“This is all my fault,” Aaron whispered. “You’re taking after me. Please, please don’t make the same mistakes I made. I’m here today to tell you that you will regret this for the rest of your life… like I regret my mistakes.” He took a breath. “Every day I relive my past like a recurring nightmare. Every day I face people who still hold scorn for what I’ve done. And I deserve it. But, Thisbe, my dear sister… I want you to know it’s not too late to come home. You have a chance that I didn’t have. And I’m begging you to take it. Come with us.”

Thisbe had no idea Aaron would take some sort of blame for her wrongdoings. She glanced at Ishibashi, whose eyes were glistening.

“This is your pivotal moment,” Ishibashi said quietly. “What you do next will define you. I believe you will make the right choice.”

Thisbe swallowed hard, over and over again, trying to clear the lump that insisted on rising. And she held her eyes wide open, trying to get the wind to dry her tears. She spoke to herself silently, reminding herself why she was doing what she was doing. They were not done with this. The Revinir was thirty yards away and could kill any of them at any moment with a blast of fire.

“There’s something else,” Aaron said. “It’s Fifer. She’s hurt. I… I don’t know how badly.”

Thisbe took in a sharp breath. Her mind swam. What had happened to Fifer? Had the red dragons done something? She felt sick. But she was so close to getting this right. If she left with Aaron, the Revinir would never trust her again, and all their work would be ruined. She’d go to Fifer immediately after she took care of the Revinir. Gathering strength, Thisbe stared Aaron right in the eye. “This meeting is a waste of time,” she said, trying to sound disgusted.

But then a whisper came from her left. From Rohan, whose lips barely moved. “Thisbe, quickly. She’s standing alone. The ghost dragons can’t be hurt.”

Thisbe’s eyes widened as tears slipped down Aaron’s cheek. Keeping her back to the Revinir, she slid her hand inside her jacket and secured the obliterate box. With a whisper of magic she opened it and removed the stone.