to life. Dawn gasped and tried to shield herself with her sword from the leaping wolf. Its eyes glowed red and its mouth opened in a saliva-filled snarl. It pounced her way and Dawn fell backwards onto her rear, eyes wide with fear. She tried to crawl back but couldn’t. When the wolf was on top of her she tried to hold it at bay with her hands, but it didn’t work. Shenovela flipped the switch again, and the werewolf froze in place. Dawn was breathing like a locomotive. “You use your sword, not your hands!” cried the dragon in obvious frustration. She uttered the words, “Lrovje trejor.” Dawn thought they sounded a lot like swearwords.

“I’m sorry. I panicked.” And the werewolf had seemed so real.

“I can see that. Let’s try this again.” She flipped the switch again, and this time Dawn was ready. She held the makeshift sword at arm’s length while the werewolf hopped around in front of her, snarling and foaming at the mouth while its eyes sparkled. It snapped at the sword and tried every way possible to get to Dawn. She continued to shield herself with her sword until finally with one great leap of courage, she slammed the sword into the side of the wolf’s neck. It barked and growled louder than before. Dawn shut her eyes and, with one powerful flick of her wrist, the werewolf’s head came rolling to the floor. She opened her eyes, half expecting to see a lot of gore. All she saw was the body with a flat wooden circle where the wolf’s neck used to meet its shoulders.

“That was a good improvement,” said Shenovela, picking up the head and placing it back on the robot’s neck, “although the actual battle will be much more difficult. We should try the next level.” She turned the switch up higher than it had been before. This time Dawn knew exactly what to do and whipped the wolf’s head off in seconds.

The training session went well, and Shenovela commented on Dawn’s quick learning. “Tu guevea ronu yorit.” Amethyst later told her that that meant, “The future looks bright.”


The training session ran late into the night, as Shenovela had predicted. Dawn was yawning and exhausted, and Amethyst could barely stay in the air, though Dawn’s weight was like nothing to her. The moon was only as thick as a thread, and it didn’t give off enough light to see by. Dawn didn’t even try to spot the village. She just yawned and closed her eyes, leaning forward so that her head rested on Amethyst’s neck. “Wake me up when we get there,” she mumbled sleepily.

She was startled awake by the solid thump of Amethyst’s paws hitting the ground. She sat bolt-upright and looked around. None of the cottages around them had lights in the windows. The two of them looked up at the moon. “Athianase will most likely attack at the time of the full moon. That is the time when the werewolves will change into their animal form. That is when the battle will begin.”

Dawn shivered at the word battle. She didn’t want to think about what lay ahead in her near future.

Amethyst led her to the castle where they slowly opened the door and walked up a staircase that Dawn couldn’t see. There were no lights. She kept one hand on Amethyst as they made their way to Dawn’s bedroom. They finally arrived and opened the door. The doorknob clicked and the door creaked open. Dawn quietly slipped in. “Thank you,” she said to Amethyst, “for everything.” Amethyst dipped her head in reply.

They said goodnight and Amethyst left. Dawn went to sleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

Dawn sat straight up in bed, eyes wide and unblinking. What was that? Her hands and feet were clammy. Her arms were shaking. She knew she had been having a nightmare, but she couldn’t remember what about. She looked around, heart racing. Not thinking, she tossed her covers to the side and bolted out of the room. Her feet flew over the floor, almost never touching the carpet. She froze in her doorway and looked from left to right. There was nothing there. After a minute she went back to bed.
She had just wrapped herself in her cottony blankets and gotten comfortable enough to go to sleep when she heard a strange sound—it started as a snarl and ended a howl. Dawn’s eyes widened as she leapt out of bed and straight out into the hallway. She saw the danger: there on the staircase was a wolf—and it was headed straight for her.

Dawn looked around for any weapon she could get her hands on. A sword, a spear, even a knife. Disappointed, she realized that the only weapon she could use would be a dragon tooth mounted on the wall with a hole through one end. She yanked the nail it was hanging from loose along with the tooth.

She looked around for the wolf and saw it hunched down by a door at the end of the hall. Dawn hurled the dragon tooth through the air. It missed the wolf by inches and soared right over its head, sticking into the wall. Growling and snarling, the wolf whirled around to face Dawn. She mouthed the word, “Oh.” No! she thought, watching the creature as it lowered its belly to the ground, crawling forward. Dawn’s heart seemed to skip a beat. She released the nail and it cut through the air. It stuck into the wolf’s side. It whimpered but was otherwise undeterred from its mission. “Amethyst!” Dawn screamed as the wolf let out an especially nasty snarl.

Amethyst opened one eye. Had someone called her name? She stood up off of the carpet she had been sleeping on in her room by the main doors and stretched her legs.

“Amethyst!” Dawn screamed again.

Dawn! Amethyst understood from Dawn’s voice that she was in trouble. Amethyst charged up the staircase with newfound energy. “Hang on!” she yelled, looking around. She spotted Dawn lying on her back, wrestling the wolf, trying to hold it off with her hands. Amethyst gasped and looked around. She remembered that she had left her armor back in the dining room and from the looks of it, Dawn didn’t have much time. She was already exhausted. Amethyst would have to go without armor.

Thinking quickly, Amethyst leaped forward and shoved the wolf back with one of her paws, growling menacingly. Dawn’s breath caught in her throat as she realized that this creature wasn’t even a werewolf. It was a normal, savage, wild beast—and it didn’t need a full moon for it to turn into one. She watched as it bravely battled Amethyst, but in the end it lost and lay still, a final growl still on its lips.

Suddenly a rumbling, crashing sound came from behind them. Looking around, they saw the source of the noise. Cobalt was thundering up the stairs at top speed. A small elf with a quiver-full of arrows on his back and a bow in his hand was right behind him, and at his side was Chloe. Khara wasn’t far behind them.

“Cobalt!” cried Amethyst. “Did you see that wolf?”

“What?” he said blankly. “It’s not a full moon.” He frowned. “It couldn’t have morphed yet.”

“It was just a regular wolf,” Dawn said. “Like the ones we have back where I live, on the mainland. Except it's insane.”

Cobalt stood still as a mountain. He muttered something under his breath and then began shouting out orders in Mystian. Dawn tried to find words in his sentences that she knew, but there were none. She decided that her safest bet was to do whatever Amethyst did.

Cobalt suddenly turned around and loped back to the staircase, already taking the steps two at a time. The others followed while Dawn mounted Amethyst. They caught up at the bottom of the stairs.

“Over here!” cried Chloe, leading the way. Everyone flew after her at a speed that made Dawn nauseous. Someone shoved the great stone doors open. There, waiting outside, were dozens, if not hundreds, of wolves—all ready to pounce. Some of them charged. Dawn could see the saliva dripping out of their mouths; their dark eyes shining in the moonlight; could hear their ragged breathing.

Khara slammed the door shut.

Cobalt, who seemed to be the only one not on the verge of panic, gave another order that Dawn didn’t understand. After that he yelled, “Lawch!”

At least I know that. “What’d he say?” she whispered down to Amethyst.

“Wake up the archers,” Amethyst said.

“Where are they?”

“They sleep in pretty much every room on this floor.”

Dawn nodded and bolted to the first door she saw. She opened it, looked in, and saw an elf snoring quietly in a bed against the far wall. She made sure he was an archer. He was—there was a bow leaning up against the wall in one corner. The sound of the door opening made him stir.

“Trobre perol?” he mumbled. It was Ben. He was no longer attractive to her.

“Wake up!” she shouted, turning on the light. “There’s a pack of wolves outside and Cobalt wants you. Now.”

“Pack…of…wolves…outside…”

"Get up!" She was still yelling.

Finally he got it. All of the sleep went out of his eyes as he jumped out of bed and ran out the door, slinging his quiver of arrows over his shoulder and picking up his bow on the way, practically running over Dawn on the way. She followed.

Ben went from door to door, rousing the other archers, which Dawn noticed were mostly elves, from their sleep and telling them about the wolves. Eventually they all joined Cobalt. “I think that’s all of them,” Ben said, still looking a little drowsy. Cobalt nodded and led them upstairs to a line of windows.

Dawn pushed through the small crowd that was struggling to see through the tiny window and looked out. The wolves were still there. She tried counting them. Suddenly she jumped away from the window. “What was that?” she asked. Something huge had swooped down to look in at them, and then turned and flew away. Its eye had been as big as the window.

“Athianase,” Cobalt snorted. “Ready!” he called. The elf next to Dawn threw open the window they were looking through. The other windows were being opened, too. The archers held their bows out the open windows, all of them pulling arrows out of their quivers.

“Aim!”

They put the arrows on their strings and squinted one eye as they lowered them and aimed for the ground.

“Fire!”
Arrows shot into the night, making dull twanging sounds as they soared toward the wolf army. Many wolves fell to the ground. The rest retreated. In the end Athianase left too.

When everyone was sure that the dragon was gone, Cobalt gave orders to go around and lock every door and window that anyone could possibly have access to from the outside. Once that was done, everyone went back to bed except Cobalt and a few of the elves who wanted to stand guard instead.


Dawn woke up to a bright and sunny morning. As she listened she thought she could hear birds chirping, but she listened for a bit longer and realized that she was actually hearing the squealing of dolphins. She smiled faintly and got up out of bed.

Amethyst was waiting for her near the stairs. “How did you sleep?” she asked.

“Fine,” Dawn answered, yawning and stretching. “Well, except for the whole thing with the wolves. How about you?”

“Not well,” Amethyst admitteded. "I keep thinking I hear noises in the hallway.”

“I thought I was heard something too,” said Dawn. “Oh, well. We’ll get a better rest tomorrow night.” Her stomach grumbled. “Do you eat breakfast here?”

“Of course! Follow.”

As they walked, a question formed in Dawn’s mind. “Why didn’t you kill the werewolf that was chasing me in the woods? You could have.” She didn’t know where that had come from, but she wanted to know.

Amethyst was silent for a moment. Then she said, “I don’t kill any creatures—even the ordinary ones from the mainland—unless I really have to. That’s usually for food. I rarely kill an animal otherwise unless it’s for emergency defense purposes.”

“It was for defense purposes,” Dawn said.

“Yes, but we were able to keep ourselves safe and alive without killing it.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

They were in the main room now, and they stopped talking. Dawn hungrily eyed the banquet on the table before her. “There you are, sleepyheads!” a childish voice rang out. Dawn turned around and saw the leopard cub busily hopping around, trying to get on the table. He was mostly failing. Dawn smiled at him. Chloe walked up behind him.

“Please don’t call people names, Leo,” she said, lifting Leo up to the table by the neck with her teeth.

“Thanks!” he said. He pounced around, friskily taking random bites as he went.

Dawn turned her attention back to the pancake and waffle variety, wondering if they really ate stuff like that here or if it was all just for her. She shrugged and dug in.


After breakfast, Dawn and Amethyst went outside to watch the waves lap up against the beach. It has been Amethyst’s suggestion. She said it quieted her mind. Their eyes scanned the beach, and Dawn’s breath caught in her throat.

There before them was the most beautiful sight Dawn had ever seen. She squinted into the late sunrise and stared at the surface of the ocean as it danced and glittered in the light of the early-morning sun. She could see the silhouettes of dolphins leaping out of the water and landing on their backs less than two hundred feet away. There might have been three of them, but it was hard to tell.

She glanced over at Amethyst, who was lying down and watching the water intently. “Like it?” she asked.

“It’s beautiful!” Dawn sighed, wishing she had a view like this back at her home so many hundreds of miles away. She happily squished her feet into the water-engorged sand up to her ankles. She scooped it up with the tops of her feet and tossed it back into the waving ocean.

They stayed standing there for a moment, listening to the ocean spray and smelling the salty sea air. Eventually they went back inside. Too soon, as Dawn thought. As soon as the heavy rock doors had creaked open, a wave of screaming voices met their ears.

“Stop!” Amethyst shouted. Everyone froze and stared at her. “What’s this about?” she demanded.

“We’re trying to figure out who should go and spy on Athianase…you know, to see what he’s up to,” a voice answered. The crowd parted, and a small centaur stood there. Dawn thought she looked like a teenager.

“This is Khara’s daughter, Colette,” Amethyst said, introducing the centaur girl to Dawn.

“Hi,” said Dawn, waving.

Colette turned away, arms folded.

Dawn’s eyebrows shot up, but she forced herself to stay calm.

“Who wants to go?” asked Amethyst, her eyes sweeping the mass of creatures in front of her. Several of them started talking all at once, and Dawn couldn’t grasp onto any of it.

Cobalt arrived then and silenced them all with one long glare.

Amethyst touched Dawn with her wing and lifted her up onto her back. “Dawn and I will go with you.”

Dawns eyes widened, and this time her mind didn’t keep quiet. “What?” she hissed into Amethyst’s ear. “I didn’t volunteer!” She remembered very clearly what Ben had said about his brother: He was one of the few who spied on Athianase and lived.

“They need us,” Amethyst whispered back. “Plus, you need the experience, if you’ll remember what happened with the wolf.”

By that time, another centaur had stepped forward. He was obviously related to Colette since he looked so much like her. “I will go with you,” he said in a low voice.

Cobalt took charge. “Are there any others?”

No one said anything.

His eyes narrowed. “I see we must make this more interesting. Anyone who comes on this mission will…” He thought for a moment. “Anyone who comes on this mission will receive a gift. An ice flower from the Iwola Mountains.”

Everyone started talking all at once. About fifteen more of them stepped forward. Cobalt nodded and snorted. “Good.”

Later, Dawn and Amethyst were walking up to their rooms. “You handled that well,” Dawn told Amethyst.

“Well, yes. My mind was quiet.”

They were at Dawn’s room now. “I’ll be right out. I need to get dressed.”

“Very well then,” Amethyst said.

“Ugh!” Dawn grunted as she whirled her sword through the air, straight toward Shenovela. The dragon evaded the attack and swiped at the sword with one paw, trying to knock it out of her hands. Dawn wasn’t hindered. She lifted her weapon high into the air and crashed it down on Amethyst’s armored side.

Dawn was fighting both the griffin and the dragon in Shenovela’s cave. It was later in the afternoon and time for her second training session. So far both Amethyst and the dragon were shocked and impressed by the progress she was making.

Amethyst held up one paw, sides heaving in and out. How can Dawn not be tired at all? She wondered. I’m exhausted! “I think I’ll sit out for a little while. You two go ahead.” She sat down a ways away and watched Shenovela and Dawn as they battled it out. She was awed and a bit intimidated by the fact that they were so evenly matched. Even though she knew Shenovela was going sort of easy on her, she wasn't going that easy, especially now that it looked like Dawn might win this one. She watched as Dawn whirled around and around, hitting Shenovela’s shield with a powerful force that nearly sent sparks flying. She smiled. Shenovela is a great teacher. The best.
Finally, after many more long minutes, Dawn and Shenovela gave up at the same time. “Well done, young one,” breathed the dragon. Smoke swirled out of her nostrils as she hung the sword back on the wall. “You have greatly improved.” She led Dawn and Amethyst out of the room.

“You’re a great teacher,” said Amethyst, still out of breath.

“Thank you, friend,” Shenovela answered, smiling. “Are either of you hungry? I have fresh meat from my hunt this morning. Please, come and eat some.”

Dawn and Amethyst accepted and looked over the many meats before them.

“I can cook it if humans don’t eat meat raw,” said the dragon.

Before long, the three of them were sitting around on the stone floor and eating the meat of their choice. Dawn was careful not to watch the other two eat their raw meat. It made her sick to her stomach. “So,” she said when she was finished, “how long do we have before the next full moon?”

“I say about a week,” Amethyst answered. She looked over at Shenovela. “Is that right?”

“Probably. Personally, I was never good at predicting that kind of stuff.”

Dawn shuddered. I only have a week? she thought. “I have to train a lot this week, then,” she said, her heart racing wildly, “I don’t want to be caught off guard during the battle.”

“By the time I’m done with you,” said Shenovela, “that won’t be possible. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you again,” said Amethyst, who was practically licking her plate.

“Not a problem. I was actually getting pretty lonely, living here all by myself.”

“I can believe that. We should go,” said Amethyst, standing up. “Thank you for dinner. Is it all right if we come back tonight?”

“Absolutely.”

That night Cobalt posted guards at every door and window. Dawn could hear them as they argued with each other over who should have first watch over the window beside her bedroom. Dawn knew that they only wanted to sleep, like she did, and they probably didn't find the thought of protecting a human very attractive.

Finally they must have come to an agreement because she only saw one shadow that stretched underneath her door and into her bedroom, visible by the dim light of the half-moon. At last, she went to sleep.

She woke up to the clanging of metal pans and sat straight up in bed, eyes wide. What’s happening? she wondered. She was relieved when she concluded that it was only the cook declaring breakfast time. Yawning, she kicked her blankets to one side and climbed out of bed. When she reached her doorway, she looked around. Everyone was sleepily emerging from their own rooms, torn between the awaiting feast that taunted them with its delicious aroma and the desire for more sleep. Most of them chose to go to breakfast.
Dawn joined the crowd that was headed for the stairs and blinked, looking around for Amethyst. She was at the bottom already. Dawn ran to meet her and they walked side by side to the table. “Are all of the meals here like banquets?” she asked Amethyst.
The griffin chuckled. “In the castle? Yes. It’s nice, isn’t it?”
Dawn nodded and seated herself on the velvety bench in front of the table, already reaching for silverware and a plate and ready to enjoy herself.


Amethyst and Dawn gobbled up the food with the rest of the Mystians. Dawn forgot all about using her manners, since none of the others seemed to be. She was too hungry to care anyway.

After breakfast, Dawn and Amethyst went outside to watch the ocean from the beach again. The light was still dim; it was just after sunrise.

“Six days,” Dawn muttered to herself. Amethyst heard her.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “We will have you ready by then. You should have seen yourself in Shenovela’s cave last night. It looked like she had finally met her match. Just go into battle like that and you will be sure to be victorious.”

“I hope so,” said Dawn, watching a detached leaf as it bounced through the waves and finally let itself be carried away by the water. The ocean carried it to the sandy shore. Dawn watched it for a second. I hope I don’t end up like that, she thought, having a sudden poetic thought. Back where it started and at the mercy of the waves.

* * *

Later that day Dawn had her first free moment. She was lying in bed, thinking and waiting for sleep to come. Just when she was about to drop off, she heard footsteps in the hall getting closer and closer. Who would be bothering her right now? Cobalt and Khara were having a conversation at the front door and Amethyst was visiting someone in the village. There was a knock at the door. Dawn debated pretending to be asleep, but in the end she said, "Come in." The door creaked open very, very slowly, as if the person on the other side of it wasn't sure of what they were doing. When it had opened the rest of the way the visitor was revealed to be Ben. He was holding a thick book. "Um...I thought you might want this. The kids here study it in school." He handed it to her. The cover was written in four different languages. The English translation said, The Mystian Language. With that, he left, shutting the door behind him. "Thanks," she muttered, wondering what that was all about.
She laid down on her stomach and started reading it. Every fourth page was in English. So far it was pretty interesting and easy to understand. She was suddenly startled out of her trance by a loud blaring sound and the screaming of creatures. Her head flew up. She jumped out of bed, ran downstairs, and looked around.
Everyone was gathered by the table they had just eaten breakfast at. She ran to Cobalt. “What’s happening?” she shouted over the beeping sound.
“The emergency alarm went off!” Cobalt shouted back. “We’re waiting for our guards to tell us what the danger is!”

The blaring halted as abruptly as it had started. Armored soldiers rushed in, breathing hard and carrying unsheathed weapons.

“What is it?” Cobalt demanded.

“Orgnise rumolt,” said one soldier.

Cobalt snorted tensely. “No!” he said menacingly, eyes narrowing. “This cannot be!”

Orgnise rumolt, thought Dawn. What does that mean again? She sifted through the information she had just learned from her book. Orgnise means…flying snake…and rumolt means—

“Attack!” Cobalt shouted. “Gather your weapons! Your children and those who cannot fight will stay here. The rest of you, prepare for battle.”

Everyone scattered, including Dawn. She ran to Amethyst. “I don’t have a weap—”

“I’ll get you a weapon from my room,” said Amethyst. “Follow me.” The two of them ran into the griffin’s bedroom. Amethyst put on her armor and handed Dawn a helmet, shield and sword that were all studded with sharp diamonds. “Let’s go,” she said, nodding to Dawn. The two of them dashed out of the room and stopped next to Cobalt. “We are ready, zey glora,” Amethyst said, dipping her head. Cobalt nodded in reply.

When he turned around to speak with someone else, Dawn asked, “What does ‘zey glora’ mean? I didn’t read it in my book.”

“It means ‘my king.’ I like to call him that. It seems more reverent.”

By then nearly half of the creatures had finished their own preparations and had once again assembled by the table. The rest arrived seconds later. “Good work, everyone,” said Cobalt. “Are all of the children in safety? Windows locked?”

Heads nodded.

“Attack,” he said, almost inaudibly. Dawn leapt onto Amethyst’s back and they flew after the rest of the Mystians. Dawn squinted into the early-afternoon sun and was able to spot what looked like a wavering black cloud in the distance.

“There they are!” a unicorn screamed from the ground below. The Mystians charged the snakes. Dawn shielded her stomach with her shield and raised her sword, forgetting for a moment that it was still sheathed. Wind whipped her hair straight out behind her as Amethyst grazed the sky at full speed. Dawn held her breath. Amethyst zoomed right past the snakes that were fluttering in the breeze. She didn’t stop flying when they had passed, either.

“Where are you going?” Dawn shouted over the wind.

“Just trust me!” Amethyst called back, still not even coming close to slowing down. “We’re going to attack Athianase directly.” Suddenly Dawn felt her helmet slipping down the side of her head. She grabbed onto it just in time. Her heart beat wildly as she let out an exaggerated puff of air. Forgetting that she was stuck to Amethyst like Velcro, she screamed and held on for her life as Amethyst spiraled through the air upside down.
“What’s happening?” she screamed, shutting her eyes and trying not to be sick.

“We’re under attack!”
Amethyst tumbled upside down. Dawn looked around frantically, trying to see where the danger was coming from and why it had Amethyst so shaken. Then all at once, she spotted it. An enormous dragon—at least twice the size of Shenovela—was going after Amethyst wish his claws and teeth…and fire, which blasted out of his mouth in violently bright shades of purple, orange, and yellow. It reminded Dawn of the sun. When the fire flared out once more, she noticed that four flying snakes were on either side of the red dragon, wavering in the breeze and hissing, showing their gleaming white fangs that dripped with venom. Without warning, one of them lunged at Dawn, who shrieked and fended off the bite with her shield.

Amethyst looked back, eyes round and mouth open in an exhausted pant. “Watch out!” she yelled back as another snake flew at Dawn, fangs glittering, already anticipating its deadly strike. Dawn knocked it over with her shield. It flew back and down to the grassland below. Dawn didn’t doubt that it would be back seconds later, but she took the chance to see how Amethyst was doing. She looked up just in time to see the huge dragon ram her to the side. Amethyst flipped over onto her back in the air. The feathers that held her to Amethyst's back were gone, and Dawn felt herself falling. She screamed, squeezing her eyes shut, and her stomach dropped from her chest all the way up her throat…dropping…dropping…

Then everything went black.

“Wake up!” a voice shrieked.
Dawn sat up, wondering where she was. She remembered suddenly and looked around. “Where’s Amethyst?” she demanded.

“She’s okay,” the voice answered. “C’mon—you have to get up!”

Dawn shut her eyes as a terrible pain flooded through her chest and down her back. “I need to know where she is.”

“I’m right here, Dawn,” said another voice. This one sounded more worried than frantic. “Just calm down. We’re all okay. We’re still in battle—you fell.”

“I—” Dawn’s teeth clenched as another surge of pain shot through her all the way from her face to her knees. Her voice shuddered away until it was too quiet to hear. Her throat squeezed almost shut. “I fell?”

“I’m sorry,” said Amethyst, dipping her head down to Dawn’s level. “When a griffin faints, it no longer has the power to keep its rider on its back. I am sorry, Dawn.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m not even hurt that bad,” she lied. She sat up, ignoring the searing pain cutting through her body. “Let’s go.” She climbed onto Amethyst’s back and slipped her arm through her shield. “I’m ready.” Amethyst lifted into the air slowly at first, then rushed straight up into the sky. Dawn looked up and shivered. She saw the snakes flying at the Mystians with Athianase in the background shooting the occasional ball of fire at whoever appeared to be fighting too well. She was relieved to see that none of them appeared to be wounded too seriously. She held out her arms to steady herself. Her back and stomach felt numb and her legs felt awkward. She shook her head. Suck it up and stop being a baby, she told herself firmly. Remember why you’re here.

“Ready?” said Amethyst. Her voice had a slight tremor.

“Yeah,” said Dawn, preparing for the battle that was surely about to get worse than she had been through yet. Amethyst spiraled upward and put herself right into the middle of all the snakes. She hissed and swiped at the toxic monsters for as far as her claws would reach. She was careful to stay away from Athianase. He wasn’t so successful now. The others had learned from her mistake.

All of them formed a wall in front of the snakes, as instructed by Cobalt. “Archers!” he shouted. “Fire!” Hundreds of arrows flew at the snakes. Many fell to the ground, but some merely hissed and dove forward. “Attack,” was the next command. My sword! Dawn remembered suddenly, trying to spot the diamond-studded sword on the ground below. All she saw was the same brown prairie grass for miles and miles. “Dawn!” Amethyst called. Something shiny flew at her. Dawn caught it in midair. It was her sword—with the sheath on it. Had they read her mind or something? She slid off its cover and pointed it toward the quivering snakes. Amethyst darted forward and Dawn struck one of the ferocious beasts in the center of its body. It hissed and fell to the ground. “Good,” said Amethyst, who bit another snake. It, too, ended up falling.

The Mystians kept fighting until all of the snakes had either been killed or had retreated. Now there was only Athianase. His eyes narrowed. Smoke wafted out of his nostrils. He roared wildly. Flames flew toward his enemies. The Mystians scattered in every direction. Amethyst jerked to the right so sharply that Dawn slid around on her back. Her eyes widened and she clenched her teeth, grabbing frantically for something to hang on to. She found a tiny tuft of fur on Amethyst’s neck and somehow got back into a comfortable position.

“Sorry,” said Amethyst. She turned her head around to look at her sheepishly. “Just hang on, okay?”

“Okay,” said Dawn breathlessly. She dug her knees into Amethyst's sides. If it bothered her, she didn't show it. Dawn's eyes flicked over to Athianase just in time to see a wall of fire coming straight for them. Amethyst gasped and lunged to the left. The fireball flew for a few seconds and then sizzled out in midair.

Everyone around them was in a frenzy of snarling, growling, and screaming. For a second everything was a blur, and then it all came into focus. Everywhere she looked, Dawn saw only biting and scratching—and fire. The sides were too evenly matched. Neither was winning. Dawn saw the dragon coming from the back. She didn’t let her guard down for a second. She whirled around on Amethyst’s back and swung her sword. At the moment she would have been satisfied if her sword even glanced off of Athianase’s scales. When her sword knocked against the dragon, she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, driving the tip in as far as it would go. That wasn’t far, since the dragon’s scales seemed to be as hard as diamond. Still, Athianase roared and sent a fireball that missed her by inches.

“Let’s go, Amethyst!” Dawn shouted over the swirling wind. Amethyst didn’t hesitate. She shot through the air as fast as her feathered wings would let her. Athianase didn’t follow them.
* * *
When Amethyst’s paws touched the ground in front of the castle, Dawn thought it was almost too good to be true. She scrambled down the griffin’s back and let herself fall the rest of the way. She turned over on her stomach and fingered the cold, dewy grass.

“Are you okay?” Amethyst asked curiously.

“I’m fine,” said Dawn, shutting her eyes. “Just so glad to be on land again—and not hurting.”

A minute later they went back to the castle. Dawn’s legs felt numb after all the aerial gymnastics Amethyst had executed.

They had all congregated at the table once again. Dawn and Amethyst joined them. Cobalt was complaining in a loud voice. “That dragon keeps coming back with a new group of warriors—and he will keep coming back until either he is dead or we are.” He swept his eyes over the group. “Last time it was wolves—this time it was flying snakes. What if he comes back next time with something worse? We have less than a week before the werewolves come.” He looked around the room. “We need a new strategy. We cannot keep being surprise-ambushed like this. Does anyone have any ideas?”

“I have an idea!” Leo squeaked, waving around one paw. “Pick me, Cobalt! Pleeeeeease!”

Cobalt looked a bit skeptical, but decided it couldn’t hurt, whatever it was. “Yes, Leo?”

“Ooh! Ooh! Thank you, Cobalt! Thanks!”

“Tell him your idea, sweetie,” said Leo’s mother, looking over at Cobalt apologetically.

“I think we should make a giant statue of all of us so that Athi—Athia—the dragon will attack the statues and stop attacking us! Could we do it—pleeeeeease? And can I make the statues? I think I know how!”

After a few minutes of meaningless discussion, Amethyst stood up from where she had been sitting. “It’s late,” she said, looking out the window. The sun was setting. “We should probably be going to bed. We’re all tired.”

“I’m not tired!” Leo said, pouncing around his yawning mother. “Could I stay up for just twenty more minutes?”

“All of us,” Cobalt said firmly. Leo just hopped away, happy as ever.

While Dawn and Amethyst were walking up the stairs, a question formed in Dawn’s mind. “Why does Athianase hate the Mystians so much?” she asked Amethyst.

“It’s not the Mystians as much as it is just Cobalt.”

“Oh.” Dawn frowned. “Well, why does he hate Cobalt?”

“A long time ago, the two of them dueled to see who would be the next king over Mystia. The winner would be escorted to the island and the other would not be told where it was. Cobalt won, of course. Athianase was far less powerful then than he is now. After his fight with Cobalt he pretty much went crazy. Since then he has sworn vengeance on Cobalt and all of Mystia…and now he has found us.”

“Wow,” said Dawn. She considered the drama of the situation for a second. Then she said, “I guess Athianase had his heart pretty set on being king, huh?”

“Very. Goodnight, Dawn.” Amethyst trudged blankly back to her room.

“’Night.” Yawning, Dawn walked sleepily into her own room. She crawled into bed with The Mystian Language and a reading light that hung on the doorknob.

Once again, Dawn woke up to the clanging of pans. Wow, she thought. I actually slept through the whole night. That hasn’t been happening a lot lately. She yawned, stretched, and crept out of bed. She could already smell strawberries and chocolate.

Amethyst met her at the top of the staircase. “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Very. Thanks,” Dawn replied. The two of them walked downstairs side by side.

“Good morning, Amethyst. Good morning, Dawn,” Cobalt greeted them.

“Good morning,” they both said. When they reached the table, they heard the creatures murmuring in low voices. Dawn wondered what they were talking about but didn’t ask. It’s probably nothing, anyway, she thought, digging into a thick, butter-engorged hunk of French toast. She was startled out of her bliss by footsteps approaching behind her. She turned around to see Amethyst and Khara. They looked worried. She swallowed the bite whole and said, “Is something wrong?”

“Something is very wrong,” said Amethyst. “The spies we organized went ahead and went on their mission without us. They got some good information, but someone has been captured.” She glanced over at Khara.

“Colette,” she said sullenly. The surfaces of her eyes were shining. “Czyisa troj plathya mor?”

Czyisa troj plathya mor…I know I read that—it means…will you help me? Dawn nodded. Colette wasn't her favorite person in the world, but they couldn't just desert her. She looked at Amethyst. “When will we leave? I think I’m ready.”

For a moment Amethyst looked doubtful. “I’m thinking we could use one more training session by Shenovela before we go. We never went last night, remember?”

Do we have time for that? “I guess. Should we go soon?”

“We should probably go now.”

They left without being noticed and took off into the air—straight up on Dawn’s recommendation. They practiced some in-flight gymnastics too so that next time Dawn would be prepared for whatever was coming.

It seemed to take less time to reach Shenovela’s cave since Dawn was having a lot of fun. She especially enjoyed letting her hands dangle underneath her while Amethyst soared through the sky upside down. For the time being, she had pretty much forgotten all her worries. “I can’t believe I just did that!” she exclaimed, breathing hard and beaming when the dragon’s cave came into view. “Back where I live I’m scared to even look at a roller coaster.”

“I am not sure what a roller coaster is,” said Amethyst.

“It’s sort of like—” She never got a chance to finish her sentence because Amethyst’s paws touched the floor of the cave right then and Shenovela greeted them.

“Welcome! I was beginning to think you both had suffered a horrible fate. What delayed you?” The dragon looked sincerely worried.

“Athianase attacked,” said Amethyst. She described the battle in vivid detail. When she had finished Shenovela was gaping at them in open-mouthed interest. Amethyst finished her story with, “Since we were unable to come yesterday, would it be all right if she trains now?”

“Of course. Of course. I have nothing planned for today. Please, come in.” She hurried them in. “Would you like something to drink before we start?”

“No, thank you. We need to go very soon. There is someone in trouble, but I felt that we needed another training session before she able to rescue her,” Amethyst said.

“Oh, I see. I see. Let’s get started, then.” Shenovela led them into the training room. She walked up to the machine that had scared Dawn so much at their first visit. “I feel that if you are about to go on a rescue mission, we need to go ahead and start with this today. I will demonstrate.”

Dawn’s eyes went wide as she saw what she would need to do in order to succeed in this level of training. When Shenovela finished Dawn said, “You’re serious?”

“Of course. We’ll start out easy for you. Just try to do what I did, all right?”

Dawn nodded and wobbled up onto the wooden plank, holding her arms out to the sides to steady herself. Amethyst pushed a button and the machine came to life, swinging and cutting and thrashing. Dawn dodged a few of the obstacles—and then lost her balance. Waving her arms around frantically, she fell to one side. “Oof!” she grunted when she hit the floor. Shenovela walked up, looking a little irritated.

“Always keep your balance, child.” She sighed. “Let’s try this again.” She stopped the machine long enough for Dawn to get up onto the wooden beam again and then started it. This time Dawn was ready. She summoned every ounce of balance she had. She darted from left to right with perfect ease, always aware of where the plank was so that she didn’t slip again. She looked up and gasped as a huge weight crashed down. She closed her eyes and leaped forward, somersaulting to the end of the plank. “Try level two!” she heard Shenovela call. Her teeth clenched; her legs stiffened. Amazed with her natural ability, Dawn avoided the dangers with perfect ease. Why am I able to do this? she wondered as she dodged an especially razor-like ankle cutter.

“I think she’s ready,” Amethyst whispered to Shenovela. The dragon pushed the button and the machine froze. Dawn, breathing hard, leaped down off of the wooden plank, a silly grin spreading across her face.

“That was actually fun!” she exclaimed.

Amethyst and Shenovela exchanged glances. “It was…fun?” said Amethyst incredulously.

“Yeah! It was really fun!” Dawn mounted Amethyst and looked over at the dragon. “Thanks so much. I feel ready now.”

Shenovela dipped her head. “I am glad to help, Dawn. Would you come back when you’ve finished your mission? I would love to hear about it.” Dawn and Amethyst agreed and Shenovela escorted them out of the training room. “Good luck!” she called after them as Amethyst lifted away.

“Hang on!” Amethyst shouted. She flipped over onto her side, narrowly dodging a spiky outcropping of rock jutting out of the mountain. She and Dawn were flying through a narrow ravine. Dawn hated that there were so many dangers for Amethyst to fly into. She clenched her teeth and grabbed onto the griffin’s neck, afraid that she would be pushed to the ground by the driving force of the wind.

When Amethyst turned right side up again, Dawn was able to look around. She felt as if the mountains on either side were closing in on her. The brown and green brush was so dense that she could hardly see the rocky sand beneath. The craggy tips of the mountains reached up seemingly into the clouds; they weren’t visible. A dark sky loomed overhead. The sun had sunk behind one of the mountains, plunging the canyon into shadows. She looked behind her but could only see mountains all around except for the small crack that Amethyst had flown through. Ahead a solid wall of rock gave its ominous welcome, reminding her that she was very near her destination. She shivered.

Sensing that Dawn had tensed, Amethyst looked back at her. “Don’t worry; Athianase’s camp is never well guarded. We should be flying back within twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes of agony. Dawn’s thoughts buzzed around in her head in torrents of unrelenting gloom. But she only nodded in Amethyst’s direction. “Okay,” she muttered.
The time from then until the point where Amethyst’s paws hit the wall of mountain on the other side of the gorge went by unrealistically fast. Dawn hopped off and crept into the mouth of the dark, moist cave. She could see nothing but the faint shadows of various features of the cavern. The monotonous drip…drip…drip…splash…of water came from all around. Somewhere a bat was stirred from its roost and fluttered its wings. A low grumble erupted from deeper within the cave.
Her foot slipped on a wet rock and she fell face-first onto the sharp ground, arms flailing the whole time as she tried to find a foothold. She heard Amethyst gasp. She stood up carefully, hating that she had made so much noise.
“Sorry,” Dawn whispered.
The two of them made their way farther into the black cavern, trying not to let their footsteps echo, but it was a lot of work. Dawn’s teeth chattered from the chilliness of the cave.
She tried to adjust her eyes to the pitch-blackness but couldn’t. It was just too dark. After a few seconds a faint boom rumbled from an unseen source. It reverberated in Dawn’s stomach and ears. It repeated itself. Boom. This time it was louder. “What is it?” she asked Amethyst in a whisper.
“I don’t know,” the griffin replied.
The sound continued to grow louder and louder—nearer and nearer. Dawn’s teeth clenched as the sound began to pulsate in her throat. Amethyst suddenly jerked to life. “Get back!” she ordered, shoving Dawn against a wall. “Stay down,” she said firmly. “Don’t say anything.” Dawn could only nod after the shock.
BOOM. The sound was much louder now and very close to Dawn and Amethyst’s hiding place. Dawn could hear low voices hissing to one another but couldn’t discern the words. BOOM. Amethyst’s breath caught in her throat. She leaned in close to Dawn’s ear and spoke in a low growl. “It’s Athianase and a human.”
Another human? Here?
Dawn nodded again and tried to make out what they were saying. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t. “I don’t know what they’re saying.” She realized, too late, how loud she had said it. Amethyst froze in place. The two creatures in front of them ceased talking and began to shuffle around as if looking for something. Face white as snow, Dawn looked up at Amethyst apologetically. She mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.” Amethyst didn’t see it.
Now the two creatures were so close that Dawn could hear their breathing. BOOM! Dawn realized that the sound was that of Athianase’s tail slapping the ground of the cave. It rumbled violently and echoed off of every wall. A low growl escaped from Amethyst’s throat. Dawn silently whimpered and felt sorry for herself.
“There is someone here,” said Athianase to the human beside him.
“Yes,” the human agreed. They continued their hunt. Dawn was overwhelmingly grateful that the cave was so dark. She caught her breath when she heard a familiar roar…huff…sizzle as Athianase lit a fire on the cave wall. The flame leaped to life and sent bright shadows dancing on the stone walls, ceiling, and floor around it. As she watched, everything seemed to turn to slow motion. Athianase turned toward her with fire in his eyes, his body concealing the mystery person. Two plumes of smoke wafted from Athianase’s nostrils and curled in the air, drifting apart in different directions.
For a moment the dragon only stared at them with such ferocity glittering in his eyes that Dawn was afraid to even blink. Finally he threw his head back, roared with a force that shook the very cave, and charged toward them. Dawn screamed and ran to the right. Athianase followed her close behind. She could hear Amethyst’s labored breathing beside her. The two of them ran for the door, not looking back for anything. Dawn hurdled onto Amethyst’s back just as the ground dropped beneath them. “Wait!” cried Dawn. “What about Colette?”
“There will be a better time!” Amethyst shrieked, slicing through the air like a torpedo. With a mighty roar that sounded like a tornado, Athianase shot through the air after her.
“You cannot fly forever,” he growled. Dawn risked a quick glance around and saw that the dragon was coming after them with the human rider on his back. She thought that the rider looked familiar, though she couldn’t even tell their gender.

“I’m going to try to lose him!” Amethyst called back, suddenly jerking to the side. Dawn felt like a rag doll as they spiraled upside down and did a series of elaborate flips, rolls, and sharp turns. She squeezed Amethyst’s furry neck until her knuckles turned white, afraid that the griffin would become weak again. She looked back every now and then, but was disappointed every time. The dragon kept up with them with obvious ease. One time his rider even faked a yawn. Dawn knew it was no use. They would be caught sooner or later, so she figured that they might as well give up. She started to tell Amethyst, but the griffin only snorted and flew faster. She wasn’t about to give up. All Dawn could think was, This isn’t good. Then she scowled. No, duh.

It continued on like that for a time that seemed like an eternity. Dawn finally let go of Amethyst’s neck to shake out her aching hands. Athianase gained on them with every breath. She glanced behind her one more time…

Bad move. Smoke filled her nostrils and eyes. A blaze rushed at her in a flaming, orange current—and she could do nothing about it. She could only clench her teeth and grab onto Amethyst as tightly as she could, preparing for the worst. She could only watch the ground as it flew up towards her; Amethyst was dropping to the earth. Dawn screamed and held on with all of her strength, oblivious to the cramping in her wrists and knees. She began to slip off and screamed even louder. The ground rose closer and closer until…CRASH! The impact was enough to injure both of her arms up to her elbows. Everything became blurry…then went black.
* * *
Dawn’s eyes blinked open. She immediately noticed the pain in her arms…or was it her hands…or her back? Her whole body ached so that she couldn’t tell where the pain was coming from. Ignoring the aching, she sat up and looked around. Where am I? she wondered. She was in a tiny, box-shaped room that was completely dark except for five slits on the western side that had light seeping through. Her bed was a thin, plastic-covered mattress that didn’t have a pillow. Her neck cramped from the uncomfortable material.

Suddenly a wave of panic rose in her chest and up her throat. She realized where she was.

She was in a prison cell.

“Amethyst!” she cried, her body shaking uncontrollably. No answer came but her own voice echoing off of the barren walls. A cold sensation dripped down her back and seeped into her limbs.

She was alone.

Suddenly the door to her cell began shaking violently. Afraid of what was happening, Dawn cowered, shivering. Finally the door scraped open and a human-looking head poked in. “You are wanted by Athianase,” he growled, grabbing one of her arms and shoving her out the door. Her arms throbbed and ached so much that she was sure they would split apart any second. The older teenager scowled and elbowed her behind him. He led her down a long, dark, twisted hallway and soon stopped at a door on the left side that was outlined with light from the inside. He thrust it open, motioning for Dawn to go in.
Dawn stepped inside suspiciously and looked around. Many human faces blinked back at her, all with the same nasty grin pasted on their faces. Dawn…Dawn…Dawn…the word seemed to be whispered all around the room. But the grin never left the people’s faces.

Suddenly the ground began to shake and the walls vibrated. Chunks of rock fell from the door hinges as Athianase burst through the door on the far end of the room. He, too, was smiling evilly. “I’m so glad you could join us,” he growled, his voice rumbling. “I have a question to ask you.” His eyes swept the room. He was encouraged by nods and bigger, anticipating grins from the humans around the room. “My question is this: What plans are Cobalt making for attack? My spies have given me a few details. We only need you to fill in the blanks.”

Dawn knew the plans but said nothing.

“Answer me!” Athianase roared. The walls shook around him and Dawn winced from the pain in her ears.

“No,” she said flatly, staring down at her shoes. She knew that Amethyst or Cobalt or even Colette would never tell this…this monster anything, so she wouldn’t either.

“Listen, girl,” said Athianase. He began to circle her the way a hawk would before it attacked its defenseless prey. “I’m going to give you a choice.” His wide, unblinking eyes flicked to her. “You can tell me what I want to know…or you can join our side. It is your choice.”

All Dawn could say was, “Where’s Amethyst?” Her voice trembled vulnerably.

“You have not answered my question.” Athianase puffed two tufts of smoke out of his nostrils that were blown away by a gust of wind that swept through the dry cave. “What will it be?”

“I won’t tell you anything.”

“Very well, then. Ayden?” One of the humans leaped forward into the air straight toward Dawn, who screamed but could do nothing to shield herself. The girl landed on her ferociously. Her teeth sank into the skin on her shoulder. Dawn yelled and, breathing hard, shoved the girl away. Blanching, she turned to Athianase with ferocity in her eyes, demanding an explanation wordlessly.

The dragon had a triumphant, evil gleam on his face. “Congratulations,” he said. “You are now a werewolf.”

Dawn staggered back. “I’m a…I’m a—”

“Werewolf,” Ayden growled, grinning to reveal her pointy fangs that glittered in the firelight. “You have joined our side now.”

“But—but I don’t want to fight for you. I don’t feel any different!” Besides the throbbing in her shoulder, she felt completely normal. She definitely didn’t feel like a wolf in any way.

“You will at the full moon,” said Athianase. “It is then that you will tell me what I want to know—because you will not remember anything else.” Dawn crumbled inside. Was there no escape?
* * *
Later, after some strict orders from Athianase to be more cooperative in the future, Dawn trudged back to her tiny room. She heard rustling noises emitting from it as she grew nearer. Who’s that? she wondered, squinting to see if she could make out so much as an outline of whoever was inside. When she couldn’t, she whispered through the darkness, “Who are you?”

“Is me,” the creature said. Dawn’s heart leaped with joy as she recognized Amethyst’s voice. Dawn ran in and hugged the griffin’s neck. “What’s happened to you, Dawn?” she asked worriedly. Dawn took a deep breath and told her the whole story. When she had finished, Dawn’s eyes had faintly adjusted to the light and she could see that Amethyst’s were wide. “How do you feel?” she asked, backing away a few steps.


“I feel normal,” said Dawn, clutching her shoulder. “But my shoulder still hurts.”

“I think I can fix it, just so it doesn’t hurt,” said Amethyst. She stretched her neck toward the wound and flicked her tongue across it. The pain evaporated.

“Thanks,” Dawn said, sitting down on the bench.

“It was nothing.” The two of them stayed in the cell for hours with no sign or life anywhere but out in the hallway where the occasional bat fluttered its wings. Dawn’s stomach growled, reminding her that she had eaten a tiny breakfast and nothing since. Her stomach pinched with hunger and, as the hours ticked by one by one, she became ravenous. At last, when dusk had plunged the cavern into an icy stillness, footsteps began to echo off the cave walls. Dawn’s and Amethyst’s ears perked up. Food.

The door to their cell was unlocked and opened. Their unseen visitor threw in two plates the size of Amethyst’s head. Dawn ran over gratefully. Amethyst, though disappointed with the skimpy meal, also was curious to know what was being served. She was delighted to see that it was raw steak. She dipped her nose in and began to eat right away. Dawn only stood over her plate. Was she really hungry enough for this? It didn't smell too good. She decided to risk it and tore off a chunk of the cold meat. It made repulsive squelching noises and stuck to her fingers when she put it in her mouth. That part sickened her, but it tasted enough like meat. She ate until she was full and then let Amethyst have the rest.

The meat upset her stomach, but Dawn decided that it was better than being hungry enough to eat anything. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She went to sleep easily.

She woke up hours later. Her stomach was churning painfully. Her hands and legs felt weak and shivery. She knelt down on the floor and was sick. Amethyst woke up, startled. “Dawn!” she cried. “What is happening?”

“I’m…throwing…up,” Dawn answered, throat feeling tight as tears came to her eyes. Amethyst looked as if she had never seen anything like it. “Doesn’t that happen to you sometimes?”

Amethyst shook her head. “Why is this happening?”

Dawn thought for a moment as more came up. “It must be the meat,” she said and was sick again at the thought of the repellant dish. Amethyst’s face was sympathetic as she tucked a wing around Dawn’s trembling body. Finally they both went to sleep.

The next morning Amethyst woke up, startled by a disgusting smell. She looked around and saw that three humans—who were probably werewolves—were already mopping up the floor to her cell. Dawn was still asleep beneath her feathery wing. She looked as if she needed some comforting. Suddenly Amethyst felt furious. “Dawn can no eat raw meat!” she exclaimed angrily. The humans barely acknowledged that she had said anything. When they didn’t speak, she said, “Well? Go get some cooked food! She cannot eat this.”

One of the male humans looked up. “She will learn,” he said simply. He and the other humans walked out without another word. Amethyst thought she heard him say something else but couldn’t hear what it was. She turned back to Dawn, who was still sleeping peacefully. Amethyst closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Dawn was startled awake by the clanging of the metal door leading into her cell. I hope it’s not breakfast, she thought. Her stomach still wrenched from the happenings of the previous night. She sat up groggily and waited for the door to open. When it did, a human-looking head poked in. Dawn figured that it was another werewolf.

“Follow me, please,” she said in a voice that suggested that negotiations were not going to be taken lightly.

“Amethyst,” Dawn whispered. The griffin opened one eye. “Come with me.” Amethyst stood up alongside Dawn and stretched.

“Would you like a ride?” she asked. Dawn accepted gratefully. Amethyst walked forward, following the werewolf out of their cell. She led them down a different hallway this time. It was just as dark and moist but was straighter and less confusing. Dawn didn’t feel as claustrophobic as she had the day before. After awhile the girl stopped at a door and took a jumble of keys out of the pocket of her tattered jeans.
The girl picked one out of the pile and unlocked the door. Amethyst and Dawn followed her inside. Looking around, Dawn saw that the same congregation of werewolves were there as the day before. Athianase stood at the front of the room, pacing back and forth as smoke billowed out of his nostrils in great torrents at a time. Suddenly feeling brave, Dawn jumped down off of Amethyst’s back despite the pain in her stomach and the weak feeling in her legs and demanded, “Why have you brought us here?”

The corners of Athianase’s mouth turned up, but the same cruel, callous expression remained in his eyes as before. “We thought that since you will be one of my minions soon, you should be here to discuss our plans. If you are not included in our plans, this meeting will be wiped from your memory…as will everything else you have learned since…well, a long time.”

Everything? Dawn’s eyes widened. I wouldn’t ever let him. Athianase read the expression on her face and chuckled. “You will be brainwashed sooner or later. It might as well be soon. In fact, why not now?”

“No!” The sound of galloping hooves sounded off of the walls behind the door on the opposite end of the room and the door burst open, splintered off of its hinges. Athianase roared and charged the figure standing in the doorway, as did many of the werewolves. Dawn gasped when she realized that the creature was Colette. Amethyst must have, too. She swung Dawn up onto her back and rose into the air, soaring toward the ceiling that must have been over a hundred feet high. She then proceeded to dive-bomb any werewolves that were in her path as she sliced through the air toward Colette.

“Get on!” Amethyst yelled when she was a few yards away from the centaur. She understood the message and attached her hands to the griffin’s chest as she rose back into the air. Amethyst tossed Colette back towards Dawn. Colette began to slip off, but Dawn grabbed her shoulders and balanced her on Amethyst’s back in front of her.

“Kvingwe,” said Colette, looking straight ahead. Her back was stiff and Dawn could hear her teeth chattering.

“It’s okay,” she said warmly. “You won’t fall off.”

The two of them concentrated on watching Amethyst as she dodged the arrows being shot at her and swept over the werewolves, straight toward the door. Is she going to make a run…fly for it? thought Dawn as her heart raced wildly. She tried to make herself as light as possible for Amethyst as she continued to evade the weapons the werewolves were throwing at her. She was determined to escape by any means possible.
Unfortunately she hadn’t considered Athianase. He rose in front of the door and roared fiercely, sending flames flying toward Amethyst. She dodged them just in time but was greatly discouraged. “I can no make it!” she said. She tried to maneuver around the dragon but obtained no advantage over him. Dawn’s legs ached from the tension in the griffin’s back.

Athianase swept toward them in a great flurry of wings and fire. Amethyst gasped. She didn’t get away in time, and one of her feet was scorched. Dawn felt the heat on her face. “Are you okay?” she cried out. Amethyst only grunted in pain and lost altitude. Dawn wondered if there was some kind of weapon she could use to stop Athianase’s attacks. She asked Colette, who unsheathed a sword and aimed it at the dragon. Good, Dawn thought. She hadn’t really wanted to be the one to bear the weapon.

Amethyst lowered more. Frenzied, she flew toward the now unguarded door. Dozens of werewolves chased after her behind Athianase. They let out howls of frustration as one by one they realized that Amethyst was about to escape. Dawn grinned with excitement and reached out her hand to turn the doorknob that would be just within her grasp. Her hand closed on it and she wrenched it open a crack. Amethyst shoved it open with her head enough to push her way through. She flew out of the room and down the dark hallway. She couldn’t see even an inch in front of her and didn’t wish to risk flying into a stalactite, so she landed and hurdled into a lope on the floor of the cave. Her heavy footsteps echoed off of the cold, dripping walls of the cave. The shouts and war-cries of the werewolves and dragon behind them also ricocheted off of the walls. “Get them!” Athianase screamed frantically. “Run faster! Faster! Do not let them escape with the girl!” Dawn squinted and tried to find something—anything—in the darkness of the cave. She thought it might be her imagination, but it looked like there was a small white dot at the end of the hallway.

Amethyst let out a sudden cry and jumped into the air, soaring over the werewolf army without ruffling even a feather. “What happened?” asked Dawn, concerned.

“One of them bit me,” Amethyst snarled.

Dawn gasped. “Is it possible for you to turn into one of them?” She desperately hoped not.

Amethyst only let out a puff of air. “No. Werewolves are half human and half wolf. Griffins don’t fit in anywhere.” Dawn sighed. Well, that’s one good thing, she thought as she waited for this long chase to end. She turned her attention back to the white dot. It was a bit bigger now, but still faint and far away.

“Faster!” Dawn shouted. She looked behind her. All she could see were hundreds of glowing eyes and the dark outline of the werewolves closest to her. Nothing else was visible in the terrible light. The footsteps of the running humans grew louder and louder no matter how fast Amethyst flew. It wasn’t fast since she constantly had to be on the lookout for icicles or jutting outcroppings of rock. Every once in awhile they disturbed a bat that fluttered around blindly in the darkness, screeching in its ear-piercing way.

The dot was visibly larger now. Dawn squinted into it. She shut her eyes, afraid that she would be blinded by the bright light after having been in the dimness of Athianase’s cavern for so long. “That’s the end of the cave!” Amethyst yelled giddily. “Just hang on, both of you!” She executed three perfect aerial flips, barely avoiding being hit by a bulbous, rocky ledge. “I think I can get us out and then back to Lamyrona.”

“What’s Lamyrona?” Dawn asked curiously. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go to another strange place.

“Cobalt’s village. Hold on!” Colette and Dawn shrieked as Amethyst turned over on her back. Dawn realized that she was now looking “up” at the ground. The werewolves were directly beneath them and still running at top speed. Don’t they ever run out of breath? wondered Dawn as she watched them. Some were running on all fours, growling and snapping like…like wolves. The others were running on their hind legs and screaming in a way that resembled a howl.

The light at the end of the cave came closer and closer into view until Amethyst flew right into it and out of the dark cave. Dawn’s head ached from the change of light and her eyes stung. She sneezed and shut her eyes.

Suddenly Amethyst shouted out, “I can’t see anything!” Dawn opened her eyes. She became aware of all of her surroundings immediately, including the hundred-foot-tall wall that loomed overhead.

“Watch out!” Dawn yelled, but it was too late. Amethyst crashed right into it.

“What was that?” the griffin called out, apparently unhurt.

“It was a wall. You’ll have to fly straight up from here.”

“I can do that.” Amethyst tipped backward and ascended straight into the blue, cloudless sky. Dawn shut her eyes and willed herself not to be sick again as last night’s happenings caught up with her. She watched as the top of the wall came closer and closer into view. All at once, Amethyst let out a sharp yelp. “What was that?” she screeched, still flying upward. Dawn looked down and saw a werewolf dangling from one of Amethyst’s back feet by his teeth. She tried to kick him off, but her leg wasn’t long enough.

“Let go!” Colette shrieked. She too tried to make him, but even her hoof couldn’t reach him. “Kick him, Amethyst!” They watched as the werewolf was kicked by the Amethyst twice but still would not let go. He began to crawl up Amethyst’s leg. He bit into her flank and held on from there, this time drawing blood. Amethyst cried out in pain and panic.

“I’m going to have to land!” she shouted, thrashing both of her legs in a last attempt to send the werewolf back to the ground. Soon she began to spiral downward. “I can’t fly anymore. I feel too weak. I am scared you two will fall if I try to keep flying like this.” Once they were hovering merely ten yards above the ground, only then would the werewolf let go and stop his attack. He and Amethyst landed with a gentle thud, thud. Dawn didn’t dare jump off of Amethyst’s back for fear that she would be the next one to be bitten. It had been bad enough the first time.

Athianase and the werewolves closed in on the little group and forced them to go back to their cells. Colette was in a different one, and Dawn couldn’t help being relieved. She might have saved them, but she was still a brat.

Dawn and Amethyst stepped into their cell sullenly. One of the werewolves shoved in a single plate of raw meat. This one was big enough for both of them, but Dawn couldn’t bear the sight of it. Her stomach went weak. She turned away. She looked over at Amethyst and whispered, “I don’t think I can eat that.”

Amethyst looked concerned but nodded. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Amethyst looked pleased as she dug into the meat. This was finally enough for a meal. Dawn turned away while she ate and watched the werewolves disappear out of sight. I wonder what they do with all their spare time, she thought. She observed them until all she could hear was the steady drip…drip…drip of water bouncing off of the cave walls and onto the floor.


That night when more meat was put into their cell, Dawn still couldn’t eat. This time Amethyst was too worried to eat any of her own meal. She sat up and tucked a wing around Dawn comfortingly. Dawn was so weak that she shivered uncontrollably. Every now and then Amethyst sneaked a bite of the meat but otherwise concentrated on soothing Dawn. “It’s okay,” she said over and over. “We’ll get out soon and you’ll have all the food you need. I promise.”
* * *
The next morning Dawn was so weak that she couldn’t even sit up. Amethyst’s eyes widened, afraid that she was dead. “Dawn!” she cried out in a panic. Dawn only grunted in reply. Amethyst felt relieved, but was still worried. She has to eat something. She can’t go on like this, she thought, looking around in the darkness for anything she could feed her. In the end she could find nothing. She looked around again. Her breakfast had not come yet and there was no sign of anyone anywhere. She crept over and tried the door. It was locked. She grunted in frustration. Suddenly a plan came to her. When the guard comes and unlocks our door, I can trample him and make a run for it. She glanced over at Dawn, who had her hands over her stomach and a pained look on her face. I’ll take her, of course. She slung Dawn onto her back and waited for her breakfast.

Hours later a werewolf came walking down the hallway. Amethyst positioned herself in front of the door and tried to look casual. The guard hardly noticed her at all as he unbolted the lock with his jumble of keys. He leaned down to put Amethyst’s food on the ground…

Amethyst hurdled over him and flew, frenzied, down the hallway, not bothering to look out for rocky outcroppings. She suddenly remembered Colette and why she and Dawn had come to this cavern in the first place. She whirled around and zoomed down the hallway, knocking up against countless stalactites as she flew. The werewolf who had given her breakfast had not yet summoned the others and was running underneath her and throwing keys at her. She flew too fast for him to succeed in hitting her, though, and proceeded down the hallway.

She could see the opposite end now, where Colette’s cell was. She cut through the air and smashed up against the door with all the force she could summon. It made a dent in the door and a small hole. Amethyst clawed and bit at it until it was large enough for her to put her head through. “I’ll get you out in a second,” she told Colette, and smashed the lock outside. Seconds later the door swung open and Colette galloped out and swung herself up onto Amethyst’s back.

Amethyst ran for about ten yards and then took off into the air, slicing through it without considering safety. She flew straight through the tunnel and toward the light at the end. The sound of werewolves running after her echoed off of the cave and rang in her ears. She didn’t stop to look behind her, though, and simply concentrated on getting out. This time she was prepared—she swept straight upward so that her belly barely brushed the high wall as she rose higher and higher into the air.

I’m going to make it! she thought elatedly. She didn’t pause to look down but only focused on flying faster and faster with each second and minute that ticked by.
Soon she reached the top of the wall and soared over the valley that lay behind it. It was only then that she took the time to look back and when she did, there was no sign of Athianase. She positioned herself toward Lamyrona and picked up even more speed.

After a few minutes of flying she was able to spot a white dot on the horizon. It’s Cobalt’s castle! She glanced around one more time to make sure she wasn’t being followed.

“Are we almost there?” asked Colette. She saw Amethyst look behind, so she did too. To her relief, she saw nothing but the mountain range towering over a huge, grassy field. A few birds flew over them in a V formation. No other life was to be seen.

“Yes,” said Amethyst happily. Suddenly a thought struck her. “What did they serve you for food?”

“I’m actually not sure, but it smelled disgusting. I sure wasn’t going to eat it.”

“You must be starving! Are you no weak at all?”

Colette snorted. “I had a little baby fat to spare. I’m hungry, though.”

Amethyst’s own stomach grumbled. “I like a good meal. Those miserable servings they feed me were no more than appetizers. I guess I should just feel lucky that I’m not in the same state as Dawn is.”
Amethyst swooped down so that her belly brushed the wild sunflowers. She tried to stay inconspicuous so as to not attract the attention of the other Mystians. The air was warm and thick with the pungent aroma of raspberries. Amethyst shivered. She would have enjoyed this immensely if it hadn’t been such an emergency. Cobalt’s castle pulled closer and closer, its golden stone seeming to glow in the sunlight. Finally she alighted on the doorstep. Colette climbed down off of her back and rapped on the door with one hand.

The door slid open shakily. Khara poked her head through.

“Mama!” cried Colette, galloping into her mother’s arms.

“Colette!” Khara looked up at Amethyst, eyes shining. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“It was nothing,” said Amethyst, though that was not true and they both knew it. So did Colette. “We have a problem,” she said, bringing Dawn down off of her back. She set her on the tiled floor softly. Dawn barely stirred.

Khara gasped. “Food is needed. Come with me, Colette.” They trotted away.

“We also need water!” Amethyst called after them.

“Of course.” Minutes later they came back with a gallon of water and two trays laden with fruit, salads, and steaming-hot meats and breads. “Is she strong enough to eat and drink?” Khara asked.

“I don’t know.” Amethyst took one of the trays and held a roll in front of Dawn’s nose. Dawn’s eyes fluttered open. She took the roll slowly and crammed the entire thing into her mouth, swallowing it almost whole.

When she had eaten all of the food on the trays she whispered, “Water.” She drank over half of the water in less than a minute. The whole gallon was gone in no time. Dawn gasped for air, her eyes wide as she swallowed the last sip. “Thank you,” she breathed, and closed her eyes. She didn’t seem to be strong enough to say anything else.

“We should take her to bed,” said Amethyst. “She hasn’t slept much lately.” She and Khara took Dawn back up to her room. Dawn gratefully sank into her bed. She was asleep almost before her head it the pillow. She dreamed about swordfighting with a werewolf but having to stop because she felt too sick.

She sat up suddenly with sweat rolling down her face. She felt odd—almost as if there was a steaming volcano spewing molten ash all over her insides. She kicked off her covers wildly, but it hardly helped at all. Dawn gasped, face turning red. She ran, frenzied, out of her room. A low growl escaped her throat, but she wasn’t hungry. What’s happening? she wondered in a panic as she ran to Amethyst, who was eating raw meat for dinner downstairs.

Amethyst screamed. “Dawn!” she cried out.

“What?” Dawn staggered back, wondering why Amethyst would be so shocked at the sight of her.

“You’re a…you’re a…” She looked as if she couldn’t find an end to her sentence.

“I’m a what?” Dawn demanded.

“W—w—were…wolf.”

* * *

“What do you mean, werewolf?” asked Dawn, suddenly angry for some reason. Another low growl escaped her throat. She began walking up to Amethyst, hunched down low and on all fours so that her belly touched the ground. Suddenly a roar erupted from her chest and she sprang forward, fingernails-turned-claws outstretched and fangs at the ready to sink into Amethyst’s flesh.

Dawn was aware that the ground had begun to shake behind her. Something smacked her back just inches from Amethyst’s throat. She was falling. She hit the ground with a solid thud. She whirled around to confront her enemy who had kept her from biting Amethyst. There stood Cobalt. Dawn froze. She couldn’t attack this huge griffin—he would crush her. Instead she stooped down low and remained there, growling. Cobalt set her down on his back. Dawn looked down, wishing she could jump off. It was no use; she knew it was too far. Cobalt gave a single flap of his powerful wings and the ground dropped away beneath him. Dawn looked straight ahead, whimpering. Where is he taking me? she wondered.

It wasn’t long before Cobalt reached the front door. He pulled it open with one paw and flew through. The icy night air bit at Dawn’s face and snaked through her hair, sending it flying in all directions. She looked up to see a sky with few stars and a big, bright full moon. Oh, no.

Cobalt flew for a long time, picking up speed with every passing second. Soon nothing was more than a dark blur. Still, he flew faster. Dawn was sure that the sheer force of the wind would send her flying off of his back. She couldn’t think clearly—everything she tried to think about was a confused jumble in her mind. She couldn’t latch on to a single thought.

Finally, Cobalt landed and pushed Dawn off of his back with one wing. She landed in a patch of dead, spiky grass. Ouch! she thought, picking up her bare feet—no, paws. Cobalt turned to face her. “Listen to me, Dawn,” he said in a voice that seemed too loud. “You are not to follow me back to the castle. In the morning I will send someone to find you. Do not wander from this spot—and do not speak to anyone.” Dawn only understood a small handful of his words. It was as if he were suddenly speaking a different language; a different language that was somehow the same. Then he flew off into the night. Dawn watched him until he was no more than a tiny dot low in the sky. She sadly sat down and looked up at the moon. Dark clouds blew across it in time with the wind, casting eerie shadows over the world. An overwhelming sadness swelled through her. She howled a long, mournful howl, cursing the moon for her bad luck.

Dawn finally stood up on all fours and circled around, searching for somewhere to go. She knew she couldn’t stay sitting down in that spot forever. She wandered around for hours. Everywhere she looked, she saw dry grass swaying in the breeze and clothed in the shadows of the night. Nothing about it changed no matter where she went.

She became tired and thirsty despite the low temperature. Her mouth was open in a throaty pant.

Soon the clouds blew away and the light of the moon became more distinct. The light turned grayish-white even though it was not even midnight yet. Dawn felt a strange, sick chill crawl up and down her spine. She shivered. A cold sensation swept over her—a feeling that she was being watched. She whirled around and around but could see no one. She could, however, hear a faint sound. Thud. Thud. THUD. Someone else was out there, but she could see no one.
Finally she saw. Everywhere she looked she could only see werewolves. The field was full of them. Dawn bent over and hid in the tall grass.

Athianase alighted on the grass a little ways away, crushing it. The werewolves all started howling at once. “Silence,” Athianase growled. His eyes swept over the crowd of werewolves. “I have gathered you from the distant ends of the mainland; from other nations; from the ends of the world for this purpose: to attack Cobalt and wipe out the Mystian population. One of you here was not invited here, though; I can smell you.” His eyes had fire in them as they once again went over the congregation. “Show yourself,” he commanded.
Suddenly a realization came over Dawn. He means me, she thought. She remained hidden among the grass, shivering with fear. Then she perked up just a bit. An idea had hit her.
Dawn crawled around slowly so that she was directly behind Athianase. He was continuing his speech of persuasion, trying to get her to reveal her hiding place. Dawn inched forward gradually. Finally, when she was close enough to feel the heat emanating from his scales, she glanced up at him and sprang forward. She pushed her claws out in front of her and sank them in first. Then she bit into the part of his neck that had no scales. Her teeth sank into his soft, thick flesh and she felt some sort of liquid dripping from her fangs and into Athianase’s neck. The dragon let out a ferocious scream and shook his head so violently that Dawn fell to the ground below with a painful crash. Athianase was staring down at her. Smoke wafted out of his nostrils. His eyes were narrowed to points.
Dawn became panicky. What now? she wondered, looking around in alarm, searching for something—anything. Athianase was about to attack her.
The only thing in sight that even resembled a weapon was an especially tall blade of grass. Dawn plucked it out of the ground and examined it quickly, hoping there was something she could use it for, but to no avail. What could she possibly do with it?
Athianase let out an amused grunt. “What are you going to do with that?” he asked. “Poke me?” He let out a series of grunts. He was laughing at her.
He lowered his head down and charged. Dawn let out a cry and dodged to the side. When Athianase realized he had missed her he lifted into the air and stared down at her evilly. “It’s time to get rid of you once and for all.” He spiraled down to her and then seemed to halt in midair. He threw his head back and opened his mouth. He was going to incinerate her. Dawn whirled around and bolted away as fast as her legs could possibly run. I need you, Cobalt! she thought desperately, suddenly regaining her human senses. For a moment she was no longer wild. Or Amethyst, or Khara, or somebody! It was no use. She was alone in this battle.
You are not alone, another voice said suddenly that was not her own. Dawn cocked her head to one side.
Who are you? Dawn asked, confused. This was weird.
Cobalt.
You can…talk to me from here?
I will try to explain later. For now, what do you need?
Athianase is attacking me!
Here. A powerful feeling suddenly rushed over Dawn, almost like she had something she hadn’t had before. Now all you have to do is touch Athianase and he will be rendered unconscious. Then you can escape. The castle is in the direction of the moon. Do not go there, but go in that direction.
Thank you, Cobalt. Dawn wheeled around to face Athianase. She charged him so that they were both running toward each other. Athianase roared. Dawn sprang into the air, arms outstretched and claws out. She almost missed the dragon, but one of her claws barely brushed one of his scales. He dropped to the ground almost immediately.
Run! Dawn’s thoughts screamed at her. This time she was pretty sure they were her own. She turned around, looking for the moon. She ran in that direction, once again losing her senses. She was no longer human. She was wild—wild as the very wind and the sun. She was a wolf.
* * *
Amethyst awoke from a deep, dreamless slumber just as the first rays of sunlight poked over the horizon. Her eyes fluttered open. She felt refreshed, almost as if she would never need to sleep again. She crawled down off of her downy bed and stretched her legs. I wonder what Dawn’s up to, she thought. Cobalt had told her where he had put her. She’s probably found a good hunting place by now. She trudged out the door and down to the table. I just hope she’s okay.
She padded down the staircase and stopped at the table. Almost no one was there, which surprised her. She was almost always one of the last to wake up. Only Cobalt and Chloe were there already. Both of them looked concerned. “What’s wrong?” Amethyst asked.
“Nothing,” said Cobalt. “I’m going to go look for Dawn.” He flew off in a rush.
“Athianase did not attack us last night,” said Chloe, watching him fly away.
“It was to be expected. So soon, he could no be ready."
“His next chance will be a long time from now.”

Amethyst nodded. She looked around. “Speaking of the full moon, where is Dawn?”

Chloe shook her head. “We don’t know. Cobalt just went out to look for her.” She pushed her plate away with one of her paws. “I don’t feel like eating.” She looked around. “Have you seen Leo?” Her eyes widened and the hair on her back stood straight up. She jumped up and circled around and around. “Leo!” she cried out. No answer. “Leo, this isn’t funny!” She snarled and mumbled under her breath, “He is going to get it when I find him.”

“I’ll help you look,” Amethyst volunteered. The two of them searched all around the room—under chairs, in the corners, inside the closets. Still no Leo. “Could he be in another room?” she asked.

“I guess so,” said Chloe. She followed Amethyst into the main room next door. There were dozens—maybe even hundreds—of small doors leading to tiny, dark airshafts. Leo could have been in any of them. “Leo!” the two of them called over and over again. They began to open the doors. So far, no Leo.

Suddenly one of the doors burst open. “Roar!” a tiny voice screamed. Chloe stood there, fuming.
“What did I tell you about running off without telling me where you’re going?” Chloe demanded.

“I could get lost?” the leopard cub guessed. He hopped forward a few steps, then flipped around and charged into the little room he had been in before. He emerged carrying a small bottle in his mouth. Something was inside it. It looked like a letter. “I found this!” announced Leo, proudly setting the bottle down at Chloe’s paws. “The thing I was in was where Cobalt kept his letters. This one looked new—and it was different from the rest. Help me open it?” Chloe, relieved, bent down to take the letter in her teeth to open it. Her nose scrunched up.

“It smells like mold!” she exclaimed. “Oh, well.” She lifted the flap with her sharp teeth and shook the letter out, unfolding it with her paws. “Dear Cobalt,” she read out loud, “My guards have brought word to me that Athianase is near. Nearer to me than to you. I suspect that he will not attack you tonight. One of my people saw him lying unconscious in a field, and his army looked small and weak. Many of my most loyal human soldiers have disappeared from their posts overnight and I think they have been captured. I don’t know why, nor do I have enough soldiers now to fight with. I ask that you join forces with us. By the next full moon we could be stronger than Athianase could ever be, even with his werewolves. Separated we are weak but united we are strong. Please consider this request. Your friend, Dorvianne.”

Amethyst frowned. “Do you know what Cobalt decided to do?”

“Who’s Dare…van?” asked Leo.

“Dorvianne,” Chloe corrected. “I don’t know who she is.” She turned to Amethyst. “I’m not sure. He never told me about this.” She rolled up the damp letter and placed it back in the bottle. “Could you put this away for me?” she asked Leo.

“Yeah,” the leopard cub answered. He took the bottle in his teeth and scampered away back into the small room. “Blech,” he said, walking out a few seconds later and shaking his head back and forth, tongue lolling out. “It tastes like mold, too.” Chloe stifled a giggle at her son’s hilarious state. It looked as if maybe he wouldn’t have to be punished, after all.

“I am going out to find Cobalt,” said Amethyst, trudging toward the door. “I hope he’s found Dawn by now.”

“Okay,” said Chloe. “Would you like me to come with you?”

“Thanks, but I’ll be alright,” said Amethyst, and lifted into the air with the wind in her face and the sun’s warmth on her back.
* * *
Cobalt soared higher into the sky, scanning the ground for any sign of Dawn. So far he hadn’t had any luck. I told her to wait for me right here, he thought crossly. He sighed. Oh, well. How far could she have gotten? I told her to run toward the castle… He turned to the east. He hadn’t looked there yet. He whirled around and, without ruffling a feather, began to glide on the air. From here he could see his castle. It looked beautiful with the sun’s rays reflecting on its surface. He squinted down at the grass, still looking for Dawn.

“Might I be of any assistance?” a voice asked from behind. Cobalt turned his head to look. Amethyst was hovering in the air at the same elevation he was at.

“Thank you for coming,” he said gratefully. “Yes, you can help me. I haven’t found Dawn, but I believe that she will be somewhere near the castle. I was about to look there.”

“I will come with you.”

They flew side by side without saying a word for what seemed to be hours but were really only minutes. Finally they neared the castle. It seemed larger than ever before. It intimidated Amethyst, but Cobalt only felt pride at its size and stature. “You look behind the castle,” he told Amethyst. “I’ll look around here.” Amethyst nodded and flew away. Cobalt swiveled his head around back and forth and side to side, still with no luck. So far Amethyst couldn’t see Dawn either. Where could that blasted girl be? Cobalt wondered.
* * *
Dawn looked around, frowning. Where is Cobalt? she wondered irritably. He said he would look for me in the morning. I think that should be pretty soon. She was pretty sure it wasn't even morning anymore. Her stomach growled. Even though she had eaten so much food the day before, she still felt like she could eat the entire feast that was surely being eaten in the castle right about now. She swallowed hard. What if they all forgot about me? Another thought it her. What if Athianase attacked last night and I wasn’t even there to fight? By now she was nearly panicking. Her vision blurred. What if Cobalt is dead? What if everyone is dead? How will I get home? She shook her head. I have to stop thinking like this. I’m going insane. She reminded herself how unlikely Amethyst had said it was for the attack to be so soon.

It was about then that a shadow passed over her. Her heart leaped with joy as she looked up. She couldn’t tell who it was because they were so high up in the sky, but someone had just flown over her. She sprinted after the creature with blissfulness in her eyes. She waved her hands around frantically, screaming and jumping around. At last the creature heard her and began a long dive down to the island. Dawn still wouldn’t tell who it was, or even what species, but whoever it was could help her in some way or another.

Finally its paws touched the dusty earth. From behind, all Dawn could see was the gargantuan figure of a dragon. She gasped and staggered back, afraid for a second that it was Athianase. Then she realized that this dragon’s scales were not red but a bright yellowish-orange and that it did not have four parallel scars on its chest, as she saw when it turned around. Athianase did.

“Trax yopwa wahn,” said the dragon in a deep voice that seemed to shake the very foundation of the island, “wah wom tra gedj puz tiekrit mew hurew noré?” His voice was not rude, but not kind either. Dawn quickly translated his words in her head. Who are you, she thought, and why were so obsessed with getting me down here?

She chose the right words and then said, “U boev gedj wom yotresk plun.” I thought you were someone else.

“Fralano?” Who?

“Cobalt.”

The dragon threw his head back and let out a series of deep, throaty grunts. Still speaking in the Mystian language he said, “You thought I was a griffin?”

Dawn, struggling to find the right words to say, said, “You were high up in the sky. As far as I could tell, you could have been a bird.”

The dragon snorted. “Do not insult me.”

“Could you take me back to the castle?” asked Dawn. She turned around and around. She couldn’t find it for the tallness of the grass around her.

“What am I, your pack mule?”

“Never mind!” Dawn exclaimed in English. She saw that this dragon was not going to do anything constructive for her. “I’ll find it myself. Goodbye.” She didn’t care that the dragon probably had no idea what she was saying. She just stood up straight and tall and walked in the direction she thought best. She left the dragon sitting in the grass. I hope that dragon rots in a pit, she thought.
* * *
After hours of searching, Dawn began to grow dizzy. She still couldn’t find the castle anywhere. For the first time she began to realize just how big Mystia really was, and she hated it. Right then she hated a lot of things. She hated the sun, which was boiling hot and turning her face light pink. She hated the tall, dense grass, which made it hard to walk. Most of all, she hated the barren landscape. I hope it burns, she decided. I hope it burns and drowns in the ocean. And all the dragons with it. By now she didn’t have a good opinion of dragons. She hadn’t yet met an especially friendly one, except maybe her teacher. All of the dragons except for Shenovela should drown right now.

Suddenly her legs gave and she fell to her knees. Her tongue was dry, her throat parched. Her head ached and spun in all directions.

She fell backward into the dry grass. Am I going to die? she wondered, staring at the sky. Her vision clouded and all she could see was blackness everywhere she looked. She couldn’t see anything. Her brain felt as if it had stopped.

The grass rustled behind her even though the wind had stopped blowing. Since she still couldn’t see she said in a weak voice, “Who’s there?”

“Tryquon,” a voice answered. Dawn groaned as she realized that it was the same dragon from earlier.

“Go away,” she muttered. “Fly back to where you live. Talk to someone else. Go drown in a tar pit for all I care. Just leave me alone.”

Tryquon suddenly sounded sympathetic. “I came to help.”

“You mean you’ll take me?” Dawn propped herself up on one elbow. Her vision cleared and she could once again see the bright-scaled dragon. But Tryquon was shaking his head.

“I can lead you there. I know who you are. I have been hearing countless rumors of you all over my village.”

“Okay,” said Dawn. Then she went totally limp. Her vision once again clouded over and the world spun away into a black nothingness.
* * *
She awoke to the shock of cold water. She felt frozen all the way from her shoulders to her ankles. Her eyes popped open. She was wide awake from the sudden sensation. It was then that she realized that she was wet. She realized someone had just dumped water on her. She couldn’t see anything because of her blurred vision. Did I faint? She thought she probably did.

“Drink this,” someone said. Something cold and made of metal touched up against her lower lip. Dawn took it in both of her hands and tipped it forward. Cold, nearly frozen water washed over her mouth and rushed down her throat. She loved the feeling so much that she drank the entire bucketful. When the last drop was gone, she let out a contented grunt and then coughed.

“Kvingwe,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” someone answered in English.

Dawn closed her eyes and opened them again. She could once again see straight. There in front of her was an elf. She had short, curly, light-brown hair and huge blue-gray eyes that blinked down at her. She looked to be in her twenties in human years.

“Are you all right?” the elf asked.

“I’m fine,” said Dawn. Then she reconsidered. “I think.” Her stomach gurgled. She opened her mouth, ready to ask for more water, but words were not what came out. Instead, she let out a long, loud belch. “Ooh!” she covered her mouth with both hands. “I’m sorry!”

For a second the elf appeared to be a bit nauseous. Then she unexpectedly threw her head back. A loud, piercing laugh erupted from her dainty throat. “That was amazing!” she shrieked, giggling. Dawn was taken aback. This girl was not like Ben or any other elf she had yet seen. She did not seem to care about being graceful or elegant. Dawn liked that. She let herself laugh, too.

“Thanks.”

“Estaura?” a voice called.

“Yes?” the elf answered.

“Did Dawn wake up?”

“She did! Would you like me to bring her to you?”

“No, let her rest. She looked as if she was up all night.”

“Tryquon says to leave you alone so that you can sleep,” Estaura told Dawn, spreading four blankets over the bed. “You must be exhausted.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“Don’t mention it. Goodnight…or good morning,” Estaura joked. She turned off the light in the room and slipped out the door. Dawn’s eyes drifted shut and she was asleep within seconds.
“I think she’s waking up now,” a hollow voice murmured as Dawn slowly opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. Who’s there? she wondered. The world wouldn’t come into focus.

“Estaura?” Dawn guessed.

“I’m here. Tryquon, too,” the voice answered. “Do you need to sleep some more?”

Dawn stretched and yawned noisily. “Ugh,” she said, rubbing her eyes again. “No, I think I’m okay for now.” She sat up—slowly—and looked around. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my home,” said Tryquon. His voice seemed to have become softer. “Are you too cold?” He reconsidered. “Or too hot?”


Dawn shivered. It was really cold, but the blankets made it better. She sank lower into them. “No, I’m okay.” She could feel both Estaura and Tryquon’s eyes on her. “Why did you bring me here in the first place?”

Tryquon grunted. “You would have died by tomorrow if I’d left you out there. The vultures would have picked your bones clean by the next day.”

Lovely. She sat up suddenly. “Are we far away from the castle? I have to get back!” Her head began to spin. Her body swayed back and forth.

Estaura walked closer and laid her down by the shoulders. “Don’t go getting yourself into a fit. You’re gonna hurt yourself. The castle’s on the other side of Mystia.” She sat down at the foot of the bed. “Do you need anything else?”

“I’m fine. I have to get back.” She stood up on the icy stone floor by her bed and walked a few steps. Her knees were shaky, but she didn’t care.

Estaura took her by the arm. “Let’s go talk in the main room,” she said, motioning for Tryquon to follow. “We have something to discuss.”

Once the three of them had walked down many dark hallways and were standing in the largest room in the cave, Estaura sat Dawn down in a wooden chair. The elf remained standing. “We know that you are a werewolf, and that you want to change back. We want to help.”

“Help how?”

“Change you back.”

“You can do that?” Dawn started, jumping out of her chair.

“Calm down,” said Estaura. “Stop getting so excited. I’m sorry—we can’t change you back ourselves. We do know how you can change yourself back, however.” She gave a lopsided grin. “Would you like that?”

“I would love it.”

“Listen closely,” said Tryquon. He walked closer and stopped at the glass table in front of Dawn. He looked over her shoulder, staring at something. Dawn turned around and saw that there was a bookshelf there that was full of maps. His yellow eyes that seemed to glow stopped on one. Estaura reached out and took it off of the shelf. “I will tell you how you can get to the great Tree of Transformation,” Tryquon said. He spread the yellowing, crackly paper out over the table and looked down at it. Dawn ran her eyes over it a few times. It was a map of Mystia. She could see now that the island was huge. “This,” said Tryquon, pointing at a mountain range near the very end of the map, “is where we are. This—” He now pointed at the opposite end where there was a large white smudge—“is Cobalt’s castle.”

Estaura walked over to the table. “The Tree is right in the middle.” Her eyes met Dawn’s. “You have a long journey in front of you…that is, if you choose to partake in it.”

Dawn thought for a moment. “Will you go with me?”

“I will,” Estaura volunteered. “Tryquon has some business to take care of here.”

“Then I’ll go. Anything to change me back to human.”

Estaura nodded in approval. “That is a wise choice.”

“When should we leave?”

“As soon as possible. How would you feel about tomorrow morning?” Estaura rolled up the map and dropped it into what, to Dawn, looked like an elongated soda can with a shoulder strap.

“That sounds okay,” said Dawn. Her stomach grumbled loudly. She looked up at Estaura and Tryquon sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.”

“I will get you something to eat,” said Tryquon, and flew away.

Dawn stood up and looked around at the dark, moist cave. “Are you friends with Tryquon?” she asked. “Is that that why you live here?”

Estaura smiled. “I suppose you could call it that. I’m sort of an indentured servant volunteer, you could say. Tryquon paid enough money for me to travel all the way to Mystia by boat. The least I can do is help him around his cave.”

Dawn frowned. “Aren’t all elves from Mystia? I just thought since there were so many others…”

For a moment Estaura looked sad. “I don’t know. I think we’re sort of scattered evenly all over the world. I’d only seen one other one before I came here. I want to get married—you know, start a family.”

“Is that why you traveled to the island?”

“Yes, one of the reasons, but first I need to settle my debts to Tryquon.”

“Oh.”

Tryquon came back into the room just then with a silver tray.

“Are you still hungry?” he asked.

“Yes.” Dawn nodded, her mouth watering. Tryquon handed the tray over to Estaura. She set it down on the glass table and picked a chunk of watermelon off of it. She popped it into her mouth and crunched noisily.

“Have some!” she said to Dawn, scooting the tray a little bit farther towards her. “There’s fruit, bread, chicken, vegetables…”

Dawn scoured the tray with her eyes and began scooping up chicken. “Thanks,” she said with her mouth full. “Thanks for going with me, by the way.”

“No problem. I really enjoy a little adventure every now and then.”

Dawn laughed a little at the irony. That was the complete opposite of what she was starting to think about adventure.

Tryquon grunted and looked away.

I wonder what’s wrong with him, Dawn thought. “Let’s look at the map one more time,” she said to Estaura. The elf took it out and unrolled it. “Where exactly are we going to be traveling?” she asked.

Estaura pointed one long fingernail at the map. “Once we are away from the mountain we will walk to here.” She snaked her finger across a black line. “We will take an old road and then round a corner here. We will travel through this forest—” Here she pointed to a large green smudge—“and see what we can find in the way of food there. Then we’ll need to go across a small desert. It’s probably a day’s journey through that, so we’ll need to gather lots of water beforehand. The Tree is right in the middle of the forest on the other side.” She rolled the map back up. “It is a dangerous journey. There are ogres in the forest and wild animals in the desert.” She stared down at the table. “I have also heard rumors of a sagrah ormansety somewhere along the Pipta River.” When Dawn looked over at her, her face was a bit pale.

“What is a…a sagrah or—”

“It is a hideous, ravenous monster. More ferocious than a dragon, wilder than a werewolf, uglier than an ogre.” She stared at Dawn. “If it is there—if we come in contact with it in any way—we must kill it at all costs.”

“Are you sure it’ll attack us?”

“Usually it only kills for food, but the others have been saying that it is in a treaty with Athianase. If it is, it will try to kill you. We’ll have to be careful.”

“Okay.”

“Enough talk about such dark subjects. Here, eat some more chicken. We should enjoy our last few hours in the cave.”

Dawn’s stomach growled again. She eagerly grabbed a large hunk of meat and stuffed it into her mouth. It tasted so good, she felt as if she were home. “This is so good,” she said. Her mouth was full, but she didn’t care.

“Thank you,” said Tryquon. “It’s my specialty.” For the first time, Dawn noticed that both he and Estaura were speaking English.

“Why do you two know my language so well?” she asked.

“When Cobalt heard of you,” said Estaura, “he required all of his subjects to learn at least a few words of English. Tryquon and I wanted to meet you, so we learned it fluently.” She smiled. “I guess it paid off, didn’t it?”

Dawn nodded. So at least there was someone here who would welcome her. “I only know a little bit of Mystian right now.”

“That’s okay. You’ll learn.” She turned around and walked away. “I’ll be right back,” she said over her shoulder. Dawn noticed the spring in her step.

Tryquon grunted. Dawn looked over at him quickly, but he remained staring down at the floor. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as a wave of awkwardness washed over her. I wish he would say something, she thought. After a few minutes she couldn’t take it anymore. Where are you, Estaura? Next to the dragon she felt like a sore thumb. Is he mad at me? she wondered.

Finally Estaura walked back in carrying two boxes. “These are really fun games. I thought you’d probably like them.”

“Okay,” said Dawn.

Estaura set the boxes down on the floor. “Which one do you want to play first—Stronga Boretinga or Ryquov?”

Dawn frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t speak Mystian. How do you play them?”

Estaura giggled. “I’m sorry, I forgot—and they’re not Mystian, they’re made by…and for…elves.” She pointed at the older-looking of the boxes. “In Stronga Boretinga, which in English means ‘Maze of Lights,’ the players have to find the end of the maze before their opponents. You point a light through it and the first to get their light correctly to the end and shout ‘Lorc!’ is the winner. Lorc means ‘finished.’ The maze changes every time.” She pointed at the newer, shinier box. “In Ryquov, which means ‘Act’ you have to do the things it says on the cards.”

“Like what?”

“Oh…dance like a dryad, roar exactly as an ogre, that kind of thing. Simple, really. Whoever does the thing better wins.”

“But I don’t know how to do that stuff,” Dawn said. She frowned. “Let’s just play the first one.” Estaura took the lid off of the box. Dawn watched as she lifted out two more black boxes and two wooden sticks. She handed one of each to Dawn, who took them and set them down in front of her. “Now what?” she asked.

“Open your maze, turn on your light, and begin!” said Estaura. She flipped open hers and blew on her stick. It immediately shone a beam onto the box. Dawn did the same, and stopped short when she saw what was inside the box. There’s no way, was all she could think. What she was looking at was the most convoluted maze she had ever seen. For all the twists, turns, and dead ends that the box held, she could barely even see the pathway. There’s no way. There’s absolutely no way. She sighed and pointed her light to the maze. It barely fit in the spaces between the walls. She hit a dead end immediately. Letting out an exasperated puff of air, she retraced her “steps” and tried a different path. This one worked and took her all the way to the middle of the maze. After ten minutes she hit another dead end, but only had to retrace her steps a few inches. I’m almost done! she realized. She rounded one more corner… “LORC!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. The maze lit up and her stick buzzed in her hand.

“You did it!” Estaura yelped in disbelief.

Dawn could only stare. “I did?”

“Yes!” Estaura started spewing out words in Mystian…or maybe the elf language. Dawn wasn’t sure which. “Look!” she gasped, pointing at her own maze. “I was only halfway through, and I have never lost before.”

“Really?” said Dawn. “I honestly don’t know how I did that,” she said.

Estaura gave a half-grin. “That’s easy. It’s because it's your destiny to fight with us. You just beat the highest Stronga Boretinga score ever recorded. We must tell the others. You could go down in history!”

Dawn couldn’t wipe her grin off of her face. How did I do that? she wondered. I wasn’t good at puzzles at all back at home. Wait till my friends hear about this! Then she reconsidered. They would never believe me, unless I had proof. Maybe I could show them Amethyst or something. Back at home, she had been among those that others never noticed. Imagine the looks on everyone’s faces when she came home an Mystian warrior!—and possibly a werewolf too, but she hoped not.

Dawn and Estaura played Stronga Boretinga for the rest of the evening, fifteen games in all. Estaura won only one of them. Dawn had let her win. Even then she almost won. I can’t believe this, she thought.

Finally after the last game, Estaura yawned and stood up. “I’ll go get you something to sleep in,” she said. “We should go to bed.” Dawn yawned, too, and followed Estaura out of the room. They walked swiftly out of the room and back into the twisted labyrinth that was the hallway. Estaura stopped in front of a door. She reached out a hand and turned the knob. She and Dawn stepped into it and looked around.

It was as small as a closet. The only thing to be seen within was a single dresser made of rusty brown iron. Estaura opened it and looked inside. She pulled out a long, frilly nightgown and handed it to Dawn. “Do you think it’ll fit?”

“I think so.”

“I’ll leave you to try it on. I’ll be outside when you’re done.”

“Okay.” When Estaura had left and shut the door behind her, Dawn undressed and stepped into the nightgown. It came all the way down to the floor and was too big at the waistline and the arms but was otherwise perfect. “I’m ready,” she called, and Estaura opened the door to let her out.

“Does it fit okay?” the elf asked when Dawn had emerged from the room with her clothes slung over her arm. Dawn nodded. “Good. Let’s go down to the main room and say goodnight to Tryquon.”