He bowed and I hurried to class. I was the last person to arrive in War Strategy and Legacy waved me over. I stopped by her table, “Where were you at lunch?”
“Dish duty,” I frowned. “I’ll tell you later.” Without our choice of seats in this class, we sat on opposite sides of the room.
The professor handed out an animated map that would simulate a battle. Upon closer look, I realized it was our academy.
Walking down the middle aisle, he said, “I want you to defend the academy against invaders. Where would you place guards? How many would you need?”
I raised my hand. “Do we know how large the opposing force is?”
“Great question.” A snap of his fingers and a force of probably two hundred was gathered on the edge of the map in squared groups of about thirty.
A boy named Owen raised his hand. “Will students fight or soldiers?”
“It’s your simulation so it’s up to you. The ages of students matter and will affect the outcome in casualties. You have the use of fully-trained soldiers so ask yourself if it would be necessary to use students in battle.”
“No,” he said, confidently.
“But,” Professor Kyndel said. “This is a surprise attack. How many soldiers usually guard the academy? How long would it take to get more forces here?”
Legacy’s hand shot up. He pointed at her, and she said, “Queen Daelyn could have her personal guard of two hundred here in thirty minutes with a portal.”
“Perhaps,” Professor Kyndel said, pausing at the front of the room. “But that would leave the Delhoon castle undefended and not all are on duty at once so it would take longer than thirty minutes.”
Only about eighty were on duty at one time and it would take probably an hour to get the others to the castle. “So Queen Daelyn brings half her guard on duty of forty, she alone is a force,” I blurted out. “Currently we have a hundred guards here, rotating shifts.” I looked at the Professor for approval and he nodded for me to keep going. “The number has gone up recently. That leaves us with a hundred and forty-two if both my parents fight. Also we would notice an army of that size before it got here so there would be time.”
“For the purposes of this lesson, let’s say we don’t notice them coming until we can see them on the horizon.” He placed his hands behind his back. “Which leaves you with a hundred soldiers for the first initial clash.”
A boy from Collweya said, “There are nearly a thousand students here. We have a much bigger army than you’re saying.”
“Students would fight only if necessary,” another girl argued.
The discussion went on and on until the end of class. “We’ll have to finish this lesson tomorrow,” the professor said when his bird started chirping. “But none of you asked a very important question. Who is the enemy?”
Those words echoed in my head. Who is the enemy? He was preparing us for an attack of vampires; I knew it. With the shift in lessons, they believed it was a real possibility. But if it was blood drinkers attacking, they wouldn’t get into formation like that, I would bet they’d come from all directions and I hoped there weren’t two hundred of them.
∞∞∞
After classes ended I went to my room to freshen up and a note conjured from my bedside candle. It read:
Meet me by the lake at 6 p.m. I have a surprise for you.
~Zyacus
A nervous-excited flutter buzzed through me. I checked the time. I still had a couple hours. Waiting for this surprise would seem so much longer than a few hours if I sat in my room. After fixing my hair and changing into a clean uniform, I found Lora and Legacy in the common area. So the three of us played cards. I glanced at the pair of dragons in my hand and wondered if they’d be enough to win. Confident, I tossed a joy enchanted cookie I had stashed into the betting pile.
“Hmm, I’ll match that with a memory lollipop,” Lora said. This particular candy made it easier to remember things. Great for when a test was near.
Legacy shook her head and set her cards down. “I fold.”
“Ok, Princess, let’s see what you have,” Lora said and laid her cards out. Triple kings.
Damn. I showed mine and Lora laughed. “I win!”
“I’m going to have to find other things to bargain with,” I said, pushing over the pile of goods to Lora. After losing a few games I was running low on sweets and small trinkets.
“So, how is it kissing Zyacus?” Lora asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
My cheeks flushed and I tried to hide my smile but couldn’t. “It’s—great,” I said, feeling awkward elaborating further.
“What do your parents think about it?” Lora asked.
I tapped my fingers on the table. I hadn’t talked to either one of them about it. “I’m nervous to find out.”
Legacy’s eyes widened. “You haven’t told them? Vis, it’s not like you’re smooching some no-name or a Delhoon boy. This is the Prince of Hesstia.”
“I know,” I mumbled.
“I thought you would have cleared it with them. You can’t simply date whoever you want. You’re the prin-”
“Trust me,” I said. “I’ve thought about it. I’ll talk to them.” Thankfully it was time for me to go. “I’ll see you two later.”
“Have fun,” Lora said. Legacy smiled too but she still looked worried. I walked by several students outside who waved at me, some bowed, a group of Hesstian girls glowered. I pretended I didn’t notice their hateful faces.
Before the lake came into view, I saw a gathering of maybe fifteen students pointing at something. I followed the direction of their attention and among the trees laid a dragon. Blue scales shimmered in the sunlight, his massive head rested on long black claws. If he stood he’d be taller than the trees. My father’s dragon Cobalt was also blue but a different, darker shade and this one had a spiked tail where Father’s did not. Dragons were typically loyal to one person, and they loved strength and magic. They’re the guardians of the magic stones in the North, and the wild ones would tear a human apart without hesitation. I’d seen this dragon before, Magnus. He belonged to Ekarius, one of the princes of Collweya, the man Aric called Father.
Zyacus stood nearby with his uncle. They both turned toward me at the same time and Zyacus beamed. My nails dug into my palms from nerves. I didn’t know how Ekarius would feel about his nephew and me. Although he married Kyria, the former queen of Delhoon so he of all people should be accepting.
Ekarius bowed his head when I approached, and I did the same. A sign of respect for a fellow royal. “Hello, Princess Visteal.”
“Good evening, Prince Ekarius.” I never realized how much Zyacus resembled him until they stood next to one another. Both had those same winter-blue eyes, near-black hair, light skin, though Zyacus’s had more of a golden tone from the sun. Queen Saveena, Prince Ekarius, all the siblings from the North had this coloring. All of Zyacus’s siblings did too and yet Aric did not. I wondered if Ekarius suspected the truth.
Zyacus took my hand and tugged me closer to him. “Ready to fly?” he asked.
My eyes drifted to Magnus who lifted his head at the words. I’d only ever ridden Cobalt with my father, and riding a different dragon could be dangerous. Standing beside the creature felt like standing by a mountain.