As predicted, it was a tight squeeze. The fighting arts teacher at the Citadel had always told him there was no such thing as too much muscle, but as Daemon contorted his body to fit through the space, he started to doubt the wisdom of his extra weight-lifting sessions.

With a gasp and some raw skin, though, he made it through.

“Maybe I should rub you with oil before you try that again,” Fairy said.

Oh gods. Daemon fumbled for words, but all that came out was incoherent noise. It also felt very hot in the room all of a sudden. Had the fireplace been stoked again?

Fairy moved quickly on to business, though, and flipped herself down, landing her free foot on Daemon’s shoulder while holding the one with the glass out in front of her. She released her hands from the window frame and balanced like a circus performer as he climbed down the wall.

When they reached the floor, he took the glass pane away from her and set both Fairy and the window down gently. They would replace it again on their way out, welding it back into place with Daemon’s sparks.

Now he could really take in the soaring room, two and a half stories tall. The walls were the same red-streaked black stone as the rest of the castle, and one wall was a towering bookcase, each shelf packed full of hardback tomes. Across from the Dragon Prince’s desk was the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the ocean. Beyond that sea lay the mainland and the seven kingdoms he aimed to conquer. It was like a target set out before him so he would never lose sight of the bull’s-eye. Daemon’s stomach turned.

Ahead of him, there was nothing to see but the closed door to the hallway, decorated on either side by the long yellow-and-green, fork-tongued banners of the Dragon Prince. But on the fourth wall was the map the group of ryuu had been looking at. It was of Kichona and the mainland. There were ships and little soldiers, too—Prince Gin’s navy and army—with dotted lines marking possible routes of attack.

“Looks like we were spying on a war council,” Daemon said. “We were right to sabotage the shipyard last night.”

“I’m going to copy that map so we can study it in more detail later,” Fairy said.

“I’ll search the rest of the room,” Daemon said.

He started with Prince Gin’s desk. The bronze chair was severe yet luxurious, the metal like dragon’s scales but the seat a thick cushion upholstered in gray silk. It reeked of violent power, and even sitting on its edge made Daemon cringe. The desk was decorated with similar bronze scales.