Yenni's stomach dropped. She could withstand no more than a few seconds of the ground falling away beneath her before she had to shut her eyes, turning her head against the leathery warmth of the dragon's chest. His arms wrapped firmly around her waist as his wings beat the air. She did not struggle, but held tighter.
They flew for what seemed like eternity to Yenni, until the dragon finally arced into a mossy hollow carved into a cliff face and touched down with a few quick beats of his wings. He let her go and changed into a man once more, so fast it was as if there had never been a huge dark beast before her, but a man the whole time.
"Lovely, listen," he said and stepped toward her, arms outstretched. She had no weapon, and she'd burned through all her offensive runes, using them up as magic was prohibited during the test, but she was not defenseless. She shuffled back toward the mouth of the cave, letting him get closer.
Father Gu, sacred warrior, lend me your aid.
As the dragon reached for her she yelled, grabbed his arm, and spun up perpendicular to him. She bent over and, using his own forward momentum, rolled him over her hip, clean out of the cave toward the loud river below.
Yenni peeked over the lip of the cave, her heart beating in her chest like a nectar bird. The beast screamed and rose up before her. She scrambled back, cursing herself.
Mothers and Fathers, I forgot he could fly!
He swooped into the cave and once again became a man who stared at her, bewildered.
"I warned you, Dragon," she said, ready to grab and break his arm should he accost her again. "Stay away!"
He blinked at her. "One, how in the name of Byen did you do that? I'm twice your size. Two, did you just try to kill me?"
"Yes, and next time I will succeed."
She watched his face twist with outrage and then soften into something pained. He sniffed. "Are . . . are you afraid of me?"
"Of course not!"
"You can't lie to a dragon, lovely, I can smell it," he said softly. "I apologize. I can get carried away when I'm in dragon." He grimaced. "In hindsight, whisking you away unannounced wasn't the best course of action."
"Let me pass," Yenni snarled. "The battle aptitude test is about to begin."
"Byen above, that's today! I'd forgotten admissions were still happening. First-year classes start later than ours," he mused. "Come, I'll take you back."
"Absolutely not," said Yenni. "I will get back on my own."
"En? How?"
She mustered up all her courage and marched past him to survey the cave entrance. The mouth opened to a sheer drop halted only by the rushing river. Yenni's breathing turned to short, panicked gasps. Curse this ridiculous dragon! If she didn't get back soon, she'd miss the test and her chance to enter the academy. The next registration period was in six moonturns, and she didn't have time to waste. Her father's condition was getting worse, and the Sha were watching, judging. She must gain entrance now.
Yenni glanced left and right. The cliff face had some good footholds, but even if she made the treacherous climb down, what then? It would take ages to walk back to the academy.
"Let me fly you back, sweet lovely," said the dragon. "It will take less than a minute."
She whirled and faced him. "My name is not 'sweet lovely.' It is Yenni Aja-Nifemi ka Yirba!"
He raised his hands. "All right, lo—I mean, Yenni-Ayi . . . hmm. That doesn't change the fact that we need to get you back."
No, it didn't. She could let the dragon fly her or she could miss the test.
She fixed him with a fierce glare. "When you become a dragon, what is your weakest point?"
He sighed again. "Besides my eyes? My throat, where my neck connects with my shoulder blades, though I suppose you could do some damage if you could get under the scales at the top of my spine. And my wings, of course."
"Are you impervious to fire?"
"In dragon, yes, and as a man if I concentrate."
"If water cannot harm you, what can?"
"So that's what the shower was about," he mumbled. "Well, I'm not partial to ice."
Though it pained her to admit she didn't know the word, she had to ask. "What is ice?"
His brow furrowed. "What's ice? Ice is frozen water, lovely."
Yenni gritted her teeth. "What do you mean by frozen?"
"Well . . . frozen. Hard."
"Ice is . . . hard water." What was this dragon going on about? No matter. It was too much to expect he would reveal everything, and she was running out of time.
"Fine, Dragon. Since this is your fault, you will take me straight back to the academy. Know that if I come away with so much as a scratch, you will draw down upon you the full wrath of the Yirba. This I promise you."
"The what?" he said, and shook his head. "No harm will come to you, my heart. On my honor as a dragon. Have you ever ridden dragonback?"
"I have not."
"It's simple. Once I'm in dragon, climb up and settle between the ridges on my back. Hold on and I'll take care of the rest. If I wiggle my right shoulder, I'm about to bank right. If I wiggle my left shoulder, left."
"Shouldn't there be some sort of saddle?"
He scoffed. "A saddle?! What am I, a hire horse?"
"Suppose you drop me?"
His face hardened. "I've never once lost a rider. I'm not about to start with my Given."
"I am not—" Yenni breathed deeply through her nose, calming herself. Now was not the time to debate his ridiculous claim. "Could you not carry me like before?"
"Not that I would ever let you go in a million years, but dragonback is technically safer. More surface area."
Yenni sighed. There was nothing for it. "Very well, change," she said, flicking her hand at him.
"Demanding little thing, aren't you?" he muttered, but he jogged backward to make room, and all at once he was a dragon, huge and steaming. Slowly, he lumbered around so that he faced the shadows of cave's back wall, carefully presenting her with his tail. She climbed up, not particularly worried about hurting him, and settled into a valley near the top of his spine, where she could do the most damage if something went awry. She grabbed the hump in front of her, curling her legs back on either side, the scales smooth and warm against her skin.
"I am ready!" she called.
The beast snorted and turned to face the mouth of the cave, jostling her, and a bout of nerves assailed her courage. She shook her head. It will be like flying a field sphinx, she coached herself. Just like flying Ofa. Nothing I haven't done before.
The dragon gave a warning cry, ran, and jumped, spreading his wings. Yenni yelped as they dropped slightly, her stomach heaving, and then they were gliding on the air.
Cold wind screamed at her, drawing tears from her eyes and slapping her braids painfully against her face. It was nothing like flying a field sphinx. They were much higher up. Worst of all, she had no control. He made no response when, on instinct, she flexed her thighs and called. The dragon simply kept his wings out and rode the air.
She ducked her head and squinted, and through the gap between the dragon's long neck and outstretched wings she caught a dizzying glimpse of the ground below. The world raced by like a living map. There were the towering buildings of Imperium Centre reaching up vainly toward them—the castle, sturdy and grand at the city's heart; the river running alongside the metropolis; paths carving up the neat fields of barley and maize to the east; and just ahead, the sprawling academy. It was incredible to see, and despite herself a wide smile took hold of Yenni's face. She hardly noticed when the dragon's left shoulder bounced up and down. He began to turn.
Yenni screamed as she slipped from her perch.
She rolled and tumbled, scrabbling against the smooth scales for some kind of purchase until she caught herself in the crook of his wing. The dragon screeched, high and urgent, and leveled out. Panting, Yenni hastened back to her spot among the ridges of his spine. "I am fine," she shouted over the singing wind.
He gave a low call that ended in a soft click, and wiggled his left shoulder dramatically. This time he turned slowly, almost laboriously, and she held tight as he angled toward the sandy pit where the test was to take place.
He glided in and touched down on the grass so lightly she barely felt it, and swiftly ducked low so she could dismount. She slid from the dragon's back and ran for her spear, glinting in the grass where she'd dropped it, praise all the Mothers and Fathers.
"Byen, woman! I told you if I wiggle my left shoulder it means I'm banking left!" He was a man once more. "You almost scared my heart to a stop!"
Yenni ignored him and snatched up her spear before sprinting for the training ground.
"You're welcome!" the lackwit dragon shouted after her. "Oh, and Byen's favor!"
Δ
Yenni slipped through the big wooden doors as two burly Creshen men pulled them shut. She hurried down the short steps, her sandals slapping the stone, and came to stand with the murmuring crowd, corralled like a herd of cattle on the sands of the open-air training ground. They were hemmed in by tall walls of dark lumber, reminding her of a ship's hull. Out of the corner of her eye she caught other students glancing at her but she stared ahead, her chest heaving. She had no time for small talk.
All the leather-clad backs in front of her were depressingly broad shouldered. It seemed most of the applicants were male, the same disturbing trend that had taken over the Sha Islands. Here and there she spotted skin of a darker hue, likely men from the Northern Sha Islands, or the Sunrise Isles, as the Creshens called them.
The din from the group dropped in volume until all was quiet, and Yenni startled when a booming voice shattered the silence. It was louder than she'd ever heard anyone speak before, and it occurred to her the speaker must be amplifying it somehow with ach'e.
"Welcome, young hopefuls! I'm Captain Augustin. Today's test will put you through the paces so we can get a sense of your abilities in melee and with basic weapons."
Yenni stood on her toes but couldn't see anything over the tall, shaggy heads before her.
"Square up!" the voice shouted.
They moved instantly, leaving Yenni looking left and right. Square up? What did this mean? The others were spreading into a wide circle . . . no, a square! Yenni scrambled to fit herself between two of her fellow candidates. At last they were all in place, and in the center of the square stood a squat Creshen man with close-cropped hair. His arms and calves bulged as if he'd stolen them from someone else's body, and his wide smile betrayed more than one missing tooth.
"Nice lot," he said as he paced the square. "But then, the first group of the day is always the most keen." As the captain's eyes fell on Yenni she once again experienced "the look." He came over to her.
"Oho!" he said. "Where are you from?"
"I am Yenni Aja-Nifemi ka Yirba and I am from the Moonrise Isles."
"Are you now? Well then, welcome!" he said, and slapped her shoulder. Yenni flinched, unused to being so casually touched by strangers. "Ah-ah, but wait? What is this?" He pointed at the white Masters' rune peeking out from under her wrap shirt. "No magic allowed. Are you trying to cheat?"
"No, not at all," she said, her heart thumping even as she curled her hands to hide the runes on her palms. "It is simply a warning rune. It alerts me to threats on my life. I cannot remove it."
"Does it now," he said thoughtfully, and Yenni's chest clenched with anxiety. Please! I'm so close!
"Well, certainly no one should be trying to kill you here, just some friendly sparring is all. And it'd be a shame to send you packing after you came all this way, en? But I'll be watching you closely," he warned.
Yenni exhaled, relieved. "Yes, thank you."
"Can't wait to see you in action," said the captain, and he strode back to the center of the square. He crossed his huge arms. "Right. Prevan Academy of Battle and Magical Arts is the finest tactical school on the continent," he declared. "We select only the fat of the meat, the best of the best, to take part in training here. To that end, the final challenge in today's test will be something extra special, something I doubt many of you have encountered before." He raised one eyebrow. "But first you'll be sparring in groups of two, according to weight, while I observe."
He began pointing at various candidates. "You and you, and . . . you and you," he called, pairing them off. Yenni ended up opposite a red-cheeked girl with hair like dry grass who refused to meet her eye. She clutched a wooden staff.
In the end about forty pairs were spaced out in the sand. "Now, you're aiming to subdue, not maim," called the captain. "That said, each round will last two minutes, and the one showing the most wear will be removed. Ready yourselves!"
Yenni brought up her spear. "Best of luck," she said.
The girl still wouldn't look at her. "I don't need your luck," she spat. "As if I would let some foreigner from the Isles take my spot."
Yenni was so astonished she laughed, one sharp bark.
"Begin!" the captain boomed.
The girl took the most obvious tack and swung her staff at Yenni's legs. Yenni gave her own spear a practiced twirl and stuck the tip in the sand. Wood struck steel with a clang. While her opponent reeled to the side, Yenni braced herself against her spear and kicked out, hitting the girl in the middle. She grunted and fell to her knees. Yenni waited. The girl stumbled to her feet with all the grace of a newborn goat, but once she was upright Yenni struck, a light rap to the knee that probably wouldn't break it. The girl screamed and fell again, and this time she couldn't rise.
"Over already?" Captain Augustin cried as he caught sight of them. "I'll have to keep a closer eye on you, en? Mam'selle Moonrise Isles, you'll move up to the next round."
As the day's trials went on, Yenni bested opponent after opponent, male and female, until only five prospectives remained on the sand. Yenni flashed Captain Augustin a triumphant smile as he surveyed them.
"Well, well," he said. "Five left. Next we'll see how you work as a team. Ready yourselves."
She brought up her spear, and saw the others, all young men, take up their fighting stances as well. Yenni surveyed Captain Augustin, doing her best to gauge his weaknesses. Five on one seemed like an unfair fight, but he was their instructor, so who knew what surprises hid under his hat.
He burst into a loud laugh that commandeered his whole mouth. "Oh, you won't be fighting me!" he said, and rubbed his hands together. "I just love this part." He shielded his eyes with a meaty hand and squinted into the open cloudless sky. "Right on time, as usual," he said gleefully. "You'll be fighting her!"
A star glinted on the horizon, brighter than the day, and as Yenni watched the star grew brighter and bigger, until it turned into a creature flashing silver-blue in the sun, twisting and swirling in the sky like a magnificent giant eel. Yenni's mouth dropped open.
"Byen above!" someone shouted.
"Square up!" Captain Augustin practically sang.
They spread apart as the dragon arced down onto the sand, landing on four clawed feet. Unlike the ill-mannered beast who'd snatched her earlier, this dragon was serpentine and graceful. She glittered like diamonds, but Yenni was not fooled. Some of the most beautiful creatures were also the deadliest. It was futile, but Yenni desperately wished she had her runes.
"Begin!" the captain shouted.
Two of their group rushed the dragon while Yenni and two others hung back. The dragon's chest heaved and with two darts of her head she shot white jets of water at her assailants, which sent them flying back to thud on the sand. Yenni's eyes went wide. In all the lore of her homeland, she'd never heard of dragons spitting water. The pretty dragon swung her long neck to face Yenni's group.
Water or fire, it mattered not. Yenni's goal remained the same: subdue this dragon and claim her spot at the academy. According to that brute from earlier, a dragon's weak points were the eyes, the area where the neck connected with the shoulder blades, under the scales at the top of the spine, and the wings. But try as she might, she could catch no hint of wings on the smooth length of the creature. It was impossible, but she didn't seem to have wings at all!
"Spread out!" the Creshen beside her shouted, but the dragon screeched and snapped at him as he tried to get behind her. He jumped back, just dodging her sharp teeth. Yenni tried to get around the other side, but the dragon turned and shot a quick stream of water at her. Yenni dove as the stream grazed her arm, making her skin burn. A quick inspection showed a bleeding scrape caused by friction. It was the speed and pressure of the water that caused the damage, not the temperature.
The dragon's attention was on herding the other Creshens back where she could see them. She snapped and spat at the others, and lashed her tail back and forth, keeping Yenni at bay. Instinctively, Yenni tried to pull on her focus rune and spot an opening, but of course the rune was gone. She could find no wings to exploit, and no matter how much she wanted to enter the academy, it would be absurd to blind the dragon during a simple exercise.
She retreated slowly, giving herself some distance while praying the dragon didn't notice and catch on to what she was about to do. By the grace of Father Gu, the other applicants kept her occupied. Yenni twisted her spear, transforming it from long to short. Then she ran, her sandals slapping the sand, and leapt onto the dragon's back. The creature screeched and turned, trying to get at Yenni. As the dragon's great head swung around to face her, Yenni brought the tip of her spear to the tender flesh at the base of the dragon's throat. One wrong move and the creature would be impaled.
Any moment Yenni expected the captain to call a halt to the sparring and declare her team the winners. Instead, the dragon twisted and rolled, sending Yenni tumbling to the sand. Yenni scrambled to her feet and backed away, lest she be crushed. The dragon's screech rent the air and, like a snake shooting venom, she sent five precise jets of water at each of her assailants. Yenni had no time to think before she was hit square in the stomach and thrown back, the wind knocked out of her.
"Enough! Duval takes it," she heard the captain yell. Duval? Zui Duval? As Yenni lay in the mud, unable to do anything but wheeze, she knew the dragon had been toying with them. What manner of test was this?
Yenni was livid. If she'd been allowed to use her runes—but she hadn't, and now she had failed. Even after the pain in her middle had subsided, and she was able to fill her lungs with air, she lay in the mud. It wasn't until Captain Augustin came over and offered her a hand up that she rose, but she couldn't meet his eye. Zui Duval was back on the ground. To Yenni's shame hot tears invaded her sight. Though she wanted nothing more than to run off and cry in private, she was a daughter of the Yirba, so she stood with the rest, muddy and miserable, and waited for the captain to officially dismiss them.
He came to stand beside Zui, clapping thickly. "Well done," he cried, and pointed at Yenni. "Very well done. Give us more of the same at the magical aptitude test and I'll see you all on the first day of lessons, en?"
"You mean we passed?" said a Creshen to her right.
"You certainly have, in my estimation." He looked around at their shocked faces, not even trying to hide his glee. "What, you think I expected you newlings to subdue a dragon? With no magic? Especially one as accomplished as Madame Duval here?" He laughed with abandon. "I needed to see your ability to adapt, to handle the unexpected. And I dare say I'm delighted."
Disconcertingly quickly, Zui changed back to a woman. "Congratulations, everyone!" she called, and "Hello, Yenni Ajani! Sorry about that."
The Creshens whooped and Yenni grinned, waving back to her dragon friend without a hint of animosity in her heart. She'd passed! Her final obstacle was the magical exam, and that she would conquer with ease. She was top of her class in runelore, so what could possibly go wrong? A spot at the academy was as good as hers.
"Dismissed!" shouted Captain Augustin. "Go run through your spells. I want to see each one of you standing here bright and eager on the first day of classes."