Hope lit Chenda’s eyes, but Hristo was already guiding me into the suite. “Not like this. Rest for a minute and give her time to get here. If she isn’t back in half an hour, I’ll look for her.”

“But—”

“No.” He spoke firmly. “Give her half an hour. This is Gerel. If anyone can handle themselves out there, it’s her.”

Exactly. And if she wasn’t back yet, then something had clearly happened.

But there was no use arguing with Hristo when he was acting as my protector, and for ten years I’d been told to obey Hristo in emergencies. It was hard to ignore that kind of training. “Ten minutes.” My knees buckled as I walked. Not much, but Hristo’s grip on my arm tightened, and LaLa squawked with renewed concern. “Ten minutes,” I said, “and then I’m looking for her, with or without you.”

He sighed but nodded. “Fine. Sit, though. Before you fall.”

Chenda flashed me a tight smile as she shut the door after us, but she didn’t move far from it.

I sank into one of the cushioned chairs and focused on breathing. Knots loosened. My heartbeat eased. When Ilina knelt beside me with my bottle of calming pills, I shook my head. “I’m all right now. It’s passed.”

She squeezed my arm, then went back to her own chair, where she’d fastened Crystal’s tether. The dragons must have been terrified by the noise if Ilina had put their hunting gear on them, but it was probably the best choice.

Zara stood by the window, holding the gauzy curtains closed. She’d been looking outside again, most likely, even though she knew how dangerous it was. But I couldn’t be mad at her, not knowing how relieved she’d be to learn that Mother had arrived on one of those ships and that she wasn’t completely alone after all.

“What?” Zara wrinkled her nose at me. “Why are you staring like that?”

I breathed deeply, letting the fuzz of adrenaline slip away. Quickly, I told the others about the noorestones, the ships, and the government officials marching down the street. “And then I saw her.” I looked at Zara. “I saw Mother.”

My sister’s jaw dropped, and a second later, she sat on the floor. Hard. “You saw Mother.”

I nodded.

“Liar,” she whispered.

“I’m not lying.”

“Mira, are you sure?” Chenda’s tone was gentle. “You said everyone was far away. Maybe you only thought you saw her.”

“Did you see Father?” Zara’s eyes were wide, eager. “Was he with her?”

“What about my father?” Hope deepened Hristo’s voice.

I shook my head. “I know it was her. I’d know her anywhere.” I looked at my sister, then Hristo. “But she was alone. I’m sorry.”

His eyes went glassy with tears, but he just swallowed and gave a single nod. Both of us knew that our fathers’ absence meant they were likely dead.

“Mother is here.” Zara pulled her knees up to her chest. Tears trickled down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. “How do you think she ended up on that ship? Do you think the warriors let her go because of her charm? Do you think the high magistrate went to save her? Do you think the explosions were meant to hurt her?”