The shopkeeper was still talking, but my thoughts shifted inward. I’d assumed Paorah was after Aaru and me. And maybe he was. But if he was taking other people—people who allegedly owned half the shops on Revis Avenue—then he must be moving forward with his evacuation. Before gossip had time to spread. Before people had a chance to warn others. Before those taken could even get their belongings—but perhaps soldiers could be sent for those later.

“Do you think they finished their planning today?” the old lady asked. “I’m sure the high magistrate will put things back to rights, but I can’t imagine how. That’s why I’m not high magistrate, I suppose.”

My voice was hollow. “He’s not going to save anyone but himself. Everyone else needs to start thinking about how to make things right with the gods.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I left the shop, the others close on my heels.

“What do we do?” Zara asked. “Can we go back to the hotel?” She sounded hopeful.

“I don’t think that would be wise.” But it wasn’t wise to stand out here, holding all our belongings. The dragons would grow restless soon. They’d want to fly and play, and then . . . I turned to Ilina. “We let the dragons help.”

“What?”

“Regardless where Nine is at the moment, we can find her ship. It isn’t in the port—or we would have seen it when we were first looking for her—but it must be somewhere. We should wait for her at her ship.”

“Maybe she doesn’t have one,” Hristo said. “Someone could have brought her here and left with the ship so she wasn’t spotted.”

I shook my head. “Maybe, but if you were a spy in a hostile land, in a place where islands are starting to get up, would you want to be left here without a means of escape?”

Hristo frowned. “Isn’t that exactly our situation now?”

“Yes!” I cringed and lowered my voice. “But imagine us with more resources.”

“I’d have a ship,” Zara said. “And a second ship just in case someone discovered the first. And a third in case someone discovered the second.”

Gerel snorted. “Very thorough, Little Fancy.”

“So you want the dragons to look for the ship.” Ilina gazed down at the basket where, already, I could feel the two raptuses shifting with eagerness. They wanted to get out. They wanted to work. “How will we know what the ship looks like? How will they tell us if they’ve found it?”

“I’ll show them,” I said. “And they’ll show me.”

Her expression was unreadable, but she nodded. “Then let’s do it somewhere everyone won’t see us.”

Aaru reached for my bag. “We’ll wait here. I’ll watch for Nine in case she comes back.”

I nodded and went after Ilina, ducking into a small fenced-off garden that didn’t seem to be growing much of anything. “All right, little dragon flower. Careful on your way out. We don’t want anyone to see you.”