“Why is she teaching fire spells?” Thisbe asked Rohan in a whisper as she took an open spot behind him.

“She thinks that because we already have the magical fire abilities of dragons, we might more easily pick up the fire-related magic. She’s been teaching us all sorts of amazing things! Everybody except Maiven can do the fire-step one now. Even me.”

Thisbe nodded in admiration. “I knew you could do it. You’ve been learning magic extremely well.”

“Ahem!” said Florence, giving Thisbe a dark look.

“Sorry,” said Thisbe, stepping back obediently. “I was just catching up.”

“We’ll have time for that later.” Florence continued with her instruction, while Thisbe went through the motions in following her, since she already knew all of the spells that were being taught. She exchanged smiles with Ishibashi and Kaylee as they joined the ranks.

Ishibashi and Kaylee, both originally from the same nonmagical world, were not at all successful in the art of magic. But under these dire circumstances they seemed willing to try again to see if any of these types of spells would work for them. When it became clear that they still didn’t have any ability in the magical arts, they slipped away to a different corner of the yard and brought out their weapons.

Ishibashi began to teach Kaylee how to use small, flat, spiked discs he’d made from old broken weapons he’d found in one of the shipwrecks off the coast of his island. He said it resembled a throwing star. He gave her a fabric wristlet that would store a few of the stars, and he showed her how to use a single finger to pull one out so she could easily access and throw it in a split second. Then he showed her how to throw them. He pointed out a nubby growth on a nearby tree and sent a star sailing into it. The weapon stuck fast.

Soon Kaylee was getting the hang of it. “It’s nice to have something that I can do from a distance,” she said. “I’m great with a sword and dagger, but that isn’t always useful on the back of a flying creature.” She cringed, remembering the last time she’d fought with her sword on Simber’s slick back and had nearly lost her life falling from a great height.

“These are lightweight and easy to carry,” Ishibashi told her. “For an old man, they are easier than a heavy sword—they’re the best weapons.” He paused, then added, “I can still fight with my fists, though.”

“I remember,” said Kaylee warmly. “Just be careful. We don’t want to lose you. Daniel needs his Papa Ishi.” She loved the three scientists like family. As others did in Artimé, she’d wondered how the men had managed to live so long. They were the oldest people Kaylee had ever heard of.

“I will be very careful, Kaylee,” Ishibashi told her solemnly, his eyes shining from the compliment. “You must trust me and not worry. And if my time in this world should end, I am ready for that.” A troubled look crossed his face, but it soon vanished. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever die. He and the other scientists had taken various doses of magical blue seaweed, and they had been responsible for giving some to Aaron as well to save his life long before they’d met Kaylee. Ishibashi knew that Aaron hadn’t told Kaylee that he might be immortal because of it. The knowledge weighed heavily on Ishibashi’s mind. He believed that Aaron shouldn’t keep this information from his wife. But Aaron had told him once that it would only cause Kaylee pain to know it. And he’d made it clear that this information wasn’t Ishibashi’s to share.