Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Annalise
Strategy with Matt and Sasha has been, dare I say, fun this morning. The three of us are hunched over maps, moving figures across battle grids, arguing over lines of attack and defensive positions.
“Lee, your left flank is exposed if you advance along that ridge,” Matt points out, his brow furrowed, giving our exercise his full concentration. I nod, seeing what he’s talking about, and adjust my pieces.
Focusing on the fake mission we’re working through, I can pretend I don’t notice the commentary that seems to be following me across campus since I left my room this morning.
Matt has given his fair share of threats, and I didn’t even know Sasha could look mean until she overheard a few recruits make comments in formation and was snarling like a rabid dog at them.
By the end of class, we’ve set up what we think is a flawless ambush and are ready to claim victory in our imaginary battle in two days.
When I make it to Environmental Tactics, I’m relieved to find out we’re going outside in the forest close to the Combat Arena for today’s lesson.
Notebooks in hand, we’ll be studying the plants around us and the conditions they thrive in. I jot down notes and rough sketches of the different vegetation I’ll need to research later, imagining how I might use the terrain for shelter or to set traps if I were stranded out here.
A shadow blocks the little light I have, and a guy I have only seen in classes is now looming above me with a cocky grin plastered to his face. Ugh, I’m already annoyed.
“Hey, I was wondering what you’re up to tonight. A couple of us are going to hang out and have a few drinks. We thought you might want to come.”
I don’t miss the double entendre.
Does he really think that line is going to work?
“Oh, really?” I say flatly. “You thought I might want to come?”
He grins wider, taking my response as encouragement, “Yeah. I’ve heard you like to have a good time. I think we could have some fun together.”
“Right,” I mutter.
“So, that’s a yes?”
“It’s a hell no,” I say, snapping my book shut, “but thanks.”
His smirk falters enough to make it worth it before he mutters something about me being an uptight bitch and stalks off.
At least he got that part right.
Lunch passes in a haze. Sasha offered to do grab-n-go lunch for us from the dining hall, but I refused to hide away. Instead, I force myself to eat a full meal, hydrate, and enjoy the company of all my friends before we head to the Riding Grounds for orientation.
With every step we take in that direction, my heart beats a little faster. The bravado I’ve been carrying all day is hanging by a thread because I’m about to see real, burn me to a crisp, dragons. I’m equal parts excited and ready to pee my pants.
Matt and I are absorbed in making guesses on what we’ll do today and what we think the dragons will be like, and it takes a bit longer than I am proud of before we realize that Sasha’s chewing her lip to the point it’s bleeding.
“You ok?” I ask.
“Totally, it’s going to be…awesome I mean, what could go wrong? It’s not like they could choose to stomp on me. Or I could fall off and break every bone in my body or die. Oh my gosh, what if I die? My parents won’t be able to handle my death. I’m their only child…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I grab her arm and spin her towards us. “You are going to be totally fine! I’m sure we won’t even be getting on the dragons today, much less flying.” I assure her with confidence that I have no right feeling.
“I had no idea you were nervous. I assumed you grew up with them since your parents were active duty,” Matt gently adds.
“Well, I wasn’t nervous until we started walking out here, and it became real.
The closest I’ve ever been to a dragon is during registration when one flew over, and I was just walking into the courtyard, so I was safe between buildings.
Now, there’s going to be nothing between them and me if they decide I look like a good snack. ”
I can’t help it; a laugh bursts out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Sash, even I know they don’t eat humans! Cows, elk, the occasional goat, yeah, but not people.”
“Yeah, we’re much too lean around here,” Matt adds, smirking. “Not enough meat to make it worth the effort.”
Sasha gives him a flat look. “Wow. That’s so comforting, thanks.”
“Anytime,” he replies, still grinning.
Despite running to the grounds almost every morning, I’ve never seen another living creature out here—no riders, no dragons, at least as far as I could tell through the dense early morning fog.
The smell hits me first, a sharp mix of smoke, leather, and something wild.
Then, my pulse quickens as the air seems to shimmer with heat where massive shapes shift and move two hundred yards in front of us.
A low rumble echoes across the field, shaking the ground like thunder trapped beneath the soil.
The Riding Grounds stretch wide, ringed by low stone barriers and lined with trainers in dark uniforms. And in the center of it all, dragons. I can spot some blue, orange, and green from here.
As we cross the edge of the field toward the tack house where we’re supposed to meet Major Lorenson, a blue one flicks its tail aggressively, sending dust and debris spiraling, barely missing us. Another dragon exhales, smoke curling from its nostrils.
Sasha stops dead. “Oh gods,” she whispers.
“You’ll be okay, Sasha, I promise,” I say, linking my arm with hers and pulling her forward.
A figure in a dark, form-fitting flight suit, leather jacket, and boots, is waiting for us—Captain Lorenson.
I recognize her from orientation videos I watched after we got here, though they didn’t capture the sheer presence she carries.
Her hair is silver, tied back neatly into a braid that nearly reaches her waist, and her eyes are sharp as a raptor’s.
“Recruits,” she says, voice carrying easily across our class.
“Welcome to the Dragon Riding Grounds. First, I would like to acknowledge that I know some of you have no interest in riding and are only here because you are required to be. I wish I could let you go now, so we don’t waste either of our time over the next month, but since I cannot, please try not to faint on the field.
It annoys the dragons, and getting you back to the infirmary is really inconvenient when I’m trying to teach class. ”
There’s a ripple of nervous laughter.
She doesn’t smile. “To those of you who have your sights set on becoming riders, I wish you the best of luck. Not only will our Bravo company riders and I be judging you, but you will have to impress the dragons over the next month. No matter how skilled you are, if a dragon does not want to bond with you, then you have no place here.”
A few recruits shift uncomfortably beside me, their earlier excitement dimming at the reminder that wanting to be a rider doesn’t guarantee you’ll become one.
Sasha swallows hard, and I can almost hear her thoughts spiraling again.
Matt, though, looks like he’s trying not to smile, the challenge clear in his eyes.
“For the next few weeks, you’ll learn the fundamentals of dragon behavior and, most importantly, if you have what it takes to ride.
You’ll study with the dragons, not from a distance.
” Her gaze flicks briefly toward the far end of the field, where several riders in Bravo Company stand beside their dragons.
“You will make mistakes,” Lorenson continues. “Some will be small. Some will be bigger. Try not to make the kind that ends with a medical report or paperwork for me.”
That earns another uneasy chuckle from the group.
“One more important note before we get started. Dragons don’t care who your parents are or what you think you deserve here. If you approach one with arrogance, it will see through you in a heartbeat, and you will not like how it reacts.”
After a long moment, she steps aside and gestures toward the Bravo riders spread across the field.
“Now, break yourselves into groups of four. We’ll start with observation drills.
Once you have your group, find a Bravo recruit standing by a dragon.
Watch, listen, and do not touch without permission.
Remember, none of these dragons are bonded yet, so think of each interaction with them like a speed date.
While riders and dragons may feel a slight connection over the months of training together, most of you will fly with different dragons until your track choice is finalized. ”
Splitting up, Matt, Sasha, and I are joined by a guy named Oscar. Not wanting to be left wandering the field, we join the closest unaccompanied Bravo rider we see, Jada, and a dragon named Zephyros—a sleek silver-gray creature with eyes the color of lightning before it strikes.
“Keep five paces back unless told otherwise,” Jada instructs, her tone brisk but not unkind. “Zephyros doesn’t like people crowding his tail or feet.”
The dragon flicks that very tail as if to emphasize her point.
“Watch his eyes,” Jada says. “They’ll tell you everything you need to know. A calm dragon blinks slowly. A pissed-off dragon’s eyes are beyond dilated, though you probably won’t live long enough to notice them.
Sasha scribbles frantically beside me, whispering, “Blinking. Pupils. Got it. Don’t die.”
Matt hides a grin. “Solid summary.”
Jada glances at him, one brow raised. “Something funny?”
Matt immediately straightens. “Nope.”
“Good. Keep it that way. Now, Zephyros is going to stretch his wings. Don’t move.”
She gives a slight nod, and he fully extends his wings, the smooth membrane catching the sunlight in a blinding arc. The gust of air that follows nearly knocks me back a step. The power of it is staggering.
When the wings settle, Jada gestures for us to come closer.
We move as one, slow and cautious. Up close, Zephyros’s scales shimmer when the light shifts, catching hints of blue and white like ice on steel.