That truth felt small in comparison to everything I’d learned lately.
Rush studied me a moment. To my surprise, he offered me the faintest smile. “What do you know? It was a lie all along.”
I shoved his shoulder away.
“But this will definitely make you famous. First, you prove that a wild dragon with flame can bond. Now a bottomsider can too? How many rules of our world do you intend to flip upside down?”
Blush heated my cheeks. “Just those two.”
“Oh, just two.”
“How exactly am I supposed to win the race if your father uses magic to win?” This was what Fairfax wanted…but it didn’t feel like this was for Fairfax anymore. “Seems like if you lose, your father will know we’ve discovered his secret.”
As his fingers curled around the tiny gemstone, his lips twitched in a faint grin. “He’ll find out soon enough. The Archivists miss nothing. Otherwise, someone would have revealed magic a long time ago. Now, if you beat me in the race, there’s at least a chance my father won’t murder you for what you know.”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
He bumped my shoulder, a sad laugh falling from his lips. “Stay alive, Mireaux.” His words were lighthearted, but there was a painful seriousness behind his eyes that chilled my blood. “We need to find out how he uses magic to win, and we do the same.”
“Magic? That’s your plan?”
“Got a better one?”
My head tilted back and forth as I considered. “Or we could sell the information. Ruin him.” I now had the answers Fairfaxwanted, but after the way he’d treated me, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to have this knowledge. At least not yet. I wasn’t sure what was the right thing to do now that we knew magic was real.
“To the point.” He huffed, sliding off the desk. “But the Archivists have managed to rewrite history to keep their secrets safe. Whatever we do, it will be risky. Playing high stakes against my father means possibly losing everything.”
My father had bet everything and he’d lost. Pinching my eyes to shut out the visuals of my father crashing to the floor, I nodded. “I know.”
“Come on,” he said. “I want to see what your dragon does with this.”
Outside, the winter air carved its way through the seams of my clothing. I tucked my jacket around my middle and hurried toward Myth, who was now picking his claws clean. I jerked my gaze away from the remains of the sheep.
“Wait,” Rush said, grabbing my arm. He strode past me, eyes hard with a warning as he lifted his hand that held the emerald. “I don’t know what will happen.”
Myth instantly jumped up, his nostrils flaring. Smoke curled from his mouth into the cold air. Rush’s left hand pressed backward, tucking around my hip and pushing me behind him.
“Wait here,” he demanded.
“No, let me do it. He’s my dragon.” I reached around him, but he spun and backed toward Myth, the stone clutched at his chest.
“He trusts me!” I shouted, my breath ballooning before me. But Rush turned back to my dragon and extended his hand, emerald exposed on his open palm.
“What do you think?” he asked Myth, edging closer.
Myth’s nose tentatively crept forward, and stories of dragons and their hoards filled my mind. In the corner of the courtyard,Azeron stirred. Myth’s mouth opened, and a few sparks jumped out.
“Set it down!” I hissed, hands moving up to my face.
Rush bent slowly to set the stone on the bricks and backed away. As soon as he did, Myth pounced forward, tongue snatching up the stone and pulling it into his mouth. I yelped and found my fingers clutching the back of Rush’s blazer. Quickly, I let go, but Rush didn’t step away.
Still looking up at Myth, he said, “Well, that was unexpected.” He paced around me, then stopped short and turned, slowly, to face me. “Your dragon just ate a gemstone of questionable power. I think it might be wise if you didn’t bring him back to school tonight.”
My eyes cut to Myth, furious at the thought. “What, just leave him here again?”
“He’ll be fine here. No one will?—”
“No, I didn’t mean that. I mean, aren’t we going to test what happens now?” I lifted my hand toward Myth.
