“I’m . . . pretty sure,” said Thisbe, sounding terribly grim. “I got one of those feelings again—one of those premonitions like I had before, regarding the Revinir. She’s got him. I feel . . . ugh. Terrible.” She got up and wiped the dirt and leaves off her pants, then started tromping back to the path into Grimere. “Let’s go. Maiven will be wondering about us, and the others might not know how to handle the roar now that they’ve got the effects of the two broths competing in their minds.”

Rohan hopped up and trotted after her, and together, with a magical highlighter glowing to help them stay on the path, they went back toward Grimere. Once they broke out of the forest, they could see dozens of dragons soaring overhead on their way to the castle, heeding the Revinir’s call.

Thisbe’s mind worked overtime as they stumbled across the road. Her heart was torn in two over Dev. What a terrible mistake she’d made! She’d asked him to do this—and he’d done it to save eight others. What had happened? Had he broken character? Did he focus on her when she peered at him, or say something not quite right? Had she discovered he was faking it? Or had the soldiers from the catacombs gotten to her and captured him along the way? Whatever the case, Thisbe was certain Dev was caught, enduring the Revinir’s wrath. What would she do to him next?

“I should have dumped out the dragon-bone broth,” Thisbe lamented. “Now she’ll get some and feed it to him.”

“No one thought of that,” said Rohan, trying to comfort her. “It was very rushed.”

“I messed up. Poor Dev—this is all my fault. Why did I think he could do it?” She muttered under her breath. “Maybe he did it just fine, but the soldiers got to her before he could get away. Ugh! I’m a terrible friend!”

Rohan stumbled in the darkness and caught himself. “Listen. You got the rest of us out of there unscathed and without being seen. I’d say you did a lot right.”

“I failed Dev. He didn’t want to do this.”

“But if you hadn’t pushed him, none of us would be free right now.”

Thisbe scowled as they ran behind some bushes, trying not to be seen by villagers or the dragons overhead. “What’s more right?” she asked. “Sacrificing Dev so the rest of us could be safe? Or staying together and risking us all being caught? Is one life less important than several lives?”

Rohan was silent as he contemplated it. “I don’t think there’s a correct answer to that.”