Total pages in book: 295
Estimated words: 282090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1410(@200wpm)___ 1128(@250wpm)___ 940(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 282090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1410(@200wpm)___ 1128(@250wpm)___ 940(@300wpm)
“Holy shit,” Maren mutters from behind me.
“Sorry about that. Adolescents.” I shrug at Ridoc.
“Still can’t believe feathertails are kids,” Sawyer says, taking a step away from Andarna. “Or that you bonded two black dragons.”
“That one caught me off guard, too.”
I glance toward the path again, but there’s no sign of Rhiannon. If Professor Trissa gets here before Rhi, she’ll be in major trouble. Trissa might be the softest-spoken member of the Assembly, but she’s also the sharpest-tongued when pissed, according to what Xaden told me before he flew out for the border again this morning with Heaton and Emery. At least we’d had a night together.
The third-years went, too, patrolling the Cliffs of Dralor for wyvern and Navarrian riders.
Wyvern we wouldn’t have to worry about if I hadn’t failed to raise the wards.
“Which part’s worse?” Ridoc muses, tapping the dimple in his chin. “Them silently glaring at us like we have any fucking clue why they’re up here, too? Or their menacing escorts?” His gaze locks on the gryphons standing guard over their fliers.
Dajalair wobbles slightly, still clearly not adjusted to the altitude. I have yet to see a single gryphon fly in the week that they’ve been here.
“Both.” Sawyer unbuttons his flight jacket. “Is it me or is it getting hotter up here?”
“Hotter,” I agree, breathing a sigh of relief when Rhiannon appears, flashing me an excited smile as she hikes toward us from the other side of the field. I add to Ridoc, “And be nice. I like Maren.”
“I like Maren, too—but her best friend needs to get tossed off this cliff,” Sawyer notes under his breath.
“The gryphons are up and about faster than I thought,” Ridoc observes. “Most of them were still sleeping off the altitude a few days ago.”
The gryphon standing behind Trager, the guy with the shoulder-length brown hair and crooked smile—notices Ridoc’s appraisal, and snaps his sharp, two-foot beak in warning.
Trager smirks.
Aotrom blows a hot gust of steam over our heads, blasting all three fliers in the face with not just steam but a healthy layer of…is that snot?
“In their defense, we brought our own escorts,” I note as Andarna stalks forward, her claws sinking into the grass on either side of me in clear warning. Her talons grow sharper by the day, and she fully extended her wing for the first time this morning, making her extra bold this afternoon.
“Elders say I’ll be flying within a few weeks.” A growl aimed at the gryphon works up her throat, and his beady eyes flare, then blink.
“You’re baring your teeth, aren’t you?” I don’t bother hiding my smile.
“I don’t trust them,” she answers. “Especially the one in the center who looks to be plotting your death.”
“Don’t let her bother you.”
Cat’s eyes are indeed narrowed on me as usual.
“She bothers you.” Andarna takes a single step forward, putting her chest scales just over my head.
“And she’ll get used to it, or she’ll kill her,” Tairn answers from behind us where the other three—no, four—dragons wait now that Feirge has arrived. “Either is acceptable.”
“I thought you were against us killing allies?” I glance over my shoulder as his shade envelops me thanks to the afternoon sun. Maybe it’s Sliseag moving closer on her right, but there’s a reddish sheen to Andarna’s scales, and I can’t help but wonder when that shimmer will dull to a shade more like Tairn.
“She has yet to prove herself an ally,” Tairn notes.
“She still blames me for Luella’s death.”
“Hey, while we’re just standing here…” Sawyer rubs the back of his neck, and his cheeks redden. “I…”
“You…?” I lift my eyebrows at the clearly unfinished question.
“I was wondering if you…” He cringes, then sighs. “Never mind.”
“He wants you to teach him how to sign,” Ridoc finishes, rocking back on his heels in clear boredom.
“Ridoc!” Sawyer glares his way.
“What? You made that way more painful than it had to be. For fuck’s sake, it was like you were leading up to asking her out or something.” He visibly shudders.
“What if he had been?” I counter.
“Then I’d be stuck cleaning little pieces of him off our shared floor when Riorson ripped him to shreds.” Ridoc shakes his head. “So messy.”
“First, Xaden has more than enough confidence to survive me being asked out.” I glance up at Sawyer. “And yes, I’ll teach you to sign. Why would that be embarrassing?”
“I should have learned years ago.” Sawyer drops his hand. “And…obvious reasons.”
“I’m not fluent enough to make a good teacher, apparently.” Ridoc rolls his eyes.
“You’d teach me the sign for sex and tell me it was hello, just to see what happened when I used it,” Sawyer fires back.
“What? I’m not a total dick.” A smile curves Ridoc’s mouth. “I would have waited until you asked about the word for dinner—that way, when you asked her if she wanted to grab a bite with you—”