Dev reached the edge of the orchard and paused to look again in all directions before moving across the open area to get to the palace. His eye caught a slight movement by the center tower entrance, but it disappeared inside—was it one of the foxes? It seemed larger than that. And then he swept his gaze from side to side and saw red. Two medium-size red dragons at the near corners of the property.

His heart thudding, Dev gasped and sank into the fog.

A Standoff

Dev hovered in the fog between two gnarled apple trees, his heart still pounding. Even in the dark he could see the dragons’ eyes glowing and their occasional flares of fiery snorts. Surely they must smell him by now, but they didn’t seem to care. They didn’t move or communicate with each other that Dev could see. Why were they here? Did their presence mean he couldn’t go home to his palace now? His heart yearned for the library tower. What was he supposed to do? Go back to the village and hide in the closet again?

It occurred to him that perhaps the dragons weren’t concerned with him because they hadn’t been ordered by the Revinir to attack him—similar to the dragons that guarded the castle. She hadn’t sent out a roaring command in many weeks. Perhaps the dragons were there for some other reason than to go after him. But why had they decided to park themselves here? Maybe they were just weirdly resting at the corners of the palace property… before heading somewhere… else. Dev blinked. He knew there was no reason for them to be out here in the middle of nowhere unless they’d been sent.

When he could tear himself away from watching the dragons for a moment, he estimated the distance to the middle tower and contemplated making a run for it. Would they chase him? Even if he made it, would he ever be able to go out for food from the river? It was sickening to think about. One false move and Dev would be a hot meal.

Yet the more he realized that he couldn’t go back to the palace, the more he wanted to do just that. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere, and he’d only gotten to experience that feeling for a short time. It was heartbreaking to think he couldn’t go back. This was his land now, and the dragons were invading it.