The Firedragon (4 page)

“
I wouldn’t talk like
that, if I were you,” Connor interrupted, looking around with a
nervous expression.

She abruptly realized that she’d been so
caught up in her dreams of victory, she hadn’t been paying any
attention to his reactions. What had she missed? Why was he so
nervous? “Why not?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“
At the Academy, someone’s
always listening.”

“
So?” She cocked her head,
wondering what the big deal was. She wasn’t talking about cheating
anymore. Sure, the Academy’s teachers and administrators used magic
to watch the students, and saying the wrong thing – like claiming
the government was corrupt – could land you in jail for life. But
she hadn’t said anything bad; it was
true
– she
didn’t
need magic to be better than
Enchanters at fighting monsters, and she couldn’t see how saying so
could get her in trouble.

But from the uneasy look in Connor’s eyes,
she might as well have just claimed that the great Triumvirs used
dark magic, or something similarly treasonous.

Without answering, he
raised his wand over his head and gave it a flick. The words of the
spell he whispered were lost in the
whoosh
of the shimmering silver
enchantment swirling around the classroom, but Aurelia recognized
that particular bit of hocus pocus as a silencer spell – something
Connor conjured whenever he wanted to say something in confidence.
Any words spoken within the enchanted perimeter would be swallowed
by the magic before they could reach the ears of anyone
else.

But why? There was only one reason for a
silencer spell – he must have a secret to tell her. She leaned
forward, dropping her voice a level. “What’s bugging you?” she
whispered.

He lowered his wand and met her gaze. “You
were about to say you wanted to prove that Norms could be better
than Enchanters, right?”

She shrugged. “Yeah. I’ll
beat
you
for
sure,” she added with a joking smirk.

“
True.” He tried to return
her smile, but the uneasy look remained in his eyes. “Still, you
can’t go around boasting about it. The way you’re saying it, you’re
threatening the status quo.”

“
Status-huh?” she asked,
confused.
Why’s he always throwing fancy
words at me?

“
Status quo – ‘the way
things are,’” he explained. “The Triumvirate’s caste system puts
Enchanters above Norms. And it’s stood for nearly a century,
grounded in the idea that those with magic are superior to those
without. If you win the Challenge, and it’s just one contestant who
happens to be a Norm beating others that happen to include
Enchanters, then it’s not that big a deal. But if you make it sound
like something bigger, something that could endanger the system –”
He broke off, his eyes flying to the doorway, and shut his mouth
firmly.

Aurelia glanced back, startled, but didn’t
see anything out of the ordinary. She turned back to her friend
with a questioning look.

He brought his gaze back to her, but his
expression remained tense. “Thought I saw someone.”

Whatever he was about to say, it had to be
bad, and she waited for him to continue, more frightened than she
wanted to admit.

Finally he drew a breath. “The Triumvirate
can’t have you jeopardizing the caste system that puts Enchanters
above Norms. They’ll silence you, no matter how well you represent
them in the Challenge. They’d rather lose their champion than risk
their way of life.”

They’ll silence me.
She knew what he meant by that. They’d lock her
up forever, and no one would see her again. It would be as if she’d
never existed. But she hadn’t said anything bad about the
Triumvirate, and she had no wish to. The Triumvirate made her mad
because they treated Norms as inferior, but they weren’t evil.
Monsters were evil – they killed people in horrible ways. The
Triumvirate kept the monsters away. She wasn’t threatening the
government; she just wanted them to change.

Was that really enough to get her in
trouble?

Connor must have sensed the anger stirring
within her, because he looked her straight in the eye, his
expression taking on a kind of gravity she’d never seen in him
before. “I mean it, Aurie. That kind of talk could be interpreted
as treason. There are a lot of people around right now, and they’re
all listening.”

Treason?
She swallowed hard, fear suddenly overwhelming
her anger. Treason was punishable by death. She hadn’t thought
about her intentions that way before. But the Triumvirate was her
nation, her home, her people. She’d dedicated her life to
protecting it, and everyone who lived within its
borders.

“
How could I be considered
a traitor?” she protested hoarsely. “Everything I do is for the
Triumvirate! Wanting change isn’t treason!”

His gaze didn’t leave hers. “Some people
might see it that way. Please, Aurie, promise you won’t talk like
that to anyone else. I don’t want to see you get in trouble.
Someone might have already heard you.”

She opened her mouth to
object, but then saw that there was something more than worry
behind his expression. He looked scared … scared for her. The last
time she’d seen him look so frightened, he’d just learned that he’d
be pitted against monsters in the Challenge.
Wow, he must really be worried about this,
she thought, pressing her lips together.
Is it really that bad?
She didn’t particularly want to find out.

“
Okay, I promise I’ll pipe
down.” Then she put her hands on her hips in rebellion. “But that
doesn’t mean I’ll stop thinking about it.”

He shook his head. “You can’t change the
world overnight.” Angling his mouth into something of a grin, he
let his expression grow brighter. “But if you win, if you show
everyone that Norms can protect people from the supernatural as
well as Enchanters do … hey, it’s a start.” He glanced out the
door. “I’d better lift the silencer spell before someone sees it
and gets suspicious.” He waved his wand with a whispered word, and
the silver mist disappeared.

Now everyone could hear
what she said, and she really had to watch her words. That
expressing her hopes could get her
killed
scared her like no monster
ever had. She hated the feeling.

But just because I can’t
talk about changing the world doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
She leaned against the table’s edge with a huff.
“I just want the Challenge to begin already.”

“
I wish I felt the same,”
Connor muttered. A distressed look descended on his face, and he
stared at the floor. “But I never had a choice.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
My father needed to prove
that the Challenge wasn’t just a meaningless blood sport,” he said
softly. “So he decided to send one of his kids to compete. But he
didn’t want to risk anything he couldn’t afford to lose, and I’m a
nobody in his eyes. He ordered the officials to put my name down
and told me if I refused, he’d disown me.”

A rush of anger rose from the pit of
Aurelia’s stomach. “Your father’s evil! He talks like he’s this
great hero, but –”

“
Aurie,
stop
!” he looked around
wildly. “You can’t speak that way about the Gold
Triumvir!”

Her chest clenched with
anxiety when she realized what she’d almost said, and how her words
might have sounded to anyone who didn’t know the conversation. Yes,
that
would
have
sounded bad. But stronger still was her rage at the idea that the
Gold Triumvir was sending her best friend into danger just to prove
a point. “I don’t take it back,” she said defiantly.

“
Well, your anger can’t
help me.” He sank into his chair, leaned forward on his elbows, and
buried his face in his hands.

She bit her lip, trying to
think of something else to say. She could think of ten
mean
ways to respond
right away, but when it came to nice ones, the ones she wanted, she
drew a blank. Not because she didn’t care – she wanted
so badly
to say
something reassuring, and her heart cried out to bring him comfort.
But she couldn’t think of the right words. Her combative upbringing
hadn’t exactly taught her to be kind, and Connor was the only
person she wanted to be nice to. It made it … difficult.
I suck at all this emotional
stuff
, she thought, dismayed at
herself.

Then an idea popped into
her head.
Maybe I can distract him
…

She backed up against the wall and held up
her hands like claws. This was her favorite partner training
exercise – having one person attack like a monster and the other
defend. Maybe it was a little childish, when watered down so no one
would actually get hurt, but she didn’t see anything wrong with
having fun.

“
Hey!” she
called.

Connor looked up, and his eyes widened. “No.
Not this again.”

“
I’m a bloodwolf!” She
charged at him, baring her teeth as if she were a bloodwolf – a
red-furred beast that looked a lot like a stumpy but super-powered
version of a wolf. She leaped, preparing to tackle him to the
ground if he didn’t do something to defend himself.

In answer, he raised his
wand and shouted, “
Scutum
invisibili!
”

A bright green spell shot
from the tip of his wand with a loud
whoosh
. Swirling green mist filled
the air, and she knew he’d created a force field. She let herself
crash into it, keeping her body at an angle so her shoulder took
the impact, then deliberately collapsed onto the floor and shut her
eyes.
All part of the master
plan
, she thought, ignoring the aches from
the fall.

“
Aurie!” he cried,
sounding horrified.

She pressed her lips
together to suppress a giggle.
He’s
falling for it.
His footsteps came toward
her, and, as soon as he was close enough, she sprang up and tackled
him, catching a brief glimpse of his startled face before clasping
him around the waist.

“
Gotcha!” she yelled as
they both fell onto the floor. “I win!”

He gave her an incredulous look. “That’s not
fair! I thought you were hurt!”

“
Monsters don’t fight
fair!” She got off his chest and stood up, then held out her
hand.

“
That’s true.” He took her
hand and pulled himself up, a slight smile lifting his lips, and
Aurelia mentally gave herself a pat on the back for being an
awesome friend.

Just then, a nasty voice
shot toward her from behind. “What’s
she
doing here? Get outta here,
Norm! Unless you’re here to sweep the floors.”

Aurelia whirled, her mind racing back to
what Connor had said about treason. Who was here? How long had they
been listening? Had they heard what she’d said?

But there was no one threatening at the
door. Just a broad-shouldered Scholar leaning against the door jam
with a disdainful expression, twirling a thick brown wand in his
meaty fingers. She’d never bothered learning the boy’s name, but
she’d seen him skulking around the school’s hallways plenty of
times before; he always twisted his ugly face into a foul look when
he crossed her path, as if she was garbage and he’d just caught a
whiff of her stink. People like him were the reason she was so
determined to win the Challenge. She opened her mouth to retort, a
thousand curses on the tip of her tongue, but Connor spoke
first.

“
Do you know who you’re
talking to?” he snapped, striding up to the Scholar. “She’s the
Firedragon. My father hand-picked her for the International
Challenge, so show some respect.”

“
She’s nothing but a
Norm!” the Scholar spat. He threw Aurelia a disgusted look, then
glanced at Connor, scowled, and walked off.

Aurelia raised her fist, ready to pound him
into the ground. “Stupid, ugly jerkface!” she yelled.

But Connor grabbed her arm. “Forget him.
He’s just an ignorant bully. “

She huffed, her blood
boiling with anger.
Once I win the
Challenge, no one will ever dare talk to me like that
again.

Despite what Connor had told her before, she
still believed her victory would force Enchanters to admit that
Norms were every bit as capable as they were.

Yes, she would change the world.