Dragon Academy

by Devonnie Asher

  Up close, it seemed like she had been practicing for hours. Her cadet uniform was stained at the knees, and I recognized the tear in the leather from where Ghrein had nearly wounded her earlier today.

  “We come here to train in the evenings.”

  She uncrossed her arms, furrowing her brows.

  “Train?”

  I nodded. “Yep. Ever since our first class.”

  A moment of recognition flashed in her eyes. We exchanged a common thought. She understood why I did.

  “Perfect then,” She shifted her stance, crouching down slightly with her legs apart. “Let’s spar.”

  I smirked, reaching for my own sword that was strapped to my back.

  “Bring it on.”

  Solra ran towards me with surprising nimbleness, holding her sword high above her head.

  Evading her strike was easy. I followed up with a swipe at her torso. If this hadn’t been a friendly spar, that would have been a fatal blow.

  “Don’t leave yourself open.”

  She took a deep breath, nodding. I demonstrated with my own sword, showing her how to initiate an attack that still kept you protected.

  “Again.”

  This time, I went on the offensive.

  Clank. Clank. Clank.

  She blocked every attack, taking a step back each time. Another weakness. The next time, I lunged lower. Her attempt at dodging me unbalanced her, and she fell into a heap on the floor.

  I stood over her, pointing the tip of my sword at her neck. Another fatal blow.

  “Stay light on your feet,” I said, demonstrating. “On the ball of your feet, so you can react. You’re too flat-footed.”

  She nodded firmly, determination blazing in her eyes.

  “Good, let’s go.”

  I had barely finished when she launched a melee of attacks. I deflected each one, but the intensity was hard to keep up with. She applied my advice quicker than I expected.

  She would have me if I didn’t do something quickly.

  When she lunged toward me, I bent backwards as far as I could, using my free hand for support. Her blade swiped over my head, missing my nose narrowly. She fell off balance, having expected me to block her attack.

  In one fluid movement, I twirled upright with my blade outstretched.

  I stopped just short of the skin on her neck.

  “That was better,” I admitted, out of breath.

  She grinned, letting out a sigh.

  “Break?” She said, panting. “I’m used to sparring with the tree. They can’t bend like that.”

  I chuckled.

  We found a rock to rest on nearby.

  The clearing was still, save for the chirping of crickets and nightingales, intermingled with the sound of Ignimitra and Zelkor playing. They had taken to the skies in an interesting looking game of tag.

  Solra produced a couple sticks of jerky from her pack, handing me one.

  “Will you train me, Kaos?” Her question came suddenly.

  I chewed on a piece of jerky. I imagined it was a hard question for someone like Solra to ask, so I didn’t make her feel bad about it, only nodded.

  In the moonlight, Solra’s hazel eyes looked almost crystalline. I could see the moon’s reflection in them—she was laid on her back, looking at it.

  We ate in silence. It didn’t feel as awkward as it should have.

  “Graduating is my only option,” she said. “I can’t fail at any of this. That’s why I need your help.” She left a lot unsaid; I could tell. She sounded like she wanted to say it.

  I nodded in agreement, and waited.

  Her facade cracked a few moments later.

  “My mother is a taverness,” she said.

  The weight of her words hung in the air between us.

  Tavernesses were relegated to the lowest Order, Vromiko. They traded in pleasure, earning the derision of most Pyralians, even though it was the men from the highest Orders who kept them in business.

  After my family broke up, I remembered the horror of being chased out of my village by the very people I had grown up with, who my parents had invited into our homes. I understood what Solra meant more than she knew.

  “Pretty lucky of you to make it here,” I commented, taking another bite of my beef jerky. What were the chances that she had saved enough to make it into a Placement School and buy a dragon egg? Had she stolen a dragon too?

  “My mother never believed that she was lesser because of her Order.” She began, her face solemn. “When I was ten, she got me into a really good Finishing School on the mainland. I still don’t know how she did it, but the opportunity was just enough. There were many days without food, lots of teasing—even in Placement School. But I made it here.” The conviction in her voice penetrated deep in my heart. I remembered how quick Vulknor was to use a slur. Most people from the higher Orders were like that. “I know what’s on the line for me. If I fail, I would have wasted all my mother’s sacrifices. This is the only way I can make her life better.”

  I was a little choked up, my eyes burning and my throat dry. I knew the feeling of wanting to avenge life for a parent too well.

  “Your mother is a strong woman,” I said.

  She nodded ferociously; her eyes glassy.

  “She’s the strongest person I know. I don’t even know who my father is, but she made it work with all the odds stacked against her.”

  “You are just like her,” I said, and she looked at me for the first time since we had started talking. I meant it. “You’re strong and brave.”

  Solra cracked a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Silence fell between us again, but this time I was the one who had the burning urge to speak. I had to reassure her, to let her know that it didn’t diminish her in my eyes. If anything, it drew us closer together.

  “Solra?”

  She looked over at me, and I saw that the tears had beaded in her lashes.

  “I’ll always have your back, no matter what.” I smiled, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “You can always count on me.”

  This time, her smile lit up her entire face.

  “TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING of your real aerial combat training, cadets!” Sergeant Vera was too excited.

  We were gathered on the side of a cliff which overlooked the mountain range that was home to the academy.

  “Today, you’ll learn how to fly in formation.”

  I thought back to the trip here. Nurik and the other dragons had flown a specific way, in formation it seemed.

  “Why is formation flying important? Anyone?”

  The usual hands went up, Solra included.

  “Rushing, go ahead.”

  “To save energy on long flights,” she beamed.

  Sergeant Vera nodded, “Correct! By syncing wing beats, the updraft helps each dragon in formation save energy.” She clasped her hands. “But, that’s not the only reason.”

  Vulknor spoke.

  “It’s more an offensive than defensive strategy. They’re better organized to attack and fend off enemy dragons,” Vulknor spoke. “Saving energy is just an added benefit.”

  Sergeant Vera smiled. “That’s also true Vulknor, thank you.”

  I listened intently, intrigued by the idea.

  “You see, a dragon formation is always stronger than each of the dragons that make up the formation. It’s a way to maximize the strengths of each dragon, while covering their weaknesses.” She paced the front line. “Typically, soldiers run missions in teams of three or four in a simple diamond formation. The dragon that leads is the nimblest, the two behind him the most offensive, and the strongest dragon flies last, keeping the line.”

  I glanced over at Ignimitra. Where would we fall?

  “Today, you’ll learn the diamond formation. I have your assignments here,” She held up a clipboard.

  My hopes of being paired with Irikai and Solra were soon dashed.

  “Vulknor, Kaos, Janshaik, and Lyle.”

  I gr
oaned. Of course, I had to get Vulknor. At least I could use the other two cadets as a buffer. The four of us gathered a few steps from the group.

  Janshaik and Lyle were twins. They stood roughly the same height as me, with platinum colored hair and the same milky skin tone as Solra. Even their dragons resembled; two earth-colored Flamespikes.

  “Aresa and I will fly the strongest position,” Vulknor said.

  Janshaik—I presumed, since I didn’t know them apart—rolled his eyes, but said nothing. It was refreshing to know that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like Vulknor.

  “I think Lyle and I are best suited for the most offensive positions,” The other one spoke. He was Janshaik, it was Lyle who shared my dislike of Vulknor. “Our dragons already have their fire breath.”

  That left Ignimitra and I with the front. I hadn’t given much thought to which position I wanted us to fly, but now I didn’t want that one. The dragon at the front set the pace.

  If we blundered, everyone would.

  Sergeant Vera had us fly our formation group by group, with the entire cohort watching. The circuit was a straight line to the nearest mountain peak, rolling through a split-s, then flying back to the cliff. It was deceptively simple.

  We were all flying without a saddle—our dragons couldn’t be fitted for one until they had slowed down their growth—and we had to keep formation through every part of the maneuver. Aside from the fact that failing meant a bad grade, there was a high probability that any mishap would send us plummeting to our deaths.

  Our turn came around quicker than I hoped.

  I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip, trying to mask my nervousness. If Ignimitra got nervous too, it was all over. She looked excited, her tail swishing about and her wings tittering as I mounted her.

  I explained what we needed to do, twice.

  The four of us took our positions, waiting for Sergeant Vera’s call.

  “Soar!”

  We took to the air smoothly in a steady climb. The buzz of the dragon wings behind us was reassuring. I chanced a glance at them—they were all where they were supposed to be.

  Maybe we could do this after all.

  Aboard Ignimitra, I realized the split-s was more difficult than it looked.

  She banked to begin the roll, but I could feel that something was wrong.

  Ignimitra lost her control as she began the dive, seeming to have approached the maneuver too quickly. My heart was in my throat. It felt like we were free falling, and that’s when the crash came.

  Janshaik’s dragon crashed into ours in a flurry of wings and talons. Ignimitra screeched and writhed, nearly bucking me off into the rocky depths below. I held on to her scales for dear life, squeezing my eyes shut.

  Luckily, she righted herself quickly.

  But Janshaik’s dragon was riderless.

  Had he fallen off? Because of us?

  My mouth tasted like nausea, my vision going white blurry. Electricity was in every joint of my body. I couldn’t bring myself to see if he had fallen.

  Aresa appeared beside Janshaik’s dragon then, with Vulknor and an obviously shaken up Janshaik on her back. If looks could kill, I would’ve been mincemeat on the rocks below.

  I felt numb.

  He had nearly fallen to his death because of us.

  When we landed, I wanted to hide from everyone. Ignimitra had shrieked out of shock more than pain—there was only a thin scratch on her hide. Solra and Irikai rushed over to me, and she captured me in a tight hug. It didn’t do much for the turmoil building in my chest.

  Everyone else seemed angry with me.

  Janshaik and Lyle stared daggers into me as they walked past, their dragons spewing soot from their nostrils. Vulknor stopped in front of me, wearing the biggest smile I had ever seen him with.

  “Not as fancy in the air as you are with your sword, huh?” He teased. “You’re lucky I was on your team; else you’d be hanging high by this evening.”

  That was enough for the tears to spring.

  “Keep it moving,” Irikai snapped.

  Solra turned me away from him, wedging herself between us.

  Ignimitra rushed over to me, trying to lick away my tears.

  He was right. This was my fault.

  Somebody almost died because of me. I should’ve spoken up when I felt unsure of our place in the formation. Did I even explain it to Ignimitra properly? How could I become a good soldier if we couldn’t even lead a formation?

  When Sergeant Vera started speaking, I braced for the worst.

  “Formation flying is a basic but important part of aerial combat. If you can’t master it, you’ll never be able to execute a mission, and you’ll put lives at risk.” My skin was ablaze from her gaze. “Most of you did well. However, the following cadets must improve by the next class, or you’ll have to be removed from the Academy. Sadly, we don’t have weeks to spend on this.”

  My breath caught.

  Sergeant Vera had seemed different from all the other instructors. And maybe she was. But this was the Dragon Academy, nobody ever just “left.”

  “Irikai Wilder, Janshaik Heron and Kaos Kressin.”

  That was the final nail in my coffin. The fact that Irikai was there with me, did little to allay the anxiety I felt. My head was on the chopping block.

  Ignimitra whimpered.

  “Don’t worry,” Solra said quickly, to both of us. Irikai seemed taken aback by the announcement, his face sullen.

  “That means a lot coming from you, Princess Perfect.” Irikai’s sarcasm cut deep.

  Anger flared in her eyes, the insult on the tip of her tongue. But she swallowed it.

  “Neither of you are getting kicked out,” She put a hand on both of our shoulders. “We have two days. We’re going to practice until you can fly formations in your sleep.”

  Irikai’s face lightened.

  “Now, let’s come up with a plan.

  That night, the six of us rushed through our supper and spent the rest of the night training.

  Chapter 9

  Two days, little sleep and hours upon hours of practice later, Irikai and I thought ourselves ready to face Sergeant Vera again. Our practice sessions helped me to realize that I had approached formation flying all wrong. I had left it all up to Ignimitra—forgetting the fact that she was still a weeks-old dragonling. She needed my guidance.

  Instead of tagging along for the ride, I had to direct her.

  I was her tamer.

  Once I did that, we were flying better, stronger and faster.

  We gathered on the same cliff; this time I took a position at the front.

  Sergeant Vera was late, as usual. It was a few minutes into the scheduled time before we saw Slade approaching in the distance, flying at breakneck speed.

  He wasn’t alone.

  Two other dragons flew beside him, and even from this distance I recognized one of them.

  Slavidi.

  My mouth went dry.

  What was the Headmaster doing here?

  Part of me hoped that he was just passing by, but those hopes were shattered when the trio of dragons landed together.

  “Is that the Headmaster?” Solra whispered. There was admiration in her tone.

  Irikai nodded, his face belying how uneasy he felt. I didn’t come prepared to fly for the Headmaster either.

  Solra had been admitted to the Academy the right way. I had stolen an egg, which the Headmaster had almost destroyed my village trying to recover. Not to mention that he would’ve killed me if I hadn’t accepted his offer to come to the Academy.

  The Headmaster she knew was a magnetic leader.

  Seeing him ran a fresh stake through my heart. The picture of him with my father flooded my thoughts. I felt cheated, upset.

  He had been lucky enough to survive. A man with a heart as good as my father’s had been killed. And he got my father’s spot as Headmaster of the Academy.

  It was unfair.

  Sergeant Vera was the first to add
ress us.

  “Cadets, welcome,” she said. Her voice had lost its usual cheeriness. Instead, it wavered like she was scared. “Headmaster Archer will be sitting in on today’s class.”

  “Welcome, Headmaster,” we said in unison, saluting him.

  He responded with a small smile. He sized us up one by one, and I instantly regretted choosing to stand in the front row. With each step he took along the front row, my heartbeat increased.

  It reached a crescendo when he stopped in front of me.

  My limbs were stiff from the anxiety.

  “Kaos Kressin, wonderful to see you’ve made it this far,” He leaned down, his lips right by my ear. His words were like poison, choking me. “It’s a shame that this might be your last day. Your father was like a brother to me, I’d hate to harm his blood.”

  My heartbeat spluttered to a halt, my blood turning to ice.

  Then he was gone.

  The Dragon Guard soldier who had accompanied the Headmaster wasn’t introduced and didn’t acknowledge us, only stood by his dragon at attention.

  I was light-headed by the time he returned to his spot beside our instructor.

  “The Headmaster agrees that this class is an important one, so he is here to observe us.”

  A fresh wave of panic bubbled in my chest. Like the sadist that he was, he was just here to execute judgement. The goosebumps made me feel that he was here to execute judgement on me.

  “Kaos, Irikai and Janshaik, let’s see you redo your formations.”

  I froze.

  The air felt so thin, I wanted to collapse.

  There was a warm sensation on my hand.

  It was Ignimitra, she had nuzzled her snout into my arm. We locked eyes; she knew what I felt. She pointed her snout to the sky. She was ready. We had practiced.

  We could do it.

  “Let’s do it, angel,” I whispered.

  “Move, cadets!” The Headmaster boomed.

  We fell into line quickly, walking briskly to the takeoff point.

  “You’ll be doing the same formation as last class,” Sergeant Vera said. “Good luck.”

  SINCE IT WAS ONLY THREE of us, we would fly in a tight V instead of a diamond.

  Ignimitra and I would lead, again. My legs were wobbly as I mounted her, tingling with the anticipation of the Headmaster’s threat. This flight would make or break us.