“I think I found the bag,” Dev said, “but I can’t reach it. There’s a rope that wasn’t there before hanging down through the hole. It’s going to take a bit of work to get to it. But it’s something.”

At least there was that. “Good,” said Fifer, glad that one thing was sort of going right. “Now, can you help me carry Florence’s bum over to the right place?”

Making Big Plans

After Thisbe had torched the send spell she’d written, she scrambled for an excuse to give Zel. “Oh, I didn’t actually write any words,” she explained, trying to sound scientific and boring. “I was just testing my magical… flint… pencil. And it works great. Now I can quickly make a fire in the apartment fireplace tonight.”

It was a terrible excuse—Thisbe could make a fire quickly enough without needing flint, but Zel didn’t know that. In the end, it had been enough to calm Zel’s alarm and throw off the mind-controlled servant’s concerns. Unfortunately, knowing how closely Zel would be watching her now, Thisbe was too paranoid to try to send anything again. She imagined what could have happened if someone had intercepted what she’d written. Thankfully, Zel hadn’t had a chance to read it.

Later Thisbe returned to the ballroom to meet with the Revinir, ready to nail down some details of their new partnership and solidify in the Revinir’s mind that she was truly on board with this plan. Getting the dragon-woman to trust her as much as possible was one of the most important goals Thisbe had. Perhaps she could lure her outside for a walk on the lawn without her entourage. Or somehow get her alone in a spot where no one else could be hurt if Thisbe used the obliterate spell on her.

The Revinir turned when Thisbe entered, then invited her to step out on the balcony with her to overlook the castle grounds. The ballroom balcony faced the back side of the property opposite the drawbridge and long driveway, so there was no hustle and bustle, only a few guards patrolling the hills. From this height Thisbe could see the city of Grimere off to the right, with a big open square not far from the forest. “What do you expect will change when we are co-rulers?” Thisbe asked, trying to sound casual.

“I thought you wanted to think it through,” the Revinir said sarcastically.

“I’d like to know what to expect so that I can make my decision,” said Thisbe. “You’ve had all sorts of time to envision it, but I haven’t. What’s in it for me?”