22. Aurora
AURORA
And that was how I found myself sitting in yet another wooden chair as I explained, haltingly, to the Head Master what had happened.
At least his chairs were fancier than Professor Griven’s—they were carved with dragons and each foot looked like a dragon’s claw instead of a chair leg.
But they were still hard and uncomfortable, and I felt like a criminal sitting in one.
Beside me, Ryse Skoren sat in silence. He had explained briefly that there had been an incident with the Flight Simulator and that it was out of commission, but now it was up to me to provide details.
As frightened and worried as I was, I had to admit I was grateful for the North Wing Leader at my side. He was a warm, solid presence and just the fact that he was there seemed to give me at least a little bit of courage.
“Now, Lysandra, is it?” The Head Master frowned at me over his gold-rimmed reading spectacles. He had clearly been up for some time—his eyes were sharp behind the thin lenses and there was a steaming cup of bitter black tea at his elbow.
“Yes, Sir,” I said, hoping my voice wouldn’t squeak or sound too girlish.
“I’m a man—a very masculine man,” I reminded my Dragon Glass pendant mentally. I hoped the glamour it threw would stand up to the intense scrutiny I was getting from the Head Master.
“And you broke the simulator? Is that right?” he asked, frowning.
“No, Sir—I didn’t,” I said quickly. “Although, it’s true that I was using it outside of class hours and without supervision,” I hastened to add.
“Mmm-hmm. And so what happened, exactly?” he demanded.
Haltingly, I explained how I had been practicing with the simulator when someone started using the controls and making it jerk and buck.
“To the point where the ropes snapped and then Cadet Lysandra slid off and down the wing, which is how I caught him,” Ryse put in.
“You caught him? What happened to the net?” the Head Master demanded.
“Cut,” Ryse said shortly. “Probably by the same person who was working the simulator controls.”
“And who might that be?” The Head Master’s eyebrows rose as he stared first at Ryse and then at me.
“I believe it was…was Cadet Chud Larson, Head Master,” I said, though my throat felt dry as I spoke the name. “I saw him when I looked up to see who was in the Observation Balcony.”
“Larson, hmm?” The Head Master looked troubled. “That’s a very serious accusation, Lysandra,” he said to me. “Can you prove it?”
“Well…no,” I admitted. “But I saw his face and he shouted down to me and said that the, uh, wooden dragon was the only kind I’d ever ride.”
“Which you have to admit, sounds like a death threat, Sir,” Ryse put in.
“Yes, yes, Skoren—let me think,” the Head Master said irritably. He looked back at me. “Why in the world would Larson want to kill you, Lysandra?”
I was surprised that he didn’t know, but I explained about the entrance exam and how he’d been demoted to First-year classes.
“Cheating, eh?” The Head Master shook his head. “That’s poor form. Very poor form, indeed.”
“Poor form? Head Master, we’re talking about sullying the honor of the Academy and attempted murder!” Ryse exclaimed, his golden eyes flashing. “That’s considerably more than poor form. Larson ought to be thrown in the brig! Or at the very least, sent out on Wide Patrol where he can’t harm anyone.”
But his words seemed to make the Headmaster unaccountably angry.
“That will be enough, Skoren!” he snapped. “I am the judge of disciplinary matters here—not you!” He looked at me. “I will speak sternly to Larson and instruct him to leave you alone, Lysandra. As for the damage to the simulator, the repairs will come out of his pocket money.”
He rose from his chair and glared at us both. I scrambled to my feet as well, since this was clearly the end of the interview.
“In the meantime, I’d better not hear either one of you talking about this. Consider the matter private and off-limits to anyone outside this office. Dismissed.”
During his speech, Ryse Skoren’s face had been getting paler and paler, but his mouth was clamped shut and his lips were thinned, as though he was stopping himself from speaking. When the Head Master said, “Dismissed,” he rose, bowed briefly, and left without a word.
I hurried to follow him, nearly running to keep up with his long legs as he strode stiffly down the corridor.
“What…what just happened back there?” I demanded, puffing a little. I was getting out of breath trotting along beside him.
Ryse looked down at me and I saw that his golden eyes were flashing with anger.
“What just happened was a classic case of nepotism,” he snapped.
“Nepotism? How?” I asked, frowning. “I never heard that Chud Larson was related to the Head Master.”
“There have been rumors for a long time that he’s either his nephew or the by-blow of a mistress.
” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I never believed it before now, but it makes sense—why else would he have been allowed to Impress an egg and bond with a dragon after being at the bottom of his classes all last year?”
I felt my stomach clench.
“Now he’s going to know I told on him and there’s no real reason he won’t come after me again. He actually could kill me next time!”
Ryse stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked down at me for a long moment. Then a look of determination came over his face.
“That’s not going to happen. Come on.”
He turned and headed in the other direction while I trotted to keep up with him.
“Where…where are we going?” I panted.
But Ryse didn’t answer. His dragon eyes were narrowed, his jaw was clenched, and he just kept walking.
All I could do was try to keep up, though I had no idea where we were going.