Between the sword fighting and archery, Rhenor was trying to teach him—though to Kaz's embarrassment, archery was still very much not his strong suit, and it was a miracle he hadn't accidentally shot Rhen yet—he snuck occasional glances at Elaya. Kaz didn't want to disturb her or her training, but she was alone with a powerful druid who had tried to kill them twice earlier, so Kaz was staying cautious. He couldn't help but get involved, though, when he heard her raise her voice suddenly.

Kaz hadn't picked up on what she'd said because she was too far away, but seeing her go so still as she continued talking to the druid immediately let Kaz know something was wrong. Elaya was hardly ever this motionless and stiff.

"Is something wrong?" Rhen asked, having clearly noticed that Kaz's attention was somewhere else.

"I'm not sure," Kaz replied truthfully. He could tell something was going on, but he wasn't sure what was happening. The druid hadn't moved at all, which was good because it didn't seem like he would hurt Elaya, but then what had he said that had upset her so?

Kaz wasn't sure if joining the conversation would be appropriate. It might be none of his business, and his presence might just make things worse. But what if this was something he should get involved in?

He huffed when he saw Elaya shake her head and turn away from the druid, feeling equally as drawn to run after her and stay here. It was maddening.

He almost flinched when he felt Rhenor grasp his shoulder, but he immediately relaxed. Physical contact with people he liked always seemed to help.

"Come on, let's see what's going on," Rhen suggested, gently pulling Kaz with him toward the druid and Elaya. Kaz let himself be led, trying not to chew at his lip. He hoped this wasn't anything too serious that would stop Elaya from learning how to use magic. He had watched her summon waves, and even from the distance she seemed excited by it. Kaz could sense that she was powerful, she just needed to learn how to control that power, and he also knew that she wanted to help her people, which magic could do, but not if no one taught her how to use it.

The druid gave them a completely neutral glance when they got close enough to get his attention, and yet despite the lack of emotion in it, Kaz could feel the druid judging him. Maybe he was just imagining things, but the druid had already expressed his distaste towards him either way.

Kaz did his best to ignore him and instead focused on Elaya, who was now looking at him and Rhen. There was an angry scowl on her face, but Kaz could tell it was not meant for either of them. It was a little intimidating though—Elaya didn't get this angry often.

"What happened?" Kaz asked, his eyes flicking nervously from Elaya to the druid and back. If she wasn't angry at either of them, then it was clear that the druid was the culprit, but he wasn't sure what he'd done. It had to be serious if Elaya was furious over it.

"He told me the druids will teach me only if I go to some other dimension with him only they can go to."

Kaz's interest was immediately piqued by the words other dimension, but he pushed all the questions he had about it aside to focus on the problem at hand. He wasn't sure why Elaya was so cross with the druid about it, but it certainly sounded intimidating, so he could understand it being a problem. "I'm sure it isn't dangerous. They wouldn't want to bring you there if it was, right?"

Elaya blinked and stared at him for a moment before folding her arms over her chest and sighing. Her stance should have looked irritated, but it came off as tired instead. It almost made her look like she was hugging herself.

"That isn't why I'm upset, Kaz," she said, shaking her head. "It means that we can't go there together."

Kaz let out a soft oh as the dots connected for him, and he grimaced. Right, that wasn't something he'd been wishing to happen. They'd only been reunited a few days ago. It had been a few very long days, given everything that had happened, but it had been an incredibly short amount of time when he thought about it.

Still, there was nothing to be done about this.

"I...." He paused immediately. There was so much he wanted to say, but there was also a high danger of him rambling if he let himself say them all. "I'll miss you."

"What?!" Elaya exclaimed, her eyes wide. She was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "No, I'm not going anywhere."

Now it was Kaz's time to gawk at her. How could she say that? He sputtered. "But Elaya—"

"No."

Kaz shot a look at Rhen, hoping he would support him in this, but Rhenor didn't look like he wanted to say anything at all. His eyes were narrowed as he watched Elaya carefully, pensive and silent. Kaz wondered if he shared Elaya's opinion in this and didn't want to upset Kaz by saying that or if he was torn between the two possibilities and couldn't decide which was the correct choice.

"I will give you time to reach a decision and return later," the druid said calmly before Kaz could try to argue with Elaya some more. "I trust you will choose wisely."

"I already did," Elaya muttered as the druid changed into a bird once more and flew away. It looked almost identical to what it was like when a dragon shifted forms. But before he could start pondering the implications, Kaz stopped himself and turned his full attention to Elaya again while the druid flew away.

"Are you really not going to go with him?" he asked, gesturing vaguely toward the direction the druid had gone.

"No, I am not leaving you again." Elaya was scowling at him, but it was clear her heart wasn't in it just from the way she was avoiding direct eye contact. "The last time I did what I thought was right for humanity, you ended up in prison because of it."

Kaz scoffed. "This is not at all like what happened in Sigallah."

Elaya's gaze turned sad. "I know. But who knows what trouble you'll get into if I'm not here?"

Now it was Kaz's time to frown, suddenly feeling angry at her words. He didn't like what she was implying one bit. "I am not a child, Elaya. I can take care of myself."

As soon as the words left his mouth, however, he found himself doubting them. Yes, he wasn't a child, but could he take care of himself out in the world? Alone? He'd never actually tried traveling on his own, save for the journey to Arlow, and he'd flown the entire way, so that could hardly be counted.

Kaz looked at both his friends, hoping that they'd give him some assurance, even if they didn't fully believe it themselves, but nothing came. Rhen and Elaya just exchanged a look, as if they were silently discussing what they should say.

Kaz lowered his gaze, feeling his heart clench with disappointment. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but to know that both of his friends thought he was incapable of looking out for himself was crushing.

"Kaz," Elaya began, but he didn't let her speak.

"Regardless of what you may think about my ability to stay alive," he said, almost wincing at the twin grimace on both his friends' faces caused by his sharp words, "if you leave, I will still have Rhen with me."

Rhenor said nothing, still looking pained, but he gave a firm nod. Even though Kaz had expected nothing else, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved. At the moment he wasn't sure if he could handle it if Rhenor didn't agree with him on this.

"I am not more important than the future of your people. You shouldn't throw away an opportunity like this because of me."

He was surprised at how emotionally detached he felt from those words. After all, he knew he would miss Elaya terribly, but it seemed his logic was winning over his heart because he knew that this was the right thing to do. The smart thing.

"Maybe not, but you are important to me," Elaya replied after a moment of silence, shaking her head and making her hair fly, before letting out a long breath. "I need to think for a moment."

With a sigh, she turned around and with one last look at him walked away toward the ocean. Kaz wanted nothing more than to run after her, but he forced himself to stay where he was. He doubted she would appreciate it, and if she needed some time alone, he would give it to her. Still, he wanted nothing more than to try to convince her not to send the druid away some more.

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"Kaz," Rhen said next to him, his voice quiet and somber, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Kaz cut him off, knowing very well what Rhenor was talking about without him even finishing the sentence. He didn't want him to lie just to try to make Kaz feel better about himself. If Rhen truly did think that Kaz could fend for himself, he would have said it already.

But Rhenor was clearly not interested in dropping the subject as he took a hold of Kaz's shoulder, making him face him. "No, it's not okay." He sighed. "You could just use some more life experience. That is all."

Kaz looked away, hiding a grimace. He knew Rhenor usually got upset at reminders of Kaz's previous life, and even though he didn't sound angry at all, Kaz couldn't help but expect it.

"But you don't actually need it," Rhenor continued, making Kaz's eyes snap back to his in surprise. Rhen groaned, shaking his head as if annoyed with himself. "What I am trying to say is that you're fine as you are, all right? If you want to learn new skills, that is good, but don't feel like you have to learn them to prove yourself."

Kaz swallowed, feeling his heart swell. He couldn't help but feel touched. That was very nice of Rhenor to say, though he wasn't sure if he agreed. He had helped in the past, certainly, but most of that had been through his innate abilities. He hadn't set fire to that ship in Sigallah so his friends could escape through skill or pushed away the boulder the druid had thrown at them through strength he'd worked for.

"You are getting quite good at sword fighting, though," Rhen added with a small smile, his voice soft as if he was sharing a secret with Kaz as he let go of his shoulder. Despite his skepticism, Kaz couldn't help but smile back.

"You let me win that time, didn't you?"

Rhenor shook his head, but there was a sudden annoyance in his eyes. "No, I did not. But I'm not the best at fighting with a sword. There is only so much I can teach you, unfortunately."

Kaz frowned. "What?" What was Rhen saying? He had more than demonstrated he knew what he was doing when it came to swords. "No, that's not true. You're great."

He walked to keep talking, to reassure Rhenor that he was a good teacher, but then Rhen started to chuckle. Kaz frowned harder, this time in confusion. This wasn't anything to laugh about. But before he could say as much, Rhenor spoke.

"It's not pleasant to hear someone you care about talk like that, is it?"

Kaz opened his mouth to argue back immediately, but he quickly realized he had nothing to say, and so instead he folded his arms over his chest, huffing. No, it certainly wasn't pleasant. And as Kaz was now realizing, he hadn't been on the opposite side of this much before because he'd mostly only spent time with Elaya until now, and she never tended to doubt herself.

Kaz's eyes snapped back to Rhenor's when the man's fingers tangled themselves in the hair at the back of Kaz's head. He tensed up when he felt Rhen's thumb brush over the tip of his pointy ear, expecting to see displeasure in his eyes at the very least, but instead, Rhenor's gaze softened, a small but warm smile appearing on his face.

And then Rhen was kissing him. Kaz melted into the feeling of his lips against his, Rhenor's stubble scratching against his chin. All too soon it was over as Rhen pulled away, but Kaz's heart kept hammering away in his chest, his knees feeling strangely weak.

He ducked his head shyly as Rhen brushed his hair away from his forehead before kissing him there. Kaz could feel his cheeks growing hot, but he was sure that had been the case since their kiss, and he'd just not noticed.

"I really am not the best at sword fighting, though," Rhenor said. His tone was light as if he were joking, but Kaz could tell he was being sincere. As Rhen's hand left Kaz's hand, the dragon almost made a no-doubt embarrassing noise at the loss of contact. He immediately missed it. "I was taught by a blacksmith in Mavern, who I suspect was mostly self-taught."

"Isn't that more impressive than having a teacher?" Kaz pointed out, earning a grin from Rhen. He didn't smile that often, so anytime it happened, especially when it was his doing, Kaz could feel his heart skip a beat. He yearned to ask Rhenor about his life in Mavern since the only thing he knew about it was that he'd lived there, but he put it aside for now. Kaz could tell Rhenor didn't like talking about it.

"I wanted to learn how to fight with a sword years ago, but my parents forbade it." Kaz tried not to sigh at the thought of his late parents. He hadn't let himself think about that when Rhenor had started teaching him. He'd been too afraid of blurting it out to him at some point, and then not being able to explain it away without revealing his true nature.

"How so?"

"They thought it was too...." Kaz paused as he looked for the right word. "Human. Dragons have claws, they don't need swords."

Rhen hummed before pulling Kaz close and embracing him. Kaz was a little surprised at the suddenness of it, but he didn't even think to complain as he immediately hugged Rhen back, pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

"No matter what Elaya decides, I'll stay with you."

Kaz immediately felt the urge to start arguing about his ability to take care of himself, but he knew that wasn't at all what Rhen was trying to say, so he pushed those thoughts away, focusing on the warmth and gratefulness he felt instead. It was nice that despite what Rhenor might think of dragons, he liked him enough to stay.

"Thank you."

Rhenor didn't reply and instead just hugged him tighter, brushing his hand over Kaz's hair.

* * *

Elaya returned only after they all noticed the large bird flying toward them, but she was keeping a little bit of distance that Kaz was not used to. He wanted to ask her what she'd decided on, maybe try to convince her further to change her mind, depending on said decision, but he forced himself to stay silent. He didn't want to be pushy, and he also wanted to respect her decision, but it was difficult when that decision mostly depended on him.

He managed to drag his gaze away from Elaya just as the druid landed on the grassy field in front of her, changing into his human form. Kaz only then realized that the man somehow could turn into an animal and back without needing to remove his clothes or destroying them, but he managed to keep his curiosity in check. Even if he asked, the druid would just insult both him and his species, he was sure.

"Well?"

Something about the druid's tone made Kaz feel irritated, but he kept his displeasure to a grimace. Next to him Rhen was watching the man through narrowed eyes but also staying silent.

"I'm not going with you," Elaya replied, her tone strangely flat, but before Kaz could even properly react, she continued. "Not yet. I need more time to think about this."

Kaz let out a small breath. At least Elaya wasn't rejecting the offer outright. She might never get a chance like this again, so it was important she took her time to make the correct decision.

The druid's face didn't change, for the most part, remaining just as stony as before, though he looked just the slightest bit annoyed. Even though Kaz wished it was for a different reason, he enjoyed seeing that just a little.

"Very well," the druid replied, reaching into what Kaz assumed was a pocket beneath his cloak and retrieving a transparent crystal. "Use this to contact me when you are ready." He held the crystal out to Elaya, who took it with a somewhat perplexed frown. "Simply think about contacting me while holding it and concentrating."

"Why did you not give me this before?"

That was not a question Kaz would have asked, no matter how warranted. He was mostly focused on it being a crystal. Given what it was supposed to be for, this seemed very similar to dragon magic. But surely druids wouldn't use that, would they?

"People find the idea that they have limited time to do something highly motivating," the druid answered Elaya's question, shrugging. Kaz scowled. The druid was right, but he didn't like such mind games being played on his best friend.

"How does this crystal work, exactly?" she asked instead of addressing what the druid had just said, though the irritated glare she was giving him spoke for itself.

"If you came with me, all of this would be explained to you. But alas, you seem to have decided on waiting."

Those words on their own would have made Kaz finally speak up, but not with the humorous tone accompanying them. It was difficult to tell when the druid was joking, if ever, but Kaz was almost certain about it this time.

"I do hope you decide to join us," the druid continued, his voice once again serious. "There is a city to the south, on the other side of this island. I suggest you go there if you want to travel back to Istamid." His eyes settled on Kaz. "I also suggest you do not fly there. For the sake of your...companion. The locals are not fond of dragons."

Before any of them could react, the druid changed into a bird again after that and with a mighty flap, he was gone, flying somewhere east.

Next to Kaz, Rhenor muttered something under his breath, which Kaz had not caught, but if the man's expression was anything to go by, he was not happy about what the druid had just said. But Kaz couldn't complain—they'd been given useful information, and clearly, the druid could be reasoned with to some extent, no matter his opinions about him.

"You agree with him, don't you?" Elaya asked, making Kaz turn his attention to her. He'd thought she was talking to him, but it turned out she was looking at Rhenor. "Kaz, I mean. About going with the druid."

Rhen set his jaw, taking a moment before responding. "I don't believe my opinion here matters."

Elaya huffed, though it came out sounding more like a laugh than a noise of annoyance. "So that's a yes."

Rhenor narrowed his eyes, and for whatever reason it made Kaz want to laugh. He had no idea why he found Elaya making Rhen frown like that endearing, but he truly did.

These thoughts left his head, though, when Elaya looked at him next. "All right, I will go." Immediately grinning, Kaz opened his mouth but promptly shut it again as Elaya raised her index finger at him. "Provided you two can prove to me that you will be fine while I'm gone."

Kaz wanted to assure her that of course, they would be fine, but then he thought about it. Despite their track record, they were still alive and unscathed, but then again, his and Rhen's first meeting ended in them almost dying in a cave filled with lava.

Maybe Elaya had a point, even though they'd gotten into trouble with her present as well. But how hard could it be to stay out of danger? Kaz could use a little less peril for a while, and he was sure his friends would agree.

And so he just nodded, throwing his arms around Elaya as excitement got the better of him. It was a little bittersweet because he truly would miss her, and he didn't want to see her go, but he was much too excited for Elaya to even properly pay attention to that. He knew this would be great for her.

Elaya hugged him back with a small laugh, though Kaz could feel that she was still a bit tense. But that was okay—everything that had happened today was still very new, and she had many reasons to be uneasy. Kaz would just do his best to support her through this.

"All right," she said, drawing away from Kaz and looking first at him and then at Rhenor. "Let's go find that city, then. Ideally without getting attacked this time."

Kaz smiled, though on the inside he cringed as he was reminded of almost drowning. He'd truly rather not repeat that.

As they started walking in the direction where they hoped the city the druid had mentioned was located, Kaz felt Rhen's fingers touch his, and they both grabbed each other's hand automatically. Kaz gave Rhenor a shy grin, trying to ignore the way his cheeks had heated up, and Rhen smiled back. It was expressed more through his eyes than his mouth, but it made Kaz's heart pound in his chest anyway.

Yes, they would be okay, he was sure of that, and he was sure Elaya would see that, too. And until they had to say goodbye, Kaz was determined to enjoy the little time they had together to the fullest.