Relief made me smile, but a wave of dizziness swept over me and I grabbed my head.
Killian surprised me by steadying me as he held my arm. “Hey, are you okay?” His anger was temporarily gone, the bitterness overwhelmed by his gratitude that his wyvern could still be saved. “You shouldn’t have done that.” The chiding comment came out flat. He disapproved of my magic, but he couldn’t argue with the results.
“Why?” I asked as I waited for the spell to pass. “This is why I’m here, isn’t it?” The Dean had an image of me that I meant to uphold. I would be a force for good, not a curse on those who deserved my help.
“You’re a conduit,” he said as if I should know what that meant. “When the goddess power in you runs dry, you can channel more of it from your ancestors… and from other realms.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I’m a Nephilim, and channeling the power from my realm can be dangerous. If they found out, they’d come after you.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling weary. “That sounds… complicated.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you could say that.” He got to his feet and Topaz chirped before wrapping around his neck. “Well, from what I know about conduits, there are other ways you can refuel.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Uh,” I began, then he choked on a laugh.
“Food, Vivi. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
I frowned. “Right, food.”
His eyes sparked with mischief. I wasn’t sure how long this spell would last, but I would enjoy this side of Killian until I did something to remind him how wrong I was for him again. “You’re in for a treat. Dragonrider Academy food is, let’s say, magically enhanced. It’ll taste like your favorite dish.” He offered me his hand. I studied the lines on his palm before taking it.
I wasn’t sure if this counted as a date, but my stomach rumbled in agreement that food was a spectacular idea.
The cafeteria was conveniently placed on the ground floor of what I could only describe as a castle. “Do you people not understand subtlety?” I asked as Killian guided me to the long line.
I almost expected him to cut in front, being all posh and arrogant as he was, but he took his place at the end and waited patiently as he scratched Topaz who nibbled on his ear. After a minute of me staring at him, he shrugged. “I’m an honorable knight. That means we wait.” He smirked and unlatched Topaz from his earlobe. “Even if that means my wyvern tries to take a bite out of me.”
My tongue watered as the aroma of tender meats and mac and cheese met my nose, but none of the plates matched the description of the dishes my brain tried to process. I recalled that Killian said that the food was magical here, and I watched as students who filled the long tables stuffed spoonfuls of white mush into their mouths. It glowed, taking on different forms of sandwiches, meat entrees, and even soups. “I thought you said that the Academy was low on magic,” I marveled.
“We have a couple of dwarves who serve the meals,” Killian said, pointing at the bobbing heads I’d missed behind the long wall of the buffet table that seemed to miraculously refill itself. “Their magic isn’t good for much other than smithing armor and making some awesome food.”
“Uh… huh,” I said, deciding that I wasn’t going to process anymore bizarre magical facts about this place for the day.
After what felt like millennia, we sat down to eat and I spotted Jasmine glowered at us from across the room. She waited until Killian acknowledged her and she widened her eyes as if to say, What the heck are you doing?
He shrugged before turning to his food and digging in, making sure to slip Topaz a few bites. I wanted to ask him the same questions Jasmine had on her face, although with a lesser sense of animosity. Where did we stand? Were we a thing now? Had he forgiven me?
“Eat your food,” he commanded as if he could hear my thoughts.
When I took a bite, I no longer cared about the questions swirling around in my head. “Oh my God,” I murmured, then cocked my head. “I guess I should say ‘Oh my Goddess?’”
Killian chuckled. “Oh, don’t let any of the other students hear you say that. We have a theology class about deities and there are those who think the goddess of the realms is just an overpowered supernatural. Just because she protects the realms doesn’t mean she created them.”
“Hmm,” I said as I took another bite of what looked like white mush, but tasted like the best mac and cheese on steak I’d ever had. The combination had come about when I’d run out of things to cook with my mother and it had been a joke, only to turn into my signature dish. While I was glad I didn’t have to necessarily give up my Catholic upbringing, I reminded myself I wasn’t going to process any weird facts today.
After we ate, Killian stormed down the halls with Topaz clinging to his neck, his nose in the air as if he enjoyed every moment of feeling healthy again. Central Hall housed the majority of the classrooms, according to Killian, as well as other significant rooms that needed protecting—like the Egg Sanctuary.
“Are you ready for orientation?” he asked. “It can be intense.”
“More intense than what I’ve already been through?”
He chuckled, opened his mouth to say something then threw his arm over me, blocking me from taking another step.
“Ow!” I bit out as his powerful blow knocked the wind out of me.
“Sorry,” he said as he released me. “It’s enchanted. I forgot you aren’t
