He wasn’t sure how long they walked—it must have been at least twenty minutes, if not more—when the path led to another tall stone stairway. This time, though, when Florian looked up, he could see the city at the top of it.
The dragon kingdom was perched on a hill, similar to how the Winter Court was situated. Here, though, several narrow peaks were combined into one sprawling city: some connected with bridges, while others looked like they might be inaccessible on foot. At the highest peak was what Florian assumed had to be a palace, the building larger and more resplendent than the rest.
“Almost there,” Kade said, sounding a little winded. Florian tried to laugh, but the thought of even more stairs made him want to groan.
He could make out a figure standing at the top—as they started their ascent, it became clear that a guard was waiting at the gate, watching them with obvious interest.
“How long do you think it’s been since he’s seen anyone who wasn’t a dragon shifter?” Florian asked with a chuckle, leaning closer to Kade as they walked. Though he meant it to be a joke, Kade looked appraisingly between him and the distant guard.
“His whole life, probably,” Kade replied with a shrug. “To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever met a dragon shifter, either.”
Florian laughed, but the statement made him nervous all over again. It was likely that none of the shifters they were about to meet—save Tetsuo himself, if he were still king—had ever met a fae before, or even any other sort of shifter. He had no idea how they might react, adding yet another layer of uncertainty to what was already going to be an unpredictable visit. Now he wished he hadn’t said anything.
They kept walking, though, and eventually made it to the top of the stairs, where the guard stopped them.
“Who are you?” the man asked, looking them each up and down. He wore leather armor and had a sword at his hip, though Florian wondered how necessary the armor and weapons were when the man could, presumably, turn into a dragon just as large and dangerous as the one they had seen on the other side of the curtain.
“I’m King Florian of the Winter Court,” Florian repeated, sounding more sure of himself this time, even though it still felt strange to say aloud. “And this is my... my guard, Kade, of the Wolf Kingdom.”
“What happened to King Jerah?” the dragon shifter asked, frowning. Florian tensed.
“He passed away,” he replied. “I’m his son. I’m here to request an audience with King Tetsuo.”
The guard was silent for a long moment, glancing between the two of them.
“I recognize you as a wolf shifter,” the guard finally said to Kade. “Alright. I trust you are who you say you are, King Florian, but I will have a courier sent to the king alerting him of your presence. Come into the city. We will find a place for you to wait.”
Florian smiled nervously between the guard and Kade. At least they weren’t being kicked out right away. That had to count for something, didn’t it?
Chapter Three
Becausethedragonkingdomwas so isolated, there was nothing like an inn or hotel where they could find lodging while they waited on a reply from the king—after all, if no one traveled anywhere, and no one came to visit, what was the point of an inn?
So they ended up waiting in a teahouse, sitting awkwardly at a corner table as other guests and passersby alike gawked at them. Nobody was rude to them, exactly, but Florian was acutely aware that every person in the building was focused them: he could feel their eyes on him no matter how quiet and unobtrusive they were.
Two women who looked to be sisters ran the teahouse. After about an hour, the younger of the two came to sit down with them, shooting a dirty look at the tables nearby who were openly staring.
“Sorry about all this,” she said, turning her attention to them. “I’m Miyuki. You guys must be important to be here, yeah?”
For a moment Florian could only stare at her, surprised. But the same pleasant smile stayed on her face, and after a moment, he managed to stammer,
“Um, I guess you could say that, yeah. We’re here to speak with the king.”
She pulled a face that Florian couldn’t quite read.
“Are you both wolf shifters?” she asked, looking curiously between them.
Florian could feel Kade tense as he hesitated. The fewer people who knew he was a changeling, the better.
“He is,” Florian said, nodding toward Kade. “But I’m a fae.”
“Oh!” Miyuki exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “A fae! Wow, I never would have guessed. I’m so curious. Are you allowed to talk about why you’re here?”
“We were going to ask for his help,” Florian replied slowly, but she already seemed to be moving on.
“How long were you Earthside? What’s it like over there now? I haven’t been in, gosh, probably fifty years or something like that now.”
Kade met Florian’s gaze with a slightly incredulous look, which made Florian laugh.
