Page 17 of Guardian of the Cursed Egg
The male slithers off, leaving a streak of blood in his wake. The room is silent, heavy with the weight of what just happened. I meet the gaze of every onlooker, daring them to speak. None do. Instead, they lower their heads, one by one.
I exhale, letting the tension drain from my shoulders. Abraxis smirks, lounging like he owns the place, while Vaughn’s calm presence beside me anchors the storm within. I smile faintly, the taste of blood and victory still sharp on my tongue.
CHAPTER 10
Callan
I siftthrough the reports from the southern dorm cafeteria, and a knot of unease settles in my chest. Moving into Malivore with my mate and her nest has left me detached from the other houses, and now the ripple effects are clear. The naga are demanding dragons be banned from the southern campuses, claiming they don’t feel safe. Most of the student body feels safer with the dragons there—especially after yesterday’s events.
Dragging a hand down my face, I try to clear my mind. To my left is Mina’s schedule, neatly laid out but somehow adding to my headache. First period, she’s with Lysander in his office, researching the cursed eggs. After that, Balor will take her to advanced poison training, a grueling session with only three other students. By two, she’ll be with me and Vaughn for my Art of War class. Afterward, it’s a toss-up—either a second session with Balor or Zigmander’s spy craft class, where Vaughn will join her again. The thought of juggling all this—while dealing with the naga—makes my head pound.
“What’s that look for?” Leander’s voice cuts through my thoughts as he leans into the doorway, his sharp eyes assessing me. Nightmares like him can read a man with just a single word or glance.
“Looking over Mina’s classes and figuring out how to handle the naga issue in the southern dorms,” I reply, arching a brow at him. “Got any bright ideas?”
Leander steps inside and sinks into the chair opposite me, kicking his feet up onto the desk like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “What exactly happened yesterday?”
I exhale deeply, the memory flashing through my mind. “Mina and Abraxis joined Vaughn and his clan in the cafeteria. The naga have been bullying the gargoyles, and they stepped in to handle it. Now the naga are demanding dragons be banned from the cafeteria, saying they feel threatened. Meanwhile, the rest of the student body wants dragons stationed as guards to protect them from the naga.” I run my hand down my face again, waiting for Leander to weigh in.
He tilts his head, a slow, wolfish grin spreading across his face. “Sounds like you’ve got two problems with one solution, Callan.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his grin fading into something more serious. “You want the naga to back down? Give them a reason to stop picking fights. If the student body wants dragons as guards, make it happen. Let the naga see what happens when they push too far.”
His suggestion sends a spark of something dangerous flickering through my mind, but I’m not sure if it’s a solution or a disaster waiting to happen.
Sighing, I rake my hands roughly through my hair, the frustration tightening in my chest. “Maybe it can be a rotating assignment for the fourth years,” I mutter, thinking aloud. Shadowcarve’s population of dragons and dragon kin should make it manageable. “I’ll email Lysander, see if it’s something he wants to implement.”
Leander leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest in that calculating way of his. “Balor’s been acting strange, don’t you think?” His sharp gaze locks onto me, and I freeze mid-motion, abandoning my half-written note.
“What do you mean?” The clatter of my pen hitting the desk echoes unnaturally loud in the quiet room.
“The way he watches Mina,” Leander says, biting his bottom lip like he’s weighing every word. Then, unexpectedly, he averts his eyes.
The gesture makes me tense, and I lean forward. “He’s a basilisk. Watching is what he does. They’re predators by nature—always observing, analyzing. Almost as obsessively as I do.” My tone is clipped, but suspicion lingers beneath it. “What do you know?”
“It’s not what I know,” Leander murmurs, his voice low and deliberate. “It’s what I suspect. I think he’s in love with her.” The words land like a punch to the gut, leaving the air charged and heavy. “Basilisks latch onto one person—their person. Unrequited love and all that.”
The suggestion stings more than I want to admit. “Do you think Mina feels anything for him?” My hand instinctively reaches for my phone. My screen lights up, revealing the time. Mina should be in his poison class right now.
“She’s puzzled by him,” Leander says, standing abruptly. “I think he’s misreading her curiosity as interest.”
I barely have time to process his words before he’s moving toward the door. “I’m going to sit in on the class, make sure nothing happens that shouldn’t happen.”
And just like that, he’s gone, leaving me alone with more questions than answers and a gnawing unease I can’t shake.
My Art of War class has become a melting pot of chaos this year, combining second and third years just to balance out the smaller number of surviving fourth years. The room hums with tension and rivalry, each table a stage for the unfolding war games.
Mina stands off to the side with Vaughn, her focus sharp as they hunch over a mock war table. They’re set to face off against a pair of cocky third years who clearly think they’ve already won, especially since Vaughn is technically a first year. Arrogance drips from their posture, and I can feel it from here.
Each table has a scenario loaded into the system. Mina leans in close, whispering to Vaughn as they study their board. Her confidence is unshakable, even in the face of the third year's smug grins.
“How’s group one doing?” I step up to the table, eyes scanning their troop arrangements.
Blane, a brash dragonnel, grins widely. “Excellent, sir. We’re going to crush the second years.” His certainty is almost laughable.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Zarel, his more cautious partner, mutters, his fell drake eyes flickering between Blane and Mina.
