Rohan looked at Simber, fear and awe in his eyes. They were calling in everyone the people of Artimé knew. This was a major deal.

Simber nodded sharply. “You hearrrd herrr. Let’s go.”

Abandoned

The Revinir and her team of mind-controlled dragons flew a lot faster than the ghost dragons had, but Fifer and Thisbe weren’t sure they would survive the trip.

It hadn’t been hard for the girls to figure out that the dragon-woman had been hiding in Artimé’s jungle, waiting for them to take their evening walk. She’d swooped down and snatched them up when they neared the lagoon. The Revinir’s six red water dragons had risen from the sea to assist, but the dragon-woman wouldn’t let the twins go—she dangled them from her claws the entire journey back to the land of the dragons. By the time they crossed over the gorge, the twins were unconscious.

It worked in the Revinir’s favor. She didn’t want them to be aware of where she was planning to drop them off. She wanted them to be disoriented. Lost and scared. That was the only way to bring them around to her way of thinking. Make them desperate, dangle a carrot, and then they would see her side of things. Break them down and train them back up.

Once Thisbe was supportive of the Revinir as the ruling dragon of Grimere, then the true power could be transferred, and she would officially be number one in the land of the dragons. Along with Thisbe as the ruling black-eyed human, of course. Unfortunately, the Revinir needed to keep at least one of those black-eyed children around for this purpose, and maybe a backup or two. The rest, she’d come to realize, were disposable.

And there was no way she was bringing these two back to the castle or the catacombs. Neither place had been a good prison for Thisbe—she’d escaped too many times. But Ashguard’s palace and the deserted wasteland surrounding it were just the decrepit mess of sheer nothingness for miles to make Thisbe and Fifer beg to be rescued. Surround them with dragons to keep them contained, and eventually they’d promise to do anything… even make a pact with the Revinir to rule together.

The Revinir knew Thisbe had it in her to be evil. The girl had tricked her in the past and was more stubborn than the dragon-woman had expected, but she would come around in time. It was Fifer she was more worried about. That young woman was awash in goodness. She might have to be disposed of once the plan was in place—but not before, or the Revinir might lose Thisbe’s allegiance. It was a tricky affair. The dragons would keep an eye on the girl.

By the time they soared over the crater lake and the palace ruins were in sight, it was midafternoon.