Page 150 of The Bond That Burns

I glanced at Medra, thinking of Blake. I knew my friend had mixed feelings about the House Drakharrow leader. So did I. But Neville wouldn’t be here without him.

I tried to picture Professor Stonefist as a child, but the image refused to take shape. It was easier to imagine her wrestling a band of pirates than sneaking table scraps to a fluffin.

Neville chirped happily, clearly delighted with all of the attention. The professor chuckled, then glanced up at me, catching me staring.

“The beard, is it?”

“What?” I blurted. “Oh! Goodness! By the Bloodmaiden, no, I hadn’t even noticed.” But my eyes betrayed me as they skipped straight to her beard. It was impossiblenotto notice. Silvery gray streaks wove through the neatly groomed hair, which curled gently at the ends. The whole thing seemed to have a life of its own, as though it had been sculpted into its artful twists with care.

I’d always known some female dwarves grew beards. Many took pride in them, especially the older generations.

“I—” My cheeks flamed. “It’s... just lovely.” The words tumbled out. “Your beard, I mean. Very impressive. So...twirly.”

The professor’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Twirly, eh? I can’t say I’ve heard that before. I suppose it has grown out quitea bit. Should give it a trim. A dwarf’s bear is a matter of pride, Shen. A beard tells a story. And mine could tell you plenty.”

“I’m sure it could,” I gasped, trying not to shrink back in embarrassment.

“Florence,” Medra muttered under her breath. I could see her lips twitching with suppressed laughter.

“Well, that’s just about enough chatter.” Professor Stonefist clapped me on the back so abruptly I nearly fell over. I started coughing into my arm, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “We’re here to toughen your friend up, not talk about my beard all day. Though your beard could use some work, too, Shen.” She smirked as I squeaked and touched my chin self-consciously, as if expecting to find hair had suddenly sprouted. “Let’s start her off with some basic work, Pendragon. Teach her how to take a hit without toppling over like a spindly sapling.”

“Yes, Professor,” Medra said, grinning as she motioned for me to follow her to a mat.

Professor Stonefist was eyeing Neville. “I suppose we’ll say he’s here for moral support. Keep him out of the way, Shen. No fluffins on the mats.”

“Yes, Professor.” I quickly scooped Neville up and he immediately started to snuffle his head towards my satchel. I let him climb into it gratefully.

I turned to Medra. “This is already the most embarrassing day of my life.”

She laughed, pulling me towards the mat. “Relax. You’re doing great. She likes you, I can tell. Besides, there’s hardly anyone around.”

“Really?” I pointed across the room where Vaughn Sabino was bouncing up and down as he hit a punching bag. “I see Vaughn.” The tall boy waved as he saw me staring and I waved back. “And oh, look, over there is Visha.”

“Visha’d better get her tongue out of Lace’s throat or Professor Stonefist might wind up being the first instructor to ever physically launch a highblood into the sky with her foot,” Medra muttered, as she eyed the two girls who were wrapped around each other again, this time as they lay on top of the mat.

“I think they started off fighting,” I said dubiously as I watched them. “But they got distracted. Again.”

“Yeah, that happens with Visha. A lot. She spars with her tongue.” Medra rolled her shoulders. “Okay, let’s start with some warm-ups. We don’t want you pulling a muscle on your very first day.”

“Warm-ups?” I asked nervously. “That doesn’t involve running laps, does it? Please tell me it doesn’t involve running laps.”

She laughed. “No laps, I promise. Though Professor Stonefist will make you run them if she hears you talking like that. We’ll just do some stretches. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” She lowered her voice. “And don’t worry about the beard. She didn’t have one last year. She’s been growing this one since Autumntide. She’s very proud of it. I think she appreciated that you noticed it so quickly, actually.”

I was pretty sure she was lying to spare my feelings, but I decided I’d take it. I sat down on the mat with her as she started guiding us through some basic poses. Touching my toes and lunging felt harmless enough, though I couldn’t help but notice how muchmore gracefully Medra moved compared to me. I felt like a baby deer attempting to walk for the first time.

“So,” I said conversationally. “Late night at the library the other day. Did you find what you were looking for?”

I hadn’t meant anything by it, but to my surprise she blushed.

“Medra!” I exclaimed. “What happened at the library?”

“Nothing,” she said defensively. Then she sighed. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a while. I guess now’s as good a time as any.”

“Talk to me about what?” I asked curiously. “What happened?”

“I was researching for my essay and Kage came in...”

“Kage!” I practically shrieked.

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