Page 39 of Tailwind

In front, Theo and his wyvern flew exactly where we should have been. He was clear in his blue and red flight suit, yet I still doubted it was him. The Theo I knew wouldn’t have dived on us like that.

I urged Cosia to follow them, grasping at whatever speed we could claw back. The roar of the crowd and the rush of blood in my ears blended together.

Theo raced ahead. He’d known exactly where I’d been aiming.

He crossed the finish line. He knew he’d forced me back.

I soared across the line. He’d known I wouldn’t endanger my wyvern.

Second place. Theo had used my love for my wyvern against me.

We landed. The crowd surged on to the circuit floor, rushing to congratulate the winner. Theo. Through my visor I saw him dismount into the arms of his parents. Pops was right behind them, slapping the top of his grandson’s helmet with joy.

The reins twisted in my hands as I wrung them over and over. I waited. I needed to see how long it took for him to look back. He lifted the faceplate of his helmet and Ophelia cradled his cheeks in her hands. I could imagine the pride in her voice. Then he turned towards me.

I slipped down from the saddle. My gut curdled at the cowardice. I didn’t want to see his face anymore. I didn’t want to witness his indifference. I couldn’t.

‘Lena!’ Cam yelled over the buzz of people swarming around us.

My left arm radiated with pain as she clapped it in congratulations. The sting of fast and fair. The words hurt deeper than the tattoo. They echoed around my head, the lie doubling itself every time.

I hung on to Cosia. My hand traced the scales of her snout too smooth and leathery to count.

‘Hey,’ Cam lifted my faceplate, forcing me to hear her. ‘It’s okay. We’ll find another way.’

I replayed her words again, digesting them. Another way. Another way for me to get into Volitant.

My chest heaved. I’d lost my chance. Sobs escaped between gasps. Theo had just won the Ballenir contest. He would be racing dragons in Volitant and I would have nothing but the silence from all the teams I’d written to. I hated it. I hated myself for taking so long to realize.

‘They’re a new team, Lena. Overrated before they even start. You’re better off somewhere else.’ Cam’s arm wrapped around my shoulders. She steadied me as she told me her version of the truth.

Through the blur of my tears I saw the crowd shifting. The dark curls of the Vaspres were coming towards us. I lifted a hand away from Cosia and clutched Cam.

Theo’s face appeared through the mess of people. He was no longer wearing his helmet, but instead his bright smile that brought out his dimples. When he saw me, they vanished.

‘We need to go.’ I croaked to Cam before slamming down my faceplate. ‘Now.’

My wyvern parted the crowd for us, such a sweet girl who’d taken me so far. I’d let her down. She’d lost too.

Cam dutifully led me away. The fire that had fuelled me had been doused in half a second. Inside I was hollow and dull, nothing but the ashes and dust of a decade wasted.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Orange scales surrounded me when I next cracked my eyes open. Pain shot up my spine and into my neck the moment I thought about moving. Copper pellets dug into my scalp, my head feeling twice its usual weight. I wasn’t wearing my helmet.

I wasn’t wearing my helmet.

I scrabbled for something to latch on to and haul myself up. Gottyk was there. I was in the aviary. His big brown eyes loomed over me as I used his foreleg to help myself sit up.

‘Hey, buddy.’ It was an effort to get the words out. My throat rasped and my head bloomed with pain as I spoke.

‘Good, you’re awake. Now can you call your dragon off?’

Theo. The memory of what happened crashed back into me. The aches tearing apart my insides were from a shockstick. The attacker had run off when Theo had arrived.

He knew my secret. He knew I’d flown in the race. Now he could betray me again.

My breathing hitched. Gottyk’s head whipped up and a low rumble vibrated through him.