Page 45 of Under Restless Skies

“Can they heal other dragons?” I clarify.

She taps her delicate fingers on the table. “Heal? As in taking care of other dragons? I’d think not. Wounded dragons are sacrificed.”

But that dragon healed me. I should tell someone what happened, but I need to think this through, perhaps talk to Alayel and agree on a story or something. Or maybe I need to research more. Maybe there’s an explanation to what happened.

“Let’s get reading,” Celine says, as Katrine walks near our table.

“Dragon anatomy,” I read the title.

Below it, there’s a drawing of a dragon skeleton, with thin bones on the wings, and a skull with a protruding jaw.

I lean in to focus on the first words and see that Nelly was right—the letters are tiny. “Dragons are li-living creatures and their bodies are com-composed…”

I swallow, embarrassed that I’m stuttering. I taught my brother to read, and he enjoyed listening to my voice telling him stories. With more effort, I continue, “Muscles, organs, bones…”

I realize I skipped a part.

“Do you mind?” Celine puts a hand on the book, her eyes apologetic.

I push the book to her, and as she starts reading, her confident, melodious voice brings the sentences to life, explaining that dragons are similar to other animals, and that their bodies are supported by bones and muscles. After a brief explanation about those body parts, the text mentions that dragons have weaknesses, and that the weakest spot is the neck, where a well-applied strike could paralyze them.

Nelly snorts. “How are we supposed to get near the neck of a fire-breathing creature?”

“We’ll learn about the fire,” Celine says. “They can’t discharge it all the time.”

I recall that dark dragon opening his mouth, a purple gleam coming from his throat, as I accepted that I was about to meet Thantos.

“Have you ever faced a dragon?” Nelly asks.

I sit straight, wondering if I gave anything away, but she’s asking Celine, who shakes her head. “Not yet. When they called first years, I was blessed enough by Foros not to be picked.”

Nelly’s eyes widen. “First years go out when the bells ring?”

“Some of us, but not in the first months. Only once you know how to fly or operate a ballista. They also send some of us out with nets on the ground. It can happen, yes. They just want to make sure everyone here is committed to being in the Sky Guard.”

“Do they survive?” Nelly asks.

Celine looks down. “There are… casualties, yes.”

I’m not sure I understand Nelly’s shock. What exactly did she expect? I don’t want to make a mean comment, but I don’t want anyone to overhear us and think we’re cowards, so I say, “But that’s why we’re here, right? To protect Dracolius.”

Nelly shrugs. “Maybe we could just take turns making sure Auranius doesn’t sleep, and then problem solved.”

Celine laughs, and so do I, even if I think it’s a little silly.

But then I say, “We knew the risks when we signed up.”

Nelly grimaces. “But first years? Face to face with flying, fire-breathing monsters? Hanging on flimsy flying things? Yeah…”

To my relief, instructor Katrine is far from us, out of earshot. I look at Celine. “Are we allowed to say things like that?”

The blonde girl shakes her head. “In our dorms, with doors closed.” In a lower voice, she adds, “Not here.”

Nelly gives us a fake ear-to-ear smile. “I’m soooo excited to put my neck on the line for my kingdom.”

Celine laughs and shakes her head.

When we finish reading, we have some time to chat. Nelly tells us her father raised her on a lumos farm, where they collect the algae that illuminates our rooms. Celine avoids any mention of her own family, and both girls are surprised when I tell them I worked at the Grease & Spice.