“Only because there hasn’t been any reason to tell you.” She glanced over, winking at me. “Besides, I have been here a little bit longer than you.”
We made our way along the street and turned toward the city proper. The Academy was situated on the edge of the capital, a place that would allow students like myself and others to have the freedom to make mistakes without causing problems within the city. That, and there was a desire to keep the dragons outside of the center of the city. When I’d first come here, I had wondered about that. It seemed surprising that we would be concerned about the dragons, as if there were some reason to keep them separated, but the more I learned about them, and how free they really were, the more I began to suspect it was for the best.
“Where else have you lived?” I asked.
“Several places,” she said. “I was born in the city of Regar, though I don’t have any memories of it. We weren’t there very long. We moved on, my father taking us to Jintan, and then to Oshan. I have a few more memories of those places, though even they are faint.”
“What did your father do?” I asked.
She glanced over to me, saying nothing at first, and then her eyes widened. “Listen,” she said. “Do you hear it?”
I frowned. “What am I supposed to hear?”
“The music.” She dragged me forward, pulling on my arm as she raced into the city.
I had no choice but to follow along with her, and yet as we meandered through the streets, wandering past shops that were closed for the night, homes darkened and shuttered, I found myself glancing back at the Academy, wondering if perhaps I should consider returning soon. It might be a mistake for me to be wandering out into the city. We weren’t denied access to the city itself, but it could be dangerous for students to spend too much time there.
“I don’t know if I should do this,” I said.
I had to meet with the king soon. I should prepare.
Not only that, but since I could detect the dragons, I wanted to keep testing for any of the missing ones. I hadn’t managed to find anything so far, but I had to believe there would be something.
“What are you worried about?” she asked, glancing back at me.
I shook my head. “I’m not really worried about anything, I’m just—”
Natalie cut me off with a long laugh. “If you’re not worried, then come along.”
She continued dragging me along the street, heading deeper into the city.
After a while, I could hear the music she noticed, the sound of it far more obvious than it had been before. I could make out the steady thumping of a drum mixed with a strange horn and other instruments, but throughout it all, there was a chanting. That was where she was leading me.
Natalie pulled on my arm. “You said you were tired of using the dragon magic. You didn’t say anything about being too tired to join me in the city,” she said.
I shook my head. “I didn’t say anything about that, but . . .”
“But nothing. Come along,” she said, dragging me with her.
I was tempted to argue, but what was the point? I was curious where she would guide me, curious what we might find, and I was open to the idea of doing something other than sitting around the dragons for a while, connecting to their power, feeling the flow as it worked through me. I was willing to do something other than what I had been doing.
I had come to the capital for an opportunity to learn to connect to the dragons, to feel that power, and now that I had done it, maybe it was time for me to live just a little bit. At least, until I had to meet with the king.
14
The knock at my door woke me, and I sat up, startled.
I’d gotten back late and was tired. Sitting up, my head throbbed from drinking too much ale the night before. Each glass had gone down easier than the last, Natalie encouraging me with each one. I couldn’t remember how much she had drunk, though she seemed as if she hadn’t struggled nearly as much as I had when it came to stumbling back home. She’d left me near a plaza in the center of the city, and I had been forced to stagger back to the Academy on my own. It was a wonder I’d made it safely, though now that I looked around me, I briefly panicked that I didn’t end up in my own quarters.
The knock came again, a sharp rap against the door.
I got to my feet, staggering. My room was sparsely decorated. I had a bed, a chest of drawers (though very little clothing to put inside), and a small table where I was able to study—that is, when I had an opportunity to spend time here. These days, that wasn’t all that often.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, pressing my fingers up against my temples as I tried to suppress the pain, but it did nothing to ease it. The throbbing persisted, making it difficult for me to concentrate.
When the knock came again, I grunted. “I’m on my way.”
I had no idea who was waiting on the other side of the door, only that they seemed impatient. I didn’t think I’d missed any classes this morning, though I had no idea what time it was, so as far as I knew, it may not have even been morning anymore.
When I pulled the door open, I found Thomas standing on the other side. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching. “You are here,” he said.
He was dressed in a heavy black cloak, and the dragon scales worked into the fabric caused it to shimmer. The emblem on his left chest marked him as serving the king. A hint of heat radiated from him, enough that I suspected he held it intentionally, wanting to test whether I was aware of his connection to the dragons.
“Was I supposed to meet you?”
Thomas growled. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just . . .” I cut myself off before telling him too much. He didn’t need to know I’d spent the night out in the city. According to Natalie, it was a celebration of music, one that wasn’t altogether uncommon within the city. We didn’t have festivals like that in Berestal—not as impressive as what I’d seen.
“I’m sorry if I was supposed to find you before,” I said.
“Come along,” Thomas said.
I glanced down at myself. “Do I have time to get dressed?”
He grunted. “Get dressed. Meet me outside.”
I wasn’t in any condition to work with Thomas right now. I wanted to rest. I still felt the effects of sleep, and if it was still early, I wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, to get the last bits of rest that I could.
The look on Thomas’s face suggested to me he would brook no argument, so I closed the door on him for a moment and staggered over to my chest of drawers, pulling it open until I found fresh, clean clothing. I dressed as quickly as I could, though staggered a little bit, still affected by the ale.
When I was finally dressed, I stepped into my boots, threw my cloak around my shoulders, and entered the hallway.
The air was cool and almost damp, the way that it always was within the Academy. I breathed it in, trying to clear my head. I didn’t want to go down to train with Thomas and have a foggy mind, but it was a chore to try to get my mind freed.
The only thing I could think of was that he hadn’t told me we were meeting today.
At least, not first thing in the morning.
Unless he’d expected me to join him every day.
I weaved through the hall, trying to keep from stumbling. Eventually, I rested my hand on the wall, trailing it along the cool stone, pulling it off only long enough to move past some of the dragon lanterns.
When I reached the stairs, I heard a familiar voice below me.
I was in no mood to deal with Brandel this morning.
The alternative was turning around and going the opposite direction, but that meant I would have to wander through the Academy even more.
I had to decide soon. Brandel and whomever he was with were making their way up the stairs. I could hear the loud sound of their boots on the stones, almost as if they were thundering toward me. It was too much.
I braced myself and started down.
With ea
ch step, I tried to steady my breathing and clear my head, forcing myself to be ready for Brandel. When I rounded the landing, he was there with Cara.
“What are you doing . . . ? You smell terrible,” Brandel sneered. “What did you do, bathe in a bucket of ale?”
“Out of my way,” I said to Brandel.
He blocked me from going down the stairs.
“He was probably out at the festival last night,” Cara said. “Didn’t he know we were told not to go?”
“He probably thinks he’s too good to listen to the rules,” Brandel said. “I mean, he’s only been here for a few months, and he thinks he’s far more advanced than the rest of us.”
“I’m supposed to meet Thomas Elaron,” I mumbled.
If nothing else, maybe throwing around Thomas’s name with Brandel would get him out of my way.
He and Cara shared a look before Brandel turned his attention to me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re mistaken if you think he’s going to protect you. He’s not even going to be chief dragon mage for long,” he said.
“Right,” I said, starting forward.
“You need to be careful,” Brandel snapped, grabbing for my arm.
I pushed him back.
I think it was more the suddenness of the movement that startled him, and he staggered, slamming up against the wall.
I probably needed to be a bit more careful, especially with him. I had no interest in getting into a battle with him, not that it would be one that I would even be able to win.
He stormed toward me.
I reacted the only way that I could. I called upon the power, the energy that was still stored deep within me, more than I had realized, and I sent it sweeping out, surging from one side to the other. I held on to it, letting it explode outward. Without meaning to, it slammed into Brandel, uncontrolled as it knocked him back against the wall.
He glared at me. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t need to deal with you like this right now.”
He snorted. “You’re going to have to deal with me eventually. When my father—”
“I don’t care about your father,” I said, and turned away, starting down the stairs.
It seemed to surprise him, and he didn’t follow, at least at first. I was afraid he might come storming after me, slamming up into my back, and send me flying down the stairs, but he didn’t.
I heard him and Cara talking to each other for a moment, neither of them saying anything loud enough that I could hear, though she seemed to be urging him to take action.
I reached the bottom of the stairs and glanced over my shoulder.
He was still there, glaring at me.
“We can do this later,” I said to him.
He snorted. “I know we will.”
I could only shake my head.
I wandered through the rest of the Academy, making my way to the main entrance, and pushed open the door. I expected it to be early, though having seen Brandel and Cara up and in the halls, I don’t know why I believed that would’ve been the case. Instead, bright sunlight shone down. It had to be nearly midday.
Could I really have slept that long?
I thought about how much ale I’d drunk the night before and realized I absolutely could have.
I headed toward the dragon pen, but didn’t see Thomas there.
When I reached the pen, I made my way around it, still feeling the connection to the green dragon. That power poured through me, almost a continuous cycle now, something I didn’t even have to hold on to the way that I had before. It was almost as if the dragon himself maintained it, keeping us bound together.
There was energy somewhere behind me.
I spun to see Thomas watching from the road outside of the Academy. He had his arms crossed over his chest, a look of irritation on his face. Power flickered from dragon to dragon, as Thomas connected to them, using his unique power and ability to do so. When he did, I could feel the reaction within the dragons, the way that they seemed to tremble each time he touched power within them.
Was Thomas aware of what he did?
I took a deep breath and headed over to him, trying to keep my feet under me.
“It took you long enough,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I looked up at the sky, at the brightness, and shook my head. “I shouldn’t have slept nearly this long,” I said.
He grunted. “No, you should not have.”
“I was out a bit late with a friend.” He didn’t need to know which one. I had no idea who her parents were, but didn’t want to get her in trouble.
“The festival,” he said.
I nodded. “The festival. I didn’t mean to stay out so late, but . . .”
He grunted. “I suppose that is understandable,” Thomas said, some of his irritation fading. “When I was younger, I enjoyed festivals as well, though I knew how to handle my ale a little bit better than it seems you do.”
I frowned. “I know how to handle my ale.”
He chuckled. “You don’t smell like you do.”
I lifted my shirt, sniffing it, but I couldn’t smell anything. Then again, Brandel had implied that I stank, so he was probably right. “Where are we going?”
“Into the city,” he said.
“Why?”
Thomas glanced over, shooting me a hard look. “Because there are other things you can assist with.”
I wasn’t sure if I liked the sound of that, but at this point, I had to focus mostly on trying to clear my head. Rather than arguing, I followed him as he made his way through the streets. I recognized some of the places from the night before, at least before I had started drinking. I didn’t hear any music, nothing like there had been the night before, but I could feel something.
“Where in the city are we going?” I asked, after we had been walking for a while. There was much more activity in the outskirts of the city now than there had been the night before—at least, until we had reached the throng of people that we’d found near the festival grounds.
“Just keep quiet,” Thomas said.
I followed him, and the shops began to space out a little bit, the street seemed to widen. The clothing of passersby became nicer the farther we went, and I flicked my gaze ahead of me, realizing where we were going.
“The palace?” I asked. It was time for me to report to the king.
He grunted. “At least you remain a little bit observant.”
I rubbed my temples again, trying to shake off the vestiges of the ale. Breathing deeply, quickly, I tried to clear my head.
“Why now?” I asked.
He grunted. “When the king summons, we answer.”
“The king summoned me?”
Thomas glanced over to me. “Not you, boy. Me.”
Too many thoughts tried to go through my head—and failed.
I frowned at him. “I’m not a boy.”
“When you stay out drinking ale, you are.”
I grunted. I thought about how disappointed my father would have been to learn of me staying out so late, not getting up first thing in the morning, basically abandoning my responsibilities. He’d taught me to do better. To be better. Of course, when working on a farm, there was no real way to abandon chores. Sleeping in had the effect of tormenting the animals, and I had learned early on that if I were to do anything that would harm the animals, my father would get angry with me.
Not that I blamed him. As I got older, I had come to appreciate the logic of it. We relied upon the animals for our well-being, so with everything that we did, I’d learned to treat them with a measure of respect.
Even now, I felt the same about the dragons. Perhaps that was how I was different than some of the others within the city. I’d grown up around livestock, and realized how tied to them that we were. Of course, the livestock I’d raised had not been nearly as intelligent as the dragons.
I continued to rub my temples as we made our way through the streets,
passing a few other people, though many of them were heading toward the palace as well.
I caught sight of a dozen soldiers marching along one of the side streets, their bright chain mail gleaming in the sun. I knew the king had traditional soldiers that complemented the dragon riders along with the dragon mages, though in the time that I’d been within the city, I had not seen any of them.
As we neared the palace, Thomas didn’t slow. I wished he would take a moment, give me a chance to adjust, but unfortunately, I didn’t have that chance. He hurried forward and we reached the outer wall leading into the palace grounds.
Once there, he glanced over to me. “Are you going to be able to handle this?”
I licked my lips. “I’m going to be fine.”
“Good. The king has little patience for those who come before him unprepared.”
“I am unprepared,” I said.
“You can’t look as if you are unprepared.”
“I’m not exactly sure how I can look like anything else,” I said. “I don’t know what we are supposed to do.”
For that matter, I didn’t know what purpose I had for coming to the king. The only thing I knew was that Thomas wanted me to. It was tied to the Djarn, whatever happened in the forest, and perhaps tied to the fact that he wanted to prove that they had a connection to the dragons.
Or maybe . . .
I rubbed at my temple, trying to clear my thoughts. I knew Thomas’s ranking had changed. I didn’t know anything about it, other than what Brandel had said—and what Thomas had alluded to.
Could that be why he was going to the king?
Maybe Thomas wanted to use me to prove some point to him.
When he reached the gate leading into the palace, Thomas nodded to the two guards standing on either side, hands resting on the hilt of their swords. Even healthy, I wouldn’t want to mess with them. They were both enormous, with builds that made them look like blacksmiths, and I could imagine that they would have no difficulty wrestling down a wild boar.
They motioned for us to go past.
Once inside, I frowned.
“Just traditional soldiers?” I asked, glancing back toward the iron gates.
“You would’ve expected something else?”
The Betrayed Dragon (Cycle of Dragons Book 2) Page 16
