“Well thought out,” said Maiven. “I say it’s worth the risk.”

With that, Thisbe made up her mind. She held the drawing, closed her eyes, and concentrated. A moment later a ball of light shot out and soared straight and true to a spot in Quill not far from the border of Artimé. Thisbe and the others followed the trail of fading light with their eyes, and Gorgrun started after it. Then Thisbe gasped when she saw a most peculiar sight.

“There!” Thisbe cried. “I see them! Gorgrun, Quince, head straight for that open area near the building, where that tall statue and four humans are dancing and waving.”

A Grand Attack

The first person Thisbe saw was Fifer. Her heart caught in her throat. Her sister was alive! Relief flooded her, but the animosity between them immediately resurfaced. Fifer looked disheveled and didn’t seem terribly pleased to see her. And while Thisbe was glad to see her sister, there were so many unsaid things between them that Thisbe couldn’t deal with right now. Especially with a war at hand. She turned her gaze abruptly to Florence. “I’m glad we found you,” she called out as Gorgrun came to a stop on the ground. “It wasn’t easy.”

“Thisbe! I’m so relieved you’re here,” Florence said as everyone disembarked the ghost dragon. Quince landed several yards away. “I nearly forgot you were coming. I mean, I know you said you were on your way, but with everything that has happened… time has flown by, and it’s been a little hectic trying to keep track of everyone.” She came forward to greet Thisbe and meet the others.

Sky ran up to Thisbe and embraced her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. But Fifer’s approach was less enthusiastic. The twins exchanged a measured glance. Thisbe nodded.

“Hi,” Fifer said. There was ice in her voice. Thisbe had left in the middle of the night without telling her a thing about her plans. That, to Fifer, was on the verge of being unforgiveable. That’s not how the twins had ever been. To make matters worse, Thisbe had told Aaron she was leaving. What if Thisbe had been killed? It was terribly hurtful to Fifer, and while she’d been able to tamp down those hurt feelings while facing Frieda’s dissenters, they all came bubbling back up now.

Thisbe averted her gaze and took a nervous step back, then noticed Ava and Lukas, who were cowering at Florence’s legs and staring at the ghost dragons. It was an eclectic, small group in this remote place away from Artimé. “What are you doing here? Where is everybody else? We flew by the mansion, and it was so strange.” A pang of fear, like the one she’d felt when she and Sky had stumbled onto Alex’s grave, shot through her. “Is Aaron… and everyone… okay? They can’t all be…”

“We think they’re fine,” Sky said quickly. She glanced from one twin to the other, noting the cold greeting and stepping in to explain a few things to the newcomers. “Alive, at least. We believe they’re trapped in the remote rooms of the mansion.” She explained the attack and Fifer’s narrow escape. “The dissenters sent our frozen friends to the library and lounge and destroyed the main tubes so they couldn’t return.”