“I was careful,” Camwyn said. “And I went barefoot so my shoes wouldn’t slip.” Most of the time. Even in spring, sun-heated roof tiles were hot.

Mikeli shook his head. “Cam, that wasn’t safe. And I suspect you had no guard with you because you knew they wouldn’t let you that far out on the roof. You must not do that again.”

“Have you ever been up there?”

“No. I wanted to, but I was caught before I found the way out. Where is it?”

“I can show you,” Camwyn said. He had several ways out now, but he would show Mikeli only one. “We could go now—not all the places I went, but the way out. Just in case you ever need it … if something’s chasing you.” He meant it as a distraction, but the look of longing on Mikeli’s face touched him. “It could be our secret,” he said. “Just between brothers, you know. It’s beautiful; the sky is so big, and you can see so far.” Almost like flying in the dragon’s mouth, and it lasted longer.

“Cam, I haven’t time…” Mikeli looked at the scraps of paper on his desk, then pushed them into a rough stack. “Dammit, I’m the king. Why not? We’ll just go look—but my guards are coming, you understand, and you’re not to go out there alone.”

“I understand,” Camwyn said.

Preceded and trailed by palace guards, Camwyn and Mikeli made their way back to Camwyn’s initial escape route and from there to the roof. One of the guards climbed out before either of them, then Mikeli went up and then Camwyn. Mikeli laughed. “I see why you like it, Cam. I can see right down into the city.”

“And be a target, sir king, for any long-archer … you must not stand so.” That was a guard. Camwyn was sure no one could shoot accurately that far.

“There’s a chimney stack,” Camwyn said, pointing. “It’s just a little way, and you could put it between yourself and the city.”

“Could you see like this from the dragon?” Mikeli asked softly.

“Only for a moment … but that’s what gave me the idea.” A twinge of guilt—part lie, part truth. Memory of that first aerial view had given him the hope the dragon might someday return and give him another ride; something quite other had driven him to find the roof.