Clay watches Peril fight a SandWing dragon named Horizon. Horizon has won four previous fights but he doesn't try to attack Peril, just run away. Clay is confused until he sees Peril attack Horizon. All she does is touch him but Horizon screams in agony. When Peril pulls away Clay sees that her claw has burned Horizon. He also realizes that the burn is very similar to the ones that Kestrel has on her claws. He wonders if Kestrel fought Peril and that is how she became injured. Desperate, Horizon attaches himself to Peril and dies quickly. Peril is shocked at what he has done and Queen Scarlet is not amused, calling the fight boring. She assures the crowd that tomorrow they will see something they have never seen before. Clay fears this means they will make Starflight fight, and Clay knows that Starflight will never survive, especially since he does not have the telepathy that NightWings are supposed to have. Queen Scarlet leaves and her guards wheel Glory's tree after her. Glory is still asleep and Clay worries that she might be drugged or something.
Clay wakes up to find Peril waiting to talk to him. He tries to be friendly while figuring out what to do. Peril confuses him. She is upset that Horizon is dead, but not because she killed him. She is upset because he didn't even try to fight. She is also upset because Queen Scarlet blames her for the poor fight since it is her job to make the fights interesting. Clay asks Peril why she is so loyal to the queen. Peril tells him it is because no one else wants her. She has too much fire inside so normally those eggs are smashed. Bitter, she tells Clay that her own mother was going to smash her egg. But instead the queen saved her and killed her mother. Clay begs her to prevent Starflight from fighting but since the queen is already angry with her Peril doesn't think she will be able to stop the fight. Clay volunteers to fight instead, explaining that Starflight's telepathy isn't fully developed yet, and Peril agrees to talk to the queen. She also admits to Clay that she has been forbidden to speak with him but she does anyway.
The next morning guards show up to take Clay to see the queen. He goes with them peacefully, then sees Tsunami fighting her guards and wonders if he should have done the same. They pass Peril's room which is completely devoid of anything. Clay realizes if she tried to read a scroll she would probably burn through it. But it gets him wondering, if Peril really is only good for fighting why hasn't the queen sent her to fight in the war? Why keep her as her private champion? As they move along Clay also passes Kestrel in a cage but he is ushered past her quickly. They reach the throne room where Starflight is already. Tsunami is brought in and a genuine debate happens between queen Scarlet and the dragonets. As they talk the dragonets realize they really know nothing about the war or how to end it, while queen Scarlet points out that a lot of dragons are happy about the war. They ask after Sunny and queen Scarlet says that queen Burn collects oddities so she is giving Sunny to her. Clay also asks what is wrong with Glory that she keeps sleeping and queen Scarlet laughs, telling him that nothing is wrong with Glory, RainWings are just naturally lazy. She asks who will fight in the arena next and both Clay and Tsunami volunteer but Clay puts forward a better argument so he is chosen while the rest are sent away.
Clay is placed in the arena against an IceWing named Fjord. He tries to talk peacefully with him, but Fjord isn't interested since that will get them both killed and he wants go survive. As they move around each other Clay sees Starflight trying to give him hints about Fjord's attacks. Clay does fight Fjord, and Fjord is surprised that Clay does not use MudWing fighting techniques. The fight drags on and the queen gets impatient, threatening to kill them both Fjord gains the upper hand and Clay wonders if he is going to die.
Tsunami tries to break free and help Clay, causing queen Scarlet to send her guards to go deal with her. Everyone is distracted and Clay realizes he is going to die when suddenly black drops appear on Fjord. The drops burn, causing Fjord to scream and die and making Clay the winner of the fight. Clay tries to figure out who could have attacked Fjord, but the only ones with an opportunity in the correct position are queen Scarlet (who is pleased), Glory (who is asleep), and Peril (who looks scared). Back in his prison, Clay feels awful about the fight, his friends imprisonment, and about Fjord's death. Peril comes to visit him, asking about his secret attack, but he insists it wasn't him and it must have been the queen. Peril is unsure, though she does admit the queen doesn't mind cheating. Peril has information about Sunny, but she will only give it in exchange for Clay's help. Clay tells her he would help her anyway but Peril doesn't believe him. She tells him there is a trial tomorrow and she has been forbidden from watching it and she doesn't understand why. She knows the dragon is just going to be found guilty anyway so she doesn't understand the secrecy. She wants to watch the trial hidden behind Clay. Clay agrees, telling her that the warmth from her helps his injuries, and she helps him heal his IceWing wounds with mud and heat. As they talk he finds out that Peril doesn't wish to challenge queen Scarlet for the throne and that she must eat small black rocks every day to survive. As she leaves to get Clay food he realizes that the reason she forbidden to watch the trial is because Kestrel is probably her mother.
So, first of all, I think Clay is right and Kestrel is Peril's mother. Second, despite Clay's so called murderous tendencies when he was first born he is clearly a pacifist. Third, he is also an idiot because Glory is clearly faking being asleep and I bet anything she is the one with the secret poison attack. There is no way she would let Clay, who has always defended her, get slaughtered. And no one knows anything about RainWings so anything is possible when it comes down to her.
Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, queen Scarlet is very correct - the dragonets have no clue about the political state of the world. Which, of course, the dragonets wanted to leave the cave and see the world but were forbidden from doing so. But it is interesting that one of the queens they have been raised to stop is pointing this out to them. And it makes me question the Talons of Peace - and more specifically Morrowseer since he appears to be in charge. What good are a bunch of dragonets who can't actually fulfill a prophecy because pertinent information has been kept from them? The answer is no good, which means the Talons of Peace are trying to play the very dragonets they are placing their faith in. They are trying to manipulate their own prophecy. I could be wrong, but after queen Scarlet's conversation with Clay, Tsunami, and Starflight that is all I can think of.
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