And yet, Wynn and Luna were convinced that the gorgodon was their FRIEND!

No barrier seemed capable of keeping them away, either.

Sophie still had no idea how the twins had slipped past all the wire that Grady and the gnomes had carefully wrapped around the enclosure after the last time Wynn had paid the gorgodon a visit. She’d checked everywhere for a gap, or a spot where the wire was loose, or for some sort of tunnel near the base—anything she could use to get Wynn and Luna out of there.

But there was nothing.

Even the gnomes who’d rushed over when they’d realized what was going on couldn’t figure it out, and Sandor had been forced to slash a new opening with his sword for them to use as an extraction point.

And all the while, the gorgodon had been striking at Wynn and Luna with its venomous, scorpion-like tail—coming so close to death blows that Sophie had to keep shutting her eyes, unable to watch the horror that seemed about to unfold.

But somehow, each time, Wynn and Luna managed to keep on flying.

And when the gnomes had finally coaxed them out of the enclosure with an absurd amount of swizzlespice, they didn’t even have a scratch on them—which was why Sophie hadn’t felt guilty about channeling all of her mental strength into a baby-alicorn tackle and hauling them far away by their gangly little legs.

She’d tried her best to make them understand how lucky they were that she’d been outside and realized what was going on with enough time to get them away from the deadly beast before something seriously tragic had happened. But none of that had gotten through to the stubborn twins.

So it was time to let their parents take over—and when Sophie finally found Silveny and Greyfell grazing near the pterodactyl enclosure, she braced for some epic freaking out.

But both the mama and papa alicorns kept right on munching as Sophie recounted the story.

And when Sophie finished, Silveny didn’t even bother raising her head when she transmitted, BABY OKAY! BABY OKAY!

It wasn’t a question.

It was a reassurance.

As if she wanted Sophie to know that she’d been worrying for nothing.

Sophie glanced at Greyfell, hoping he’d take over as Overprotective Daddy. But he just shook his mane and chomped down another mouthful of grass.

I don’t think you understand, Sophie told them, wondering if the danger had been somehow lost in the translation between their languages. Or maybe they didn’t realize how bad it had been because she hadn’t let herself scream while it was all happening, trying not to escalate the situation.

So she shared her actual memories from the morning, letting Silveny and Greyfell see exactly how close they’d come to losing one or both of their children.

And still, Silveny simply nuzzled Sophie’s shoulder and transmitted, BABY STRONG! BABY STRONG!

Then Greyfell told Wynn and Luna to run along and play.

* * *

“I don’t get it,” Sophie grumbled after she’d stomped inside and recounted the whole harrowing tale again. Edaline had definitely looked shaken, and Grady had raced outside to check in with the gnomes at the gorgodon’s enclosure—the kinds of reactions she should have gotten from Silveny and Greyfell. “How can they not care? They were so overprotective when Silveny was pregnant—shouldn’t they be even more so now?”

“I don’t think this has anything to do with not caring,” Edaline assured her. “You’ve seen how they both dote on Wynn and Luna. I think… they just trust their children to handle themselves. Like Silveny said, ‘BABY STRONG!’ ”

“But Wynn and Luna almost died!” Sophie argued.

“I know. But… they didn’t. And obviously I can’t speak for Silveny’s decision-making—or Greyfell’s, for that matter. But we all know that they both went through some pretty difficult things before they came to live with us. And even with our protection, they’ve still endured several attempts on their lives. The world isn’t safe for sparkly flying horses. So maybe they’re trying to prepare their children for that reality, knowing that Wynn and Luna are going to need to be strong and fast and brave if they want any shot of surviving. It’s the struggle every parent faces as their children grow up. Trust me, we all wish we could lock our kids in a bubble and never let anyone or anything go near them—”

“And I’d be happy to arrange that,” Sandor jumped in.

“I’m sure you would,” Edaline said with a teasing smile. “But we’re not going to. Because that’s not how life works. If parents did that, our children would be miserable—and they’ll inevitably step into reality someday anyway, whether we want them to or not. So the best thing we can do is teach them the skills they need to survive, even when that means letting them take big risks.”

“Right, but… Silveny and Greyfell weren’t teaching them anything today,” Sophie argued. “They weren’t even there watching!”

“That doesn’t mean they haven’t been doing things to prepare Wynn and Luna at other moments,” Edaline reminded her. “Or, for all you know, they could’ve had a telepathic connection open the entire time that Wynn and Luna were in with the gorgodon, guiding them through what to do.”

Sophie sighed. “I guess. Wynn and Luna just seem so young and tiny to be taking that kind of chance.”

“Well, things are different with animals,” Edaline noted. “But, it’s also funny you should say that, since I have that same thought every time I have to step back and let you and your friends dive headfirst into one of your plans. No matter how brave and grown-up you get, you’ll always be too young and tiny for the frightening things the Black Swan asks you to do.”

Sophie became very interested in scraping at the dried mud on her gloves.

Edaline placed her hand over Sophie’s, waiting for their eyes to meet before she said, “I know Mr. Forkle asked you to do something dangerous, Sophie. He wouldn’t tell us what, but given the Black Swan’s track record, I’m assuming the stakes will be very high. So… I’m trying to take some pointers from Silveny and tell myself, SOPHIE STRONG! SOPHIE STRONG!”

Sophie looked away. “It… might not happen.”

“Really?” Edaline’s voice sounded awfully hopeful, and she cleared her throat before she asked, “Any particular reason why?”

“I’m still trying to decide if I want to do it,” Sophie admitted.

Edaline tightened her grip on Sophie’s hand. “Well then, I’m very proud of you. It takes a lot of courage to remember that you really do have a choice in all of this.”

Sophie wondered if Edaline would be so proud if she knew why Sophie was rebelling.

“If you need to talk…,” Edaline added.

“I know,” Sophie told her.

Silence followed, until Edaline cleared her throat again. “See what I mean about being a parent? Here I am, not pressuring you—or Sandor—for more information, even though we all know I want to. And I’m not saying that as a hint, or to guilt you into sharing. I just bet you anything that Silveny wasn’t nearly as calm as she seemed when you talked to her. I’m sure her head was full of things she stopped herself from saying because she’s letting Wynn and Luna have their freedom, knowing that’s the best thing for them in the long run.”