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A deluge of cool water splashed over her skin. Rimi blinked, trying to figure out what was happening. Where was she?

Rimi! Slate! It’s poisoned powder. We’re rinsing it off. Don’t drink any!

Skye’s mental message echoed in her mind, and Rimi pushed herself up on an elbow. Immediately, the liquid streamed between her and Slate’s bodies. Realizing she needed to get away from him so they could rinse off Slate’s scales, she heaved herself backward, away from the dragon.

Good job, Rimi! That helps. Hold your hands out.

She followed the young woman’s instructions. In a few minutes, the fog inside her brain cleared slightly. Getting that off her skin was working.

Skye, have someone run for brooms. Scrubbing this off Slate might help him. Don’t touch him with your hands. It must absorb through your skin.

Breathing it in is dangerous as well, Skye told her. I remember Daddy telling me that before. If we keep the water on it, it won’t be airborne.

Slate’s groan was magic to her ears. He struggled to his feet, allowing the gathered mates and staff to scrub the powder from his scales. His thoughts were a jumbled mess that Rimi struggled to decode. Finally, her son’s words made sense.

Attack. Plume. Sky. Dragons plummeted.

As Skye translated for the others, Rimi waited impatiently. As soon as everyone turned to her for their next move, Rimi told them, “I need you all to tell me everything about this powder and the previous threats.”

Gathering all the information took time, Rimi suspected they didn’t have.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have a choice.

As the mates fell silent, she debated what to do next.

Slate was still wonky. He was also young and inexperienced—not that she had a lot of insight into the world.

She’d hidden in caves to protect herself for her entire life.

“We’re not staying behind.” Lalani’s statement interrupted her thoughts. “They’re going to expect dragons to come. Some of us sneaking in on the ground could be effective.”

Rimi stared at the woman. Immediately, the other mates nodded. They all agreed. If their dragons died, they would most likely pass as well. Their minds and hearts were too intermeshed.

“How many of us can you carry?” Brooks asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never flown with anyone on my back,” Rimi admitted.

“How far away is this, Slate?” Aurora asked.

The young dragon shook his head. He didn’t have a clue . It’s outside Wyvern. We flew toward the sun when we left.

So east of the city. Skye figured it out. Had the sun moved toward your shoulder by the time of the attack?

Yeah! It had. I’d ducked behind Drake in the beginning of our flight, but when the attack happened, I was flying next to him, Slate reported. I’m trying to remember what happened, but everything is foggy .

“Take your time, Slate. Tell us whatever you can as you remember. Thanks to that information, we can guess they’re at least an hour out. Maybe two,” Ciel said.

“With everyone on my back, I won’t be able to fly as fast,” Rimi pointed out. She noticed Keres’ housekeeper and all the staff gathered around. They stood by to see what they could do to help. Even as stressed as Rimi felt, their support gave her strength.

I’m not staying here, Slate vowed. If you leave me, I’ll follow. I only came back because I couldn’t save them alone.

Rimi stared at him for a moment before nodding. “You hang back behind me. The mates will need you to drag them out of there if something happens to me.”

“You’re too sparkly,” Aurora told Rimi. “They’ll see you coming a mile away.”

Rimi glanced down at the muck around her feet. “I’ll roll in the dirt. That will keep my scales from shining.”

Shifting, Rimi moved away from the remnants of the powder they’d washed from Slate.

The workers wet a large patch of ground, and Rimi rolled in the mud.

It felt cold and clammy, making this effort seem fated for disaster.

Without discussing it, the mates who were dressed in light colors followed her pattern, even coating their blond hair.

Slate burst into Rimi and Skye’s brains, sounding excited. That dirt makes me remember something. Keres had soared high to check for deer. He messaged he’d found something strange. A distant settlement in the center of areas where the ground appeared to be excavated.

My money’s on that settlement, Skye announced. Good job, Slate. Let’s go check it out.

Brooks and Skye climbed onto Slate’s back as the others climbed onto hers. Rimi glanced at her son’s dragon, immensely proud of his bravery. He didn’t shy away from danger .

Rising into the air, she smoothed out her flight as much as possible for the three mates who sat on her back.

She scanned the ground ahead, straining to see any trace of Keres and the others.

Nothing popped out to her inside Wyvern’s borders.

Rimi wanted to speed forward as fast as possible, but she saved as much strength as possible. She would need it.

Rimi flew for an hour before dropping to the ground.

She glanced up at the big white clouds gathered overhead.

Studying them, she hoped to see them darkening to rain or even better, a storm.

Perhaps water falling from the sky could work for them to rinse away the powder.

Unfortunately, they remained fluffy and completely harmless.

We go on foot from here. Skye, can you pull the mates close? Tell them as we move, they should try to contact their mate. Warn the dragons not to react. Skye acted immediately. The young woman gathered the other mates and whispered into their ears. Immediately, their expressions became focused.

Slate, we’ll cover more ground on foot and be less likely to be spotted if we split up. Take Brooks and Skye. Go that direction and circle around.

Following her own advice, Rimi reached out to Keres.

He didn’t answer her as she trod over the ground as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Ciel, Aurora, and Lalani didn’t speak. They hugged her back, not moving.

She strained her keen dragon eyesight, trying to spot something. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Ten minutes later, she froze and then flattened herself to the ground.

Aurora, Ciel, and Lalani slid to the ground when she motioned them down with a slight movement of her head.

Slate! Skye! I can see Drake collapsed on the ground.

I can see him breathing, but he’s not moving.

There are men and supplies with him. She mentally sent a location marker to them.

Slate responded with his own location. He was to her right and circling the target from the other side .

Be safe. Do not do anything heroic, Rimi sent him.

She was surprised to discover that an eye roll could be expressed mentally.

Rimi shifted soundlessly. Leaning to the side, she pressed her mouth to Aurora’s ear and whispered, “I see Drake. Do not move. He’s unconscious before us but breathing.

I do not see the others. I’m going to sneak closer to see if I can find out what’s happening and check on Drake. ”

Rimi waited as Aurora shared the message with Ciel and then Ciel with Lalani in a risky relay.

Every hint of sound was a chance to be discovered, even at this distance.

She signaled for the women to scatter to the left and she shifted back to her dragon.

Pulling the elements of nature around her, Rimi faded from their view.

Rimi heard Ciel gasp before covering her mouth to muffle the slight sound.

Aurora reached out a hand and pressed it against her scales. She mouthed, Wow!

Rimi would have a lot of questions to answer—later. For now, she needed to get close enough to come up with a plan. The women faded away, following her request, as Rimi crept closer. A dragon moving stealthily seemed unimaginable, but Rimi had mastered the art of sneaking away over her long life.

She stopped a safe distance from Drake. A scattering of powder dulled his gold scales. It littered the ground behind him in an arc, attesting to a heavy impact. That actually pleased Rimi. The more knocked off his scales signaled a better chance he would wake up.

Three men scrutinized Drake. The large axes in their hands revealed the reason for their presence. She sent a warning to Slate and Skye for the group to be vigilant.

“How long do you think it will be until they attack?” a rough male voice asked.

“It depends. That small dragon may not have gotten back. You doused him well. He’s probably dead a mile away.”

The first man laughed, making Rimi’s blood boil. “With luck. A dead dragon is a good dragon.” She steeled herself to remain in place. Slate was fine.

“They might send out scouts when they’re not home in a day or two. That is, if they can find them.”

“Wait. I thought we wanted them to come here,” a high, reedy male voice asked.

“That would be easiest for us. We can take them all out with one fell swoop. But if not, we’ll kill these while they battle to escape the craziness in their minds.”

Rimi hated whoever that voice belonged to. He had to be the one in charge. Whatever had poisoned him against dragons?

“Sir Evan, I don’t understand why these dragons are still alive. A bit more powder will end them,” a shaky voice pointed out.

“I will keep that in mind, Chemist. These dragons are now bait. We will draw in the others to eliminate this horde. Then we go raid their holdings. Imagine the amount of money the dragons have collected over the years.”

The guy in charge’s voice again. He must be Evan , Rimi decided.

“Money is not important! They’re vile, vile creatures. We must smite them from existence on the earth. Only then will the world return to its previous form.” The man called the chemist’s voice rose in volume like an old-fashioned brimstone and hellfire preacher.