Page 2 of Power of Draken

That I am one year away from finishing the war college at Spire East Command, at which point I’ll be done making a fool of myself on obstacle courses and archery ranges and can happily closet myself in an alchemy workshop—while wearing pretty officers’ epaulets. “Yes, ma’am. It means the enchanters will be combined with the elite combat track cadets.”

There is a hint of a gleam in my mother’s eyes as she delivers the next bit of news. “It means you will be under the command of Kai Grayson, the cadet in charge on the combat track.”

And there it is. This year’s motivation.

My stomach sinks. I’ve never met the man, but rumors of Grayson’s possible command have been circulating around the enchanter barracks for weeks now—along with recounts of his ruthlessness. If whispers are to be believed—and the satisfaction in my mother’s face says they are—he and his two friends, Kyrian and Logan, are by far the best fighters in the entire track. The three of them, nicknamed the triad, break bones first and ask questions later. Even the instructors do not mess with them. One time, Grayson put a combat instructor into the infirmary over an argument, took a dozen lashes for it, then turned around and put a second instructor into an adjacent bed the same day.

If Grayson is put in charge of the fusion year cadets, it means the triad will own me. To order me around as they see fit, to punish me as they see fit. To make my life a living hell.

In my mother’s mind, I bet she imagines that unleashing Grayson on me will correct my issues.

There is a knock at the door and a sergeant pops his head in. “My apologies for the interruption, Commandant, but formation is about to be called.”

Thank the gods for military schedules.

She nods, and waits for the door to close before standing to offer her final words of wisdom from higher up. “Two bits of advice. One—do not expect my protection. Two—reconsider whining about fabricated illnesses, lest Grayson decides to find a novel way of correcting the problem.”

And there it is. Like I said, my mother is anything but unpredictable. At least when it comes to me.

And that means she knows exactly what to expect from Grayson.

Chapter2

Rowan

"You alright, Ro?" Collin gives my hand a quick squeeze as Spire East’s third year cadets assemble on the main courtyard for first formation, the two seas of red and black uniforms touching in the middle. Once squads are assigned, enchanters and combat cadets will be mixed, but for now neither side is going out of their way to meet the other after two years of training apart. Collin gives the black uniforms of combat cadets a quick envious glance, then returns his attention to me. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine.” I pull my red enchanter jacket down to get rid of non-existent wrinkles and lift my head, lest the others smell blood in the water. Really though, my stomach is rolling with my mother’s warning about Grayson. For all the good that worrying is going to do me.

“You don’t look fine.” The lift in Collin’s brows says that sees right through my horseshit. Which is fair, since we’ve known each other for years, owing to our families’ standings. More importantly, he’s helped me through more dizzy spells and migraines than I can count. I still don’t understand why a man as popular and a perfectionist like Collin wouldcare about someone as damaged as me, but he does. Enough to court me. To have pushed us from friends to lovers.

My getting together with Collin is the only thing I’ve done in the past two years that my mother actually approves of.

“I’m not ill,” I reassure him, returning the squeeze. “Just nervous. Fusion year is supposed to be brutal. Like people getting hurt and killed brutal.” And that’s without the commandant telling the incoming commander to fix your deficiencies.

Collin steps closer, his fingers brushing along my chin possessively. "Why did the commandant call you in?”

I look away, my gaze trailing over the stone arches and spires surrounding the courtyard, the academy's banners snapping in the brisk wind. Trust Collin to notice everything, even with a hundred other things vying for his attention this morning.

“Tell me,” Collin orders.

“They are putting Grayson in charge of our fusion year,” I say under my breath, pulling away as my mother ascends the dais. Her powerful voice carries over the parade grounds, bringing the hundred and twenty of us to order. My gaze skids over the black uniforms on the other side of the field, as if I could read their name ribbons from here to figure out who he might be. “And I think my mother ordered him to fix me.”

Collin’s eyes widen. “Shit,” he says under his breath while my mother launches into a speech we've heard in one way or another a hundred times by now. Eryndor is special because we have powerful magic running in our bloodlines and auric alloy that levels the playing field with the immortal fae. They hate us for it. They want to wipe us off the continent. They want humans to remain powerless. Eryndor is the front line of defense, not just for ourselves, but for all humankind. And so on. Collin curses and drums his hand on his thigh, a tell of his nerves. “That’s… not good. Grayson in charge of the fusion year is not good for any of us.”

“You know him?”

“I know of him,” Collin says. “And I have it on good authority that he gives zero fucks about anyone but his friends. All the effort I’ve put in, the work, the high marks, they are going to count for nothing with him in charge.”

“Horseshit,” I assure him.

“You know what I heard Grayson said about enchanters? That we are like potted plants, useful to have on hand when needed but a pain in the ass to keep alive and haul about otherwise.”

“The queen is an enchanter.”

“Do I look like I’m the queen?” Collin snaps.

I hold my hand out placatingly. “I know combat always snubs its nose at enchanters, but you are different. A healer with top marks in combat training? You are every commander's dream. The squad leaders are going to be fighting over you no matter what. If Grayson has anything but muscles going for him, he’ll mark you for the asset you are.”

---