Conor looked down at his feet, thinking. Long moments slid past. Joe heard the crackle of a log in the stove; the rustle as a dragon re-settled its wings. 211

Just then, another person shouldered his way through the circle of people and dragons. ‘Joe!’ It was Tiago. ‘Good to see you. Now I can thank you, finally, for rescuing me last winter.’

Amina and Conor stared open-mouthed at him. ‘You’d seen him? Why didn’t you say it was Joe who rescued you?’

‘I promised.’ Tiago came through and shook Joe’s hand, clasping his arm in warm greeting. ‘I think they’d have killed me, if you hadn’t come along just then.’

Joe studied the older boy. He had a slight scar over one eyebrow, and his beard had grown in fully now, otherwise he looked the same as the first time they’d met. ‘What else could I do? We had to stop them then, just like we need to stop them now.’

‘I’m with Joe,’ Tiago said.

‘All right,’ Conor said finally. ‘But this isn’t over, Joe.’

Amina nodded slowly. ‘You can really get us out? Maric, Ariel, and all the other dragons too?’

‘Yes,’ he said, meeting their gaze. He hated how they looked at him now, so distantly, when they’d always been so close.

The small pale purple dragons crowded close, sniffing carefully. These two were like twins, almost identical. Maric was a touch larger, while Ariel had a more delicate face and slightly bigger eyes.

‘Come on, let’s introduce you …’ Amina said softly. ‘Here’s my Maric.’

‘And this is Ariel,’ Conor said stiffly. 212

Joe bowed and said a polite, ‘Hello, good to meet you.’ He couldn’t help comparing them to Ren: they were both bigger than her, both taller and sturdier. Their wings were thicker, their ears shorter. He felt a sharp homesick pang for Ren, and knew he had to get back to her today.

Maric and Ariel gave him a gentle aark of welcome, and the larger dragons finally judged Joe was harmless and allowed him through.

Amina and Conor led him over to the circle of suspicious faces. It was overwhelming to be stared at by so many at once.

‘What’s he doing here?’ asked a young man with short black spiky hair.

‘I thought he was dead,’ said another.

‘I thought he was dangerous.’ That was Flavia, the young girl whose cream-coloured dragon Joe had almost trampled.

Joe took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he had to make them trust him. He looked directly at Flavia. ‘I’m sorry, for what I almost did on Hatching Day. I was angry, but that’s no excuse, I know.’

She tutted, a loud pffftt of disdain, and looked away. He deserved that.

‘All I can say is that I’ve changed, and I want to help. I’ve come to get you all out of the dragonhall, to freedom. The smaller dragons and their people with me, to hide here in Arcosi – I know where to go. The others will have to use the main doors, and fly to safety.’