Chapter 8
Click, click, click. I thank Foros for the difficult lock, rising as silently as I can, then hiding behind a pile of firewood.
As soon as I do it, the light from a lumos jar bathes the room and two sets of steps walk in.
“Oh, no!” A woman’s voice. “The fires died.”
She pokes a fireplace and then grabs wood from the other pile.
“Are you sure they’ll hatch?” a man with a deep voice asks.
“Most likely. See how they’re brilliant? They’re close.”
Close to hatching? My heart does something in my chest and I don’t know if it’s joy, relief, or some strange kind of dread.
“But last time—”
His ominous tone makes me queasy.
“Was years ago,” the woman says as she’s restarting one of the fires. “We’ll be more careful now, and make sure they’re not found.”
“And once they hatch? Because that’s when—”
“We’ll keep them deep within the academy, away from windows. No dragon jaws will reach them while they’re young.”
Jaws? They can’t mean that they fear the dragons would kill these hatchlings, can they? And yet they mentioned last time. A horrific shiver takes my body.
The man huffs. “I’ll trust your judgement.”
“As you should. They’ll grow, Nantos, grow and become big and stout.”
Nantos is the commander of the entire Sky Guard, so it makes sense that he should be interested in the dragons. The woman’s confident tone calms my fears, as it’s clear that she wants to protect the young dragons.
She rekindles the fires, and then they leave and close the door. Thank Foros they didn’t notice me.
When their footsteps fade completely, I dart to the fireplaces and smother the flames one by one with spare logs, plunging the room into darkness again. Only then do I slip out, lock the door behind me, and step quietly through the still dark hallway and onto the stairs.
Once outside, I keep a steady, calm pace, trying to look like a cleaning person doing her duties, even if my heart is anxious in my chest. Sunlight peers in from a sunhole, so it must be morning already.
Looking straight ahead, I cross some guards, then head to the staircase to return to the gloomy room that’s supposed to be mine.
When I open my door, I step back, startled. Alayel is sitting on my bed, his arms crossed, his eyes two flames of fury glaring at me.
“Enjoyed your night, Mayara?”
What is he even suggesting? I narrow my eyes. “What do you think I was doing?”
He springs to his feet and stands in front of me. “Tell me. Are you fucking someone? Tell me.”
How dare he? My head feels hot and my vision blurs in anger. “Is that what you do? Sleep with a different person every night? Is that what you did tonight? And what difference does it make?”
His throat bobs. “I did everything for you. Everything I could. Saved you from that prison. Saved you from a death sentence. Brought you back from that island. For what?”
I don’t owe him anything, don’t owe him any explanation, and I want to yell at him to leave me. Before I do, a small voice of sanity reminds me that he’s still a prince and crossing him is not the best idea.
My body’s trembling from head to toe, but I manage a calmer voice. “I found the eggs, Alayel. That’s where I was.”
The anger in his eyes dissipates, replaced by confusion. “The… Aren’t they in Auranius’ lair?”
I shake my head. “They’re in a room with fireplaces. I think it was built for dragon eggs, meaning that they have been brought before. I wanted to lie down for a moment last night, but I fell asleep, and woke up when a woman was there, with commander Nantos. I hid behind a pile of firewood.”
His chest moves up and down slowly, the tension draining from his shoulders. He rakes a hand through his hair, a humorless chuckle escaping him. “Gods, I… I’m Acting like an insecure teenager, right? Quite pathetic, don’t you think?”
I don’t want to agree with him, but I don’t want to disagree either. I swallow, my body still trembling as he looks at me, expecting something.
“You’re not pathetic,” I finally say.
He shakes his head. “Not usually, no. Right now, absolutely. Go on, scold me for being a wretched man consumed with insane jealousy.”
I open my mouth, then close it, realizing I was about to remind him that we’re not involved, but then I decide to say something else.
“You’re the one who told me to snoop, Alayel. What did you expect?”
“True. Of course you wouldn’t sit quietly in your room when you had the entire castle and academy at the tip of your fingers. I should have known. But the problem is that you’re late now.”
He sits on the bed again, pulls a satchel and shows me a piece of paper. “This list has the locations and times of your classes. Today you have Dragon Knowledge. You can also eat in the refectory with the other recruits, except that you missed breakfast today.”
“How can I keep track of time with no windows?”
“Pay attention to the bells.”
“I heard none from where I was.”
He shrugs. “You’re the one who refused a room with plenty of sunlight and an incredible view. What can I do? But you’d better go now.”
I stare at my sad gray uniform, now slightly dirty from sleeping on that pile of hay. “Should I change?”
“Never.” He gives me the most amazing and disarming smile. “You’re perfect.”
My heart speeds up, stunned and in disbelief at once, but I manage to shove down my amazement. “I mean the clothes. Should I go like this? Or put on one of my dresses?”
Alayel strokes his chin and stares at me, thinking, blinking slowly with his stunning eyelashes. “Oooh, that’s a bind. I didn’t think this through. You’re going to stand out.” He smirks. “But you can handle it, right?”
The thought of walking into a class looking different than everyone else is terrifying, but it’s still better than giving up. “I can handle standing out. Dress or uniform?”
He places both hands on his chest. “My preference is neither.” I huff, annoyed, and he chuckles, then continues, “But I’d say keep the uniform. At least it means you belong in the academy.”
I roll my eyes. “Belong in the cleaning crew.”
“Yes, and some people might give you a hard time for that, but you know you’re better than all of them, so you won’t care.”
“I have no wish to be better than anyone.”
“Wishing won’t change the truth. None of them has ever stolen a dragon egg. None of them has captured a prince’s attention.”
“I’m pretty sure a few of them did.”
He waves a finger. “Not like you, no. Now go. Your first class is two floors down. Use the stairs by the cleaning crew’s main office, then turn right. Take this.” He passes me the satchel.
I grab it and then turn around, rushing toward my first class.
The words sink in. My first class. I should be jumping up and down in joy, but I don’t know what’s going to happen, how the other recruits will see me. To make things worse, I’m late.
And then there’s Alayel. Friendly and helpful in one moment, terrifying the next.
I don’t understand why he asked me to stay in his room, why he came to mine.
His explanation makes sense, sure, but I doubt he’d have any issue finding someone else to spread her legs for him, and in any case, he didn’t have to give me that key.
Perhaps he wants to make up for the fact I’m not a real recruit, which is proof that it wasn’t his fault. It still doesn’t explain his bizarre bout of jealousy. If it was even jealousy.
All I know is that I need to guard my heart and make sure I don’t fall for him. And yet the fact that it’s a fear means… it’s a possibility.
A chill takes my chest. Whatever happens, I can’t let Alayel seduce me. He’s creepy and lewd, not to mention unpredictable and temperamental. And untrustworthy.
And gorgeous. If I close my eyes, I can still hear his heartbeat and smell his scent surrounding me as we waited in that cave.
I’ll go insane if I don’t forget him.
My steps are careful as I descend the stairs, even if in reality I should hurry.
Two floors, then turn right. Quite simple, and yet my heart’s rattling in my chest as if I was about to enter another dragon cave.
It’s just a class, and I need it. One step toward my dream. But now that I’m so close, I wish I could turn around and hide.
That’s quite ridiculous. I’ve hidden long enough in the Grease & Spice kitchen, and would have shrunk into nothingness had I stayed there. Of course stepping out can feel strange.
Aren’t all things worthwhile scary?
I’ve walked into a dragon’s nest. I’ve faced a rider and his deadly magic. No fear shall hinder me.
I look at the paper Alayel gave me. Dragon Knowledge – room 733. Instructor: Katrine. His handwriting is sharp and precise, listing the classes and rooms where I have to go, with notes to provide me guidance. He’s horrible sometimes, but at least he’s trying to help me.
No.
My own voice chills the warmth I was feeling for the bastard prince. I earned the right to be in this academy. It was part of our deal. Maybe it’s not his fault that all I’m getting are scraps, but giving me those scraps is not some huge favor.
My breath stills as I stand before a door with the number 733. Closed, of course. And now I don’t know whether to knock or walk in. It’s odd how something so simple can make me feel so vulnerable. Helpless. But then, most of my lessons were at home, with my mother. The thought strangles my chest.
Being in a school is new, and being an outsider who doesn’t truly belong is unsettling.
I open the door—and come to a large classroom with round tables with two to four students each.
Drawings of dragons decorate the walls. In a corner, over a small cabinet, stands a glass jar with a translucent liquid and a red dragon head.
I have to divert my eyes or else I’ll get sick.
A middle-aged woman with long brown hair stands before a blackboard, glaring at me. She must be Katrine, the instructor.
“Yes?” Her tone is dismissive, but her voice sounds vaguely familiar.
I bow, unsure even if it’s what I should be doing. I’m aware of every inch in my body and they all seem to be positioned wrong. “Apologies for the delay. It’s my first day.”