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The river behind them exploded.

The dragon’s head, ringed with deep blue feathers appeared first but her eyes were almost immediately drawn to the wings that burst from the water, already spread. The skin along them was thin enough that the moonlight shone through and the scales nearly sparkled in the dimness as water cascaded down its back.

The paintings in the cavern had been so beautiful and intricate, and yet they were nothing compared to seeing the real thing arching into the sky above them. Mist trailed its tail and Sofia realized after a moment that it wasn’t just the river water dripping from the dragon, but rain pouring from a newly formed cloud.

Neither of them moved for a moment, eyes focused on the sky and the disappearing dragon. Water was streaming down her face and Sofia realized she was crying, her own tears mixing with the icy river water.

“We should move,” Fox said eventually. His voice was soft and she felt the warm breath ghosting against her ear.

She nodded instead of answering, throat too tight for words. It took a few moments to pull her eyes away from the sky where the dragon had disappeared somewhere to the west. And then she felt the icy air around her and realized they were no longer caught in the river’s current. Looking down, she saw the water, far beneath them and still receding. The gap between where they clung to the cliff and where the river flowed grew with every second.

Fox shifted behind her and she saw him reaching up, grasping onto the ledge above them. Her fingers were numb with cold as she tried to follow after him, struggling to grip the wet stone. She nearly fell, letting out a curse as her elbow caught on a ledge and she managed to stop herself before she plunged back into the river below.

She looked back up to see Fox, climbing down carefully, his own fingers shaking against the wall. He brought himself level to her and then started climbing again, half-pushing her along with him. For every move he made, he waited until she had a handhold. They climbed slowly, but she only focused on the lip of the canyon above, getting closer.

Fox reached the edge first, pulling himself up before turning to help her. They both flopped onto the ground a few feet from the canyon, breaths heavy in the misty air. Sofia wasn’t even sure if she was shaking from cold, exhaustion, or adrenaline.

“What just...” he trailed off.

“That was...” Sofia tried to add, but she was still half-mesmerized looking up at the sky where the two moons glowed brightly, just beginning their blink close.

“A dragon,” Fox said, turning onto his side, hovering over where she was lying. “That was a dragon.”

She nodded, eyes flickering up to take in the bright look of awe frozen on his face. Fox’s blond hair was dripping, small drops of icy water splashing against her skin as he hovered over her. His lips were nearly blue, but his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide and shone silver.

“It was real. They’re alive.” Her face ached with cold and the grin she couldn’t stop. It was matched only by the one that Fox was wearing, perhaps the first true smile she’d seen from him since they’d met. He almost looked beautiful when he smiled like this.

“Itwasreal,” he said. “That was a dragon.”

The wet grass seeped into her clothes and she looked up at Fox, his arm braced along her side. Their faces were close enough that she felt the warmth of his breath.

Sofia’s cheeks heated up as she looked into his blue-flecked eyes. He stared back at her with the same intensity, as if seeing her for the first time. His body radiated a warmth that she wanted to sink into. She wanted him to press against her as she breathed in the smell of the forest on his skin.

His eyes flickered down to her lips for only a second, but she caught it and saw the flush of his cheeks as he met her eyes again. Would he close the last two inches? Did she want him to? She had to remind herself that she hated him, yet she couldn’t remember why as his eyes burned a trail along her skin.

She thought she saw him twitch forward, but an instant later he was pulling back, a groan hissing through his clenched teeth.

Sofia pulled herself up as Fox leaned back, his hands groping at his side. For a moment, she thought the claw marks from the shifters might have been torn open by their adventure in the river, but then the moonlight caught the edge of the branch that was embedded in his side.

“Shit,” she said, leaning forward even as he flinched back. “You’re injured.”

“I noticed.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she practically yelled.

“I was a little distracted!”

Her hands fluttered forward of their own accord, as if she might be able to do something. Do anything. She had a rudimentary understanding of first aid, but this was so far beyond her skills.

“Don’t pull it out,” she said.

“I know that,” he snapped.

“Shit,” she said again, looking around the forest like the shadows might hold answers. “We need to make a fire. We need bandages and thread and a needle.”

“I don’t even have the cloak anymore,” he said, face grim. Sofia was glad to realize her bag was still hooked around her arm, though her bow was long gone, along with her arrows. She tore through her bag, searching it as if she could will to life any supplies of use. She didn’t have bandages, thread, a needle—even the flint would need to dry out.

“We have to move,” she said at last, biting her lip as Fox struggled to stand. “Can you walk?”