Page 10 of Radiant Shadows

“It’s about the girl,” Arthur specified as we headed toward the greenhouses in the southern part of the Dome.

I stopped dead in my tracks, and Arthur took one more step before coming to a halt, too.

“Every time you come to the Dome, it’s always about Arya,” I said, raising a finger in the air.

A few voices could be heard across the lawn, along with the sound of sprinting feet moving away from us. I didn’t even want to think what a couple of students were doing out here whileeveryone else was in the Great Hall, but I wasn’t about to go after them, either.

Arthur narrowed his eyes toward where the noises dissipated. Through clenched teeth, the general said, “Perhaps we should wait until we reach the greenhouse before we continue this conversation.”

I agreed but didn’t say as much. Instead, I speed-walked down the hallway again.

Although the greenhouses were close to the main building, it seemed as if an age had passed before the long, white structures came into view.

Stopping at the first one, I pressed my hand to the panel by the wide door. Upon scanning my palm, the mechanism controlling the door started, and on small, thin wheels, it opened from the side as if hands were pulling it right to left.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “A little secure for a place full of plants, don’t you think?”

I stepped aside. “The structure is anti-flammable, but all it takes is one stray fireballwithina greenhouse to burn everything to ashes. We lock them up as an after-hours policy.”

The warm air in the structure was potently fragranced and seemed to clear my head almost immediately. The scent of the youthful greenery was clean and therapeutic.

Lord Dracul entered behind me. “I suppose this was a lesson learned the hard way?”

“Years ago,” I said with a nod. “But I’d hate to bore you with such details. Let’s move on to more pressing matters since time seems to be of the essence.”

Dim ultraviolet lamps hung low from the ceiling, an elaborately timed system designed to encourage the best growth from the plants they nurtured.

Arthur snorted. “You are quite snippety this evening, Caesar. More so than usual. But yes, I’ve come back to the Dome to discuss the siren.”

“Was your last visit not telling enough, Arthur?” I asked as civilly as I could. “You saw with your own eyes that Arya is not ready for military training.”

The dragon shifter walked to the nearest plant, raised a hand to it, and felt at one of its leaves. After a few moments, he lifted his thumb and finger to his nose and sniffed. “Basil?”

I sighed and looked away in exasperation. The air that had helped me before was doing little to subdue my building agitation.

He cleared his throat. “Hear me out, my friend. This basil plant sits in a climate-controlled environment, receiving the appropriate amounts of water and UV light to grow and thrive. At this very moment, the young plant could handle losing multiple leaves without any real harm done to it.”

“That’s very intuitive and educational,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “How does this apply to Arya?”

A smirk crawled across the general’s face. “I’m glad you asked. You see, Arya is like this basil plant—full of promise and potential. But unlike this particular plant, she is in an environment that is stunting her growth.”

A fiery fury kindled within me, and I felt my face turning red. “Her environment is stunting her growth?”

He stood tall and lifted his chin but did not reply.

“How dare you!” I shouted, also straightening my back. I would not be daunted by Arthur Dracul. “For years, this school has prepared hundreds of students. Many of them are your own soldiers. Your own children have thrived here. Tobias is an exemplary student.”

The general shook his head slightly. “Come on, Caesar. I’m not attacking your school. But you saw Arya’s pitiful performance. Yoursirencouldn’t conjure a voice to save her life.”

“Her siren abilities are much harder to master,” I countered. “Celeste is doing her best to instruct her, but she’s no siren herself. And besides, her water and light manipulation abilities are admirable. Even you can’t deny that.”

Arthur held up a hand. “The prophecy states that it will be her siren abilities that bring down Hadrian, not her other abilities.”

“So, what would you have us do? Focus her studies purely on increasing her abilities as a siren?”

“Caesar, my friend, it is not within Arya’s best interests to remain here at the school.”

I snorted, resisting the urge to clench my fists. “And who’s going to train her in her siren abilities? You?”

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