Page 173 of The Forbidden Dragon King
I may have finished last on each exercise but I did complete them.
I’m proud of myself too.
Now, I trace over my bulging pocket, feeling out the shape of my latest theft.
Aurelius didn’t think that I’d stop being a thief, just because I became a cadet, right?
I sneaked away to the bathroom, slipping off my socks. Then I filled them with the hard block of lye soap, which I found in a cupboard, made out of animal fat and ash. I scrunched up my nose at its vile stench of roasted meat.
Still, it was hard and perfect for making an impromptu weapon.
I won’t be powerless in this academy.
Daire may want to play at being the prey, whereas Iknow that he’s hunting an entire empire. But I was the one who had to watch the person she loved being knocked to the ground over and over and fucking over.
If anyone thinks that they can continue the beatings after lessons have ended, then they’ll find that I have not only fangs but also a sock, which can teach them otherwise.
My eyes narrow at the sound of chatter, along with mocking laughter from the dorms up ahead.
Golden light spills through the open doorway.
I speed up, my heart in my throat.
I can’t make out the words yet, but it’s Ignatius in there who is holding court.
So, he’s back from his whipping.
I thought that Ignatius would at least need time to recover this evening, giving Daire and me time to plan our strategy.
Who is Ignatius really? Is he a threat to Aurelius?
When I reach the doorway, my hands ball in rage.
Ignatius is standing stiffly beside Daire’s bed, as if moving will hurt him.
It probably will.
I blink in confusion, when I notice Daire lounging on the stone floor. Five is curled in his arms. He’s stroking Five, deliberately ignoring the way that two other cadets at Ignatius’ orders have already thrown the mattress off Daire’s bed and are busy ripping up his blankets to make them unusable.
The other cadets are simply sprawled on their ownbeds. Some are watching with lazy, amused expressions, while others are laughing.
A few look sober, nudging each other, as they see me enter.
Ignatius doesn’t notice me.
He’s too focused on trying to get a reaction out of Daire, gesturing to a younger cadet to tear open Daire’s straw filled pillow and tip the contents over Daire’s head like it’s brittle snow.
Daire shields Five with his wing, before picking the straw out of his curls. When he pulls his wing back, Five hisses at Ignatius. Then she stands in front of Daire, protectively.
“What the fuck do you knotless sons of worm-eyed cowards think you’re doing?” I growl, pulling the sock out of my pocket.
I swing the sock in a circle. It gains momentum.
The cadets blink at me like I’m crazy.
“Don’t worry, little Omega,” Ignatius says, patronizingly, “your bed isn’t touched. It’s just over there next to mine. A silver dragon such as me will ensure that you are safe. You can stay with the rest of us nobles. But this filthy fae and his flea-ridden cat can’t. No whore masquerading as a warrior is sleeping near me. He may once have been a king but now he’s nothing but a joke.”
Daire’s eyes glitter. “At least my ma didn’t wish that she’d swallowed me.”
