Page 83 of Tailwind

‘Well, Cooke.’ My breath rushed in and out through my nose. ‘I wouldn’t say that my actions are representative of all women. Even if they were, I think you might have missed a few news stories on what the riders get up to away from the circuit.’ I forced a look towards the casting orbs. Towards the journalists who routinely wrote stories about the wayward nature of the riders in Volitant.

‘Ah, I see. So we shouldn’t be expecting any more then?’ Cooke’s creepy smile didn’t move.

‘Fights? No, of course not.’ It would be a struggle not to try and throttle Gordi and Mac next time I saw them, but I figured I could manage.

‘I mean girls in racing.’

‘What?’ A spike of anger lanced through my chest. How had he reached that conclusion?

‘You said you aren’t representative of all women. You are an outlier, so naturally we can conclude that this is a one-off event. That you only succeeded thanks to your mentor, Thorne.’

Any lid I’d been keeping on my temper was about to fly off.

‘No on so many levels. Women are perfectly capable of racing, Cooke. I’m not the only one.’

He looked down at the notes in his hands, as if they held information that proved otherwise.

‘Then why aren’t there more of you? Why did it take lies and subterfuge for one girl to race?’ He chuckled towards the casting orbs. ‘And you’re not even that good.’

The cord holding the tension inside of me snapped.

‘Because society doesn’t value us the same as men, Cooke.’ My volume control was gone. ‘Because for every mediocre man there is a heap of money ready and waiting to pay him through the junior classes. Because every time a young girl finishes a race in Junior Drake there’s a group of men talking about her perceived faults, ignoring the ones of the boys she beat. Because when we do finally get some success there’s a creep waiting to make her feel objectified and unsafe, marring the glory with a layer of slime.’

Cooke had reclined back in his seat, clutching a hand to his chest in shock. As if this wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted. Behind him at the wings of the room, shadowed away from the lights, was Thorne. He stood there arms folded watching this play out.

The laugh I’d heard outside of the aviary earlier had been Cooke. He and Thorne had known this was their chance. I’d been so worried that Kiestral would be listening to Thorne that I hadn’t considered who else would be on his side.

That’s why Thorne hadn’t dealt with me himself. He hadn’t tried to claim Gottyk back. He didn’t need to. I’d done it all for him.

‘Thank goodness, Lena, that you had Thorne to guide you through this …’ Cooke turned to the press once more, opening his mouth to speak.

It was a trap … and I’d fallen right in.

‘Shut. Up.’ I was on my feet.

Cooke’s coiffed hair bounced as his head whipped back around to me.

I’d already messed the interview up, there was no going back now.

‘Thorne did nothing. Thorne made it worse. Every day that I’ve worked for this team has been made harder by that piss-poor, washed-up rider who can’t even maintain enough integrity to fly his own races.’ Everything I’d wanted to say for years came pouring out. ‘He’s a corrupt, abusive shit stain of a human being. Not only has he never taken care of his dragons, but when he does show up he runs them into the ground. He’s been taking bribes to throw races, tanking Kiestral’s points in favour of his own bank account.’

That wiped Cooke’s smile off his face.

‘The only thing Thorne has taught me is how sad the reality is in this sport. Though let’s be honest, he’s not stopped there—’

Hands grabbed at me from behind, pulling me away.

‘Do you have any proof of this? I’m sure Abel Gallin would love to see it, as would the press.’ The was an icy nature to the look Cooke gave me. He didn’t like what I’d said one bit.

Two staff members hauled me off to Martan, whose permanent exhaustion had been replaced with pure fury. ‘Get her out of here. Take away her passes. No more uniforms. No more access. Don’t let her speak to anyone or take anything on the way out,’ he hissed to the security team that gathered around me.

I locked eyes with Thorne as I was dragged away. My heart pounded in my chest, but it wasn’t fear. Not anymore. He might have achieved his goal to kick me out, but I wouldn’t let him make me feel small anymore.

Part Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

One week later