The Lost Continent

The Lost Continent

Cover artist	Joy Ang
Published	June 26, 2018
Page count	336
ISBN	9781338214437 (hardcover) 9781338214444 (paperback)
Preceded by	Darkness of Dragons
Followed by	The Hive Queen
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 • 25 • 26 • Epilogue

The Lost Continent is the eleventh novel in the Wings of Fire novel series and is the first book in arc three. It features Blue as the main protagonist.

Blurb

Blue the SilkWing is content. Life in his Hive is safe; he loves his family; he has enough to eat. And Pantala has been at peace for as long as he can remember -- SilkWings and HiveWings live and work together in harmony, and because they stay vigilant, no one has seen a dangerous LeafWing in years.

Now that Blue's sister, Luna, is undergoing her Metamorphosis, Blue knows things are going to change. Luna will have her wings and her silk, be assigned a partner and a work order, and move to another Hive. A few days later, Blue's own wings and silk will come in.

But nothing could prepare Blue for what happens when Luna's wings start to grow. Suddenly his world is turned upside down, throwing him into dangers he never knew existed. Pantala isn't as peaceful as it seems, and Blue isn't safe. Whether he's ready or not, it's time to adapt -- and fight for his life.

Plot

Prologue

Clearsight flew through a hurricane, choosing a vision of reaching the Lost Continent over waiting on an island. Upon arriving, a LeafWing and a gold BeetleWing, Sunstreak, met her. Sunstreak, speaking broken Dragon, heeded her warning to evacuate before the storm. They took her to their tribes, announcing her arrival. Escaping, Clearsight saw new futures unfold. She told Sunstreak she came from Pyrrhia; he said their land was Pantala.

In The Cocoon

Blue cherished his society and Luna’s upcoming Metamorphosis. Luna woke him excitedly, teasing despite Blue’s note about his delayed wings. She flipped his hammock, boasting about silk studies. They parted with Silverspot, who hinted at not seeing Luna again.

At the hive entrance, Blue saw SilkWing-HiveWing murals and anti-LeafWing posters. Luna’s bold LeafWing talk concerned him. HiveWing Hawker checked Blue’s palm and cuff, noting Luna’s Metamorphosis, amusing them with kind words.

In Cicada Hive’s market, Luna chose Sugar Dream for honey drops over Blue’s Droplets suggestion. Shopkeeper Chafer rudely delayed, prioritizing Lady Scarab. HiveWing Weevil pestered Luna’s wingbuds; Blue intervened, and Scarab distracted Weevil. Scarab’s odor forced Chafer to serve them free, suggesting a friendlier shop.

Luna criticized SilkWing inequality; Blue noticed her glowing wrists, unusual for Metamorphosis. She refused a doctor, and they visited Mosaic Garden before Luna went to the Cocoon.

At the Cocoon, Blue eased Luna’s nerves about her weaving. Many guards arrived; Swordtail, Io, and Burnet seemed worried. Luna’s fiery cocoon silk drew guards claiming illness. Io urged Blue to flee, aiding his escape. Wasp-controlled guards chased; Io’s silk helped, but Blue lost her. A HiveWing named Cricket hid him, discussing flamesilk and mind control.

Blue collapsed from his wristband’s toxin; Cricket burned it off, but he fainted, waking to hide in library tunnels. Realizing he loved Cricket, they planned to free Luna and Swordtail. Cricket stole lab vials, painted Blue’s scales, and revived Swordtail with flamesilk and chemical, turning his silk eyes green. They escaped to Wasp Hive to Luna.

Out of the Hive

Cricket, Swordtail, and Blue, with Swordtail carrying Blue, flew cautiously under moonlight toward Wasp Hive, hiding in a deep cave with an underground lake and a rope-tied object. Blue feared flamesilk in a lit cavern, but it was a scared-off scavenger-like creature. After resting, Swordtail, now recovered, argued with Blue and Cricket about HiveWings’ nature. Unable to carry Blue, Swordtail suggested wall-climbing, but Cricket proposed Blue hide in a crevice for the day, despite delays. Blue admitted loving Cricket to Swordtail’s warning. In the crevice, Blue and Cricket discussed fleeing to mythical Pyrrhia. HiveWing patrols passed, and at night, they neared Wasp Hive.

Swordtail scouted, reporting a guarded main door. Blue’s disguise paint had faded, and Cricket noted a comet from months prior. Blue suggested hiding in a queen’s greenhouse, breaking its silk barrier. A shriek, mistaken for Wasp, led to LeafWings Belladonna, Sundew, and Hemlock capturing them with vines. Blue introduced himself and Cricket, seeking Luna; Swordtail stayed silent. Belladonna offered flamesilk locations if Blue stole the Book of Clearsight. After discussing, Cricket wrote to feign agreement and escape later, but Sundew insisted on joining, disguised as a SilkWing.

At Wasp Hive, Cricket knocked out door guards with Sundew’s flower, and Sundew defaced a Wasp statue. At the Temple of Clearsight, Sundew darted guards and struggled with the book’s pedestal case. The Librarian, controlled by Wasp, attacked, unable to control Cricket. Sundew subdued her; Blue grabbed the dropped key, unlocking the book. Cricket’s bullet ants disrupted Wasp’s control, but HiveWings surrounded them. The freed Librarian led them to a balcony via a secret panel, revealing mind-controlled HiveWings below. Sundew’s pouch attacks failed against the numbers. Blue suggested the skylight; the Librarian, Sundew, and Cricket flew out, holding a silk rope for Blue. Wasp re-controlled the Librarian, cutting the rope. Blue tossed the book to Cricket, urging escape as he fell among the HiveWings.

Metamorphosis

Five mind-controlled dragons sent by Queen Wasp dragged Blue through Wasp Hive’s tunnels. He wondered if Cricket and Sundew escaped safely, guessing other brainwashed HiveWings were hunting them. Imprisoned with flamesilk SilkWings, Blue met his father, Admiral, who shared his letters to Wasp. The flamesilks were split into feuding factions, each urging Blue to distrust the others.

Admiral introduced Blue to the cavern’s dragons, all fostering mutual hatred. A day later, Luna emerged from her cocoon, and they shared an emotional reunion before meeting Admiral. Luna’s flamesilk test accidentally ignited Admiral’s letters, revealing post-Metamorphosis SilkWings could handle flamesilk unharmed. Inspired by Cricket, Blue searched for an escape, finding a wall hole.

Next morning, Blue reached through the hole, feeling Cricket’s grasp, joined by Sundew and Swordtail. They widened it for escape. Blue and Luna urged Admiral to flee, but he feared Wasp’s wrath and called for guards. Danaid’s insult sparked a distracting argument among flamesilks, allowing Blue and Luna to escape.

In a seaside cave, they read the Book of Clearsight, finding a letter to her descendants. Clearsight’s predictions spanned only 200 years, ending over a millennium ago, exposing Wasp’s lies about her divine rule. The book falsely claimed Clearsight endorsed Wasp’s reign.

Luna and Swordtail tested her wings but were spotted by a HiveWing patrol. Luna’s flamesilk entangled her, and wind swept her into the sea. Blue, attempting rescue, began his Metamorphosis. Cricket guided him to a cave to weave his cocoon, where he admitted his love for her to himself.

Epilogue

Luna woke on wet sand, unable to stand due to a twisted ankle and bruised wing, unsure of her distance from Pantala. Jerboa approached; Luna demanded her identity. Jerboa, glad Luna spoke Dragon, revealed she was on another continent and treated her injuries in her hut. Luna urged returning to Pantala. Moonwatcher and Qibli arrived; Luna called Moon “Clearsight-like” and pushed to stop Queen Wasp. Learning Moon’s limited visions, Luna saw her as the LeafWings’ and SilkWings’ secret weapon against Wasp.