Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
“Look—he got the custard!” Toady elbowed Leaper as I picked up the bowl.
“Lucky son-of-a-bitch,” Bugs muttered. “Why does Runt get it when the rest of us don’t?”
“Yeah—my father flies a Bronze-wing, but I didn’t get any,” Leaper muttered rebelliously. “I have Noble blood in my House—they should have given me a bowl too, not just Runt.”
“The kitchen ladies gave Auri a bowl of the Dragon Custard because he’s a runt,” Jorn-o said. He shot me an apologetic look. “No offense, Auri.”
“None taken,” I said, shrugging in what I hoped was a manly way. “I know I’m small.”
“The Dragon Custard doesn’t have any kind of magical properties, you know,” Jorn-o went on. “I know—I’ve seen the kitchen ladies make it. It’s just got a lot of stuff to build you up and make you strong. To make you…” He hesitated and cast another glance at me. “To make you gain weight. They probably thought Auri needed it.”
“Why don’t we all eat it,” I suggested, seeing what I hoped was an opportunity to make friends. “Come on—everybody try a bite. I’m really full,” I added. “I can’t finish it by myself.”
Everyone hesitated, as though I had suggested breaking an important but unwritten rule.
“I don’t know,” Jorn-o hedged. “I have hardly any Noble blood at all in my House. Same with Bugs and Toady.”
“Come on—one bite,” I urged him. “I won’t tell.”
“Well…I have always wondered what it tasted like,” he admitted.
“There should be enough for one spoonful each,” I told him. “We should all try it.”
I picked up my spoon, took a small amount, and then held out the bowl to the boys sitting around me.
Leaper was the first to take a spoonful and after him, Toady, then Bugs. Jorn-o was last, but he took a spoonful like the rest. By silent but mutual consent none of us ate until everyone had some of the Dragon Custard on their spoon.
“To Runt,” Leaper said, raising his spoon to his mouth.
“To Runt,” the rest chorused and then we all took a bite.
The Dragon Custard was like nothing I had tasted before. It melted like honey on my tongue and tasted sweet and tangy and delicious. And though Jorn-o had said it had no magical properties, I could feel strength and vitality coursing through me as I swallowed the single spoonful. It almost made me wish I’d kept the entire bowl for myself.
But then I looked around at the wondering faces of my new friends and was sure I’d made the right decision.
“So that’s what it tastes like,” Jorn-o breathed.
“Fucking delicious,” Leaper muttered, licking his spoon as Toady and Bugs nodded in agreement. “Can’t wait until we get our dragons so I can have more of it,” he added.
“When do we get our dragons? I mean, our eggs?” I asked curiously. My father had told Auren and me a lot about the great aerial flights and training exercises at the Academy, but he hadn’t spoken much of the minutia of life here.
“A few months into our First-year,” Jorn-o told me. “There’s a clutch of eggs hardening on the Hatching Sands right now. They’ll be ready for Impression soon.”
“After you Impress an egg, you visit it as much as you can to strengthen the connection,” Bugs explained. “That way, when your dragon hatches, it’s all ready to bond with you.”
“But how do you know which egg you’ll get? I mean—how can you tell which one is right for you?” I asked.
“Oh, you’ll know. The drakeling inside will speak to you.” Toady nodded wisely and tapped his temple. “Here. You’ll hear his or her voice in your mind and then you’ll know—that’s your dragon.”
“Really?” I was surprised—my father had never spoken about any of this. But maybe it was a sacred, private kind of thing. Making mental contact with your dragon for the first time must be a life-changing experience.
“Really,” Jorn-o confirmed. “And if you’re wondering how boys from the Great Houses always end up with Noble-blood dragons, it’s because they can smell your blood—right through the shell.”
“Really?” I felt my eyes go wide. “I didn’t know dragons could do that!”
“Sure, they can—the right blood smells sweet to them. Didn’t you ever spend time with your father’s dragon?” Bugs asked.
“Yeah—didn’t he ride a Crimson Gold-wing? Before he…” Leaper trailed off abruptly.
“My father’s dragon was too fierce to get near,” I said, ignoring the way all of them were looking in different directions and pointedly not talking about my father’s suicide. “My bro—I mean my sister and I didn’t dare get to close to him.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Jorn-o gave me a pitying look. “I grew up with G’lornie. My father took me on my first ride the minute I was able to walk.”
“My father’s Blue is grumpy most of the time,” Toady said with a sigh.
“My father’s Green wants attention day and night—but she’s a female, so what can you expect?” Bugs rolled his eyes.