Her Revenge, Their Redemption

“Attention all new students! Please head for the Grand Hall! I repeat all new—”

The marble floor of the Grand Hall was slippery. Three hundred students jammed together into a tight pack, filling the space with the smell of sweat and wool. Ew

“Move out of my way, commoner,” a boy with a silver crest on his chest said as he shoved his elbow into my ribs to push past.

Annoyance filled me at his actions. I braced my weight,not moving an inch and he bounced off my shoulder instead tossing a glare at me.

‘Nice try, spoiled brat. How about you buy a personality with your daddy’s money.’

Another person shoved and my  hand went to my throat. Beneath my collar, the small glass pendant vibrated calming my nerves. The glamour was still holding. To everyone else, my hair was brown and my eyes were black. Hiding the unique set of grey eyes I inherited from my mom.

Aunt said I needed a glamour. The less striking I looked, the easier it would be to complete my mission.

The rush to the hall continued. High-ranked kids pushed through the lines while lower-class applicants looked at the floor and let them pass.

“Look at them,” a girl next to me whispered. “That’s the crest of House Magnus. They own the entire eastern port.”

“Good for them,” I rolled my eyes. “Maybe they can buy some manners next.”

She stared at me in shock. “Shh! Do you want to get targeted on day one?”

“They have to notice me first,” I muttered.

Suddenly, a heavy, suffocating pressure dropped over the room. The whispering stopped instantly. My knees wanted to buckle, but I forced them to stay locked.

“Line up,” a voice called from the stone stage at the front of the hall.

I looked up to see the figure whose face I had memorized for four years. Kaelen Ophir. The crown prince. He stood at the edge of the dais, wearing a dark, crisp uniform that looked like it cost more than a village. His expression was flat and stern, as if hosting the gate-rite was an obligation he was reluctant to continue.

An older man stepped up beside him, coughing into his fist as his voice traveled across the hall. “Your Highness, the high-born lineages traditionally take precedence in the sorting line. We should adjust the—”

“If you have throat issues, I advice you get off the stage and find a healer,” Kaelen said plainly without glancing at the man.

The proctor turned red and I found myself somewhat surprised by his indifferent words.

Kaelen then turned his gaze to the crowd, his hazel eyes flashing in the light. “Welcome to Veyl Academy. Here I don’t care about your family lines, your crests, or the gold in your pockets. You will form a single file. Every one of you.”

He walked down the stage steps. “Before you enter a classroom, you pass through the gate-rite. A ceremony I am sure your guardians would have informed you. Centuries ago, rogue dragon clans turned their fire against their people and nearly destroyed our world. This academy exists to make sure that never happens again. Every student submits to the Command fire.”

“Is it true it hurts?” a boy near the front asked, his voice slightly shaking.

“Only if you fight it,” Kaelen replied, hearing him. “The fire will not force you to act against your will. But it plants a spark. If any dragon goes rogue, the crown will know. It protects the innocent.”

‘Right. Protection. That’s what they called it when they burned my family too.’

Kaelen stepped back and unclasped his uniform jacket throwing it on the ground. I tilted my head, puzzled, until he took off his shirt as well revealing his toned chest and dare I say marble like abs. Every female gasped in awe and I couldn’t help my cheeks heating up at the sudden sight.

His skin began to ripple, black and gold scales tearing through the surface. His spine lengthened, and two massive wings burst from his shoulders. Within ten seconds, a huge midnight-black dragon took over the center of the hall.

Everyone gasped and I felt my heart tighten at the sight of such a creature. If the circumstances were different I would have gawked like the others.

The golden eyes of the beast swept over us making the pressure in the room triple. Students around me dropped to their knees, some of them crying.

I kept my head up and looked directly into the dragon’s eyes. The giant reptile paused. Its slit pupils narrowed, then widened. It didn’t look angry.  More like curious and it was staring straight at me.

It turned away after a beat and opened its mouth. A blast of white-hot fire shot across the room, shaping itself into a roaring archway of flames.

The beast shrank back down, human skin smoothing over until Kaelen stood there again, breathing heavily. He pulled his shirt back on.

“One by one,” Kaelen commanded. “Walk through.”

The line moved. A huge boy from possibly an ogre warrior house stepped into the white flame. He screamed, fell to his knees, and crawled out the other side gasping for air.

“Next,” Kaelen said. “Remember not to fight the pressure.”

A girl with a pale face went next. She walked through and came out with a dazed smile. “It just… tickles,” she whispered, her eyes going blank.

‘Great. Brainwashed and happy about it.’

When it reached my turn, I swallowed, kept my face expressionless, and walked toward the white fire. The heat was intense, but my skin didn’t blister.

As I stepped in, the flames covered me completely. It poured into my mouth and nose, filling my chest. But I didn’t feel pain. I didn’t feel the crushing pressure the others felt.

I just felt warm. It felt like sitting in the sun. The royal Command hit the invisible barrier in my ashblood code and shattered into nothing.

‘Wait! Frown. Look miserable.’

I caught my mistake a second too late. A normal minor-house girl would be screaming. I forced my back to arch and let out a loud, painful gasp. I dragged my feet, pretending to stagger under the weight of his aura.

Kaelen usually told the struggling students to calm down. For me, he said nothing.

I looked up through my hair as I exited the flames.

Kaelen was leaning over the wooden railing, his knuckles white. His golden eyes were narrowed, staring at the exact spot where I had paused. He looked confused and deeply suspicious.

I quickly looked down, letting my hair cover my face, and blended into the crowd of passed students. My heart was beating fast against my ribs.

I walked toward the dark corridor leading to the dorms as other female students were heading. The skin on the back of my neck prickled. I turned my head just an inch to look back.

Through the smoke, Kaelen was still standing there, his eyes locked onto me, watching me leave.