“I think we should go,” Lux said.

“Yes, let’s.” Wick nodded fervently, and they both hurried away from the fish.

Most of the fish stayed behind, hunting in the spot where Wick had fallen, but a few followed. Wick and Lux could see the bubbles below them as they climbed over the roots of the tree. They had slowed their pace a bit, both of them wanting to be more careful.

“These damn fish are driving me nuts,” Lux muttered.

“Just ignore them,” Wick suggested, but that was easier said than done. The constant cries of a child could drive anyone mad.

“I’m trying to,” Lux said, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than the fish calls quieted down. They were still crying, but more softly.

“Look, it’s already getting better,” Wick said, climbing onto the root in front of her. “And we’re almost to the other side of the tree.” She pointed in front of her to where a bit of the island still remained. “It’s not that much farther until we’re out of the swamp.”

Lux actually did feel some relief in the quieting of the fish and knowing they were almost across. Everything would feel so much better on dry land.

“There should be another smaller island on the other side of that one,” Wick said as they made their way toward it. “And then a few logs, some rocks, and we’re out.”

“Wick.” Lux stopped moving and tilted his head, listening.

“Things might have changed, but that’s the way I remember them anyway,” Wick went on, not realizing that Lux had stopped.

“Wick!” Lux repeated, only louder this time.

“What?” Wick turned around to face him, annoyed at slowing down. She wanted nothing more than to be out of the cursed swamp.

But then she heard it too – nothing. The fish had stopped crying completely. She exchanged a knowing look with Lux. The only reason the fish would be quiet was if a predator more dangerous than them were around.

In the silence of the swamp, it was easy to hear the slurping of something sliding out of the water. Wick and Lux looked behind them just in time to see the hump of a creature above the swamp. Its back was covered in green scales with razor sharp fins on its spine, and then it disappeared into the water again.

Lux turned back to Wick, his skin pale and his eyes wide.

“Run,” he told her, but she already knew.

Wick turned and bolted forward, ignoring her earlier suggestion to slow down and be careful. What was coming after them now could easily jump over the roots, probably even the whole tree. If they didn’t get out of here fast enough, they were as good as dead.

They moved as fast as they could and leapt from the tree onto the island. It was wet and muddy, and both of them fell when they landed. Wick had barely gotten to her feet when the sea dragon lurched out of the water. It crashed right into the island, sending mud and dirt flying, along with the swamp water.

The sea dragon’s head was large enough that it could swallow Lux whole if it wanted to and its neck alone was twelve feet long. At the bottom of its neck were two clawed feet on two very short arms. Its body was long and thin, more serpentine than a true dragon. The swamp water couldn’t stick to its skin, so the iridescent green scales that covered its body shimmered brightly.

“I hate dragons,” Lux muttered, scrambling to his feet to get away from the beast.

In response, the creature fixed its golden eyes on them, then opened its mouth and let out a loud roar. The breath reeked of sulfur in a way that even Lux couldn’t stand.

“Go!” Wick commanded, and they ran forward, ducking down as they did.

They barely moved in time to escape the fire that blasted out from the dragon’s mouth. Lux moved in between Wick and the dragon, shielding her as best he could. The flames singed the back of Lux’s neck, and he ran faster, pushing Wick along.

Wick ran across rocks in the swamp, using them like stepping stones, with Lux and the dragon right on her tail. Lux didn’t turn back, but he could hear the creature crashing through everything behind them. It was quick in the water but lumbered on land, so their best chance at escape was to make it to dry land.

A weeping willow was in front of them, and Wick grabbed onto one of its long branches, using it to swing across. Lux reached for one and slipped, so he settled for grabbing onto a branch and climbing up the tree, toward the trunk where it’s branches were stronger.

The dragon dove into the water, disappearing for a moment, and he could see Wick through the branches of the tree, standing on a giant boulder. The dragon would have a harder time getting to her than it would him, and that was a good thing for Wick, but it meant that Lux was probably his prime target.

“Don’t you have anything to stop a dragon?” Lux asked, climbing as fast as he could in the tree.

“The only way to stop a dragon is to stab it through its heart!” Wick shouted back. “Get out of the tree before it comes back!”

Lux stood on one of the weaker branches and slid down it toward Wick and the boulder. Just when he got close, the sea dragon sprung out of the water, opening its jaws in front of him so Lux was posed to slide right in its mouth.

Thinking fast, Lux used the branch like a spring board and jumped up over the creature’s head. This, of course, only enraged the dragon more. When Lux landed on the rock with a painful thud, the dragon roared, a growl mixing with its bellowing.

Wick pulled Lux to his feet, and they were running again. The dragon crashed down in the water next to them, making the rocks they had to cross slick and wet. Lux could feel the heat from the fire behind him when the dragon rose out of the water.

They were close enough where they could actually see the shore. There was a gap between the rocks and land, too far for them to jump. But an old tree grew out of the dry land, hanging over the swamp. Wick leapt forward and grabbed onto a low-hanging branch and then swung herself across to the shore.

Lux meant to do the same, but when he grabbed the branch, it broke, and he and the branch tumbled into the water. The good news, if there was any, was that the water wasn’t as deep here. It only came up past Lux’s waist, and with the dragon here, all the fish were too afraid to come out.

The dragon arched itself out of the water, staring down at Lux, and Lux knew he had nowhere to go. The water was too thick for him to able to outrun the creature, and the dragon seemed to know that. Its yellow eyes glinted with victory, and Lux clenched the broken branch in his feet.