Page 23 of Wild Bond

“What are you doing here?” a big male trainee with a shock of brown hair and broad features demanded. The guy was massive and definitely looked like he never missed a meal. Though I could tell most of what was under his training leathers was pure muscle. “This combat class is for experienced trainees. We’re all prospects for the trials. Shouldn’t you be in one of the novice classes with the hatchlings?”

I smiled sweetly at him, trying not to react to his antagonism, though I think my tone still came out like I was speaking to a small child. “Iamin a class with the hatchlings, but Commander Matara also wants me in this class.” I raised my arms. “So here I am.”

Surprise filtered across his face. “Why? Is he trying to get rid of you? You can’t possibly hold your own against us.”

I shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him.”

His face hardened further. “You may have bonded with the Jade Dragon,” he snapped, “but that doesn’t mean you deserve to be here.”

I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it again. The big trainee was right in a way. Just because I had bonded with Skye didn’t mean I automatically had a right to be here. I had to earn that right and my fellow trainees’ respect. From the looks on most of their faces, I could see I had a long way to go in that regard.

“You’re right,” I admitted honestly. “I don’t.”

Again, I could see that my response had surprised him, and a few of the others, if their expressions were anything to go by.

I shrugged again. “But I am here, and I had as little say in that as you did. So, if you have a problem with it, take it up with the commander, the council, or the Nine themselves. I don’t care. Or just leave me alone, because I’m staying.” Not that Commander Rakim had shown any interest in training me since the night of the Exodus Ball. He had yet to contact me about a flying lesson.

The trainee stared at me as if trying to work out how to respond.

“So, are we done?” I asked, intentionally putting some steel into my voice and a warning in my gaze. I knew I had to earn these people’s respect, but being a pushover was not an option.

The trainee opened his mouth, but before he spoke, a harsh voice ordered, “Warran, enough!”

I looked to the rider whom I guessed was our instructor as he strode up. He was a burly man with brown hair and a slightly graying beard. He was tall, but not quite as tall as Dembe or Commander Rakim.

He looked like he could be related to Warran. Or maybe I just wasn’t used to being around all these huge, physically fit dragon rider types yet. Most of the men in my life up until this point were half-starved street kids with lean builds and lots of wiry muscle, with the occasional overweight drunk thrown in.

“Pair off,” he commanded, acknowledging me with a nod as he passed. I couldn’t tell if he was against my being here, or if he was just more focused on directing the class. “No weapons today. We will be focusing on hand-to-hand, particularly on taking down your opponent. So spread out and give yourselves plenty of room to maneuver.”

As everyone spread out and found partners, I was left standing there awkwardly for a moment before another trainee came to stand beside me.

“Want to pair up?” he asked. He was of medium height and build with pale skin and dark hair clipped close to his head. His brown eyes slanted downward slightly at the corners and his smile was hesitant.

“Sure,” I replied, deciding to just go with it and not be so suspicious. “I’m Rin, by the way.”

His smile widened. “I know. I’m Con.” He gestured across the group of milling trainees to our teacher. “And that man over there is Rider Trenton. Don’t take anything he does personally. He’s been our combat instructor for the past three years, and I think he’s said ten words to me that weren’t commands.”

“Good to know,” I murmured, relaxing a little.

Both of us faced each other and took up a ready stance.

Trenton called for us to start, and Con came at me. He had me down on the ground in a matter of moments. I sighed as he pulled me to my feet, having a premonition that this was going to be a long day.

Over the next hour, I was proven right as we rotated sparring partners. I held my own with some,barely,and got thoroughly beaten by others. Con went easy on me compared to everyone else. I tried and failed to use Warran’s superior strength against him, and Nesenya had me on the ground within seconds. Repeatedly. The woman was fast and didn’t give away her moves at all, which made it hard to defend myself.

I knew that some of the reason I was having such a hard time was due to not being at full strength yet, and the fact that I currently felt like a walking bruise. But deep down I knew most of these trainees were just better, more skilled fighters—at least when it came to hand-to-hand—and that knowledge irked me to no end. I knew that most of them had been formally trained since they were young, having probably already bonded to their dragons when I was still living in a hut with my mother. But I still hated that I wasn’t as skilled.

It all made me want to train that much harder.

Unfortunately, my next partner was the dark-haired girl from before, who already seemed to dislike me. Her name, I found out, was Daisha.

She, of course, was an incredible fighter. I realized this after only a few minutes of exchanging blows. She was vicious and took advantage of even the smallest opening. I was exhausted and breathing hard. Sweat dripped down my back and at my temples from both the exertion and the blistering heat of the afternoon sun bearing down on us.

I blocked a particularly brutal strike intended for my face but wasn’t quick enough to avoid her follow-up to my jaw that had me seeing spots and made my ears ring. I took a step back to get my bearings, still keeping my guard up, but I felt disoriented and sluggish as she came at me again. Before I knew it, she had me pinned on the hard ground, the full weight of her body hunched over mine.

“Obviously, Commander Matara was wrong about you,” she hissed, pressing down hard with her forearm against my throat. She stared me straight in the eye. “Go back to the lower city slum where you belong, or better yet, the dungeons. The dragon rider ranks are no place for thieving scum like you.”

A little sliver of doubt flared inside me. When I’d first bonded, I’d also wondered if someone from my upbringing deserved to bond with a dragon and become a dragon rider. But the thought was quickly doused by a spark of crackling anger and frustration that this woman thought she had the right to judge me. And by the fact that I knew Dembe would be disgusted at the dismal performance I had put on today.

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