He pictured Thisbe, the way she looked at him. There was never any evil in her eyes. Only kindness. Gentleness. Even… love. He let out a low moan as tears sprang to his eyes. His heart was breaking right here, on a ghost dragon’s back, and he couldn’t stop it. He would do anything to end the pain. He had to know if Thisbe had really betrayed them. He couldn’t stand it. Taking the component, he removed the pencil and hunched over so the others wouldn’t see. Through tears he held it poised, then wrote:

Thisbe…

A sob escaped him just from writing her name. How could she hurt him like this? He remembered the letter he’d written to her. It was folded up inside his pants pocket. He’d poured his heart out to her in that letter, and now he wanted to rip it up. Burn it. Throw it into the ocean. She didn’t deserve to read it.

Rohan hated himself for feeling this way when they still weren’t sure what was happening. But along with that feeling came an instance of clarity and acknowledgment. A reluctant moment of awareness of the danger he could cause by sending a spell to Thisbe. He stared at Thisbe’s name on the paper and let out a breath. Then he replaced the pencil and slipped the send component back inside his pocket. He curled up on his side with his back to everyone, his eyes on the sea, his tears lost in the silvery ethereal skin of the dragon.

A Perilous Step

Thank goodness,” said Dev when he saw the send spell zipping up the stairs toward Fifer.

Fifer hastily reached for it and opened it. The latest letter from Florence melted into a note in her hand, and Fifer read it aloud:

Fifer,

We’re shocked beyond belief. We are on our way to Ashguard’s palace, hoping to arrive tomorrow morning. Don’t despair—we’re coming to help.

Florence

She read it again, pausing on the first line. “We’re shocked beyond belief.” She looked up at Dev. “Is that supposed to mean something? Is she saying they don’t believe me?”

“I don’t think we can parse each word right now, do you? You have to tell her to steer clear of this place.”

“Right, right,” said Fifer, who was already preparing a response.

Florence,

Do not come to Ashguard’s palace. Go to the cavelands instead and remain there until I can figure out what to do. It’s too dangerous for you to come here. There are dragons waiting to attack anyone who approaches. They’ve just killed Shimmer and the rest of my birds.

Fifer

Fifer read it to Dev. “Sound okay? I don’t have much more room to explain further.”

“It’s a bit shocking,” Dev said. “But it conveys the urgency of the situation. Get it out there.”