Tressa put down her pencil and stretched her shoulders. Her drawing so far looked identical to the book while mine… didn’t.
“No art tutor, either,” Tressa said. “I’m beginning to think your parents ignored all aspects of your education. Which in line are you?”
Hope flamed inside me. Tressa’s voice had changed from strained to light and airy. That had to be good. “Sixth.”
“That makes sense. No need to invest in you.” She drew a line to the dragon’s brain and elegantly labeled it. “Ugh. I would much rather be sketching a still of Jerroth.”
Ahead of us, Tressa’s beau dutifully worked at his assignment. Paige worked silently beside him. Tressa gave a little grunt of disgust and turned back to me.
“Anyway, Adara, I know you’re a modest, quiet thing, but I can not believe you never mentioned your Gift.”
“I thought you already knew.” Anastasi had known.
She gave a soft laugh. “I usually am better informed, I suppose. Still. Tell me these things so I’m not caught off guard. My shock makes it look as if we’re not friends, which is the opposite of true.”
I perked at her mention of friendship. Yet, I couldn’t shake a lingering feeling of uneasiness. I’d messed up once. A second mistake…
Tressa worries so much about appearance. It must be because of her life at court, but I wish I felt more like her friend and less like… what?
A strategic piece of jewelry.
I labeled the dragon’s stomach, hating my thoughts. Tressa had been nothing but kindness, and her interest protected me. People kept a respectful distance simply because I was Tressa’s friend. They ignored my mistakes because Tressa found them endearing; they took the time to explain the obvious because Tressa did.
I do wish I could talk to her. I feel closer to the dragons, and they can’t even speak. And Shamino—
The tiniest smile teased my lips. My besotted-cow days had passed, and thoughts of Shamino cheered me up in a different way. He and I were almost friends.
Class ended. Sylvia began to leave, but Tressa caught her and slipped her an envelope. Once our teacher had left, Tressa flounced to Sylvia’s position in the front of the room.
“I’m certain many of you have heard that another two Flights are needed to defend Drageria’s borders.” At her words, solemn nods around the room. “In honor of those brave women and men, I—in conjunction with Jerroth of Katier, Narissa of Smallwood, and Faren of Glendale—will be holding a ball ten days hence on the eve of their departure.”
She began to move through the room, flourishing invitations. She paused at Paige, put on a wooden smile, and handed over an envelope. She used the same wooden smile for Anastasi.
She saved me for last. Before handing over the envelope, Tressa picked up her pencil and scribbled on the paper. She flourished it: Adara of Threepines it stated in graceful script, and below in pencil, My Special Friend.
“Wear a dress,” she murmured as the class began to break up. “It doesn’t have to be elaborate—you are a baronette—but the Kyer’s blue mage should be a touch elegant, don’t you think? Let me know if you need assistance.”
I nodded my thanks, blushing. For better or worse, our friendship continued.
Chapter Fourteen
“Trade Routes of the Eliysi.” I flipped through the book with dread and looked up at Viviya, an elderly dragon. “This is what you want me to read?”
The azure dragon settled herself beside me, resting her head on an old feather bed. She had crammed her cave with human furniture and trinkets, maybe to replace the human she’d been denied. Viviya’s right wing curled in such a way that she could never fly; a childhood injury from when the Kyer didn’t have a dragon healer.
I waved the book I’d brought to the Quarters. “How about Removing the Mystique: The Inner Workings of Rare Talents?”
Zoland had given me the book in an increasingly desperate attempt to unlock my Gift. Maybe, he mused, Fire wasn’t my Talent and instead just happened to be my first spell? Maybe, for this supposed Talent, Light was a poor choice for learning? I doubted it. Despite my doubt, I did want to read the book. There was a chapter on dragon healing. More than that… Who wanted to read about trade routes?
Viviya snorted at my choice. I sighed and put it down. It’d have to wait. Again. The last few days, my free time had been extra etiquette lessons and trips to the seamstress. No reading tonight, either. It was the dreaded ball itself.
“I don’t do foreign names well,” I warned. Viviya gave me a look that said read already. At least it was only for a Sphere.
A page in, Viviya sighed in pleasure. She shifted so her tail touched the front of my legs. My dislike of Trade Routes faltered. Shamino made us visit the elderly dragons every day for a reason. A single hour of human, plus whatever Shamino could spare himself. I caressed her rough, cracking scales. Even if I didn’t enjoy the book, I enjoyed her; I tried to put that into my voice.
Suddenly Viviya raised her head. She held a claw to her mouth, then pointed to the door.
Curious, I set the book on a table and picked my way past a statue of lovers, a plum-colored sofa, and a birdbath made of granite. Voices came through the open door. Two voices: Shamino and a female.
Not another one, I thought with a groan. It had been like this since Tressa’s announcement. Can’t they give up?
“I told you, no,” Shamino said, using his I’m-past-annoyed tone.
“You just have to show up with me.” The low, husky female voice practically purred. I instantly disliked her. “Escort me, dance one dance, all done.”
“Why should I go with you when I’ve already turned down half the Kyer?”
“Well, because—”
“That was a rhetorical question. Now, out.”
“Not until you agree.”
Shamino made a strangled
