Page 36 of The Last Dragon
This doesn’t make any sense. Why, out of all people, would his name not be in the list? It can’t be a coincidence. The reports have been written on two separate occasions. AndIwas there to give the report. Inamedhim. Isawhis body. I stare at the wordsinked on paper. This is probably a mistake. Maybe if I look at other names.
I flip a few pages back to year 393. There are a couple of dozen pages filled with fallen soldiers. A lot happened back then. A lot of people died. I search for a familiar name and I quickly find it.
Joseph Ward. Death by Redsnout dragonfire.Nida’s brother.
My heart sinks. Nida didn’t even get a chance to bury his body. I can’t imagine what that must’ve felt like—the helplessness, the grief cut short. If Pirlem never recovered, I doubt she even knew he was dead until years later.
I slam the book with a thud, taking a deep breath as I try to rearrange the thoughts in my head. I’ve spent weeks being harsh on her. But the thought of her getting herself killed bothers me more than it should. At the very least, the idea of her death bothers me more than my own.
I grab a pen and the closest ink jar and tap it on my thumb.
Good enough.
I roll up my sleeve and begin taking notes from the book. The dates. The names. The dragons. Everything I can remember that I have just read. Yet I can’t grasp why I’m doing this, but I let my instincts take over.
I set the quill back, turning around to only find myself staring at the rest of the crates stacked up on the other side of the thin room. There’s no sign of a Silverscale dragon report in the last few years. Nor have I heard about it. Then why would a shawl be circulating?It has to be the black market, I remind myself, trying to shut down any part of me that might look for a different answer.
The door screeches as I exit the records room and wander down the hall back to my room. I don’t let any thoughts in. There’s no point. There are hundreds of ways to explain why the shawl is here or why Kayus’ name isn’t in the records. A mishap. A misplacement. Human error. All of it possible.
It’s already getting dark, but the large window in my room still lets some light in. I take the quill and a piece of paper with my sleeve rolled up, following the notes I’ve taken from the record room. If I so strongly believe that there’s nothing weird going on, then why am I doing this? Why am I writing down notes as if what I saw might fade out of my head any second? It’s like I’m paranoid. It’s as if it’s a habit I have long forgotten. It’s as if I’m not the one doing this—like someone or something else is controlling my mind.
I set the pen down, inhaling deeply, calming my beating heart. It’s probably nothing. It’s probably lack of sleep or the pressure of the day piling up on me. I just need rest.Morerest.
I glance at Sarga, perched on her tree as if nothing matters. Silently, I am hoping for that time of peace to come my way as I attempt to drift to sleep.
CHAPTER 14
“Speed is essential if you want to survive a dragon attack.” Lieutenant Wain’s voice booms through the training grounds early in the morning the next day. She paces in front of the lined-up soldiers. “Today you’ll get the chance to practice your speed.” She halts, turning to the cadets. “Against each other.”
A low hum spreads as cadets exchange uncertain looks.
Wain smiles. “Try not to get hit.”
The cadets choose their mats and start warming up. Nida is paired against Eryca. A good way for them to learn from each other. Eryca still rolls her eyes at me for not telling anyone about having a tracker. Or that I’m now Commander. Sayna’s assessment passed quickly to the General, and I officially have the title weighing on my shoulders.
Rumors don’t take long to catch fire in the Third. Within days, everyone seems to know. But I’m certain the one who opened hismouth first was Ilian. And he must’ve heard it from Sam, who may or may not have gone through Sayna’s medical files looking for something about me.Have gone throughmight be unfair to say. Hehasaccess. He’s supposed to know our medical histories, so he can treat us if something goes wrong.
Eryca circles Nida as she puts her red curls up in a ponytail, hands up, and eyes sharp. She rakes her with her deep brown eyes, analyzing her stance, like a Tracker would a dragon. In the blink of an eye, Eryca sweeps Nida’s leg, but Nida hops back just in time and counters with a jab to the ribs. It’s soft. Eryca barely flinches.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Eryca comments, raising a brow.
Nida takes a quick step back, hands up. “It’s just a warm-up,” she says, grinning. Lieutenant Wain slowly passes by our mat, pointing at Nida’s legs and back for a better stance. When Nida adjusts, Wain stalks away to the other cadets.
A couple of mats further into the training hall, Lieutenant Rylan barks orders at the cadets who are fresher. Those who weren’t sure which Division they wanted to apply for during the Assessment Year. He’s responsible for breaking them into shape. Both physically and mentally. Though I don’t always agree with his methods. Sometimes, even for me, they go a bit too far.
He grabs a cadet who fell over the mat and lifts him up so high, only the tips of his toes reach the floor. He spits a few words in his face, then throws him on the mat again. I sneer, annoyed. Hopefully, I won’t have to send another cadet to the infirmary.
My gaze drifts back to Nida, while Ilian and Sam sit hunched over on a bench, watching another soldier—a sixth-year, Vera—spar with her teammates.
“She’s good,” Ilian says, nodding toward Vera as she takes down her Tracker smoothly, without effort.
“Rumor has it she’s aiming for a lieutenant title,” Sam says, his fingers curled around a set of scrolls—updated medical records for our unit, I assume.
“Really?” Ilian comments. “Well, I’m not surprised. With that many recruits this year, we need more lieutenants to train the newcomers.”
“Vera would make a good Lieutenant. She’s one of the few I’ve had the chance to spar with, and I learned a great deal from her.”
A grunt makes my head snap to the side. Nida’s on the mat again, back first.
