Leaning my head back against the seat, I pressed my hands into my lap to smear away the nervous sweat. “Any ideas how to do that?”
He tilted his head back too, mirroring my posture, and turned his face toward me. “We make you famous.”
I shot forward, whirling on him in my seat. “What?”
The curl at the edge of his lips worried me, transfixed me.
“Win the end-of-year race, and people will notice if you go missing.” The train hissed as it slowed, arriving at the station. Rush planted his hands on the seat in front of him and stood. “Saints, you win that race, and my father might even choose to make you one of his riders.”
When I awoketo the clanging bell, I slapped my hands to my face and groaned.
Images of Rush Covington flashed through my mind.
His arms around me, his hands on my back. There was no pain at all in my back, and I rubbed it, wondering if the medicine really did have magic in it and how it got there.
Magic was real.
I sat bolt upright in bed, the tiredness vanishing. My dragon could do magic.
Hehadmagic?
I wasn’t even sure how to talk about magic. What terms to use. A startled giggle bubbled up, which I covered with both hands. Vanya grunted and lifted a hand to her forehead. Everything I’d ever been told about magic, about dragons, was wrong.
But what wasright?
The questions flashed through my mind like a shuffled deck of cards.
Beside my bed, the jack of spades rested, reminding me, rudely, of all that had happened, of how my world had caved in beneath my feet. Before Vanya opened her eyes, I slid the card from the small table and slipped it under my pillow.
Rush. I needed to find him. Talk to him. If he already had a theory about magic being related to dragonfire, he already had more answers than I did. I’d been too shocked, too tired and overwhelmed last night to pound him with questions.
I blinked away the memories of last night, needing to focus on today, on getting to class and completing my exams. I swung my feet out of my bed, letting the cold floor help jar me awake. I stretched and glanced out the window at the gray dawn, my mind drifting to Myth. I’d thought people’s opinion of wild dragons would change when they saw that they could bond, that they could control their flame at their rider’s command. But all of that hope was gone now. As soon as the duke discovered Myth’s flame, he would be taken from me, forever.
I remembered watching him catch a rabbit for the first time that week at Fairfax’s rented lair. I didn’t realize I was smiling like an idiot until I caught Vanya staring at me.
“What happened to you last night?” she said, eyes puffy. “You never showed up on the train. I tried to wait up.” She rubbed her tired face. “I thought you’d been caught.”
I stiffened reflexively, and Vanya tilted her head down, eyeing me suspiciously. “Do tell.”
“I wasn’t caught.” Without saying more, I rushed toward my wardrobe and threw my clothes on. “We’re going to be late if we don't hurry.”
She pouted as she too moved toward her wardrobe. “Not going to tell me?”
Not telling Vanya about my night was like trying not to tell her I’d discovered buried treasure. I ripped off my nightgown and threw on my chemise, fumbling with the buttons. A moment later, I crammed the hem of my blouse into my skirt with a fist.
“Did the blouse offend you?” she asked.
“I’m just tired.”And exploding inside.I rubbed my eyes with both hands. “At least tomorrow is our last day.” After our final exams, Rush and I planned to visit Myth again with more ideas to test his magic. It sounded like an eternity to wait.
“Yes,” she said with a smile, “and I still expect you to tell me everything.”
I blinked at her. How long could I keep secrets from her?
“Ari,” she said.
I continued buckling my shoes on.
“I know we all have our secrets, but I’m your friend, and if there’s something that you need to tell me, or that would help if you told me”—she shrugged—“I'm here.”
