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disappeared from beneath her, especially at night.
    As they moved further from the lines of fighting, so the constant noise of battle reduced to a distant rumble. The dragons slowly descended, dropping lower and lower until Kira found she could
make out certain shapes on the ground. It was a dark night, but her eyes had adjusted to the low light and she could see farmhouses, trees and the line of a river. The sound of a dog barking was
just audible above the wind-rush. Kira smiled. There was no telling what had disturbed the dog but, if it was reacting to their presence, she did not think the animal would be so brave if it were
to meet the dragons.
    They landed next to the woods and as soon as the riders had dismounted, the dragons moved between the trees towards the little clearing where they had camped during their previous visit. Leaves
were piling up beneath the tangled branches and the rich earthy smell of the autumn mulch filled the air. Looking back, she saw a faint edge of frost tinging the grass in the field where they had
touched down.
    Kira had barely taken a couple of paces before she noticed. She removed a glove, held her hand in front of her mouth and breathed over it. She was breathing smoke! Her breath felt warm. Why was
she breathing smoke? Was this a side effect of being a dragonrider? Momentary panic set her heart racing and she looked around at the others to see if either of them had noticed. They were
breathing out smoke as well. Elian had a look of wonder on his face as he experimented just as she had. Nolita, though, did not look in the slightest bit perturbed.
    Should I tell her? Kira wondered. She doesn’t appear to have noticed.
    As if she had somehow heard Kira’s thoughts, Nolita turned to look first at her and then at Elian.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked softly. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’
    ‘My breath!’ Elian whispered. ‘It’s smoking.’
    To Kira’s surprise, Nolita began to chuckle, more smoke puffing from between her lips.
    ‘Are you telling me you’ve never seen your breath before?’ Nolita laughed, struggling to keep her voice down. ‘Don’t you have winter in Racafi? Doesn’t it get
cold enough for you to see your breath?’
    ‘We have different seasons, but it never gets this cold,’ Kira replied. ‘Is this normal, then?’
    ‘Perfectly normal,’ Nolita said, making a face and deliberately breathing out through her nose. The smoke-like vapour coiled lazily from her nostrils. ‘What do you think? Could
I be an honorary dragon?’
    For Nolita to make such a joke was both extraordinary and unexpectedly funny. Kira began to snigger and Elian was quick to join her. They turned together and began to follow the dragons through
the trees, all the while asking questions about Nolita’s experience of winter in Cemaria.
    There was something satisfying about scrunching through the thick layer of leaves. It was all but impossible to move silently, so Kira didn’t try. Instead she deliberately kicked through
the piles, the sensation bringing a strange sense of exuberance. It was not long until dawn. Their first success seemed close and it felt good.
    They had reached the edge of the clearing where the dragons were already settling down to wait when something set the hairs prickling at the back of Kira’s neck again. She stopped suddenly
and tipped her head slightly to listen.
    ‘What is it, Kira?’ Elian’s voice was suddenly empty of humour.
    ‘Shh! Stand still – both of you. Listen!’
    Nothing. The distant rumble of war was constant, but aside from that disconcerting backdrop of sound the night was still. After a long pause, Kira shook her head and grinned.
    ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘That snake must have messed with my instincts. I keep getting the feeling something bad is about to happen. Did you see those lions when we left? Do you
think they were being drawn to the orb?’
    Elian shrugged and Nolita paled still further.
    ‘If the