The riverbed shook with dragon footsteps. Dev turned to see an enormous, unfamiliar red dragon approaching the bank. The boy sank down to his neck in the freezing water and continued moving, searching for something to hang on to. But the dragon drew closer and began to drink. Dev took a deep breath and slipped under, trying hard to stay still, keep a foothold, and not get swept away by the current.

Underwater, while his breath ticked away bubble by bubble, Dev had thoughts. I should have gone downstream. If I lose my footing, I’ll be swept right past the dragon. I should have known they’d want a drink after flying all this way. I should have gone into the spider garden. I should have gone back to the cavelands with Astrid when I had the chance.

And then: I should have stayed in the cavelands and never come here at all. Who am I to think I deserve a palace? That I deserve anything at all?

It was the last thought that had Dev sobbing underwater. And the only problem with sobbing underwater is that it requires an intake of breath.

He twisted his head—he had to, or else he’d suck in water and start coughing, and then he’d for sure be caught. He drew in a breath, two breaths, then three, unable to stop once he started. On the fourth breath he opened his eyes, almost not wanting to see what he was certain was directly on top of him.

An enormous dragon’s face was only tens of feet away, its nostrils flared. It was solidly bent down with front legs in the river, fishing. Behind it, several feet from the bank in the overgrowth, was a smaller dragon, barking instructions and demanding water and fish. Her iridescent scales caught the starlight. The Revinir.

Dev’s life was almost over. He knew it. And soon the dragons would know it too. He took another breath as silently as possible and slipped his head under the water again, feeling the sand and rocks start to shift under his feet because of the current. He swam farther, feeling around for anything to grab on to to help him stay in one place or propel him upstream, all while listening to the slightly muted voice of the Revinir talk about what sort of fish she wanted the red dragon to catch for her.

Why not just catch your own fish? Dev wondered. Didn’t she know how? Or maybe she just liked bossing other dragons around? She’d certainly liked bossing him and the other slaves.… Dev’s thoughts became thick and slow, for the water was cold enough to make his body and fingers numb by now. He surfaced to take one more breath, and that’s when he saw it. A long, thin, dark V in the moonlight in front of him, coming up from the riverbed. Dev submerged and inched forward, reaching blindly in front of him, and grabbed on to it. A forked tree branch? His fingers were too numb to tell, but the image flashed before his eyes. The thing was solid and would secure him in place. He hooked his arm around it.