The Lost Heir

In the first installment of Wings of Fire, The Dragonet Prophecy, which is told from Clay’s perspective, the reader is introduced to the dragonets of destiny and the titular prophecy. Tsunami, Clay, Sunny, Glory, and Starflight were taken as eggs and raised by the mysterious Talons of Peace to end a nearly two-decade-long war between the three SandWing sisters—Burn, Blister, and Blaze—who have allied with various other tribes to take the empty SandWing throne. Glory was a last-minute substitution.

Frustrated by their intertribal guardians (including Webs and a SkyWing named Kestrel), the dragonets decide to run away, spurred on by a visit from Morrowseer the NightWing, who secretly converses with Starflight and orders Glory’s execution. Clay escapes the caves with Tsunami but inadvertently brings disaster to their doorstep. When Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings discovers the two dragonets, she kills one guardian and captures the rest. Webs escapes.

The imprisoned dragonets are forced to fight in Queen Scarlet’s arena for her and her ally Burn’s amusement. Tsunami is forced to kill Gill, a SeaWing who is impaired by dehydration. Clay meets and befriends Peril, a SkyWing with powerful fire who was raised by Queen Scarlet. Clay asks her to help them escape. Torn between her fireproof friend and her loyalty to Queen Scarlet, Peril wavers but eventually helps them after she discovers that Kestrel is her birth mother. To save Kestrel, Peril is forced to fight Clay in the arena; Glory kills Queen Scarlet with her venom, and the dragonets escape the arena with Kestrel. Burn survives. Starflight is missing, having been taken by Morrowseer and the NightWings.

Kestrel, Peril, and the remaining dragonets part ways. The dragonets reunite with Starflight, who says little about his time with Morrowseer. Fleeing SkyWing patrols, the dragonets travel to the MudWing swamps. The MudWings are allied with Burn and the SkyWings. Clay finds his birth family; though overjoyed to find his birth siblings, his place is ultimately with his adoptive family. Unbeknownst to the dragonets, Morrowseer allies with Blister. They summon Kestrel to a deserted island and kill her.