𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑, iron flame

chapter nine

𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐓𝐘𝐍

"Cairngorms? Isn't that the hunting village in the mountains?" Xaden asked on Saturday, leading me down the stairs from the first-year dorm room. Violet was occupied with some kind of secret second-year course called "Interrogation" and today, Xaden had allowed me to tag along on his mission. As we walked, a sense of anticipation tightened my chest, realizing that he was taking me to see where he stole the weapons.

"Hm Hm." I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "I picked up all kinds of skills from the villagers there. And the family who took care of me are genuinely such kind-hearted people."

"I'm glad to hear that," Xaden's voice softened.

"I thought it would be difficult to fit in, you know," I said, gesturing towards the Rebellion relic winding around my arm, peaking out from beneath my short-sleeved shirt. "But as it turns out, I wasn't the only kid they adopted over the years. By the end of last year, there were about six of us."

"They must've struggled to feed you," Xaden smirked, his eyes dancing mischievously.

I shook my head, amusement playing on my lips. "You'd think so, considering the size of the family, but they were exceptional at rationing. It wasn't until about two years ago when everyone in the village started facing hardships..."

Xaden interrupted with a playful jest, "I was referring to you. With your appetite, you probably singlehandedly wiped out the entire village's food supply."

My mouth fell open in outrage, and I jabbed Xaden in his shoulder so hard that he nearly tumbled down the stairs.

However, he merely snickered in response. "I can't decide whether I'm glad or not that hasn't changed."

"Jerk," I retorted, rolling my eyes, as we emerged from the academic wing into the empty courtyard. The crisp air of autumn enveloped us, matching the coolness inside the building. We strolled past a couple of first-years jogging in their workout clothes, catching Xaden's attention.

"You have Gauntlet training starting soon, don't you?" he asked once the first-years were out of earshot.

I nodded, a mix of excitement and nervousness bubbling within me. "Yup, and then we finally get our dragons." I let out a sigh, the thought of having a dragon companion filling me with both anticipation and uncertainty. I had no idea how dragons would interact with people like us, bearing the Rebellion relics. However, knowing that Xaden and Bodhi both had dragons provided a small measure of comfort.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Xaden suddenly spoke up beside me, his eyes locked with mine. "Sgaeyl says that you don't have a bad reputation among the dragons."

"Sgaeyl?" I furrowed my brow, trying to recall the name.

"She's my dragon," he explained. Ah, right.

"I do? How?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Word of Fen Riorson's two brats gets around. No matter how much Dad and I tried to hide you, dragons are a lot wiser than we are," he said with a wry smile.

"I should've figured... Speaking of Sgaeyl, she's a blue daggertail, isn't she? What's she like?" I peered up at him, my curiosity piqued.

Xaden hesitated, searching for the right words. "She's... vicious. Even most dragons steer clear of her. And she doesn't like to follow rules."

"A match made in heaven then," I joked, a snort escaping me. "I hear she's ginormous. But I also heard Violet's dragon is even bigger."

Xaden visibly softened at the mention of her name, a mixture of longing and affection crossing his face before he began to explain, "Tairn is the second-largest dragon in active service. He's considered one of the deadliest dragons in Navarre and the only other black dragon aside from Codagh."