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| Cover artist | Joy Ang |
|---|---|
| Published | March 2, 2021 |
| Page count | 336 |
| ISBN | 9781338214543 (hardcover) 9781338883329 (paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Poison Jungle |
| Followed by | The Flames of Hope |
| Chapter Index | |
| Prologue • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • Epilogue | |
The Dangerous Gift is the fourteenth novel in the Wings of Fire novel series and is the fourth book in arc three. It features Snowfall as the main protagonist.
Blurb
The #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling Wings of Fire series brings all ten dragon tribes together at last -- but one queen is certain that her kingdom will only be safe on their own, behind a wall of ice.
Snowfall didn't expect to be queen of the IceWings at such a young age, but now that she is, she's going to be the best queen ever. All she has to do is keep her tribe within IceWing territory, where it's safe -- while keeping every other tribe out, where they belong.
It's a perfect and simple plan, backed up by all the IceWing magic Snowfall can find. That is, until a storm of unidentified dragons arrives on her shore, looking for asylum.
The foreigners are completely strange and, Snowfall is certain, utterly untrustworthy. But as she escorts the miserable new tribes out of her kingdom, Snowfall is forced to reconsider her plan. Maybe she can only keep her tribe safe . . . if she's willing to risk everything.
Plot
Prologue
The prologue takes place days after the LeafWings and some SilkWings escaped Pantala. Swordtail awoke, recalling the previous day’s chaos: two armies at the river had set the Poison Jungle ablaze, and while under the othermind’s control, he searched for Cricket but couldn’t find her. Seeing Blue asleep, Swordtail moved to wake him, but the othermind seized his mind again, deliberately blocking their reunion. Though it couldn’t read his thoughts, Swordtail clung to hope that Cricket and Sundew had reached the Distant Kingdoms, found Luna, and would return to save him and Blue.
Blizzards and Buried Magic
A few days after the LeafWings and some SilkWings fled Pantala, Queen Snowfall received a report of unknown dragons approaching her kingdom. She questioned the scout, ensuring no NightWings were among them, and considered possibilities like Darkstalker’s return or a RainWing invasion. Dismissing the scout to recheck, Snowfall was interrupted by Tundra, who reminded her to rearrange the names on the gift of order. Snowfall, reflecting on her burdensome queenship and the losses she endured, resented the gift of order, seeing it as twisted revenge rather than a benefit. She put on her crown, adjusted names like Hailstorm and Permafrost, and, when Tundra questioned her minimal changes, sharply dismissed her to focus on the mysterious dragons. Recalling Tundra and Narwhal’s past roles under Queen Glacier, Snowfall noted Tundra’s resentment at serving her niece. A noise in the courtyard alerted her to a watcher.
Snowfall demanded the intruder reveal themselves, readying her frostbreath. Lynx emerged from the tree of light, jokingly admitting to spying out of concern. She noted Snowfall’s isolation, surrounded only by “old, bossy, mean” dragons. Snowfall boasted about her lifelong preparation for queenship, but Lynx countered that no one expected her to rule so soon. A flashback revealed Glacier on her deathbed, stricken by Darkstalker's plague, urging Snowfall, Crystal, and Mink to avoid a succession war like the SandWings’. Glacier named Snowfall queen, and Crystal left the next morning, fueling Snowfall’s suspicions of a plot. Lynx suggested a break, but Snowfall, paranoid about Crystal, the mysterious dragons, and potential conspiracies involving queens Coral and Glory, rejected the idea. When Snowfall mentioned the dragons came from the western ocean, Lynx proposed they might be from the lost continent and suggested flying to the coast to investigate. Snowfall agreed, deciding to visit the Forbidden Treasury for animus gifts.
En route to the vault, Mink gave Snowfall a small ice-carved mink and nervously asked to sleep in her chambers, as she had with their mother. Snowfall permitted it, emphasizing secrecy to the guards, and revealed a hidden vault beneath her bed. Inside, she took a tiara (the gift of strength), ignored the gift of compromise, and wore an opal ring (the gift of vision), mistakenly thinking it would enhance her eyesight. She also selected pale silver wristbands with diamonds, their inscription promising a surprise for invaders.
At dawn, Snowfall, Lynx, and five guards flew to the coast. Lynx asked if Snowfall slept; she lied, claiming treasury duties and Mink’s presence kept her awake, omitting that the gift of vision wasn’t working as expected. Showing Lynx some animus-touched items, she hid others, wary of betrayal. Lynx mentioned her estate near Among-The-Evergreens, and a guard spotted the approaching dragons. Panicking, Snowfall feared they’d kill her, but Lynx calmed her. From a cliff, they watched the dragons land. Recalling the Battle of Jade Mountain, where an empathy spell revealed her tribe’s doubts and the NightWings’ dismissal of her as a threat, Snowfall felt humiliated. Approaching the exhausted refugees, Queen Hazel introduced her LeafWing and SilkWing tribes, pleading for aid. Snowfall refused, ordering them to leave. Snowfall hears a scream, which is from Bumblebee and Cricket’s mention of HiveWings descending from Clearsight enraged Snowfall. She activated her wristbands’ gift of stealth, revealing her hidden army.
Intimidated, Hazel agreed to leave. Tsunami insulted Snowfall and led the refugees toward the SandWing kingdom, where Moonwatcher and Luna were. Lynx warned Hazel about the Great Ice Cliff, and Snowfall, with ten guards, escorted them south. Leaving Ivory in charge, Snowfall found escorting the refugees a relief from the gift of order. She and Hazel discussed queenship, and when Hazel mentioned the breath of evil, Snowfall mistook it for Darkstalker until Hazel clarified it was a plant. Snowfall advised Hazel to trust no one. At Jerboa’s hut, Sundew reunited with Luna, sharing news of Pantala. Moonwatcher, introducing herself, annoyed Snowfall by saying her vision showed only a beginning. Jerboa offered temporary shelter, and Qibli suggested Sanctuary for safety. Relieved to avoid the gift of order longer, Snowfall joined them. That night, she couldn’t remove the opal ring and assumed palm oil would help.
In a dream, Snowfall experienced being Atala but kept it secret. After interrogating Lappet about SilkWings and LeafWings, she realized the ring caused her visions. Trying to remove it by striking a rock, she only bruised her talon. Lynx confronted her, and Snowfall admitted the ring’s effects. Lynx warned that her paranoia and mistrust could lead to her downfall, then stormed off, convincing Snowfall to hide her struggles. Luna’s flamesilk failed to remove the ring, only causing pain.
At Sanctuary, Snowfall spotted an IceWing fleeing. Using the gift of stealth, she caught her sister Crystal, long suspected of plotting against her.