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The room remained silent.

“We’ve been so worried about Veilmar,” I said quietly. “And so afraid Viktor might come back.”

“Among other dragons,” Evie said archly.

I nodded, an acknowledgment that she wasn’t wrong. Blake—Vorago—had slaughtered half a city. Fortunately, very few people knew that Blake was directly responsible. All most people knew was that a red dragon had struck Veilmar. Similarly, few knew Viktor Drakharrow had transformed into the second dragon some had seen fly over the city that night. And that was how we needed to keep it, Rodriguez had decided. At least for now.

All the people of Veilmar needed to know was that Nyxaris and Florence had flown out and stopped the bad red dragon—and that he wouldn’t be back. As far as the blightborn were concerned, Nyxaris was their new protector. And Florence? She was a true blight-born hero. They even had posters with her face plastered wherever you could find half a wall still standing.

“Look, I’ve been in contact with someone.” I took a deep breath. “Someone who’s with Marcus and Catherine at the Bonewood.” I caught Lysander’s eye and hastily added, “Not Lunaya.”

He nodded tersely. The room burst into chatter.

“What exactly are you saying, Miss Pendragon?” Rodriguez demanded. “Who the hell are you in contact with?”

“I’m saying I have some information about what might be happening there—and how it might be impacting us. I’m going to share it. Care to do the same?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said coldly.

“Oh, please, Rodriguez,” I spat. “Come off it. We all know you’re full of secrets.”

“Professor of Historical Secrets should be the inscription on his office door,” Visha agreed with a fiendish expression. Rodriguez glared at her.

“When are you going to share what you know?” I demanded. “When there’s a plague going on? Oh, wait.”

“You claim you have information you haven’t shared with anyone,” he retorted. His eyes scanned the seat beside me. “Not even with Miss Shen, I take it?”

I took a deep breath. “No, not even with her. And yes, I’m going to share what I know. I hope that you, Rodriguez, will choose to do the same afterward.”

He crossed his arms over his chest.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I’ve been in contact with … well, sort of with Molindra.”

“Molindra?” Florence squeaked. That had her attention. She swiveled in her seat to look at me. “Goodness, Medra! How is that possible?”

“Well,” I amended, “it’s not exactly Molindra.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” said the ever-tactful Visha. “Who the hell are you talking to if it’s not Molindra but it is Molindra?” Her eyes widened. “Is Medra possessed?”

“I’m not possessed,” I said hotly. “I’ve been speaking to … my mother.”

Silence. Dead silence.

“But isn’t she dead, Medra?” Florence’s eyes were wide. She was looking at me as if I might have actually lost it.

“All right,” Rodriguez said wearily, rubbing his eyes. “I see what’s happening here. We’ve all been through a lot of trauma the past few days. More than usual, I mean. Some of us may also see themselves as—” he coughed “—well, saviors, of a sort.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I exploded. “Yes, I’ve been through trauma, but this is real. I’m not making this up. I haven’t lost my mind. And as for being the world’s savior, believe me, I have already been there and done that in my own world, and I don’t particularly need or want to do it again. Except, here we all are.”

Silence again.

“Your own world?” This came from Visha.

“Yes. I’m not from Sangratha.” I rubbed my temples. “I tried to tell you all that very first day when Blake found me. When he dragged me into the Black Keep.”

“I was there that day.” This was Sankara. He looked skeptical but interested. “You claimed you knew nothing about Sangratha. Then you said you couldn’t remember anything about what had happened to you or how you’d gotten here.”

“Yes, well, I lied, obviously. You’re fucking vampires. I was slightly intimidated. Look, I woke up a few hours before that, naked in a burned-down village. Blake found me, and he wouldn’t let me go.” That was how it had all begun. Well, I wouldn’t let him go now either.