The Dangerous Gift

The fourteenth installment in the Wings of Fire series, a fantasy saga set in a world of dragon tribes, shifts perspective to the icy continent of Pyrrhia, where Queen Snowfall of the IceWings confronts her own fears and a crisis from across the ocean.

In a prologue set on the distant continent of Pantala, Swordtail, a SilkWing, wakes on the savanna with no control over his body. He recalls that his friend Blue burned roots called the heart of salvation, whose smoke was meant to counter the breath of evil, a plant granting Queen Wasp mind-control power over other dragons. Instead, the smoke allowed Wasp, or something controlling her, to seize Swordtail's and Blue's minds. Swordtail briefly regains consciousness and spots Blue nearby but cannot reach him before the mind control reasserts itself. He clings to hope that their friends Sundew, a fierce LeafWing, and Cricket, a bespectacled HiveWing, will rescue them.

The story follows Snowfall, the youngest queen in IceWing history, who inherited the throne months ago after her mother, Queen Glacier, died of a magical plague sent by Darkstalker, an ancient NightWing with the power to enchant objects. Snowfall's governing philosophy is total isolation: Keep all IceWings inside the kingdom and every other tribe out. She fears NightWings will attack again and suspects her missing older sister Crystal of plotting to steal the throne. Each night she adjusts the gift of order, an enchanted wall that ranks every aristocratic IceWing, a task she finds demeaning and exhausting.

When a scout reports hundreds of strange dragons approaching from the western ocean, Snowfall spirals into panic. Lynx, a fellow IceWing dragonet and Snowfall's longtime academic rival, confronts her and insists the queen needs a friend. Lynx proposes they fly to the coast to meet the strangers rather than attack. Before departing, Snowfall visits the Forbidden Treasury beneath the palace and takes several animus-touched artifacts, enchanted by rare animus dragons with innate magical powers: a tiara called the gift of strength, a ring called the gift of vision, and wristbands called the gift of stealth that can render things invisible.

At the coast, they encounter LeafWings led by the young Queen Hazel and SilkWings, all refugees from Pantala fleeing Queen Wasp's mind control. Cricket, carrying a baby named Bumblebee, mentions she descends from Clearsight, a NightWing seer who was Darkstalker's ancient partner. Enraged by the connection, Snowfall reveals her hidden army and orders the strangers out. Tsunami, a SeaWing who guided the refugees across the ocean, agrees to lead them south.

During the southward journey, Snowfall discovers the ring is stuck on her claw. That night she inhabits the mind of Atala, a SilkWing, during the ocean crossing, losing her identity and feeling Atala's exhaustion and terror. Over the following days, the ring forces more visions, each placing Snowfall inside a different dragon. She inhabits Tau, a SilkWing, during a frantic evacuation; Bryony, a LeafWing hiding underground; and Blue himself, forced to round up SilkWings for Wasp. During the Blue vision, Snowfall slips into Wasp's mind and senses a darker intelligence controlling the queen, along with unsettling echoes of Snowfall's own fears about control.

At Sanctuary, a diverse settlement in the Claws of the Clouds mountains where dragons of different tribes live together, Snowfall reunites with her banished cousin Winter. She chases a fleeing IceWing and discovers it is Crystal, who has been living with Gharial, a MudWing she fell in love with during the war. Crystal fled not to scheme but because she feared Snowfall would kill her. Snowfall feels enormous relief, followed by a brief hope that Glacier chose her as queen for the right reasons, then doubt that Glacier simply had no other option.

Moon, a NightWing with prophetic abilities, shares a prophecy warning that secrets buried below may save those brave enough to look, and that if the tribes do not face the great evil together, none will survive. In another vision, Snowfall inhabits Io, a SilkWing resistance operative, and learns that a copy of the map to Pyrrhia was left on Pantala. At the queens' council, Snowfall argues the threat could cross the ocean. The Pyrrhian queens offer supplies but no troops.

A breakthrough comes when Snowfall meets Sky, a peculiar pale-orange SkyWing lingering near Winter's scavenger enclosure—'scavenger' being the dragon-world term for humans. Tracking him into the forest, she discovers a human named Wren standing on Sky's head, speaking fluent Dragon. Wren explains that scavengers, who call themselves humans, are intelligent beings with their own civilization. A vision places Snowfall inside Raven, a human in caves beneath Pantala's savanna near a glowing green abyss connected to the breath of evil. Qibli, a young SandWing advisor to Queen Thorn, proposes sending a small stealth team to Pantala to find the humans, locate the abyss, and destroy the breath of evil. The queens agree, and Snowfall negotiates an edict forbidding the hunting or keeping of humans in exchange for Wren and Sky joining the mission.

Snowfall chooses Lynx for the team over Winter and gives the stealth wristbands to Sundew for the dangerous mission. She lifts Winter's banishment and invites Crystal to return to the Ice Kingdom with Gharial.

On her flight home, Snowfall uses the tiara of strength to punch a hole through the Great Ice Cliff, an enchanted wall that attacks non-IceWing dragons, reasoning that isolation no longer serves her tribe. A long vision reveals the history of animus magic: The modern Jerboa, Glacier's secret SandWing animus ally, is actually Boa, a dragon who endured centuries of magical abuse from her mother before gaining animus power at terrible cost. When Luna, a SilkWing, arrived from Pantala, Jerboa shattered an enchanted object to permanently end all animus dragons' powers, fearing such magic could devastate an unprotected continent. Snowfall recognizes Jerboa's fears as mirrors of her own.

At the Ice Palace, Snowfall discovers that her aunt Tundra, a senior advisor, and Permafrost, another IceWing elder, have installed Snowfall's gentle younger sister Mink as temporary queen. Mink is wearing the IceWing crown and ranting about hating NightWings, behavior entirely out of character. Snowfall deduces the crown is enchanted to fill its wearer with hatred of NightWings, explaining the irrational loathing she and previous queens felt. She orders the crown destroyed, then uses the tiara to smash the gift of order to rubble, telling Mink the ranking system fosters only anxiety and cruelty.

In a final vision, Snowfall meets Opal, the long-dead IceWing animus who created the ring. Opal explains the ring appears to queens who need it most, teaching them to see through others' eyes. She shows Snowfall one last vision: Glacier's perspective, watching young Snowfall play, filled with certainty that Snowfall's fierce, caring nature makes her the right choice for queen. The ring slides off easily, its purpose fulfilled. Snowfall wakes at peace for the first time since becoming queen, resolved to prepare her army in case the stealth team needs support.

In an epilogue, Raven visits Vole, a disturbed man from her village who huddles at the edge of the green abyss, whose voice has become inhuman. Vole warns the abyss is growing and needs a dragon brought to it, or everyone in their village will die, setting the stage for the next book.