When they weren’t sending mind messages, Thisbe and Fifer taught Dev a few basic spells. He spent the rest of his time by the fire, carving wooden weapons from thick branches. He meticulously shaved the end of a sword into a sharp point, then twisted and knotted some of his old clothing into a belt that would hold the sword at his side. On the handle he carved the symbol of the Suresh family, which he’d found on the steins in the alcove. Then he started making daggers. Thisbe and Fifer hadn’t been carrying weapons when they’d been abducted, so Dev wanted to make sure they each had one as well.

Sometimes Thisbe got frustrated when all of the worries became too large in her head. She began to pull back from Fifer and Dev emotionally to protect herself. And she began acting in character as she prepared for the role of a lifetime. Some days she stayed in character all of the time, wanting to experience life as the one who betrayed her people. Wanting to know how it would feel to be the person who joined ranks with the evil Revinir. She needed to become that person in advance, so that she would know what to do and how to act when faced with unexpected circumstances. Because the Revinir was anything but predictable. She was bound to make Thisbe’s life difficult no matter what, even if she was delighted that Thisbe had decided to join her. Thisbe had to be ready for anything unexpected… and that was the hardest kind of character to play. That was why she needed to be the one to do unexpected things too—to keep the Revinir guessing.

As Thisbe receded into her mission, spending more and more time alone in her thoughts and planning, Dev and Fifer grew closer together, taking care of the palace, providing food and water, and planning the best way to keep Dev hidden if the Revinir showed up. He told Fifer about the village and the little house with the closet he’d hidden in. And he told her about the alcove where he’d found the drawings but described how hard it was to access it.