WarMage- Unrestrained

by Martha Carr

  “Headmaster Flynn? Do you have a minute to talk about—”

  A low growl issued from beside the desk. Rider sat and bared his teeth in a warning snarl as she leaned through the open doorway.

  “Headmaster?” The office was entirely empty as far as she could tell—other than the massive wolf who sent a very clear message. “Did he leave you here by yourself?”

  Rider snarled again and took a few quick steps toward her, his ears flattened against his head.

  “I’ll come back.” Raven stepped down the stairs and shoved the huge door closed with a decisive thud.

  The snarls cut off abruptly and were replaced by the click of hard nails across the wooden floor. Point taken. That’s one way to keep people out. So where’s Flynn?

  With a frown, she descended the staircase and scowled as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I guess I’ll have to track him down early tomorrow. That dragon needs to fly.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lying snugly in her bed across the dorm room from Elizabeth, Raven turned in her sleep with a little groan. No way are those goats up this early.

  The noise of so many excited animals grew louder, and she dragged the covers over her head. I still have another hour, at least—

  A mighty roar jolted her completely awake. She threw the covers off and sat, her heart thudding. I’m not at the ranch. “Leander.”

  She scrambled from her bed and immediately recognized the sounds of many animals in distress. The dragon’s next thunderous cry made her breath catch in her throat. She forced herself to move and jammed her feet into her boots before she yanked her jacket off the chair behind her desk.

  Elizabeth’s bat familiar squeaked, and Raven turned as her roommate shuffled into a seated position in bed. “What’s going on?”

  “It woke you too, huh?” She thrust her arms through her jacket sleeves.

  “Kind of, I’ve been reading, though. It’s not that late.” The girl brushed her bangs out of her eyes and glanced at the window. “I’ve never heard a dragon roar like that before.”

  “Me neither. Something’s wrong.” Without waiting for a reply, she jerked the door to their room open and raced down the hall. Please, please, please. Let him be okay out there. It didn’t even occur to her that of all the animals kept beside the barn in the stables, Leander was the one least likely to be attacked.

  Her footsteps pounded down the hall and she didn’t care who heard or who else woke. All the noise is gonna do that anyway.

  A few doors opened as she sprinted past, but she only had eyes for the staircase. In a few minutes, she darted across the common room, barreled through the front door of the dormitory, and surged toward the stone archway and into the field. Leander hadn’t uttered another massive roar, but she could hear him snort amidst the other panicked whinnies, squeals, and squawks that issued from the stables.

  Raven aimed her headlong run to the gate to his pen but stopped when two flashing golden rings caught her attention at the edge of the forest that bordered the back of the school grounds. She squinted into the darkness and identified the massive outline of a shape she knew too well. What are vagreti panthers doing stalking around Fowler Academy?

  A loud, screeching grate of sharpened claws on metal tore her away from the panther, and it vanished quickly into the woods without a sound. With wide eyes, she whirled toward the pen and tugged the sleeve of her jacket up to expose the access rune on her arm. Orange light flared, the gate clicked open, and she hurtled inside.

  Leander spun in a tight circle, his nostrils flaring as he emitted huge, steaming snorts of air. A huge forepaw dug divots into the ground and ripped dirt out. She didn’t think twice before she ran to him, her arms outstretched to catch his attention.

  “Woah, woah. Leander. Hey. Everything’s all right.”

  He turned his glowing yellow eyes toward her and snorted again. After a moment, he settled a little more while she approached and his wings twitched out to half their span.

  “You’re okay.” Raven settled her hands on his large, warm snout and nodded. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Of course I am. Physically.”

  A few shouts rose from across the field. She ignored them. “You had me worried there for a second. That’s quite a roar you have.”

  “That was anger.”

  “What?”

  “Miss Alby.” Headmaster Flynn didn’t exactly shout her name but it was firm and commanding and caught her attention. The man appeared in the walkway that led to the pen’s open entrance, his hands raised in front of him as he studied Leander. “A word with Miss Alby, if you don’t mind.”

  She gaped in astonishment. He’s asking Leander’s permission.

  When her dragon snorted and pawed at the ground, she leapt away from the massive talons she knew wouldn’t have come down on her anyway. More voices rose from outside the pen and quickly grew louder. With that added to the uproar from all the panicked animals in the stables, there was suddenly too much noise all at once.

  “Make them stop,” Leander growled. He pulled his head away from her hands and turned in a tight circle toward the back of the pen.

  “I’ll do what I can,” Flynn replied. “Thank you. Miss Alby?”

  With a frown, Raven darted one last glance over her shoulder at the pacing red dragon before she slipped through the gate and began to close it behind her.

  “Ah. Just one moment, please.” The headmaster raised a finger and nodded toward the gate. “Perhaps it’s best to leave that gate cracked, for now. I don’t wish to make your familiar feel excluded from this conversation.”

  It’s a little too late for that now. She peered around him at a small crowd of both professors and students that had formed closer to the noisy stables. Professor Worley’s huge, dark form marched across the grass toward the entrance. The gate creaked when he stepped inside, and his low, murmuring voice rose wordlessly between the stalls.

  “Would you care to explain what happened?” Headmaster Flynn asked.

  “I don’t know what happened.” She ignored the onlookers but some of the students pushed forward for a better look at the dragon pen before Professor Gilliam tugged them back again. “But it wasn’t Leander’s fault. He didn’t do anything.”

  “Except wake the entire school.” The irritated comment came from a tall professor with a completely bald head who taught a class first-years weren’t allowed to take. She had seen the man a few times on the grounds, but that was as much as she knew about him.

  “And I’m sorry about that,” she replied although she looked only at the headmaster. “But if Leander made so much noise, I know it was for a reason—”

  “Trying to start trouble, I imagine. As dragons do,” the bald professor added and moved toward them. Professor Gilliam pressed her lips together and shared a nervous, wide-eyed glance with Professor Fellows, who’d apparently tied his hair back for the night instead of leaving it down as he did during the day.

  “He’s not trying to start anything.” Raven balled her hands into fists at her side. “He’s not trouble, either.”

  “He’s a dragon, child—”

  “That’s quite enough, Professor Dameron.” Headmaster Flynn glanced briefly over his shoulder and raised a hand toward the other man. “I believe Miss Alby is quite capable of relating these events in her own words.”

  “Not if she’s trying to protect the thing—”

  A loud snort—not nearly as loud as Leander’s—rose from the stables, followed by a sharp, swift kick against the stable wall and Professor Worley’s muffled curse.

  “See? I told you penning a dragon beside the stables was a fool’s endeavor, Headmaster. Not to mention keeping a beast like that on the school grounds, in the first place.”

  “Thank you, Professor.” Flynn’s voice had lowered into a warning at this point.

  “We’ll be lucky if that thing didn’t spook every other creature under Jeremy’s care to the point of physically harming t
hemselves,” Dameron added. Another thump and a quick scuffle rose from within the stables and the man pointed at the outer wall. “Or him. If you ask me, that dragon—”

  “That’s the thing, Professor.” Headmaster Flynn finally turned fully to face the disgruntled bald man who’d almost reached him and Raven. “I did not ask you. I am already painfully aware of your opinion on the matter, and if you’d like to discuss it further, we can arrange a more private setting for that purpose. Now, if you cannot contain yourself while we’re all out here getting our robes wet in the grass, please take your opinion somewhere more appropriate.”

  Dameron blinked, scowled first at the headmaster, then at Raven, and whirled away to stride back toward the main buildings.

  “This wasn’t Leander’s fault,” Raven said as she took a step closer to Flynn and fought to not hold her breath. “He’s not a beast—”

  “Oh, on the contrary, Miss Alby. That dragon is certainly a beast. A fantastic, regal, exquisite beast I feel fortunate to have at this school.” A small smile bloomed above his long gray beard. “I’m more inclined to listen to reason than fear, at any rate. Do continue with what you wished to tell me.”

  She swallowed. At least I have the headmaster defending Leander on this one too. That’ll help. “Thank you. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I saw…” She turned toward the forest and sighed, reluctant to voice it. They’re not gonna like this one. “I saw a vagreti panther sneak into the woods. It turned to look at me. I don’t know why it was here, but if anything spooked the animals in the stables, I’m willing to bet that was it.”

  A murmur of surprise rippled through the few students gathered with the other professors. Headmaster Flynn turned again to fix the small crowd with a commanding stare, and the voices fell silent. “Are you certain it was a vagreti panther and not another dark creature in the night?”

  “I’ve seen one before with my own eyes,” she said with a firm nod. “They’re very recognizable.”

  “Yes. They are.” He tugged his beard a few times and glanced at the slightly open gate to Leander’s pen. “That may explain one piece of this, Miss Alby. At the same time, I have very little reason to believe that one vagreti panther would spook a dragon to this degree. I want to know what did.”

  “Nothing,” Leander’s low voice responded from inside the pen with a short, metallic echo. “And there were two.”

  “I’m sorry?” The man glanced at the open gate, then frowned at her. She shrugged.

  “Unless you wish to speak with walls between us, mage, either step toward the gate or invite me through it.”

  The headmaster uttered a soft, tired chuckle and closed his eyes. He looked at Raven and gestured toward the gate. “With your permission?”

  “Sure.” If Leander’s willing to talk to him, my permission doesn’t mean much. “I’ll come with you.”

  “Yes, I think that’s the most cautious option.”

  Raven opened the gate barely wide enough for the headmaster to stand in the opening with a full view of the pen. She stepped all the way in herself and stopped between Leander and the entrance. I trust him completely but I’m not sure I trust anyone else around him yet.

  “Thank you, Miss Alby.” Headmaster Flynn took one step beyond the gate, then nodded at Leander. “And thank you for the invitation.”

  “To clear up false assumptions, mage. Nothing more.”

  “I understand.” He lowered his hands at his sides and held the red dragon’s glowing gaze. “Would you mind explaining your earlier statement?”

  “Which one?” Leander paced the far end of the pen and raised his head on his long neck occasionally to sniff the air.

  Raven bit her lip. Exactly like this morning. Whatever it is, he feels it again.

  “Both, I suppose,” the headmaster replied with a small shrug. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Nothing spooked me. I tried to get those dumb animals to listen but they’re impossible.”

  This time, the man pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh. “I understand your frustration.”

  “I wanted to sleep.” The dragon paused his measured tread with another snort. “And I tried to tell those idiots in the stables that the beasts stalking across the grounds were as afraid as they are. Again, dumb animals.”

  “Ah, yes.” Flynn nodded, his brow creased in confusion. “And the stalking beasts?”

  “The large cats you call vagreti,” Leander growled. “There were two of them.”

  Raven’s eyes widened. “And they were afraid?”

  “I could smell it.” The red dragon raised his snout for another sniff. “So could the barnyard beasts. The difference between us is that I understand what it means and those idiots don’t know enough to realize it wasn’t their own fear they smelled.”

  Headmaster Flynn gave her a concerned glance. “We’re very fortunate to have you here to interpret, Leander.”

  “Don’t get used to it. I’m here for Raven Alby.”

  She ignored his expression—half amusement and half concern—and stepped toward her dragon. “So you became angry and that’s what all the roaring was about?”

  “Yes. That, and my own concerns. Those panthers weren’t here to feed on the animals in this pen and they’re smart enough to stay away from me.”

  “Then why were they here?”

  Leander turned quickly to study Headmaster Flynn for a brief moment before he turned his gaze to Raven and lowered his head. “They were running away.”

  “Two vagreti panthers taking their chances on the grounds of this school and past a dragon.” The headmaster tugged his beard again. “Yes, I may be as concerned as you are. Thank you, Leander.”

  The dragon rumbled again but said nothing more.

  As Flynn turned away from the gate, Raven ran toward Leander and brushed her hand against his front leg. “Something’s still bothering you, isn’t it? Whatever made the panthers come out here. That’s what you feel.”

  “Yes, Raven.” His muscular tail thrashed the grass before it stilled. “If I knew what it was, I would tell you.”

  “I know. Thank you for talking to him and clearing this up.”

  “They’re still afraid of me.”

  “They’re only getting used to having a dragon around.” She glanced at the open gate and grimaced at the sound of hushed whispers and a few gasps in the night. At least the stables are quiet again. “All that will settle too.”

  “It shouldn’t. They are right to fear a dragon but that’s not the most important fear.”

  “Yeah, there’s definitely something going on. I’m working on finding out what that is.”

  “Work faster.” Leander shifted his footing again, but he stilled when she patted his leg and uttered a small laugh.

  “Yeah, I have the same issue with patience. Are you okay in here for the night?”

  “I’m fine. If those brainless snacks in the stables start again, though, they might not be.”

  “The panthers are gone and it sounds like the animals are settled.” It sounded like Professor Worley might have a few bruises in the morning, though. “I’ll be back before classes tomorrow, okay?”

  The dragon didn’t respond but stepped away from her to turn a few circles in the grass before he curled in on himself and closed his eyes.

  “Okay. Goodnight.”

  Raven reached the gate before the low rumble of his voice followed her. “Goodnight, Raven.”

  With a smile, she stepped out of the pen, closed the gate firmly behind her, and waited for the heavy click when the latch slid into place. She turned to locate Headmaster Flynn again, who now stood in front of the gathered students and what few professors had arrived to see what all the trouble was about. “No, Miss Reynolds. A few wild panthers making their way into the woods is not a cause for concern. They wanted nothing to do with this school, I assure you.”

  Great. We stopped one panic about a dragon only to start another over panthers. Maybe I can help. />
  Chapter Twenty

  Raven didn’t have an opportunity to help Headmaster Flynn explain what had happened. The man ended the abrupt conversation when he simply told everyone to return to the dorms and get some sleep. “Your studies are still the priority here. And I expect each of you to focus on your training at this school far more than spreading false rumors to the others come morning. Is that understood?”

  The students nodded but a few of them looked incredibly disappointed at not having witnessed a real spectacle they could brag about in the morning. Most of them, though, merely looked terrified. So did Professors Gilliam and Fellows, even when they ushered the students away from the stables and across the field toward the school’s main buildings.

  “Headmaster.” She stepped behind Flynn and waited for him to turn. He did, but he stared after the retreating students with narrowed eyes. “I’m fairly sure the whole school will know about this tomorrow.”

  “Of course they will.” He turned toward her with another tired smile and sighed with weary exasperation. “I know the futility of my request, Miss Alby, but if they feel entrusted with whatever they think they know instead of threatened into keeping a secret, there’s a chance that only the facts will slip through. Or most of them, at any rate.”

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  “Yes.” The man glanced at the dragon pen and scratched above his eyebrow. “I want you to know that Leander is still welcome here, whether or not he appreciates the welcome.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How is he in there?”

  She bit her lip. “He says he’s comfortable and he likes the grass.”

  Flynn chuckled. “That’s a start.”

  Raven couldn’t bring herself to laugh with him. “He also says he feels something…not quite right.”