She kept them both alive. When the two seemed stable and there was nothing else Florence could do for them, the warrior scooted along the ground in search of her leg. She’d never repaired her own body before because it was always better to have someone else’s trained eye to place a body part just right. But now she didn’t really have a choice—she wanted her leg attached in case something else threatened them.

She found it in the yard not far from where Fifer had brought her back to life. After magically repairing the cracks, Florence maneuvered herself into the proper position to attach the leg to the rest of her body. When she was finished, she got up and tested it. There were a few blades of grass that had gotten trapped during the sealing process and they stuck out of her leg now. And it was a tiny bit crooked—which was why it would have been nice to have Octavia there to catch that mistake. But she walked around on it. Other than a minor limp, she was in good shape.

Now that Florence was back in one piece, she took stock of her location. The four dead dragons were a big eyesore, and so was the broken-down palace. She stomped out the few smoldering fires that luckily hadn’t spread through the orchard. Florence could just barely see the village beyond the trees. She spotted the river in the back of the property and remembered how important it was for humans to drink, so she filled the two teenagers’ canteens for them. Then she rummaged through Fifer’s vest pockets again and pulled out a send spell so she could contact Maiven. But it was one that had already been used. And it was from Thisbe.

Florence read it.

Fife,

Things will have to happen soon. Alert the troops.

Thiz

PS We’re heading to Dragonsmarche today to announce our partnership. Don’t reply.

This message added to Florence’s confusion about what was really happening. Her suspicions about the twins grew. But there was something more urgent about this. “If this is recent, and the Revinir and Thisbe are heading to Dragonsmarche,” Florence reasoned, “we want some eyes on them.”

She found an unused send spell and wrote:

Maiven,

I’m not sure how much time has passed since I went down, but I’m back up again. All four red dragons are dead. Fifer and Dev are both seriously injured and unconscious. If they don’t wake up soon… that could spell trouble. Where are you? Can you send Aaron with more medical supplies? And send someone to Dragonsmarche and the castle to keep an eye on things there. Sounds like Thisbe and the Revinir are making their pact in the public square.

Florence