The stone structure rose taller than most buildings I’d seen and even had gargoyles carved to look like angry dragons. But as I walked under the snarling stone faces, my attention shifted to the dragon waiting inside.
Ahead, in the center of a huge room, stood a pale dragon, wings folded. My heart skipped as we walked toward the dragon through a hallway broad enough for three automobilesto roll comfortably side by side. Then the space opened into a central cavern so vast it made the interior of the cathedral in Treston look small. The ceiling was domed, made entirely of stone, except for a single hole in the top of the rotunda. House Sapphire was already assembled inside the enormous room, and a mountain of a man stood beside the pale dragon. House Ruby filed in and stood along the wall, taking our place beside the other students.
“That hole up there,” said one of the boys from House Sapphire, “is called the oculus. It has no glass in it. The updraft keeps the rain from falling in, and it’s large enough for a Cevnal to dive straight through with its wings folded.”
My eyes fixed on the dragon in the center of the room, and a smile broke over my face. He had the curved head spikes of a Cevnal and the regal posture of a champion. He looked, in a strange way, like the man beside him, despite their opposite coloring. Thurgood Bryce was tall and broad-shouldered with midnight-dark skin. At first glance, he looked overweight, but it was entirely muscle. Every part of the man was broad in every sense of the word: his face, his neck, his arms, his legs. He even stood with a wide stance, arms clasped at his waist.
I leaned over to Vanya. “I’ve read about him,” I whispered, pointing at the dragon. “Fifteen years ago, he was?—”
“Grand champion,” interjected the boy on the other side of Vanya. I hadn’t spoken to him yet, but I’d learned his name last night at dinner. Clarence Vaughan. The headmaster’s son. He waggled his brows, then had to adjust his glasses. “Thurgood Bryce was once the youngest champion to win the King’s Race,” he added as a few more students from House Emerald filed in. The first years from every house were now assembled along the curved wall.
I hid my smile, not wanting to look too eager. My eyes kept drifting back to the dragon. He wasn’t as tall as some Cevnals,but he was definitely stronger. He’d been an underdog in some of the races he’d won, until people started taking him seriously as a contender. Most Cevnals were lean, which was what gave them their speed. But this dragon had defied expectations. I liked that about him.
The only light in this space came from the window above, which let in golden light that pooled around Bryce and his dragon.
“Dragon riding is about control and trust,” he began, his voice easily carrying across the cave. “Several of you come from families where you have been around dragons, but riding your own is not like riding someone else’s. Each dragon is an individual, and though they might have been bred to have certain characteristics in common, you can never assume you know anything about dragons before getting to know them. You will learn how to be safe around dragons—your bonded dragon and the dragons of your classmates. You will learn how to care for them. You will learn the depths of your bond, a thing those who cannot bond will never fully understand. Though I admit the latter is not a skill I can teach. I will do my best to show you how to access your dragon’s mind through building trust. Your dragon already chose you, and now it is your turn to choose them, every day, even when it gets hard. To open yourself to them, to be honest and vulnerable, your truest self.”
He began to pace around his dragon. “You are now bonded to a dragon, placing you among those most respected and feared by our society. Do not think for one minute that because you are here that you have made it.” He paused. “You can still fail your studies at Cardan Lott. You can still be sent home. What you will learn here over the next three years will set you apart not only because of the skills you will master in the saddle, but because you will become part of the few among us powerful enough to shape our society, our culture, the way dragon riders have forcenturies. Do not abuse the privileges given to you as a student of Cardan Lott. Only if you take your studies to heart will you carry the banner of this civilization onward. Some of you will go on to become racers. Others will join the Hunt. Several might become members of the queen’s guard, while others will fly only for sport. Maybe one of you, if you work hard enough, will become grand champion.” I liked this man. “Raise your hand now if you have ever ridden on dragonback before.”
To my surprise, every single hand shot up around me.
I bit my lip so hard it almost bled. Of course I was the only one who had never ridden.
Bryce’s expression was hard to read as he assessed the hands in the air. “Toss out everything you have learned, everything you think you know,” he said, clicking his heels as he turned to face us, arms now clasped behind his back.
“Everything, sir? I will have you know?—”
Bryce lifted his hand to silence the girl from House Diamond. To my surprise, she obeyed. “In this lair, you are all equals. Hatchlings, newly bonded,untrained. Is that understood?” He stared fiercely at her.
I couldn’t see her face well from across the lair, but I heard her when she said, “Yes, sir.”
“All right,” Bryce said. Turning toward his dragon, he rubbed a hand up the dragon’s scaly chest. “We will start with the essentials of proper dragon care. As your lairmaster, I covereverythingyou need to know. You may find some of this information trivial, but I assure you, it behooves you to pay attention. Sometimes, the smallest detail about dragon care can make an enormous difference. A dragon who is not fed the proper protein-to-carbohydrate ratio after a taxing flight might not even be able to fly the next day.”
At that, everyone seemed to perk up, backs straight, breaths quiet.
“As you know, all the dragons here have their flame ducts cut, but that does not mean they are harmless.” In a flash, he snapped his fingers, and the dragon lowered his massive head. Bryce pulled the dragon’s lip off his gleaming white fangs. Someone whistled. “It’s illegal to own a dragon that still breathes fire, and we have protective measures here to keep wild dragons at bay. Any that are found are discarded.”
I swallowed, trying to force the color from rising in my cheeks.
“You are safe here with these dragons. They are well-trained creatures. But they can be provoked.” He turned to us, scowling at us each in turn as he said, “Do not provoke them.” He clapped loudly. “Now, for your first lesson.”
A collective intake of breath signaled I wasn’t the only one eager to learn.
“Proper hygiene for your dragon. Which begins, of course, with disposing of their waste.”
Several disgruntled replies filled the large room. Vanya even stuck her lip out a little. Scarlett was scowling, her arms crossed over her chest.
A small laugh sounded in my throat amid the hushed grumbling all around. But my mirth was cut short as I spotted the duke’s son staring at me with those piercing blue eyes. I’d nearly forgotten he knew who I was, or at the very least had reason to suspect my claim of being Fairfax’s niece. And worst of all, he might recognize Myth when all the first years’ dragons arrived during the ceremony at the end of the week.
“Houses Emerald and Ruby will go with my assistant, Professor Indigo.” He lifted his hand toward a woman standing near the hallway we’d first entered. She waved. “The other two houses will follow me. And you will do well to remember that having a dragon is a privilege. If you cannot stomach theidea of taking proper care of your dragon, perhaps you should reconsider your placement at this school.”
This time, I smiled at my shoes, hoping no one noticed.
Following Professor Indigo, a large woman with red hair, we saw where the wheelbarrows were kept in a row behind the lair. The smell lingered, even though the wheelbarrows were all empty. Scarlett plugged her nose, and Mabel, Scarlett’s friend, whimpered. Vanya, to her credit, stood erect and attentive, no sign of disgust on her face. Several of the boys made crude comments.
Professor Indigo glared at us. “Anyone who thinks cleaning dragon dung is beneath them will be delighted to know that for all underclassmen, the care of your dragon is entirely in your hands. We hire no staff to help you with this until your final year, when your studies take up almost all of your time.”
That silenced the group.
