Seth tried to help Rohan too, but to be honest, he was almost as out of sorts as Rohan. Thisbe had been one of his dearest friends since they were young, and he just couldn’t see her doing anything like this. Out of everyone, Seth felt most like something else had to be going on that none of them could understand quite yet. Maybe he believed that because it gave him comfort or lessened the pain. Or maybe it was because he’d witnessed firsthand how the twins worked when their backs were up against the wall.

But inevitably, whispers about the levels of good and evil in a person began in earnest. Was there something to it? And was evilness genetic? Aaron kept to himself once he started hearing speculation from others about the very thing he’d been thinking about. He knew that what Thisbe had done wasn’t his fault. Yet he caught the glances, like always. His past followed him everywhere. There was no escaping it, and he accepted that he’d done something worthy of an infinite number of apologies. That was part of his punishment, in his eyes. There would never be a time when he’d be done apologizing… at least not as long as these people were alive. Maybe one day, when he was Ishibashi’s age and all the people surrounding him were new, he would be able to escape judgment. Believing he might be immortal because of the seaweed that Ishibashi, Ito, and Sato had given him to save his life years ago, Aaron was forced to think about that, as well. What was worse than living a life full of apologies? Watching everyone you loved die and never getting to do so yourself.

A mood settled around him, bringing him way down. Not even Ishibashi could give him something good to ponder. Everyone was feeling it as they waited for Florence to return with something—anything—to soothe their worries. And Aaron had an increasingly bad feeling that what Florence was about to tell them wouldn’t be good.

When a dot appeared in the sky, the anticipation increased. When they realized Astrid was riderless, they were struck with fear. Was Florence okay? She had to be, Simber assured them. They began to speculate: Had Florence been able to land and see what was going on? Were the dragons as docile as they’d all hoped? Was she staying indefinitely?

But then doubts crept in. Why hadn’t she sent a message telling them what was up? Would she really delay the conversation half a day by sending a message with a forgetful ghost dragon?

As the speculation turned dark, Aaron found Simber, and the two waited together, beginning to fear the worst. “This isn’t good,” Aaron said.

“Something isn’t rrright,” Simber said.

Finally Astrid landed. It took some coaxing to help her remember why she wasn’t carrying a rider. But then she did.