“I hope that’s the case,” said Thisbe. “But I want to say once more that I’m doing this willingly, Fifer. If something happens to me, it’s not your fault. I am in control of this. Okay?”

Fifer wanted to shout, “Nothing’s going to happen to you!” But she knew that wasn’t the kind of comfort Thisbe needed to hear right now. “Okay,” Fifer said. Deep down the understanding remained that if anything happened to Thisbe, she would feel responsible for it. This had been her plan, and she’d talked the other two into it. She bore the weight of it.

But Fifer still felt like it was right. They hugged all together, then two and two. They turned out the lights so the dragons would think they were sleeping. In the darkness, Dev slipped away to give the girls a moment.

“What if I fail?” Thisbe whispered.

“You won’t,” said Fifer. “I believe in you.”

“But what if I actually do fail?” Thisbe said. Her voice was worried.

“Then we’re no worse off. We’ll figure it out. We always do. Have confidence.”

That was the answer Thisbe needed. They whispered their last good-byes.

Thisbe descended the stairs with her rucksack, canteen, hidden dagger carved from wood, and her two obliterate components tucked away in her pocket, plus a few other components. As she walked out into the fog toward one of the front-corner dragons, her heart began to pound. Confidence, she repeated to herself over and over. She had to show the dragon that she was in charge. She was black-eyed ruler Thisbe Stowe, co-equal to the Revinir. And she wasn’t going to be disrespected by anybody. Not even an enormous red dragon.

As she drew close, she let out a dragon roar like she’d done early on in her stay here. Showing her dominance… or something. She kept walking as the dragon stood up and faced her, making the ground shiver. The dragon approached.

Thisbe roared again, and the dragon dipped his head.

Fifer and Dev watched breathlessly from the window. “He’s bowing to her,” Dev whispered. “She roared, and he’s trying to decide if she’s in charge of him.” His mind began to whir, but he kept quiet.

Thisbe stopped walking a few feet from the dragon’s enormous face. She stared into his eyes, finding them dead-looking even in the cover of darkness. “Take me to the Revinir,” she ordered in her most commanding voice.

Everyone held their breath. Fifer gripped the windowpane. Dev could barely stand to watch. And Thisbe stood there, ready to ride or be attacked. The dragon’s hot breath made her skin hurt. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed her.