“Your dragon turned into... a human.”

I give a single nod. David exchanges glances with General Brackenridge while Tim and Jace stare with gaping mouths. Jace gives us an eyeful of chewed up meat. Tim closes his friend’s mouth.

“Chew,” Tim grunts without looking.

Jace obeys by habit, still gaping at my dragon.

“Do you know how?” the general asks, his scowl for once absent as he stares at the woman sitting across from Shasta, her movements strangely alien but in a cute, I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing but I’m going to try it anyway, way.

I sigh, leaning against the inn wall at my back and watching as Nova plays with Shasta. Shasta shows her toys and names them off to the dragon, and I see Nova trying to form the words with her lips, watching Shasta intently.

“The Phoenix,” I reply.

David rubs his chin, watching the two intently and not without some protectiveness tightening his shoulders, as if prepared to jump in should Nova make any threatening movements. I would be the same way, watching a foreign Changeling with a child I loved… if I didn’t know Nova’s gentle spirit. She’d die before she’d hurt that child.

“I thought that was an old wives' tale," David says.

I wave at Nova. “Apparently not.”

“The Phoenix has always been here. Your granddaughter sees him. And apparently, so has our wolf,” General Brackenridge says, his scowl lightening as he smiles gently at Shasta. That kid lights up the world, even for gristled old generals and prickly assassins. Maybe I should sic her on Yellow.

That chills some of my good humor, but I try not to let it show.

I nod, not moving my eyes from Nova as she reverently picks up a little toy dragon, her dainty, black scaled fingers not quite working as they should. Her back is hunched as she runs a hand down the wooden back and tail.

A kind woman found some pants and a tunic she could wear. Nova is taller than most humans, coming almost to my nose, and it was apparently hard to find clothes to fit.

But the woman scrounged until she found a blue tunic cinched at the waist by a plain black belt and black leggings that are a little too short.

A small smile tips my lips and tightens my eyes. Nova has a childlike wonder about everything, and hasn’t once complained about her new form, even though I can tell she is terrified. She can’t hide how out of place and inferior she feels to the humans around her who can work their thumbs with such finesse to open doors and can walk without a tail to keep them balanced.

I’ll have to explain to her that she is just now becoming adjusted to a body we’ve had since birth. She need not feel inferior to anyone.

Maybe someday I can get her to acknowledge that.

She picks at her clothes, sniffing them with unease and trying to get comfortable in them, shimmying around as if they are constrictive.

Shasta nods with sage-like intensity. “Don’t like the clothes? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. I’d rather go about in the nude, but Mamay says things about being indrescent or something. But if the daggum creator of the universe made ya to wear clothes, he’d put some on ya, I say.”

David releases a pent-up sigh. “Boy do I wish her mother could handle this.”

I pat his shoulder in sympathy, trying not to laugh.

“The riggers of being a grandpa,” Jace says sagely while Tim has a sudden coughing fit.

David limps over to the two. “Shasta, you do understand that being nude is improper for a young lady?” David says, crouching beside her.

Nova scoots back against the wall of the play area, watching him warily. David gives her a smile, but she looks over her shoulder, her eyes flighty and jumping from place to place until they land on me.

I give her a gentle smile and a reassuring nod. “He’s trustworthy,” I whisper under my breath. Her eyes study my face and a tiny trill vibrates from her throat that Beast returns.

Her ears flick on her head and her body relaxes. She scoots a little forward, cocking her head as David speaks with Shasta.

Flash comes into the room, his smile absent from his face.

But then Shasta says, quite loudly, “But Roland’s always in the nude after changing into a wolf! Why can’t we all just be like him?”

My cheeks grow red.

Flash grins, but it doesn’t entirely reach his eyes. Jace howls with laughter.

“What are you doing to this child, kino?” Flash says, crossing his arms and leaning beside me in a corner of the inn where I first became truly acquainted with David and all the others in a back room when Morgana gave me a truth serum tea.

General Brackenridge excuses himself, citing something about troops and preparations. His shoulders shake on the way out and he has a coughing fit as soon as he exits the inn.

Jace passes Flash a meat stick.

My eyebrows climb my head. “I save your entire city and you give me vegetables… Flash walks in and you give him meat?”

“Flash talks to us,” Jace says.

I glare at him.

Cynic laughs.

Jace gestures with his meat stick. “See? You don’t talk. You’ve got all these grumpy and brooding and I’ll-kill-anyone-who-looks-at-me-wrong vibes.”

I look at Tim, and he avoids my gaze. “It be kinda true, Roland.”

I shake my head, tempted to be mad, but they honestly have me pegged. “I’ve been replaced.”

“Aww, we still love you, kino!” Flash says, patting my head.

I raise a single brow at the cat, humor threading through me as I try to decide if I should snap his fingers for touching me or let the smile through. I'm just glad they aren't treating me any differently now that my secret is out. The rest of the city stares at me as if I hung the stars.

Jace and Tim nod.

I look between the three of them, letting a chuckle free. “You three are incorrigible.”

Jace eyes light up. “I can use that! Incorrigible. Incorrigible.” He pauses, taking a bite of meat. “Wait! What does it mean?” Jace spits out chunks of meat with the words, and I step back, barely dodging the spray.

Tim shakes his head, a long-suffering, amused, and clearly warm-hearted smile on his dark face. These two—despite being opposites with Jace’s red beard and light skin tone that’s burned and peeling from the sun and Tim’s dark skin, bald head, and tattoos—are like brothers.

And somehow Flash and I were added to their numbers.

“I claim seniority,” I say, glaring at Flash, even while keeping an eye on Nova, who now eats a honey roll with wide eyes and sticky fingers. She grabs three off the tray, stuffing them in her mouth while the tavern maid laughs, patting Nova’s head as she purrs.

At three in the afternoon, there are few patrons within. Most are either passed out wherever they can find a place, helping clean up the city, or gathering their personal effects to leave the city.

Tomorrow, we leave for the mountains. Those who supported us and anyone who wishes will follow us into the mountains for a safe haven. We surrendered the city to Ben Errol and promised to leave, so long as he protected the innocents who were not involved and allowed anyone to return who wished to.

The papers were drawn and signed and I made the first treaty with the enemy as a king. There was no way we could hold Videlia from the entire might of the Empire. This was actually David's recommendation to fully accept the treaty, saying he had the itch to travel once more like the olden days. But I saw the pain in his eyes. It's not right that those who stood for the innocent must pay with their lives and homes, but I will ensure it is the easiest change possible. They deserve that and so much more.

Those few who are around the tavern are those I trust deeply, plus the barkeep and few maids who serve. The maids have been more than kind to Nova, treating her like some exotic pet. Nova has soaked up the attention like a bright-eyed sponge.

Flash cuts up with Jace and Tim, but I see the shadows in his blue eyes. The way he looks toward the stairs, where Morgana is with Zephora and Heather.

Flash stops talking as Morgana comes down the stairs, her limp absent but her steps weary as she leans on her cane. I jog up the steps and offer her my hand and she looks up, blinking languidly before smiling. “Always the gentleman, eh, boy?”

I smile, patting her hand where it lay on my elbow. “Thank you, Morgana. For everything.”

Her smile gets a bit more weary. “You’ll owe me a life-debt, deary.” She gives a sigh at my concerned glance when her fingers shake on my arm. “I can handle it, don’t you worry.”

“Anything I can do?”

She steps away when we reach the bottom of the stairs, patting my cheek. “No, hon. You’ve already done it by saving the children of this town. You should be proud, boy. Know I sure am.”

She turns to Flash, who looks more hesitant than I have ever seen him. I clasp his shoulder, and his eyes flick to me before going back to Morgana, who smiles at him. Something in his countenance relaxes. “Is she—?”

“She’s gonna be fine, kitty,” Morgana says in a kind, grandmotherly tone.

Flash slumps forward against the wall, and I catch his shoulders as he pinches his nose to keep the tears at bay.

“Thanks, Morgana. Go get some rest.”

Morgana wags a knarly finger at me, but her smile is kind. “I’ll do what I wanna do, no matter if you be all kingly, deary. I still pulled your furry hinny from death’s door more times than you have claws on your furry paws and you won’t be getting all bossy with me, no sir-ee.”

“Please go get some rest, your queenship?” I say blithely, bowing.

She humphs, narrowing her eyes. I widen my eyes to appear innocent.

She thumps off to the bar, ordering the strongest drink he’s got.

“Lets go see her, Flash,” I whisper, still holding his shoulder. I don’t know what else to do. I understand grief and fear much more than most, but I don’t know how to help someone else through such things.

All you can do is be there for them, idiot. At times nothing you do will help, but supporting and letting them know you are there… that is all one can do.

So Cynic does have a heart.

He snorts. Don’t go telling anyone my secrets.

I smile, escorting Flash up the stairs and standing with him in front of Zephora’s door. I smell the earthy herbs and metallic scent of blood. A groan comes from within, and Flash freezes.

“She’s my big sis, bro. She can’t… I can’t—”

His face crumples and he chokes on a sob. My heart aches in my chest and tears rise behind my eyes.

I draw him into a hug, not sure when I trusted him to be so close to me without a second thought as to defense. This man, this cat, truly is my brother in all the ways that count.

“She is going to be just fine, shashon. She’s strong and will heal. But right now, you need her, and she needs you. Don’t let her throw you out.”

He chokes on a laugh that’s more guttural and hard than usual. “She’d try, wouldn’t she?”

I pause, lowering my voice. “She’s terrifying and stubborn. Of course she’s gonna try to throw you out.”

“Heard that!” comes a voice from within, making us both pause, exchanging a wide-eyed glance.

Thumps come and then the door is pulled open. “Get your sorry behinds in here before the blubbering fest catches and the entire tavern erupts in tears.”

I shove Flash forward. He grabs my tunic before I can escape.

“If I have to do this, you ain’t abandoning me, mate,” he whispers.

I hiss out a breath, but the shadows are gone from behind his eyes and they sparkle with mischief. I hide a grin as the siblings embrace. They’re gonna be just fine.

Relief that the Flash I know is back embalms my soul and I let the smile out, then squeak when Zephora pulls me in for a hug.

I cover it with a cough.

“Thanks for looking out for my little brother, Roland. I may consider the debt for saving your life paid.”

“You may?”

She shrugs, a dangerous smile tipping her lips. “It depends on how good of a king you are and if you get all high and mighty on us. If so… I may have to cash in that debt and humble you a bit.”

I shake my head, backing out the door. “What did I do to deserve such… friends?”

They exchange glances, then turn twin grins on me that I take to mean run.

“Oh, we are siblings now, shashon,” they say, as one.

I turn tail and run to laughter behind me. I glance back, a grin on my face and joy in my soul.