'Deserter' is the third book in the Wings of Fire: Winglets|Winglets
series. Taking place before the events of the main series, it shows the
early life of Six-Claws up to the point of him heading to the Scorpion
Den. Deserter was released as an e-book March 29th, 2016, and in the
paperback collection A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories in
late 2016. The Sky Kingdom is on the cover.

## Description

Fans of the New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series won't want
to miss this all-new story set in the dangerous and thrilling world of
dragons!

Six-Claws is a happy and industrious SandWing, always working hard and
loyally for Oasis|his queen. So when the youngest SandWing princess,
Blaze, wanders off during a sandstorm, Six-Claws doesn't think twice
before trying to rescue her. But it turns out that loyalty isn't always
enough to stay safe in the Kingdom of Sand|Sand Kingdom...

Before the War of SandWing Succession, there were three SandWing
princesses... and a queen.

Discover the New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series with this
ebook exclusive origin story! Author Tui T. Sutherland soars further
into the world of Pyrrhia's dragons than ever before! In these
brand-new short stories, fans will meet old friends and new ones,
uncover shocking secrets, and learn more about the terrible challenges
that will test all Dragons|dragonkind!

## Plot

The book starts when Six-Claws was five years old. He was having dinner with his family, and his parents, Ostrich and Quicksand,
were discussing Oasis's new daughter, Blaze. Six-Claws realized that
Oasis will not be queen forever as his parents talk about who she will
get rid of. They eventually deduced that it will be Oasis' sister, as
she was closest to challenging the queen. They are later proven correct.

Two years later, Smolder approached Six-Claws and said that his sisters,
Blister and Burn, are planning something. Six-Claws headed to the
wingery to look for Blaze and met Dune, a young SandWing dragonet. They
notice a sandstorm coming and when Six-Claws saw Blaze, he goes out to
save her. He accomplishes this and attracts Blister's attention. When
Blaze was rescued, the king, Char, recruits Six-Claws and Dune to join
the army. They take his offer and were always together for years.

One night, several years later, Six-Claws, Dune, Singe, and Scald are
comforting Smolder over the disappearance of his girlfriend, Palm. A
scream was heard and Queen Oasis was found dead, killed by
Humans|scavengers. Smolder found a Flower|scavenger hiding in the sand
and later they followed the horse tracks to burn down the den. Over
time, Blister took a squadron of guards and Blaze fled north with half
the army.

About twelve years after, Six-Claws, Dune, and several other soldiers
were shown driving off defending IceWings. Dune gets severe frostbreath
injuries from an IceWing and Six-Claws takes him to the nurses. Burn
comes in and said that they are going to attack the MudWings,
disagreeing with Six-Claws' idea of invading the borders of the Ice
Kingdom and finding Blaze. Six-Claws was approached by a dragon in the
shadows (suspected to be Deathbringer), who told him to leave Burn and
go to the Scorpion Den. Six-Claws initially disagreed, and the
mysterious dragon leaves. Six-Claws went back into the tent and tried to
change Burn's mind, asking her for one more day to find Blaze, but she
remains adamant and destroyed Dune's wing and his foreleg until
Six-Claws finally agreed. Burn leaves and the SandWing nurses do their
best to help Dune. When there was only one nurse left, she and Six-Claws
leave with Dune to the Scorpion Den. The SandWing revealed her name as
Kindle. Dune woke up and said to Six-Claws that loyalty was stupid.
Six-Claws disagreed, saying that they were loyal to the wrong dragon,
and now they would find a dragon worthy of their loyalty. Kindle said
that she hoped he was right, and they flew toward the Scorpion Den, with
hope.

## International Releases

  - 'Russian:' Дезертир (October 2020 as a part of Мятежники)

de:Deserter fr:Deserter pl:Skrzydła Ognia: Uciekinier ru:Дезертир