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She needed to pull out of magic’s flow path. Normally a nulling charm should have done the trick, but her prolonged usage ofthem had finally exhausted their ability to keep her fully cloaked. It was lucky for her that her great-aunt Liza had left her the perfect tool for such an event. “Have there been sightings of my cabin?”

Axel raised an eyebrow, but she pointed to the giant house in the Estates that overlooked the forest behind and the city in front. “Apparently, it’s been taking up space in your boyfriend’s backyard.”

“The entire time?”

Axel’s knowing smirk was answer enough. Rowan tried not to react to the teasing, as she knew from experience it was her sister’s way to sus out information she wasn’t fully privy to, but she felt undeniably exposed. The Traveling Cabin only moved from place to place in regular practice because it knew that Rowan had yet to find a place to lay roots. Yet, if Axel was to be believed, it now took root in a portion of the Dragon King’s land. Even after he’d made it clear nothing could happen between them.

Rowan turned on her heel and headed for the exit. “Come on, I need a quick catch up on our way over.”

“Aqua said we should go.” Axel reminded her sister.

“If the theory is correct, there’s only one place that can take my share of magic. If I went home, the same thing you see happening out there would happen to our land, and the dragons are more equipped to handle magic than our people.”

Axel let out an annoyed huff, but fell into step beside her.

“You think the cabin’s time and space irregularities can absorb it?” Miasma asked as she joined her princesses.

“Yes.” Rowan’s conviction melted as quick as ice on the desert ground. “Well, I hope so. Where is the Dragon King? I assume he isn’t here or he would’ve taken care of this.”

“In his hoard. Good afternoon Princess Rowan, I am Terra.” The voice preceded the entrance of Alessandro’s stunning Earth General. Beige dragon garb draped around her body, adorned with colorful glass beads along her waist and intertwined into the tight curls of her honey hued hair.

Perhaps it was her title being used, or more the fact that Rowan had seldom met anyone that fit the description of ‘queen’ so well that Rowan bowed her head as a sign of respect for the woman. Beside her, Axel and Miasma followed her lead.

Terra gave her own curtsy back with a grace that could’ve rivaled Lexine, the most proper woman Rowan had ever known.

Behind her, Stone, Rowan’s old classmate, grinned. “We were just on our way to make sure you could get home safe.”

“We’re actually heading to my cabin. I hear it’s parked itself next to your King’s house.”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Rowan picked up her pace once more. “Let’s walk and talk. Was it because of my succubus’ actions that the Dragon King isn’t here?”

She was half surprised to get a straight answer from Terra. Dragons, like the sphinxes, weren’t open by nature. Even if they’d been nursing her back to health, Rowan didn’t for a second believe that put her in their confidences.

“Yes. He has a failsafe way to check his beast when it gets out of control. He usually locks himself up in his hoard for a couple ofweeks. However, with our current circumstances, I would rather it take a couple of days instead.”

“What exactly are our current circumstances?” Rowan asked as they exited the medical building and spilled out onto the once immaculate green lawns and paved paths, now destroyed by the wayward magic, allowing Stone and Terra to lead them the way they felt best to get to her cabin.

“After Barros disappeared, the Coven decided not to air out their dirty laundry. In doing so, the tension between us and the non-shifters has only increased. Things have been getting more violent. We’ve attempted to improve relations by engaging in community outreach especially geared to the less fortunate, however the speed in which this is garnering results is less than nominal.” Terra answered once again.

Rowan could get used to the straight answers.

“Well, when the world has known the dragons to keep to yourselves, it isn’t hard to imagine why your help seems like an attempt to fool them.” Axel murmured offhandedly.

“Exactly.” Stone threw a side eye at Terra, packed with all the disgruntlement of a youth to an elder.

It occurred to Rowan that Stone was her age. He was next in line for the Dragon King’s throne and Rowan wanted to know more about how it happened. She wanted to know everything about the world’s oldest mystics, and she knew it stemmed from wanting to know absolutely everything about their enigmatic leader.

“We have our reasons to keep to ourselves, but dragons aren’t the only ones being targeted. Wolves, who are notorious for their goodwill to non-shifters, especially those untouched by magic, have also been facing the backlash of Barros’ actions.”

Harris and Marissa Knox took a space in Rowan’s heart, even though they’d only known each other for a few moments.

Rowan had a small army of people she considered hers from first contact, and the two wolf shifters had been her latest addition.

“So, you can only ease some of this antagonism if you find Barros, or if the Coven comes clean?” She asked to clarify how to best assist them in their goal of redemption.

The dragons were also apparently part of that army.