He knew he wasn’t safe here. He wasn’t safe anywhere. He may as well give himself up rather than live with this fear all the time. Maybe the soldiers in the catacombs would take him back and let him work there quietly. He knew how to use the elevator entrance in Dragonsmarche—he’d seen the soldiers do it. Could he just slip down there in the middle of the night? At least the Revinir and her mind-controlled dragons couldn’t get to him down there.

In the morning, Dev dressed in his long skirt and a jacket and packed up his few extra pieces of clothing. He cooked and ate a fish and filled his canteen and an old wineskin he’d unearthed with water. Then he returned to the library and stared out the east window in the direction of the crater lake and tried to talk himself into setting out for the one place Drock had warned him not to return to.

But his lead feet wouldn’t walk. His soul had attached to the library, and his heart to the land. He wasn’t going anywhere.

It was a decision he would soon come to regret.

Growing Restless

Over time, Thisbe and Fifer naturally fell into a practice they’d begun in their childhood, meeting up with Seth on the lawn after a long day and taking a walk along the shore to the lagoon. Seth was busy today, which was fine, because Fifer and Thisbe were ready for a break from the constant activity of the past weeks and hoping for a little quiet twin time. They were still trying to navigate the changes each of them had experienced since they’d been torn apart. And trying to patch up the broken parts. They’d grown closer during these weeks together. That was comforting after all they’d gone through.

“How is your team coming together?” Fifer asked.

“Better than I expected,” said Thisbe. “Everybody’s making progress. Maiven is picking up techniques from Florence and vice versa. Those two have become best friends. And the others are the strongest I’ve seen them.” She paused. “I think we’re almost ready.” Thisbe felt a flicker of sadness at the thought of leaving, but at the same time she was more than eager to go.

But Fifer felt a wave of panic. Almost ready? What did that mean for her? But she remained quiet. Maybe Thisbe would sense that it wasn’t quite the right time for Artimé to step in. But Maiven and the children and ghost dragons had unselfishly left their chaotic land to help Artimé. Fifer felt like she couldn’t refuse to do the same whenever they felt like it was the right time to go.

Thisbe went on. “It’s been monumentally helpful being here and training. The others learning magic was something I never imagined they could do, so that’s been great. And we’re all stocked up on components and learning how to make a few too. I think we have everything we need. The new message spell and the obliterate components, among everything else. Thanks for letting us use your lawn to practice everything.”