The wealthy traveled in carriages and horsecarres, or boats down the nearest river. They brought money, and lots of it, making plans to buy their way onto bigger ships and sell the smaller vessels to someone desperate.

And there were plenty of desperate people.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR AARU AND ME.

My heart jolted painfully as I lurched up and said, “Get your things. We’re going now.”

“Going?” Confusion twisted Tanhe’s voice. “You don’t have to go. Just hide.” Without being invited, he moved deeper into the parlor and stared as Ilina grabbed LaLa and Crystal from the sconces and pressed them into their basket on the table. “Are those dragons? Have you been keeping dragons in here?”

No one bothered to answer. He’d have been horrified to learn that—until a couple of days ago—we’d been keeping a prisoner in here, too.

I hurried into the room Aaru and I now shared. My bag was under the bed, already half packed; none of us had truly believed this refuge would last.

Quickly, Aaru and I shoved the remainder of our belongings into our bags—no folding, no thinking, just moving—and within minutes, the seven of us were in the parlor and thanking the owner for his hospitality.

Ilina pressed a few more lumes into the man’s hands. “For your discretion.”

He frowned but pocketed the money. “Why are you leaving?”

I shook my head. Even if I’d wanted to tell him anything, there was no time. “Thank you for everything. Really.” Then I shouldered my bag and pushed out the door. It was painful to keep from checking the suite once more, to make sure nothing was left behind, but I was already moving down the stairs as quickly as I could, Aaru right behind me, and the others after him.

“Where are we going?” Zara’s breath came short as we hurried down the stairs.

“Fancy?” Gerel asked.

I didn’t know exactly where I was going. Away. Fast. That was all that mattered right now. “I nearly lost control in the council chamber,” I said. “Aaru silenced everything. Now that the real guards have finished restraining the officials, they have time to search the city for us.”

My boots rang against the tiled floor of the lobby as I headed for the door.

“Everyone keep your head down.” Hristo hurried to my side.

Outside, the air was hot and dry, as though the storm never happened. Puddles had evaporated, and now heat made the air shimmer.

“There,” Gerel murmured, just as a pair of the high magistrate’s guards were walking into the building next door. We’d left the Fire Rose just in time.

The seven of us—plus two dragons in their basket—hurried past the building the guards had gone into; hopefully, they wouldn’t search where they’d already been.

We moved quickly through the crowd, catching snatches of discussion as we passed.

“They have a lead on whoever caused the explosions last decan,” someone said.