As You Wish (Book Lover 2)

by Sam Hall

  “So shut up Tess and be a good little bunny?” I shook my head. “What the hell is going to get on the back of a dragon except for another dragon rider? What are we preparing for here, civil war?”

  Her eyes widened for a moment and then she turned on her heel. “Walk with me, cadet. Lieutenant Keel, work with the other cadets.”

  “But…” he said.

  “Lieutenant, you can flirt on your time, not mine. I’m sure you’ll find a moment to ask her to the Ball after you’ve helped Vella with her turns. She thinks she’s demonstrating some unprecedented level of daring, but she’s actually an accident waiting to happen and I do not want her bloody father flying down here and getting in my face, so go. Jenris, you’re with him. Now, Tess.” We walked across the field towards a wooden contraption. “I get you feel like this is all a waste of time. It is, it really is. Irrespective of what my Lieutenant thinks, you’re not long for Aravisia, no matter the outcome. The directive from above is to get you to jump through the requisite hoops and out of the country, hopefully still bonded to your beast. Re-bonding an adult dragon rarely works, despite what the pencil pushers in the government think. They’re anticipating a surge in merit support, but it’s more likely to be an epic shit show when your animal eats the new candidates. You won’t be taking a place in the ADC. The rosy coloured future Keel is envisioning is just a pipe dream, so let’s just focus on the hoops and getting through them, shall we?”

  She wasn’t unkind, but she was implacable as a rock. She talked me through the wooden dragon dummy and what we would do today. Why this first? I wondered, looking at the dragons and their riders flying in formation above me. Why this at all? I had experience flying, I would’ve been much better placed to start with what the other riders were doing, using Miazydar’s innate skills to fumble through.

  Less risk to me. I’m the valuable one, to them, Miazydar said.

  I nodded and got up on the dummy dragon’s back, grabbing the practice spear she threw at me. “OK,” she said, “let’s try some basic attacks. This one’s great for on the ground fighting. You keep your feet planted and you move your body, the momentum carrying the strike.” She demonstrated. “You’d think this would be better on a flying dragon, your feet aren’t shifting, but it throws your centre of balance off. Try it.”

  I frowned, then shifted my stance, widening my feet until I felt solid on the wooden surface. It tipped and veered slightly, obviously being built on some kind of sprung contraption to try and imitate the movement of an actual dragon. I struck out, my arms moving my practice spear from across to my body into the space between us. I immediately stumbled, the wooden ‘dragon’ beginning to rock more wildly under my floundering until I lost my balance, forced to toss the weapon away as I fell backwards onto the ground. The sky spun above me, the swift flight of the dragons made dizzying by my swimming vision. I gasped for breath, my lungs feeling like I was fighting to fill them. Keya appeared next to me and offered me a hand, pulling me upright whether I wanted to be or not.

  “Come on, cadet,” she said. “Time to get back on the dragon that threw you off.”

  I tried the basic move again and again, falling off every time. Keya’s expression didn’t change, perhaps she’d been through this before. She might have, but I hadn’t. I got up, climbed back on, tried to find my centre, kept my knees loose, my grip on the spear firm, only to be pushed off with little effort. By the thirteenth or fourteenth time I’d fallen, I’d had enough. I couldn’t do it, I knew it in my bones, the ones that ached like hell. I tossed my spear as far as I could, ripping off my helmet and throwing that as well as my ears rang all the while. They didn’t need to poison me, they were going to kill me with a concussion and maybe that was the point.

  “Cadet…”

  “Look, can you fuck off? I don’t like to be rude but seriously, this is a waste of your time and mine. They’ve set me an impossible task, obviously. Miazydar talked to the others. What you want from me usually takes years for you to train an actual rider to do. This is suicide by dragon,” I said. Silence stretched between us and all I could see was her very nifty looking boots standing in front of me.

  “OK, say you’re right, what does that mean for you?”

  “That I’m going to die with my body broken, that my last view of the world will be of the sky I fell from as you lead my grieving dragon away to be re-bonded to someone.” I snatched up a piece of grass and chewed on the end.

  Sometimes effort wasn’t enough, no one knew that more than me. I’d always done as I was told, been the unobtrusive one working hard in the background, not that anyone noticed and when they did, it was usually to point out the one bloody thing I’d stuffed up. Mum pointing out the one typo in my thesis, Ash not listening to me about the clients, unravelling all my carefully wrought alliances. I spat the grass out and got to my feet, walking towards the building.

  “Where are you off to, cadet? Are you just going to quit?”

  I turned on my heel, glaring back at her. “Really, you’re going to go with the ‘you’re a quitter’ thing? Put the fire in my belly? Cut to a montage of me working real hard with awesomely stirring synthesiser music playing in the background.”

  She frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but yeah, I’m calling it as I see it. If you’re walking away, you’re quitting. You’re letting Graves have exactly what he wants. Of course, this is a difficult task, of course, they want you to fail. You came here knowing that, so why are you all of a sudden having a tantrum about it? From what my Lieutenant says, they’ve already tried to poison you and your dragon. What’s a few bruises to your ego?”

  “Pretty sure more than my ego is getting bruised.”

  “I’ve trained a hell of a lot of cadets over the years, but the one thing I can never teach is grit. Our motto as riders is ‘we strike without warning.’ People think it’s a threat, but the real meaning? We don’t threaten or prevaricate, we don’t dwell or mope. Every time a dragon rider’s knocked down, we get up and then we kick the fucking arses of the prick who did the knocking. Of course this sucks, of course training is hurting you, both mentally and physically. No one likes to fail over and over and over. You can’t control Bhechro, the university, Graves or even the ADC and you can’t control me. The only thing you do have agency over is yourself, so unless you’re going to pack up your crew and make a speedy escape over the border with us being ordered to follow hot on your heels with a kill order in effect, you need to get the fuck back on that stupid arse dummy and show me you actually deserve your place on your dragon.”

  I stared at her, the Captain’s face flushed red with the morning’s exertions, her eyes snapping brightly in the morning sun. She was everything I’d always wished I was, strong, long, lean. She knew exactly what her body could do and wasn’t afraid to strike down enemies if required. I felt stronger when I was working out with the Battle Club regularly, but I’d never devoted myself to focussing on my skills like I would be now. She tilted her head, watching me closely as if she could sense the temptation inside me. You are the dragon, Miazydar insisted.

  I’m feeling a lot more like a miffle, I said.

  He chuckled, Get on that ridiculous dummy they have provided, take a deep breath and feel for your balance before you strike. Your training should stand you in good stead, if you allow it.

  I nodded and Keya smiled and then turned to walk back to the dummy dragon.

  I finally started to get it, my body feeling where the ‘dragon’ would move when I did and I compensated for it. The first few times were lucky, but then I was able to make the strike over and over and over.

  “Okay,” Keya said, “you’ve got the feel for the terrain, now we’ll try some more advanced attacks. This one is the same, but you follow through with a step for extra momentum.”

  The process began again, though I got it much more quickly. Keya could finally attempt to block my blows without sending me flying. I was able to use the tip of the wooden spear to trap h
ers and force it down, smack it away and jerk mine up to her throat. “Well done!” Keya said with a smile, standing with her weapon beside her. “You’ve done some fighting before?”

  “A little,” I said with a shrug, “mainly with swords though.”

  “I’m impressed, cadet. I thought this was going to take a lot longer. Now, let’s go again.” I stood on the ‘dragon’s back’, knees loose and able to counteract the movement, spear at the ready. Keya approached rapidly, forcing me to focus on keeping my balance as well as block her downward blow when it came, my spearhead moving in a small circle as I caught the head of hers and tossed it up and away. For the split second it took for her to recover, I was in under her guard, jabbing my weapon at her neck, the strike powered by the jerk of my arms and my forward momentum, the movement and the rapid sway of the dummy forcing the Captain back until she overbalanced. I watched her arms pinwheel as she struggled to right herself, trying not to smirk when she landed on the mat under the dummy. I let out a laugh at the Captain’s wide-eyed stare and gasps for air because for that moment I felt like it was all bloody possible. I could do this, I could get us out of Aravisia.

  Keel arrived in time to help his superior officer. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” Keya said.

  “It’s break time, I was just grabbing the two of you for lunch.”

  Food, the thought of that made my stomach roil, but a drink was very welcome. My throat felt dry as a desert. While I wasn’t exactly walking like a panther, the fact I could make it over to where everyone was sitting under a nearby tree under my own steam made me happy. I sculled down the first cup of water in two swallows, another handed to me before I could get up to grab the skin.

  “So how are you faring, Tess? You’re looking much better than reports would lead me to expect,” Alden asked, coming to sit by me. He offered me some food, but I shook my head. My stomach felt overly full and slightly queasy with the rapid intake of water. The other riders took a seat as well, Vella shooting me a small smile, Grey and Rylen intent on helping themselves to lunch.

  “It took a day or two, but I’m feeling better now,” I replied.

  “That’s good. To be struck down and to lose your dragon at the same time, I can scarcely imagine how you must have felt. We were all quite concerned for you.” Alden’s eyes flicked to Vella, who nodded enthusiastically if rather belatedly.

  And yet you saw neither hide nor hair of them? Miazydar said.

  “You got a date for the ball?” Rylen said, turning back to us now he had a sandwich in each hand.

  “Rylen…” Vella said with a shake of her head.

  “What? You’re going to go with his Lordship, as per usual, and this is the first time Grey and I have a chance of anything other than stag.”

  “What’s all this?” Keel said, taking a seat by me and passing me what appeared to be a wrap.

  Rylen and Grey looked over the dragon rider, seeming to measure the space between us. I glanced down and saw his hand was just next to mine on the grass.

  “So that’s how it is,” Grey said with a shake of his head.

  I frowned, about to reply to that when Keel asked, “How’s the training going?”

  “I think I’m starting to get there,” I said with a shrug.

  “And where’s Miazydar? He OK?”

  “He’s back on his eyrie…nope, he’s having something to eat right now. I was told he wasn’t needed today.”

  “He’s not,” Keya said. “You’re going to be required to fight on another dragon’s back during the war games. The feeling is that yours may seek to compensate for your inexperience.”

  “Another dragon?” Keel frowned. “But Captain, that’s not usually done until—.”

  “Orders are orders,” Keya said with a shake of her head. “You did well, Tess. You’re a natural fighter. I want to try you on dragon back after you’ve rested.”

  Silence fell over the group. Rider and cadet all turned to eye me, their expressions not exactly reassuring. This was obviously dangerous and everyone was waiting to see how I reacted. “We strike without warning,” she said very deliberately, her fist going to her chest as she did so. That seemed to break the mood, the riders repeating the motto with growing enthusiasm.

  “Tess,” Keel said, his eyes darting around the group. “You don’t have to do this, not now. I’d be happy to spend the extra time getting you up to speed. You needn’t feel pressured.” Rylen snorted at this but kept on munching on his food.

  Keya got to her feet, wiping her hands on her thighs. “What are you going to do, cadet?” she said to me.

  “We strike without warning,” I said, making the salute. She nodded, smiled and then jerked her head for me to follow her.

  26

  Which is how I managed to find myself fighting on a dragon’s back, metres and metres up in the air.

  Oh my god, ohmyfuckinggod, I thought, my eyes darting to the side where I had a spectacular view of the Lorikham campus spread below us. Tiny people clustered underneath looking up to watch, no doubt to see whether I could pull this off, or be splattered on the ground below. My grip on the wooden spear was weak as my palms grew slick. My muscles were both unnaturally tight with anxiety, yet also not able to clench so hard I felt secure. Standing up on a live dragon was something else altogether from my experience on the dummy. Hunderley, Keya’s dragon, had a broad back, tall spikes of cartilage forming a jagged ridge down the centre, but he shifted like a ship on the sea in response to the currents. Breathe in, then breathe out, I told myself, trying to slow the thundering pace of my heart.

  “Strike, block, strike,” Keya said through the helmet comms, "like we practised. You ready?”

  No, no I’m not. My eyes flicked over to where dragons soared through the air, performing complex manoeuvres in and around each other. Strike, block, strike, I repeated. Just take the first fucking step.

  I moved fast, trying desperately to ignore the way the ‘ground’ dropped slightly beneath my steps. This was less like walking and more like surfing on a surfboard. You had to be able to shift with the dragon. My toe caught on one of the dragon’s spines, causing me to stumble momentarily. I froze, hand whipping out to grab a spike to steady myself. Keya just watched me straighten up again, legs shaking, muscles twitching with the effort before beginning to move forward again. Strike. I jabbed out with the spear, Keya’s rushed up to meet mine. Block…

  Keya was no longer pulling her punches. Her spearhead whipped around to catch mine and she shoved both down, tugging me with them. Oh fuck, oh fuck! I thought as I barrelled over to the edge of the dragon. It was only by dropping down to one knee, my free hand grabbing a spike, that stopped me from careening off into the air. For a moment all I could do was stare out into the empty space, breath coming hard. “On your feet,” came Keya’s command, “your weapon does you little good down there.”

  This is nothing like fighting on a bloody dummy. I forced myself to stand. I couldn’t lock my knees, having to keep them loose to compensate for the dragon’s movements. We’d barely been here for five minutes and they already felt like rubber. Why did I do this today? I’ve been training for hours, for the first time in years. I’m out of condition and my body is trashed. I looked up at Keya’s blank face mask and wondered.

  “Strike, block, strike, cadet,” she commanded and I imagined an air of menace colouring her voice.

  This is it, I think. The memory of Keel’s look of concern replays in my head, along with the silence of the group at lunch. They lulled me into a false sense of security, got me up here away from Miazydar. She’s going to do the government’s job for them like any soldier would. She’s going to kill me.

  “Strike, block, strike,” she said, doing just that. It forced me to scramble away. My heel connected with one of Hunderly’s spines, and I dodged Keya’s swipe to my head before jerking my eyes over my shoulder, but by the time I’d dislodged my foot she was on me again. “Your weapon’s no good to you if you don’t use it,”
she said, striking again. I snapped my head sideways to avoid the smooth metal blade. It wasn’t enough, the blow sending shockwaves through my skull despite the helmet, but I didn’t have time to dwell. She no longer followed her proscribed pattern, shifting along the dragon’s back with practised ease, spinning her spear before bringing the butt up, arrowing in for my chin. My fingers immediately tightened on my weapon, bringing the shaft up to block a blow that would knock me out or off this dragon.

  I was only partially successful. My stance wasn’t strong and neither was my grip so the butt and my lance collided, smacking into the base of my helmet. It thankfully muted the ferocity of the blow but it was enough. Everything went hazy as my head snapped back, the momentum, added to by the weight of the helmet, threw me backwards. My arms and legs flail madly, everything a blur. My scream rang through the comms unit.

  I land hard. I shake my head, the wrench of the helmet making my muscles cry out as I do so. “Keel…” I whimper into the internal microphone, “Alden.”

  “Don’t go expecting the white knights to ride in and save you,” Keya says and she flicked on the plasma blade. Even through the howl of the wind, I could hear its high-pitched whine. “Get up, cadet.”

  “Why? So you can fucking kill me? Seems to me the safest place is lying against your dragon. You don’t want to risk hurting him.”

  I hear her low chuckle. “Some good strategic thinking there, but you don’t realise I could use this to perform surgery if I needed to, I’m that damn precise. And anyway, Hunderly won’t suffer a coward clinging to his hide. Get up, or I’ll make you get up.”

  Based on my experience in Damorica, this would be the time when I reach down deep inside myself and somehow the fighting skills I’d accrued over all those years of Battle Club would come together and I would put Captain Keya and her dragon cutting plasma spear on her arse. That wasn’t what happened. Instead, my weapon fell over the side, spinning in the air as it plummeted to the earth, a foreshadowing of what would happen to me. I kept my mental link with Miazydar tightly locked down. I didn’t want him getting embroiled in this. I had no idea if he could successfully attack Hunderly or what Keya would do with that bloody spear if he did. I shook my head, instantly regretting this as my head swam. Keya moved so that she loomed over me. She raised her weapon slowly, the blazing point trained on me, pulling back gradually until her elbow was raised high in the air. I struggled to claw myself away, but I’d run out of room. My head hit the hard ridge of spikes that protect Hunderly’s head from attackers. I couldn’t see Keya’s face and am forced instead to stare into the implacable shining black surface of her visor. “Tick, tock, cadet,” she said, her voice a low rumble in my ear. “What’ll it be?”