“He can lie to me about magic all he wants,” murmured Evelina, gazing at Marcus fondly as he lay sleeping at her feet. “Just as long as he lies with me.”

Her little joke amused her for all of several seconds and then she yawned and slapped irritably at a mosquito and looked around at the river, which held nothing new for her, and at the trees, and there was nothing interesting about them either. She heaved an audible sigh and glanced at Marcus, half hoping he’d hear her and wake up.

He didn’t stir, and she realized he was ‘deep in slumber.

“After all, he needs his rest,” she reflected. “If he’s going to get us safely through that horrible .cave. Why do we have to go that way anyhow? There are lots of other routes we can take to his home. His home. His castle. I wonder how many rooms it has. Dozens, probably. And food that goes on forever. Peacock tongues and suckling pig and wine from golden goblets and servants to wait on me and sweetmeats and sugared almonds and why, why, why did I have to think about food?”

Her stomach grumbled. Evelina tried to recall when she’d last eaten. She remembered Ven bringing food to her and she remembered flinging it to the floor in a fit of temper. Henceforth, she resolved, she would make certain she ate first before she flew into a rage.

And then all she could think about was being hungry. Evelina had been hungry before in her life; very hungry, sometimes, when one of her father’s schemes had failed to produce any income. She looked again at Marcus. Bending over him, greatly daring, because the boat rocked alarmingly whenever she moved, she kissed him on the mouth. She let her tongue slide over his lips and was gratified to feel his lips move, ever so slightly, in response.

Evelina sighed and sat back, her blood tingling. Wrapping herself in her blanket, she gave herself up to tantalizing daydreams of their lovemaking. When even that grew boring, she yawned and yawned again and again after that. Her eyelids drooped. She slid into sleep and then sat up with a start.

“I said I’d keep watch,” she reminded herself. “But I’m so tired. No one is coming for us. We’re safe enough-. It’s not fair that he gets to sleep and I don’t. I’ll just shut my eyes a moment.”

Having absolved herself from blame, Evelina closed her eyes and drifted into sweet slumber.

Thus it was that the dragon found them.

Fortunately for them, the dragon was Lysira.