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Contents ( 50)
  1. CONTENTS
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. CHAPTER ONE
  4. CHAPTER TWO
  5. CHAPTER THREE
  6. CHAPTER FOUR
  7. CHAPTER FIVE
  8. CHAPTER SIX
  9. CHAPTER SEVEN
  10. CHAPTER EIGHT
  11. CHAPTER NINE
  12. CHAPTER TEN
  13. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  14. CHAPTER TWELVE
  15. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  16. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  18. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  20. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  21. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  32. CHAPTER THIRTY
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  42. CHAPTER FORTY
  43. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  47. EPILOGUE
  48. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  49. Also by Liz Flanagan:
  50. COPYRIGHT

In the palace gardens it was almost full daylight, though the mist still hung low, making trees loom, eerie and ghostlike.

Joe hid the lantern and backpack, tugged his hat low, then rolled his shoulders, lifted his head, and walked straight towards the dragonhalls as if he did it every day. He reached the first hall without being seen. The doors were ajar. Inside, it was empty, cold and silent.

It didn’t mean anything bad, he reasoned; it didn’t mean they were dead.

The second was the same. He could taste the fear in his mouth, sour and sharp. 207

Next he came to the ancient dragonhall, the original one. Armed with a family secret, he slunk round the back, count­ing his steps, till he found the hidden doorway concealed by ivy. He’d heard the old stories, from Milla and his mother: how this door had helped Milla in the revolution; how it had allowed their grandmother Kara to escape from the old duke. Now it was his turn. The old duke’s legacy still haunted this island, but it was time to banish it for good.

Joe unlatched the door, trying not to make a sound. The catch was stiff and rusty, but it opened with a groan after a few moments of pushing. He peered in, eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light inside. There was still a wall hanging concealing the secret door, just as he’d been told.

He squeezed through, leaving the door ajar, hoping the tapestry hid him completely. He stood still, hardly able to breathe. Dust tickled his nose, but he suppressed a sneeze. Listening hard, he could hear subdued voices, and he could swear one of them was Conor.

He edged sideways – one step, two – till he came to the edge of the heavy fabric and peered round it.

The dragonhall was full of people and dragons, and lit by a huge central brick stove. In the dim fuggy warmth, he counted eighteen dragons and fifteen people, including Conor, Amina, Tiago and Flavia. There was no sign of Noah. There were some full-grown dragons from the previ­ous hatching ceremonies, but none of the original dragons of Arcosi, and none of his family.

He had to choose his next move very carefully; he didn’t want to scare them in case they attacked, so he decided to 208use his secret signal. He and Conor had chosen it when they called for each other late on summer evenings. He’d stand below Conor’s window and mimic the cry of the herring gull three times, and then Conor would sneak out and they’d run down to the harbour, not willing to waste a minute of daylight.

Joe raised his hands and cupped his mouth. But before he could make a sound, Ariel and Maric let out an excited aark, aark, aark, and every person in the room turned to stare.

His mouth went dry. It was just like the hatching ceremony: all those faces glaring at him, thinking the worst.