Anna seemed a bit distracted as they made their way back to the inn. Master Tomlan, it turned out, was staying there as well in a room not too far away. But he had business that he couldn’t put off any longer. So, he said goodbye and promised to check in later that evening. Anna gave him a hug but then seemed to draw a bit back into herself. Andrew wondered if she was trying to prompt another vision from the Wisps.

  They were in their room for a few minutes when Peter turned up as well, a broad smile on his face. “What took you?” Andrew asked.

  Peter beamed. “Mjolna is here,” he said.

  Andrew blinked for a moment, not sure if he’d heard right. “Wait,” he muttered. “Isn’t Mjolna Jarnvaror’s older sister?”

  Peter nodded. “After we left, she decided she’d fly south a bit as well. She made a place for herself around here. I think she’s trying to see if any of the males are suitable partners. Said she was really surprised when her hatchling brother showed up.”

  “Hatchling? How old is Jarnvaror?” Emily asked.

  “They don’t keep track as well as we do,” Peter said. “But I think he’s about eighteen? Older end of juvenile, anyway.”

  “Wait, so dragon’s get bigger than him?” Henry asked.

  Peter shrugged. “He doesn’t have too much more growing to do. Maybe another two meters or so.”

  “So you’ve just been talking to the dragons?” Andrew asked.

  Peter nodded. “I’ve missed talking to them. They were really interested in our travels. Jarn took over a lot of the telling once he got back from hunting. Not counting Mjolna, I think eight live in the immediate area.”

  “Is that a lot?” Henry asked.

  Peter shook his head. “About average. We had a lot more in the Iron Valley.”

  “So what did they think about our adventures?” Andrew asked.

  “They were worried about it,” Peter said.

  “War frightens them?” Emily asked.

  “They don’t really care what Humans and Elves all do,” Peter said. “But they’re worried about Jarn and the rest of us from the Valley.” He frowned and looked up, as if he could see the sky through the many floors of the pillar and the mountain ceiling. “Mjolna even offered to help. I can’t think of something she can do, though.”

  “Well, we made an amazing discovery of our own,” Henry told him. Peter blinked and looked down at the young king.

  “Oh yeah?” he asked. “What’s that?”

  So Henry and Emily told Peter about meeting Anna’s father and going down to the ruins. He was excited to hear about the new vision. His questions drew Anna out of herself for a little while as she described what it was like. She joined in with Peter and the twins as they spent the rest of the evening speculating about what might be the best place to go to next. But she and Peter both seemed to draw in again as it got late, and they went to bed earlier than normal. At Andrew’s prompting, the twins did as well, complaining less than normal, and even grateful to be back in real beds.

  Andrew found himself waking early the next morning. He lay awake for a while, trying to decide what to make of the situation. It was the first time in a while he didn’t feel there was any need to get up and go about doing things. Normally he wasn’t too fond of the feeling. It felt like a waste. Now, though, it seemed like a welcome break. All they could do at the moment was wait on Duke Hogarth’s summons. Until then, even most discussion was pointless.

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  Unlike most inns Andrew had been to, this one had a little cove off to the side which Anna had explained was meant for cooking. Because of that, they’d bought some salted pork and eggs to cook for breakfast this morning. Andrew started work on making the meal, and one by one, the others woke up to the smell of frying meat and eggs.

  Anna’s father came to check on them while Henry and Peter were discussing how they should spend the time waiting on Hogarth’s reply. The Dwarf trader answered the question for them by offering to take them all on a more proper tour of the city. At first, Andrew was worried they might not make it back in time for Hogarth’s messenger, but Master Tomlan insisted there would be plenty of time to spare.

  The excursion through the pillars served to entertain the children. Peter added to the fun by joking with Master Tomlan and the twins at every opportunity. Andrew was a bit surprised by how well his brother got on with Anna’s father. Still, he found his own mind drawn to the future.

  They’d come here initially to find a place of refuge, but he knew that they wouldn’t be able to stay forever, however generous Duke Hogarth turned out to be. Anna was bound to go off and help the Wisps. Andrew knew Peter would join her no matter what, and he intended to see this through to the end. There was no telling how quickly the wars of the south would start drawing on their home after all, if only to conscript men.

  He tried to think of what they would do if Hogarth didn’t give them the time they needed to consider their next steps. If they had to fly out in the morning, where would they go? After this last night, rested and with better food in him, he was surprised by how much more easily the answer came than it had on the road. Vulcuo. The monastery would surely shelter them. They’d have time to consider how best to resist Daniel. By now, it may have even found answers to some of Anna’s questions. They would probably need to go to them for that, even if Hogarth agreed to give them time here.

  “There’s something we should talk about.”

  Andrew jumped as Anna spoke right next to him. “Sorry, I was distracted. What was that?”

  “We need to talk,” Anna said, with a meaningful look toward the twins.

  Andrew followed her gaze and frowned. “You think they should come with us?” he asked.

  Anna shook her head. “We can’t abandon them, but they’re not ready for travel like this. And it’s too dangerous for them, the way things are going. But I don’t know what we can do.”

  Andrew nodded. The question of the royals had been dancing around the edges of his own thoughts. As he recognized it, he looked back to Anna. “Perhaps that’s part of what we ask Hogarth. That he shelters them long term while we go to sort out this mess.”

  “Maybe,” Anna said. “But I’m worried about leaving them at what is essentially a foreign court. Even with the best of intentions and in the best of times, that would be dangerous. As it is, it feels like we might as well be leaving them in the open.”

  Andrew nodded. “It’s probably too much to hope that Daniel doesn’t have any spies here as well,” he agreed. “So what then? Maybe Vulcuo?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Anna said eyebrows creasing in concentration. “Maybe, but they would hate the journey. And I don’t think Emily likes flying nearly so much as she tries to make us think. Not anymore, anyway.”

  Andrew nodded, shuddering as he considered the twins going through the same flight of many hours they’d taken to the island monastery. Even going the long way with more stops might be too uncomfortable for the children. “So what are you thinking?”

  Anna seemed to consider for a few moments longer before telling him. “We could ask my father to take them home. It would be harder for Daniel to find them if they’re on the move, and easier to hide them if they’re incognito at a merchant’s house than if they’re in Duke Hogarth’s court.”

  “You’re not worried about your family?” Andrew asked.

  “Of course I am,” Anna said, turning away. She clutched the Wisps’ gem on her bracelet. “But I can’t just abandon the king and queen, either. It’s not their fault they were born in Daniel’s way. And if anywhere might be dangerous for them, then the safest place is… well…”

  “Anonymity,” Andrew offered.

  “Exactly,” Anna agreed, looking relieved. “So what do you think?”

  “Depends on what your father says,” Andrew said. “And it’ll be a real job convincing the pair of them,” he added, looking over to where the twins were laughing at something Peter had said. It occurred to him that they wouldn’t know how to act as something other than royalty, and he wondered if they’d be able to hide, even if they agreed.

  “Wouldn’t someone notice two Half Elven children showing up with your father?” he asked as the thought occurred to him. Anna blinked, then groaned.

  “Yes,” she said. “Most people would notice. There aren’t enough Half Elves for people not to notice.” She looked back after the pair of royals. “Can you think of any way to really hide them?”

  “Not in plane sight,” Andrew said. “Vulcuo probably is our best bet.”

  Anna nodded. “But how do we convince them to go?”

  “I have no idea,” Andrew replied.

  He put the thought out of his mind. They spent the rest of the afternoon following Master Tomlan’s tour of the pillars. Andrew insisted they return to the inn well before dinner time in anticipation of Hogarth’s summons. They had hardly arrived, when the knock came, and they found one of the Duke’s messengers at their door.