Thisbe pulled a magical highlighter from her pocket and lit it so she could see better. “Wow!” she said. “That’s amazing. How did you find actual dragon scales?”

“Maiven,” said Rohan. “She had a whole wooden box full of them in her house. We found them when we were cleaning up, and that planted the first seeds that led to our little plan.”

“Why would she have a box of dragon scales?” asked Thisbe, trying to imagine the answer.

“She said she and her siblings collected them when they were young, sort of like you and I might collect bird feathers or leaves from different kinds of trees today. It was very common back then, since the dragons were plentiful around here.”

“They’re plentiful again,” said Thisbe wryly.

“Indeed they are. The circumstances are quite different now, though.”

“Yes.” Thisbe paused for a moment to check the door once more. “So you glued the scales onto your arms and legs and just knocked on the castle door? Or what?”

Rohan laughed. “I wasn’t quite that bold. I hid near the castle and waited for her to roar, then showed up as if responding to the call.” His smile faded. “She was calling for us—you and me. And she was delighted to see me, to say the least. She asked where I got the dragon-bone broth. I told her I’d stolen a bottle at the market after you and I split up, because I was so hungry. She’s continued to sell it there, you know.”

“Is that why so many people are just blindly doing what she wants?”

“Yes. She’s given it to all the king’s green-uniformed soldiers too. Just enough so they obey her.”

“Oh no.” That was hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people. “I guess I knew she had to be planning to do something with all of those vials. She’s taken more herself. I can see the difference.” Thisbe shook her head. “You told her you and I split up? We should get our stories straight.”

“I . . . yes.” Rohan looked pained. “I wasn’t expecting the question. I should have been. I told her you were rescued—I couldn’t think of anything else plausible that would cause us to separate. I should have said you were killed or something. I’m sorry. I’m afraid I inadvertently sent her in search of you and put you all in danger.”

“Well, don’t feel bad,” said Thisbe. “She saw all of my fellow Artiméans fighting her, so she would have assumed they’d taken me with them when they left. She’s known for a long time how to find us. You didn’t ruin anything.”

Rohan blew out a relieved breath. “So you must have seen us coming and heard the roar—is that what made you and Drock decide to infiltrate?”