He chuffed in my face, dampening my cheeks. His worry for my raised adrenaline and increased anxiety was clear.
“I’m fine,” I responded.
He let out a low, grumbling chortle.
“I know. But you can’t expose yourself, Chaos.Youwill cause chaos,” I warned.
“You speak dragon?” Sydney open-mouth stared between the two of us.
“No.”Not really.“I’m picking up on his noises and emotions.” That was the truth or, if not, close to it. Just like I had with Ender…I think?
“Aww.” Sydney let her mouth close. “He did seem upset. When I got back to our room after … the match … he seemed a little distraught, but I was able to calm him.”
Chaos nudged my chest with the hard scales on the top of his head, his sharp opaque horns avoiding me. I ran a hand down the smooth scales along his neck, reassuring him. They reminded me of tungsten: strong, beautiful, and glossy black with opaque white speckles. It would take something strong and sharp—or the blade made specifically for dragons—to pierce through them.
“You need to head back, Chaos.” I glanced out the window, making sure the coast was still clear. “We’ll go for a long walk tonight.”
He dropped his head and shook it side to side.
“We can share my Flaming Hot Cheetos?” Sydney offered with a small grin, her eyes betraying the sadness in surrendering her beloved snack. We had learned that not only did he enjoy meat, but he loved snacks. I had no clue what havoc Cheetos and potato chips would have on his stomach, but he loved them, and if they got him out of here, then so be it.
Chaos swiveled his neck to look at Sydney, snuffed, then turned back to me in a clearno.
“Fine.” Syd’s shoulders dropped. “You can haveallof them.”
That got Chaos’s attention. He raised his head, chirped, and turned to face her but didn’t give her the affection he clearly showed me.
I cocked my head at Sydney, raising a brow.
“What?” She pursed her lips. “I can learn to move beyond sharing and give the most precious, cheesiest, crunchiest snack to a dear friend.” She leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing. “You didn’t tell me Ender was ether!”
“That wasn’t for me to tell.”
“Fine. Fine.” She turned on her heels. “Alright, fiery dragon. Let’s go.”
I watched them retreat until Chaos bounced and took off in the air, Sydney hollering after him and trying to keep up. Shaking my head, I closed the window and turned, resting against the glass. I needed to get out of the office in case someone entered.
Moving quietly, I was careful not to knock over the various plants, each having their own medical purposes. I recognized aloe, which was great when a student accidentally burned themself or another student. Thyme and parsley weren’t only for cooking but helped create antibacterial and antifungal tonics; and sage, which helped with inflammation, arthritis, and gout—the latter was hopefully one the students wouldn’t be diagnosed with.
I made my way back to the chair. No sooner than my butt hit the cushion than the door to room two opened. Nurse Adair’s tall, lean frame filled the short, wide hallway, clipboard in hand. He was in his late twenties, with auburn hair and green eyes. He came from a strong line of earth mages. April idolized him. Due to earth mage enchantments, herbs, and elixirs, level 4 and higher mages could be trained to be magnificent healers. The previous Nurse, Helen… or Hulga … something like that … took him on as an apprentice while he was just a sophomore. He was her prime protégé to help care for the academy after her demise.
When he saw me, he tucked the chart under his arm, giving me a warm smile.
“Ms. Thomas.” He nodded as I stood. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes.” I glanced at the partially shut door behind him. “How is he?”
“David is doing well.” There was a pause as he assessed me, no doubt checking for any injuries from walking through Ender’s hurricane or from my own match. The head trainer had most likely filled him in. “Would you like to see him?” He asked after he must have assessed I was uninjured.
“Please.” I nodded.
The crowd on the training field had been instructed by John to leave. April, Denise, and Joseph wanted to go with David to the infirmary, but the headmaster informed them no one was allowed to go, and they could visit him after he’d been treated. I overheard him telling them, but I snuck away anyways. The others besides Sydney and Ender didn’t know John was family to me and Viv, and Sydney had promised to not tell April. Not that he would have excused me to go to the infirmary because I was his daughter…
Adair stepped aside, gesturing toward the door. “I’m sure he will be elated to see you.”
I nodded and silently walked past him.
After three small knocks on the door, I quietly pushed it open.
