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It takes me a moment to realize the vial’s too small and fragile for him to handle. He’s afraid of crushing it.

“Tilt your head back,” I say.

He obeys, and gingerly I pour the medicine down his throat. “Better?”

He hasn’t even had a chance to swallow yet. He chuckles. “Eager, aren’t we? It’s medicine, not magic, Channari. Don’t worry, we’ll get to your sister in time.” He opens his wings carefully. As they billow in the wind like sails, he resumes rowing.

I row too, and our strokes naturally synchronize. We speed across the water, and it becomes an unspoken competition not to be the first to tire. It helps pass the time, since there isn’t much to watch aside from the rise and fall of the waves, the rivers of clouds drifting above us. To my surprise, after an hour or so Hokzuh sets aside his oar. He lets out a groan.

“What’s the matter? Are you in pain?”

“Acutely.” His face contorts into a grimace. A beat. “I just realized I forgot to collect my earnings at the Bonemaker.”

My shoulders fall. I can’t decide whether to laugh or whack him with my oar. “You’re impossible.”

“I bet on you.” He flashes me a grin, fangs and all. “Would’ve made a good thirty coppers.”

Thirty coppers? “What a fortune,” I say dryly. “Happy to know my life was worth two chickens. Maybe three. Shall we turn back to collect them?”

“And face that army of suiyaks again? Even I’m not that deranged.” Hokzuh picks up his oar. His humor fades, and he meets my gaze. “I would’ve bet more if I’d had the money. I’ve seen you fight before.”

I’m not sure what he’s getting at, but there’s an unfamiliar heat rising to my cheeks, and I don’t like it. “It’s a good thing Meguh didn’t pit me against you in the arena.”

That makes Hokzuh laugh. “That would’ve been awkward, wouldn’t it? Though we do make a good team—Dragon Prince and Serpent Queen.” A pause. “You know, I was thinking…maybe once this is all over, you can come adventuring with me.”

I slip him a sidelong glance. “You want me to become one of your pirate lackeys?”

“It’d be a step up from backwater bumpkin. At least you’d get to see the world.”

“I’m no backwater bumpkin,” I retort. “And I have a sister, in case you’ve forgotten. I’m going to live with her.”

“In Tai’ya?” Hokzuh scoffs. “I know you, Channari. A day fenced up in those high ivory towers and you’ll be scaling the walls to get out, just like you did at Bonemaker’s. A prison’s still a prison, no matter how good the food is.”

I cross my arms. “You talk from experience.”

“I talk because I’m like you.”

The words linger in my ears. I’m like you.

I bite down on my lip. The truth is, I’ve never given much thought to my future after Angma is dead. Never given much thought to what I’d want to do once Vanna was safe. The possibilities make my head spin.

“You don’t have to make up your mind now,” says Hokzuh. “But trust me, shared misery is better than misery alone.”

I wouldn’t be alone with Vanna, I almost say. But the words don’t come. I know Hokzuh has a point. I always imagined I’d be content living out my days with my sister. But our paths are diverging in ways she cannot reconcile, no matter how hard she tries. She’ll be a princess, I’ll be…me.

What if I took Hokzuh up on his offer to sail the world? The idea of joining my fate with someone who understands what it is to be seen as a monster buzzes inside me in a way I can’t ignore.

The boat rocks, and I let myself tilt closer to him. “Where will you go, now that you’re free of Meguh?”

“Ideally, treasure hunting in the canyons of Guimon. Chasing phoenix feathers, drinking cases of stolen wine.” He sighs. “But first, I’ll find my pearl.”

His pearl. Right.

Stupid question, Channi, I berate myself. I’d almost forgotten about his pearl. Guilt sharpens in my gut, and I turn to the sea, unable to face him.

“What’s the matter?” he says. “Did Nakri tell you something you’re not sharing?”

“No,” I lie, far too quickly. I resume rowing, harder than before, falling out of sync with the dragon. “No.”