I've been asked by Durand to remind you to stay at the Academy, but I'm not going to tell you what to do. I understand why you need to talk to your George Miller, and I agree that you need to see him and get answers, but you should do it the right way. Get your grandparents on your side. If you can help them understand what you need, then they'll help you. You don't want the Prime Leader as your enemy. All I'm asking is for you to be careful.
That's it for now.
I know we have a lot to talk about and obstacles to overcome, but we have two years to figure everything out. I'm trying to win Durand over, the more allies we make, the better.
- Ashe
* * *
I blew out a breath and typed back:
* * *
Ashe—any news on my dad?
* * *
When no immediate reply came, I closed my laptop and slid it into my bag before stepping into the hall. Taya was leaning against the wall talking to Olivia. Olivia's dark hair was slicked into a low ponytail.
"Hey Sydney, where've you been all weekend?" She asked, a suspicious smile on her lips.
Did everyone know what I'd done? My cheeks reddened, but before jumping to conclusions, I probed her a bit. "Eh... you know. What did you do? Anything happen here?"
She raised an eyebrow, clearly aware that I'd dodged her question. "Uhhh huh. Nothing... Well, if you don't count Aiden and Natalie being caught hooking up in the library." She squeezed me into a hug, her eyes darting to Taya, dressed in her uniform. "Girl, you now have a bodyguard? What's going on?'
I shook my head. "I thought everyone knew everyone else's business at this school? Don't you know already?"
She pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, but you're about to tell me." She gazed at her watch. "But walk while you talk because I'm starving, and I will not miss breakfast."
I kept quiet through the hall and down the stairs until we entered the vestibule that connected Drake House to Main.
"I saw Ashe," I finally admitted.
Olivia threw a glance in my direction before we entered the cathedral-like space. She made a beeline for the premade warm items before loading two foil-wrapped breakfast burritos into a paper bag.
After grabbing a bottle of juice, I followed her out and toward Wyvern.
"Well?" She asked with a full mouth after taking a bite out of the tortilla.
"Well, what?" I shook my orange juice.
After smelling the food, I'd ended up grabbing a breakfast burrito also. They were small and reminded me of the ones from McDonald's. That thought led to a memory of our tiny apartment in New York City. Dad would lease it out more than not, but I liked to think of it as home. There was a McDonald’s just a block away.
As I limped, Olivia slowed her pace to match mine. "What the hell happened to your leg? Never mind. Tell me what happened with Ashe first."
I pursed my lips. "Nothing actually, but I found out that I have an uncle…"
She cut me off, "I forgot about The Colonel." She raised her brows and shook her head. "Hmmm mmm."
I furrowed my brow and stopped to take a break, leaning against the wood paneling with my shoulder. The light streaming in through the transoms gave the hall an eerie feeling.
"Why are you making that weird face? And how did you know I have an uncle?" I asked.
She tilted her head to the side, an easy smile on her lips. "One answer at a time. First off, Durand is fine as fuck. I'd let him be my sugar daddy any day."
"Eww!"
"Second, everybody knows Colonel Lambert." She made a duck face, "How did you not know that you had an uncle. Everybody knows him… he's probably like the most eligible bachelor."
"Everybody?"
She nodded. "It's a small Dragonborn world."
The first bell rang, heralding the start of classes, and a thought occurred to me.
"Olivia?" I shouted out to her as she weaved her way through the busy hallway.
She kept walking and yelled out, "See ya!"
After limping my way up to my first classroom, the second bell rang just as I stepped through the doorway. Like last Monday, I was entering an already full class.
Taya, who'd been following me, stayed in the hall.
I had to cross the class to my desk, steeling myself against mean whispers. I was not disappointed.
"Heard you got your dumb ass lost in the woods…"
"I see Ms. Bryant kicked your ugly ass… hope you learned your lesson."
"Dumb blond. She just fell out of bed... can't even make her way through Drake House," laughter followed this one.
"Did Ashe Carrick finally see what you looked like in the daylight and have regrets?" The last comment came from the girl who'd knocked my backpack off the first day.
I turned to her and felt Aaraeth rise up. My eyes met hers, fire building inside me. My voice was hard as steel as I spoke, "Don't you ever talk about Ashe Carrick in my presence."
The Eton girl, tall and muscular, sucked in a breath and sank into her seat. Standing in front of her, I felt my command reverberate through the room.
Her wyvern cowered inside her, and a chill ran through me.
Hurrying as fast as my stupid ankle could, I slid into my seat.
I have power over her dragon. I muttered inside my head, stunned.
Yes, replied Aaraeth, and she now knows that too.
She was afraid of me, I replied, thinking about that feeling of control over another person. At the moment, it felt triumphant and justified, but her fear scared me. I had to be careful with this newfound power.
Aaraeth? Can I control other dragons? Make them submit to me?
Yes. Aaraeth hissed.
Awww shit. With great power comes great responsibility. And I wanted as little responsibility as possible.
Reaching out with my mind, I felt the dragons around me. One boy had no dragon. Some dragons were sleeping, some talking to their host and others in the dragon realm. With a yank on their invisible string, I could pluck them to attention.
Holy shit!
Had Ashe and Logan had this power from the beginning? Could they do this kind of thing at will?
Pulling my phone out, I emailed Ashe.
* * *
Can all Primes command other dragons?
* * *
Reaching out into the room, I searched for another Prime.
Elijah was the only other one.
I shivered with my new realization.
Reaching out, I touched Hynd with my mind.
The desk creaked behind me as Elijah shifted in his chair.
Hynd? Does Elijah know that I'm speaking to you?
The dragon growled in my mind. Yessss... he's uneasy.
Why?
You are powerful. We both saw what you did to the wyvern.
I held my breath. That mean girl's dragon?
Yessssss.
What exactly did I do?
We felt power none of us have felt in a long time. We will obey you, my queen.
And you? Will you also obey me? I tapped my pencil against my notebook.
Yesssss.
Why?
When he didn't answer, I forced myself to take a few steady breaths.
Hynd? Can you and Eli control others like I can?
No... Elijah can only talk to other dragons, they do not obey him.
As one with my dragon, Aaraeth listened to our conversation. But none of this was news to her.
I severed my connection with Hynd, Aaraeth? If you knew this all along, then why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?
Do I need to tell you to eat? No. Do I need to tell you to sleep? No. You do those things as needed. When the time comes, and you need something, you will find it.
Shaking my head at my dragon's riddles, I blew out a breath.
My eyes darted around the room, wondering how many people felt me lean on that wyvern.
Aaraeth's answer did nothing to calm either my worries or answer my questions.
&nb
sp; Eli poked my back, and I turned. He leaned forward, his breath on my neck, and whispered, "Don't fuck with Hynd."
I rolled my eyes and waited for Ms. Popov to turn her back on the class again. Shifting, I met Eli's eye. "I'm not fucking with him. I just said hello and asked him a question." I hesitated before challenging him. "Go ahead, talk to Aaraeth. I don't care."
His face was set in a mask of irritation. "It's different, and you know it. Hynd knows it. You've figured some things out... not as quickly as Ashe but still."
I set my jaw, turning away from the other Prime.
How much of this did Ashe know already?
Closing my eyes, I reached out to Eondian. He felt far away... very far away, and I furrowed my brows.
Ashe and Eondian were a lot farther away than before. Why? Where did they go?
Would Ashe tell me?
Effing bond mates! I thought to Aaraeth. Aaraeth? Do you feel that as well? They're far away. I mean like FAR, far away.
Yes. They boarded a strange metal dragon, much bigger than the one we took to get here.
An airplane. Do you know where they went? Where are they going?
They go toward the setting sun, she hissed, not happy about this event either.
East? Vietnam? I thought—my dad.
The class went by slowly, leaving me unable to concentrate because of my throbbing head, and angry at the situation with Eli. I wasn't trying to mess with his dragon, I was just trying to figure things out. But for the rest of the period, Elijah stonewalled me.
Fine. Two could play at this game.
When the bell rang, I was ready and quickly gathered up my things.
Moving through the hall like a zombie, my phone dinged with an email.
I checked the screen and smiled in relief. The email was from my dad's friend Lori Hansen.
When that initial surge of joy waned, fear tugged at me with it's icy claws. All the what-ifs ran through my brain. Lori would now be in Vietnam, with dad.
I just hoped with my whole being that he would be all right.
Settling down in my next class, I clenched my jaw and read the message.
* * *
Hello sweetheart,
I have great news! I saw your dad today, and he's doing well! We are flying to New York in a few days, where he'll begin his recovery. I'm exhausted and still have a long day to go, but I wanted to let you know that he is well. He will need physical therapy and some care for a while, but doctors expect him to recover.
He knows you are safe and happy at your new school. At the end of the term, you should come to visit him, he would like that. When he is up to it, I will help him send you an email.
Your dearest friend,
Lori
* * *
I sucked in a deep breath and then let it whoosh out like a balloon. My eyes filled with unshed tears, and I furiously blinked, trying to keep them at bay.
So many emotions filled me, and I wasn't exactly sure what each one was, except two… Relief, that my father would be okay, and anger. Dad and Lori knew where I was and just planned to leave me here.
It stung that they were discarding me, that dad wasn't insisting that I be rescued. Why was he leaving me here?
When I'd imagined hearing of my dad waking up, I thought that there would be indignation and immediate threats against my grandmother. He'd storm over here and demand to take me home.
Traitorous tears spilled down my cheeks, and I quickly swept them away.
Didn't he want to tell me his side of the story? Prove his innocence? Or…
Or, was he guilty of all these things being said about him. I hadn't filled him in on what had happened here, but it seemed pretty apparent that he would be aware of his reputation.
The entire situation settled on me like a smelly, dense coat. If he was really innocent, then why wasn't he coming for me? Why wasn't he explaining?
The only other option brought shame and a prickle over my cheeks.
Maybe he was a lot sicker than Lori let on.
Recovery.
Therapy.
I knew he had a brain injury, but would he even be himself after everything?
Would he be able to answer for everything he'd done? I knew that question was selfish, but it hung in my mind.
I furiously typed back to Lori, trying to politely ask for details. However, I knew her too well. I knew the reason that she and dad had broken up. If something was painful or even just unpleasant, she wouldn't talk about it. At all.
She'd ask about the weather, or exclaim about some dull piece of news.
My heart sank.
And where was Ashe? Was he going to Vietnam?
After sitting through another class, I didn't hear a word the teacher said. Instead of continuing to my third hour, I began leading Taya down the stairway and outside to the courtyard.
She took one look at my face and gave me a sympathetic smile. "I wondered if this would be too much for you. Your ankle must be in a lot of pain."
"I need to lie down," I whispered.
Let her think my red pinched face was from physical pain. I would rather deal with that any day than how I felt inside.
I allowed her to help me hobble all the way back to Drake House. Inside, I covered my face and cried in my bed.
Kind, compassionate Taya handed me a small white pill from the nurse and a glass of water.
Sitting up, I took them from her without speaking. Then shortly afterward, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
No dragon, no bond, just emptiness—freedom.
When I awoke, a thick beam of moonlight streamed in through the window of my dark room. My tongue felt thick, and my throat parched. I gulped at the water Taya had given me God knows how long ago. Slipping out into the hall, I made my way to the bathroom. Business done, I tiptoed back into the room. Becca and Taya lay still in their beds, quiet snores coming from Becca's mouth.
Sitting on my own bed, I rechecked my phone. Lori hadn't written me back, but Ashe had.
* * *
George Miller has been taken out of his medically induced coma. However, a friend of his checked him out of the hospital, which is all I know.
Please don't be upset, I will track him down and let you know more details.
The bond feels really weak, are you okay? I can't feel you, and when I reached out to Aaraeth, she told me that you ate poison—which is basically any human drug if you haven't figured that out. I'm guessing that you took some kind of pain medication.
Also, I'm in a little town in Siberia, helping out another Dragonborn community. I should be back in a few weeks, but the internet connection here is terrible. I'll write when I can, but it might not be too often.
I hope you begin to feel better.
- Ashe
PS. No, not all Primes can control other dragons, just us ☺. When did you figure out that you could do it?
21
Throughout my classes the next day, I checked my phone over and over again. Instead of hobbling back to my room in Drake House, I went to the library after classes. The walk down the stairs was painfully slow, even more so with Taya in tow. She watched me while biting her lip, ready to assist, but I waved her off.
Limping to the rear of that dusty old basement, I sat down at the slanted desk in the Dragon Prime section. I didn't need Logan's book. I could learn other things. If I was going to survive here, I would need to know as much as possible.
Hesitating with my hand on an old leather-bound book's spine, I found myself questioning the real reasons I wanted to leave the Academy.
I'd always wanted to go to school. I even had a friend in Olivia...and Becca would come back around. Besides, if I wasn't part of the Dragonborn community, could I still be with Ashe? Could I bear to live apart from him forever?
Setting the book down on the desk, I shook my questions off and began to read.
This book was all about a Prime named Durand, the same name as my uncle. But after a while, I became bored with
stupid battles and land claims, and I flipped it closed. Setting it to the side, I reached for another. After struggling to read the first few paragraphs, I groaned and flipped deeper into the new book.
Taya glanced up at me from her phone. "What? Why are you all agitated? What are you looking for?"
"Most of these books are histories of Primes or stories. This is bullshit. I want facts. How can I find my footing, if all I can read are stories?" I rested my head on my arms, gazing up at Taya.
She breathed out a laugh. "That's how you find out about the Dragonborn. Read the stories and histories, and you'll understand us better."
She adjusted her ponytail before standing and perusing the shelf.
"So, there are no manuals or explanations of the Dragonborn?" I pushed the tome to the side and reached for another.
Shaking her head, Taya bit her lip, not meeting my eye. "You know, the rest of us know these stories. We grew up hearing them at bedtime, they were told to us by our parents, grandparents, and babysitters."
Her fingers danced over the spines of books before stopping.
Frowning, I watched her select a book way in the corner. "What's that?"
She pursed her lips. "This is one of my most favorite stories of all time. I'd beg my mother to tell it to me over and over again."
Setting the book down, a nostalgic smile crept across her features, softening them, making her look younger.
Furrowing my brow, I struggled to read the complex script on the page. After several seconds, a headache started behind my eyes, and I threw the book shut. "I can't read it! Why is it written all weird like that?"
She shrugged. "I never read that book myself. But I've heard the tale dozens of times. Do you want me to tell it to you?"
I narrowed my gaze. "Okay. I'll go blind if I try to read that chicken scratch any longer."
She pulled out her water bottle and sipped from it. "Are you familiar with the story Rapunzel?"
"Yes..." I drew out.
"Most fairy tales have some kernel of truth. Rapunzel is based on the story of a Prime girl named Contzel."
Cracked Open: The Dragon Born Academy Page 18