Page 16 of The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy #2)

My heart stuttered when I heard the beating of massive wings.

Nyxaris.

The black dragon folded his wings by his side almost casually, as his sharp, luminous eyes scanned the training yard.

Around me the highblood students had gone still. I glanced at Theo and Visha. Their eyes were wide, their nervousness palpable.

I grimaced. Nyxaris was like Blake in some ways. He didn’t just enter a space. He dominated it.

What are you doing here? I demanded, reaching for the dragon’s mind. Why haven’t you been answering me?

Nyxaris snorted and a bunch of students yelped and backed further away. Why would I waste my time responding to your every petty whim?

I ground my teeth. So, the dragon was not in a good mood then. I wasn’t being petty. I’ve been trying to...

Were you skirmishing? What did this highblood do to provoke you? Nyxaris interrupted.

I glanced over at Laurent. The tall highblood boy looked as if he might topple over. Evidently this was his first time seeing the dragon up close.

Nothing. We were sparring. This is one of my combat classes.

And were you winning your match with the little highblood whelp? Nyxaris asked with only mild interest.

I was handling it, I said, my irritation flaring. I would probably have won if you hadn’t arrived and distracted everyone with your dazzling beauty.

Nyxaris’s rumbling laugh filled my mind, dark and amused. We could still win. Shall I dispatch your opponent for you? I have not yet eaten today.

That won’t be necessary, I responded hastily. We’re sparring, not trying to kill each other. Laurent was an ass, but I wanted to beat him fair and square–not by cheating and having my dragon eat him.

Nyxaris tilted his head, the light catching on his onyx scales. His eyes moved to Blake, who was standing stiffly at the edge of the ring, looking back at the dragon. And is this your instructor?

You know who he is , I snapped grouchily. He’s my... archon .

Ah, yes. Your mate. He is unworthy of you. I wondered how exactly Nyxaris had come to that conclusion. I knew he didn’t have a great opinion of highbloods in general, but he seemed to take personal offense to Blake.

He’s not my mate , I hissed, my cheeks burning. We’re bonded. That’s all.

Mm, Nyxaris said noncommittally. I fail to see the difference. He is a highblood. He drinks from you, does he not? The highbloods could never resist rider blood.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Yes, I admitted, feeling as if I were sharing something too personal. He has to or else he’d die.

Was I actually defending Blake? No, that was an explanation. Nothing more.

Nyxaris let out a huff that sent pebbles skittering beneath him. I already tire of him. He glares at me as if I’ve wronged him in some way. Is he jealous? He snorted. Now that would amuse me .

I glanced at Blake, who was still staring up at the dragon. He looked furious—yet there was something uneasy about his expression.

He’s looking at you because you’re looking at him, I said, rolling my eyes. It’s not exactly commonplace to interact with a dragon these days, you know. He’s not jealous . Though with Blake, who could really say? Why are you here anyways?

Perhaps I simply came to see how well you hold up under pressure , the dragon replied, languidly stretching his wings.

There was something brooding about Nyxaris today. I almost had the impression he was depressed. Well, more depressed than the last time.

Clearly, you have much to learn, he continued. Your stance was sloppy. Your focus wavered. And that boy landed a blow before I intervened.

You didn’t intervene , I replied hotly. You landed . I was doing fine before you showed up.

Nyxaris gave a low chuckle. Stubborn child. So be it.

I sighed. I know you love scaring everyone, but why are you really here?

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he flicked his tail as if irritated. I grow impatient. Have you found something useful for me yet?

My heart sank. I’m working on it but it’s only been a few days.

Working on it? His tone was sharp, almost petulant. You’ve had time. Perhaps I should find a rider with better initiative.

Yes, well, good luck with that , I snapped. Besides, I’m not your rider, remember? You’ve made that quite clear.

That earned me a huff of amusement.

You need to be patient if you want results , I said, trying to find my own sense of patience. I thought about Professor Hassan. The only news I have for you right now isn’t good. I doubt you want to hear it.

Does it involve me having to come and save you again? He said, sounding bored.

Basically, yes, I said reluctantly.

Then you are correct. I do not wish to hear it. Find me information before you ask for a favor. Do you know nothing of the ways of courtesy? Nyxaris said primly.

Before I could retort, he reared back, tilting his head skywards, and letting out a deafening roar. The sound shook the courtyard like a thunderclap.

I winced, my ears ringing. I knew he was doing it on purpose. The big show-off.

Students screamed, scattering like startled mice. I heard Blake yelling over the din, shouting that class was dismissed early.

Nyxaris, I said warningly. I go to school here, remember? The nice highbloods decided not to execute me. Can we please try not to make them hate us both more than they already do?

Simply consider that a reminder, he said coolly. Dragons do not like to be kept waiting.

Without another word, he spread his wings and launched into the air, his shadow momentarily casting the training yard into darkness before he soared away.

I found Theo waiting for me near the edge of the training yard. Visha had already vanished.

“That was... interesting,” he said, as I fell in step beside him and we started walking to our next class, Historical Strategy.

“That’s one way to put it,” I muttered.

“What do you think is really going on with Blake?” Theo asked, looking concerned. “It’s not like him to storm off like that.”

I hadn’t even noticed Blake take off, but now I raised an eyebrow. “Are we talking about the same Blake Drakharrow?”

“Well, at least, not usually in front of such a big audience,” Theo corrected. “Maybe he did it all the time with you.” He glanced at me.

“He’s probably just sulking,” I said. “Because I wasn’t as humiliated as he’d hoped for. Or maybe he wanted Laurent to beat me bloody but Nyxaris showed up and saved the day.” I paused. “That probably threw him for a loop, too.”

“Maybe,” Theo conceded. “You think Nyxaris appeared because of Blake? What was he doing there, anyway?”

I shook my head. “I know for a fact he didn’t. I think Nyxaris was mainly just bored.”

Bored and impatient. The most powerful creature in the world was impatient with me. If that wasn’t motivation to go to the library, I didn’t know what was.

Kind of ironic. Nyxaris and the Tribunal had more in common than they realized. Both wanted results I couldn’t just instantly give.

“Blake’s been off lately,” Theo said, his mind still on his cousin.

“Has he though?” I asked cautiously. “Look, he’s your cousin. Your friend. Maybe you should just try talking to him? I don’t have any answers for you. But look at how he treated us all this morning. It wasn’t right. You and Visha and Florence didn’t deserve that.”

“Neither did you,” Theo said sadly, looking downwards.

I sighed. “Try telling Blake that. He’s punishing all of you to try to get to me. But it isn’t exactly out of character for him, is it?” I shook my head. “Listen to us. It’s like our lives revolve around Blake. There are more important things to talk about.”

“There are?” Theo said, perking up and giving me a little grin. “Like what?”

“Like your love life,” I teased, nudging him with my elbow. “Who have you got your eye on this year? Come on, you know you can tell me.”

He snorted with laughter and dodged. “I’ve decided to go celibate. I’m going to focus on my grades this year.”

I nearly choked. “You? Celibate?” I tilted my head. “Well, I guess it would be even more of a shock if Visha had said that.”

Theo laughed. “Visha doesn’t give a shit about her grades, believe me. She’s just here for the fun of it. But she gets decent marks somehow, despite all the partying she does.”

“Visha.” I shook my head. “She’s a smart girl. Tough, too.”

“I wonder how she’s feeling about this morning,” Theo said, a little reluctantly. “It has to sting. She told me Blake was considering her as his Second.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked curiously.

Theo shrugged. “You know, just someone to back up the House Leader. Blake was Marcus’s Second. You do what your House Leader says, help him hold things together. Fill in when needed. It has to be someone strong, supportive. Loyal above all.”

“I would have thought you’d be Blake’s Second,” I remarked.

“He wanted me to. But I don’t think I’d be a very good one,” Theo said. “Besides, I doubt he wants me to do it now.”

I slung my arm through his. “Blake is an idiot. I know you love him, but please try not to let him get to you. You’re a good person and a good friend. Just look at what you did for Vaughn. You could have been, well, more selfish. Any other highblood would have chosen to keep him close. They wouldn’t have even thought about what Vaughn wanted.”

Theo laughed a little bitterly and I wondered if he was serious about being celibate this year. If so, had he made that choice because he wanted to or because he couldn’t get Vaughn off his mind? “Yeah, I’m not a great highblood.”

“That’s right. Guess you’re more blightborn than you think,” I said jokingly

But instead of laughing, Theo paled slightly.

I wanted to ask him about it, but we’d reached the room where Historical Strategy was being held. We’d walked so slowly and talked for so long that the lecture hall was already half-full. I recognized most of the students—basically all of the ones who had just been in our Defensive Arts class with Blake were in this section, too.

“Let me guess,” I muttered to Theo. “History with Hassan?”

He shuddered. “Probably. This is her specialty.”

I sighed and found an empty spot for us in the middle of the room. “Well, there’s nowhere to hide. Maybe she’ll ignore me.” I’d already given my friends an abbreviated version of what had happened in my private session with Hassan.

But when the door opened a few minutes later, it wasn’t Professor Hassan who entered. Instead, Professor Rodriguez strode to the lectern. He set down a familiar-looking worn leather satchel and looked up at us.

I realized Blake had come in at some point. He sat in the first row. To my surprise, Visha was beside him.

“Good afternoon,” Rodriguez said, breezily. “Most of you know me already. If you don’t, you should.” There was some laughter. “I’ll be taking over Historical Strategy this term. Professor Hassan has been assigned to other duties.”

The relief in the room was obvious. I saw some students let out sighs of relief. Evidently, I wasn’t the only student Hassan was hard on.

As for me, I was thrilled. This meant I’d be seeing Rodriguez at least three times a week, but that was fine by me. More opportunities to try to get information for Nyxaris from the one person in the school who might actually know something about dragons–and be willing to share that knowledge, once persuaded.

Professor Rodriguez laughed at the class’s reaction. “Make no mistake, I won’t go easy on you. But hopefully you’ll enjoy the material we’ll be covering. Strategy can be fascinating. So can the history of warfare.” His eyes swept over the tiers of seats and landed on me. He gave me a brief nod. “This class will focus on the historical applications of strategy in highblood warfare. We’ll examine the tactical use of dragons in battle, as well as the role of blightborn infantry, scouts, and other auxiliary forces. Why? Because by understanding the past, we can better prepare for the future.”

It was something all history teachers liked to say. But this time Rodriguez’s eyes were hard as he looked at me, as if I should take more meaning than usual from the tired old phrase.

“We’ll start the term by analyzing key battles from Sangratha’s history, including the Siege of Skyreach and the Fall of Lutharion. Two moments which helped to define our realm’s military legacy. Your assignments will require both individual research as well as group collaboration.”

Rodriguez started his lecture on the Siege of Skyreach and I began to busily write notes, firmly keeping my thoughts off both Blake and Nyxaris.