Page 34 of Veiled

“Oh, really?” I say flatly. “You thought I might want to come?”

He grins wider, taking my response as encouragement, “Yeah. I’ve heard you like to have a good time. I think we could have some fun together.”

“Right,” I mutter.

“So, that’s a yes?”

“It’s a hell no,” I say, snapping my book shut, “but thanks.”

His smirk falters enough to make it worth it before he mutters something about me being an uptight bitch and stalks off.

At least he got that part right.

Lunch passes in a haze. Sasha offered to do grab-n-go lunch for us from the dining hall, but I refused to hide away. Instead, I force myself to eat a full meal, hydrate, and enjoy the company of all my friends before we head to the Riding Grounds for orientation.

With every step we take in that direction, my heart beats a little faster. The bravado I’ve been carrying all day is hanging by a thread because I’m about to see real, burn me to a crisp, dragons. I’m equal parts excited and ready to pee my pants.

Matt and I are absorbed in making guesses on what we’ll do today and what we think the dragons will be like, and it takes a bit longer than I am proud of before we realize that Sasha’s chewing her lip to the point it’s bleeding.

“You ok?” I ask.

“Totally, it’s going to be…awesome I mean, what could go wrong? It’s not like they could choose to stomp on me. Or I could fall off and break every bone in my body or die. Oh my gosh, what if I die? My parents won’t be able to handle my death. I’m their only child…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I grab her arm and spin her towards us. “You are going to be totally fine! I’m sure we won’t even be getting on the dragons today, much less flying.” I assure her with confidence that I have no right feeling.

“I had no idea you were nervous. I assumed you grew up with them since your parents were active duty,” Matt gently adds.

“Well, I wasn’t nervous until we started walking out here, and it became real. The closest I’ve ever been to a dragon is during registration when one flew over, and I was just walking into the courtyard, so I was safe between buildings. Now, there’s going to be nothing between them and me if they decide I look like a good snack.”

I can’t help it; a laugh bursts out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Sash, even I know they don’t eat humans! Cows, elk, the occasional goat, yeah, but not people.”

“Yeah, we’re much too lean around here,” Matt adds, smirking. “Not enough meat to make it worth the effort.”

Sasha gives him a flat look. “Wow. That’s so comforting, thanks.”

“Anytime,” he replies, still grinning.

Despite running to the grounds almost every morning, I’ve never seen another living creature out here—no riders, no dragons, at least as far as I could tell through the dense early morning fog. The smell hits me first, a sharp mix of smoke, leather, and something wild. Then, my pulse quickens as the air seems to shimmer with heat where massive shapes shift and move two hundred yards in front of us. A low rumble echoes across the field, shaking the ground like thunder trapped beneath the soil.

The Riding Grounds stretch wide, ringed by low stone barriers and lined with trainers in dark uniforms. And in the center of it all, dragons. I can spot some blue, orange, and green from here.

As we cross the edge of the field toward the tack house where we’re supposed to meet Major Lorenson, a blue one flicks its tail aggressively, sending dust and debris spiraling, barely missing us. Another dragon exhales, smoke curling from its nostrils.

Sasha stops dead. “Oh gods,” she whispers.

“You’ll be okay, Sasha, I promise,” I say, linking my arm with hers and pulling her forward.

A figure in a dark, form-fitting flight suit, leather jacket, and boots, is waiting for us—Captain Lorenson. I recognize her from orientation videos I watched after we got here, though they didn’t capture the sheer presence she carries. Her hair is silver, tied back neatly into a braid that nearly reaches her waist, and her eyes are sharp as a raptor’s.

“Recruits,” she says, voice carrying easily across our class. “Welcome to the Dragon Riding Grounds. First, I would like to acknowledge that I know some of you have no interest in riding and are only here because you are required to be. I wish I could let you go now, so we don’t waste either of our time over the next month, but since I cannot, please try not to faint on the field. It annoys the dragons, and getting you back to the infirmary is really inconvenient when I’m trying to teach class.”

There’s a ripple of nervous laughter.

She doesn’t smile. “To those of you who have your sights set on becoming riders, I wish you the best of luck. Not only will our Bravo company riders and I be judging you, but you will have to impress the dragons over the next month. No matter how skilled you are, if a dragon does not want to bond with you, then you have no place here.”

A few recruits shift uncomfortably beside me, their earlier excitement dimming at the reminder that wanting to be a rider doesn’t guarantee you’ll become one. Sasha swallows hard, and I can almost hear her thoughts spiraling again. Matt, though, looks like he’s trying not to smile, the challenge clear in his eyes.

“For the next few weeks, you’ll learn the fundamentals of dragon behavior and, most importantly, if you have what it takes to ride. You’ll study with the dragons, not from a distance.” Her gaze flicks briefly toward the far end of the field, where several riders in Bravo Company stand beside their dragons.