Thisbe’s stomach churned, and she fought to keep her expression steady as she got down off the Revinir’s back. As much as she and Fifer had been at odds lately, there was no way Thisbe would have any part in feeding her sister the dragon-bone broth. And the thought of being put back to work in the Revinir’s kitchen made Thisbe want to run away screaming. She hadn’t expected to continue that line of work now that the Revinir had taken over the castle! But clearly not everything had changed with the Revinir’s operations. Thisbe realized the dragon-woman would still be in need of broth to feed her own personal greed, as well as to control the people who reported to her.

That number appeared to be growing, too. Thisbe thought back to when she was first making the dragon-bone broth, and how Dev had spent a day selling it in Dragonsmarche. With a start, Thisbe realized that anyone who’d drunk it would also be affected by the Revinir’s roar—it wasn’t like the ancestor broth, which only affected the black-eyed people. The dragon-bone broth’s magical properties worked on anyone. Was that why so many people seemed to be calmly working in the castle without anyone forcing them or overseeing their work? Had the Revinir made the king’s green army drink the broth too?

“Go to your rooms, children,” the Revinir said. “Back to work tomorrow.”

Thisbe wasn’t sure where to go. Did the black-eyed slave soldiers have rooms in the castle now? To her great dismay, Rohan and Prindi and the others turned obediently toward the ramp that led to the dungeon and filed down it. Were they being held down there now? How horrible! Thisbe went with them, uncertain if it would be unusual for her to ask the dragon-woman what she was supposed to be doing.

The Revinir offered no instruction and didn’t accompany them down. When they reached the bottom, the soldiers stationed there saw who they were. Instead of ushering them to the cells, they opened the door that led to the catacombs. With a sinking heart, Thisbe filed past the empty dragon stalls and through the doorway, and followed the others into the underground maze, knowing that unless something had changed, they had an extremely long walk to their crypts, which would give them little opportunity to rest before morning. Why would the Revinir be so awful, making them walk when she could have had a dragon take them to the elevator entrance in far less time? It was a power game. The Revinir had all of it, and the black-eyed slaves were at her mercy. Thisbe was sure the dragon-woman enjoyed every moment, knowing the slaves had no choice but to obey.