CHAPTER 19 - MEDRA

The next day, Vaughn wasn't in Basic Combat with Naveen and I. I wondered about it, but then decided he'd probably had a much later night than I had. I wondered if he'd tried Theo's ambrosia.

When Naveen and I came out of our last class, Florence was waiting in the hall. She looked frantic.

"What is it?" I asked in alarm.

"The pup," she whispered. "His fever is higher. He's worse, not better. And there's nothing else I can think of to do."

"Would your mother...?"

But Florence was already shaking her head. "This isn't one of her areas of expertise. All she could do is point us towards more resources. But we don't have time to sit around reading books."

"So you're saying the pup is going to die?" I said slowly.

She took a deep breath. "What I'm saying is we need to get it to a real healer. If we take it to the First Year infirmary, we'll get into trouble."

"There are house healers," Naveen said, looking at me. "You already saw one."

I understood what they were suggesting. "You want me to take the fluffin to the House Drakharrow healer."

Florence shook her head. She looked miserable. "You can't do that. You're not allowed in the House Drakharrow tower without Blake. Not yet. You'd have to go to Blake first and ask him to do it."

"Beg him, you mean? Ask him for a favor?" I clenched my jaw and felt like screaming. The fluffin pup was only in this mess in the first place because of the cruelty of a highblood girl. And now Florence and Naveen wanted me to go and ask another highblood for help.

We'd put the pup in Florence's room last night. I thought of how small he'd looked curled up on his makeshift bed, just a little ball of red fur. Was he dreaming of his mother? His brothers and sisters? He'd probably never see any of them again.

"You don't have to do it, Medra. I know you don't want to be beholden to him," Florence said softly.

She and Naveen were both watching me. We'd told Naveen what had happened this morning. He'd been shocked, and upset he hadn't gone with us. I think he felt guilty about not being there to protect Florence. Not that he'd have been able to do anything.

I exhaled. "No, it's all right. I'm being stupid. I'll do it. I'll go and talk to him." I lifted the leather satchel that held my school books up onto my shoulder. "If I can find him, I mean. I don't have another Advanced Weaponry class until the day after tomorrow."

"Maybe we'll run into him in the refectory," Florence said. "But I can't go and look. I have another class right now."

"I could come with you in an hour, but I have to turn in a paper first," Naveen said. "The class is on the other side of campus."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I can go and look now. This was my last class of the day. If he's not there, I'll check the library."

This wasn't how I wanted to spend my afternoon, hunting down Blake Drakharrow. I couldn't even ask any of his friends for help. I knew exactly what they'd do–laugh in my face. Well, maybe not Coregon or Theo.

I was supposed to be working on my paper on dragons and searching more of the books Florence's mother had found for me on blood magic and souls.

I hadn't really read much more about dragons–and fortunately, Professor Rodriguez hadn't asked. We'd been too focused on my thrallguard training. I knew the history was fascinating, but it also seemed like a far less pressing topic than getting Orcades out of my head. Now both things would have to wait yet again.

I moved through the hallways, passing groups of chattering, laughing students. It was almost the end of the day and a steady crowd of people were making their way to the refectory. The vast stone hall was a favorite place for students to hang out at the end of each day as they waited for dinner. Snacks and refreshments were always left out on a large buffet table on one side of the room.

When I reached the refectory, I stood in the hallway near one of the open stone arches, scanning the room. I spotted Quinn and Coregon at the House Drakharrow table with some other Drakharrow students, but I didn't see Blake or Theo anywhere.

I'd decided I'd ask Theo if I saw him first. He was more approachable than Blake. If I had to owe a favor to someone, I'd much rather it be him.

With a sigh, I decided to check the library next. I took my favorite route through the massive castle. The one that led through the Dragon Court. It was the end of autumn and the leaves had mostly fallen now, but there was still something refreshing about passing through the open air and through the grove of trees that encircled the stone dragon statues.

Some afternoons, I'd taken to sitting under one of the trees with Naveen and Florence and studying. Even though it was a beautiful space, it was usually deserted. As winter approached, it would soon be too cold for us to go there.

As I neared the courtyard, a figure entered the passage ahead of me.

My heart sped up.

Blake.

I hadn't seen his face, but I didn't need to. I recognized his walk. That ridiculously arrogant swagger.

I didn't say anything, just started to follow him down the hall. Where was he heading?

As it turned out, he was heading to the same place I was–the Dragon Court.

I'd let us converge there. Then I'd approach him.

But when we reached the courtyard, I hung back, waiting in the shadows of the cloisters while he strode into the court and stood in the middle between the four stone dragons.

He stood there for a moment, with his head down. For a second, I wondered if he might be praying. But to what? Highbloods all worshiped something called the Bloodmaiden. I still wasn't entirely sure what she was. Some sort of a goddess, I'd assumed.

Blake glanced up and looked around the courtyard. I was supposed to be approaching him, but instead, I found myself ducking. As I crouched down, my foot hit a pebble and there was a small clatter.

I held my breath.

"Come out, Pendragon," Blake called. "I know you're there."

I sighed and stood up slowly, brushing the dust off the black fitted trousers I wore and pulling down my gray sweater emblazoned with the school crest.

I walked over to where he stood waiting in the middle of the court.

There was a tightness in my throat as I approached him. He wasn't even looking at me, but rather, at one of the dragons.

Blake was all hard angles. Sharp and tense. Even now, the muscles in his jaw were clenched, as if he were on the verge of an attack. A predator about to spring.

Then he turned his head and looked down his hawkish nose at me, tilting his head upwards in the haughty way I'd grown accustomed to and the tightness in my throat became a lump.

He wasn't perfect. But there was something about him that had become unbearable for me to look upon–and yet just as unable to look away.

A shocking urge seized me to touch that jaw, to trace the angles of those aristocratic cheekbones, and to stop, right there, in the center, with a finger pressed to those beautiful lips. The only soft thing about him.

I wondered what his mouth would feel like. Rough or tender, soft or firm?

The lips twisted arrogantly. "Reduced to stalking me now, are we, Pendragon?"

I cleared my throat. "You wish." I needed to work on my comebacks. But he'd caught me off-guard.

"You've come to thank me for last night then, I suppose. There's no need to grovel, but I will accept it if you must." He gestured to the stone floor in front of him. "Supplicate yourself if you're so inclined."

For a split second, I froze, imagining going down on my knees for Blake Drakharrow. Putting my hands on the front of his trousers and unfastening the buttons one by one as he looked down at me, his fingers tangled in my curly hair as I drew out his length and ran my hands over it.

A wet heat grew between my legs. The lump was back.

I choked it down and forced a laugh. "In your dreams, Drakharrow. Maybe that's what all the nice little highblood girls do for you, but I'm not one of them. Or have you forgotten?"

His gaze raked over me and I felt my cheeks burn. "Oh, I hadn't forgotten."

He took a step towards me and I stepped back instinctively. He smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you, Pendragon. I would have thought last night had proved that."

"You mean because you killed someone?" I scowled. "That wasn't for me."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Wasn't it?"

I shook my head. "You did that for yourself. For your messed up sense of honor. For whatever is between you and Kage Tanaka."

"Right," he said drily. "It had nothing to do with protecting you. Nothing at all." He rolled his eyes. "Tell yourself whatever you want, blightborn. I did you a favor."

This wasn't going the way it was supposed to go. I felt a pang of guilt. What would Florence say? What would she tell me to say next?

"Fine," I blurted out. "Thank you. All right? Satisfied now?"

His eyes roamed over me. "Never."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Whatever. That's not what I'm here for."

"No? Well, I suppose you want me to guess what you're really doing, since you won't admit you were following me. Perhaps you're here to admire the dragons."

"They are incredible," I admitted, looking up at the huge stone statues. "So lifelike."

He glanced at me as if he couldn't believe we were agreeing on something. "Yes." He took a step towards the gold dragon. "They were all modeled after real ones, you know."

"Specific dragons, you mean?"

He nodded. "This was Molindra. A Luminthar. She rode for House Orphos."

"A Luminthar? That was a breed?"

He eyed me. "Aren't you supposed to know this? I thought you'd been assigned an essay on the topic."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "How would you even know that?"

His lips curled mockingly. "I have my ways. Got into some trouble with Rodriguez, did you?" He shook his head. "Rodriguez. Such a hard ass. Anyhow, yes. It was a breed. Each of the four houses specialized in breeding a particular type of dragon. For House Orphos, it was the Luminthars. They drew strength from the sun and were famous for their aural attacks. They could sow fear in their enemies or inspire their allies. For House Mortis it was the Silvraynes. That one was Alabryss." He pointed to the dragon sculpted of smooth, white alabaster stone. "She could breathe ice."

"What about the black dragon?" I asked.

I was treading on dangerous ground, the longer I stayed here. And yet... Blake's face became so animated when he spoke. Clearly this was a topic he was passionate about.

He laughed. "You mean the one you mounted?"

I flushed. "You don't have to make it sound so..."

He waved a hand. "Fine. But if you'd have done that in real life, he'd have scorched you. His name was Nyxaris. He rode for House Avari. He was a Duskdrake. They were ferocious in battle."

I looked at the black dragon's serrated teeth and menacing eyes and shuddered. "So the red one was House Drakharrow's?"

Blake stepped towards the red stone dragon and put a hand against the rough, unpolished sandstone. "Vorago. He was an Inferni. The Inferni flew for House Drakharrow, yes."

"And what was special about them?"

He shrugged. "They were fucking indestructible. At least, when it came to attacks from other dragons."

"What does that mean?"

"It means their weakness was themselves. They were volatile. Unreliable. Breeding them was a danger all in itself. House Drakharrow lost more dragons and dragon riders than any of the other houses." He looked me over. "They were prideful, stubborn, and hard to control. Sound familiar?"

I flushed. "I'm surprised House Drakharrow wanted them."

"We wanted them because they were the best. They were the fastest of the four breeds. When they were ridden by well-trained riders, their attacks could be the most powerful of any breed. Once a rider bonded successfully with an Inferni, they could draw on their mount's strength and even their courage. At least, so they say."

"So they say," I echoed.

I looked around me at the four statues, trying to imagine a time when these beasts actually flew through the skies. "Their appetites must have been huge."

He nodded. "Which is why only the four great houses could afford to own them."

"Own," I said bitterly. "Why must you try to own everything?"

He looked at me but said nothing.

I turned away and looked up at the red stone dragon. Vorago.

The dragon's eyes were the most aggressive of the four. Whoever had carved him had perfectly captured a sense of burning passion and rage.

"He doesn't want to be here," I said quietly.

"He wants to fly," Blake agreed. "He's angry that he can't. He's trapped here for another few centuries. Until the stone he's carved from finally crumbles and he falls to dust."

He stepped up beside me, looking up at the red dragon, but made no move to touch me. Still, I could feel him there, just a few inches away from my shoulder. I held very, very still.

"Why are you really here, Pendragon? Obviously you want something. What is it?"

I hesitated, then leaped. "When I left the party last night, I saw a girl on the beach. A young highblood girl."

He was close enough that I sensed him stiffen.

"She had clearly just fed," I continued.

He snorted. "You can tell when we've just fed now, can you, Pendragon?"

"There was blood on her lips," I said defensively. "And that isn't all. After she passed by, I heard a cry."

He glanced at me. "Was someone hurt?"

I was honestly shocked he'd even asked.

"Not someone exactly. An animal. Do you know what a fluffin is?"

He scoffed. "Everyone knows what a fluffin is. I probably had a stuffed one as a child."

I tried not to show my surprise. "Right. Well, there was a little fluffin pup there in the sand. It was bleeding out."

"Feeding doesn't usually kill, if that's what you're worried about, Pendragon." He was trying to sound bored. But I could tell he wasn't.

"It hadn't only been fed from," I snapped. "Someone had left it bleeding from a huge gash in its side. They'd done that to it and left it there. To die alone, in the dark. A little puppy." I looked at his profile, the angles of his pale face glowing in the late afternoons unlight. "I think it was the girl. She was only a child. No more than nine or ten."

"You probably thought you saw a highblood girl but in reality she was just some blightborn brat who snuck over somehow from the city," he said, waving a hand.

"She wasn't a stranger. She was definitely a highblood. I knew her," I persisted. "I saw her that first day when we came before your uncle. She was there, sitting on the dais."

He froze.

"You know who I'm talking about, don't you?" I glared at him. "Who is she?"

He turned to me slowly. "Does it matter?"

"Does it matter? She hurt an animal. An innocent creature. A baby." I shook my head. "But no, I guess it doesn't matter. I should have known you wouldn't care. It's just an animal to you, isn't it? After all, even highblood life is obviously meaningless to you."

He leaned towards me. "That highblood you're referring to would have liked nothing better than to sink his teeth into your pretty little throat. And do you think he would have stopped once he'd started?"

I refused to give an inch. "Who was the girl?" I demanded again. "It's obvious you know her. So why not tell me?"

He turned his head. "She's my younger sister. Aenia."

"Your...sister?" I was shocked. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yes, well, you don't really know a fucking thing about me, do you, Pendragon? Besides despising me, I mean."

"Fairly certain the feeling is mutual, Drakharrow." But I found I could hardly breathe. His sister?

He ran his hands through his hair. "Aenia shouldn't have been out there. She could have been hurt. It's not safe for her. I'll speak with her."

I stared at him. "And that's it? You're more worried about her ?"

He glared at me. "Of course I'm worried about her. She's just a child. She's still learning our ways. She didn't know any better."

That didn't fit with the child I'd seen. She was young, yes, but she was lacking in innocence. There was something even more predatory about Aenia Drakharrow than there was about her older brother, and that was saying something.

"Fine. She's your sister. I can understand your being worried about her. If it's any consolation, I did ask her if she was all right. But she wouldn't answer me. She just walked away and... I didn't know if I should try to stop her." I drew a breath. "But Aenia wasn't the one hurt. The fluffin was."

He frowned. "I assumed it died after you found it."

"No, he didn't die. I took him back with me. To the First Year common room."

He shook his head. "Of course, you did, Pendragon. I'd expect nothing less." Yet there was something almost admiring in his gaze, as if he might not be entirely mocking me.

"Right, well, not all of us think animals are meaningless," I snapped. "Anyhow, I need your help."

"You have a strange way of asking for it," he replied.

I bit my tongue. "I was hoping I'd run into Theo instead."

He laughed out loud. "Is that your way of asking for help? Telling me you wish I was my cousin?"

"I only mean that I doubt Theo would have to be asked. He'd probably just offer."

"Offer what? I still don't even know what you're trying to say." But the corners of his mouth slid upward. He knew.

"For fuck's sake," I said through gritted teeth. "Will you take the fluffin to one of your house healers or not?"

He looked at me for a long moment, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was going to laugh again.

If he did, I'd punch him in the face, I decided. No matter what he did to me after that, it would be worth it.

"Fine," he said.

"What?"

"I said ‘fine.' I'll take the thing. Where is it?" He looked around as if I might have brought the fluffin with me.

"I... It's back in the First Year dormitory," I stuttered. "In Florence Shen's room. She stitched it up last night. But now he has a fever and it's getting higher. She doesn't think he's going to make it."

"Is it a he or an it?" Blake asked, looking amused again.

"It's a he. A male pup."

"Next you'll tell me you've named the thing." He shook his head.

"I haven't. But feel free. Consider it your reward for helping," I muttered.

"I'll come by the dormitory in one hour to collect it. I'll bring a basket to carry it in."

"Really?" I stared at him in disbelief. I tried to collect myself. "And you'll talk to your sister? I'm worried about her. Someone could get hurt. What if it had been a child?"

"Aenia wouldn't do that," he snapped, with surprising ferocity. "She'd never hurt a child. I said I'll talk to her."

I nodded. "Fine."

He spread his feet. "Well? What are you waiting for? That's what you came for. Go."

I shook my head at him in disbelief. What an arrogant self-important asshole. But I didn't dare say that aloud. If he wanted the entire Dragon Court to himself, he could have it.

I turned my back on him without another word and marched out of the courtyard, through the surrounding cloisters, and back into the hall leading to a row of classrooms. I'd get to the library another way.

But when I reached the empty hallway, I had a change of heart. I stopped, then turned around.

Staying close to the wall, I moved back towards the Dragon Court as quietly as I could.

Blake was still standing there. He glanced around, checking to make sure he was alone.

For a moment, his eyes scanned the spot where I stood, behind a pillar in the cloister and I thought he was going to call me out again. But his eyes moved past. He hadn't seen me.

He walked towards the red dragon and then past its huge flank. I couldn't see him for a moment. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to come back.

A moment passed. Then another.

I shifted my position, moving to a different pillar so I'd have a better view.

But there was no one there.

He must have gone behind it. I moved along the row of arched open windows carefully, expecting to see Blake standing in the grove of trees looking down at the sea at any moment.

The grove was empty.

There was no other way out of the Dragon Court besides the way I'd come and the walkway directly across from me, both of which I'd had a clear view of.

He'd disappeared.