“Like what, Komodo dragons?” Fort began to get antsy, anxious that he didn’t have the book on him. Why had he put it down? Now he wouldn’t be able to grab it without Gabriel noticing. “We should probably get out of here. If you go first, it’ll look less suspicious—”

“Maybe those Old One things started as dragons,” Gabriel said, ignoring him. “Or maybe these magicians did. Dragons turned into all kinds of things in old stories, and for all we know now, those could be true.”

“I’m pretty sure dragons are just dragons,” Fort said, pointing at the skeletons in front of him. “Why would they hide what they looked like?”

“To keep hidden, maybe,” Gabriel said. “If you were the last dragon, would you want to stand out?”

Fort’s eyes widened at his roommate’s words. The last dragon? That was the same phrase the Old One had used in his dreams the last few nights. “What did you just say?” he whispered.

“I’m saying, if there’s just one dragon left, maybe it tried to hide,” Gabriel said, looking over at him now. “You don’t ever wonder if Dr. Oppenheimer knows about one that’s still around? You know that guy has tons of secrets. Someone at this school probably knows.”

Fort stared at him, not sure what to make of this. It couldn’t just be coincidence that Gabriel was using the exact same phrase that the Old One had. And Gabriel had said he had nightmares too. But the same dream? It couldn’t be possible. Why would Gabriel be dreaming about Fort’s father? Could Gabriel have overheard him saying the phrase in his sleep?

“Why are you so interested in some random last dragon?” Fort asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Gabriel went silent for a moment, then gave him a long look. “What are you doing in here, Fort?”

“I told you, I came to see the skeletons,” he said.

“Actually, you said dragons.”

“I was mostly just looking for someplace quiet. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“I’ll answer your question if you tell me what that book is, the one you hid in the corner there,” Gabriel said, nodding toward the spot where Fort had hidden the book of Summoning.

A cold chill passed through Fort. “I told you earlier,” he said, hoping to sound braver than he felt. “I can keep a secret.”

Gabriel nodded. “That’s important, kid. And I admire that about you. But eventually there comes a point where you have to take a leap of faith, and just trust someone else.”

“You should take your own advice, maybe.”