Page 81 of Under Restless Skies

“What happened to them?” I ask. “To the previous eggs?”

“That, I cannot answer. Now, the hatchlings will remain in the same room, but with guards stationed in the area. It’s a trap. If any rider tries to find them again, they’ll be caught. Still, be extremely careful. Riders can be dangerous.”

“Why don’t recruits learn about it? About their magic, I mean?”

“They’ll learn. Eventually. The odds that recruits will come face to face with a rider are minimal, and the chance that they’ll survive it is almost none. Keep it a secret. The hatchlings, too. My orders as well. I assume you can do that, can you not?”

“Yes.” My chest is light, while my mind can’t even comprehend what’s happening. It’s like a wondrous dream, the kind you don’t want to wake up from.

Am I really getting everything I wanted? Or is this some kind of trick?

He then adds, “When Cardiana’s Festival comes, I’ll reassess your position.”

Right. So there is a catch. And the festival’s in only a few weeks. Vigorlu help me.

14

Dreams do come true, and I’m almost afraid of getting too happy, too comfortable, afraid that the illusion will shatter. I mean, it could well shatter during Cardiana’s festival, if Mallor changes his mind, but I’ll ignore it for now.

I’m sitting on a pillow in the hatchling nursery, holding Ava against my chest, while Vos rests on my leg. He stopped staring at me like he knew I was doing something wrong. Could it be because he sensed I was sneaking?

Now I have a special brooch to give me access to this room. Tomorrow I’ll pin it to my academy uniform. The real uniform. Mallor informed Instructor Katrine that I’d be studying dragons and in contact with the little ones, and she had no choice but to accept it.

I’m here. Where I belong. I lie back and Vos moves from my leg to my side, his cute wings folded as he walks slowly, then snuggles beside my neck.

Despite all my excitement, my eyes feel heavy and my body feels light. So light, as if I was floating.

Two squeaks close to my ear wake me. I turn and see Vos clapping his wings, the thin light from the sunholes casting a glow on his emerging scales. It’s daytime already.

We weren’t attacked, and the rider didn’t return. I kept waiting for it, bracing for the worst, but nothing happened. For now, the rider’s gone. Hopefully when he returns, we’ll be better prepared.

“Hello, little one.” My hand finds the top of Vos’s head, and he springs up, wings snapping open. “Are you learning to fly?”

Ava emerges from the water basin, shaking droplets from her snout before padding across the stone floor to my side. I kiss her head, then her brother’s, their tiny scales grazing my lips.

“I have to leave you.” I tell the cute little dragons. “But I’ll be back.”

Guards stand outside the hallway, but they only nod as I walk by. I rush up to my room, and find Mariana waiting outside, still as a statue, until she sees me and smiles.

I open the door, grab the gown, and return it to her.

“Thank you so, so much!” I say, then point to the torn stitches, heat rising to my face. “It ripped a little, though.”

She glances at the burst seams, her hand holding the dress up so it doesn’t touch the floor. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you so much!” I repeat.

“It was my duty.” She bows and leaves.

Next I hurry to the dormitory area of the academy, and find Celine in her room, sitting on her bed.

“Hello?” I say quietly, unsure if she’s aware that she’s going to be my guide today.

She jumps up and wraps her arms around me. “You did it! You’re in! You’re one of us. I mean, you were before, but now…”

“Now it’s better.” I can’t contain the smile forming on my lips. “Who told you?”

She chuckles. “A guard. And yes, now it’s better, and we’ll be roommates!”