Given

Chapter 2:2

Pronunciation Guide:

Orire N'jem = Oh-ree-reh en-jem
Ach'e = Achey (hard "ch" like "choose")
Minato = Mee-na-toe
Bian = Bee-an

***

Instincts honed from years of hunting told her not to make any sudden movements. Though adrenaline flooded her veins, and her muscles tensed to run, she couldn't help thinking that the dragon before her was even more stunning than the one she'd seen flying into the city, maybe even more beautiful than the nne on the plains at home. She marveled at how his scales flashed from black to violet in the sun even as she brought her hands up, backs out, showing him her water runes.

"I want no fight, dragon," she said as she retreated. The dragon stalked after her, claws clicking on the path. Her back hit rough stone, an outbuilding of some kind, and the dragon stopped as well. She kept her shaking hands before her, but hesitated to attack. The beast didn't plan to kill her—that much she knew, though that could change in an instant. He seemed more curious than anything, and she'd rather not antagonize him.

He turned his long, scaled head to the side and regarded her out of an eye as big as her palm, the slitted pupil a dark, elliptical discus floating in amethyst.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded

A gleaming claw shot out at her. Yenni dove and rolled to the right, straight into the hard scales of the creature's tail. She jumped up even as the dragon curled leisurely around her, sinuous and deadly. Yenni whipped up her hands and unleashed twin jets of water at the beast.

He snorted and flicked out a pink lizard's tongue, lapping at the water.

Mothers and Fathers, water did no harm! The dragon lay flat, still eyeing her, his body a wall of scales. Tall, regal horns curved up and back from his head.

Yenni's stomach was a twisted knot of nerves, yet she heard no screams, no shouts, no indication that anyone else noticed the grumbling beast surrounding her. She'd seen students everywhere coming and going, and yet no one reacted, not even the man who'd stared her down so boldly moments ago. It was one thing if none of the cowards wanted to step in and help her, but shouldn't there be some sort of response?

The dragon turned. Yenni flared her speed runes and dove but too slow, and the forked tongue slid rough and wet against her thigh. The dragon jerked its head up, twin plumes of smoke hissing from his nose, and nimbly jumped to his feet like a fleet-cat, rising up to more than twice her height. Then he turned away from her, opened his bat-like wings and flapped them, fanning her with heat. He took off with a screech, flashing purple and black as he soared into the azure sky. For two heartbeats Yenni stood stunned, watching the beast disappear, then she grabbed the straps of her back-satchel and ran like an emerald leopard was on her heels.

She didn't stop until she was in an open square of bright green grass, where at last she flicked her eyes back to the sky, relieved to see it dragonless. Panting, she glanced around. The other students gave her strange looks, but none seemed particularly disturbed. What by all the Sha was going on? She didn't imagine the whole thing, did she?

She looked up again, tense, alert for the sound of wings beating the air, but the atmosphere around her was calm, almost pastoral. Perhaps...perhaps it had been some kind of hallucination brought on by stress. But that heat and those gem-like eyes...the dragon felt real enough. Yenni looked to the sky yet again. Still no dragons. She bit her lip. Perhaps if she retraced her steps she could find the main gate again and go from there. Hallucination or not, she wanted to get out of open space as soon as possible. She turned to head back and gasped.

A very strange person was making her way through the sprinkling of students in the square. Yenni blinked. Was this another trick of her mind? She shook her head, but the woman didn't disappear. Yenni knew it was rude, but she stared openly. She couldn't help it: the woman was blue!