Whether or not that was true, they were beautiful, and the effect of the sun shining through these grand windows was the first thing I noticed upon opening my eyes.

The second was that we’d been brought to the ruins.

I wasn’t ready to move yet, and my hands were tied over my head anyway. I couldn’t see the shape of the structure with my eyes, but I could feel it in the noorestones humming all around me, showing me more than I’d know about this place otherwise.

Though smaller than the domed ruins where we’d freed the dragons, the Archland Ruins had an elegance all their own. Graceful spires soared into the purpling sky, glittering with bright crystals. A building stood in the center, just big enough to hold a few dozen people, but whatever its purpose was, I couldn’t fathom.

Finally, I registered that I was lying on a floor, smooth after all these centuries of stinging desert wind. I’d been positioned on the eastern corner of the portico, and breathing to my right indicated at least a few people had been dumped up here with me. Were their hands tied up, too? Probably.

Voices sounded: people whispering and praying, but one rose above them all, coming from somewhere ahead of me, off to the right. The front center of the portico.

“It is Anahera’s will that we make these sacrifices. The death of these individuals means new life for Anahera’s chosen, and that is us, my friends. We have faithfully served our goddess of destruction since the beginning of the Fallen Isles, and we will serve her during this end, too.”

My heart stuttered as I recognized the voice: High Magistrate Paorah.

He’d been waiting for us.

He’d been planning for us to come, planning to capture us, and planning to use us as part of this sacrifice. What else would solidify his reign over a new world, but the death of the representatives of the old one? Never mind that the goal was to make the islands stay.

Paorah continued speaking, his voice as deceptively soft as the rest of him. “I saw the Great Abandonment coming decades ago. Before anyone else was worried about the number of dragons still living in the Fallen Isles, I began breeding programs in an effort to bolster their numbers, because I knew that we would need all the dragons to entreat the gods on our behalf. But I was dismissed. Ignored. Patronized, when people felt kind about it.”

Dregs of the sedatives still slithered through my veins, but I forced myself to focus on my surroundings. Blue-jacketed guards stood watch around the ruins, scanning not just the crags and cliffs, but the people who’d gathered here.

Slowly, I turned my head to get a look at the people next to me. The movement hurt—everything hurt—but I kept my motions steady and careful; hopefully, no one would notice.

Aaru was by my side, his eyes already open. I kept my voice low, only for the two of us. “Are you all right?”