The cloak was damp against my back.
I wasn’t sure whether it was from sweat or rain.
I dared not ask more questions now that we were so close to the dragon.
I wondered if the beast had even noticed that it was carrying me along with Bella.
Bella had said they ate ogres.
I wondered if they ate humans too.
I lost track of how much time had passed.
Hours, certainly.
I managed to peek out a few more times and saw nothing but a vast expanse of ocean beneath us.
I was growing increasingly nervous as the time passed, because Bella’s arms seemed to be loosening around me, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep holding onto her without her support.
I closed my eyes, shutting out all other distraction, and just focused on holding onto her.
Even though I might have a better chance of survival dropping into the ocean than allowing myself to be dragged along to the realm of the dragons, dropping into the ocean from this height would be certain death.
There was clearly no land for miles, and I had no idea what kind of creatures lurked within these strange waters.
So I closed my eyes and held on tight.
I was holding onto Bella so hard, I could hear every beat of her heart against her chest.
Suddenly, the dragon began to descend.
My stomach turned.
There was no warning as the dragon swooped in what felt like a freefall dive.
And the further we flew, the hotter it became.
Bella grunted.
I was about to peek out behind the cloth again to see what on earth was happening when the dragon jolted, pulling out of the dive so suddenly not even Bella could hold onto me any longer.
Our grip on each other loosened and the next thing I knew, I was falling.
I barely had a chance to take in my surroundings, much less scream, before my back hit the ground, my head slamming back against grass.
I was lucky that it hadn’t been a rock.
Groaning, I rubbed my head and sat up.
Although my back ached, it didn’t feel like I’d damaged anything seriously.
It seemed that I hadn’t fallen far.
My eyes widened as I took in my surroundings.
I was on the top of a hill.
The sky was a clear blue—not a single cloud in sight—and a bright sun beat down on me.
A few miles behind me was ocean, and spreading out in all other directions were ranges of hills and mountains, dipping down occasionally into lush green valleys.
My eyes fixed on the group of dragons carrying ogres in their claws as they disappeared behind a mountain.
Well, crap.
What do I do now? I was away from the ogres’ nightmarish kingdom, but where was I now? Somehow, I doubted that I was any safer here.
I figured that the first thing I ought to do was get out of sight.
I felt so vulnerable on this hilltop.
There could be another wave of dragons passing this way any time, for all I knew.
Although my body was weak, I forced myself to scramble down the slope, toward the lush valley below.
It seemed that the one thing the ogres and dragons shared in common was a mountainous realm.
Dragons.
I still felt insane just thinking the word.
As I reached the dip of the valley closest to me—just a few hundred yards away from my hill—I realized that the green substance I’d thought was grass at the bottom was actually a swamp.
I climbed down toward it and stopped at its edge.
I eyed it warily, trying to figure out if there was any easy way to cross it or if I’d have to walk around it.
I had to swallow a scream as what I’d presumed to be a mossy log opened two gleaming yellow eyes and began moving toward me.
I stumbled back, reaching for the knife I still had on me and pulling it out as a giant reptilian creature began to crawl out of the water.
It looked similar to a crocodile, with its long sharp tail and gnashing jaws, except this was three times as long and wide as any crocodile I’d seen.
And much faster, too.
As it scurried after me, its jaws snapped near my feet.
I reached for the branch of a small tree nearest to me and managed to swing myself up just as its jaws closed on where my ankle would have been.
I forced myself up as high in the tree as I could and stared down at the beast.
It looked almost as ferocious as the dragons themselves.
I stared at the creature with bated breath as it turned its head upward to eye me.
For one terrifying moment, I thought that it was about to climb up the tree after me, but, snorting, it backed off and slunk back into the water.
It certainly didn’t look like the kind of creature that would be able to climb trees.
Great.
Now I’m stuck up a tree.
I can’t even get to the ground to explore without fearing that thing will notice and come chasing after me.
Goddamn it.
What is it with me and crocodiles? Only this time, I had to fend for myself.
Caleb wasn’t around to save my skin.
I cursed beneath my breath as I tried to find a more comfortable position perched in the treetop.
It was hard to do, considering that the tips of the branches were laced with thorns.
Once it was clear I wasn’t going to find a more comfortable position, I leaned my head back against the trunk, breathing out deeply.
My body was aching for rest.
Every part of me was beat.
I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep, if only for half an hour.
I was sure that I’d be able to think more clearly about my next move if I did.
Gripping the branches and lodging my elbows between them so it would be difficult to fall, I closed my eyes.