She was supposed to be there to study her competition, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be a threat. Felix won his heat, of course. But within twenty minutes of the checkered flag, she had forgotten who else had made it through– aside from Pikki. Asta hoped Pikki would be placed in her semifinal. She would enjoy trouncing her on national television.
But all the while, Asta couldn’t stop thinking about the note. Something about it bothered her. She pulled it out once or twice during the race, though mostly she just left it in her pocket where she flicked it with her thumbnail. It was a lousy congratulations, that was for sure. Were they really asking her to hold back in favor of Nat?
Asta thought back to the day Hummer had offered her the job. She tried to remember if Hummer or Tru had suggested any such thing during their training sessions. Had Hummer implied it when he lent her the money to get here? Had she just missed it somehow?
All she had ever wanted was to spend her days on the back of a dragon. She had done everything in her power to get here because winning the Grand Prix meant that she could ride for the rest of her life and no one could stop her. She thought, once she got here, that it would be simple, just a matter of racing. She knew how to clear hedges, trenches, and scrambles. But all of a sudden, she was facing obstacles she had not anticipated and did not know how to get over.
All of Asta’s worried thoughts– her doubts about Nat, her fear of failure, her guilt about Felix and her anger at him for throwing away what they could have had together– swept over her in a flood. It was nonsense, feeling this way. She had won her prelimandshe had gotten laid– not bad for a day’s work. Sure, she had nearly been torn to shreds out there, but she had made it through. That was what mattered, right? Her dream was still alive. She should be ecstatic. But she felt like she was drowning.
Far below, tractors pulled mechanical conditioners over the track, evening out the surface. Little figures in Silverscale uniforms scurried around the course, resetting for the last heat.
The Silverscale Grand Prix: Day Four
Drake Class Semifinals
15
‘I’m going to head over to watch the drakes if you want to come,’ Gem said. It was the morning of their fourth day at Silverscale. Gem was in the bathroom, putting the finishing touches on his hair.
‘You go ahead. I have a few other things I want to do.’
Gem poked his head out of the bathroom and looked at her quizzically. ‘What other things?’
Asta put her hand into the pocket of her sweatshirt and thumbed the edges of the note. She didn’t want to tell Gem what it said. Not just yet, anyway.
Gem had found Asta on the bleachers yesterday, miserable and morose, and insisted that she visit the medical tents. The track doctors had checked her out, and, finding no broken bones or any sign of organ damage, had given her some painkillers. Asta had let Gem lead her back to their room and tuck her into bed, where she slept until dinner, then slept some more.
Waking up this morning to the sight of Carmine’s big, sweet, curious face peering into hers, Asta had felt a lot better than she had the day before. She was reminded of one of her mother’s favorite sayings: ‘Things will look better in the morning.’ It wasn’t that her worries had all evaporated overnight, but they did feel more manageable somehow.
The card from the Bruces, she decided, was probably just a mean-spirited taunt, meant as a joke. She was going ask Hummer point-blank about it and see what he said.
‘There’s someone I need to talk to.’
Gem’s eyes darted to the roses on the counter. ‘Seraphin?’
For once, Asta was content to let him think so.
‘I say go for it,’ Gem said. ‘You know, my mom was convinced you two were going to get married and live happily ever after.’
Asta made a face. But she realized she did actually want to see Felix again. Even though their little spat at the exercise grounds had left her shaken, it had stirred a desire in her that she could no longer deny. It wasn’t just about physical attraction– the urge to touch him, drink in the smell of him, bring her body as close to his as humanly possible. That part made sense. She had always felt that for him and expected she always would.
What she felt now was something deeper. She wanted to talk to someone who knew her down to the core. And no one knew her better than Felix. Even though he had caused her so much pain, he still meant something to her. And she missed him.
None of that did her any good with regards to the card in her pocket, however. First things first.
‘Sorry to disappoint,’ Asta said.
‘I’m just saying.’ Gem smiled impishly as he pulled on his windbreaker. ‘Sending flowers is not nothing. He’s trying to tell you something. Think about it.’ He slipped out the door and was gone into the overcast autumn morning.
Asta sat on the edge of her bed, gathering her courage. Gem was right. The flowers were a message, and the only one who could decipher it for her was Hummer.
Asta limped her way over to Vulture’s stall in Housing Unit 5. Hummer wasn’t there, but Torque was. She found him in the stall with Vulture, speaking gently to her and feeding her treats of whole frozen quail. The dragon took one of the little birds from his hand gingerly and carried it to the floor, where she pinned it between her forelegs before gleefully dismembering the thing with her teeth. Blood and quail feathers decorated her snout.
‘Are Hummer and Tru around?’ Asta asked Torque.
She watched him stroke Vulture’s long neck as she chewed and swallowed her snack. Having finished with one bird, she nosed at Torque’s jacket, hoping for more. He passed the second quail from hand to hand behind his back in a game of keep-away.
‘Ain’t seen either one since yesterday,’ Torque said, eyes still on Vulture. ‘Might be at the races. Tru’s been talking about getting into drakes again.’
