Page 461

"Why."

"Repeated attention west."

"Anything else." I watch. His left wing moves slightly.

Not spreading. Positioning. Between something... and the grey dragon. Oh. "Protective positioning." Kaelis says nothing. I continue. "He's placing himself between the other dragon and something he doesn't like."

"Alert level?"

"Anomaly."

"Response?"

"Check neighboring dragon behavior."

"Then."

"Increase ward monitoring."

"Then."

"Move exposed personnel inward."

"Then."

"Do not investigate the direction alone."

Kaelis marks something. "Time." Forty-eight seconds.

Good. Then the bronze dragon suddenly snaps her head toward me. Wings spread. I freeze. Shit. Kaelis says nothing. This isn't part of— No. It is. Her tail.

Eyes. Weight. Not aggression. Warning. I look down.

A red marker sits beneath my boot. I stepped into her boundary. Idiot. I step backward slowly. Lower my gaze. Give space. The dragon settles. Kaelis writes.

Mistake. Good. Remember it. "Next."

Second is Ward Defense Simple. Hold a ward for three minutes. Obviously impossible. I take position.

Hands against the wardstone. Magic connects. The first strike hits. Fine. Second. Fine. Third, my right arm goes numb. Red band. There it is. Injury. I swear. Professor Neris watches from the edge. "No right arm." I switch. Left hand. Less control. Ward flickers. Another impact. I reinforce. Too much. The stone overheats. Fuck. I release before it cracks. Ward drops for half a second. Strike hits. Red light. Simulated structural damage. Mistake.

I breathe. Think. Don't overpower. Redirect. Next strike. I let the outer layer bend instead of resisting completely. Energy disperses sideways. Better. Another. Same. Another. My left arm shakes. Two minutes. Thirty. Forty. Ward failing. I look toward the secondary anchor. We're allowed to move. Nobody said I have to stay at the primary stone. I shift. Connect to the second. Lower output. Different angle. The ward stabilizes. Bell. Three minutes.

Neris marks something. "Your building sustained damage."

"I noticed."

"Why."

"I overcorrected after losing my dominant arm."

"How many occupants died?" I look toward the mock structure. Indicator board. Zero.

"None."

"Good." She writes. "Next." Not perfect but alive. I'll take it.

Third is Mixed-Wing Combat I enter the ring. My opponent is a siren. Then a wolf joins him.