We drove the rest of the way in easier conversation. The empress inquired about Crystal’s body language, and Ilina answered gladly—it was easier than discussing the end of either of our worlds.

While they talked, I petted LaLa and let my mind wander down the threads already formed with the dragons waiting in the park. Now that we were getting closer, the shapeless horror of their illness grew stronger. I could feel the darkness of their thoughts, the empty weight of their limbs, the undefined boundaries of their bodies and minds.

It felt the same as the dragons back in the ruins above Flamecrest, but lonelier, if that was even possible.

The distance. It had to be the vast distance between this park the empress’s people had devised, and the dragons’ gods. Their families.

“I’d love to hear about the sanctuaries you built in the Fallen Isles,” Apolla was saying. “How do you persuade the dragons to come to them? How do you make them stay?”

“We don’t make them stay.” Somehow, Ilina managed to keep her tone light, but I could almost hear her internal scream. “They know they’re safe there. That is why they stay.”

Apolla nodded to herself. “I see.”

At last, we drove past the last of the fine, orderly buildings, and fields opened up, offering a view of a depthless blue sky and a wide, lazy stretch of the River Akron. Mountains stood sharp in the distance.

Then we arrived.

The dragon park was similar to the sanctuaries at home, but with a decorative wall rather than the imposing structure that stood between public and sanctuary lands. These low walls wouldn’t keep even children out.

We took a path into the park, driving by yet more imperial guards, and finally the carriage stopped. When the guards ensured the area was clear, we were allowed to exit.

I couldn’t imagine where anyone thought attackers would hide. The park was all flatland with only a few unfamiliar trees pushing up through the ground. The river splashed in the distance, and aside from that, the only interesting features were a small (guarded, obviously) building and the path of glowing white flagstones.

And the dragons.

The seven of them were tangled together, their bodies twisted and lying on top of one another, as though they’d pulled close for comfort and then just never had the energy to move apart. If not for the different colors of their scales, it would have been impossible to tell where one dragon ended and the other began.

“Oh, seven gods,” Ilina breathed.

“Can you help them?” The empress looked from Ilina to me. “Others have tried, but without success. I did send a message to ensure their chains were removed.”

“They were chained?” Horror tinged Ilina’s tone black, but she’d known already; I’d told her last night. “How long have they been like this?”

The empress shook her head. “Decans. They were carried aboard one of our own ships, fast enough to bring them here with minimal time in a closed space. The Anaherans said the dragons had been sedated and would awaken within a few days, so my people took them up the river to this park, which was prepared solely for them. True to the Anaherans’ word, the dragons awakened, but they were wild. They breathed fire and nearly killed a man; they were chained down for safety.”