Through Smoke and Ashes

Twenty Nine||Flying Lessons

Whenever Alec noticed I was holding my breath while training with him, he slammed either his foot or the hilt of his sword into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I couldn't count the many times I had fallen to my knees gasping for breath, but in a way, it was helping me to remember to breathe.

Our fight was ended as Kayne gave a mischievous grin before he landed me on my back. I miscalculated my movements. How embarrassing.

Kayne brought down his hand to bring me to my feet. I dusted myself off, avoiding looking up as I felt my face heat up. I could blame it on the exertion. Stupid, I chanted over in my head.

"Good fight," Kaybe breathed out. He was out of breath and his forehead beaded with sweat. I furrowed my eyebrows together, my embarrassment slowly dissipating. He looked like he had exerted himself harder than I thought he had. I glanced at the sky. The sun had moved slightly, indicating that maybe almost an hour had gone by. I didn't realize how long we had been fighting. The group around us had grown in size as I looked around the training arena. As I scanned the crowd, I saw Naxan's cool blue eyes looking at me. They were a neutral emotion, that by looking at him, I could not tell what he was thinking, but through the bond, I felt pride.

The other dragons that settled around the arena were gauging Naxan with hard eyes, not coming too close to where he was. They were still wary of his presence, and by the looks of things, they did not feel comfortable enough to be near him.

Making my leave, I went into the Academy to take a shower. I ignored the stares that I get on my back. I'm sure that they weren't nice looks; I wasn't exactly welcomed around here.

Climbing my way to the top of the stairs, I hesitated before entering the bathroom. I couldn't be afraid of this room forever. I needed to keep up with my hygiene. Reaching into the bathroom, I sensed no other presence lurking in the shadows. The slow drip of a leaky tap splashed water droplets onto the floor. There was no danger other than wasteful water.

I stepped into the shower, cleaning myself quickly. The shower was probably only a couple of minutes long before I was stepping out and wrapping myself in a towel. Exiting the bathroom, I nearly let out a screech as I saw a body leaning near the doorway.

Clutching my pounding heart, I realized it was just Kayne. I moved my arms over my chest as I became aware of how exposed my body was. Making a mental note, I would bring my change of clothes into the bathroom from now on.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly. He seemed to be slightly distracted by something.

His eyes wandered to mine. The skin around them crinkled as he smiled. "No demon creatures hiding in the shadows this time?"

I shook my head, walking towards my room. It was close. When I get to it, I could separate the two of us with the door. "All clear." I softly smiled as I reached the door to my room. I gave him a pointed look as I opened the door and slipped inside. He stayed outside the door. I felt his presence outside as I moved around my room. I changed quickly and exited the room. Kayne was there as I thought he would be, leaning against the door.

"What time do you have class?" He asks as we made our way back down the winding staircase.

"In the next couple of minutes."

I heard his footsteps in sync with mine as I took the stairs two at a time. "Which one?"

"Something to do with our dragons. I just know I'm supposed to meet Hames outside." I was not entirely enthused about this class, especially since Hames was the instructor.

"It's probably flying lessons," Kayne said from behind me.

I snorted, pausing on the stairs. "There are lessons for that?"