Page 54 of Burning Heir

He said, “You’ll need to swing your legs over his neck.” Archer gracefully descended Ciaran and stepped toward me, his eyes assessing me—head to kneecaps. “And you… are shorter than Klaus.”

Naraic pinned his neck down, snarling for me to climb up his scales. “I think you’re offending him.”

Archer shimmied out of his leather riding jacket and placed it over my shoulders. “Take my jacket for now, and I will find you a spare that fits you when we’re back at the academy.”

I shoved my arms through the jacket's oversized sleeves, the heavy leather settling awkwardly against my bare thighs. The weight of it pressed down, and I bit back the urge to throw it back at him. His smug grin practically begged for retaliation. “Thanks,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

“I expect that jacket back,” he said, his tone clipped, barely audible. “I know first-years enjoy the thrill of speaking to a ruler, but I’d rather not be associated with you.”

I glared at him, fingers brushing the half-moon relic pinned beneath the faded serpent emblem on the leather. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing this around campus.”

Lifting my leg to climb, I stumbled, my balance faltering. Archer caught me effortlessly with one hand.

“Watch yourself,” he said. “Or is mounting something too complicated for you?”

“I can mount anything,” I said.

His eyes narrowed, coughing dryly. “I doubt that. You don’t have a scandalous bone in your body.”

“Boost me, and I’ll get it next time,” I said, annoyed at his watchful eye. Were we talking about the same type of mounting?

Then Archer curled his hands on either side of my waist, effortlessly shoving me onto Naraic’s spine. I couldn’t help but notice how his fingers lingered slightly on the jacket’s sleeve.

Archer touched my calf, angling it inward. “Keep your knees locked and your legs tight against Naraic’s ribs.” His fingers brushed toward my thigh but stopped short. “Naraic will sense where you want to go, but if you need to veer a certain way, use your thighs to nudge him in whichever direction you wish. You do know which is left and which is right, correct?”

“You don’t have to be arrogant,” I said, then a wave of heat hit me. I wobbled forward, and a cool shiver ran along my spine. I blinked up, and it seemed all that sickness disappeared.

Shadows… he was using his shadows on me. A silken black sheet bathed my trembling arms. Silently, I watched him mount Ciaran, his calf muscles tight against her ribs.

Huffing, I said, “You should ask someone before inflicting your quell on them.”

He gave a blank stare, and the shadows dragged back. “If you vomit on my jacket, feel free to keep it. It might earn you a few challenges during combat. You seem to need all the help and handouts you can get.” He eyed the iced dagger Myla won off me.

Naraic took off first, his wings raised, beating within the air. I lurched forward, keeping my grip tight on his neck as the air ripped past me. “Sorry,” I said, unsure if Naraic heard me. I knew Charles had a rider bond between him and Lorna and their griffins, but it seemed unnatural to speak in my mind. I knew nothing about bonds.

We glided above the castle, and I tried to keep the blazing heat from knotting around my stomach. The land spanned for miles and miles, sheltered by jagged peaks flecked with snow towardthe northern side. Golden tints stained the grounds as Day rained dawn across the academy’s vast landscape. I saw the crimson wall hidden within the Winter trails, nearly stealing my breath as we lowered. Spring was wild with untamed flowers like a rainbow had wept over the lands. The Night trails were a swallowing shadow of brittle trees and moonlight within a sea of stars.

I wouldn’t fly any closer to that dark oasis.

Naraic went easy on me. I knew those scars on his scales, where a few were torn, meant he’d lived through the worst of the land’s shows. I wasn’t his first rider, and I didn’t think Klaus was either.

The wind beat against my sweat-licked brow, curling through the folds of Archer’s jacket. I felt alive. I felt the connection between Naraic pulsing through my veins as we dipped low and toward the dragon fields.

We veered toward the grass. Naraic landed, tucking his wings in. And I awkwardly slid off, nearly faceplanting into a pile of dragon shit as I stepped forward. Archer stifled his laugh as Ciaran’s midnight wings crept low. He gracefully jumped down, walking toward me with a pool of midnight shadows following his every step.

He opened his palm, glancing at the jacket he’d given me. I shrugged it off as a wave of his spiced musk sucked through my senses.

“You’re a natural, Blanche,” he said. “I suppose you are Klaus’s sister after all.”

It was the first compliment he’d ever given me, though it came wrapped in a thinly veiled insult.

My knees wobbled as I handed him the jacket, gaining my balance. I asked, “Will I see you later?”

“Listen, Severyn,” he began, “nothing changes between us. I am still a Serpent, and you are still a student. You will see mewhen I seek you out. Because when I tell you this will end badly if anyone suspects that dragon is Naraic—” His eyes darkened under the hood of his brow. “I’ll be at the fields after combat for dragon training. Try not to get in my way.”

I nodded tightly. “In that case, may I be dismissed, Serpent?” I sneered low.

A grin crept to the side of his mouth. “Shower, you smell like a corpse.” His nose wrinkled at the jacket in his hands.

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