Wings of Fire - The LostWing Chronicles, Book 1 - The Awoken

Chapter 11

There was a dragonet waiting for them when they eventually returned to the main chamber. He was of the same coloring as Sunny, with shining golden scales rather than the usual tan or yellow for SandWings, except for a splattering of midnight-black scales that dotted his snout and upper shoulders. His eyes were a bit larger than those of most dragons, and had a bright orange hue that sparkled with curiosity and wonder. Around his front and back legs were woven odd bands of metal and straps bearing a wide assortment of what appeared to be mechanical tools, which reflected the light behind them as he waved excitedly in their direction. Turtle sent a bright smile to the odd dragonet, then whispered to Anadrom right as they landed, "That's Solstice, the son of Moon and Qibli. He's incredible; some of the things he builds - well, we swore he had to be an animus for a while." With this intriguing remark, they all made their way over to the dragonet.

"Hello!" he chirped enthusiastically. "My pleasure to meet you - wait, no, that's not how it goes. My pleasure to make your acquaintance. Solstice the Sandy-NightWing at your service!" He bowed low, and Anadrom attempted to do so in return.

"Likewise to you, from Anadrom the LostWing," she replied with a small smile.

"Yes!" Solstice nodded. "Perfect, I've found you. You see, I've managed to convince Sunny to let me give you the tour of the academy. Which will be great! I've never been allowed to show anyone around before, although I have an amazing plan to do it." The dragonet seemed to not mind in the least that Anadrom was not exactly an usual student, which she appreciated. Is that why he's really doing this, though? Just because he wants to finally show someone around? Or is he trying to get me to like him, so that I'll enchant things for him in the future? Or is he just the kind of dragon who wants to be friends with everyone he meets?

"You didn't really find us," Turtle pointed out. "We just returned to this spot and you happened to be waiting for us here."

"Maybe," Solstice said, his eyes twinkling. "But nevertheless, here we all are! What do you say, Anadrom? Please?"

"Alright," she agreed, and Solstice beamed at her. Everything about him was too spontaneous and somehow sincere to be an act, she decided. The way he looked at everyone was something she had never seen in another dragon before; a combination of curiosity, interest, and hope, as if he suspected that at any moment anyone around him would do something incredible. He was impossible to dislike.

"Fantastic!" he said, turning to face the left tunnel leading deeper into the academy. "Follow me into the wonders of peace and knowledge. The dark times are behind us, the future is bright, and most everything worth mentioning is happening here, in the cornerstone of progress; Jade Mountain Academy!" He gestured his talons about grandly as they hurried through the immense entrance cavern, balancing effortlessly on his back legs and tail, which she now noticed bore no poisonous barb at all. "As you know, this is the entrance hall, with such fine features as the schedule-gong and the rock shelf where all assemblies are held. The tunnel to the left here leads down into the student and classroom wings, while the one up and over to the right leads to - let's see here - the quarters of the Heads of School, the guest caves, and the offices. Sunny and Clay put a ton of work into creating these chambers that mimic the environments of each kingdom, so that visiting royalty or officials can feel entirely at home. They actually let me help set up the SeaWing cave, and used my design for the water filtration system! Wait, would you have stayed there last night? Did it work - was there any algae buildup or anything? I might have to replace the pipes running down from the rainwater tanks - oh, or maybe make sure that nothing is growing in them."

He was looking hopefully at her now, and she could see how much he wanted to gather data on his invention. "I'm sorry, but they didn't - er - assign me there," she admitted. "I was put in one of the unfinished guest caves, I think. But I can check on it with you afterwards, if you'd like."