A screech echoed around the hall, and Storm turned her head, looking for the source of the noise.

Then she realized her jaw was hanging open.

Oh. It was her.

She clamped down her jaws, and stared in horror at the corpse, misery flooding her chest. She felt like crying, this wasn't supposed to happen.

"Is it... h- him?" Whispered Whirlmist, stepping towards her, his wing curved gently around the trembling SeaWing's frame.

Storm stared at him in despair. "I don't know, I just don't know!" She stared back at it. The eyes were obsidian black, just like Mojave's eyes.

But some things were off. The scales were rectangular, not triangular like Mojave's. There was no barb on the tail, and the horns had no green on them.

Relief washed over Storm, but she was still edged with fear. "It's not him." She informed Whirlmist, then she blinked. "But who is it?"

Suddenly Whirlmist gaped, his eyes brimming with shock. "It's Jade." He whispered. "Princess Jade." His scales flashed brighter then the sun and the moon combined, and his face showed a emotion of horror and pure misery- much like Storm's thoughts when she thought is was Mojave.

"She..." his face said all that Storm needed to hear. She knew who this dragon was to him, even if Jade did not know it in her waking world. With a single motion, Storm wrapped a large wet wing over his back.

"We need to tell Qibli." she whispered. "But you can stay here- wait, we need to get to Mojave." She suddenly drew back her wing. Her SeaWing wing. "Because of... my looks."

He stared at her in despair, then hunched over the SkyWing in his sorrow, sobbing miserably. Storm felt sadness burst in her chest, the gong would ring in forty minutes. She had to grab Mojave.

Quickly, she thought through the schedule that Lotus had studied wit her three nights before. Geography. She remembered, heading quickly away from the mourning royals, and up the winding hall.

Geography was "conveniently" across the school. It took her about ten minutes to cross the halls, wind in between straying class-jumpers, and reach the class. At the entrance, she quickly took a breather. Nobody would recognize her.

Perfect.

She entered the class, holding her head up high and tilting her head gently in a superior manner. Storm lifted her talons with such elegance, that she felt a certain pair of eyes on her as she crossed the room. Winter was at the front of the class, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes?" hissed the IceWing, his whip-thin tail lashing back and forth. Storm felt quite scared at this, as if the Prince could see through the fake scales. "To what do we owe the pleasure of a... SeaWing." he trailed off in blunt confusion.

"Yes," Storm said in her most elegant voice. "I am here for Qibli and Moonwatcher's son... Mojave's the name?" She lifted her chin and attempted at staring straight at Winter's eyes. "I'm P-princess Seafoam."

Winter flinched at Mojave's name, but nodded steadily. "You may borrow him for as long as you need," He blinked. "And if you see a deformed SkyWing and a snotty SeaWing- your brother i presume- send them in." He nodded at Mojave, who stood up in confusion and walked after the exiting dragon.

As soon as they were far enough away, Storm spun around and blinked at Mojave. "It's me." she hissed. "Storm." She blinked her eyes at the startled face.

His eyes widened in recognition and happiness flooded his face. "Your alright! Your safe- where's Whirlmist?"

She let out a quick breath. "First, change me back. Back into a SkyWing."

Mojave blinked. "Oh sure, okay." He muttered a few words, then placed a talon on her arm.

Suddenly she felt her scales shifting, and she glanced down and saw her blue scales melt to ginger. SkyWing. She thought gleefully, then remembered Jade and straightened up.

"I have to show you something."

Mojave stared in horror down at the corpse. It was hard to predict the feelings in his head, except for, perhaps, pure confusion.

Storm doubted he even knew who Jade was.

The SkyWing blinked at him. "We need to tell Qibli." She said lightly, nodding to Whirlmist's bent over frame. "Before matters get worse."

Mojave stared at her. "I can tell him." He hissed. "He'll take it better from me."

Take it better? "Was Jade a member of your family?" She asked, dumbfounded.

The SandWing shook his head. "No, she is Thorn's eldest daughter. The heir to the throne." He blinked sadly at the corpse. "She was like a sister to me."

Storm felt a tug of jealousy at the way he was staring, but ignored it. "Okay." She murmured. "But... Whirlmist..."

Suddenly the gong rang and they heard the scuffling of talons. Dragonets were coming. They couldn't see this.

Then suddenly the corpse and Mojave disappeared, leaving Storm and Prince Whirlmist alone.

The SeaWing stared at her. "She's gone." He whispered. "She's really gone."

Storm felt raw. How do you get a guy to feel better? Do you, uh, pat them? She stretched a wing around him and patted his back gently.

He reacted by hissing fiercely.

I guess that's a no.

"Whirlmist?" A voice echoed around the weirdly-empty halls. By now it should have been flooded with dragonets, but instead, a singular black dragonet with white eyes and pale gray wings stood alone.

"Largefang?" Whispered Whirlmist, scorn edging his voice. "Come to mock me for tearing up?"

Largefang shook his head, gently stepping forward. "I have no dream of such a rotten torture."

Whirlmist glared at him, but nodded. "Okay..." he sighed deeply, his eyes downcast.

Storm dipped her head, splaying pit her wings and looking at the pool of blood which Jade had just been laying in.

Who killed Jade?

She sighed deeply and exited from the hall as dragonets flooded in, weaving among them. She needed to talk with Inkwriter.

Inkwriter was sorting bugs in his room, but once Storm reached the cave, her turned and smiled.

"Hello, Storm!" He said cheerfully, his eyes round and happy. "What's up?"

Storm tipped her head at the brightness in his pupils, it was unlike the usually concerned-about-everything gaze he set upon dragons.

"I need to talk with you." She hissed, sweeping her eyes around the cave. "Alone."

Suddenly Lotus materialized from behind him. "Oh, sure." She barked cheerfully, trotting out of the den and leaving Storm with the NightWing.

She took a deep breath and slid the parchment out of her bag. "What does this mean?" She snapped. "Your a futureseer, you must know."

Inkwriter blinked in horror at her. "I see various paths." He whispered. "And I'm afraid if I tell you... you'll most likely die in half of the paths, and t captured in the others." He dipped his head. "I'm sorry."

Storm was seething in outrage. "I just swam into the ocean with a dragon I despise, then I entered a cave with a fairly creepy pink dragon, and then WITNESSED MURDER." She yelled. "I CAN HANDLE BEING CAPTURED."

Inkwriter blinked. "I'm sorry." He slid the paper back to her, but under his breath Storm heard a faint whisper.

"For those who breathe but never speak, a danger will arise beyond this peak.

A talon of power must hold the hand of all who have past ruled this land.

But if the talon cannot be held...

The mountain will fall and melt."

Storm growled at him. "What the Scorching was that." She whispered.

Inkwriter shook his head. "I don't know, don't tell anyone- please." He turned away from her and dismissed Storm.

Storm yelled at him through her mind. STUPID MIND READER! She screeched to herself, then turned and exited the cave.

But as she passed Lotus, who was a pretty shade of yellow, She was jerked into what she had saw only minutes ago.

Why did someone kill Jade?