The dragon remained outside for the rest of the day, and that night, and then the next three days and nights. Sabrina went every morning and evening, trying to talk sense into him, but his only response was to flare his nostrils, dig his talons into the ground, and turn his head away. She gave up trying to sleep in the bed after the first sleepless night - she was at once worried about the dragon and worried about Lucas. She slept instead on the floor by the fireplace, her body fitful, her mind troubled, and her soul untouched by dreams of any kind.

On her last night on the floor, she finally dreamed once more. She was looking down on herself in the clearing. Dream Sabrina lay on the cool grass, her skirts and arms flayed comfortably around her. Her smiling face turned to speak to someone who was laying next to her, his familiar face laced with a worry that seemed out of place in such a peaceful scene. Sabrina had to focus with all her might to remember who this man was, but when she did, she snapped into her dream self and he sat up.

The sky instantly grew dark as she pulled herself up to face him, her worries relieved slightly at the sight of him. "Lucas!" she exclaimed, "I'm so sorry about-"

"There's no time," he said simply. She realized then that he seemed to be barely there. His eyes showed no emotion or any signs of life. She could see right through him. His voice was flat as he continued, "You are no longer safe. You need to go back home."

Sabrina's breath caught in her chest. "I can't, my exile isn't over yet, and I can't leave the dragon or -"

Lucas held up a hand. "He's the reason you need to go. He is running out of time."

She felt her fists clench at the grass, which had become dry and hot. "What do you mean?"

His whole body seemed to flicker. "Do you know what they eat, Sabrina?" he said through clenched teeth.

Her lips seemed to move of their own accord, though she did not want to say it. "Princesses."

He nodded his head once. "He can't hold it off much longer. You need to go. Now."

She leaned forward, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. "There has to be something I can do to help."

"There isn't," he snapped, his tone more biting than she had ever heard it. Then he seemed to catch himself, and he continued, his voice gentler and his form flickering. "This is the last time I'll be able to contact you," he said, standing up.

She stood to meet him, feeling her brows knot together. "Why?"

He blinked once. "You know how your mother could only talk to the dead? You can only talk to the living."

She felt herself stumble backwards. "Wait - no, no, you can't - you can't die. You can't be dying. I need you. I -"

"Goodbye, Sabrina," he said, fading away.

She woke suddenly, moonlight still streaming through the windows. She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea doubled her over. After she was certain that she wasn't going to vomit, she eased herself back to the floor, the cold marble soothing her warm neck.

She heard voices coming from the kitchen, and after a moment's deliberation she decided to follow them, hoping that whatever was being said would distract her from Lucas's loss. She stepped gently, stopping to sit against the wall next to the door.

"I'm glad you decided to come inside, regardless," Cecilia said.

Sabrina's breath caught in her chest. The dragon was back? Her heart fluttered in anticipation.

"Only for a little," he whispered, his voice almost unrecognizable. "We both knew this day was coming."

"So you're giving up?" she asked, her voice accusatory.

She heard the dragon sigh. "You didn't see her face, Cecilia. You weren't there."

"But if you really - if you feel that way - shouldn't you at least try?"

"There's no point!" he shouted, the room shaking. The rumbling echo faded. "I dreamed about it the other night, my first real dream in ages." Sabrina heard him whisper something, but she could not make out what he was saying.

"It's real?" Cecilia asked incredulously.

There was a moment when no one spoke. The silence was unbearable. Sabrina stood, slowly, tempted to open the door, aching to do whatever it took to make things okay. She had lost Lucas - she couldn't bear to lose the dragon. She almost pressed her hand to the door when Cecilia spoke once more.

"Would you like me to tell her for you?"

Sabrina stepped quietly back to the space in front of the fireplace where she had been sleeping. She eased herself to the floor and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She had just curled herself into a sleeping position when she heard the door creak.

She heard the tapping of Cecilia's little feet on the floor, heading towards her. She felt Cecilia's paw on her shoulder. "Sabrina?" the raccoon whispered.

She pretended to wake up, moaning dramatically.

Cecilia's voice was tiny as she said, "Sabrina, I don't know what to do. Will you come to the library and talk to me?"

Sabrina nodded, standing up slowly. The girls walked in silence. Her mind, on the other hand, was screaming at her. There had to be something she could do. There had to be a way to make things better. There had to be an option that wasn't running away.

When they reached the library, Sabrina closed the door as best as she could as Cecilia climbed to the top of the table. "What's going on?" Sabrina asked, her hands threatening to shake.

"It's the dragon," Cecilia said, her eyes sullen. "He's not himself."

Sabrina nodded. "Why?"

Cecilia looked down for a moment. "It's the witch. Freya."

Freya, Sabrina thought. The reason her mother was dead. The reason Lucas was gone. "Did she do something to him?"

Cecilia nodded. "She cursed him a long time ago, and it's catching up to him."

Sabrina felt like she couldn't breathe. "We need to break it, then."

The other shook her head. "I've tried. Luckily for me, raccoons aren't on the standard dragon menu. But you, on the other hand..."

"You think I should go."

Cecilia nodded. "If he were in his right mind, he would want you to be safe."

Sabrina tried to breathe, but her chest ached. "I won't leave unless there's a way I can fix this. There has to be somewhere I can go, someone who can help. Let me find them."

Cecilia shook her head, but then she raised her head slowly, her eyes wide. "Wait. There might be a way."

Sabrina sat up straight.

"How familiar are you with Phrygian folklore?" Cecilia asked.

"Not very," Sabrina admitted.

Cecilia hopped up to a shelf and pulled out a piece of folded up parchment. "This is a map of the realm," she said, holding it out to Sabrina, who took it gently and spread it out on the table.

"According to legend, there's a cave here - " she pointed to an area just east of Gallia - "where souls whose bodies have not been properly put to rest are kept. They call it the Abyss."

Sabrina nodded, and Cecilia continued. "I'm willing to bet that someone there, someone who has had their life stolen by Freya, knows how to defeat her. If you were to go there, you might be able to bring one of them back here before it's too late and his mind is gone completely."

"But how do you know it's real?"

Cecilia paused. "The dragon has seen it, in his dreams. At first I thought it was just his madness, but now I'm starting to think it's real."

Sabrina didn't have to think about it. Her heart answered before her mind could question it. "Okay. How do I get there?"