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“Not on purpose, but yes. I mean, I think she actually did it on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past her,” I muttered.

“And now she communicates with you? Your dead mother in a resurrected dragon’s body?” Lysander asked, his expression one of academic curiosity.

“Something of Molindra is in there, too. But yes, she’s … necrotic.” That was how Orcades had put it.

“Can you speak with her right now?” Sankara asked excitedly. “Can you convey information?”

“Not right this instant, no,” I said awkwardly. “It just sort of … happens. Only sometimes. Usually when I’m asleep and dreaming.”

Lysander looked at me with more interest now. I recalled that House Orphos was very focused on dreams. I’d always assumed that meant interpreting them and trying to foretell the future—that kind of thing. We had people like that back in Aercanum, too, harmless fortune tellers.

“Look, let me get to the important part. Orcades—my mother—tried to warn me about the plague. But she didn’t know what exactly was going to happen or even that it would be a plague. She just knew something bad was coming our way.”

“How would she know that exactly? What has she seen?” Healer Elycia asked. Good. That meant she was starting to believe me. She wasn’t just sitting there analyzing my symptoms.

“She says she’s in a place called the Bonewood at the northern edge of Sangratha. Marcus and Catherine are there, too, and they’re trying to bring down something called the Veil.”

Rodriguez made a choking sound.

“What’s the Veil?” Visha asked curiously.

I narrowed my eyes at Rodriguez. “Are you going to tell them, or am I?”

He waved a hand. “You’re doing admirably,” he said weakly. “May as well proceed.”

I turned to Visha. “The Veil is like a wall between worlds. Apparently, most people had no idea it even existed, but Marcus, Viktor, and Catherine seem to have known it was there. They went hunting for it because they want to rip it down. That’s what they’ve been trying to do, what they’re still trying to do.”

“And the plague is a symptom of the Veil’s fracture?” Elycia asked. Good, she’d moved on to diagnosing the Veil now.

“Yes. At least, I think so. I’m sure Rodriguez has something to say about whether I’m right or not.”

Rodriguez took a deep breath.

“Gabriel?” Sankara asked. He was frowning. “Did you really know about all of this?”

“I knew … some of it,” Rodriguez admitted. “Not all. But yes, I believe Medra is right. The plague is a symptom of ill-advised attempts to destroy the barrier that separates our world from, well, other planes of existence.”

“So they’re succeeding,” Florence said quietly. “There wouldn’t have been a plague otherwise.”

“The plague is a symptom,” Rodriguez agreed. “A sign that the Veil is being weakened by their attempts. At least, that’s my theory.”

“That matches what Orcades said,” I added. “She said the Veil has a guardian. And basically, Marcus and Catherine are trying to destroy them.”

Rodriguez shot me a shrewd look that told me he might have a good idea of who this so-called guardian already was. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to tell this room full of devout Sangrathans that the Veil’s guardian was potentially their very own blessed Blood-maiden who lingered on in some strange ghost-form. I definitely wasn’t ready to tell Florence that.

“How are they doing it?” Evie’s face was baffled. “I don’t even understand how they woke up Molindra. Isn’t Molindra a House Orphos dragon?” She looked at Lysander. “I don’t understand. Lunaya wasn’t a dragon rider. Was she?”

“No,” Lysander said softly. “She is not.”

“Is?” Visha’s eyes were hawkish. “You think she’s still alive?”

“She is alive,” I said quickly, happy to put that to rest. I looked over at Lysander. “At least, she was the last time I spoke to my mother.”

Lysander didn’t look exactly shocked to hear this. He nodded.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Evie reminded us.

“Lunaya is an Orphos. Molindra was a dragon of House Orphos.” Rodriguez hesitated. “My theory is—”