The Revinir had just started to reveal herself in some convoluted way. And she wasn’t 100 percent evil. Just like Thisbe. Or Dev. Or Rohan. Or Aaron. Or any of them. She had a mix of evil and good in her. And while the good bit was probably tiny, it still made her extremely complex. After Thisbe had taken a turn as a perceived supervillain and had witnessed a little of the wrath that came with that, she’d developed a slightly more forgiving attitude.

The Revinir was unlike Frieda Stubbs, who had seemed like the most one-dimensional, fear-mongering villain to ever cross the path of any Unwanted. But the dragon-woman had layers and layers of history that somehow worked to give her a mysterious, intriguing life. She just hadn’t revealed any of it until now.

Thisbe wished she hadn’t revealed it at all, because it was only making this job harder. She slipped her hand inside her jacket to her vest to make sure she could access the small component box easily when needed.

As they traveled, trumpets sounded every quarter hour, calling the people of the land of the dragons to come to the square. The Revinir let out an unexpected, earsplitting roar once they drew close, making Thisbe and Rohan wince. Both felt the tug of the Revinir’s call even though they were already with her. Both saw their usual images flash before their eyes—Rohan for the first time when a roar occurred. Soon a cyclone of dragons whirled around above them.

Thisbe eyed Rohan. Things weren’t looking good for getting the Revinir alone and away from everyone else. With a sinking heart, she couldn’t see how she would possibly be able to take the dragon-woman down during this event.

But if she could, it would be so convenient. Everyone was already gathered in Dragonsmarche. After the deed was done, Thisbe could address everyone and explain what was going on before rumors spread wildly. Still… that would be a traumatic experience to witness. Not something Thisbe wanted others to have to suffer through. No, it was best to wait. Find the Revinir alone. Do it safely. Don’t endanger anyone.

She sighed and realized she felt a twinge of relief, which was alarming. Why was she feeling relieved not to have a chance to take the Revinir down, when this was the thing she’d been so set on doing for such a long time?