Chapter 8 #3
Relief runs through me, as I imagine the little dragons about to come out of those eggs free to fly and roam, and not bonded to anyone, not subjected to any torturous methods.
I did the right thing by taking them from that cave.
Still, I hope the little dragons are kept safe, and I understand why they’re deep in the castle in a room without windows.
Maybe that’s why they aren’t with Auranius, as his lair has an opening big enough for him to fly in and out, vulnerable to dragon attacks if he sleeps or even if he flies away.
“You’ll have an entire year to ask questions,” Katrine says, then points at a pile of thick books on the counter at the corner of the room.
“Now, each table will form a group, and each table should pick up one of these books. You’ll be reading and discussing Chapter One: Anatomy.
At the end of the class, you’ll have to answer some questions.
Failure to do so properly will result in correction.
Correction for the whole group, so make sure your table colleagues are also paying attention.
Recruits who can’t read will have to memorize the information read by your classmates.
If nobody in your group can read, let me know, and I’ll regroup you. ”
The thought that some recruits are illiterate stuns me, but it’s true that we’re never tested for that.
My mother taught me and my brother our letters, but I don’t want to remember her finger underlining words, her voice correcting me, her hand helping me hold a quill.
Why is it that sweet memories can hurt so much?
Celine drops the heavy book on the table, and I smile at her. “You’re taking this class for the second time?”
She nods and grins. “Instructor Katrine allowed me. I want to become a scholar. Maybe that’s what we need, you know? Figure out the dragons. Some secret, something…”
The brown-haired girl blinks. “You’re in the second year?”
“Yes, my name’s Celine.” She extends a hand, as recruits are chatting at the other tables.
“Nelly,” the other girl says, then takes Celine’s hand.
“I’m Mayara. This is my first day in the academy.”
I shake hands with Nelly, who has a pleasant smile.
“Are you doing correction?” she asks.
“Sort of. For now, I’m only allowed to take theory classes. The rest of the time, I’m in the cleaning crew.” Doing nothing, but they don’t need to know.
“Why?” Nelly blinks.
I hesitate. “Academy’s mysteries. Someone put me there, and I might never know the reason.”
Celine opens the book. “We need to start studying, or else we might have to spend a night in prison.”
“Instructor Katrine doesn’t expel recruits?” I ask.
“Not like that, on the first day. And she prefers to send recruits to prison anyway.”
Nelly cranes her neck to see the book. “Small letters.” She looks at Celine. “If you took this class, you can tell us what’s in it, can’t you?”
“Yes,” Celine says. “But reading is good too.”
A flicker of panic runs over Nelly’s eyes, and I wonder if she’s a slow reader or has some difficulty with small print.
I say, “I can read out loud if you want.”
“That can work.” Nelly is nodding fast, perhaps nervous.
Celine shrugs. “But if there’s something you want to know, ask me.”
Thousands of questions cross my mind. “Do dragons have special healing powers?”
“Yes. I mean…” Celine narrows her eyes, thinking. “Some of their body parts can heal faster, like the wings.”
“Can they heal other dragons?” I clarify.
She taps her delicate fingers on the table. “Heal? As in taking care of other dragons? I’d think not. Wounded dragons are sacrificed.”
But that dragon healed me. I should tell someone what happened, but I need to think this through, perhaps talk to Alayel and agree on a story or something. Or maybe I need to research more. Maybe there’s an explanation to what happened.
“Let’s get reading,” Celine says, as Katrine walks near our table.
“Dragon anatomy,” I read the title.
Below it, there’s a drawing of a dragon skeleton, with thin bones on the wings, and a skull with a protruding jaw.
I lean in to focus on the first words and see that Nelly was right—the letters are tiny. “Dragons are li-living creatures and their bodies are com-composed…”
I swallow, embarrassed that I’m stuttering. I taught my brother to read, and he enjoyed listening to my voice telling him stories. With more effort, I continue, “Muscles, organs, bones…”
I realize I skipped a part.
“Do you mind?” Celine puts a hand on the book, her eyes apologetic.
I push the book to her, and as she starts reading, her confident, melodious voice brings the sentences to life, explaining that dragons are similar to other animals, and that their bodies are supported by bones and muscles.
After a brief explanation about those body parts, the text mentions that dragons have weaknesses, and that the weakest spot is the neck, where a well-applied strike could paralyze them.
Nelly snorts. “How are we supposed to get near the neck of a fire-breathing creature?”
“We’ll learn about the fire,” Celine says. “They can’t discharge it all the time.”
I recall that dark dragon opening his mouth, a purple gleam coming from his throat, as I accepted that I was about to meet Thantos.
“Have you ever faced a dragon?” Nelly asks.
I sit straight, wondering if I gave anything away, but she’s asking Celine, who shakes her head. “Not yet. When they called first years, I was blessed enough by Foros not to be picked.”
Nelly’s eyes widen. “First years go out when the bells ring?”
“Some of us, but not in the first months. Only once you know how to fly or operate a ballista. They also send some of us out with nets on the ground. It can happen, yes. They just want to make sure everyone here is committed to being in the Sky Guard.”
“Do they survive?” Nelly asks.
Celine looks down. “There are… casualties, yes.”
I’m not sure I understand Nelly’s shock. What exactly did she expect? I don’t want to make a mean comment, but I don’t want anyone to overhear us and think we’re cowards, so I say, “But that’s why we’re here, right? To protect Dracolius.”
Nelly shrugs. “Maybe we could just take turns making sure Auranius doesn’t sleep, and then problem solved.”
Celine laughs, and so do I, even if I think it’s a little silly.
But then I say, “We knew the risks when we signed up.”
Nelly grimaces. “But first years? Face to face with flying, fire-breathing monsters? Hanging on flimsy flying things? Yeah…”
To my relief, instructor Katrine is far from us, out of earshot. I look at Celine. “Are we allowed to say things like that?”
The blonde girl shakes her head. “In our dorms, with doors closed.” In a lower voice, she adds, “Not here.”
Nelly gives us a fake ear-to-ear smile. “I’m soooo excited to put my neck on the line for my kingdom.”
Celine laughs and shakes her head.
When we finish reading, we have some time to chat. Nelly tells us her father raised her on a lumos farm, where they collect the algae that illuminates our rooms. Celine avoids any mention of her own family, and both girls are surprised when I tell them I worked at the Grease & Spice.
“Why are you here?” Nelly asks.
“I want this. I want to fly. I want to face dragons.”
“All right.” She chuckles in disbelief.
It’s unfair that I’m not allowed in the academy, while people who don’t even want to defend our kingdom are here as recruits, but I don’t resent the girls. They’re just doing the best they can. Instead, a spark of hope lights in my chest.
All I need to do is prove that I truly want to defend my kingdom, that I was meant to be here. Someone will notice me. And soon I’ll fly.
I have to believe it.