Violet
It had been three weeks now, and I could finally say I knew how to take a beating.
Ila had a strange teaching thod. I was constantly on the defence, and just when I managed to prevent being put down by basic moves, it beca more complicated. Soon, not only Toda but Turin, Ana, and even ribel beca my sparring partners whenever they had ti.
And I was still being put down.
Then again, no matter how gifted I was due to the syzygy, it would not make sense for to catch up with warriors who had trained for years.
But at the very least, their hits started to faze less.
The stares from other wolves were different now. Stranger, too. My improvent must have puzzled them, and while I grew used to the looks, I still mostly confined myself to my room after training.
I ate, slept, trained. Rinse and repeat. And when none of them were available, I trained alone or exercised in my room.
It wasn’t until that third week that I realized just how large an event the hunt was.
The few occasions I had gone out that week, the capital’s streets had been crowded. So of us had to move to other settlents to accommodate wolves from other packs arriving for the hunt.
Which was how I found myself standing in the settlent’s courtyard at dawn, my bag clutched in one hand, staring at the drakes outside the open gate being prepared for departure.
Turin moved through the small group of drakes, checking harnesses and at tis pausing to talk to the head of one of the other groups. There were seven other wolves besides myself in Turin’s group. But my stomach had dropped the mont I spotted Darnel’s easy grin and Corin’s scarred jaw among them.
I would be moving with them?!
"Violet." Turin appeared at my side, gently grabbing my arm and pulling towards one of the drakes. "Place your bag here. You’ll be riding this one."
The drake was smaller than the others, its scales a muted green-brown that shimred bronze in the early light. It blinked at with those unsettling eyes, and I forced myself not to step back.
I had only ever ridden it once and that was with Ana.
I started, "I don’t know how to direct it."
"It will follow mine. Just hold on."
He helped climb the creature after tying my luggage at the side of the harness. He then moved away, walking around as the others mounted theirs with fluid ease.
"We leave in a few minutes," he announced, and I sat there, clutching the reins, and staring at the head of the drake.
Behind , I heard Darnel’s low chuckle, and my irritation only grew when he pulled his drake up beside mine, that insufferable grin firmly in place.
"First ti on a drake?" he asked.
"No, I have been on one before," I grumbled, a frown forming on my face as I refused to look at him.
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Darnel." Turin’s voice cut through to us. "Fall back into formation!"
I could hear Turin’s footsteps draw closer.
"Just making conversation—"
"Now." Turin walked past us, glaring hard at Darnel who smirked.
"Alright. Alright." He pulled on the reins and the drake began to pull back. "I’ll see you later, pretty woman."
My mind went blank.
What?
I looked up, equal parts shocked and disturbed.
A grin still played on his lips, but there was a strange appraising look in his eyes as he was already turned away from . I imdiately looked away, only to catch Corin’s eyes on from further back in the line. He had a blank look on his face that shifted when he saw look back at him.
He frowned and looked away.
I repressed a shudder that wanted to take over .
What was happening today?
"Moving out now!" Turin called out and his drake started forward. Mine followed imdiately, falling into line as the others too kicked off in a slow run.
I had barely adjusted to the swaying motion when the animal kicked up with speed.
My panic about crashing into other vehicles and drakes reduced as we moved through the wide streets. Even with the drakes moving at surprising speeds, I could still take in the sights. The capital was enormous, far larger than I had realised during my brief visits.
Soon after, as we drew closer to the centre of the outer district, the structures slightly changed. The buildings were even taller, more elaborate, and the streets were even more wider and crowded.
An agonising hour later, I saw our destination in the distance.
I thought back to Ila pulling aside earlier this morning, and letting know how Kael had assigned to the group staying at his residence.
My lips parted.
When Ila had ntioned the castle, never did I imagine it would be this imnse.
The open courtyard dominated the landscape, and even more oppressing was the massive structure that rose five stories tall. The outer walls were made of polished cream-colored stone, and the peaked roofs were tiled with dark slates.
The courtyard surrounding it was just as large, easily three tis the size of the settlent we’d just left. Smaller, but just as beautiful buildings dotted the paved grounds, connected by walkways lined with flowering bushes and ornantal trees.
Wolves moved up and down, the area busy as more people seed to head in with carriages and other drakes. So were dressed in bright coloured fabric that didn’t match what I had seen before in the capital.
My drake slowed even more as Turin’s did, our group moving deeper into the compound. We passed clusters of wolves engaged in conversation, and then I saw them.
Two wolves I recognized from the camp, one of them the older woman I had seen in my tent aside from Ana and ribel. She stood near one of the smaller buildings, speaking with the other male wolf from the camp.
They stopped and her eyes lingered on for a mont before drifting to Turin’s. She said sothing to her companion who also turned to look at as well.
The drakes ca to a stop and she stepped closer, laying her hand flat against Turin’s mount as she stared straight at .
"Why is she here?"
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