They broke for the evening meal, and then Maiven went to pack a light bag and get ready for her journey to the cavelands. As night fell without a moon in sight, Thisbe and the others checked the window locks and drew the curtains tightly shut. But when Maiven reappeared, looking ready to go, Prindi let out a scream from the back window.

Rohan turned quickly and gasped. “They’ve found us! Hide!”

Pressed up against the glass was the horrifying face of a dragon.

Teaming Up

The other future rulers ran and dove for cover behind pieces of furniture, screaming. Thisbe grabbed heart attack components and peered out through the drapes of the front window to see if they were surrounded, while Rohan barred the door—not that any of it would do any good against a dragon.

Maiven drew her sword and stood poised, giving an air of safety to the room, and then she narrowed her gaze and looked closer, scrutinizing the shape in the shadowy alley behind the house. After a moment she strode toward the window, unafraid.

“Maiven!” said Thisbe sharply. “Be careful!”

But Maiven kept going until she reached the window. She looked out. And then she unhooked the latch and slid the window open.

The other black-eyed children screamed again, for certainly the former queen had lost her mind. But the woman held her hand out to quiet them. “Well, what a sight,” she said through the window. “Are you alone?”

Thisbe’s heart pounded. What was going on? Had Maiven known this dragon when she’d been a ruler?

Maiven stepped aside, then went to the door and opened it wide.

“Maiven!” Thisbe said again, feeling frantic. “What are you doing?”

But Thisbe soon realized why her grandmother was acting so strangely. The dragon lumbered down the alley to the open door and pressed his nose inside as far as it would go, then tilted his head downward against the frame so he could see.

“It’s Gorgrun!” Thisbe exclaimed. She let out a held breath. “Don’t worry, everyone. Gorgrun is one of the ghost dragons. He’s safe and not under the Revinir’s spell.”

Rohan came out from behind the sofa and joined Thisbe to greet their old friend. “We were just talking about you,” Thisbe said. She reached up tentatively and patted the dragon’s bony snout. “How did you know to come?”

“You called us,” said Gorgrun, who didn’t seem at all annoyed to be explaining this for the second time to Thisbe, because he’d probably forgotten.

“I did?” asked Thisbe, delighted but puzzled. “So there are more of you?”

“Quince is hiding nearby.” Gorgrun’s nostrils flared, and smoke filled the living room. The future rulers waved their hands to try to clear the air.

“Perhaps you could take a step back, sir,” said Maiven, firmly yet politely. Gorgrun obliged, tugging his face out of the doorframe and rattling the house in the process.