The Lost Child ~ [Xaden Riorson]

Chapter 4

I had to stay one full day in the healers after being mended by Nolan, the same mender who healed Violet. I managed to convince them to let me out the next day so long as I don't participate in any challenges for a month. From what I know, there was a lot of internal bleeding and broken bones. I have eight stitches along my back, Nolan having almost burned out healing the rest of me.

I sit next to Rhiannon in Dragonkind right now.

"Keep the temperaments of each specific breed in mind when you decide which dragons to approach and which to run from at Threshing," Professor Kaori says, his serious, dark eyes slashing toward his nose as he studies the new recruits for a beat, then he changes the projection he's conjured from a Green Daggertail to a Red Scorpiontail. He's an illusionist and the only professor in the quadrant with the signet ability to project what he sees in his mind, which makes this class one of my favorites.

The Red Scorpiontail in the center of our circled tables is a fraction of its actual size, six feet tall at most, but it's an exact replica of the actual firebreather waiting in the Vale for Threshing.

"Red Scorpiontails, like Ghrian here, are the quickest to temper," Professor Kaori continues, his perfectly trimmed mustache curving as he smiles at the illusion like he's the dragon himself. We all take notes. "So if you offend him, you're—"

"Lunch," Ridoc says from my left, and the class laughs. Even Jack Barlowe, who hasn't quit glaring at Violet since his squad took over their quarter of the room a half hour ago, snorts.

"Precisely," Professor Kaori responds. "So what's the best way to approach a Red Scorpiontail?" He glances around the room.

"You don't," Rhiannon mutters next to me, and I huff a laugh under my breath.

"They prefer that you approach from the left and from the front, if possible," a woman from one of the other squads answers.

"Excellent." Professor Kaori nods. "For this Threshing, there are three Red Scorpiontails willing to bond." The image changes in front of us to a different dragon.

"How many dragons are there in total?" Rhiannon asks.

"A hundred for this year," Professor Kaori answers, changing the image again. "But some might change their minds during Presentation in about two months, depending on what they see."

"That's thirty-seven fewer than last year." Violet blurts from Rhiannon's other side.

Professor Kaori's dark eyebrows rise. "Yes, Cadet Sorrengail, it is, and twenty-six fewer than the year before that."

"Will they tell you why they won't bond?" another first-year asks.

"No, jackass," Jack scoffs, his icy-blue gaze narrowing on the cadet. "Dragons only talk to their bonded riders, just like they only give their full name to their bonded rider. You should know that by now." Bull shit in my case but go on.

Professor Kaori sends Jack a look that shuts the first-year's mouth but doesn't stop him from sneering at the other cadet. "They don't share their reasons," our instructor says. "And anyone who respects their life won't ask a question they're not willing to answer."

"Do the numbers affect the wards?" Aurelie asks from where she sits behind me, tapping her quill against the edge of her desk. She's never happy sitting still.

Professor Kaori's jaw ticks twice. "We're not sure. The number of bonded dragons has never affected the integrity of Navarre's wards before, but I'm not about to lie to you and say that we're not seeing increased breaches when you know from Battle Brief that we are."

The wards are faltering at a rate that makes my stomach tense every time Professor Devera starts our daily Battle Brief. Either we're weakening or our enemies are getting stronger. Both possibilities mean the cadets in this room are needed more than ever.