To see me one last time.

Although, if he were here, he’d stop me. Instead, he was safe in his bedchamber—he hadn’t woken when I’d left, he wasn’t following me.

The movement in the cave was frantic now. The dragons paddled around in a circle and by the dim red light of the braziers I could not see what the commotion was about. With the water up to my chest and the beat of their powerful tails—they were now the size of young crocodiles—I was feared I’d be dragged under, and could only watch from the wall of the cave where the water was a little more shallow. There was an orchestra of calls, hoots, whines, and grunts, then it fell silent. Copper eyes glowed in the light of the brazier, tails batted from side to side. They were miracle creatures, as intelligent as any the world had seen. In their strange language, they had told each other something I would never understand. I fixed a picture of them in my head, my heart aching at my own loss.

Basalt led the way and was out of the gate before I had registered what was happening. The others followed, filing out behind him, butting gently at one another as they disappeared through the gate.

Farthing was last. I followed the others up the tunnel to see where they were going, and it was as I had hoped—they were following the floodwater. Could they smell the freedom of the storm drain, maybe even the open river at the end of it?

My heart pounding, I leaned against the wall for a moment. Hallam would be out for a while. I was setting the dragons free into an uncertain world. Well, uncertain was better than certain death.

The Queen had made her wishes very clear. Already, I had committed treason.

I counted the dragons as they passed. Six. I had somehow known that Farthing would wait, that she would not leave without saying goodbye. But another one was missing.

They were at the very back of the cave. Farthing was circling the last, who was floating with only her nostrils above the water. The smallest. Sixpence. The others had been traveling fast, they had gone, but this changed everything. Sixpence had been burning herself at the brazier; maybe the wound had turned rank, poisoning her blood.

“Go, Farthing, leave her. I will take care of her,” I said.

I grabbed Farthing around the shoulders and tried to shift her, but she growled. She would not leave her sister.

I waded to Sixpence and grasped her around the neck. Her eyes flicked open in recognition, then closed again.

“You can do this. I know you can,” I said.

I skimmed off a handful of the noxious fish I’d thrown in and held it cupped in my hand to the dragon’s nose. Farthing hooted, as if in approval and encouragement, and Sixpence’s nostrils flared. Her tongue licked at the mess. She grunted, and hope rose in my chest. I needed to act quickly, not think about how far the others had already gone. I fed her more scooped handfuls of fishy mess and then grasped her whole body in my arms. Sixpence didn’t struggle. I carried her out of the cave and waded into the floodwater that was now up to my thighs in the mine tunnel. Farthing swam ahead of us, staying close. I made out a faint sound.