The School of Dragon Riders [Dragon Riders #1]

Chapter 20 (edited)

There was no break after the first battle. Tanya came straight to us, and before we could congratulate her properly, Headmaster announced the next battle. I still felt tired from the day before, so sitting and doing nothing suited me fine.

Snow was fighting against an earth wielder. He immediately used his wind to push him, but the student managed to make an earth wall before the gust of air hit him.

They fought for a few more minutes, using both Elements and swords. It was obvious to everyone that Snow was just playing around. He wasn't serious.

"What did you expect? He's a trained swordsman, so of course this is a joke to him," a voice said from beside me. I turned around saw that it was none other than Fox, her dark eyes seemingly staring into my soul. She grinned at me and motioned me to focus on the game. I did that, and just in time to see Snow finally stop joking and defeated his opponent. We cheered again, but once more, all we could say was good job, before the next match started.

That one we lost, but we won the next one and the one after that.
I was distant during the rest of the battles, but I know that both Tanya and Snow won again. And we won with Earthquake being one victory short of winning.
I cheered as all of the people did, but my mind wasn't really on it. I watched the clouds more than the battlefield. I felt relaxed- more relaxed than I ever felt.
"Glad I helped," a voice said in my mind. Then I realized that the reason I felt relaxed and not focused was because Fox was messing with my mind. But I didn't have the strength to resist her, and once more, all the focus I had ran away, and I was drifting again.
After a while, it stopped, and I started getting angry with Fox as soon as I started being myself again.
That's when Tanya and Snow approached us.
"Congratulations," I said, forgetting what Fox did and being happy for our victory.

"It was easy," Snow said, waving his hand dismissively. Tanya rolled her eyes.

"I bet it was for you, but they were pretty tough," she said.

"You still managed to bring us victory. For that, we're happy. After all, that's all everyone here is thinking about- being better than the rest," Fox said and we all turned around to face her. I frowned, angry at her messing with my mind again.

"Why didn't you compete, if you're so smart?" I said harshly.

"I did, but they prohibited it because of an accident that happened during the battle," she said. It must have been the same accident that made her not have a mentor any more.

"What happened? You keep mentioning it," Tanya said. While she was talking, I switched to my human form, since I felt my humanity starting to slip away a little. I didn't want to end up like that man who started stealing dragons.

"What happened is not your concern," Fox replied, obviously annoyed. Tanya was as stubborn as I was. I knew that no good was to come from that, but I still didn't join in.

"Why isn't it? Come on, tell us, or are you afraid? Are you a coward like I thought you were?" Tanya mocked. She never attacked people like that. It must have been weariness from the battle. I saw that she didn't mean it, and that she only wanted to find out what happened, but I knew that Fox wouldn't take it that way. My assumptions were confirmed as Tanya fell on her knees, holding her head and trying not to scream. I ran to her, but there was nothing that I could do.

"Keep your nose where it belongs. I don't see it poking through Snow's history. Do you not want to know what he really did on that mission? You don't believe he got rid of the guild, and you're right, he didn't. He..." She was cut off by Snow slamming into her as they both fell to the ground. They were rolling around and I grabbed Snow, expecting to lift him off Fox, but I was in my human form and he was stronger than I was. Suddenly, Snow's arm started hitting his own face. He jumped off Fox, trying to stop his hand with his other hand, but he just kept hitting himself with both hands. I switched to my dark form as both Jack and I tried to contain his hands. Tanya was still on the floor, but she wasn't holding her head anymore.