Everyone agreed that there was something special about the Dragon Graveyard, something mystical more than just the memories and what it represented. For the spirit of a woman to be trapped there…maybe, just maybe, there were other spirits trapped.

Draconic spirits.

"Now what makes you think you can bring someone back from the dead?" Gajeel asked.

"Seems an awfully powerful spell, something that even Master Makarov would struggle with," Panther Lily said.

"Wendy is an exceptional wizard in her own right," Carla said. She crossed her arms.

Wendy nodded. "Thank you, Carla." She focused her attention on her friends. "I can't bring the dragons back from the dead. I think that's impossible, especially because of how old these dragons are. Their bones are hundreds of years old. Anyway, what I can do is summon the spirit of a dragon, or any creature, so long as it's within the range of my spell."

"Where'd you get a trick like that?" Gray asked.

"Miss Porlyusica taught it to me," Wendy said. "A long time ago, now. Right before Tenrou Island. Maybe she wanted to see if I would be able to speak to First Master." She waved her hands. "I'll need some room to make the spell large enough. Carla, can you help me find a stone that I can use to draw a magic circle?"

"Aye," Carla said, getting Happy's hopes up for a second before she dashed off. Happy stayed atop Wendy's head while she searched for a good enough clearing.

To cast the spell, Milky Way, she'd need plenty of space and a darn-near-perfect magic circle. And a lot of concentration. With Natsu around, that'd probably be pretty easy. It was a sad, sort of mean, thought, but this would help them in the end.

Besides, Kip was insistent that they rest for the day. The city didn't go to sleep at night; if anything, security heightened. They were all too wary of assassins and thieves and held to a tighter curfew than Clover Town. Sneaking around would make them sitting ducks. However, catching the dreary guards off-kilter in the morning when they were between shifts? That was the time to strike.

So, may as well talk to some dragons. Wendy hoped to at least summon one.

Carla returned with a decently sized stone after a few moments away. She had that look on her face: she'd just had a vision. Wendy was surprised to see it. She hadn't mentioned any visions in their return from Tenrou, and Wendy mostly chalked that up to some sort of magical interference from coming forward in time. Maybe she really hadn't had any until then.

"What is it?" Wendy asked, creating the first arm of the magic symbol she had to draw. Carla floated overhead.

"Don't talk to me during the inscription, dear girl, you'll break your concentration," Carla said.

"Carla."

Carla huffed. "Fine. It was a vision."

"I almost forgot you had those, Carla," Happy said, rolling over on Wendy's head. "It makes you so special."

"It's hard to explain. It was blurry, yet so overwhelming. I saw a shadow, and then a wall of crystals, before it all bathed in blood and then…shattered."

"Shattered?"

"Broken, into a million pieces, before it was all gone in a vacuum."

"That's not much of a vision," Happy said. "You didn't see any people?"

"The clearest image I could make out was of a man. He was the blood. He was bathed in it. Maybe he had wings."

Wendy pursed her lips, finishing part of the inscription. "Sounds scary. I wonder if it's someone we know."

"I'd hope not." Carla rubbed her arms. "Even the visions I thought I received from Edolas weren't as frightening."

Wendy continued to work while Carla supervised. She tossed the stone aside and Happy hollered for the other wizards to get closer while Wendy sat in the middle of the circle, resting her hands on her knees before she let magic surge forth from her as she slammed her hands on the ground.

The stone shook before the green light exploded and coalesced around her. It formed a nebulous blur around her, before coming together in a solid pillar that shot upward into an arc, clawing into the realm between life and death. Wendy kept her hands clenched together, feeling the two sides of reality in either hand. If she released her grip, the spell would collapse with no success.

Everyone gasped as she sensed a presence nearing her. A growl rumbled around her ears. She ignored it, unwilling to open her eyes until the anchoring was complete.

Something latched in her gut and she dared open her eyes. The light had turned from a powerful pillar into a full shape—a dragon.

A massive maw opened and roared before her while green wings ripped open and pure white eyes lowered down at her, at last gaining some gleam to them as the spell completed and the light around Wendy faded into the massive dragon.

She pushed to her feet. Happy jumped down and joined Carla on the floor in the inert magic circle. The others stayed behind by quite a few paces, but Wendy had no problem hearing their awe at the sight of the creature.

The dragon leaned forward toward Wendy.

"Well, little cutie, is it you who managed to summon me?"

Wendy nodded. "Yes, mighty dragon. We seek your intelligence and knowledge of this place.

The dragon sneered. "A little girl like you has no need of such troublesome things." His eyes searched the room. "Save for but one of you, this lot is a grim waste of my time."

"One of us?" Wendy asked.

The dragon nodded, and reached his hand out toward Juvia, almost grabbing her, seeming to try to pinch around her breasts.

"I knew it wouldn't work," he said as Juvia shivered. "Worth the shot."

"A pervy dragon," Happy muttered.

"Fascinating," Carla muttered. "Though we exist now in the same place, his power is still incorporeal."

"I must admit my confusion," the dragon said. "I thought I was summoned forth by the great Sky Dragon, Grandeeney. Though I sense a resemblance of her magic, I cannot sense her true power."

"It was me!" Wendy exclaimed. "Grandeeney taught me." She pointed to Gajeel. "And he is the son and apprentice of Metallicana, the Iron Dragon."

The dragon leered. "Humans, taught by dragons?" He huffed. "You are Dragon Slayers, then."

Latent anger, perhaps a brewing frustration, laced his words.

"Yes," Wendy said. What use was there in lying to the dragon?

The dragon hesitated, then nodded. "Out of respect to your parents, little things, I will tell you my name. I am Zircon's, the Jade Dragon. Now, I imagine you did not summon me for mere trite observation."

"No. As I said, we seek your intelligence. What's happened to this place?"

Zirconis sighed. "And I told you, such knowledge is above you, little human. All of you. Humans are the bane of intelligence itself, it is where stupidity comes to rise and spread rot about the world. Your skills are impressive, yes, and perhaps your mind just as much, but there is no way it could ever ascend beyond your human limitations."

"Well we're not all humans here," Happy said matter-of-factly.

Carla stepped forward. "It's true, great Zirconis! What you have to tell we Exceeds—cats—we can translate and bestow such knowledge on our human friends."

"Human friends? An oxymoron if there ever was one. But, fine." Zirconis stood to his hind legs and folded his arms. "I'll tell you anyway. Let me get a grab at that human woman, though."

"It won't work!" Gray shouted.

"Ah, right."

"The story?" Panther Lily asked, joining the other Exceeds.

Zirconis nodded. "It is not long, yet I believe, given the state of things, its tragedy continues to this very day."

Thus, Zirconis told them more than just the history of the Dragon Graveyard. To get to where the Dragon Graveyard was, he gave the Fairies and Kip the history of the Dragon Slayers as wizards: once mere humans that were little more than food for dragons that eventually came to have their abilities. One dragon was kind enough to a human to teach her how to slay dragons, and she imparted his wisdom to her peers. For a time, humans and dragons weren't necessarily equals but weren't willing to eat or kill each other.

But as all things, that changed, and war broke out between humans and dragons, as well as those dragons that supported being allies with humans. One such human bathed in so much dragon blood that he became a dragon itself.

"That dragon is the direct creator of what you see before you," Zirconis said. "His name is Acnologia."

Every one of the Fairy's hearts dropped. Carla widened her eyes.

"A dragon bathing in blood?" she whispered.

"One fateful evening, he came to the aid of a young woman in the caves we'd chosen to become our prey. With his power, he was able to wipe us all out." Zirconis surveyed the room. "Even now, from beyond the veil, I can sense his power. He yet lives. A shame none have been able to kill him."

"You're telling us," Gajeel muttered.

"Does that satisfy you, daughter of Grandeeney?" Zirconis asked. "I cannot stand to be in this place. Perhaps other ghosts may enjoy their wandering, but if my kin are no longer here, I will take my leave."

"Who was the woman Acnologia wanted to save?" Kip asked, stepping forward.

Zirconis grimaced. "It is as I said. Humans truly know nothing."

They couldn't get another word in before the dragon vanished, and the anchor in Wendy's heart dissolved. She bucked forward, catching herself. She hadn't realized how much of a strain it'd been to keep Zirconis in place.

"Damn it," Kip muttered.

"That dragon was a jerk," Gray said.

"A real man would've stayed and answered some questions!" Elfman exclaimed.

Kip knelt next to Wendy as Juvia walked over to help her stand.

"That was amazing, Wendy," Kip said. "We definitely need to rest, and process, after that."

Wendy half-heartedly nodded, and Juvia helped her follow Kip to a small hideaway he created in the rock. They weren't expecting guests, but he was able to mold the earth in there to let them all sit comfortably.

Understandably, everyone was at a loss.

Yet Carla looked shell-shocked, terrified. That she saw a vision of Acnologia was horrifying enough, and yet…

"That woman I saw must have been the one with Acnologia that day," Carla said. "But the shadow…what is the shadow?"

Sonya stood at the door to her massive bedroom, finally alone. Her attendants were out on menial tasks and errands she'd made up, just to get out of her way and let her think for the first time since waking up.

They'd been busily catching her up on the events of the last year—the who's who of getting married, political squabbles, victories the Empire had over rebellions, and other foreign entities attempting to challenge them. They skimmed over mention of some wizard guild that everyone thought was dead coming back and making a slight stir during the Grand Magic Games, but Sonya knew they'd be stomped out in time, anyway. No need to worry about it.

The more concerning aspect of it all was their complete inability to speak about Zeref. Whenever Sonya asked about him, they were either unable to give an answer or would give a contradictory one to something they'd said before. Maybe he was out on a mission to the west, or he was in negotiations with another kingdom. Or, he was still in Fiore on some sort of pilgrimage.

She braced herself against the door.

Nobody would give her answers, and she had to find them. Part of her wished it was out of some sort of quest to rescue a love of hers, but there was none of that for Zeref. He'd stormed into Stella, razed it, and taken her as his queen as a means of binding the kingdoms together. He only so much as touched her for public appearance, to look good before the united crowds of Fiore and Stella citizens, to make the transition more peaceful.

For someone like Zeref to go completely missing wasn't simply unheard of, it was concerning to an incredible degree.

Sonya pushed her doors open. Her chambers weren't connected to the Emperor's. She was down the hallway a few steps. She stayed in the suite of the old princess Hisui, the Jade Star. The room had been expanded and adjusted more to Sonya's tastes and familiarities.

Guards in twilight armor, the elite Oni, lined the hallway, with two titanic guards in front of the Emperor's door holding anti-magic weaponry. They each bowed as they recognized Sonya. They were bound to Emperor Spriggan, yes, but in his absence, they served her above all others.

Or, so she'd believed.

The guards crossed their blades in front of the Emperor's chambers, sending a resounding echo throughout the marble-inlaid hallway. The room expanded in front of the grand double doors of pure black stone and magic. The guards' blades clanged to the stone as they brought them back.

Sonya raised her chin.

"Open these doors," she said, her own voice echoing around.

A low rumbling laugh made its way out from the recesses of her mind, almost giving her a shudder.

The guards made no moves, no indication that they'd even heard her.

Sonya balled her fists.

"I am your Empress! Sonya! And you will open these doors!"

But nothing. The world had no time to listen to the raised voice of a woman who'd been gone and asleep for a year.

Her mind tore, and a laugh that was as real as any consumed her. She bucked back, flinching. She closed her eyes to the laughter as it intensified, then opened her eyes, staring at the marble floor.

A dragon stared back at her, its crystalline face filled with contempt and pity.

"We should talk, little one."

Sonya set her jaw. Animus.

"Yes," she muttered and straightened her back.

However, she did not return to her quarters. She saw herself in a private chamber that'd been set aside for her personal studies. A guard stood in front of the door as she closed it. Within were some crystalline trees and a few gems floating in the air around an ancient wooden table.

Sonya glanced into a mirror she'd hung in the room to stand level with her. Animus appeared within it, still quite distant, everything behind her ethereal.

"Have you been asleep for a year, Animus?" Sonya asked. Her voice was cold.

"No, child," Animus said. "I have spent my time wandering the great graveyard below. I needed to search for him."

Sonya leered at the image of the dragon before her. Zeref?

"Yet I found nothing, in all my searching. After such time, I thought there would be signs, hints at least, of that foul creature."

"Do you know what woke me?" Sonya asked.

"I did. After I saw the most unlikely sight within the graveyard: Dragon Slayers."

Sonya raised an eyebrow and took a seat. "There are several Dragon Slayers within our ranks, Animus, it should be no surprise that you would encounter some.

"No, little fool. Pure Dragon Slayers, those taught by my kin."

"That," Sonya said, "is impossible."

"I know. I had to wake you. There are things that have awoken in this world, dear girl, that we must see to. Not the least of which is the location of your dear Emperor but, more to the point, we must find him. If he is loose, neither you, nor I, nor any in what we've built, are safe."

"Who?" Sonya asked. She got back up and approached the mirror.

Animus rippled pain throughout Sonya, forcing her to keel back a step.

"Know your foe, your true enemy you soft child," Animus said. "He should have died, but he lives, forever a roach and blight upon this world. Acnologia is alive."

"That is impossible," Sonya said. "Trust me."

"I see as you do, Sonya, and I wish to believe him dead, too. So why, then is his corpse missing among the dead? Why can I still sense him somewhere out there?"

Sonya's hand trembled. But she wasn't the only one wallowing in fear. They'd never really feared Zeref, and only once did she admit this to Emperor Spriggan: her true motivation for joining forces wasn't the buck to the Empire's will, as their power was a pittance compared to the real threat to her country: Acnologia, the Dragon of the Apocalypse. He had to have died.

She shut her eyes, trying to remember when last she'd seen the Black Dragon. But her memory was a void that stretched a full year deep. When she opened her eyes again, Animus was gone from the mirror, leaving the reflection of a queen who should not be afraid, yet was returned to a world drifting just fine without her.

Gajeel sat up a few seconds before Wendy did. He checked where Kip was—still sitting in the earth, still in his conversation with Elfman. The Exceeds were asleep. Juvia had her head rested against a sleeping Gray.

He stood as quietly as he could, making his way out of the small crater Kip carved out for them. Nobody paid him any mind.

He adjusted his gloves, casually doing so while he checked out the environment. There was an itch in his nose. A scent he'd caught, one that was similar to Kip and the other smells he and Natsu had noticed on their way to Crocus.

Wendy joined him a few seconds later.

"There's another one here," Gajeel said, quietly. "Second Generation Dragon Slayer."

"Any idea where they are?" Wendy asked.

Gajeel nodded. "Above us, holding onto the rock face. I think I've had his scent for a while, he's waiting for the rest of us to get to sleep."

"To kill us?"

"No better reason." Gajeel clenched his fists. "If you knock him off with your wind magic I can take it from there, I know you're still wiped."

"I've got a spell or two in me," Wendy said. "Though I'd be better off doing an enchantment."

"Won't need it," Gajeel said.

The Dragon Slayer didn't seem to care that Gajeel and Wendy were talking to one another right below him, and it didn't seem he could even hear them. He would've at least moved if he had.

"Get ready," Wendy muttered.

Gajeel casually turned to the side and did a stretch, then took a step back while Wendy swung her arms up, waking everyone as she shouted,

"Sky Dragon Roar!"

The pillar was weaker than normal—duh—but still shot into the air and shook the rocks above.

"Gale Dragon Wing Attack!"

Gajeel smiled as the Wendy's attack was broken up and a man landed between her and Gajeel. He kicked out at Wendy but Gajeel caught his leg and flung him aside. Wendy raced back to help the others, who were still stirring.

The Dragon Slayer caught himself in mid-air, then zoomed back toward Gajeel, clearly capable of flight. Gajeel braced a fist, about to send it flying when a wall of Earth lurched and the Gale Dragon Slayer slammed into it. His fist did puncture through, and he stood dazed as the wall of earth dropped.

Kip flew into the battle from Gajeel's peripheral, truly catching this Dragon Slayer off-guard.

"Let me take this one, Gajeel!" Kip exclaimed. "I didn't think they'd be able to find us!"

Kip slammed his foot into the surprised Dragon Slayer, then swung his leg around the ground as a fist came out of the ground and punched the Dragon Slayer back. He caught himself again, getting control of himself in the sky. He snarled and held his hands out.

"You'll die for this," the Gale Dragon Slayer said.

"This one is Johan," Kip said as he stood in front of Gajeel.

"You know him?"

Kip laughed. "Yeah. I know all of them, Gajeel. Guess this cat is out of the bag."

Johan brought his arms together. "Gale Dragon's Tempest!" He swung them apart. "Of Snow, Moon, and Flowers!"

Tornados blasted down around them, whipping Gajeel's hair all over the place. Kip swung his arm out and sealed the resting spot the others were in and braced as the tornados slammed into both of them. He anchored him and Gajeel to the floor.

"Nice!" Kip shouted. "You've gotten stronger, Johan! But wait'll you see this!"

Kip knelt, putting both of his hands on the ground as an emerald and brown aura wafted over him, then sharpened as Kip's power spiked.

"Earth Drive!"

Drive?

Kip stood at once, breaking the tornado around him, then closed his fist.

Fist?

No, it was a talon! What—the hell was going on here?

"Cavern Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Hollow Earth!"

"Cavern what?" Gajeel shrieked.

Kip's eyes glowed red as he launched through the tornados at Johna, then swung his talon forward. Earth and stone followed him into an attack that coalesced into a single magic beam that blasted Johan away, through several rocks. Kip danced on rock platforms he summoned, sprinting after the other Dragon Slayer while Johan struggled to regain control of himself in the air.

With a rapid spin, Kip kicked down at Johan, punishing him into the ground below. Johan bounced up and away from a maw that nearly consumed him. However, it landed him right in another of Kip's traps.

"Cavern Dragon's Earth Collapse!"

The localized ground around Johan broke apart, and then with force Johan was in the air again, only to be grabbed by Kip and slammed into the ground, this time trapping him for sure.

Gajeel sprinted over as the others were released from the devastation around them, hurrying after Kip, who lost his aura and settled down. His tattered robes wavered in the slight after-breeze of their battle.

Johan was unconscious, blood running from the wounds he'd taken.

"You better start explaining stuff right now," Gajeel said when he caught up.

"You're a Dragon Slayer?" Gray asked.

"That's not a secret to keep and reveal so lightly," Carla said.

"No, it's not, and it killed me to keep it from you," Kip said. He sighed with a smile. "But I didn't want to expose myself anywhere near Crocus. Figured it would set off alarm bells."

"So you were in the Dragon Division?" Wendy asked.

"How do we know you're still not?" Gajeel asked. "And this whole thing was a ruse?"

"Because even the Empire doesn't know about my Earth drive," Kip said. "I've had it for a while. I went out on training for a while, leaving on some excuse to hunt down some rebels, when I really wanted to master that power and come back to take out Sting and Rogue."

Gajeel glanced down at Wendy. Natsu and the others were quick to assume she could read people easily, but Gajeel preferred to think of it as simple naivety.

"Besides, what I said about my home is true. Everyone died, the Empire took it all from me. I snuck my way in and got the chance to have a Dragon Slayer lacrima. Are you kidding me? I had to take that chance and learn from the best how to use this power to defeat them."

Gajeel stayed tense as the others remained unsure of what to do or say about the news. Kip raised his arms defensively.

"I promise," Kip said, "on the blood of my people that I am here to help you get your friends back and disrupt the Empire."

He stared at Gajeel while he said it, and Gajeel found it hard to truly buy into the fact that Kip would be putting on a performance. He'd already shown he could easily trap the others, and what better chance did he have against Gajeel than by surprising him alongside Johan?

"Yeah," Gajeel said. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you, got it?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kip said. "Again, I'm so sorry to have held this from you, but I had to protect myself, too."

"Of course," Juvia said.

"Look, I'm just happy to have another one of you on our side," Gray said. "Just, please don't be as crazy as the others, okay?"

Lucy and Axel sat out on their balcony while the final wisps of sunlight faded from Crocus. She had her shoulder to him, turned such that she could look out just beyond the high black walls of the city, while Axel proudly surveyed that which he regularly patrolled with Kip.

He'd finally shut up about Natsu and Erza's fight, which, in Lucy's opinion, was a great one. It was also one that he didn't have much say in. Axel had gotten his butt kicked quite thoroughly by Natsu, and so his degrading or criticizing either Natsu or Erza's choices and fighting styles didn't hold any weight for Lucy.

They had food brought in and served to them that evening and Lucy just focused on her meal rather than really listen to anything he had to say. He spoke to her like a child, as if she had never seen Natsu or Erza fight before. He even had the temerity to explain how Dragon Slayers could consume their designated element, to which she had to stifle a hard roll of her eyes.

In the silence, though, Lucy lurked and waited. She let it grow, becoming a long string that would be gently wound back under her control. Axel yearned to talk to her and get her attention. If she gave it to him after such a long while, he'd likely be more willing to let his mouth run and his mind try to catch up.

"I don't think the Emperor was there today," Lucy said after another beat of nothing. "Do you know?"

"He wasn't," Axel said. He leaned back in his chair. "August and Invel were, though, so your friend Levy was probably watching."

"Weird that he wouldn't make it."

"Probably busy."

"Have you ever had the chance to work for him?"

Axel folded his arms behind his head contemplatively. "My station and dedication are to the Dragon Division. August is the highest-ranking official I've ever met. Sting and Rogue are my direct contacts, and I'm not too concerned with anyone above that." He paused, stretching his legs while the sun vanished beneath the city walls. "Sting and Rogue know him pretty well, though. He directly trained them once Fiore was under Imperial control."

Lucy nodded. So, he wasn't going to be much help. Damn. There she was, in the palace itself, and yet she may as well have been any other plebeian down below. Levy likely had the best shot at finding out more about the Emperor's location. Axel didn't know anything and didn't care to.

The only other solution was to get closer to Sting and Rogue, or August and Invel since it seemed she was on the fast track to being recruited into the Twilight Division. But those seemed much harder nuts to crack than the Twin Dragons.

Lucy stood up. Axel eased back to normal.

"I'll start getting ready for bed, then. Thanks."

"For what?"

"Nothing, I guess. I wanted to know more about the Emperor, and you don't know anything. I thought you were important."

She started for the door but he snagged her arm, gripping it tightly, locking it with the strength of a diamond.

"Excuse me?"

He released her as he forced her to look at him. His face was red and so many other girls probably thought him handsome. All Lucy could see was that stupid face he made before giving a kiss.

"Just forget it."

"No. You will repeat what you said, Lucy."

He moved forward, quickly, his hand coming up toward her. Faster, though, were Lucy's arms, and she blocked his strike. Axel swung again but she grabbed his arm, holding it back with all her strength. As if gaining some sort of sudden awareness, Axel stepped back.

His face flushed, but his eyes flared, and a ravenous look overcame him. The man was so used to women breaking for him, and being submissive. Lucy felt some of her muscles tense. That look…she'd never seen a man look so much like a beast before.

"You want it to be like that?" he said, venom in his words. Lucy almost threw up. "I can play rougher if you want!"

But she moved first. She pushed him back, catching him off-guard, and he stumbled into the railing. Lucy planted her leg on his chest, digging her heel into his chest.

And he couldn't move. Didn't want to. He didn't touch her, didn't beg for anything. He stared at her, practically aghast.

"I thought you were a dragon," Lucy said. "But here you are, letting a little girl get the better of you."

"You want a dragon?" he asked but winced beneath Lucy's heel.

"I don't. I want you to back off. Got it?" She swallowed a hard lump in her throat, then said, "And I won't be getting any favors with kisses, either. Those days are over."

She removed her leg and slammed the door shut behind her when she walked in. Axel remained on the balcony in a daze while adrenaline pumped through Lucy's veins. She could practically fly she was buzzing so much.

Axel was…weak. He wanted so desperately to have Lucy that he'd do anything to make her feel in power, including giving it over to her. She sneered as she closed the door behind her.

Even without her keys, perhaps Lucy did have a weapon after all.

Minerva undid the lacrima revealing a projection of a small, remote village far away from Crocus. She'd found Rufus, and all it took was a few rolling heads, some screams, and one lover betraying another. Quite simple, really. The test would be unlocking the man's true location.

The Urdstatz Library was ever-moving, and though she'd locked it down for the moment, there was no telling where it'd be in the coming days.

A shadow loomed in the doorway. Minerva finished collecting her things.

"Going after him, huh?" Orga asked. "You'll want some backup."

"I can handle Rufus just fine myself, actually," Minerva said.

Orga held his hand out and blocked the door. "You don't get it. He's smart. He knows you're coming."

"Good. It'll make his downfall all the better. His ego was always too inflated."

"You're wasting your time, Minerva."

She glowered up at Orga, but held back from saying, or doing, anything. She simply teleported out of the room and continued on her way, leaving him be.

Orga wasn't as dumb as bricks as everyone thought. Her accomplishing things would put her in far better graces to get the title of Captain than he, and he wanted the power. She half-expected him to attack her, but to do so publicly would land him in a great deal of trouble.

Minerva grinned. Rufus came first. That was her designated mission. Afterward?

Nobody in her way was going to be safe.