Devin saw the dragons muscles bunch, and then it leapt into the air, taking off and soaring above the trees.

Devin stared after it, trying to make sense of it. He didnt know where the dragon had come from, or what it signified, but right here, right now, that wasnt what mattered.

What mattered was where it was going.

That he, Devin, had a role to play in whatever happened next.

That, somehow, he had unleashed it.

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

Nerra was held up only by the tree against which Bern was pinning her, holding her in place with one hand while the other was raised to strike.

Where is the dragon? he demanded.

Nerra shook her head. She wouldnt say, she mustnt say.

He struck her, and Nerras ears rang, as it left her tasting blood.

Wont be able to ransom her back if shes hurt too much, one of the others said.

Think this is about ransom? Bern shot back. Try to do that with a princess, theres a rope waiting for your neck, or worse. We kill this one and lose the body when were done, thats what we do. The dragon is the important thing.

All the more reason for Nerra to say nothing. They were going to kill her anyway, so it was better to hold on, to say nothing, and hope…

Hope what? That her fathers men would rush in to save her? Given her sentence, her illness, they would probably kill her just as quickly even if they found her. She could hope that the growing weakness in her limbs claimed her before she could talk, but that was all she could hope.

Nerra could feel herself transforming, feel herself dying. Her body wasnt strong enough for this.

She found herself thinking of her siblings: Rodry, who was so quick to act, and Vars, who only acted when it was to his advantage. Greave, who had tried to help her, and Lenore, who would never really understand what it was like to be the younger sister of someone so perfect. Nerra half wished that Erin were here with that little spear of hers, ready to take on the world…

None of them were there though, and she was dying.

Her thoughts turned to the dragon, back in its cave. It was so tiny, so young. Would it be able to leave the cave? Nerra had done a good job of stopping the entrance, so if she died… when she died, it would be trapped, starving in the dark. That thought made her cling to life.

She stared up past Berns shoulder, and that meant that she was the first to see the shadow flying above the forests canopy.

At first, Nerra assumed she must be dreaming, because it was impossible.

But then the creature banked, and dove, and landed.

Men cried out as the dragon rose up over them, a baby still, yet flashing fierce yellow eyes.