Chapter 6 Draconic History
Brielle
Shit? The one from the room yesterday. “It doesn’t count because you cheated.” I whispered.
He smirked. It was so gorgeous that I almost forgot the situation right now. “You agreed to it.”
“Only because—”
“Bullying a little girl, because she bashed your ego.” A deep voice rumbled behind us. “Pathetic.” I turned, Rion was walking out of the Arcane Hall, his expression as cold and unreadable as it had been earlier.
Little girl? Me? Why the fuck was everyone calling me little.
Pyre’s jaw ticked visibly for once the infuriating smirk disappeared from his lips quickly before it returned like it never left.
“I’m trying to turn her into a weapon,” he said, his eyes never leaving Rion’s. “So I can finally end you, Abyssor.”
Rion feet stopped, their eyes joined in a staring contest. The air between them changed. Hot air pressed against cold. Everyone held their breath, even the candles stood still.
I suddenly remembered that these two weren’t just students. They were heirs who apparently hated each other and I was in between them.
Pyre’s hold on my wrist wasn’t tight anymore. I didn’t waste the opportunity. I quickly yanked my hand free and ran. I didn’t stop until I was through the doors and halfway down the corridor. “See you later, little storm!”
By the time I reached a quiet hallway, my lungs were burning. I pressed a hand against the wall and bent forward, trying to catch my breath.
A hand touched my shoulder and I flinched and spun. “It’s me..” Anya raised both her hands. “What deal was he talking about?” She asked, her face scrunched.
“Nothing.” I waved her off and started walking in a direction I knew nothing about.
“That wasn’t nothing.” She hurried after me, insisting. “You better start telling me, what deal you made with Pyre Emberon.”
“I told you it’s nothing.”
“I told you he was trouble.”
“That was before you told me..” I paused.
Anya’s eyes narrowed. “So there’s a deal. Spill it.”
I sighed, was she this stubborn. There was no escaping her. I told her how I had gotten lost yesterday, leaving out the obscene part and giving her the rest of the story.
When I finished, she stared at me in disbelief.
“You made a bet with Pyre Emberon?”
“He cheated.”
“That isn’t the part I’m worried about.”
She stepped forward, then paused when three students passed, their eyes locked on me strangely. When they disappeared through the corner she continued. “You should avoid him. For now, stay completely out of his sight.” I frowned.
“If you see him coming down one corridor, you take another. If he’s in the dining hall, you leave. If he calls your name, pretend you didn’t hear him.”
“That seems a little dramatic.”
“It’s not.”
The certainty in her brown eyes rattled my bones. She glanced around before continuing.
“Associating with Pyre never ends well for anybody.” A cold shiver ran down my spine. I looked back toward the corridor we had come from. Before I could ask her why.
A ringing sound echoed through the walls. “It’s time for classes.” I almost forgot that this was a school. “See you later.”
“What about me?” She palmed her face. “Oh right.”
She led me through the corridor until he stopped at a roll of oak woods neatly arranged beside each other attached to the wall. Some students stood in front of theirs and paused to spare me a glance when I passed.
“Aha! Brielle Veyra Solthar. This is yours, it’s a rune sealed compartment.” She turned to look at me. “Only you can open it. Go ahead.”
I did. Inside was a single book, with the school logo on it and a black card. “That’s your timetable and your note pad.” I picked it up.
YEAR 1 TIMETABLE:
MONDAY: DRAGON-MAGE BONDING, AERIAL TACTICS.
TUESDAY: ARCANE MANIPULATION, DRACONIC CARE & RESTORATION.
WEDNESDAY: FIELD OPERATIONS AND COMBAT TRAINING
THURSDAY: DRACONIC HISTORY, THRALL CONDITIONING.
FRIDAY: DRACONIC ETHICS AND LAW, FIELD SURVIVAL.
I didn’t understand all these subjects. “Year one classes are usually held in the Emberstone hall because there are plenty of them.” She stopped a girl. “Jennifa, can you take her along with you? I’m kinda late?”
The girl hesitated but nodded. I held Anya’s hand back before she left. “What about you?”
“I’m in year 2. My class is that way,” she pointed in the opposite direction with a smile. “You will be alright.” She hugged me and patted my back.
~~~~~~~~~
The Emberstone hall was bussing with noise that quieted down when I stepped in. I gripped my book tightly, ignoring them I climbed up the layered stairs till I reached the place less crowded where a young boy with glasses sat alone. The class was huge and befitting of its name. The walls were made of red stones that glittered, the roof was a red transparent see through. The sun hitting the walls illuminated the room causing the stones to sparkle on the desk. The stones were picked or rather carved in dragon shapes so I could make it out on the desk. It reminded me of how much I wasn’t supposed to be here. How I needed to leave. But I couldn’t. I wanted to honor my mothers last words. I felt invisible knives stabbing into my chest. I shut my eyes tightly. I lifted my eyes, the room was packed with students, maybe 500 or more I couldn’t count. My eyes locked on Bron. The silly boy from arcane hall. He was in year 1? If eyes could kill I would be six feet underground.
“He is an asshole, don’t worry he can’t do anything to you.” I turned my head to a girl whose hair was braided and decorated with shiny shells from the ocean ones I used to put on my mothers locs. I didn’t know if I was hiding my grief well. From the scales peaking out the back of her neck and how it matches that of the one I had seen in Rion’s skin. I could already tell she was a water dragon. “Islode.” She said, bringing her hand out for me to take. I swallowed, she was a fucking dragon, I screamed internally. I had to act normal besides I have masking potion.
I took her hand. “Brielle. He isn’t worth the effort.”
She smirked, showing a set of finely set teeth with a fang.
Before she could speak. An old man wearing worn robes adorned with ink stepped inside, his silver hair flowing down to her back, he had a half moon spectacles perched on the top of his nose. He looked visibly old but the way he walked said otherwise. He climbed to the elevated platform then set the book that looked like it had been read a million times because of how rumbled and swollen the book was.
The hall fell extremely quiet. Then everyone got up in sync. I was last of course.
“GOOD MORNING PROFESSOR YOUNG.”
Professor Young’s eyes moved slowly across the hall, lingering on each student as though he were searching for something—or someone.
“Before we begin today’s lesson,” he said, “I have a riddle for you.”
A few students groaned, and Professor Young smiled.
“Eighteen years ago, two kingdoms stood on the brink of destruction. One blamed the other. One blamed the witches. One claimed to have saved us all.” The hall went quiet.
“But answer me this.”
He turned toward the blackboard and flicked his hand on the air the words appeared on the board:
“Two crowns stood before one throne. One burned. One drowned. Neither bowed. Then came the ones who had no crown. They offered neither fire nor water. Yet when they were gone, one crown was broken, the other was bleeding, and neither kingdom remembered why they had trusted them.”
Everyone remained Silent.
Professor Young turned back to the class.
“Ten points to whoever can answer.” Multiple hands lifted up.
“A king?” A girl with pink hair but it was shaved at both sides leaving only the middle.
“No.”
“A weapon?” A voice sounded from the left side of the hall.
“No.”
“A prophecy?” Professor Young raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting. Still wrong.”
“The war itself?”
“Closer.”
“A dragon?”
“Dumb bull.” Bron whispered but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. A few students laughed. The student who had answered the question flushed in embarrassment.
Another hand shot up. “A curse?”
“No.” Professor Young Sounders bored, blowing invisible dirt off his fingers.
“The witches?” Islode answered. My heart skipped. The room suddenly became quieter. Professor Young’s expression hardened; he leaned forward and looked above his glasses.
“Be more precise.”
All eyes locked on her. “Two crowns represent the fire and Water royal houses then no crown represents the witches had no throne, offered neither fire nor water witches possessed their own form of magic, one crown broken, one bleeding both kingdoms were devastated, neither kingdom remembered why they trusted them betrayal and manipulation.”
She stopped. I could see the glint in Professor Young’s eyes “Go on.” He nudged
“The dragon lords trusted the witches. The witches betrayed that trust. They instigated conflict. Thousands died.”
My hands curled into fists under the desk.
The version my mothers had told me was different. They feared what we could become, so they started hunting us when we refused to give them the kind of magic they wanted.
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
“That’s not true.”
