A LAND OF FIRE AND SCALES: Keeper of the Stars (1)

Chapter 11

Morning arrived, and with it, Harley and Sarah's usual griping.

'Seriously? Dragon studies?' Harley groaned as she glanced at her timetable.

I shrugged, sitting on my bed as I pulled on my talon-print socks. Azula looked on at the socks curiously.

'Dragon studies is fun. We're learning about Hawaiian lava dragons today, remember?'

'Bo-ring,' Sarah drawled. 'You're so nerdy, Jaylin.'

Or perhaps you're just too lazy.

Throwing on a bomber jacket, I stood up and flounced towards the door, scooping up Azula on the way. Why are my roommates terminally irritating?

After I'd eating breakfast at the Mess Hall, Anya, Killian and I headed straight to Dragon Studies, our dragons perched on our shoulders.

'Looks cool,' I remarked, stepping into the classroom and noticing the numerous posters of rare dragons tacked up on the walls.

One of them, I noted, was an artist's impression of a Starscreamer.

That's you, I told Azula, and she chirped.

Why is it breathing big mean fire flames? she whispered, looking at the billowing starfire pouring out from its mouth.

Because Starscreamers are very powerful, I replied. You will be powerful one day, too.

Azzy's eyes lit up. I want to be strong, she agreed.

Train hard and you will, I told her, and with that, I took my seat.

A few minutes later, our teacher – presumably our Dragon Studies Teacher – entered the classroom, struggling to carry a tower of giant textbooks. I watched him with amusement as he staggered over to his desk and set them all down with a sigh.

'Well, class,' he said, smoothing down his wrinkled suit and straightening his comically tiny spectacles, 'I'm Mr Xu and I'll be your Dragon Studies teacher for this year.' He looked around the classroom and gave a wide smile with his crooked teeth. 'So, let's get started.'

He gave a low whistle and without a warning, a flash of white burst through the door and practically screeched to a halt beside him.

It took a while for me to process the fact that there was an Arctic serpent-dragon standing right before us.

The room filled with silence as thick as a mud-dragon's scales. Arctic serpent-dragons were incredibly rare – though not as rare as Starscreamers – and owned an ice-breath so potent that it could freeze a grown person. Or so the legends said.

This dragon was whip-thin, equipped with pale blue talons and a thin mane of spikes as sharp as arrows.

'Oh, yes, and this is Tarakul,' Mr Xu smiled, gesturing to the serpent-dragon as if he were just a teacher's assistant. 'My bond-brother.'

Tarakul let out a squawk. Hello, class, he greeted, dipping his head and flaring his wings. I'll be assisting Mr Xu this year.

A couple of classmates nodded their heads, while everyone else just stared. Myself included. He could freeze us all if he wanted to.

That is awesome.

'Anyhow,' Mr Xu said cheerily, 'today we're going to be studying the Hawaiian lava dragon.' He began to shuffle through his stack of textbooks. 'Now, where did I put that booklet...'

We all waited, barely hiding our laughter, before he lifted the book into the air triumphantly.

'Now! Lava dragons,' he started, 'are very elusive creatures. And as their name implies, they live around volcanoes.' He flipped to a page in his booklet that displayed a roaring lava dragon with magma shimmering between its claws. 'They survive off dead animals that have been intoxicated by smoke or volcanic projectiles. And their scales are able to withstand fire – at least to an extent.'