“It’s got to come from deep inside you,” said Fifer, trying to remember how he and Thisbe had sounded before. “Let it roll around a little in your chest at the beginning.”

Dev raised an eyebrow but said nothing, even though it was somewhat annoying to have Fifer, who had no clue about how to roar, give him directions. Still, he tried doing what she said, and, surprisingly, the growl seemed deeper and more intense. He let it roll in his chest and then build and shoot from his throat. It sounded like a real dragon—a small one, but a real one.

Fifer clamped her hands over her ears, her eyes going wide. “That’s it!” She went to the window and looked out. “They heard you. They’re coming!”

Dev looked out. He watched for a second and then roared again, shooting fire toward the ceiling. The dragons kept coming. “I’m going down there,” Dev said. “I think there’s something to this. I don’t know what yet. But maybe we can use them to help us leave the property and then somehow escape from them.”

Fifer sighed. It had to be almost impossible to escape a dragon. But maybe Dev was onto something. “I’m coming with you,” she said, and she took off after him down the stairs. Round and round they went until they neared the second floor. One of the dragons was poking his face into the second-story window. Dev and Fifer slid to a stop and stared at the creature. He was about twice the size of the Revinir, but not nearly as big as the ghost dragons. He eyed the two teenagers, his giant nostrils dripping and flaring, his lip curling defiantly.

“He doesn’t look happy,” Fifer said.

“No, not really,” said Dev. He inched toward it, then roared again.

Fifer cringed and ducked her head. The red dragon seemed agitated by the sound, and he reared back, then roared in response, sending a wave of fire at them.

Dev swore and dove on top of Fifer as he tried to shield her and get away. His shirt caught and lit up the staircase. He screamed in pain and tried scrambling even more, stepping over Fifer in a blind attempt to escape the dragon. Fifer slid out from under him and threw herself on Dev’s back to suffocate the flames; then she grabbed him around the chest and pulled him up the stairs. He got his footing, and before the dragon could shower them with more fire, they rounded the curve and kept going, moving on sheer adrenaline all the way to the top.