“I’m fine for now,” he replied. “I just want to make sure you’re alright. Tell me if anything hurts.”
Kade helped him stretch, which was very uncomfortable—all his muscles felt stiff and sore, and he felt worse when he moved—but luckily, nothing felt broken or grievously injured. Takeshi had mostly been concerned about the burns scattered across his skin, Kade explained, but the worst were a few blisters that had formed on his hands. The rest just felt like a bad sunburn—uncomfortable, certainly, but bearable. The deep gash in his arm was tightly bandaged up, and only hurt when he thought about it.
By then he was hungry again, but Miyuki had already put together another bowl of rice topped with roasted vegetables for him, which he ate gratefully. She handed a bowl to Kade, too; but he only held it while he watched Florian eat, as if afraid he might choke if he ate too quickly. Only when he was done did Kade start to eat.
He drank some more water, and Kade helped him get up to use the bathroom. His legs felt wobbly, but eating made him feel much more alert and awake now. When he got back, Kade helped him lay back down, but he told him to try to stay awake until Takeshi could come take a look at him again.
“Where is he?” Florian asked, curiously looking around the room now that he felt more awake. It looked like this was a guest room meant for just one or two people, but from what he could tell, all three of them had slept here last night. It was sparse, but some scuffs on the floor made him wonder if there had been furniture in here that had been moved to accommodate more people. The walls and floor were the same pale wood; nothing adorned the walls, though, and the three beds laid out for them were plain white. The room itself was empty, except for the low table in the center where the food was spread out and their own belongings.
“Working,” Koji replied. “His apprenticeship with the doctor is for most of the day. He’ll be back after sunset though, so hopefully not too much longer.”
Florian peered out the window on the far wall. The room they were in must have been right up against the neighboring building, as there wasn’t much of a view: just a wall and enough space between for some light to filter through. He couldn’t tell what time it was.
“I guess I’ll wait, then,” he sighed, leaning back to get comfortable. Kade still sat next to him, eating quietly as he stayed alert, looking between him and Koji and Miyuki, who were chatting over the table. Florian watched them through half-lidded eyes, as he focused the last of the energy toward staying conscious.
The longer he lay there, though, the more tired he felt, and Florian started dozing on and off again. Occasionally the sound of voices would bring him back to wakefulness, catching snippets of Koji and Miyuki’s conversation, but it came and went in waves.
He was not sure how long it had been when an unfamiliar sound caught his attention—something like a distant door sliding open, then footsteps—maybe multiple sets of footsteps. The steps grew closer, then all at once, the door to their guest room rattled, then slammed open. Florian’s eyes flew open as a man stumbled inside, looking panicked and apologetic all at once. More footsteps came from behind him.
“I’m sorry, Prince Koji,” the man was stammering, “I tried, really, but he followed me home, and I—”
“Koji!” a male voice shouted. Startled, Florian sat up to get a better view of what was happening. Koji was already standing and turning toward the door with a perplexed face as the newcomer stumbled past him, babbling apologetically to Miyuki. Kade was at his side already, crouched in a defensive position.
From the doorway came a man Florian didn’t recognize at first; but after a beat, he realized it was Daichi, Koji’s brother and the eldest prince. He was dressed in plainclothes now, though the frustration on his face was imperious.
“Daichi,” Koji replied evenly, though Florian saw how his hands clenched into fists at his side when he said it. “What are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you that,” the man snapped, closing the door behind him. “Do you have any idea how angry you’ve made Father?”
“I can guess,” Koji replied lightly. “But I’d imagine that isn’t why you followed me here. How did you even find me?”
“Did you really think you could sneak two outsiders past the city wall without a single guard noticing?” he replied. “I knew you wouldn’t camp out in the forest, not with the Changeling looking how he did. I told my guards to keep an eye out for you all and let you pass if you tried to come through. It took some asking around to make the connection between that tea house and here, but you aren’t nearly as sneaky as you think you are.”
Koji flinched at the words, looking frustrated, but he remained silent. Daichi looked at him for a long moment, then glanced over at Florian and Kade. His eyes lingered on Florian, noting that he was awake now, but he did not address them and turned his attention back to Koji.
“Come on, then,” he said, gesturing. “Get your things so we can go home.”
“Absolutely not,” Koji snapped. “I’m staying with my friends. They still need my help.”
Daichi rolled his eyes, huffing in obvious frustration. “You’ve had your little adventure. It’s time to come back to reality.”
“Reality? Is that what you think the palace is?” Koji said. “Father is the one who isn’t living in reality. Maybe he’s not brave enough to help them do what needs to be done. But I am. What Florian is doing is important. He very well could save the Veil—not just his own kingdom, but the entire world. If there’s any way I can help them, that’s what I’m going to do. That’s more important than sitting around in a palace twiddling my thumbs and waiting to die.”
Daichi looked utterly taken aback, his eyes boggling as if the other man had grown a second head. He very well may have; Koji stood tall and unflinching against his older brother, his face set in grim determination, a stark contrast to the easy-going, smiling boy he had been just a few days ago. Florian guessed he had never stood up for himself like this—never talked back against his elder brother, at least not to his face. He pulled his blanket up higher to hide a grin.
The room had fallen completely silent, everyone watching the standoff between the two brothers. It felt like a full minute had passed before Daichi finally spoke.
“You’ve lost your mind,” he muttered, shaking his head. He no longer looked angry, though—now his expression seemed resigned, almost defeated. “But... Fine. I can’t control you. If this is what you want to do, I won’t stop you. If I could, I would, but…” He trailed off, looking away with a scowl.
“This is what I want to do,” Koji replied firmly.
“Then I won’t tell Father where you are. He doesn’t know you’re in the city, and he won’t hear it from me. But that’s the extent of what I can do for you now. You’re on your own.”
Koji’s expression softened, a smile settling back on his features. “Thank you, Daichi.”
Daichi sighed, then turned away. He paused, then looked back into the room.
“King Florian,” he said sharply, looking directly at him. Florian nearly jumped, startled. “If you get my brother killed, you’d better hope you die with him, or you’ll have much to answer for. To the entire dragon kingdom.”
