CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The late evening sun warmed my back. It was one of the best things about being home – dry heat with a light sea breeze. The other good parts were Lynk’s cooking, hanging out with Cam and being able to bring my friends with me. The small garden behind the cottage was full.
‘Just let me see the wyverns and I’ll be able to advise you on race strategy,’ Josie leaned forward on the picnic table, bypassing my failed attempts at being a buffer.
‘No.’ Cam was as surly as ever on the other side of me. She ripped into a grilled sausage from the barbecue.
Lynk, who was doing the grilling, watched in awe as Josie continued to bother Cam. Colly stood with him, deep in a one-sided conversation.
‘My dad says you should let the meat rest. I can’t remember if it was before or after cooking it though, so maybe we should do both?
It was either for fifteen minutes or fifty minutes.
’ He shot a worried look at Quinn who was happily eating his meal with us at the table.
‘Does that taste like it was well rested?’
Theo hid a laugh with his bottle of beer next to Quinn, catching my eye.
‘It still doesn’t feel right letting you drink that.’ Cam grunted at him, taking out her annoyance on anyone other than Josie.
‘As if you didn’t know me and Lena were taking some up to the cliffs by the time we were sixteen.’ He gave her one of his winning smiles.
Cam tossed the remainder of her sausage at him. It bounced off his head on to the floor where Colly inspected it.
‘I forgot that doesn’t work on you.’ He fussed at his hair. It was messy, but not the specific messy he’d styled it in before the sausage had hit.
‘It’s a Paldon thing.’ Cam brushed him off the same as always.
Theo glanced at me, as if expecting me to disagree.
‘Okay, make room for more!’ Trea came out of the house and added more plates stacked with food to the table, leaving a small gap in the middle. ‘Bets are open, gang. Now that Ellas Ruan is off to Volitant Forge next season, who’s winning Chroma? My money’s on Lena Paldon!’
She dropped her cash into the only space left on the table and winked at me. The others started rummaging in their pockets.
‘Quinn Potts.’ Quinn matched Trea’s bet. Out of all of us he was most likely – he’d ended up second behind Ellas at the end of the season.
‘Colly Balen!’ Colly raised his hands in the air as he called his own name. Then he leaned over Quinn’s shoulder. ‘I don’t have any cash. Can you spot me?’
I snorted a laugh. It was funny, but his chances at a championship win in the next season were very serious.
Josie went next. ‘Lena Paldon.’
‘Can’t disagree with you on this one. Lena.’ Cam added to the pool.
‘Same! Lee’s going to win!’ Lynk tossed his from the grill, landing it on the pile of skewers.
‘Your turn, teammate.’ I nodded to Theo.
‘Theo Vaspre.’ He was completely convinced. ‘I’ll even double or nothing you all on that.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Of course.’
‘What? You think you’ll win in your first full season on a new dragon with a new team?’ He sipped his beer, unbothered by the concept.
‘No,’ I said, adding my own money in as Cam let out an angry grunt. ‘Bach Lotiere.’
They all groaned.
‘Lena, it’s embarrassing if my rider doesn’t pick herself. Please get over Bach for five minutes and believe in yourself instead.’ Josie leaned on my shoulder in despair.
‘Never,’ I said it, but the word came from across the table too.
Theo wiggled his eyebrows at me.
The next race season would be difficult without Gottyk, but I knew I was a winner, whether Abel Gallin and the rest of Volitant would admit it or not. I just had to prove it to everyone else, be flawless in execution and not give them any way to tear me down. Easy.
I knew I had a target on my back, but that only made me more certain in what I had to do.
I had to win it all.