We stepped out of the room, back into the terrace. The sun dipped halfway down the horizon, spreading its tiger-orange haze over the dry landscape beyond the mountain. A warm breeze blew through the strands of my magically shortened hair. “Can my presence here be kept a secret?”
“We’re a brotherhood. No one will disclose your identity outside Mount Fornax.”
My stomach twisted into knots. That wasn’t exactly what I was asking. “I don’t want everyone knowing that I’m related to Queen Cendrilla.”
“It’s good that you want to succeed on your own merit. Having a famous relative is difficult.” The smile he gave me was bitter-sweet. “I’ll have a word with General Thornicroft and the others.”
Tension whooshed out of my lungs. “Thanks.”
We returned to the upstairs terrace. The dragon was eating a large, black bison. Steam rose from the carcass where she had roasted it with her flames. I turned to Phoenix. “Should I ask her now?”
“Many dragons understand verbal speech, so please use mental communication.”
“All right.” I called out to the dragon in my mind. “Hey!”
She paused for a millisecond, her eyes sliding toward where we stood, but she didn’t turn from her meal. “What do you want?”
“Can you come to the front of your stall for a minute?” I asked in my mind.
She bit off the bison’s leg, crunching it, bone and all, between her canines. “Why?”
“I’m trying to prove that we can communicate through our minds.”
“Why?”
I turned to Phoenix. “She’s not cooperating.”
He pressed his lips in a thin line as though suppressing what he was really feeling. To anyone outside this unwanted mental bond, I looked like I was wasting everyone’s time with claims that I could speak to a dragon in my mind. He stroked his chin. “If neither of you can prove your bond, we won’t be able to help you.”
Turning to the dragon, I said out loud, “Hey—”
He placed a hand on my arm. “Remember, she may understand verbal instructions, so speaking out loud won’t prove anything. Try again with your mind.”
“Hey,” I said into my mind.
The wretched dragon nibbled at her bison, as though she was trying to make it last.
“Raise your head!” I let the words rattle in my skull. When she flinched, I turned to Phoenix. “Did you see that?”
“An eating dragon?” he said, voice flat.
I clenched my teeth. “You’re trying to make me look stupid on purpose.”
“You don’t need any help on that front.” Smoke curled from her nostrils. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would have guessed she was amused.
“Why don’t you raise your head or paw. Just give him a sign we’re connected, so he can help you?”
She gave her head a minute shake. “I’m not a circus dragon. Performing tricks is beneath my dignity.”
I turned to Phoenix and sighed. “She won’t listen to me. What should I do?”
“Ask for her name.” His eyes were already glazed with boredom.
I turned back to the dragon and was about to ask, when she spoke first into my head. “You told me to shut up, earlier.”
My lips tightened. “But now, I need to prove we’re connected. Why are you being so difficult?”
“You’re itching to get someone to sever our bond. A she-dragon can tell these things.”
An angry flush burned my cheeks. Since the wretched dragon appeared able to read my mind, I refrained from making up a lie. What more could I say? She didn’t want to help herself, yet she didn’t want to let go of the bond.
Phoenix exhaled a sharp breath through his nostrils. “Are you certain the dragon is speaking into your mind?”
“Why would I make it up?”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve had a boy come here, pretending to have skills he didn’t.” He folded his arms over his brown, leather armor. “Some would say or do anything to gain a place here. Even though we allow anyone to become a servant, or farm the land.”
The accusation was like a kick to the stomach, and a shocked breath escaped my lungs. My lips parted, but I couldn’t form any words of outrage or denial. I was a liar, and I had cheated my way into the Academy, but not for the reasons he’d suspected.
Phoenix headed back toward the stairs. “Whether you’re Her Majesty’s son or not, it won’t take long for us to discover if you have the capabilities needed to succeed as a dragon mage.”
Turning my glare into the pen, I muttered, “Stupid beast.”
The emerald dragon raised her head and licked the fat glistening on the scales around her mouth. “He was true about one thing… You are a liar and an impostor.”
I bared my teeth. “Just sever our bond, so I can be rid of you.”
“You’re going to help me prove my innocence.”
“How can I, when you won’t even prove we’re connected? I could have told Phoenix your side of the story and helped explain that you didn’t kill Mr. Jankin.”
She lashed her tail. “I tried telling him, but he wouldn’t listen, because he’s stubborn.”
“You’re a fine one to talk!” I stormed off after Phoenix. The next time that dragon tried to speak into my head, I would ignore her. She was a nuisance who didn’t want to help herself. I jogged along the terrace, not wanting to miss the end of the Magecraft lesson.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I collided with the receptionist from earlier. My shin struck something hard. “Ouch!”
“S-sorry!” She spread her cloak to hide some kind of trunk.
I shook my head. “Sorry about your Father.”
“Yes.” She turned away, her lips pressed together, looking like she wanted to hold back a sob.
I furrowed my brow. The poor young woman needed to be at home, not walking around a mountain, hauling boxes. “Are you all—”
“Bluford?” said Phoenix from the level above. “Meet us at the surface.”
“I have to go.” Evolene scampered away, clutching the box to her chest.
Chapter 9
I didn’t have time to worry about Evolene. Not when I’d missed out on what General Thornicroft had taught my classmates. I was about to miss the beginning of the next class. There was also the annoying dragon who couldn’t make up her mind whether she wanted to prove her innocence or maintain her dignity.
The only route to the surface that I knew of was through the reception area, but I didn’t want to venture back there in case they were still dealing with the aftermath of Mr. Jankin’s… slaying. I glanced around the terrace, and found a stair-stone protruding from the grass. Then I activated it and rushed up to the surface.
Around the back of the reception building was a large expanse of bare sandstone. Phoenix and the others stood around an eight-foot-tall dragon with crimson and cherry-red scales. Among them were two males I didn’t recognize. Even from several feet away, I could tell from their bulky forms that they were half-ogres. The smaller of the pair had long, sapphire-blue hair and wore a brown, leather cadet’s uniform. The larger, who I assume was our instructor, had dyed his bald head the same color of his crimson leather armor.
As I approached, he spread his arms wide. “Welcome, hopefuls. I am Caiman, Riding Instructor and Captain of the Defense Division.” He smirked, revealing over-large, blunt teeth. “I believe we have nobility in our midst.”
Rufus, Stafford, and Phoenix looked at me. I cringed.
“Gobi Bluebeard.” Captain Caiman turned to the new student. “I understand that the Prince Regent sponsored your application.”
Gobi, whose cheeks had the barest covering of turquoise fuzz, pulled back his shoulders and grinned. “Yes, sir! My brother, His Highness, brought me here to teach me to follow in his footsteps.”
I squinted at the cadet. Father had never mentioned any other brother except for the giant who had been slain by a human. His only parent was Lady Bluebeard, the ogress who lived i
n exile. I suppose Gobi could be her son, but I couldn’t see Father making time to mentor anyone. He was far too busy with Aunt Cendrilla and the Ogre Senate.
Jerking my gaze away from the beaming cadet, I clamped my mouth shut. Gobi was probably one of the types Phoenix had mentioned earlier: those who exaggerated their connections to gain an unfair advantage.
“Right! Let’s get to work.” Captain Caiman turned back to the small, red dragon and patted its flank, and my shoulders relaxed. It looked like no one had shared Master Thornicroft’s theory on my supposed relationship with Aunt Cendrilla, but I couldn’t help wondering if I’d made the right decision to come here. In a single day, I’d seen a dead body, unwittingly impersonated a Prince, and bonded with a haughty dragon.
“This,” said the Captain, “is what type of dragon?”
My mind went blank. It was clearly a red dragon, but what else could it be? From its small size, it couldn’t be a full adult, but according to the previous lesson, dragonets reached adulthood in one explosive event.
“A rapier red,” replied Rufus. “Fast, nimble, and deadly.”
Captain Caiman winked. “Fire dragons come in varying shades of red, but this beauty is the fastest of them all. A rapier sacrifices its size for speed and is the dragon of choice for time-critical missions.”
The red dragon raised a triangular head with a pointed snout. Its hind legs were long and thin compared to that of the green dragon, seeming agile enough to fold into its body during flight. Captain Caiman said that the rapier red dragon was the only type that had two legs, and explained how this and its tremendous lung capacity supported rapid flight.
As our instructor recounted how a single rapier red could dodge the quick-fire spell casting of a trio of witches, Stafford leaned close and whispered, “It must be great to have Her Majesty as a mother.”
“I’m not a Prince,” I whispered back.
“Of course. Of course. You’re in disguise.” Stafford nudged me in the side. “Did she ever take you to the realm of the fairies?”
I clenched my teeth. “Shhh!”
Ivan raised his hand. “How do dragons heat the air in their lungs to the right temperature to compensate for their immense weight?”
Captain Caiman beamed at the intelligent question and launched into an answer that included complicated mathematics and magical theory.
My insides shrank, and I dipped my head, avoiding eye contact with both Ivan and Captain Caiman. If anyone discovered my ignorance, they’d ask a slew of awkward questions. The first of them would be why I’d decided to come to Mount Fornax.
“So, what’s she like, then?” whispered Stafford.
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
My nostrils flared. “Why can’t you focus on the lesson? Stop—”
“Since you two cadets are paying the least attention,” snapped Captain Caiman, “One of you will demonstrate how to saddle a dragon.”
I shot Stafford my filthiest glare. This was all his fault.
A crimson flush spread from Stafford’s cheeks to the wisps of caramel hair framing his face. He hunched his shoulders, trying to appear small. “Sorry!”
“You.” Captain Caiman pointed at me. “The little one who talks more than he listens. What’s your name?”
I clenched my teeth. “Bluford, sir.”
Gobi, the new cadet, snorted. I supposed he found my fake name amusing. Perhaps he thought I was also trying to insinuate a connection to the Noble House of Bluebeard. Ignoring the oaf, I raised my chin and pulled back my shoulders.
“Watch carefully, class. Bluford will demonstrate the dangers of not paying attention.” Captain Caiman gestured at the rapier red. “We are not witches and therefore cannot power flying cloaks. When we ride, which vital piece of equipment do we depend on the most?”
I gulped. “A saddle, sir?”
Captain Caiman patted the small, red dragon on the flank. “Since you deem yourself above the need of instruction, you will saddle Rubens and ride him around the landing yard.”
My heart clenched, missing several beats, and then galloped into action. On legs that felt like charred saplings, I strode toward the crimson dragon.
Rubens narrowed amber eyes as though daring me to approach. My steps faltered. Hadn’t someone already been killed by dragon fire this very day? What if Mr. Jankin was just the first of a revolution, and the rapier red was sizing me up.
“Don’t be so ridiculous!” snapped a female voice in my head. “Rubens is a trickster. See for yourself. He isn’t growling or snapping at you. Stop acting like a hatchling afraid to step out of its egg.”
I bristled at the hypocrisy in her reprimand but continued toward the rapier red. A saddle stand stood on the dragon’s other side, so I walked around the creature to complete the task.
Captain Caiman cleared his throat. “While Bluford is working out how to saddle a dragon, the other boy…”
“Stafford, sir. Stafford Perrault.”
“Perrault can explain the characteristics of red dragons, and how they contribute toward the peace and prosperity of Steppe.”
Vindication soared through my spirits like a gust of dragon’s breath. At least the Captain was punishing us both equally.
“Don’t be so gleeful,” said the she-dragon that I was determined to ignore. “You’re just glad not to get the question you can’t answer.”
Although it had been over a decade since I had ridden with Aunt Cendrilla, I still had fond memories of how we would saddle Fogo, her purple dragon. Rubens was small for his species, but still too tall for me to reach his back. And because he didn’t have front legs, he rested his upper body on the wrists of his wings, so I couldn’t access his back from the side.
“Rubens?” I waited for the dragon to acknowledge me with a nod. “Can I put the saddle on your back, please?”
The dragon snorted a plume of smoke.
“Asking politely doesn’t work with reds, you know,” said the annoying voice in my head.
Stafford explained to the class a group of personality traits I was working out for myself. Fire dragons, also known as reds, were passionate, mischievous, and easily bored.
“Rubens,” I said in my sharp, Witch General voice. “Lie down and let me saddle you!”
The dragon gave me a gentle shove with his wing, and I fell back. Someone on the other side of the beast, probably Gobi, chuckled. I stomped around Rubens and stood in front of him. “Let me mount you this instant!”
The dragon lowered his pointed snout and nudged me in the stomach. With a sigh, I petted his head. Ruben’s scales were as smooth as the skin of a serpent without a single ridge. He closed his eyes and chittered in the back of his throat. It was hard to tell whether he was pleased or just laughing.
“Would you like my advice?” said the she-dragon into my head.
Maybe if I ignored her, she would think I had found a way to sever our connection and leave me alone.
Phoenix broke away from the cadets and stood at my side. “Have you saddled a dragon before?”
“Don’t help him,” said Captain Caiman. “If he breaks his neck flying a badly saddled dragon, he’ll learn never to mess around during instruction.”
My skin prickled with ire. Why was I getting the life-threatening punishment when Stafford was the one who interrupted the class? I would have protested, but the Captain seemed the sort of person who would punish me for back-talk.
The she-dragon huffed into my head. “Don’t you know anything? Dragons will never listen to someone with fairy blood. Climb up his tail and place the saddle on his back!”
I glanced at the rest of the class. Stafford was still answering Captain Caiman’s questions. Rufus’ eyes had glazed, and Gobi smirked at me from under the turquoise fuzz he called a beard. Ivan’s brows furrowed, and he looked ready to offer his help. Not wanting to get him into trouble, I swallowed my pride, picked the saddle from its stand, and raced up Rubens’ spine.
“There!”
I placed the saddle on the dragon’s neck and flipped the tiny horn at its pommel. Thin straps shot out from the saddle’s skirt and fastened themselves around the dragon.
“Took you long enough,” said the Captain. “Stay there and wait for Phoenix to come up and keep you from breaking your neck.”
Phoenix walked around Rubens’ wings, and the dragon lowered his body to the ground. I glared at the back of his scaly head. What did these dragons even have against fairies?
Phoenix settled behind me on the saddle. He reached around my waist and twisted the tiny horn. It stretched and widened into a T-shape, that formed a half-collar wrapped around the top of the dragon’s neck. At both ends sprouted a pair of leather reins. “Nervous, Bluford?”
My throat dried. “I-I feel fine.”
“Indeed?” he murmured. “Queen Cendrilla often takes her children out for dragon rides, yet you’re acting like this is your first time.”
Trying not to squirm, I swallowed twice. I’d ridden countless times with my aunt on the back of Fogo, but I’d never been in such close quarters with a male who wasn’t a relative. However, explaining that would rouse Phoenix’s suspicions, and he had already more than hinted that I was a fraud.
A cough loosened my throat. “But I’m not claiming to be a Prince.”
“No, you only look like one.” He handed me the reins and sniffed. “Let’s get on with this ride. What do you do next?”
It took a few moments of hard breathing to settle the jumble of emotions seething through my gut. It was only a matter of time before Phoenix exposed me as an impostor.
“You’re welcome.” The haughty voice echoed in my head. “Now that I’ve saved you from public humiliation, you’re going to clear my name.”
I ignored her and flicked the reins. The dragon drew back, resting his weight on his haunches. Then, he leaped off the side of the cliff and stretched out his mighty wings.
Each wing movement cleaved the air with a deafening whoosh. Rubens soared to the skies with such force, I fell back onto Phoenix’s chest. My stomach twisted and churned with every variation in the wind. This was nothing like the gentle rides of my childhood.
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