the pressure on his lungs and ears was awful , and he needed to breathe , and his lungs were collapsing , readying to draw in another breath whether he was clear of the water or not , and the dagger had fallen from his mouth and the fire from his shoulder and arm was simply too agonizing to be real- something slapped against his head , then seized him by the collar , and he was rising through the water , choking on the first half-breath of water-as his head emerged into the air .