My heart ached to see my home this way, but it was better empty than filled with people. In the back of my mind, I could feel the island shuddering, and with my dragon eyes, it was just possible to make out debris starting to jump over the empty roads.

Soon my goddess would leave, too. Unless I could persuade her to stay.

There was no time to look at the city more closely. I flew past, pushing my body—both bodies—as hard as it would go, until finally I reached my destination: the sanctuary.

There were the facility buildings where Ilina’s parents and the other keepers used to work. There was the beautiful drakarium where LaLa, Crystal, and dozens of other small dragons used to live and play. And there—not far from the main structures—were the ruins.

They looked the same as the last time I’d seen them, that day in the sanctuary when Hristo, Ilina, and I had discovered the shipping orders that started all of this. It seemed so long ago; I’d lived a lifetime since then. But as I landed, shaking the earth underneath me, a familiar hum wrapped around the back of my thoughts.

I, the human part of me, dismounted the Drakontos celestus and approached the tall, broken arches. These ruins were smaller, more modest than either of the sites I’d visited on Anahera, but coming here felt like coming home. These were the first ruins I’d ever seen, ever wondered about.

Spindly arches, crumbling towers, still lit with glowing blue noorestones even after all these centuries. I’d never been allowed to explore the ruins before, because Mother worried I’d hurt myself, but now there was no one to stop me.

The Drakontos celestus came along, sniffing the air and stretching her—my—wings.

At last, I stood before one of the great towers, all white and glowing and studded with noorestones. An electric hum vibrated the air between my palm and the smooth stone.

Before I could touch it, another hum filled the sanctuary: crickets singing and birds settling in their nests. Strange. The air was cooler, the world dimmer, and the shadows cast by trees were lit with tiny crescents.

Heart pounding in my throat, I looked up, straight into the impossibly bright sun. I didn’t need to squint or look away; my eyes didn’t even water. Not since becoming a dragon.

Nevertheless, the sight made me gasp. The first moon was more than halfway across the face of the sun. The eclipse had already begun.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

I HAD NO TIME FOR DESPAIR.

As the ground lurched under my feet, I slapped both hands against the tower wall and screamed, “Please, Darina!”

I didn’t know what I expected. A soft, beautiful figure to come striding out of a glowing white background, asking if I had enough love in my heart? Or a voice from nowhere and everywhere, ready to make a bargain with me? Or something else entirely?