by Jada Fisher
With that exciting event over, she continued on, only to feel someone hastily coming up alongside her. She did a bit of a sidestep, expecting the worst, and wasn’t very surprised to see Ain slow down to jog beside her.
“I didn’t think that it was possible for you to move as slow as you think, but apparently, I have been proven wrong.”
Eist knew that replying to him was a waste of breath and energy, and yet she found herself doing so anyway. “Wow, you’re really clever,” she intoned flatly. “Did it take you an entire lap to think that up?”
“No,” he responded far too quickly. “Just wanted to warn you out of the kindness of my heart that you might want to pick up the pace before they realize that you’re too much of a charity case for the academy.”
Eist just allowed herself the tiniest of snickers.
“Something funny to you?”
“Yeah,” she answered, deciding that was the last breath she was going to waste on him for the moment. “Your run is all wrong. Your head tilts up when you pick up speed, your shoulders aren’t pulled back, and you’re not leaning into your strides.”
“Oh, like you know all about running.”
“I know a bit.”
“The day I take advice from someone like you is the day they can kick me out of here for going insane. Wrong form?!” He let out a huff. “Watch this wrong form run you into the ground.”
He sped off and Eist just watched in amusement before telling herself to focus on her own path again.
The second lap passed. Then the third. Then the fourth. By the time Eist pulled herself out of her intense concentration, she noticed that a good chunk of her class had stopped running. In fact, they were probably down to half.
Curious, but Eist returned her focus to her breathing and kept on trotting at her pace. She just focused on the in and out, in and out, making sure her gaze was just ahead of her and not down at her feet or turned toward the sky.
Naturally, it grew more difficult as she went along, and around lap seven, she felt her face begin to flush. If she managed to keep her pace up, she would be fine for the remaining laps, but her skin was definitely going to turn a bright shade of red.
That would be a bit embarrassing, but she tucked that thought into the back of her head and plodded along. Before she could slip back into her breathing, however, she noticed there was a line of slower people in front of her.
Going around, she spared the energy to look over her shoulder and saw Ain, Yacrist, and several others plodding along, covered in sweat and looking like their faces had been set aflame.
She didn’t speak, but allowed her gaze to meet Ain’s before smirking and looking forward again.
It was with that feeling of triumph that she finished the last lap well ahead of all of them with Dille only a few steps behind her. She peeled off, feeling a thin layer of sweat all over herself, only to see a new, much smaller group of faces waiting there for her.
“Good job,” Ale’a said with a strong nod. “Go get some water then get back here for the rest of your morning.”
Eist nodded and headed toward the well she had spotted toward the end of the field. As both she and Dille silently walked there, she felt the jealous eyes of the rest of the runners behind her.
“Alright, now for all of you who were late today, you get the pleasure of running fifteen laps! And all of you who couldn’t complete your ten laps, prepare to return here after dinner to finish out the rest of your assignment!”
“We did pretty good,” Dille said, her breath still coming in harsh pants.
“That we did.”
“Have you thought about what I said last night?”
Eist nodded slowly. “You’re right. There’s something different about the both of us and everyone can tell. As long as you don’t pester me about it, I don’t see why we can’t help each other out.”
“You make it sound so transactional. Why don’t we try at being friends?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Eist said, pulling the water bucket up and filling one of the small, metal cups there before offering it to her. “I’ve gone this long without friends, I’m not sure I want to change that up yet.”
“You inlanders are strange folk.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Eist murmured before taking her own long drink.
Once she was done, she set down the cup and headed back toward Ale’a. Hopefully, she would do just as well at the rest of the challenges as she had at the warmup.
9
Of Friends and Foes
Life in the academy began to settle into a sort of rhythm for Eist as the first week concluded. The first day of the week would be spent in classes, learning of dragons and their skills, history, battle strategy, and then more common things like arithmetic, reading, and writing.
The second day would have physical training in the morning, followed by dragon and animal husbandry in the evenings.
The third day was actual fight training in the morning, then trapping, fishing, and other survival skills in the evenings.
The fourth day was straight classes again, while the fifth was usually spent watching the soon-to-be-graduating students interact with their dragons.
Meals were almost always available in the cafeteria and full of rich, delicious food, as well as vegetables from all over the continent. Eist could feel herself bulking up and filling out even more with every day of hard work.
But by far, the best part of the week was watching the dragons as they developed along with their trainers. Of course, there was always a teacher nearby to explain what a student was doing, why they were doing it, and what they were doing wrong. Eist rarely listened to their lectures. Instead, her eyes focused only on the beating wings, the long and regal heads. She swore that there had never been a more elegant animal than a dragon, and her palms itched to touch all of the stately creatures.
She didn’t of course, but the temptation was there. As was the temptation to just drift off every night, her body sore and her mind exhausted, but she forced herself to study instead, absorbing every bit of information she could.
She was aware of the rumors going around school. They were the same ones that went around town. Whispers that she was slow, or just not right in the head and was only let in because of her parents, but their words didn’t matter. Soon she would show them all what she was capable of.
It was while she was studying that a knock sounded at the door, and she looked up curiously. She hadn’t done anything particularly attention-worthy that day, so she didn’t see why it would be Dille who was visiting her. But if wasn’t the thin, talented girl, who could it be?
She crossed over to the door cautiously, too curious to be able to ignore it, and cracked it to see none other than Yacrist! He was as handsome as ever and sent her a smile that made her cheeks color for some unknown reason.
“What are you—”
“Shhh,” he urged, pressing a finger to his lips. He mouthed something else, but Eist could only send him a puzzled look. Without another word, he offered his hand to her.
Eist looked down at it like it was some strange and terrible creature. But the pale palm and five extended fingers didn’t try to hurt her, instead just waiting for her to take it or not.
After what was probably an inappropriate amount of time just standing there, Eist begrudgingly wrapped her fingers around his offered appendage and he flashed her a beaming smile. The next thing she knew, they were sneaking out of the hall and through the corridors of the academy.
They were out much later than curfew for first-years, and she almost told Yacrist as much, but she had a feeling that he was well aware of the rules he was breaking. Why she was allowing him to influence her to break the rules and possibly risk her future, she didn’t know.
But her quiet paid off, because soon they reached an upper level that she had never been to before, one toward the back of the academy. Several people were already there, sitting around what looked like a balcony.<
br />
“Why are we—”
A pointed look quieted her, and she followed Yacrist to the edge of the balcony where her breath was stolen away.
Down below them, lit by torch after torch, was none other than the academy’s dragon cave.
Different than the hatchery, which she had visited multiple times with her grandfather despite his best efforts not to get her involved in dragon life, the dragon cave was where the beasts went when they were too large to fit through doors. It was also for injured dragons who needed rest and recovery, dragons who had lost their riders, and older dragons who were in their twilight days.
It was supposedly a massive tunnel of chambers that went so deep into the ground that men could not withstand the temperatures of the deepest levels. Eist reckoned there were at least a thousand dragons in there at all times, of all sizes and ages.
Well, except for that moment, in which hundreds of dragons were outside, either splashing in the water of the great lake that curtained off one side of the academy, diving through the water fall that fed it from the top of the cliff their cave was nestled in, or playing with the graduating students and dragon riders that were camping outside of the space.
It was so beautiful. Scales of every color glittered in the moonlight, punctuated by the happy chuffing and clicks of the beasts. Even the older ones, who perched themselves on the cliff or the many posts erected by the staff, seemed to be enjoying the tomfoolery.
Eist looked around, taking in all the amused and amazed faces. She recognized only one, Yelvin, she believed—Yacrist’s cousin. Risking another stern look, she put on her best whispering voice, barely able to hear herself.
“How did you find out about this?” she asked. Even her grandfather hadn’t tipped her off to this particular event. If it even was an event. Maybe these things happened every night and none of them had ever known.
“It was Beatrix who found out, actually,” he answered just as quietly, making her focus solely on his face and not the beautiful dragons just below the balcony. “She got lost on her way back from the nurse and ended up here. She went to get her roommate and…well, word got around her dorm block.”
Eist had no idea who this Beatrix was, so she guessed that she was in both another class grouping and dorm hall. Whoever this lost student was, Eist was certainly grateful.
Turning her attention back to the magnificent dragons, Eist was completely ready to let herself get caught up in her admiration again, when she remembered that someone was missing.
“What about Dille?” she asked, looking up into the handsome boy’s face.
“Who’s Dille?”
“My friend.” The words were out of Eist’s mouth before she could even think twice about it. Immediately her eyes went wide, and her heart skipped a beat. Surely, she hadn’t meant that. She’d just had the conversation about being allies only days before.
“I’m surprised you know that word,” Yacrist said with a wink. “You mean the quiet girl who somehow beats everyone at everything?”
“Almost everyone,” Eist reminded him. “At almost everything.”
Yacrist just offered her a slight chuckle. “You’re cute when you puff up like that. But yeah, I know the girl. You sit here, I’ll go get her. No offense, but you’re not exactly the quietest of sneakers.”
Eist opened her mouth to say that she could fetch Dille just fine herself when his words caught up to her. Cute? What? She was many things, but cute certainly wasn’t one of them. Why was he—
But he was already gone, silently jogging off into the dark halls. Eist looked after him for several moments before shaking her head. Yacrist was a flirt and a charmer. She shouldn’t take his compliments too seriously, or her ego might inflate to unhealthy sizes.
Instead, she went to the spot he had pointed to and climbed onto the back of the gargoyle that was mounted to the wall. There, she settled into her perch and watched the magical, magnificent creatures play.
She was so absorbed, taking in every detail, that she didn’t even notice what was going on around her until someone grabbed her ankle sharply. It took every bit of control of her body not to scream out in surprise, and she whipped her head toward the movement to see none other than Ain.
His lips were curled into a smile and he was whispering something, but he was far too quiet for her to catch it. The bottom half of his face was covered in shadow, but she could see the smirk in his cat-like eyes as his jaw continued moving.
She squinted, leaning forward so that maybe she could catch whatever he was muttering. Normally, she thought that he would insult her and pull away, but he just kept on whispering and whispering in a rushed monotone. The exchange was so bizarre, and she couldn’t help but feel that he was toying with her, but she found herself caught up in trying to figure out what he was trying to say that she didn’t question it until he suddenly leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
Eist jerked back so hard that she almost toppled off the gargoyle to the ground far below. Ain caught her wrist and hauled her back up into a sitting position. She could only stare at him, eyes wide with confusion.
This kiss hadn’t been romantic in any way, shape, or form. It was far too quick and petty for that. No, in fact it could hardly be called a kiss. It was more of a mocking, condescending display of superiority.
“Why did you do that?” she hissed, hatred making her stomach clench.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about. I told you that I was going to, and to say something if you didn’t want me to. I even asked if you had a problem, and you didn’t have a single one.”
“I…” Eist opened her mouth to say something, but she came up empty. He was staring at her with a far too knowing look in his eyes, and it made her nervous. “Why are you doing this? Surely, this must be a waste of energy.”
Finally, his fingers unwrapped from her ankle and he sent her a smarmy smirk. “I don’t like how you walk around here all superior, as if it’s a given that you’re gonna get a dragon someday. And I don’t like how you’re given a pass around here even though there’s something obviously wrong with you.
“You shouldn’t be a dragon rider, and you shouldn’t have even been allowed to compete in the trials.”
Some of Eist’s bewilderment faded as she realized exactly what his chagrin was from. Jealousy was a strange beast, and it certainly made people do strange things. “And yet I scored better than you.”
“Yeah, and a mule can run faster than me, what’s your point? Maybe we should make the mule a dragon rider too?
“I’m clearly the superior here, and if I’m the only one around here sane enough to keep you in your place, then I will. And there’s nothing you can do about it. If you tell anyone, they’ll know just how weak and unworthy you are.”
This time, it was Eist’s turn to lean down, and she did so that their faces were almost touching again. “Tell me, what is it that makes you angrier? The fact that a fat girl is doing so much better than you, or that you’re obviously attracted to me?”
His lips curled back into a snarl and her thighs tightened around the gargoyle, sure that he was going to attempt to push her off, but before he could, something sounded behind him that made him turn, and Eist saw it was Dille and Yacrist standing there.
“Did I miss something?” Dille asked, her head tilted and her fists already clenched as they rested on her hips. For being such a tiny, spritely girl, she always looked ready to throw down in an instant. Eist admired that. “Where’s your muscled shadow, Ain?”
Ain crossed his own arms, but she didn’t miss how he backed away from her. “Athar sleeps like a stone. He doesn’t wake up before the rooster crows, and sometimes rarely then.”
“So that’s why he’s always running extra laps…” Yacrist murmured, rubbing his chin.
“Perhaps you better go check on him then,” Dille said, an edge to her voice.
“You think you can order me around?”
“No,” the girl answered,
closing in on him and looking up at him from her considerably smaller height. “But I’m sure that he misses you terribly. Wouldn’t it be a good, friendly thing to do to go check on him while the three of us wait here?”
Ain looked between the three of them, and Eist could see thought after thought rush through his head. Finally, he let out a bit of a snort then walked past them, heading back down the hall.
The three of them waited until he was gone before Dille turned to address her again.
“What happened there?” she asked, climbing up to perch herself on the railing.
“Ain was trying to prove a point. It didn’t work very well.”
“His rarely do. He’s smart, and plenty vindictive, but he’s not used to people like us.”
“People like us?” Yacrist said, leaning against a wall. “What, did you guys have a little club and you didn’t invite me?”
“Who even are you?” Dille asked, tilting her head.
Yacrist reacted with mock hurt before wavering slightly. “Wait… I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
“And that’s why you’re not in the club.”
“That hardly seems fair.”
“Life isn’t fair. The sooner you get used to that, the sooner you might end up in the club.”
It was possibly the longest conversation that Eist had heard her ever have with anyone, but for some reason, it wasn’t annoying or stressful. In fact, now that Ain was gone, the experience was almost pleasant.
“I appreciate that conversation is important,” she said, cutting the two of them off. “But there are literally dragons only a few feet away from us.”
“You have a point there.”
The talk faded as they watched the dragons play, but even in the silence, Eist felt a sort of warmth she wasn’t familiar with. Something…comfortable, and downright foreign. It was nice though, and she wondered if that feeling was going to stick around.
