We drove through the night and into the morning. Ashur took over the wheel after a few hours when he saw I was getting tired.

"You’ll need to be awake for this," he said as he slid into the driver's side. "You don't know what you're going to be walking into."

How comforting. But he was right. So I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

When I opened them again, it was to the sun shining down on us. I looked back to see Omari already chewing on one of the nutrition bars.

"Morning, Mia!"

"Hey, Omari," I said, my voice raspy. I glanced over at Ashur. "How far are we?"

"Maybe another hour," he said, looking over at me. "You should eat something and have some water. It might be time for you to take over driving while I fly."

I nodded. "Okay."

I ate quickly, the rations not horrible but not great either. They were exactly what they were supposed to be—sustenance.

The mountains were so close now that it was like I could reach out and touch them, the craggy dips and divots more apparent as we drew closer. Like almost everywhere else, the only vegetation was hardy cacti.

This close, I could also just make out the sandstone-colored structures nestled in the mountains, dotted along a winding road. It looked picturesque. Pretty. From only a little farther away, the buildings weren't even visible. The elevated position made them pretty defensible. The phoenix city might have been pretty, but it was built with security in mind.

Ashur brought the car to a stop as I finished the bar and drank some more water. He turned to look at me, bracing his forearm on the steering wheel.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his face grim, his eyes worried. "It's not too late to turn around."

As I looked at his concerned face, I was tempted. Very tempted. It would be so much easier to turn around. But I had to see this through for Omari's sake.

I leaned over and kissed Ashur gently.

"I have to see," I said quietly, cupping his cheek.

He nodded. "That's what I thought," he said, turning away to look at my destination. "I'll be waiting at the edge of their territory. If I go any farther without an explicit invitation, it could mean war." He looked over at me, his frustration clear. "I can't risk it."

"I understand."

And I did. Dragging his skein into a war wouldn't make him a good or responsible leader. Which he was. Besides, he was only one individual. Any way you sliced it, if something went horribly wrong, I would rather he at least be able to leave safely than sacrifice himself in some ill-thought-out attempt to save us.

"If I don't come back out in a few hours, leave," I said.

He just gave me a look.

"Ashur," I warned.

"Mia," he parroted, opening the door and stepping out. "You can't control me."

I shook my head as I slid over to the driver's side. "There wouldn't be any point in you storming the place," I tried as he closed the door for me. "You're only one person."

He leaned in through the open window and gave me a smacking kiss. "Better come out of there as fast as you can then," he said.

And then he started stripping. Yes, I looked. How could I not? I caught the clothes he tossed to me.

"Ashur..."

"I'll see you in a few hours." He changed into his dragon shape and launched himself into the sky. That was a really unfair way to end a conversation.

Shaking my head, I started driving forward again. I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Omari's serious face as he looked out the windshield.

"Do you want to move up front?" I asked.

He shook his head, his mood bleak. I sighed. He was just worried about a new situation. He'd be fine once he'd adjusted.

Less than an hour later, we lost Ashur's comforting shadow as we passed into phoenix territory. We were on our own.

Approximately fifteen minutes after that, three phoenixes came swooping down and landed in our path. They weren't lax with their security, which I could appreciate. I stared as I brought the car to a slow stop.

They made for a striking sight.

They weren't as large as dragons, but at maybe three-quarters the size of their counterparts, they were still more than impressive. Their feather patterns varied, from purples and reds, to oranges and yellows. One of them even had more of a green tint. And the feathers themselves glinted in the sun with a distinctly metallic sheen. Their beaks were black and glossy, as were their eyes. And their four-fingered feet were tipped with curved claws that came to razor-sharp points.

Yup.

Wouldn't want to fight that.

After I came to a stop, the predominantly orange and yellow one changed, shrinking down to a young man with a tanned skin tone that shined coppery in the sunlight. His blond hair fell around his face, reaching his shoulders, his build lean and long. His narrow face was intelligent and suspicious as he walked over to us.

I tried very hard not to look below the waist. I didn't know if I'd ever get used to casual nudity like this.

He stopped a few feet from the front of the car.

"Exit the vehicle," he ordered in a no-nonsense voice. "Now."

He might have only been in his mid-twenties at most, but he was used to being obeyed. And I had no desire to alienate anyone.

"Stay inside," I said to Omari. I said the same thing to him so much I might as well have posted a sign on the seat in front of him. He nodded, looking outside with a solemn expression.

I opened the door and stepped out, experiencing a sense of deja vu. Though I sincerely doubted this would end the way everything had with Ashur.

"Why are you trespassing?" he demanded as soon as I was out.

I held my hands up to show I didn't have anything in them. Not that I wasn't armed. But the universal gesture of peace usually helped put people at ease.

"I was hired to deliver Omari here," I explained, nodding at the car as I watched him carefully. "I'd like to see the person in charge."

"King Emberich?" he smirked, looking back at the other two phoenixes before turning back to me. As if the idea was hilarious. That was an odd reaction.

"Yes," I confirmed, trying to understand the dynamics of what exactly was going on here.

I stood still as he walked closer. He got too close for my own comfort, but I wasn't in a position to complain. He took in a breath as he got closer and his eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to the side. Then he shook his head, not saying anything as he took a step closer to the open door.

"May I?" he asked politely, gesturing to the door. It wasn't like he was going to accept a 'no' here. I nodded.

He ducked his head inside. Then he straightened again, his face thoughtful.

"Pull forward to the beginning of the road leading up. I'll meet you there." Then he moved back and changed, the transition smooth and fast. I wondered when I'd get that good.

They flew off again and I got back in the car. "You all right?" I asked Omari as we moved forward once again.

He nodded, but he didn't say anything. Probably worried about what was going to happen now. Him and me both.

I drove forward to the where the guy was already waiting. At least he had on some clothes now so I didn't have to focus so hard on his face. Loose cotton pants and a white tunic gave him a cool, breezy look.

Now that I was at the base of the mountain, I realized there was a gondola system rigged up along the mountainside, following the road. There seemed to be several platforms at even points, all the way up. At the very top of the road, I could just make out a much larger building, this one complete with a dome and spires.

Someone had delusions of grandeur.

Though I guess their leader was a king. Maybe if you were a monarch some delusions were a given.

Omari and I left the car, and he took my hand immediately.

"It's going to be okay," I murmured as we followed our escort to the gondola. I really hoped I was right.

The gondola was luxurious. The exterior was a creamy white, while the interior was all whites and golds. There was even a carpet that was somehow still white. I didn't know what magic they used to maintain that.

We stepped inside and sat down in the bench seats lining the sides. The guy took a seat across from us, his eyes boring into me. Kind of awkward, but I could deal. We started moving up.

"What's your name?" he asked as we started passing the first section of buildings. Their light, orange-pink exteriors were topped with deeper red roofs. I could see now that parts of them were actually part of the mountain, carved out and built forward.

"Mia," I replied, turning to watch him back. "And you are?"

"Sven," he replied curtly. "Where are you from Mia?" he continued.

"A few days’ ride south," I said easily, keeping it vague. "Do you know who hired us?" I figured I'd get some of my own questions in if he was asking so many.

He shook his head. "You need to talk to King Emberich about that." And then he shut his mouth and looked away. No more talking, I guess. That was fine with me.

I watched the various buildings go by instead. The paths between them were narrow, carved into the side of the mountain. More than a few people walked them, dressed like Sven was in loose, light-colored clothes. The tops of the buildings were mostly flat, probably because there was a lot of flying from place to place.

It actually looked a lot more foreign than I expected. Whereas it seemed like the dragons were not that different from the city dome, apart from having more resources, it was like we were heading into a completely different culture here. I wondered if that translated to more than the architecture and clothing.

Sven finally broke his silence as we neared the top. "This is the palace," he announced, standing before we'd come to a complete halt. "Come."

I wondered if he spoke to everyone that way. I stepped out onto a small platform, reaching inside to pick Omari up and deposit him next to me.

There were stairs leading up to the palace. And that really was the perfect name for it. It was all domed roofs and delicate spires. The outside of it was decorated with mosaic tiles in oranges and reds, mimicking flames. Appropriate, though kind of on the nose. There were four slender towers surrounding the palace, topped with small platforms where phoenixes stood at the ready, their sharp eyes scanning the area.

When we got up to the palace's level, I realized the path to it was also a detailed mosaic, this one of a sun with the silhouette of a phoenix in front of it, the background tile blue to mimic the sky. The spires were maybe twenty stories high, the detail on them carvings rather than tile. The windows were all rectangular with rounded tops.

The double doors that formed the main entrance were thrown open, with thick columns on either side. This was more than I'd expected. I didn't know if there was any etiquette to this. I figured I would just do what I could and hope for the best. That seemed to be what I was resorting to a lot these days.

We stepped inside. I had to take a moment to look around. Ashur's place was luxurious, but it was also welcoming, open to all of his skein.

This place decidedly wasn't. It was built to intimidate, not welcome.

The ceiling was high, with intermittent glass panels letting the sunlight stream in. The floor was stone, some kind of dark and iridescent one polished to a smooth shine. I didn't know what the rest of the place was like, but we were led into what could only be termed an audience chamber. Thick columns lined either side, leading straight to a throne at the very end. A large gold monstrosity upholstered in embroidered red, set on top of a platform that needed stairs to reach it.

Overcompensating for something?

Or maybe Emberich just had horrible taste.

Other than that, the large chamber was empty of furniture, and our footsteps echoed as we walked forward. A middle-aged man sat on the throne. I took him in, curious. Tall, with silver-streaked dark hair and a short beard with a white stripe right down the center, he was dressed in clothes similar to Sven’s. Similar in cut, anyway. This man’s white top and loose pants were embroidered heavily in dull gold. A large ring with a ruby at its center adorned the middle finger of his right hand and a slim gold crown hugged his temples. His feet were in completely impractical golden slippers. Not that this man seemed to care much about practicality, judging by this palace.

His eyes were cool as he watched us approach, even as a small smile played over his lips. Like he was thinking of a joke only he was privy to.

"My King," Sven murmured, bowing. "Mia here says she was hired to bring Omari back to phoenix territory." His tone was remarkable for its very emptiness. Like he was trying not to betray any emotion. That told me more about Emberich than this ridiculous room.

Emberich waved him away. "Wait to the side, Sven," he ordered carelessly.

Sven bowed again and walked over to stand next to another door to the right and behind the throne, his eyes turning to me. They were as unreadable as his tone had been.

I kept Omari next to me, my hand firmly wrapped around his. His small hand trembled in mine as he stood halfway behind me, obviously scared. I wasn't expecting that. Maybe it was the build up? Omari was a pretty confident child, although I could understand his nerves. I had no idea how this was going to go either.

Maybe I should have listened to Ashur.

"Thank you for bringing my son back to me," Emberich said, his eyes on me. They flicked over to Omari, his expression not changing at all. "Good job, Omari."

What? I looked down at Omari.

"I'm sorry, Mia," he whispered, trying to tug his hand out of mine. But I held on.

The confusion must have shown on my face because Emberich chuckled.

"Who do you think hired you to come out here?" he asked. "I wanted to see my daughter. And I couldn't think of a better way to welcome you than to lead you here with your own brother."

I just stood and stared at him, hearing the words but not able to process them.

Omari was his son. That much I got. But was he saying...

"Yes," he said, as if he knew what I was thinking. "You are my daughter, Mia. And Omari was good enough to help me get you back here, where you belong."

Wait. He'd deliberately given his son sun sickness? All in an attempt to lure me here? I licked my lips, disconnected from myself. Was this even real?

"I belong in the city dome," I finally said in a low voice.

"You belong here, with me," he countered, his voice cold, his expression hard. "Grace had no right to take you from your own father. I was inconsolable after she left with you."

Somehow, I doubted that. Mom didn't talk about my biological father much, but I'd pieced enough together to come to the conclusion that he'd most likely been abusive. And that she'd left with me to protect me from him, which meant she didn't think I'd be safe here with him.

And here I was. Caught neatly in his trap.

If he'd wanted some bonding time with me, he could have easily been on the up and up and asked for it. Instead, he'd set up this elaborate scheme to get me out here.

Manipulative, narcissistic. Maybe a sociopath.

I needed to tread lightly.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to call?" I asked lightly, my eyes scanning the area, looking for any other ways out.

I couldn't see where the door by Sven led, which meant only the door behind us was a safe bet. And that was a straight shot, with no cover if we ran.

And it would be we. No way I was leaving Omari here if he was this scared. A parent who would deliberately hurt his own child like that, put them in danger, use them...

That was no parent. Just a gene donor. This was why Omari hadn't wanted to come back.

I should have listened to him. I should have listened to Ashur.

Emberich leaned back in his throne, smiling smugly. "I wanted you back home. With me." He gestured at me lazily. "And here you stand."

I swallowed, my stomach turning over.

This was not good.

Not good at all.