Besides, Fifer thought that Thisbe needed to lighten up. Sure, Thisbe was part dragon now and had a special attachment to the land of the dragons that Fifer wasn’t feeling. But the Artiméans had been through a lot, and they needed a break. She wanted Thisbe to slow down and let everyone recover after the harrowing months they’d endured.

Frustrated, Thisbe gave up arguing. She spent her days working with Florence, the Magical Warrior trainer, so she could finally learn the traditional magic of Artimé and earn her component vest. She wanted the vest for the layer of protection it offered, but mostly she craved access to the important magical components she would need on her return to Grimere. She couldn’t go back without them. True, the magic might not work on the Revinir, who was half dragon now, so Thisbe was also thinking about how to take her down in other ways. But Artimé’s magic would work on the awful soldiers who willingly served the dragon-woman. And she might learn something in her training with Florence that could help the slaves escape, which would be better than nothing.

While Thisbe doggedly worked to catch up to her sister’s mage level, Fifer and Seth planned the extravaganza for all of Artimé. They determined it should be held on the upcoming Day of Remembrance, which was also known to the Unwanteds as the annual day of the purge, when the Unwanteds were sent out of Quill. It was a time when many people of Artimé celebrated their birthdays, especially if their official birth date had never been noted.

Ibrahim and Clementi would be turning fourteen. Seth, who’d been born in Artimé and had an official birthday, would be fourteen soon after the costume ball, so he’d be celebrating early. And Thisbe and Fifer, who’d been born in Quill and didn’t have a specific birth date that anyone had made note of, would be marking their thirteenth birthdays at long last. Thirteen was a special year for most children in Artimé, because it signaled the start of their magical-warrior training and working toward getting the coveted component vest.

Fifer had already secretly trained with Florence before the rescue mission and had been given her component vest and access to all the magical components. That was why Thisbe had some catching up to do. She was determined to learn everything possible in the least amount of time. Plus she continued to work on her natural fire-based magic, going to the jungle or the lagoon in the evenings by herself to find secluded boulders and dead trees and sandbars to blow up.