Page 29 of Burning Heir

“Remind me of your other siblings’ names.” Estella’s nose crinkled as she uncapped an orange bubbling liquid, dabbing it on a cloth.

“Only Charles and Klaus were students before. Knox is here with me. Cully, the second oldest, aged out three years ago. He attends Valscribe as a journalist.”

She ran the cloth over my shoulder. My blood congealed like gelatin, sliding down my arm.

A vile beside the table shuddered as a wing struck the building.

“Fallon was one of my closest friends during my student days here. Your father was so smitten with her. Seeing you makes me feel younger.”

“You knew my parents?” I groaned, slumping forward, swallowing a cry as my wrist moved an inch.

“I should have suspected, you look just like her.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She sucked a breath in, throwing the bloodied cloth into a bin. “Of course.”

“I’ve never known what color her eyes were. Do you remember what they looked like?”

She fumbled with the lid of the ointment. “There once was a man who picked every leaf he could find for one that matchedthose eyes of green. He went through every land in Verdonia, searching high and low. Unbeknownst, his daughter would have the same eyes.”

“I have my mother’s eyes?” Father had always described them as lovely, not the ferns near our lake or the color of algae once the light hits. He never had a way with words. “What happened to her?” I asked. “It seems everyone has something to say about Fallon.”

“Something you’ll face too, but the Blanche blood has always been strong. Fallon was top of our class for the most part… she skipped class, which I will not tolerate.”

I stared at my wrist. “I’ll be dead in a week.”

“You have her eyes, and I know damn well you will have her cunning mind.” She brushed a grey strand behind her ear. “I remember when your mother was pregnant with Charles, and she was still kicking ass during combat.”

“My mother?Are you sure you have the right Blanche?”

“Yes. Your mother was pregnant during her second year here. It seems like only yesterday we were fighting in combat and surviving the academy.”

The doors flew open, and two bloodied students walked in. Estella gave me a silent nod as she rushed to attend to the two males. My arm was bandaged up and slung with a brace. It was not the fiercest look, but I could handle a week before the healer could fix my bone.

The males were in worse shape than me. Jace had a broken nose, while Alaric’s collarbone jutted out unnaturally. “You were so close to landing that fall,” the blonde male exclaimed. “A wild wyvern threw us overboard during flight, ma’am.”

Estella shot a disapproving, motherly glance at the two males. “You can’t tame a wild wyvern, you idiots. Dragons choose their riders.”

“Half of the first-years have found their dragons already. It isn’t fair. Archer’s going to be so pissed when we tell him we haven’t found our enigma yet,” Jace said to Alaric, wincing in pain.

I left before I passed out, recoiling at the sight of blood dripping from Jace’s nose. Tomorrow, Bridger would drag me to the Winter forests, and I’d have to scale down that wall with one hand.

Wandering out the back toward the dragon training grounds, I observed three large dragons soaring in the sky, their scales boasting various shades. Some lounged on the grass in scaled rays of brilliance, spikes lining their spines in a fierce and deadly gesture, their necks rolling. It was hard to imagine my mother riding one, let alone Klaus. Dragons lived for hundreds of years, sometimes having multiple riders throughout their lifetime.

I wondered why half of my history was hidden under a veil of weakness. Why I’d never known my bloodline was tainted with flame and light.

“Pigeon riders,” I scoffed.

One yellow one heaved its wings, releasing a cry through the air. I’d never been close enough to see their snouts growl as their talons shredded through the dirt. The creature’s elongated neck arched gracefully, crowned with a regal crest that gleamed in metallic gold. Fierce, intelligent eyes surveyed the fields, pupils narrowing to slits as they observed the students. Its snout, adorned with intricately carved patterns, swallowed a bout of air.

I stood on the cobblestone pathway of the castle, watching every stroke of wings against the clouds. The riders flew high, bodies swallowed with leather and muscle. I’d be scorched if they knew a bird rider was here… if I could even call myself that. I couldn’t slip my stare as I leaned against the stone wall.

Everything reminded me of Klaus, yet I had never seen him stand on that field. Had he run laps like the others had? Was Isecretly searching for the golden tone of his dragon, not knowing it was the same color as the academy arches like my father searched for my mother’s eyes for all those years? Missing someone hurt, but losing someone wilted the core. Not knowing someone seemed worse. I knew nothing about Klaus and if he’d stood in the same spot as me, with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun along the horizon.

“Your brother has anger issues.” A familiar voice startled me. “And standing there is a sure way to get hit.”

I jolted. Archer leaned on the same wall beside me, standing in a single shadow. How long had he been there? I raised my injured wrist. “Sorry, I was leaving the infirmary when I saw the field.” I looked down, afraid to meet his eyes. Afraid to question him.

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