“I—thank you.” Fifer shoved the handkerchief into her pocket and wiped her hands on her pants. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t believe what the dragon had done. “I’ll meet you upstairs,” she told Dev.

Dev narrowed his eyes. “Um…”

“I won’t do anything crazy,” she said. “I just need a minute. I’m going to the water pump. That’s it.”

Dev smiled grimly, and as Fifer slipped out the doorway, he turned and started back up the stairs. As he went, his mind began to whirl with questions. What did it mean that the dragon had attacked Fifer’s birds? Had he seen them as threatening? Or had the Revinir given them very specific instructions on who or what to attack?

When Fifer came back to the library, she hung out the freshly washed handkerchief over the railing to dry. Then she turned to Dev and said clinically, “This new development throws a wrench into things.”

“Right,” said Dev. “We just lost a means of transportation.”

“More than that,” said Fifer. “We assumed since you managed to walk onto the property without the dragons harming you, anyone could come in without a problem—that the dragons are only here to prevent Thisbe and me from leaving. But now… I’m not exactly sure what to think. Did the Revinir program the dragons to attack anything from the air?”

“That doesn’t make sense. There are birds all around that fly in and out as they please.”

“So was it the hammock?”

“Maybe,” said Dev.

“Or maybe the Revinir gave specific instructions and descriptions of all of our friends and allies,” said Fifer. “In which case we are totally—”

“Oh no,” said Dev, turning sharply. “What about Florence? Your team! They’re coming here. You have to warn them.”

“I hope Florence writes me back soon,” said Fifer gravely. “Because I only have one send spell left.”

They Meet Again

The red dragon Thisbe was riding reached the castle and landed near the moat. Thisbe’s scales rose and stayed up, and she could feel the Revinir’s presence in the air. Familiar guards stood at attention on either side of the drawbridge. When they saw who had arrived, one of them hurried inside. Thisbe remained on the dragon’s back for a moment, steeling herself for what was to come. She was in character. Playing a role. She was about to fake joining forces with the most evil thing their worlds had ever known. And part of her…

She tamped down the thought.

But seriously, part of her…

She wrestled with her feelings.

Because part of her… was excited about it.