She would have been taken, too, because if the high magistrate wanted dragon people, he wouldn’t have just left Ilina. He’d have put her to work in those ruins. Or worse: kept her as leverage against her parents.

“He wanted the dragons to make sure Anahera will be the last to rise,” I whispered. “He thinks if he collects them here, it might save him the pain of what just happened to Idris.”

No one spoke for a moment, and I wished I knew what they were thinking. Maybe it was the same thing that kept running through my head: how selfish. Instead of working to ensure we were all safe, instead of looking for wiser methods of raising the dragon population, instead of truly embracing the Mira Treaty . . . he’d tried to take everything. The islands’ sovereignty, the dragons, and our futures.

At least we had denied him the dragons.

I dropped my eyes back to LaLa, letting my thoughts work while I petted her.

“We still have to get into the Red Hall,” I said after a few minutes. “And if posing as a servant isn’t an option, that leaves the invitations. I’ll find a way to disguise myself.”

Gerel sighed, but I couldn’t tell whether it was in agreement or resignation. “The second invitation should go to someone who can protect you.”

“I can protect myself, in case you’ve forgotten.” At once, all fifteen noorestones in the parlor brightened, and then stretched tendrils of fire toward me. Beads of hot energy spilled toward my waiting fingers, and a white-blue nimbus flickered around my hands. “I can control it now.” I released the light, sending it back to the crystals with a flick of my wrist. “Where there’s a noorestone, I’m safe. And there are noorestones everywhere.”

“Mira, please.” Hristo gazed at me imploringly. “None of us go anywhere alone. You know that.”

“I’m just saying I don’t need to be protected.”

“Then I should get to go.” Zara sat up straight. “Because Mother will be there and I should get to help save her.” She stared at me, as though daring me to suggest that rescuing Mother wasn’t a possibility.

“If I can free Mother,” I said, “then I will. But you should stay here. She expects me to protect you, not let you go prancing straight into the halls of our enemies.”

“That’s stupid. I wouldn’t be prancing, and you don’t let me do anything—”

“I’ll go.”

My heart lurched.

Everyone went silent.

One by one, we turned toward the window where Aaru stood, still looking outside. He hadn’t moved, but the words had been his.

He’d been so quiet, practically invisible while he listened to the rest of us plot and bicker. The others had probably forgotten he was there; it was so easy for people to overlook him, as quiet as he was. Even I hadn’t realized he’d been paying attention, because for the last six days he’d been a shell of the boy I’d known before, locked away in his room, caught up in his unending sadness. But here he was, not just listening, but participating in the conversation. He wanted to be the one to go.