She left the three obliterate components for last and stared at them for a long time as she remembered Florence’s instructions. She tried to picture a scenario in which she’d actually use one. Perhaps she and the Revinir would stroll down the road together and Thisbe could get far enough away to attack her with one. She slipped the first one inside her interior pocket and picked up the second, then turned the little box over in her fingers. She hesitated, then put it inside the pocket as well. The third one she studied for a longer moment. There was no way she could imagine needing three. If she messed up with the first one, she was probably never going to have a chance to use the second, much less the third.

Thisbe glanced out the east window, seeing the dragons in their corners. She knew Fifer and Dev had no defense against them. Thisbe heard Florence’s voice in her head, telling her that the obliterate components were for her use, and her use only. And that she trusted Thisbe. Thisbe had promised to keep them safe and use them strictly when appropriate.

But things had changed, and the threats around them were growing. So, despite that promise to Florence, Thisbe pulled a sheet of paper and a pen from the desk. In great detail she wrote out the instructions, range, and effects of the spell, making sure to emphasize just how deadly and dangerous it could be. Then she wrapped the instructions around the component box and slipped it inside one of the pockets of Fifer’s robe, which the head mage had left draped over the railing while going out to fish. Hopefully, Fifer would find the component sometime after Thisbe left so they wouldn’t have to have an argument about it and risk messing with their current state of oneness.

Fifer and Dev returned. Dev cooked dinner, and the three ate in strained silence. Reality was hitting them in the face, and they wondered if they could really pull this off. As night fell, they gathered by the stairs to say good-bye.

“Remember,” said Fifer, who felt responsibility for things going wrong because it was her plan, “the Revinir wants this to happen. And her ego is big enough that she’ll buy into it more easily than we expect—she’ll give herself the credit for succeeding at another one of her ventures.”

“The only way she’ll hurt you is if she thinks you aren’t useful anymore,” said Dev. “Or if she thinks no one cares about you.” He frowned. “That’s why she threw me out the window. If you can prove that others will listen to you, she’ll keep you around.”