Page 56 of Centaur Bolt

19

Riley

We followed the group of panting students through the building and into the back field. I had no idea how I was going to do obstacles with shaking legs.

Tyrez and a group of other instructors awaited us. Cody, the tall Sabre shifter, and Alex, the sleek Dire, along with two others that were extremely muscled.

Kiko noticed me assessing them. “More Sabres,” she whispered. “Neil’s on the right. Ryan on the left.”

Cody raised a hand for silence and got it without effort. “Today we are focusing on two of the obstacles that involve perfecting your climbing talents. Partial shifts will be allowed for this exercise. Most of you will not fare well if you decide to shift completely—the human form is well suited to climbing.”

He turned and led us across the field. The course was past the fence, and for the first time, I saw the forest gateway. An arch, part stone and part wood that looked like an ornate sculpture.

The path took us past it and into the forest. By the time we arrived at the field that defined the start, my breathing had steadied, and my legs no longer shook. But climb? Ugh.

Cody led us to a tall cliff where the teams regathered. He held up a rope. “This is a team exercise. You will work on climbing together. If one member falls, the others will have to hold them until they regain their grip.” He gestured to the sky. “We will have both anchor ropes and aerial support for this exercise, but your goal is not to need them.”

Tyrez banked to a graceful landing for such a huge creature. He folded his wings, gazing out over us with gleaming turquoise eyes.

“The Dragons of the Legion are the biggest I’ve ever seen,” Vali breathed. There was admiration in her tone, and a touch of something else.

“Legion?” I asked.

She looked uncomfortable. “The Dragon Empire has a group of elite soldiers known as the Legion.” She shrugged. “I was born an underworld Dragon. We live independently from the Empire.”

Kiko eyed her. “I thought most Dragonas in the underworld are enslaved.”

That seemed a bit insensitive as comments went, as well as definitely fishing for info. Vali’s fingers lifted to trace the outline of one ear—and, for the first time, I noticed that it was blemished, the outer curl jagged with scar tissue. She quickly dropped her hand, letting her thick hair fall over it, as she replied. “I was not a slave. At least, not in the beginning.”

Okay. That only led to more questions. But Vali’s expression showed they would not be welcome, and when Kiko opened her mouth, I redirected the conversation. “What does a Sabre look like in beast form?”

I didn’t imagine Vali’s relief. Kiko frowned at me, but she answered easily enough. “They’re giant cats with big, nasty fangs. Tough as nails, much bigger than a Dire. Not many of them around now.”

“It’s one of the reasons the council needs this school,” Vali added.

Tareal and Lora stood nearby, and Lora piped up. “Sabres are arrogant jerks. Giant pains in the butt.”

Kiko noticed my confusion and elaborated. “The council has used them as their enforcers since the beginning of time.” She glared at Lora. “So those that break the rules tend to run afoul of them.”

Lora glared back. “They poke their noses where they don’t belong,” she hissed.

“Sounds like someone’s been breaking the rules.” Kiko stated.

Lora’s lips peeled back from a surprisingly sharp canine, and I decided that this conversation wasn’t conducive to us climbing a cliff together. I took a step to put myself between them, and said, “We all had our issues before we came here. I had a record back in my realm. Survival was my goal, not obeying the law. But we are starting fresh now.”

Tareal raised a skeptical brow. “We did whatever we had to—to survive. Are you saying you did the same?”

I hadn’t intended on having to confess those things, but if I backed out now, he’d think I was a poser. So I took a deep breath, and said, “I stole things to get money. And I knifed one of the kids I lived with. It was self-defense, but no one believed me.”

No one except Molly and Phil. I almost ended up in juvie that time. They’d saved me. That and the fact my supposed victim had been involved in a similar incident the year before.

I owed Molly a helluva lot. And repaid her with a ton of heartache.

“Wowsers,” Kiko said into the silence. “Remind me not to argue with you.” And she grinned.

“You’d just set me on fire,” I pointed out.

“Yep,” she agreed.

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