22. Freshly Planted
FRESHLY PLANTED
Just like Vaelen suggested, Aaryn settled in with an ease that surprised even her.
Thea stubbornly took a padded mat on the floor beside her bed, and Aaryn crawled between the blankets and tried not to feel…
whatever the fluttery feeling was in her belly about sinking into the Thea-shaped dip in the bed.
The sound of Thea's deep, even breathing lulled her to sleep.
Starspark was indeed too big to fit into Thea's home, but he awaited them through the night, and greeted Aaryn first thing in the morning.
When Aaryn seated herself upon his neck again, a rightness burrowed deep in her chest. The scar on her hand tingled, and she shook it off as Thea climbed on behind her.
Then she was shifting close, reaching around her to grab onto the ridge of scales, and Aaryn's belly fluttered oddly again as Thea's warm breath hit the back of her neck.
Then she was bracing, because—
Whereas Aaryn had always been a cautious person, conscious of those around her, Starspark was a no-holds-barred kind of dragon, and as soon as Thea grabbed on, he shot into the sky.
Her heart leapt, thighs squeezing around his neck and hands gripping him tightly, her feet tucked into the particular scales Thea had showed her.
A lightness filled her that had nothing to do with the way Starspark glided smoothly to another isle, the one she'd demanded Thea take her to.
Because Aaryn wasn't content to rest and relax and stay settled.
Not when her palm tingled like this. Not when it felt so right on Starspark's back. Not when there was so much more for her to learn. Not when magic awaited her.
And now, she faced off with Thea in Claw Hold. Only a few feet separated them, the sun warm on their faces, sweat threatening to bead near their temples.
"Are you sure about this?" Thea asked, and her hesitancy stung Aaryn's pride a little.
"Should I find someone else to do it?" Aaryn asked impatiently.
Thea began to pace before her, and beyond her, Starspark was standing by, eyes half-lidded with interest as he watched them, the only witness to their dance.
Because even though others were training around them, no one paid them any attention.
There were no guards standing by to watch their every move.
No schedule to keep. It was oddly… freeing.
Thea's gaze narrowed. "Why? Is it such a hardship to be in my company?" she drawled.
Aaryn rolled her eyes to distract herself from the way that sarcasm made her stomach pitch.
"I don't want to hurt you," Thea said, and lifted her hands in a gesture of peace. "That's all."
Aaryn tilted her head back with a groan, and—oh. Thea was doing this on purpose, to rile her up.
I know your game, she thought, and decided not to play. So… Aaryn attacked.
Thea's eyes widened in surprise, and Aaryn silently celebrated for only a heart's beat before Thea fought back.
And suddenly Aaryn was on the ground, blinking up at the blue sky and Thea's smug smile. She slipped away, one hand leaving Aaryn's waist, the other from behind her head, and sat back on her heels.
"You'll have to try harder than that," she said, and extended a lithe hand.
Now Aaryn was no stranger to Thea's touch, despite how little contact she'd allowed herself.
Thigh to thigh on the grass during lunches, her head in Thea's lap, or—just the other morning, when Thea had swiped her thumb over Aaryn's lips.
But Thea stared at her so casually, teasing, as if Aaryn wasn't still replaying the way Thea's arms had felt around her, a brief point of contact, even with the foot tucked behind her heels to send her toppling to the ground.
The phantom press of Thea's protective fingers at the back of her head still lingered.
It occurred to her that this whole sparring thing might be a terrible, terrible idea.
"Are you… okay?" Thea asked, brow scrunching. "You didn't land that hard, right?"
Aaryn cleared her throat, shaking the thoughts and sensations away. "No, of course not. I'm fine," she said, and placed her hand in Thea's, who pulled her up effortlessly, the flex of her biceps tensing. Aaryn averted her gaze and promised to be diligent.
She lied to you. It doesn't matter that she was actually doing you a favor—bringing you to this arguably beautiful place. It doesn't matter how attractive she—
Thea ran a hand through the crown of her hair, and Aaryn lost her train of thought.
After that, Aaryn learned Thea was—well.
Impressive. It was clear she had years of experience under her belt, whereas Aaryn had but a few weeks.
Aaryn was the one who had to catch her breath, not Thea.
And at moments, Thea looked entirely unbothered by Aaryn's attempts, which made frustration and something a little hotter flare in her belly.
So Aaryn bit her.
"Ow!" Thea shouted, her voice booming in Aaryn's ear. She released her forearm with a feral grin, and Thea scoffed as she studied the bite. "Oh my skies, you bit me!" Her disbelief morphed into a wide smile. "Good job. Didn't learn that from your beloved prince, now, did you?"
Aaryn rolled her eyes and felt something exciting spark within her. "Are you sure you're not the one with feelings for him?" Aaryn drawled. "Because here you are, bringing him up again."
"How did training go with him? No, wait! Let me guess." Thea twirled a strand of hair and giggled obnoxiously. "Oh, Prince, I could never hurt you."
"I do not sound like that," Aaryn groaned, and belatedly realized there was a whine in her tone. She tilted her head high, hands on hips, and spat, "I'll have you know I got the prince on his back plenty of times."
Which gave Thea the perfect ammunition, and a mischievous joy curled her lips. "Oh really now?"
Aaryn's cheeks went even hotter, and she shook her head. "That's not what I meant."
"It's what you said, though," Thea taunted.
Aaryn grumbled, betrayed by her own tongue and unsure how to recover from it. She charged Thea again, eliminating the space between them faster than she expected.
"You don't have to keep teasing me about it. I get it." Aaryn was not pouting. Just drawing attention to the fact that Thea could let it go.
Their gazes met as they sparred, suddenly inches apart now. Aaryn could see the different flecks of deeper navy in Thea's eyes, like splotches of night left in the morning sky. The satisfied smirk—
"Get what?" Thea asked, and skated back before Aaryn could bring her knee up between them to get her in the stomach.
Why are you staring at her lips? Comparing her eyes to sunrises? Aren't you annoyed with her? Focus on that.
"The prince—Evergale. None of it is what I thought it was. I know."
"And?" Thea pushed.
"And what?" Aaryn snapped, advancing.
"Aren't you… angry?" Thea asked.
Aaryn blinked. "You have no idea.” For weeks she’d harbored not only her own anger but the anger of a dragon. Her own dragon.
She remembered how it had filled her chest, and attacked with vigor.
"My entire life is a lie." Thea blocked her.
"Evergale lied." Aaryn pressed on. "Is lying, to everyone.
" She kicked a leg out, and Thea caught her by the ankle, holding her off balance.
"To the Tethered." Her throat went tight, and Thea released her.
Aaryn caught herself and met Thea's gaze.
"And this?" she said, holding up her hand.
"It's not what I've coveted my entire life, and been honored to carry for the past three years.
It's something…" The shiny pink scars glinted in the light.
"Something wrong." It was a barrier between her and Starspark, not a manifestation of their connection.
And suddenly the kind of anger that a dragon held didn’t seem so out of touch after all.
"And what are you going to do about it?"
Aaryn hesitated. "This? Learn to fight, access my magic."
"And after that?" Thea prompted, and motioned for her with a flick of her fingers. "Think and spar with me at the same time. You've got enough brain behind that pretty face to do so."
Something in Aaryn bloomed to life, and she knew it was obvious on her face, so she leaned into it, baring her teeth in a wicked grin, and went after Thea. "You think I'm pretty?"
Thea blocked. "Scales, is that all it takes to distract you? No wonder the prince had you wrapped around his little finger."
Aaryn's jaw flexed with a tick. Thea smirked.
And as they sparred, Aaryn thought over her question.
In fact, she thought over the question a lot. What would come next, after she awakened her magic? What would she use her magic for? What kind would it be? What would it feel like? What would she do with it?
All of these things rattled around in her brain, morning to night, and even in her dreams.
Like whenever Thea took her to the many kitchens for a tasty, spicy, filling type of meal that Aaryn tried under Thea's rapt attention.
Or as she visited the Archives, absorbing whatever Willow recommended, Thea's friendly chatter with Willow softly filling the space as she read, sometimes a little too loud, a little too… giggly.
Aaryn blocked it out by learning about Evergale's latest crime in a long list of them.
How they'd offered Timberscale a downright pitiful trade deal, and once Timberscale had declined they'd…
. attacked. The text withheld nothing. Not how they used the dragons for their breath to force Timberscale into submission.
How the druids had tried to fight back with them, but ultimately had cut their losses and rescued who they could.
Two thousand refugees had been taken in.
An entry after that led Aaryn to another book dedicated to the ever-growing circle, describing a need for a new isle, the efforts it required.
It listed the location of the land they needed, the date and time it had been added, and the ones that had helped lift it from the ground below.
Thea was listed.
"You helped with the new isle?" Aaryn asked, glancing up.