"Turn left! Sharp dodge! Use your fire!" Queen Copper yelled. Queen Copper was bedecked in rubies, something Blaze had been quick to notice. When they had entered the castle, Copper gave them a huge welcome, which she promised would be followed by a battle and a feast. Well, the battle part was happening, but it was not what Burn had expected. The arena took up most of the palace, which explained its mass. Around the sand pit were tall pillars, each holding a dragon. Copper had explained that whenever there was battle or a traitor, they were taken to her arena, where each dragon would take a turn to fight to the death, if a dragon won enough battles, they would go free. But it hasn't been done, because whenever a dragon won about three times, Copper would send in her champion, who would always win. At the moment, her champion was a huge SkyWing, bigger than Burn, even bigger than the queen. And with that bulk, it was only logical to understand came strength. The combatants at the moment where an IceWing and a NightWing. NightWings And IceWings had always hated each other, Blister explained. So they would have probably fought even without the arena. Just as the IceWing was about to blast his frost breath at the NightWing, fire came his way. The projectile weapons hit each other in mid air and caused smoke to engulf the arena. No dragon could see what was happening around them, suddenly, a terrible ripping sound filled the air and the IceWing lunged out of the smoke holding the NightWings' head. Burn was half glad that the smoke had blocked her view of this sight.
"How thrilling!" Scarlet shouted, leaning over her pavilion to glaze at the bloody sand.
"How horrible." Blaze whispered, looking very green. Queen Copper looked amused as well. Without getting up from her throne, she flicked her tail at the guards on either side of the ledge and they swooped down and cleaned up the mess, while more grabbed the IceWing and chained him back on his pillar.

"The winner of this round is Frigid of the IceWings!" shouted a dragon standing on the roof of the pavilion where Scarlet, Blaze, Blister, Copper, and Burn sat. "We have one finial round for today, which I'm sure to be as deadly as the last! Hold onto your talons as we bring in the combatants!" the audience around the arena roared with approval. Apparently, they were as excited for blood as Copper and Scarlet.
"So, do SandWings have an arena?" Scarlet asked, leaning forward as to talk to Burn.
"We do, but, only when there is a challenge for the throne. We don't have fights every day." Burn responded.
"I was under the impression that you liked to fight." Scarlet wondered aloud.
"I did- I mean, I do, but, not to the death. I would only kill, if... if I had to." Burn correct her. She was uncomfortably aware that Blister seemed to be paying close attention to her words. She had twisted her black diamond pattern neck to watch Burn carefully.
"For our final battle, we have a SandWing who-" but the announcers voice was cut off by Blaze's gasp. Although Burn didn't gasp, she was with Blaze. Why would Copper force a SandWing to fight in her arena while they were with her? However, there were several SandWing guests in the audience who seemed untroubled with this news. "Who was caught spying against Queen Copper and Queen Oasis!" now it was Burn's turn to looked shocked. A SandWing who was spying against their mother? Who would do such a traitorous thing? "I give you, Strike of the SandWings!" a scruffy looking SandWing with a brown ruff and brown spots all over his scales was dropped into the arena. He looked shaken, trembling all over. His dark brown pupils found Copper's red eyes, who smiled, showing her yellow teeth. He then glanced at the SandWing sisters. Blaze and Blister were avoiding eye contact with him, but Burn caught his glaze. She couldn't understand why he would spy against her, but a small part of her forgave him and craved his explanation. But she was tough, and could not let that part consume her. She dropped his gaze.
"His opponent, a SeaWing who was captured in a recent battle, Splash of the SeaWings!" an indigo SeaWing was dropped in front of Strike. She turned her head, flexing her thick tail. She was much bigger than him, Burn almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "Claws up, teeth ready, FIGHT!" Splash immediately lunged for Strike, who dodged out of her way quickly. She grabbed his tail and swung him forward to face her.
"Don't run away coward!" She growled. Her talons dug into his tail. Yelping in pain, he shot a jet of flames at her face. Releasing him, he ducked away and ran again. Splash turned and raced after him, the metal holds on her wings clanking all the while. She jumped at him and grabbed his horns, jerking his head up quickly while ramming him into the wall directly below Burn's ledge. She hung her head over the railing to watch. "Time to die, SandWing!" she hissed softly, releasing one of his horns and sinking her talons into his neck. He flapped his wings, hard in am attempt to throw her off. But she was too strong. He must have realized this because he gave up, his wings going limp.
"Do it fast, okay?" Strike told her. Burn shuddered, and drew back from the ledge, not wanting to see. She waited, expecting to hear a thud that confirmed Strike's body hit the sand. And she did. It did happen. Silver claws glinting in the air as Splash ripped Strike's throat out.

Burn couldn't sleep. She hadn't eaten much at the feast (although SandWings don't need much substance), and now she paced back and forth in her room. The look Strike had given her, what had it meant? She also felt an odd feeling in her stomach. She felt as if she knew him, had been his friend. But she had never met him. She had to fly, she couldn't stay cooped up in this stuffy palace. She walked towards the huge window opposite of her ledge, and slipped through it. It felt wonderful to spread her wings in the cold night air. Flapping away the aches of the day. She turned around and twisted in the air. Where should she go? What she really wanted to do was find information about Strike. Then it hit her, she should go and ask the prisoners! She wouldn't release them, she felt no desire to. She only wanted to question them. She flew higher and found the tall pillars where she could see the black shapes of the sleeping dragons. Flying towards then, she found her target. Splash, the SeaWing would had killed Strike. She landed on the pillar, which was big enough to hold both dragons. Perhaps when she heard the noise of talons clanking against the stone, she woke up. Because she turned her head and spotted Burn.
"Ah, Princess Burn," she said, stretching her wings out as far as she could when they were clamped shut. By the light of the two moons that were showing in the sky, Burn could see that her arms and legs where attached to metal wires, that affixed her to the other prisoners. Interesting idea. "To what do I owe this very late pleasure?"
"That SandWing you killed today, Strike, what do you know about him?" Burn asked right away. She wasn't going to dilly dally with pointless conversation, she felt as though the answer was dangling in front of her, but still out her her reach. Splash titled her head curiously.
"Why do you want to know?" Splash questioned.
"I'm the one asking the questions, sea dragon," Burn hissed. "Answer me, or I'll make sure that Copper puts you up against her champion tomorrow."
"Alright, fine. Let's see," Splash stretched out her talons in front of her, and starting to tick things off. "Let's see, he was a SandWing, a spy, was captured, sent to the aren-"
"Do not play games with me!" Burn snarled, flames coming out of her nostrils.
"I don't research dragons that I'm faced up against in the arena. I don't know anything about him." Splash retorted.
"Do you know anyone that does know anything useful about him?" Burn asked.
"Nope," Splash smiled as Burn turned from her, her barb swinging inches from the SeaWing's face. Burn took off, as Splash called after her: "Tell Copper that I want to fight her champion tomorrow anyway! I'm done being prisoner!"