‘It’s just. . . you know you’re overreacting, right? It’s all going to be fine.’
Asta set her jaw. ‘Don’t tell me how to react.’
‘You have to trust me, Asta. It’s going to be okay.’
‘I do not. I do not trust you.’ She threw back her head and looked up at the darkening branches overhead. ‘You hid the truth from me. And you toldPikkiinstead.’ Above them, a pair of mourning doves chased each other through the gloom, hunting for a roost. Asta’s tears were flowing again.
‘You’re not the victim here, Asta,’ Felix said, his voice as tight and hard as the acorns at their feet. ‘Everything I did, I did for you.’
Asta glared at him, her teeth on edge. ‘I don’t owe you anything, Felix, and I sure as hell don’tneedanything from you.’
‘You can’t do everything by yourself, Asta,’ Felix said. The condescension in his voice made Asta’s blood boil.
‘I’ll tell you what Iwilldo “all by myself”. I will win. Tomorrow and every day after that. I’ll leave you in my fucking dust, and I won’t look back. See you at the race.’ She took off at a run for her dorm, and she did not stop, no matter how many times he called her name.
For the whole race, Felix and Pikki rode in tight formation, as if they’d made a plan specifically to box Asta out from the lead. It made her so mad she could hardly see straight, and she was racing hot and reckless.
Asta had almost wiped out coming out of the fire hedge by pivoting Carmine before he had more than one foot on the ground. They had stumbled into the path of a green-and-gray dragon named Sever and his rider, Isaac. Isaac had sworn at Asta as he veered off to the side, missing the false ladder and needing to circle back around to trigger the beacon. But Asta and Carmine had recovered quickly and cleared the false ladder on Felix and Pikki’s heels.
Carmine was testy again. Roberta Lopez, the grooming instructor, had assured Asta that there was nothing wrong with him besides a little rash. It might put him on edge, but he was fine to race. His bad attitude was making itself known on the track, however. Between his nips at other dragons and Asta’s sudden, unpredictable moves, they had more or less ticked off the entire field by the time they reached the top of the mountain scramble.
The airwork included long periods of sustained flight that circled the buoys, touching down only briefly on the towers in the middle of the terrain. Asta tried everything she could think of to cut between Pikki and Felix and break up whatever unholy pact they had made.
But nothing Asta was doing was working. Pikki kept her head turned over her shoulder and countered everything Asta tried. Up, down, right, left.
Of all the times for Pikki to learn how to improvise.
There were two buoys left. Pikki dropped back from Felix’s side to guard the inside turns against Asta’s encroachment, but she was drifting out, hedging her bets in case Asta tried to cut around the outside instead. It left just enough room next to the buoy for Carmine to nose his way in. Asta urged him forward. He beat his massive wings and advanced, snapping at Pikki’s dragon for good measure.
Riding so close to Pikki, Asta was running the risk of their dragons getting tangled in midflight, sending both teams toppling from the sky. But Asta crouched in her saddle and moved Carmine even closer. She could hear the tips of the dragons’ wings striking each other. Carmine roared spitefully, happy to pick whatever fight Asta set him to.
They were banking hard for the turn now, and Asta gripped the handles on Carmine’s harness, holding tight with her legs. With a cry of frustration, Pikki chickened out and ceded the spot to Asta.
Now it was Asta and Felix. He was a full body length ahead of her, with Essie’s bright-feathered tail lashing in Carmine’s face. Asta had been pushing Carmine hard the whole race; she should save something for the finish. Climbing over Essie and Felix or going around would take too much energy. But they could go underneath. Asta knew right when to do it, too. The last buoy, before the final sprint, when Essie would already be slowing for the landing.
Essie hit the tower a second before Carmine did. Two feet for the landing, two planted for the takeoff. And they were in the air again, heading down to the final, half-mast buoy.
The terrain below was stippled with fences and hedges and ladders. But there was room for them. Just enough. They could sneak underneath, get far enough ahead so that Carmine was fully clear of Essie, and then pull up fast to avoid hitting any groundwork obstacles. It would only be illegal if she cut up into their path while the dragons’ bodies overlapped. Carmine could do it. She knew he could.
He had to.
Because Asta had to win this race. She had to show Felix that she didn’t need the scraps he threw at her to keep her happy. She was a good racer. Better than him. After today, everyone would know that.
It was now or never. Asta directed Carmine to dive. He surged forward under his sister and Felix.
Dark above Asta’s head, Essie’s belly rose and fell with each beat of her wings. Felix wouldn’t even know they were there yet. Asta flinched as Carmine passed so low over a fire hedge that she felt the heat of it through her canvas riding suit.
‘Fast, Carmy, fast!’ she screamed. She rubbed at his neck to encourage him, and his wings tore through the air in frantic motion. He tossed his head and surged forward. They were almost out from under Essie’s shadow, and Felix would spot them any moment.
She felt Carmine’s skin go cold. Hewasfeeling crabby today.
Well, why not? Asta thought. Let’s put on a show.
With one last burst of speed, they would pass fully under Felix and Essie and could rise one last time to clear the scramble that stood between them and the finish line. Asta kept her eyes on the buoy ahead.
They would be clear in: One. Two. Three. Four.
‘Fire!’ Asta shouted.
