13. Bree

13

Bree

I sat at the cafeteria table, looked into Riggs's eyes, and saw nothing but chaos.

His Dragon purple flared straight through the artificial dark. I had no idea what had set him off, but he needed to control it now, or his eyes could give him away.

His gaze kept flicking from me to the rather garish pastry I'd scored to satisfy my sugar craving.

"Didn't think sugar was a Dragon thing," I finally said.

"Whoa—I'm not a pastry kinda guy." His dark brows dropped. "At least, I don't think so."

I raised the offending bit of sweet goo. "They did go overboard on the icing, I think." My eyes skipped to the hilt hovering over his shoulder. "Planning on slaying students while dining?"

He shrugged. "Would you leave it unattended in the room?"

No. No, I guessed not. And he wasn't the only armed student in the place. The big blue Dragon on Team Phoenix, Talakai, wore one strapped to his back as well. Unusual, as Dragons tended to prefer their own tailspikes.

Riggs looked up as Adilyn pulled out the chair beside me. I stifled a tingle of disappointment—kind of wanted some time alone with him, but it was not to be.

"Haven't officially been introduced," the Faerie stated. "I'm Adilyn. Yes, I'm a Faerie who masquerades as a human. Nice effing sword." She stabbed a fork into a fungus. "I'm not a morning person, so don't talk to me until I've had at least ten mouthfuls."

Riggs's brows rose. "Hello, Adilyn. I'm Riggs."

She pointedly ignored him. I made a mental note not to mess with her right after she woke up, be it morning or evening.

Apparently, a grumpy Faerie wasn't to be our only interruption.

"Well, just the guy I'm dying to meet." Leah plunked her tray down beside Riggs. When she dropped her personage on the chair, she managed to rub her entire body up against him.

She was clad only in her velvety Selkie fur. I gritted my teeth against the surge of rage.

He does not belong to you, Caliel muttered.

I reminded myself of that as she leaned into him. "I'm Leah. I'm a Selkie."

Riggs eyed her. "I know. We met at the volcano, remember?"

"Not officially," she protested, pushing an ample breast against his arm. "And not in any way that counts."

In mid-chew, Adilyn feigned barfing. I didn't look, but I was sure she was rolling her eyes. As Leah's hand disappeared beneath the table, I contemplated drawing Riggs's sword.

The urge increased when he flinched, confirming my suspicions about the location of Leah's gropage.

"Well, now that we've officially met," Riggs said in a surprisingly calm voice, "I feel obligated to point out, as teammates, some things are off limits. That being one of them."

Leah gazed up at him through lowered lashes. "Are you sure? Most men would die to be with me."

Riggs raised a brow. "I'm sure many have. But not me."

Leah pouted in a spectacular fashion—her lower lip formed a ledge that a Phoenix could perch upon.

"Did you strike out, my little seal?" Nar set his tray down on her other side and had accurately interpreted her expression.

Adilyn snorted. "She's just upset that Mr. Big here is more interested in dinner than her. Wise man."

"Well, your description is bang on." Leah sighed and moved her breast off Riggs's arm. "The males on this team are so boring ."

Nar's gaze drifted over us as he sat down. "Have you guys heard the news? The Dragon Matriarch, her daughters, and two of her grandsons died in a horrible fire last night."

Riggs suddenly seemed very focused on the meatroll he lifted off his tray, but Adilyn spoke from beside me with shock in her voice. "Dragons died in a fire? How is that even possible?"

Leah had obviously also heard the news, and I marveled that she'd led with seducing Riggs over mentioning it. She shrugged. "Don't know. But everyone is talking about it."

"That's terrible," I stated, and the horrors of what we'd witnessed added appropriate emotion to my voice.

"The Empire was a mess before this," Adilyn commented. "The Matriarch was well known as the voice of reason. The fallout from this could be bad."

The possible degradation of the Dragon Empire had little visible impact on Leah and Nar, who had already lost interest. Nar had pulled something out of his pocket—it was an armlet.

"What do you think?" he asked Leah, sliding it onto his bicep. Where it slipped to his elbow. Whoever it had been designed for was much more muscular than him.

Leah's expression was odd—almost troubled. She leaned close to him, and I barely heard her whisper, "I think you should put it back."

His eyes flashed to me, and he put the armlet away again, before pulling Leah into his lap and feeding her a meatroll. Seemingly reassured, she sucked on his fingers, and his eyes lit up.

Riggs chewed as he stared at Leah. His gaze dropped to Nar's free hand, which was on her breast. Then they drifted to me, with questions in his eyes.

"Nar and Leah are mates," I explained.

When his confusion only deepened, Adilyn added, "But Leah likes to boink other people. And Nar likes to watch."

Riggs choked on his mouthful.

"Need a back pound?" Leah offered.

He waved her off, and then swallowed with effort.

We were rescued by Cara. The Watcher wove her way through the tables to us, and stopped.

"I would like to borrow Bree and Riggs," she said.

It was worded as a polite request, but I witnessed the glint in her eye. The Watcher was up to something. It was a thought worthy of Caliel, but the Gryphon stayed oddly silent. Or had he actually said that? We were now meshing so well that I couldn't be sure.

Leah was so preoccupied with what Nar was doing beneath the table that she barely noticed us leave, but Adilyn watched us go with speculation in her gaze. The Faerie was too shrewd. Both Riggs and I needed to watch our step around her.

Once we were out in the hall, Cara turned to us. "We have received official notice of the deaths."

We both nodded.

"The Emperor has granted Tyrez a stay of exile in order to attend the funerals."

Riggs stiffened. "Is he going to go?"

Cara shook her head. "We have not yet decided." She rubbed her hands together. "For now, I would like you two to demonstrate how you work together. It would really help me structure your training."

That meant calling on what was deep inside me. I sent a wordless query to Caliel, who remained stubbornly silent. What was wrong with him? I pondered it as we followed Cara out the back of the building and surveyed the field with interest. I hadn't been out here yet. It was evening, and quite a few students were spread around on the mowed grass. A group was playing a game involving a lot of shapeshifting and a ball.

She led us straight across the field and to a wrought iron opening in the fence, then down a path to a gateway.

I surveyed it with surprise. "There are two gateways here?"

Cara smiled. "Fringe benefit of having Watchers on staff."

Riggs arched a brow. "Are we visiting the beach?"

She nodded. "Thought it would be a good, safe place for this."

Safe. Nothing about the thing inside me was safe. And the fact Caliel was sulking wasn't helping.

I am not sulking. He sounded indignant.

Then why aren't you answering me?

Am I not entitled to my own thoughts? Or do I have to jump whenever you snap your fingers?

I didn't know the origins of this odd phrase, but it was easy to interpret, and I retreated, stung by the accusation. Yet he wasn't wrong. I did expect him to be there whenever I called. So I squelched my reaction, and said, I'm sorry. I just needed to know if you are ready to call on the monster.

Never. But always.

He was in a right and proper mood today. I took Cara's proffered hand, and then Riggs engulfed my other in his own.

Big. Like the rest of him, his hands were huge, swallowing mine. I glanced up at him, and his eyes glowed metallic.

Okay, that was sexy as hell. And somehow, with him there—I felt like anything was possible.

It came from out of nowhere. One minute I was gazing at Riggs, the next, I burped. Not just any burp, either. A full-on, warrior-worthy, explosive belch.

"Oh, excuse me." My face instantly flushed red.

Riggs's eyes danced with amusement. "Must have been the pastry."

I smiled back at him. Not even an unmaidenly burp turned him off. But as we waited for the gate, I had a sneaking suspicion as to the instigator of that eruption.

Dammit, Caliel. Was that you?

Would you rather belch, or pass wind? he asked, unrepentant.

Neither, thank you! Leave the bodily functions to me.

I will rejoice when the powder starts working , Caliel grumbled .

I decided I liked him better silent. I had found the Chastetuber powder I needed at the cafeteria, but half an hour after consumption, I wasn't going to see much benefit.

Cara took us through the gate to a beach with waves crashing against the shore. The sun shone down, but the breeze off the water was cool.

"Okay," Cara said. "I'd like to see you guys do your team thing."

I swallowed. "Not sure I can call my monster up on command. It's only been interested in surfacing when I really needed it."

The Watcher smiled. "That's why I'm here. I need to show you how to tap into it whenever you need it. Not just when things are desperate."

"I don't even know what Isobel put inside me," I protested. "She wouldn't say."

"I have some ideas about that," Cara stated. "But I want to see you in action first."

I stared out across the water. And as I did so, droplets began to rise from it, to hang suspended in the air.

Riggs stepped forward so that he stood beside me, one hand raised and his brows lowered in concentration. "Try to freeze them," he suggested.

I reached deep inside, but nothing at all greeted me. Not Caliel. Certainly not any ice-making monster.

Riggs grunted, and the droplets fell. "Damn. I couldn't hold onto them."

"Okay. Let's break this down," the Watcher said. "What was different between now, and the time at the volcano?"

"Other than a boiling cloud of ash heading straight at us?" Riggs asked, one corner of his lip twitching. "That's what you're getting at, isn't it? Tapping into emotion?"

Cara grinned. "You remember your earlier lesson. Good for you. Yes. You can use the emotions evoked by memory to activate your powers."

Be nice to think that my pervading sense of guilt could be useful, but I had a feeling things like fear and rage would be easier to work with.

"Was there anything else different about that time?" Cara asked.

I brought up the memories, and my pulse quickened. It had been pretty intense—then I turned to Riggs. "Your sword. You had it out."

He snorted a laugh. "It was dumb. But with all that ash boiling down on us, it just seemed natural. Put the weapon between us and the enemy."

"Ah. The sword." Cara tapped her chin.

Riggs stared at her. "It's a fine weapon. But it is just a sword."

Cara's lips twitched. "My boy, there is nothing "just" about that sword."

"I think it glowed," I said.

His mouth straightened as Cara raised a brow. "Was it really glowing?" she asked.

"Yeah," Riggs admitted with reluctance. "I think it was."

The Watcher's fingers tapped against her thigh. "That sword has always adapted itself to its bearers. Pull it out."

He stared at her, and then he did so. It shone in the sunlight. Riggs spun the hilt in his hand and sank the tip into the sand at his feet.

This time, there was no doubt. The entire sword lit up, and I saw runes running along the blade.

Cara's eyes gleamed a vivid blue. "It's tapping into the lodestone." Her voice was almost hushed. "I didn't know it could do that."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means it is creating a power conduit that Riggs can use," the Watcher said. "Which is perfect."

I wasn't sure why that was perfect, but it did sound useful.

"Okay. So Riggs gets the emotion thing, and the sword should facilitate holding the water in the air." Cara faced up to me. "Now we just need to tap into your inner monster."

Great . For that, I needed Caliel. Who was not exactly in a cooperative mood.

I tried logic. I need to learn how to do this, or I will not be a useful part of the team.

No immediate answer, but I sensed him stir. And then, finally, he said, Very well.

There was a shift within me, and I took a deep breath. Cast my mind back to the sheer desperation not only at the volcano but also when the Fire Drake's inferno had reached for us.

This time, when the water droplets lifted, the monster was there. I felt the pain as the talons descended from my fingertips and icy-blue scales chased up my arms. I closed my eyes and summoned my fear. And with that, my determination intensified. I needed to save those boys.

To save Riggs's son.

The frostfire erupted from me, bathing everything in pale-blue light.

"Hot damn, Breana," said Riggs. "Or should I say ‘cold damn'?"

I opened my eyes. Ice was everywhere I looked—hanging as frozen droplets in the air, but every wave was also solidified as it cascaded toward the beach, and frost extended to the sand beneath our feet.

My shock sent Caliel scurrying. He pushed back on the monster, and it hissed at him, but allowed him to shove it back down deep.

It snapped off the power like a switch. The talons dropped away, as did the scales. Cracks appeared in the waves, and the water burst free. The ice melted off the beach, and with a sigh, Riggs let the frozen droplets fall. Then he looked at me, and grinned.

My heart did a complete somersault, and I found myself grinning back as my entire body lit right up.

I feel the need to expel gas. And not from your upper orifice, Caliel grumbled.

Don't you dare, I growled back, only slightly panicked.

"Well. That was successful," Cara stated, oblivious to either Riggs's and my moment, or Caliel's and my discussion. Or perhaps more likely, ignoring both. "The two of you make an excellent team. I can see that your combined powers will be very useful, with a little training."

I wrenched my attention off Riggs. "Do you know what my monster is?" I asked Cara.

"I wouldn't have, if it weren't for Marcus," she said. "We identified his as something that should have been wiped out in the Torshin-Dragon war, but apparently, Isobel found some."

When I just looked confused, she explained, "A very long time ago, the Torshins used the raw power of the Elementals to inject into a distant relative of the Dragons, and they created a string of magically enhanced creatures called Drakes."

Caliel went very still inside me as I stared at her.

She turned us back toward the gate, which on this end was framed by boulders. "Victor manipulates fire. Marcus the air. Your monster, my dear, manipulates water."

Caliel bounced back to life. I should have seen it sooner. But I thought they were extinct.

Saw what? I asked.

That your monster is an Ice Drake .

When Riggs took my hand during the passage back to the academy, I sensed Caliel retreat deep inside me.

We emerged into the forest around the back gateway, but Riggs seemed reluctant to drop my hand.

Cara's eyes lowered to it, and she said, "Might be an idea to work just as teammates, for the first while, anyway."

Riggs now dropped my hand as though scorched. "Message received."

The Watcher peered up at him. "I just meant that you two are supposed to be strangers thrown together by the volcanic eruption and the academy. So a more natural progression would be wise."

Progression? My heart raced. Was she implying what I thought she was?

Either way, Riggs seemed to have backed off. We walked the path to the field in silence. Most students had left, but a few persisted with their game.

"I will be teaching you two as a team," Cara said after a few moments. "I think that will develop both of your talents nicely." She gestured to the sword, once again strapped to Riggs's back. "I don't need to tell you to take good care of that? It wouldn't be the first time it has been stolen."

"Sounds like it has quite the history," Riggs said.

The Watcher nodded. "It does. And you will be adding to it, I think."

His dark brows lowered. "In what way?"

But she only shrugged. "Suffice it to say that it never chooses its bearers unwisely."

That cleared up precisely nothing. Which was such a grumpy thought that I wondered if it came from Caliel, but I couldn't be sure.

I was worried about him. We'd been working together so perfectly, and now, it seemed like we were going backward.

It gave me an idea. "I have something to do." I glanced at Cara.

"I need to sit down with you and ask you some questions about your time with Victor," she said. "But it can wait a bit."

That wasn't a conversation I looked forward to. I gazed up at Riggs. "I'll see you later?"

He nodded, his expression an odd mixture of disappointment and relief. My heart constricted as I left them in the foyer and climbed the stairs as rapidly as I could. I sailed right past the fifth level.

The turrets on the academy's flat roof reminded me of the stronghold I'd shared with Victor and the guys. For just a moment, I was swept up with a memory of galloping across the grasslands with them, of laughter and music.

Of family.

But they weren't my family any longer. Isobel had taken that from us, as surely as she had taken our Centaurs.

I stood on a parapet and spread my arms to the breeze. It was cold, and smelled of the snow held on the distant mountain peaks.

Want to fly? I asked.

At first, Caliel didn't answer. But then, pain shot through me.

This time, I welcomed it, knowing that it would bring the Gryphon with it. Caliel, with his scales, fur, and feathers gleaming a deep blue.

He spread our wings, and took us to the sky.

The setting sun painted it with reds and golds, and my heart lightened as I turned him free. He took us beyond the meadow, lake, and forest, and pointed his beak toward the mountains.

Through it all, he remained silent, and I left him alone. We were flying quite a distance, but if he needed to work something through, I would give him the time to do it. I was just happy to be a passenger, flying through the sunset with him. Being together filled the cavity inside me with warmth.

The mountains rose beneath us, and he banked, passing between the peaks, seeking the route between them.

And suddenly, we were no longer alone.

Two red forms dropped in behind us. Wyverns, flying strong.

My first reaction was one of mild surprise that wild Wyverns frequented these mountains. But then, I didn't really know much about this realm, or its creatures.

Then Caliel swore. Hellfire. And I sensed his sudden panic. For just a millisecond, it confused me. But when another appeared between the peaks to our left, I realized who they were.

These weren't wild Wyverns. Or even Wyverns at all. They'd once spent their time on four swift hooves.

My panic now matched Caliel's. They were here for me. It was then that I remembered my dream—that clearly hadn't been a dream.

When was I going to get control over my damned visions?

We can discuss that in committee later, Caliel grumbled. We are in quite the predicament here. With a blur of feather and wing, he darted to the left. Only to veer right again, as the fourth Wyvern appeared.

They are driving us, he said desperately, as he took the only open avenue—straight ahead. For precisely three seconds. Then he winged hard for the clouds overhead.

Can you get above the mountains? I asked.

Not for long. I do not have the Dragon's resilience to cold.

Then huge shadows dropped down on us. Three Dragons that I didn't recognize, and they weren't alone. Each carried a rider.

One was a full-figured woman with flowing white hair. Aurora.

The Dragons pushed us back down into the valleys, and as Caliel ducked right and left, looking for a way out, another Dragon rider raised something to his shoulder.

The first volley of darts missed us when Caliel dodged, but it drove him right into the firing range of the other rider. With stabbing pinpricks of pain, they sank into our scaled hindquarters.

And almost immediately, Caliel's wingbeats faltered.

This sedative is powerful. His voice was strained. I can fight off the worst of it, but I won't be able to stay aloft for long.

No. If we went back to Victor now, he'd ensure we never got free again. I fought to subdue my panic. We need to find somewhere to hide.

That will only work if I can elude their pursuit, his mindvoice panted as hard as his body. He was outflying the Dragons, but not the Wyverns. I had the distinct impression that they could have caught us, but they now seemed content to wait for the drug to work.

They know what we house inside, Caliel stated, and he gave me a glimpse—the monster was spinning angry circles.

The clouds hid the very peaks of the tallest mountains.

Clouds.

Can you let it go?

And still fly? I will try, but we may go splat.

Perhaps this was not the best time for Caliel's sense of humor to resurface, but it did help me to remain calm. Cara would say we need practice anyway.

Yes, she would likely say that, and so much more. And I sensed him open the door for the beast.

His wings did threaten to shrink as pale-blue scales erupted amid the feathers. But I was already reaching for what I knew had to be above us?—

Water vapor.

I seized it, and then, I froze it.

As Caliel struggled to stay aloft, a few bits of frozen moisture fell. I tried harder, and soon we were flying through a storm of sleet.

As the ice froze on our feathers, it hampered us even more than it did our pursuers, but that wasn't why I called it down. The sleet thickened, and in moments, they vanished within it.

Caliel dropped lower, partly because he had no choice. Between the ice on his feathers, fighting the drug, and channeling the monster, he was weakening fast. I scanned below us—and saw a gleam against the rock and snow.

Water.

Can you swim?

For a few minutes. Once my feathers get soaked, I sink like a stone.

A few minutes might be all we need.

He caught my intent. Are you of an unsound mind?

Only variably. Do you have any better ideas?

He folded his wings and dove.

The air whistled past us, and bits of ice broke away from his feathers. We shot toward the glacial lake below at a horrific rate. But if we didn't do this fast, we would be seen, and it would be a useless effort.

We hit hard enough to drive the breath from him, plummeting into the icy-cold depths. He arched his body, aiming for the surface…

No! Stay submerged. Swim toward the shore.

If we stay under too long, that state will be permanent, he warned.

If I had any idea how to swim as a human, I'd get him to shift us back. But a lifetime galloping over grass did nothing to prep me for that. So my heart was in my mouth as he stroked for the shore, using his wings to help him move through the cold water. But the urge to breathe became nearly all-consuming.

He was sinking, and at first, I panicked, but then his feet touched the silty bottom, and he began to run along it. Was the water above us growing shallower? It was, and in a moment, his head was right beneath the surface?—

He poked just the tip of his beak through it and took a relieved breath, before ducking back under. And in that moment, a dark shadow passed overhead.

They were already onto us. And we had another issue. Despite Caliel's efforts to stop it, the drug was taking hold. Slowing his movements, fogging my mind.

We could yet drown.

Caliel kept moving, until we were barely submerged. What now? If we climb out, we will be captured in an instant.

I scanned the banks. They were edged in ice, and in places, the silt on the shore had been washed away, leaving it hanging like a shelf out over the water.

Change us back to human, I said.

He resisted, but then he followed my thoughts. Aurora might still sense your life essence, he hedged. Not sure it will work.

It's all I've got, I said.

He clacked his beak and took us back to human.