“Yeah, definitely!” Florian agreed. “We have a map my dad made of where the Arrows are, but not a lot of information on geography or landmarks around them. So even a map from before the Blight would help.”
“I can sneak some out for you,” Koji said. “And maybe... Do you need help going out and getting the Arrows, too?”
His voice wavered as if the very thought frightened him, but his expression remained eager and earnest. Florian hesitated.
“I mean, more people would always help,” Florian said slowly. “But I wouldn’t ask you to do it unless you really wanted to. It’s dangerous. It’s... Well, it’s how my dad died.”
Koji was silent for a long moment, his gaze dropping down to the ground. His hair was dark, straight, and shoulder-length, falling in front of his face and blocking Florian’s view of his expression.
“He’s right,” Kade said, speaking for the first time. His expression was a familiar one of cool indifference, the one he always wore around strangers; but his body seemed stiff and his arms were folded across his chest, obviously distrustful. “It’s dangerous. If you don’t think you can help us, you’d only be dragging us down. You need to be certain you can do this. That you even want to do this.”
“Kade,” Florian said softly, frowning. He was right, of course; but if Koji did want to help them, the last thing Florian wanted was to discourage him. Kade did not respond, but fell silent all the same, giving Florian a tight-lipped look that told him they would have to discuss this later.
“I could help you,” Koji protested, the words seeming to steel some resolve inside him. “I know I could. Dragons are strong—we can fly, we can fight, all sorts of things. And I don’t want to be cooped up in the dragon kingdom forever. I’ve had some combat training, so I’m sure I could help with that. They say there are dangerous monsters in the Blight, right? If nothing else, I can fight. That would help, right?”
“Let’s start with the maps,” Florian said encouragingly. “If we have an idea of what the environment around the Arrows will be like, that’ll make it easier to know how you can help. And I really do appreciate it. We could use the help, I’m sure.”
A thought occurred to him then, but he was unsure if he should bring it up now. But if Koji wanted to help...
“Also,” he continued, “I’m a Changeling. Like I mentioned to your father. So I can shift into anything just after touching it. If I can touch you when you’re shifted, I could become a dragon, too. That would be really helpful, too.”
Koji’s eyes bulged, but to his credit, his face settled back down to the same pleasant expression quickly.
“You can shift into anything,” he echoed faintly. “That’s... That’s incredible. I guess it makes sense that Changelings could do that. Wow.”
“Yeah,” Florian chuckled, glancing away. “So, you know. If you’d be willing to let me do that...”
“Okay,” Koji said, but his gaze had become faraway. “Okay. Yes. I’ll find a map tonight or tomorrow morning, and I can sneak out to bring it to you after you leave the palace. You can probably get away with staying in the city for a while. But if you want to shift into a dragon, too, we’ll need to leave the city walls for that. Our dragon forms are too big. Everyone will notice.”
“There was a teahouse we were waiting at,” Florian offered. “A woman named Miyuki runs it. She seemed to like us. I think she’ll let us hang out there. Do you know where that is? Can you meet us there?”
“Yes, I know it,” Koji answered, smiling brightly. “Yes. I’ll meet you there tomorrow afternoon. And we’ll go from there.”
“That sounds good,” Florian agreed. “Thank you.”
“I’d better go,” Koji said, turning quickly and reaching for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Before Florian could respond, he had slipped out and was hurrying down the hallway—his footsteps completely silent. Florian stared at the door for a moment before turning to Kade with a hesitant smile. But Kade still seemed tense, his eyes lingering where Koji had just been standing.
“You don’t trust him?” Florian asked, frowning. Kade sighed, considering his words.
“It’s not that,” he replied. “He seems... clueless. Arrogant, maybe. In over his head. I appreciate that he wants to help us, but he might be more of a hindrance.”
“We came here to ask for whatever they could give,” Florian protested, frowning. “If Koji is the only one willing to help, why would we turn him away?”
“I don’t want to turn him away,” Kade said. “I just... I don’t know. I don’t know how much he can really help.”
Florian was silent for a long moment. Maybe Koji was in over his head, but they had tried to make it clear how dangerous it would be to go into the Blight with them. All Florian could do was try to caution him as best he could; whether or not the dragon prince would come with them was up to Koji either way. But if he wanted to come, Florian wouldn’t turn him away.
“He can’t be any more clueless than I was when I came to the Veil for the first time,” he said quietly. Kade’s eyes softened at that. “He’ll learn. If at any point he wants to go home, I won’t stop him. But if he wants to help, I’m not going to tell him no, either. We could really use help, Kade, even if it’s just another body. If nothing else, he can help us research.”
Kade managed a small smile, one of the expressions that Florian only saw when they were alone. “I guess you’re right. I trust your judgment, so I’ll... keep my doubts to myself. For now.”
Florian reached to hug him, and for a moment they were both silent. Kade’s arms were strong and warm around him as he buried his face in the man’s shoulder.
“C’mon,” he finally said, pulling away. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go to bed.”
The next morning came all too quickly. After Florian and Kade were served a small breakfast of rice porridge and tea, the woman who had brought them their food lingered in the doorway for a moment, then said slowly,
