‘That’s why I brought so much,’ Winter was babbling now, pointing at the large sack. ‘There’s food and water for a week, so we don’t have to leave again while it’s so danger­ous. There’s a curfew. There’s blood on the streets. We have to stay safe, don’t you see?’

Joe gulped. He leaned forward and embraced Ren hard, feeling the beat of her heart, the thrum of life in her scaly throat as she rested her head on his shoulder now. How could he leave her? For a moment he was tempted to stay. He was still a ghost, wasn’t he? They weren’t part of the city. They could pretend nothing had changed. Their life could carry on, uninterrupted. They’d have to forage at night, but they could survive down here.

But then he thought of his parents, alone. He thought of Conor and Amina – what had happened to their drag­ons? Where were Milla and Thom? They would fight back, he knew they would. He couldn’t let everyone he loved risk their lives, while he kept himself safe.

‘Ren, I’m sorry,’ he whispered. His heart swelled to break­ing point with the conflicting feelings. Her large purple ears twitched at the sound. ‘I have to go,’ he said, more loudly. ‘I need to find my family. If I can get them down here, we can all stay safe. Till we can fight back together.’

‘Down here?’ Winter’s voice turned shrill. ‘No, Joe. This is their nest. Fidell and Ren are safe here. The tunnels are our secret: they’re ours!’

He blinked, staring at her. How could they feel so differ­ently about this? All winter they’d lived together and worked together, and suddenly she felt like a stranger. 193

‘Please, Joe,’ Winter begged him. ‘I’ve lost too much. I can’t lose Fidell, and I can’t lose you.’

‘I know. But I can’t hide, not now, not any more.’ He tried to explain, as softly as he could. ‘I might be the only one who can help. I have to find out what’s happened to my family and my friends. And if I can bring them down here to safety, I will.’

But she pulled away and wouldn’t look at him again. She sat on the rocky lip of the stream, hunched up in her blood-soaked dress, barely able to see through one eye.

Joe felt as if he’d hit her himself. He unpacked the supplies, bringing Winter some fresh water and bread. She ignored him.

Ren and Fidell were making hungry growling noises, so next he found some rabbit carcasses in the sack and set to skinning them. Winter had been setting snares in the over­grown gardens of the shadow strip and they were a good source of fresh meat. He threw the finest parts to the hatch­lings, hung some meat to keep for later, and washed his hands in the pool when he was done.

Ren and Fidell snapped the meat up eagerly and then licked themselves clean.

The smell of fresh meat filled the cave, making Joe’s stomach roil, and filled his mind with images he wanted to avoid. He fixed his mind determinedly on the plan forming in his head. He knew he needed to stay strong.