Deserter

Deserter

Published	March 29, 2016
Page count	50
ISBN	978-0545957625
Preceded by	Darkstalker
Followed by	Assassin

Deserter is the third book in the Winglets Quartet.

Blurb

Six-Claws is a happy and industrious SandWing, always working hard and loyally for his queen. So when the youngest SandWing princess, Blaze, wanders off during a sandstorm, Six-Claws doesn't think twice before trying to rescue her. But it turns out that loyalty isn't always enough to stay safe in the Sand Kingdom...Before the war of SandWing succession, there were three SandWing princesses... and a queen.

Plot

The story began when Six-Claws was five, dining with his parents, Ostrich and Quicksand, who discussed Queen Oasis’s newborn daughter, Blaze. They speculated about who Oasis might eliminate to secure her throne, concluding it would be her sister, the closest threat. Their prediction later proved true.

Two years later, Smolder warned Six-Claws that his sisters, Blister and Burn, were plotting something. While searching for Blaze in the wingery, Six-Claws met Dune, a young SandWing dragonet. Spotting an approaching sandstorm, Six-Claws rescued Blaze, catching Blister’s attention. Impressed, King Char recruited Six-Claws and Dune into the army, where they served together for years.

Years later, Six-Claws, Dune, Singe, and Scald were consoling Smolder over his missing girlfriend, Palm, when a scream rang out. Queen Oasis was found dead, killed by scavengers. Smolder discovered a scavenger hiding in the sand, and they followed horse tracks to destroy the den. In the aftermath, Blister took a squadron of guards, while Blaze fled north with half the army.

Twelve years later, Six-Claws, Dune, and other soldiers were repelling IceWing defenders. Dune suffered severe frostbreath injuries, and Six-Claws rushed him to the nurses. Burn arrived, announcing plans to attack the MudWings, dismissing Six-Claws’ suggestion to invade the Ice Kingdom’s borders and find Blaze. A shadowy dragon, Deathbringer, urged Six-Claws to abandon Burn and head to the Scorpion Den. Six-Claws refused, but when he tried to persuade Burn to give him one more day to find Blaze, she violently injured Dune’s wing and foreleg until Six-Claws relented. After Burn left, the nurses tended to Dune. When only one nurse remained, she revealed her name as Kindle. She and Six-Claws fled with Dune to the Scorpion Den. When Dune awoke, he called loyalty foolish, but Six-Claws countered that they had been loyal to the wrong dragon and vowed to find one worthy of their allegiance. Kindle hoped he was right, and they flew toward the Scorpion Den with renewed hope.