Page 8 of Forcing Fate

Master Brann cleared his throat, drawing my gaze back to him. “As the Masters’ assistant, you will be expected to aid them throughout the year, and on Hatching Day you will be presented as First Chosen.” An earnest smile lightened his features. “You have earned a second chance, dear.”

“Next year’s clutch is smaller than average,” Master Balloch informed. “As of now, there are seven good eggs.”

I bowed my head, holding my clasped hands up with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you so very much.” Emotion squeezed my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

This was hard to fathom. Second chances were unheard of. Perhaps it was because the gold dragonling didn’t outright refuse me, but rather had a bond with a Second Chosen. Maybe, since it hadn’t been a Wild One, they didn’t completely write me off as refused.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

Looking up, I held each gaze, nodding my affirmation. I would study everything I could get my hands on and read every single parchment on dragons… for the fifth time. I would follow the Masters and learn all I could from them. There had to be more to the bond, something I missed. I wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat.

I would bond with a dragonling.

Master Brann laughed, noticing the determination that played over my face. “I assure you, dear Avyanna. You could not disappoint us. You have already worked so hard. Try to relax, assist the Masters, and maybe even try to make a few friends.”

Distaste wrinkled my nose before I could stop myself. Master Balloch had a good laugh at that.

Friends just took away from valuable studying time.

My mind was a whirl of frenzied thoughts as we said our goodbyes. On my way out, I noticed Master Niehm’s frown. She had wanted me to give up on dragons, not hang my future on the acceptance of a hatchling. She must not have known what the Council planned for me.

Once again, my future was certain. Next Hatching Day I would have a dragonling.

“Friends!” I scoffed, plunging out into the cold with my cloak wrapped around me once again. The guards ignored me as I stepped onto the snow-covered path. Still, only my tracks led to the Masters’ quarters.

Who needed friends when I’d have a dragon? We would share everything. It would be my best friend and I would never leave its side. Friends came and went, but a dragon was for life.

I shuffled through the cold, holding back from sprinting across the slick ice. Eager to write my mother, I rushed down the path. She’d want to be here for Hatching Day. If she skipped her visit in the spring, she’d have the funds to attend.

Last summer, she hadn’t been disappointed in me at all when the gold dragonling bonded with a Second Chosen. My memories of that day were a haze. She had left that night, unable to stay longer, but I kept her letters, telling me how proud she was, regardless of my dragonless state.

My mother was my greatest supporter. Her faith in me outshined my own. I loved her dearly and wanted to do my best for her sake. I was her purpose in life, the reason she kept going. She never remarried after we lost my father, not even when the village blacksmith offered his hand. With no romantic interest in the men back home, she scraped by on her own. I would be one of the few female Dragon Kind and make her proud.

Though there were no gender boundaries concerning Dragon Kind, men were far more prevalent. Women didn’t seem as interested in fighting a war when they could stay behind and care for their homeland. I wanted to fight. Not only to protect my mother, but to avenge my father.

As I neared the dorms, I took a deep, steadying breath, feeling the cold burn my lungs. Once inside, I shrugged off my cloak, turning to the women’s wing with a nod to the secretary sitting at her desk.

“Miss Avyanna, I trust your meeting went well?” She didn’t bother looking up from her papers.

“Very well, thank you.”

Making my way down the hall, I passed the guards stationed to keep men out, and ascended the two flights of stairs to my floor.

Plenty of women lived here, displaced by the war, more than one would assume. Either their husbands died, and they had no form of income, or like me, they were young girls who’d lost their fathers. Few were attempting to be Dragon Kind, but all had a place. The Master of Women, Master Elenor, found something everyone could do. If one lived on school grounds, she would find something you were good at and set you to task. She did not abide idleness.

Down another hall, I came to my room. Entering, I hung my cloak on the back of the door and leaned against it, latching it shut. It was small, as was everyone’s. These were not dwellings of luxury, they were the graces of the King. I couldn’t complain. It was a roof overhead with free meals.

There was a cot tucked on the far side, with a minuscule table piled high with books beside it. On the right wall was another table with a looking glass and washbasin I used as a makeshift vanity. We had to fetch our own water, but I never minded. The women all shared public lavatories, but Master Elenor did not permit loitering, so they were mostly clear of people.

My room had little frills, something my mother lamented every time she came, but it was home. I earned coin here and there. Masters provided odd jobs for students, but there were too many seeking work for the Masters to supply our spending coin. Because of this, my coat rack bore only three dresses and a second cloak, more suitable for mild weather. The books were my decor, and that was fine with me. They were more useful, anyway.

Pushing off the door, I sighed and picked up the three books I needed to return to the Records Room. A smile lit my face as I left my room and darted down the hall.

I would be a Dragon Rider yet!

Chapter Three

Spring of Year 896

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