Chapter thirty one - Order of the King
Liora woke before dawn, her heart pounding so violently she thought it might bruise her ribs from the inside.
For a moment she didn't recognize the ceiling above her or the faint morning light creeping across the floor.
Her breath came too fast, too shallow, and her skin felt too warm, as if she had been running in her sleep.
Then the memories of the previous night slammed into her with brutal clarity.
The training grounds. The cold air. Kael's hands gripping her.
His mouth on hers. The heat of it. The shock of it.
The way the world had vanished for a heartbeat.
And then the coldness that followed—the way he had stepped back, rebuilt every wall, and shut her out as if nothing had happened.
It was a lapse. Nothing more.
The words echoed in her skull like a blade dragged slowly across stone.
She sat up, pressing a trembling hand to her forehead.
Her thoughts felt tangled and raw. Mira's bed was empty, blankets thrown aside in her usual whirlwind fashion.
Liora was grateful for the silence. She didn't think she could survive Mira's questions this early, not when her chest still felt tight and bruised.
She dressed slowly, her fingers unsteady as she fastened her cloak.
Every movement felt heavy, as if the air itself resisted her.
When she stepped outside, the cold morning air rushed over her, sharp enough to sting.
Ashwing was waiting at the base of the dorm steps, curled like a massive, scaled guardian.
His golden eyes snapped open the moment she appeared.
He chirped softly, lifting his head, and nudged her shoulder with his warm snout.
She rested her forehead against him, letting his presence steady her.
"I'm okay," she whispered, though her voice cracked.
Ashwing didn't believe her. He huffed, wings twitching with agitation, but he followed her as she walked toward the dining hall.
He stopped at the entrance, lowering himself just outside the wide archway.
He couldn't fit inside anymore—not even close—but he watched her with unblinking focus, tail curled protectively around his body.
The dining hall was already buzzing with morning noise. Mira spotted her immediately and waved her over with both arms. Liora forced herself to sit, though her stomach twisted painfully. Mira studied her face with a frown.
"You look awful. Did you sleep at all."
"Not really."
Mira opened her mouth to pry, but her gaze flicked toward the archway where Ashwing's massive head was visible outside, watching Liora like a predator guarding its territory.
"Your dragon is staring at you like he's ready to murder someone."
"You know how protective he is."
"That's one word for it."
Liora poked at her food, appetite nonexistent.
Mira kept talking, but Liora barely heard her.
Her mind was still in the training grounds, still replaying the moment Kael's control had snapped, still feeling the heat of his mouth on hers and the coldness that followed.
She didn't know how she was supposed to face him today.
She didn't know how she was supposed to breathe.
But suddently her thoughts got interupted.
"Liora."
The voice cut through the noise like a blade.
She looked up.
Two examiners stood at the end of the table. The same two she had overheard speaking with Kael about experiments. The same two whose voices had made her uneasy that night. Now, seeing them here, she felt the first sharp sting of fear.
They were cold and clinical, their expressions blank, their posture rigid. Their hands were clasped behind their backs with military precision, and their eyes held no warmth, no humanity.
The taller examiner spoke first.
"Liora of the First Year. You are required for additional testing."
Liora blinked, confused.
"What kind of testing."
"Blood analysis. For both you and the dragon."
Mira's eyes widened.
"That's the first time I hear a rider get tested."
The examiner didn't even look at her.
"Please come with us."
Liora's breath caught.
Blood tests.
For her.
For Ashwing.
Kael had told her the eggshell would buy them time.
That the Academy would be too busy analyzing it to focus on her.
That they would be safe for a while.
But now they wanted blood.
From both of them.
The realization hit her like a physical blow. What if this wasn't harmless. What if this was the beginning of something far worse. What if they wanted to experiment on her. On Ashwing. On both of them.
Before she could speak, a deep, guttural growl rolled from outside the archway.
The stone floor vibrated beneath their feet.
Students froze. Several gasped. A few scrambled away from the entrance.
Ashwing had sensed everything. His wings flared wide, the tips scraping the outer stone as he reared up, towering over the doorway.
His claws dug into the ground, carving deep grooves into the dirt and stone as his tail lashed violently behind him.
He couldn't fit through the doorway—not even his head—but that didn't stop him from trying.
He pressed his massive body against the archway, the stone groaning under the pressure.
Only the very front of his snout could push against the opening, but even that was enough to make the examiners pause.
His teeth were bared, his lips curled back in a silent, furious warning.
His golden eyes locked onto the examiners with a predator's focus—sharp, unblinking, dangerous.
Mira grabbed Liora's arm.
"Liora—he's going to attack!"
"No," Liora said quickly, standing so fast her chair scraped the floor. "Ashwing, stop!"
Ashwing's growl deepened, vibrating through her bones.
He pushed harder against the archway, stone dust falling from the frame as he tried to wedge himself inside.
His wings twitched with the instinct to shield her, even though the doorway blocked him.
His tail whipped once, hard enough to crack the air.
"Ashwing," Liora repeated, stepping toward him, her voice firm despite her racing heart. "It's okay. I'm okay."
He didn't believe her. His claws scraped against the ground, his entire body coiled with tension, ready to strike if she gave him even the slightest permission. The examiners exchanged a glance—cold, clinical, unmoved—but they did not step closer.
Liora placed her hand against the part of his snout that pressed against the doorway.
"Ashwing," she whispered. "Stop."
His growl softened, but it didn't fade. He remained rigid, furious, protective—a creature barely held back by the stone walls that confined him.
Only when Liora stepped out of the dining hall did Ashwing finally pull himself away from the archway. He immediately fell into step beside her, still rumbling, still tense, still watching the examiners like a creature ready to defend his rider with his life.
The space outside the dining hall was quieter, but the tension clung to the air like smoke.
Ashwing stayed pressed against Liora's side, his body low, wings half?spread in a posture that was both protective and ready to strike.
Every few steps he glanced back at the examiners, a low rumble vibrating through his chest. Liora kept her hand on his scales, trying to calm him, but her own pulse was too fast, too uneven.
She had barely taken a few steps when she heard her name again.
"Liora."
Aiden.
He stood from a nearby bench in the courtyard, his expression tight with concern.
He crossed the space between them quickly, stopping just close enough that she could see the worry in his eyes.
Ashwing immediately shifted, placing himself between them, forcing Aiden to halt.
His wings twitched, and his tail curled protectively around Liora's legs.
Aiden lifted both hands slightly.
"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt her."
Liora stepped around Ashwing's shoulder.
"I'm fine," she said, though her voice was thin.
Aiden's gaze flicked to the examiners walking ahead, then back to her.
"What's going on? Why are they taking you?"
"They want blood tests," Liora said.
Aiden's brows shot up. "Blood tests? For you?"
"And for Ashwing."
Aiden's expression faltered. For a moment he looked genuinely startled, as if even he hadn't expected that.
"That's... unusual."
"Unusual?" Liora repeated, her voice cracking. "Aiden, riders don't get blood tests."
"No," he admitted quietly. "They don't."
He hesitated, glancing again at the examiners, then leaned closer.
"Listen... my uncle is furious about the Black Dragon being killed by the enemy kingdom. He's searching for anything—anything—that could make our dragons stronger. That's all this is."
Liora stared at him, her stomach twisting. The King. Aiden's uncle. The one who had ordered the experiments in the first place.
Aiden continued, trying to reassure her.
"He's not targeting you. He's not targeting Ashwing. He's just... desperate. He wants to make sure our kingdom can defend itself. That's why he's pushing the Academy so hard."
Liora swallowed, but the fear didn't ease.
Kael had told her the eggshell would buy them time.
He had looked her in the eyes and said it with certainty, but now the examiners wanted blood, not just from her but from Ashwing as well, and the realization hit her with a force that made her stomach twist. The request didn't feel routine or harmless; it felt invasive, targeted, and far too deliberate.
A cold thought crept into her mind, one she didn't want to acknowledge but couldn't push away: what if this wasn't analysis at all, what if this was the beginning of something far worse, something that involved experiments on her, on Ashwing, or on both of them.
"Aiden... they want blood from both of us."
Aiden's jaw tightened.
"I know. And I don't like it either. But they're not going to hurt you."
"You don't know that."
Aiden opened his mouth, then closed it again. He didn't argue. He didn't try to deny it. He simply looked at her with a helplessness she had never seen in him before.
"Just... be careful," he said softly.
Liora nodded, though her throat felt tight.
"I have to go."
Aiden stepped back, giving her space. Ashwing moved instantly, placing himself between her and everyone else again, his tail curling protectively around her legs as they continued across the courtyard.
The examiners led them away from the dining hall and across the open Academy grounds.
The grass rustled under their feet, and the wind carried the distant sounds of dragons training.
Ashwing stayed glued to Liora's side, rumbling with every step, his wings twitching with agitation.
He kept himself between her and the examiners, forcing them to walk slightly ahead so he could watch them.
The farther they walked, the heavier the air felt.
The open sky did nothing to ease the pressure building in Liora's chest. She tried to steady her breathing, but every step made her chest feel tighter.
She had overheard the examiners once. She remembered their voices—cold, clinical, detached—as they spoke about "experiments".
Ashwing nudged her hand with his snout, sensing her spiraling thoughts. She stroked his scales, grounding herself in the warmth of him. He was real. He was here. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
They approached the far end of the Academy grounds, where one of the two massive structures stood — the only buildings large enough for dragons.
The stone walls were reinforced, the archway towering high enough for even a fully grown dragon to enter.
Liora had only been inside once, during her recovery after the fall. The memory made her chest tighten.
Ashwing slowed as they approached, sniffing the air, his body tense. He didn't like this place. Liora didn't either.
The examiners walked ahead without hesitation.
Ashwing growled.
Liora placed a hand on his scales.
"It's okay," she whispered, though her voice trembled. "I'm with you."
They stepped inside together.
The interior was vast, cold, and echoing — a space built for dragons, not humans. The ceiling arched high above them, supported by thick stone pillars. The air smelled faintly of metal and old smoke. The floor was reinforced, marked with grooves from dragon claws.
And Kael was there.
He stood near the center of the chamber, posture straight, hands clasped behind his back, expression unreadable. He looked like a statue carved from ice.
But his eyes—
His eyes flicked to her the moment she entered. Just once. Just long enough for her to see something sharp flash there before he buried it beneath the same cold mask he always wore.
Ashwing's growl deepened, but it wasn't the same as the one he gave the examiners.
It was conflicted — a warning layered over something else.
Recognition. Memory. The last time Kael had approached him, Ashwing had allowed Kael to touch him.
He had shown trust. Now that trust warred with instinct.
His wings twitched, and his tail lashed once, but he didn't lunge.
He didn't snap. He watched Kael with a predator's focus, but not hatred.
Kael didn't move. He didn't flinch. He didn't even look at Ashwing.
He simply stepped aside to let Liora pass.
Liora's breath caught. She walked past him, and for a moment their hands brushed—barely, accidentally—but the contact sent a jolt through her.
She felt the tension snap through him like a wire pulled too tight.
He didn't pull away. He didn't look at her.
He just stood there, rigid, silent, unreadable.
Ashwing rumbled again, low and uncertain, but Kael still didn't react.
The examiners opened the heavy doors.
The testing chamber waited inside, cold and sterile.
She stepped inside and the doors closed behind her with a sound that felt far too final.