Chapter 21

“Good session. Go get some lunch and rest. Be back for evening lessons,” Isak said, clapping his hands together.

“If all of us can make it there,” Violet snarked as she walked away. Landon snickered behind her while Riley rolled her eyes.

As the trio left, Isak raised his eyebrow. “Legs stop functioning? Go get some food, ye need it.”

Her legs felt shaky, and her stomach growled like an angry dragon. He was right, she needed the food and rest, but, “I’m not eating before he does,” she said, gesturing to Lumin. Isak hummed and nodded and watched the dragons with Evelyn.

From where they sat, Evelyn could not discern every word said, but given the gestures Safir made, and Lumin looking at his wings, it was clear their lesson was about flight. Through their bond, Evelyn could feel Lumin’s desire to fly increase with each word Safir spouted about it, similar to when they first arrived at Cove. It was not as prevalent, but she started having the same desires. She looked to the open sky beyond the cave and imagined soaring through the clouds, feeling the cool air rush past her face, being level with the birds as they roamed freely in the skies…

“Lass… Evelyn!” The older rider’s voice broke her trance. “You get lost in the skies?”

“I… think I did. But I wasn’t feeling like myself.”

“Perhaps, has this happened before like the dreams?”

Evelyn nodded. “When we arrived at Cove. Lumin saw the open sky above the ocean and…” she trailed off as she fought off his emotions again. “It’s never happened to him, though.”

“He’s a young lad, so he has little control of your emotions. Not that you have full control yourself, but you’ve lived long enough to learn to manage them. Ye just need control of yer body.” As Evelyn hung her head, Isak placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just keep focus and work yer butt off.”

She gave him a half smile, but deep down, she knew he was disappointed. If she hadn’t bonded with Lumin, perhaps he’d bond with one of the others who wouldn’t drag him down.

Ten more minutes went by, then Evelyn could sense Lumin's thoughts shift from flight to fish. Her own stomach growled loud enough for Isak to hear. Safir took notice and looked to Isak, who nodded. “We shall continue this lesson tomorrow. Do your best to remember what we did, you will be quizzed."

Lumin bounded to Evelyn and pressed his nose against her palm. “Evelyn, what is a ‘quizzed’?”

“A quiz is a small test to see how much you remember.”

“Oh, that sounds easy. Ooh, do you think we could go to the library after lunch?”

“Maybe, if we have time.” Evelyn turned to Isak. “Is there some sort of library card we could get? It would be a hassle to ask an ichneumon every time.”

“Go eat, I’ll speak to Fukayna about the library.”

Evelyn bowed her head and walked with Lumin to the mess hall. On the way, Lumin explained the different scenarios that would require higher, or lower lift, flexing his wings to show her what he should do. That, combined with her expressions during the lesson, made it seem to Evelyn that Safir taught him more than planned.

Lumin stopped talking once the sweet aroma of food swept away. To Evelyn's relief, he was still allowed in the mess hall, but the chef warned her that once he grew larger than an ichneumon, it would become a problem. That problem was looming.

Previously, she confirmed with Norah that healthy dragons grew at a tremendous rate in their first year. It also meant Lumin should be large enough to fly in a few weeks, and in another week or so, fly with Evelyn.

Lumin tried a cooked meal, but learned that human taste buds were different to dragons. Fortunately, the chef had a raw salmon for Lumin, which he devoured in seconds.

After they finished, she put away their dishes and led her dragon toward the library. As they left the mess hall, Lumin noticed a growing crowd in the training yard.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“I’m not sure… Let’s go check it out.”

As they got closer to the commotion, Evelyn caught a glimpse of green and brown towering over the crowd. Her heart started racing.

She pushed her way through the crowd —having a dragon made it easier— until she got to the front. Isak and Fukayna were already there talking to Camadh and Jalibamawt. They were both covered in dirt and looked exhausted.

When they noticed Evelyn and Lumin, Jalibamawt smiled and nodded while Camadh perked up and said, “Oh, Evelyn! It’s so nice to see you again!”

“Same to you, Camadh. I’m glad you made it.”

Camadh opened her mouth to continue, but she was interrupted by Jalibamawt, who snapped his head to the side with a wide smile. “Majadon!” Like a puppy greeting its owner, he sprinted toward the approaching commander and leapt. She seemed destined to be tackled, but without breaking her stride, Majadon stepped to the side and the ichneumon flew past her. He tumbled beyond his companion and skidded to a halt on his chin.

For a brief moment, Evelyn had genuine doubt of Majadon’s love for her partner. That was quickly contradicted when Majadon cocked her head with a subtle smile creasing her cheek. She did an about face and knelt next to Jalibamawt, then lifted his head from the ground and pressed her forehead to his. Despite the assumed embarrassment, Jalibamawt’s smile never faded and a deep purr rumbled in his throat.

“Save the hugging for when you are clean,” the commander said softly.

After a light chuckle, Evelyn looked at her own snickering partner. She then remembered, “Oh, you didn’t technically meet him, I guess. Camadh, this is—”

Camadh gasped and lowered her head to meet Lumin’s gaze. “Are you the shockwing egg?”

Lumin took a step back. “Well, I’m not an egg anymore, obviously. My name is Lumin.”

Camadh’s eyes lit up with excitement as her wagging tail created a cloud of dust behind her. “What a lovely name! You don’t know how happy I am to see you alive and well. And you’re already speaking so well! Is your mother around? I hoped to see her again.”

“Oh, she’s… not here.”

Camadh tilted her head curiously and looked at Evelyn. She lowered her gaze and sighed. “Delain… didn’t make it.” She briefly explained what happened. As she did, she could see the sparkle in Camadh’s eyes waver.

“I see… Well, she gave everything to protect her egg. Speaking of eggs, can we visit the others?”

Evelyn’s heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. Even Lumin hung his head. The crowd grew tense. She could feel the stares of everyone around her. Everyone knew what Evelyn did… or didn’t do except the dragon that mattered most in that moment. Words escaped Evelyn. What could she even say to ease the pain of the truth.

Isak broke the momentary silence. “Ye’ve had a long journey. Perhaps some proper rest is in order first,” he said with as optimistic of a tone as he could.

Camadh shook her head and stomped her forepaw. “I got plenty of sleep in the tunnel. I want to see my brother… Besides, the flamebreath was close to hatching and I promised his mother I would be there for it.”

“Brother?” Lumin asked. “I thought he was yours.”

Camadh snickered, relieving a minute bit of tension. “Of course. You didn’t think he was my egg, did you? I’m barely two; way too young for that.” Even in her panic, the thought of Camadh continuing to grow astounded her. Then Camadh’s smile shrunk. “Wait… what do you mean by was? Why can’t I see my brother?” The concern in Camadh’s eyes tore into Evelyn's soul.

Isak tried intervening. “Well… you see—”

“No,” Evelyn shouted. Isak looked at her perplexed. Even she was surprised. It was as if her body had a mind of its own. “It was my fault, I should tell her.”

Camadh shifted nervously. “Tell me what? W-what’s going on?”

Evelyn’s heart pounded against her chest. She nearly froze again when she felt the soft membrane of Lumin’s wing pressing against her. His presence gave her the will to go through with it. No matter what, she was not alone.

With a deep breath, she laid it out for Camadh. “The empire chased us after we separated. They damaged the truck and I tried to save the eggs but… but I was stupid and used Lumin’s magic. It made me weak and nearly killed him.” She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “I couldn’t hold onto him. I… I’m sorry.”

“He… He’s gone?” Her voice trembled. The light in Camadh’s eyes vanished. Her tail and wings drooped to the floor. Evelyn thought she would collapse. “Mom… Dad… and now... I… I can’t be the only one left.”

“He didn’t break, though! The empire just has him. Maybe if we—” Isak placed a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder and shook his head. Only then did Evelyn see that Camadh was looking at her as if she weren’t there.

Evelyn looked at her dragon. Lumin wasn’t sure where to look or what to do. She placed her hand on his head to comfort him. It was not his fault, and she needed him to know that. “I’m sorry.”

There was no reaction. No cry, no break down, no screaming. It was as if the groundclaw became a statue. The joyful, energetic dragon they met was replaced by a lifeless husk. Her eyes slowly drifted to the ground, tears starting to form.

Outside the background noise of the base, not a sound was made. For a long, drawn out moment, no one moved. Only when Camadh blinked and a tear fell did Jalibamawt step forward. “Allow me to take you to the pen, friend. You should rest.”

At first, Evelyn thought Camadh would sit there forever, but eventually her head nodded slowly. The ichneumon placed his tail on her wing and guided the dragon toward the pen, Majadon lagging behind.

The crowd disbursed, but Evelyn was rooted in place. Isak patted her on the shoulder and walked away with Fukayna. Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn saw the trio of riders watching her. Landon and Violet made remarks that she knew were crude, but couldn’t be bothered to listen. They walked away, sneering at her all the way. Riley lingered, but Evelyn could not bear to meet her gaze, fearing what look of disgust she may have. Only when she heard Riley’s footsteps fade into the distance did she finally exhale.

Despite getting a library card, Evelyn couldn’t bring herself to read for Lumin. She offered apologies to Lumin, and he was disappointed, but he understood. Though Evelyn feared he feigned his understanding only because he was forced to read through her unfocused eyes.

When the time came, they found Isak and the trio gathered in the cavern. Their chatter dimmed to whispers when they noticed Evelyn.

“Ah, there they are,” Isak said, beckoning her and Lumin to their makeshift classroom. The trio sat across from Isak, who stood next to a small, mobile whiteboard. “Do me a favor and fuse.” Once Evelyn and Lumin fused, she took a seat on a stone separate from the trio. “Now that we’re all settled, why don’t we get started?”

“Quick question,” Violet said. “Why are we out here? Doesn’t this base have actual classrooms?”

“A multitude of reasons. The main reason is they are not ours to use. Also, we will use magic in some lessons, which they forbid in classrooms even for companions.”

“But not all lessons require them, right? So we should use them when we can, right? It’d be far more comfortable.”

From Isak’s mouth, Safir’s voice rang out. “If you believe comfort is most important, you have no place on a dragon’s back.”

Violet grumbled, but sat back with her arms crossed.

“Today's lesson is the basics of magic. There are five types of magic corresponding to each type of dragon: water, fire, ground, lightning and mind.” Isak wrote those five words on the board and underlined them in one stroke. “While there are these separate types, they share the same source. Can any of ye tell me what it is?”

Riley raised her hand. “Magic particles, sir.”

“Very good.” Underneath the magic types, he wrote magic particles.

“Why are we going over these basics?” Landon interrupted. “We learned about this stuff before.”

“Well, some of us,” Violet added, glaring at Evelyn.

“You’ve learned what the empire taught you. I know from experience that they held back critical information.”

‘The empire? Does that mean…’ Lumin’s voice was seeded with worry. This made her realize she was not focusing and snapped back to attention. Though she remembered the entire conversation.

She then registered his concern. ‘Something we’ll address later.’

“Yes,” Isak said. “These three were once of the Dragon Corp as well.”

‘Or now…’

“She didn’t know?” Violet sneered.

“We were actually meant to be riders,” Landon added.

“Focus,” Riley barked. “Then maybe you won’t fail this time.”

The other two sat back and bit their tongues. Isak gave Riley a nod and continued. “Natural magic particles do not have a type themselves. They gain their type when absorbed by dragons. To them, magic particles are like oxygen. They need them to live.”

“As she has seen firsthand,” Landon muttered, winning a glare from Riley.

Evelyn ignored the remark and raised her hand. When Isak pointed at her, she asked, “Where do these particles come from? If they’re like oxygen, then dragons consume their potency. Is there a counterpart to dragons, like plants converting carbon dioxide to oxygen?”

Landon and Violet snickered. “Of course not. Magic particles are everywhere and are endless. They’re not like normal atoms or anything,” Landon said.

A tiny jet of water splashed against his face. This made Evelyn snicker. “Interupt us again, see what happens,” Safir’s voice growled. Landon wiped his face and grumbled.

“Good question, lass. That’s misinformation courtesy of the empire, Landon. We know that magic particles lose their potency when dragons use them. If they didn’t, dragon’s attacks would only rejuvenate yer opponent. What a utopia that’d be. However, we don’t know what it is that renews or reconverts the magic particles when they’re used, or what they turn into. Studies for that were not high on the empire's priority list, or so they say.

“There are two creatures in the world that can harness these particles: dragons and ichneumon. Magic particles make up a majority of their being. This is how they are able to shift between physical and magical forms.”

Evelyn raised her hand again. “Are ichneumon able to shift forms as well?”

Isak looked at the cavern entrance then back at Evelyn. “Companions… do not share that information with us. Their use of magic was a closely guarded secret for generations, and our alliance is young, so trust amongst most of them must still be won. For now, let us focus on dragons.”

For the next hour, Isak went over the types of dragons and how they can use magic particles. It was information from the book Evelyn and Lumin read the other day, but more practical. He talked about how riders can use abilities in many ways that dragons cannot do alone. Though she listened intently, doing her best to keep her mind off Camadh. Lumin had no issue, however. As soon as the lesson started, he soaked in every bit of information, even when Evelyn’s focus drifted. Even if her brain did not register it, she still heard what Isak said, so Lumin processed it for her.

During the lessons, Isak gave small demonstrations of aquafin magic. He used his abilities in tandem with the fact he was giving in the moment, like when explaining how focusing particles into smaller points made abilities more efficient, he used his water jet twice. Once in a wide, uncontrolled cone and another in a fine, straight line.

Lumin offered to show examples of shockwing magic, but Isak denied it citing his recovery. While Lumin pouted, Evelyn assured him it was to keep him safe.

As the sun started sinking below the horizon, Isak ended the lesson. Landon and Violet left almost immediately. Evelyn only stood up when Isak erased the whiteboard and started wheeling it away, confirming they were indeed done.

As Evelyn started for the exit, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see Riley behind her. She looked like an average human, but her grip was fierce; nothing Evelyn could do would free her if needed. She tried to think of something to say, but no words came to her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite,” Riley said as she released her shoulder. “I just wanted to talk.”

They continued toward the tunnel while Riley spoke. “I shouldn’t need to say this, but don’t take what Violet and Landon say to heart.” Evelyn stopped and stared at the future rider, mouth agape. Riley paused and raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Evelyn muttered as she continued walking. “That’s just not what I was expecting to hear.”

Riley grunted. “You were expecting me to throw petty insults?”

Evelyn shrugged, awkwardly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like you. You took a dragon without even knowing the first thing about them. Then you lost another egg, meaning one of us won’t bond. Not to mention crushing that groundclaw’s spirits.” She paused, allowing Evelyn to soak in the lecture. And that she did, nothing Riley said was wrong. “But you took responsibility for it. Neither Violet or Landon would have owned up the way you did.

“I don’t like you, but you’ve earned some respect. If you want everyone else’s respect, though, you need to put in the effort. If you and Lumin are willing, I can help. Whether I like it or not, you’re my ally, and if you are going to be on the battlefield with me, you need to pull your weight.” Once they returned to the base proper, Riley turned away from Evelyn and headed toward the clinic, presumably to check on the eggs. Evelyn prepared to follow, but a shout caught her attention.

Next to the mess hall, Benjamin was beckoning Evelyn over. She hesitated, feeling split between her potential friend and her brother.

“Never ignore family.” Riley said, gesturing to Benjamin. “Meet me in the cavern an hour before training tomorrow.” She turned away from Evelyn. “Losing that egg is something you should never live down, but you have a chance to earn forgiveness. When you get that chance, take it and don’t look back.” Before Evelyn could respond, Riley walked away.

‘You know what, I’m starting to like her,’  Lumin said.

‘Me too, Sweetie. Me too.’