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"But just to appease your curiosity, since this is the only time you'll ever see them, here is the only other black besides General Melgren's and the only Silver Thorntail left."
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"Keep the temperaments of each specific breed in mind when you decide which dragons to approach and which to run from at Threshing," Professor Kaori says, his serious eyes watching all of us.
He's an illusionist, the only professor in the Riders Quadrant with that certain signet. He's conjured an image of a Green Daggertail and a Red Scorpiontail, telling us all about the dragons and what to expect of their nature. He adds if there are any willing to bond this year to give us a sense of what dragon we want and how many there will be to choose from.
"Red Scorpiontails, like Ghrian here, are the quickest to temper," Professor Kaori continues, stopping to look at the crowd of First-years again. "So if you offend him, you're—"
"Lunch," Ridoc says from my left, making the entire room burst out in small, quiet laughter.
"Precisely," Professor Kaori answers. "So what's the best way to approach a Red Scorpiontail?" He looks at the now silent first-years.
"You don't," Rhiannon mutters next to me. I let out a huff of agreement.
"They prefer that you approach from the left and from the front, if possible." a women with hair a few shades darker then my platinum blonde answers.
"Excellent." Professor Kaori nods in apporvement. "For this Threshing, there are three Red Scorpiontails willing to bond." The image at the front of the classroom changes.
"How many dragons are there in total?" Rhiannon asks.
"A hundred for this year," Professor Kaori answers, switching the image again. "But some might change their minds during Presentation in about two months, depending on what they see."
My stomach turns to knots.
"That's thirty-seven fewer than last year." I exclaim.
Professor Kaori's eyebrows raise. "Yes, Cadet Mairi, it is, and twenty-six fewer than the year before that."
"Will they tell you why they won't bond?" A brunette man asks.
"No, jackass," Jack scoffs, his ice blue eyes narrowing. "Dragons only talk to their bonded riders, just like they only give their full name to their bonded rider. You should know that by now."
Professor Kaori sends Jack a look that shuts him up. I think Professor Kaori might be my favourite professor.
"They don't share their reasons," Professor Kaori starts. "And anyone who respects their life won't ask a question they're not willing to answer."
"Do the numbers affect the wards?" Aurelie asks from behind me.
I see Professor Kaori's Jaw tense. "We're not sure. The number of bonded dragons has never affected the integrity of Navarre's wards before, but I'm not about to lie to you and say that we're not seeing increased breaches when you know from Battle Brief that we are."
The room is silent for a few moments. Wards are faltering more than ever and less dragons are willing to bond. I find it strange that so many dragons are less willing to bond. The numbers keep decreasing each year. What is going on?
The image at the front of the class changes to Sgaeyl. My chest tightens at the thought of Xaden. I really wanted my chest to stop doing that when anything that had to do with Xaden Riorson showed up.
"You won't have to worry about how to approach blue dragons, since there are none willing to bond this Threshing, but you should be able to recognize Sgaeyl if you see her," Professor Kaori says.
"So you can fucking run," Ridoc adds. The whole room burst out into laughter, I even find myself laughing.
"She's a Blue Daggertail, the rarest of the blues, and yes, if you see her without her bonded rider, you should...definitely find somewhere else to be. Ruthless does not begin to describe her, nor does she abide by what we assume to be what the dragons consider law. She even bonded the relative of one of her previous riders, which you all know is typically forbidden, but Sgaeyl does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. In fact, if you see any of the blues, don't approach them. Just..."
"Run," Ridoc repeats, running his hand through his brown hair.
"Run," Professor Kaori confirms with a smile.
"There are a handful of other blues in active service, but you'll find them all along the Esben Mountains in the east, where the fighting is most intense. They're all intimidating, but Sgaeyl is the most powerful of them all." No wonder Xaden is so powerful, his dragon is the most powerful Blue Daggertail in service.
"What about the black dragon? And the silver one." A first year sitting beside Jack asks. I look over at the screen and see a massive black dragon, probably even bigger than Sgaeyl and a slightly smaller sliver one.
Jack's eyes widen, and his face lights up. "I want one of them."
"Not that it's going to matter." Professor Kaori explains. "But just to appease your curiosity, since this is the only time you'll ever see them, here is the only other black besides General Melgren's and the only Silver Thorntail left."
The last Silver Thorntail. That must be hard, to be the last. I look closer at the large silver dragon. Its tail is covered in sharp, silver spikes, like thorns. It's face is slim with a long neck and massive, extraordinary wings. It's utterly beautiful with its silver scales and piercing ice blue eyes—almost exactly like mine.
"They're huge," Rhiannon says. "And is the black one a clubtail?"
"No. A morningstartail. He has the same bludgeoning power of a clubtail, but those spikes will eviscerate a person just as well as a daggertail." Professor Kaori corrects.
"Best of both worlds," Jack says with a smirk. "He looks like a killing machine."
"He is," Professor Kaori says back. "And honestly, I haven't seen him in the last five years, so this image is more than a little outdated. But since we have him up here, what can you tell me about black dragons?"
"They're the smartest and most discerning," Aurelie calls out for an answer.
"They're one of the rarest," Violet adds in. "There hasn't been one born in the last... century."
"Correct." Professor Kaori spins the illusion and we're met with a pair of piercing gold eyes. "They're also the most cunning. There's no such thing as outsmarting a black dragon. This one is a little over a hundred, which makes him about middle-aged. He's revered as a battle dragon among their kind, and if not for him, we probably would have lost during the Tyrrish rebellion. Add to it that he's a morningstartail, and he's one of the deadliest dragons in Navarre."
"I bet he powers one hell of a signet. How do you approach him?" Jack asks, leaning onto his hands.
"You don't," Professor Kaori responds. "He hasn't agreed to bond since his previous and only rider was killed during the uprising, and the only way you'd ever be near him is if you're in the Vale, which you won't be, because you'd be incinerated before you ever got through the gorge."
I bite my lip at the mention of the uprising, seeing a redhead out of the corner of my eye pull her sleeve over her rebellion relic. I do the same.
"Someone should ask him again," Jack says.
"It doesn't work that way, Barlowe. Now, there is only one other black dragon, which is in service—" Professor Kaori says.
"General Melgren's," Sawyer says, his book closed in front of him since he probably already knows all of this information. "Codagh, right?"
"Yes." Professor Kaori confirms. "The eldest of their den and a swordtail."
"But just for curiosity's sake." Jack asks, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "What signet ability would this guy gift his rider?"
Professor closes his fist and the illusion disappears. "There's no telling. Signets are the result of the unique chemistry between rider and dragon and usually say more about the rider than the dragon. The stronger the bond and the more powerful the dragon, the stronger the signet."
"Fine. What was his previous rider's?" Jack asks with annoyance.
"Naolin's signet was siphoning." Professor Kaori's shoulders fall and I feel a wave of sadness. Sometimes I forget that people on the opposing side of my parents lost people, I need to work more on that, to see other people's side of the story. "He could absorb power from various sources, other dragons, other riders, and then use it or redistribute it."
"Badass." Ridoc's says breathlessly.
"He was," Professor Kaori agrees, his thoughts seem to be somewhere else, probably memories.
"What kills someone with that kind of signet?" Jack questions crossing his arms over his chest.
Professor Kaori glances to Violet for a moment and I immediately know where this is going. "He attempted to use that power to revive a fallen rider—which didn't work, because there's no signet capable of resurrection—and depleted himself in the process. To use a phrase you'll become accustomed to after Threshing, he burned out and died next to that rider."
The room is quiet.
"What about the silver dragon?" I ask to end the silence and change the subject. Professor Kaori directs his gaze to me and I swear there's a hint of gratitude for changing the topic of conversation. "You said it was the last of its kind. What happened?" I ask.
"The Silver Thorntails are extremely rare. They are powerful creatures, every rider wanted to say that they bonded one. When riders would bond them and then be killed in battle, the dragon disappeared. No one knew where they went—they just disappeared. Scribes speculated that they had been killed off, now extinct." Professor Kaori paused. "It was thought that the Silver Thorntails had disappeared and weren't coming back for fifty years—then this one appeared." He finishes, creating the image of the silver dragon again.
"So, they might not be extinct like the scribes thought?" I asked, looking up form the illusion to Professor Kaori.
"It is just a prediction that they are extinct. And until we see another one we can only assume that the one with us is the remaining survivor." He finishes.
"You said that it was powerful?" Jack speaks up.
Professor Kaori sighs. "Yes, previous battles have shown that the Silver Thorntails are quite strong and powerful. It's hard to say what kind of a signet an individual could channel when bonded to this silver, but if it's anything like the history shows—it would be powerful and useful." Professor Kaori pauses. "It doesn't matter though, the silver is not willing to bond this year and neither is the black. You will have to choose from what is there."
With that class ends, the bell ringing. First-years hustle form class, eager to start on-mat challenges. I know I should be thinking about my upcoming fights, but the sliver dragon keeps finding its way into my thoughts.
I can't bond it anyway, it's not willing to bond anyone and even if it was, I am not worthy of such a rare creature.
And yet, as I walk to the gym, I still find myself hoping.
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Scenes from chapter eight Fourth Wing were used.