We fight for our future in honor of our past. Just as our ancestors watch over us, we must watch over our young. One day they will be the ones honoring us.

This is Our Law. 

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

My heart hammered in my chest as the Davnishniy took her place on the central ice pillar. The room was hushed, most staring in awe at the most ancient dragonling alive, and I felt like everyone could hear the anxious beating that rattled my body.

Slowly dragonlings took their drake forms and flew over, much perching on the lower rungs of the ice pillars that their king or queen was on. I shifted as well but hesitated as I looked for Queen Dominika. She technically was still my queen, no matter how much I wanted to kill her, and I didn't want to make a mistake with the Davnishniy watching.

Then my eyes caught on Queen Dominika and my poor heart stopped again. Her eyes were fixed on me with burning rage, like two pinpricks of orange fire. Her body was covered in fresh wounds, scales shifting rapidly from red to black where they weren't missing, and the end of her tail twitched threateningly.

I forced myself to meet Queen Dominika's gaze, acutely aware that she was nearly twice my size, and then walked to the base of the Davnishniy's pillar, where many of the younger dragonlings were gathered to watch the wyk with wide eyes. I sat beside a fyn who was barely older than me and wondered why he was there. Was he like me? Did he have the same problems I did?

The Davnishniy's powerful voice finally pulled me from my thoughts as she began to speak. "Welcome," she began, "to the Solstice. Though we are creatures of battle, this is a time of peace. Lay down your hostilities tonight. We are not colonies at war. Tonight, we are one. We are one species against the world that aims to destroy us and the fact that we have survived this far is cause for celebration."

Roars echoed around the room, but I barely heard them. The Davnishniy's charisma and eloquence were belied by her battle-worn body. Doubt boiled up in me. Can I ever be like that? Can I lead like her? Her words cut straight to my soul like a razor blade.

"Now," the Davnishniy continued once it quieted down, "is the time that I hear your voices and pass down the wisdom given to me by my time in this long life. This is-"

The speech was interrupted by the scrabbling of claws against the ice. A young draggy, too young to fly, was making his way up to the Davnishniy with a determination in this stubby little legs. There was a horrified gasp from a nearby wyk who was probably his mother, but then rumbling laughter rang out in the cavern.

The Davnishniy reached down, grasping the draggy gently between her teeth and pulling him up to her side. With a fierce little growl, the draggy began twisting and turning. Several of the kings and queens looked annoyed and I could hear a few angry mutters at the ruining of the solemn ceremony.

Yet the Davnishniy looked pleased. "Do not be angry." She called. "This right here is our future. This is what we fight for. Without our young ones, there is nothing for us. So do not be angry. Be glad that our future is fierce."

The draggy tilled his head to the side as if questioning her words, and then decided to curl into a small ball on the Davnishniy's massive paw. She licked his head and turned back to everyone with a stern face, practically waiting for someone the challenge her.

My chest ached from the words. That's what I want. What I wanted. The Davnishniy's eyes scanned the room and, for just a brief moment, I thought her eyes met mine. Resolve poured into my heart as if she was lending me her strength.

This is what I will have.

Silence filled the cavern for a while until the Davnishniy spoke again. "With that settled, I think we can skip the boring ceremonies." At the aghast murmurs, she roared. "Come, we are warriors. What use do we have with pretty words? It's time to move on. Andrei Romanov. You are my host for the night and you shall go first."

King Andrei bowed from his perch on the icicle. "Thank you." He straightened up. "My colony has nothing out of the ordinary to report. Of the two hundred newly blooded dragonlings, fourteen have died and two have left the colony."

"I see." The Davnishniy said thoughtfully. "Your numbers are low, but perhaps that is due to the lack of fighting against other colonies. Ensure that your dragonlings are not robbed of fighting experience."

"Understood." King Andrei bowed his head. "It will be done."

"Lana Lopatov. You're next. Please tell me about your colony."

The announcements went on and on, with reports varying from light casualties to devastating fatalities. Finally, it was Queen Dominika's turn. She hesitated, her scales darkening until they were pitch black.

"Of the three hundred newly blooded dragonlings," Queen Dominika began, "... one hundred and nine have died and eighty-four have left the colony."

Gasps rippled through the cavern, the volume rising until it was an uproar. Queen Dominika glared at everyone she could, her tail lashing with fury. "What?" She challenged, the word swallowed up by the roar of the crowd.

My blood was ice cold. I hadn't realized so many young dragonlings had died. Many of them probably never had a mate or bore their own draggies. Was this because of Mako? No... it would be because of me.

"Silence!" The Davnishniy roared, her tail blade slamming against the ice pillar. It created an echoing boom that swept across the cavern. The voices died down almost immediately, though a few whispers still persisted.

Turning back to Queen Dominika, the Davnishniy narrowed her eyes. "Explain yourself."

"There are insurgents." Queen Dominika said, her voice verging on a whine. "I can't do anything about-"

"Nonsense!" The Davnishniy roared. I flinched from the raw anger in her voice. "Are you their queen?"

"Yes, but-"

"Are you their queen?!" Several dragonlings around me crouched down in fear.

"Yes." Queen Dominika hissed, her tail curling over her back as if she was preparing to strike. Her scales turned a dark green laced with red, a stark contrast to the pure white of the icy pillar.

The Davnishniy glared down at Queen Dominika. "You are their queen. You are supposed to be strong enough to handle anything that threatens your colony, whether it's a threat from inside or out. This is our Law!" Her words turned into a roar at the end, sending shivers down my spine.

Queen Dominika glowered, but after a moment bowed her head. "I understand. When I return to my colony I will have my guards exterminate the insurgents."

"You will do it yourself." The Davnishniy corrected. "This is your mistake, and you will rely on no one but yourself to solve the problem."

"Understood." Queen Dominika replied through gritted teeth, head still bowed. The Davishniy stared at her for a long moment before turning to the rest of the cavern.

"The reports are over, so now I will hear the complaints of our people." For the briefest of moments, the Davnishniy's eyes landed on me, but she was distracted in the next moment when a dragonling called for her.

My heart was thumping heavily in my chest with fear. I couldn't even hear what the dragonling was saying to the Davnishniy over the rushing of blood in my ears. I can't do this. I can't. I can't, I can't, I- Then I saw the tiny muzzle of the draggy poking over the edge of the pillar. He mewled before skittering down the side and landing in the outstretched paws of his mother, who coated his face with licks.

I want that. The thought crossed my mind, steading my trembling body and turning my resolve to steel. She'll never let me have that. How many young dragonlings have died because of Dominika? I won't let it happen.

The Davnishniy answered the dragonling's question with a compromise involving fish, though I hadn't heard anything else. She turned back to the crowd and called out, "Well?"

I... can do this. Taking a steady breath, I stood and spread my wings. "My Davnishniy," I called, my voice trembling, "I must report Law Breaking of the highest degree."

Whispers raced through the cavern, becoming louder and louder until it was an uproar once more. The Davnishniy raised her tail and slammed it down into the ice, the resulting boom quieting the room almost instantly. "Are you sure?" She asked me.

Before I could answer, Queen Dominika's voice cracked through the cavern like a whip. "You're a bound servant, and yet you have the gall to petition lies before our Davnishniy?"

There was a deep rumbling through the cave, shaking me to my very core, and it took me a moment to realize the tremors were caused by the Davnishniy's growl. She rose to her feet, crouched on her pillar like she was about to pounce. I felt my heart quail even though I wasn't the one she was glaring at.

"You dare tell someone who can talk to me?" The Davnishniy snarled. "Who am I?"

Queen Dominika looked stunned, shrinking down so she was practically on her stomach. "I-"

"Who am I?" The Davnishniy asked again.

"My Davnishniy." Queen Dominika said, her voice almost too quiet to hear.

"You'd do well to remember that." The Davishniy growled out before turning to me. "Come here, child, and tell me." She ordered.

My heart seizing once more, I forced my wings to lift me into the air and fly over to the Davnishniy's pillar. When I landed, I was struck again by how utterly colossal she was. Though she was laying down, my head could barely brush her chin even if I stood on the tips of my claws.

"Tell me," the Davnishniy rumbled, "what you know. The Law is the highest power in this land, and I am bound by that Law to defend it."

"I..." My voice faltered and I had to swallow. "It started with my mother. She was wrongfully enslaved by the Thunderstorm colony."

Outraged cries echoed around the chamber, though I noticed from high above that it was mostly the Ryn guards that seemed angry. They whirled on the Thunderstorm Court, who bared their teeth and snarled out their various defenses.

"My mother," I continued through the din, "was saving my Uncle Shurik when he accidentally crossed territorial lines. The colonies were not at war, but Lord Edik of the Thunderstorm colony captured her anyways. Later on, Queen Dominika bought the contract. I want- I request that you allow me to relinquish this unjust bond, and allow me to challenge Queen Dominika to the throne."

The Davnishniy burned holes into me with the intensity of her eyes. "And where is your mother now?"

"She died-" my voice cracked and I shook my head, trying to steady myself, "she was reportedly killed in a border skirmish when I was still young."

"Convenient." The Davnishniy commented, mostly to herself, before standing and striking the pillar with her tail to call the cavern to order. "That's enough." She announced. "Dominika Lavrov, explain yourself."

Queen Dominika's eyes burned with hatred as she stared at me, but her voice was icily calm. "This whelp is lying." She said. "Clearly this is just a ruse for her to escape the bonds of her servitude. We are not Law Breakers. Her mother was justifiably captured-"

King Andrei's voice ripped through the cavern, making me jump in surprise. "How dare you!" He shouted. "Alexandria was an Iciclecrash dragonling! Tell me when you dared to declare war on us? We thought she was lost at sea, not enslaved to a Law Breaker!"

Choruses of '"Law Breaker" rolled through the cavern, riling the meeting up more. I noticed several of the Thunderstorm Ryns slinking away and casting dark glares at Queen Dominika and her court.

"Silence!" The Davnishniy roared, though this time it took a candlemark before the uproar died down. "Silence, I said!" When everyone finally stopped talking, she turned to Queen Dominika again. "Well? Answer Andrei. How did an Iciclecrash dragonling become subjugated to you when your colony has not gone to war with them?"

Queen Dominika sputtered for a moment, but then dug her claws into the pillar she was currently on. "My Davnishniy, clearly this is a setup." She hissed. "They have no proof other than their own words. I dare them to show me a shred of evidence."

My heart seized. What proof did we have? Shurik's carefully cataloged accounts of every Law broken and my own testimony. But would the Davnishniy believe Queen Dominika over me...?

The Davnishniy sat in silence as dragonlings began arguing and shouting around us. Every moment filled me with ever-growing anxiety, my wings beginning to twitch as thoughts raced through my head. Is she not going to believe me? Will I have to return to Queen Dominika? Doesn't she know I'm in danger? What about the rest of the colony? What if-

"What is your name?" The Davnishniy's question startled me out of my thoughts and for a few moments, I couldn't do anything but stare at her, mouth agape.

"Your name, child." The Davnishniy prompted again. "I need your name."

"Anita," I said breathlessly, the pounding of my heart making me lightheaded. "My name is Anita Rhyan, my Davnishniy."

"Anita. In the old language, it meant 'the favored one.'" The Davnishniy said thoughtfully. "Tell me, what are you willing to do to put Dominika to justice?"

My heart lurched. She's going to let me fight her! "I will do anything," I vowed.

"Why? By birthright, you owe nothing to the Thunderstorm dragonlings. So what are you fighting for?"

I stared at the Davnishniy in confusion. Her gray eyes met mine steadily, saying nothing. Waiting. I need to answer her. But what?

Why was I fighting? For myself? No... I knew in my heart that was the wrong answer. As I locked gazes with the Davnishniy's bottomless eyes, it finally came to me.

"I will free my people," I said slowly, carefully picking out my words, "from Queen Dominika. Though I am an Iciclecrash dragonling by birthright, my father was of Thunderstorm, and I was raised alongside them. They deserve a chance at freedom as much as I do, but they won't be able to if Queen Dominika is still their queen."

My throat was dry as I fell quiet and continued to stare at the Davnishniy, my legs trembling.

"Well said, youngling." The Davnishniy finally said, before turning to the roaring crowd who, I noticed, had completely separated from the Thunderstorm colony. "Give me silence!"

Once the room had quieted again, the Davnishniy addressed Queen Dominika. "You have disgraced yourself too many times this night. Accept your punishment with grace."

Queen Dominika's scales rippled from red to white to dark green, before settling on a meek orange. "Yes, my Davnishniy," she hissed out in a voice that was anything but submissive.

If the Davnishniy noticed, she didn't react. "As much as I wish to, there is no physical evidence to prove the Thunderstorm colony has broken any Laws. I cannot allow you to challenge her throne, as you are rightfully an Iciclecrash dragonling." She announced. "However, in my heart, I believe the claims of young Anita. So, therefore, tonight I invalidate this poisoned bond."

A wave of relief rushed through me, almost sweeping me off my feet. I'm... I'm free. The feeling was so strange to me and I was so focused on the idea that I almost missed what she said next.

"Who will support Anita Rhyan?"

The confusion and tension in the air were palpable, and I felt exactly the same. I stared at the Davnishniy, mouth open. She said I was free... what... what now?

"I support Anita." King Andrei's voice broke through the quiet. I squinted to see him as he continued. "But, my Davnishniy, I ask that you explain to us what we are supporting her for."

The Davnishniy snorted, white-hot flame curling from her nostrils. "Is it not obvious? Very well. Anita Rhyan wishes to free the people she has chosen as her colony, but, by birthright, she cannot. So tonight I will give her the chance."

I felt the Davnishniy's pale gray gaze fall on me again. "Tonight, we will decide if Anita Rhyan should be a queen. And in seven moonrises, when the moon is full, Anita will gather her dragonlings and create her own colony."

I felt thousands of eyes on me and I gaped at the Davnishniy, mentally processing what she just said. A new colony...

It didn't happen often, but occasionally dragonlings broke free from their colony and created their own, drawing like-minded individuals from colonies around the continent.

The most recent I could think of was Wolfskull, the king of which had climbed the Wildling Mountains - too high to fly without losing air and passing out - in search of the Davnishniy's approval.

"I will also support Anita." Queen Galina called out. I saw her give Queen Dominika a venomous glare, but before the latter could respond, clamor broke out once more.

"My Davnishniy," a king that I couldn't name called from his pillar over the din, "where would this new colony reside? There is no vacant territory."

"Watercress has territory we will lend temporarily to Anita's colony," Senya called from his own pillar. I had almost forgotten he was here. He could have spoken up earlier...

"That is three." The Davnishniy roared over the caterwaul. "By our Law, Anita needs one more supporter."

The room went quiet again and I couldn't decide if it was relieving or terrifying.

After a candlemark of kings and queens glancing uncomfortably at each other, Queen Dominika spoke. "The majority is against her. That means-"

"Wolfskull will also stand beside Anita." My brain practically tripped over itself trying to place the voice. Right... Mikhail. My eyes found him sitting on his pillar, tail curled neatly around the top of the icy pedestal.

Queen Dominika's scales turned blood red and she roared, but the Davnishniy's voice boomed over her. "That is settled. In seven moonrises, Anita and her people will gather under the full moon and tell our ancestors their name. So says our Law, and so says I." She flapped her wings once, creating a thundering boom. "The moon is falling and the morning approaches. It is time for us to leave. This solstice is over."