Quite a few changeling families had taken shelter there when the dragon had awoken from its slumber and burned the Oaken Stairs, hoping it would keep them hidden from its dreadful gaze. And in truth it had, for the dragon’s balefire had burned swathes of buildings around the market but left the great structure more or less untouched. It was a pity that it meant they were trapped in a ring of fire that was slowly closing in on them. The flames had grown too fierce for her subjects to brave them, and her fire lines were making slow progress to opening up a path to evacuate the trapped changelings, even with one of the great waterfalls and reservoirs literally right beside it.