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Cassian blinks. "Because there isn't one answer."

"Exactly." Professor Kaelis turns toward everyone. "Context." He writes the word across the board. "Memorizing signs will get you killed. A pause. "Your dragon lowers its head." He turns.

"Submission?" A student answers.

"Maybe."

Another. "Preparing to charge?"

"Maybe."

"Inviting contact?"

Kaelies continues. "Maybe. Where are the wings?" No answer. "The tail?" Silence. "The eyes?" Still nothing. "What was the dragon doing five seconds before?" He looks around. "What is the Rider doing?" Nothing. "What are the other dragons doing?" The silence grows heavier. Professor Kaelis sets down the chalk. "One movement tells you nothing." I write that down. Underline it. Twice.

The practical portion begins after midday. The benches are removed. The diagrams remain. Four dragons now occupy different sections of the field. None are Vyrael. He remains exactly where he was this morning. Sleeping. Or pretending to. I've begun to suspect those are not the same thing.

We divide into groups. Our first dragon is young. At least young compared to Vyrael. She's still enormous. Copper scales. Long, narrow horns. Bright green eyes that track every student approaching her. Her Rider stands several paces away. Professor Kaelis stops us twenty feet from her. "Observe." No one moves. The dragon's head is high. Wings folded. Tail resting loosely against the ground. Her eyes move constantly. "State."

Nyra answers first. "Alert."

"Why?" Kaelis asks.

"Her head."

"Insufficient."

Nyra studies her again. "Eyes moving. Ears—" She pauses. Dragons don't exactly have ears. "The structures behind her jaw are shifting toward sound."

Kaelis nods. "Continue."

I feel Nyra shift. "Tail relaxed."

"Good."

"Wings aren't tense. She's alert, but not threatened." Kaelis looks toward the Rider. The Rider nods. "Correct."

Nyra smiles. She'll probably have every dragon posture catalogued alphabetically by dinner.

Then it's my turn. The dragon has changed position. Barely. Her head is lower now. Eyes fixed on our group. Her mouth opens slightly. I study her. "She's uncomfortable." Professor Kaelis says nothing. Which is somehow worse than being told I'm wrong. I continue. "She's watching us more closely."

"Why?"

"Her mouth."

"Wrong."

I frown. Her teeth are visible. Not all of them. Enough. "She's showing teeth."

"No." Kaelis points toward the dragon. "You're watching the mouth."

A voice behind me says, "Watch the shoulders." I don't need to turn. Rhyven. I look again. Shoulders. The muscles are loose. Not braced. Her wings haven't changed. Tail still relaxed. Eyes attentive but not fixed on me. They're moving slightly past us. I follow the angle. Her Rider. He's looking at her. Not speaking. Not moving. Oh. "They're communicating." Rhyven says nothing.

Professor Kaelis nods. "Yes." The dragon closes her mouth. Her Rider looks away. Immediately her attention returns to us.

I glance toward Rhyven. He's already walking toward another group. Not even waiting for acknowledgment. I narrow my eyes at his back. Annoying. Useful. But annoying. By the third dragon my head hurts. By the fourth I understand why mistakes aren't permitted. A second-year siren steps forward after misreading a tail movement. Professor Kaelis catches the back of her uniform and pulls her two steps backward. Half a second later the dragon's tail sweeps through the exact space she'd occupied. Fast enough to knock a grown man off his feet. The entire group freezes. The dragon doesn't even look at us. He was adjusting his position. Nothing more. Professor Kaelis releases the student's uniform. "Dead."

Her face has gone pale. "I thought—" She starts.