Raya looked down at her hand, frantically flipping it back and forth as she searched for any trace of the blue light. "What was that?" she asked, glancing up to find Namaari looking just as bewildered.

Namaari shook her head. "I have no idea." She studied her own hand for a moment, then slowly got up from the floor.

She moved toward Raya, cautiously extending her hand. Raya moved to meet her, lacing their fingers together again. The air around their hands pulsed with energy and the blue light returned, spreading from their fingers down to their wrists.

Namaari gently pulled away, the blue light fading when their hands parted. "The light, and the way it felt, it reminded me of holding the Dragon Gem piece."

"Does that mean it's magic?" Raya looked at Namaari, who shrugged in response. "Right. Okay. Should we ask Sisu about it then? I'm not really sure who else we could go to."

Namaari nodded. "It's as good a place as any to start."

Raya let Namaari take the lead as they exited the room and headed toward the gardens at the center of the palace that had been specially prepared for the dragons. Namaari knew the gardeners had spent months tending to the plants there, coaxing every flower into bloom in time for the anniversary celebration. Several awnings had also been constructed around the gardens, each one lined with pillows and blankets for the dragons to rest. Every sheltered area they passed was empty, until they arrived at the awning on the east side of the garden where Sisu was snoring softly.

Namaari stopped about ten feet in front of Sisu, and Raya took several steps past her, then hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" Namaari asked, careful to keep her voice low.

Raya gestured toward the sleeping Sisu. "What's the best way to wake up a dragon?"

"I don't know. Respectfully?"

"Respectfully? Really?" Raya rolled her eyes. "That's not at all helpful."

"Well, I don't know," Namaari shot back, her voice rising out of a whisper. "I've never woken up a dragon before. You've spent more time with her than I have."

Raya gave her an exasperated look but turned around when she heard Sisu moving behind her.

Sisu yawned and stretched as she raised her head up from the cushions. "Can you two argue somewhere else? I'm trying to sleep."

"Uh…" Raya looked at Namaari, who motioned for her to keep going. "I think Namaari and I…created some magic? We're not really sure."

Sisu smacked her lips, clearly only half-awake. "Magic. Sure, right. It's too early for magic." She yawned again, then laid back down and curled up in the cushions.

"Wait!" Raya rushed forward, gently shaking Sisu awake again. "We really need your help."

Sisu sighed and raised her head again, looking slightly more awake. "Okay, fine. What kind of magic was it?"

"Uh..." Raya looked down at her hand. "Well, it was…blue?"

"Blue?" Sisu held a hand to her face and let out an exasperated noise. "Lots of magic is blue, Raya. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Here, we'll just show you," Raya said. She took a step toward Namaari and raised her hand.

Namaari moved to meet her, locking their fingers together as blue light spilled from between their fingers. They held on for a brief moment before releasing their hands and looking back at Sisu.

Sisu grinned and tapped her talons together. "Oh, yeah, that's magic all right."

"So, what do we…do about it?" Namaari asked.

"I have no idea," Sisu said cheerfully. Raya and Namaari both stared at her and she shrugged. "What? This is human magic, not dragon magic. They're different. I don't know a lot about human magic. You'll have to wait until my siblings get back, they know a lot more about this than I do."

"We really need your help now," Raya insisted.

"Ugh, okay. I'll try to remember." Sisu narrowed her eyes and tapped a talon on her chin as she thought. "I haven't seen this for a really long time. Human magic was always rare, even before the Druun. And, like I said, it's different from dragon magic. Dragons have innate powers, but human magic comes from connections with other people."

"Is there a way we can control it?" Namaari asked.

"I think it should be like the Dragon Gem, where the power comes from trust. If I remember right, though, really strong emotions can mess with the connection, so you'll have to be careful." Sisu gestured for them to come closer, her voice dropping in volume as Raya and Namaari moved toward her. "For this to work, you're going to have to trust each other completely. So," she said much louder, clapping her talons together. "Do either of you two have any repressed or underlying emotional issues that you need to address?"

Raya and Namaari looked at each other for a second. Then Namaari quickly glanced away, rubbing the back of her neck while Raya laughed nervously.

Sisu blinked and glanced between them. "Okay, so whatever that was, just sort that out and you should be good to go."

"And what happens if we don't?" Namaari asked.

Sisu shrugged. "I don't know for sure. But it will probably be bad."

"Right, that's fine," Raya said, her voice becoming higher pitched as she spoke. "It's not like we just had anything stressful happen."

"Raya—" Namaari reached out to her, but Raya pulled away, tucking her hands behind her back.

"I can't do this right now," Raya said, backing away when Namaari raised her hand again. "I'm way too tired and this is too much to take in."

Namaari smiled at Raya, but it faded somewhat under Raya's hard stare. "Can't we at least try?" she asked. "This could be a good thing and we have to do what's right for Fang and H—" She stopped, struck silent by the anger gathering in Raya's eyes.

It took Raya a moment to speak, and Namaari could see that her hands were shaking as she balled them into fists. "I have been trying to get to know you for two years and you've barely responded. Until now, suddenly, you want to try. Now that there's something in it for you."

Namaari opened and closed her mouth several times, gaping at Raya. "But earlier, we—"

"Complaining about our parents is not the same as spilling our deepest secrets," Raya snapped. She took a step toward Namaari, jabbing a finger toward her chest. "It's not going to work this time. Whatever angle you're playing, I am not going to fall for it. Not again."

Namaari shook her head. "That's not what this is. I promise."

Raya set her jaw, giving Namaari a cold, hard glare. "And why would I trust that? Can you give me one reason why I should trust you?"

Namaari stared helplessly at Raya, struggling to form words around the lump building in her throat.

Raya scoffed. "That's what I thought." Then she turned and walked out of the garden without looking back.

Once Raya was out of sight, Sisu grimaced and sucked air in between her teeth. "Yikes. I guess this is going to be harder than I thought."