The two shadowy figures darted out in front of the three awestruck SeaWings. “Come to steal my ticket to power eh? I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Isthmus smiled greedily. “Isthmus you disgusting treacherous fool!” Trench burst out. “Why my little eel Trench, how nice to see you, lost our respect for royalty have we?” Isthmus asked snottily. “If you want the object you’ll have to go through us first!” Conger swam up. “My traitor, choose our sides now have we? It will be easy enough to get through you.”

Isthmus walked up towards Trench. He slapped him in the face. “That is for your disrespect. ‘Guard’” Isthmus whispered in Aquatic. “Heh, disrespect. Get a load of this one!” Trench kicked Isthmus in the neck. And so the fight began. “Polyp! Take the object and run now! Keep it safe!!!” Trench told Polyp as Isthmus clawed at him. Polyp nodded and tried to dart away but Cero caught her. She kicked him back and secretly enchanted the object to be invisible inside its little capsule. She wanted to use her powers for more, but was deadly scared of becoming the second Albatross, as most SeaWing animi are taught. ` Isthmus ripped at Trench’s flesh, and Trench ripped back. He tried and failed many times to grab his daggers and end the fight but Isthmus had dug his claws into Trench’s gills. The water was soon clouded with blood.

Cero was holding Polyp back but trying to stay out of it. Eventually he was able to trap her in some rocks and go to help Isthmus. Isthmus backed away just as Cero swam up to the torn Trench. “Well Trench, let’s just settle this nice and easy…” Cero had greatly changed. His eyes were red and ragged. He seemed bloodthirsty. Faithful Conger was the only one to notice the blade in Cero’s claw. He rushed in between the two bloody dragons just before Cero’s stroke fell. Trench was knocked backwards and could only stare as his friend sacrificed himself. Cero’s dagger plunged directly into Conger’s chest. The bloodthirsty, ragged wrath left Cero’s now horrified eyes. Conger drifted to the seafloor, blood clouding the water around him. Trench pulled out his two silver daggers and held them at Isthmus’ and Cero’s throats. He whacked Isthmus on the head with the hilt of his dagger and slashed Cero’s face with his tail dagger, which the queen had ordered to be attached to his tail. Cero grabbed Isthmus and swam into a

-cave. Polyp broke free and rushed over to Conger. “T-Trench.” his ‘glow spots’ were struggling to light. “Oh Conger, you are the best friend a dragon could have. Now hang on we will get you to the healers.” Trench comforted him. “T-than-nks f-for… f-for… fo…” Conger’s once cheery eyes darkened. “Oh Conger, don’t go, I’ll enchant a rock to heal you.” Polyp grabbed a rock, but it was too late. The lifeless SeaWing lay still as his friends cried on him. “D-do you still have the o-objec-ct?” Trench asked. Polyp showed him the capsule and told him about the enchantment. “Cero and Isthmus will be up to something.” Polyp said after a while. Trench nodded. “We- we should go s-stop them.” Polyp said. Trench nodded. They both sat there in silence and found a crevice in the rocks in which to bury Conger. Polyp enchanted a stone to say Conger’s name and cover him.

“I HATE Trench! I HATE THAT OBJECT!! I HATE THIS DISGUSTING PALACE AND EVERY GUARD!!! I HATE QUEEN CORAL!!!” Isthmus roared as they sped through the water. There would be no crafty tricks this time. Isthmus ran up to the five guards and tore them apart. None survived. “I HATE Trench!! I HATE GUARDS!!! I HATE THE QUEEN!!!” he yelled. Anyone who saw him would have sworn that Albatross had come back in flesh to kill them all. Isthmus stormed around the Summer Palace, claws dripping with the blood of his victims. “Your Highness, I would advise you to lay low and wait for the queen.” Cero tried to calm the raging Isthmus. “WAIT!? WAIT?! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE QUEEN!!! I need her blood NOW!” Isthmus yelled.

“Your Majesty!” a very tired looking guard rushed in. “Your Majesty! The gerd! They have all been killed! And we saw the murderer…” the dragon stopped before he said who it was for fear of the queen’s reaction. “WHAT!” Coral roared. “Who was it?!” she asked sharply. Cerith stared in shock at hearing this news. Maybe Trench was right… “*gulp* I- It w-was-” “SPIT IT OUT!” the flustered queen yelled. The guard gave a little jump. “I-it was I-Isthmus.” he admitted with great difficulty. “Isthmus? My own son…” the baffled queen fell back on her throne. “Well, Isthmus or not I must go and *sniff* deal with him.”

Polyp and Trench made their way back to the Summer Palace as fast as they could. “We can use the object to stop Isthmus.” “Yes, but then we must destroy it.” they agreed. They almost walked out in front of the terrifying dragon who was now storming around while Cero tried to appease him. They hid behind a rock. “Oh no….” Trench said. They bowed their heads and watched and listened attentively to Isthmus and Cero’s conversations. They heard the plan to kill the queen. “I knew that advisor was evil. He must have tipped off Isthmus about the queen’s foolish promise…” Trench said. “And they’re going to kill her today…” Polyp said solemnly.

Cerith and everyone else gasped. “Your Majesty- I say please don't! You’re throwing your life away!” one of the guards said. Her advisor smiled. “Shut your herring hole you eel!” the queen snapped. “Mother… please… don’t go!” Cerith pleaded. “Your Majesty, I believe your choice was wise, after all, you are the strongest and most powerful dragon in the kingdom.” the slick advisor calmed her. “NO! You can't!- I mean, Your Majesty… you will die!” the brave guard spoke out. “Kill him. He thinks you are weak.” the advisor glowed ever so slightly. The enraged queen grabbed a spear and threw it into the guard’s heart. “Mother!”

Cerith gasped. “Look at yourself! You are throwing away your own life, and what madness has come over you to kill your own servants!” she asked. “Silence.” the queen commanded. She broke Cerith’s harness and stormed off to the Summer Palace, her advisor and a guard trailing behind. Cerith followed secretly with two more loyal guards. “Ah, good, that FOOL of a queen is almost here. Gimme that knife.” Isthmus grabbed Cero’s knife and waited in front of the palace for the queen. “I .can’t believe this!” The queen stormed up to the palace to see Isthmus waiting for her right in front of theSummer Palace. Coral’s advisor smiled and snapped the guard’s neck behind her back. “Hello Mother.” Isthmus stabbed her mother in the chest as soon as she was within reach. “That was for never paying attention to me.” he stared into her horrified eyes. “And THAT!” he quickly moved the blade upward, slicing her whole neck open. She fell dead. “Was for not letting me be the king!” Isthmus laughed as he put on all of her pear

-necklaces. “Now you have failed and I AM KING!” Isthmus had gone totally crazy. Cero dared not point out that he could not take the throne because Isthmus would have murdered the entire kingdom if it meant him being in power. Cerith arrived just as Isthmus was about to leave. He rushed past their hiding spot and straight for the Deep Palace. Trench and Polyp rushed out and grabbed Cero, who didn’t resist. Isthmus had forgotten him.

thanks- ther are only a few more chapters tho-