The Lost Heir

Queen Coral relocates herself, Anemone, and Tsunami so that they can speak properly. Though Tsunami accuses Shark of the murder, Coral vehemently denies this. She demands to have the egg back, but Tsunami refuses. Anemone only survived because of Coral’s vigilance, but the price was losing Gill. Discovering that the Summer Palace floods and knowing that the dragonets can’t swim, Tsunami takes the egg back to the Summer Palace, despite Coral’s protests. Coral threatens to execute Tsunami if the egg is lost, but she gets her a harness. Tsunami learns that Anemone has magic when she resizes the harness to fit Tsunami. They leave, and Tsunami returns to the Summer Palace alone, questioning her decision.

Tsunami is lost and surfaces into a raging storm. As she searches for Riptide, she encounters a human scavenger ship. Although Tsunami is contemptuous of scavengers—they killed the SandWing queen and started the current war—she reluctantly helps them. Her fluorescence attracts Riptide, who is startled by the egg. He leads her to another ocean current that returns them to the Summer Palace. Tsunami thinks of her friends and regrets fighting with them. She resolves to defend them better. At the Summer Palace, Riptide accompanies her inside. As she searches for her friends, she notices flooding and fears the worst.

Tsunami finds the dragonets piled atop each other to avoid the rising water. Clay is shackled, preventing them from escaping, and they have barely been fed. The dragonets are upset that she abandoned them, though Sunny is touched that Tsunami wants her to incubate Coral’s egg.

Riptide notes that the SeaWing guards have the key to Clay’s fetters. Leaving Riptide with the dragonets, Tsunami finds the guards, but they refuse to give her the key, fearing Shark’s wrath. Tsunami considers battling them for it but tries to persuade them instead. They want the war to end and support the prophecy of the dragonets. Grateful that Tsunami advocated for the injured soldiers at the council meeting, they give her the key. Tsunami frees Clay. The dragonets relocate as Riptide leaves; they tease Tsunami about him. Sunny takes her maternal duties seriously. Tsunami revels in the feeling of coming home to the dragonets and wonders why she doesn’t feel the same with the SeaWings.

After securing food, Tsunami tells them what has happened. They dislike Queen Coral and theorize that Coral is killing her own eggs, fearing another challenge like Orca’s. Tsunami denies this, certain that Shark is the murderer. The dragonets consider leaving and admonish Tsunami for endangering Sunny with the egg, but Tsunami pledges to better support the dragonets and to protect Sunny and the egg. Sunny also elects to stay, refusing to split up because of the prophecy. Starflight agrees, insisting that they meet Blister, who was summoned when they first arrived at the Summer Palace. As the dragonets go to sleep, Tsunami ponders how much more comfortable she feels with them; she forgets to mention Kestrel.

The dragonets wake to Coral’s shouting and Queen Blister’s ominous arrival. Blister finds them first, watching them sleep. Coral is displeased that Sunny is incubating her egg, but Blister talks her down. Although her words are polite, there is a clear power imbalance: Coral calls her “Queen Blister,” but Blister doesn’t return the courtesy. The dragonets don’t like Blister; this impression worsens as Blister reveals a connection with the NightWings, pressuring Starflight to support her.

Coral orders a feast for Blister, and Blister insists that all dragonets attend. Sunny refuses to abandon the egg. Tsunami considers Blister as a possible egg murderer but soon dismisses the idea.

At the feast, Tsunami sees the guards who gave her Clay’s key. She tries to protect them by making a spectacle, blaming Shark and another dragon instead, as they won’t be heavily punished. A secret Aquatic message between Coral and the dragon during this exchange confirms Coral’s ulterior motives.

Blister mentions the prophecy. Starflight weakly supports her but is overruled by the other dragonets, who speak for themselves. As Coral attempts to diffuse the situation, Tsunami notices Blister’s disregard for her supposed ally and remains wary of her. Coral reveals Kestrel’s murder. Both Coral and the dragonets are shocked and dismayed when they discover that Tsunami kept quiet about it. Blister’s comment about the murder reveals that she knows more than she should.

Starflight also notices the slip and advises Tsunami to stay silent. Blister changes the topic and asks about the secret weapon that Coral is developing. The queens leave the feast, along with Anemone, Whirlpool, and Tsunami (at Anemone’s insistence). They head to the armory, where Tsunami notices armor that her assailant used.

Whirlpool has Anemone move a necklace with magic and then attack armor with a spear. Tsunami realizes that Anemone is an animus, a type of mage long believed to be extinct. Anemone reveals that there have been several animus mages in the SeaWing royal lineage. Her magic will slowly drain her soul, so she doesn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary. Blister wants her to assassinate Blister’s sisters so that she can win the war. While the queens secretly converse, Anemone sends Whirlpool away. She begs Tsunami to rescue her. Tsunami promises to catch the egg murderer and advises Anemone to keep faking her abilities to avoid the war. Tsunami asks about SeaWing royal succession: If Coral’s daughters all die, Moray is next in line for the throne, though she seems uninterested. The queens return and discover an uninvited guest in the camouflage palace canopy.

Blister’s cunning makes Tsunami nervous. Blister yanks the intruder out of the canopy, callously destroying it and endangering her SeaWing allies. The intruder is Webs. The two queens attack and injure him. Tsunami and the dragonets rescue him, but he is unconscious. Tsunami has mixed feelings about meeting him again.

Webs is rudely awoken for interrogation. He is delighted that the dragonets survived, but Coral is furious that he stole her egg specifically. Webs reveals that he bribed and drugged the guards, nothing that would help Tsunami’s hatchery investigation. Coral killed his wife (Riptide’s mother) as punishment and swears vengeance on the Talons of Peace. Starflight argues that Webs’s theft saved Tsunami’s life—all the other eggs in her clutch died. Tsunami is stunned by the consequences of Webs’s actions and his sacrifices for the prophecy. Another intruder is discovered—Riptide.

Webs is distraught at Riptide’s capture and proclaims Riptide’s innocence. Tsunami also tries to defend him but suspects that he’s lied to her again. Coral orders both of them imprisoned. Blister, who wants both Kestrel and Webs dead, manipulates Coral into believing that Webs and Riptide are the egg murderers. The dragonets disprove this, but Coral isn’t listening.

As the captive SeaWings are removed, Coral exults in her egg’s supposed safety and orders her egg returned to the Royal Hatchery. Tsunami makes a bargain: She will stay with the egg until it hatches, and if she catches the real murderer, Webs and Riptide will be released. Coral reluctantly agrees to free Riptide but not Webs, still considering them guilty. The dragonets worry for Tsunami, but Tsunami is not dissuaded.